Brilliant and charismatic, David Hyrum Smith was a poet, painter, singer, philosopher, naturalist, and highly effective missionary for the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. In this richly detailed biography, Valeen Tippetts Avery chronicles the life of the last son of Joseph Smith and his first wife, Emma.Avery draws on a large body of correspondence for details of David's life and on his poetry to reveal his personality and emotional struggles. She tells of his mental deterioration, starting with a probable breakdown early in 1870 and ending with his death in 1904 in the Northern Illinois Hospital and Asylum for the Insane in Elgin, where he had been confined for twenty-seven years.Awards and Recognition:Winner of the Evans Biography Award administered by the Mountain West Center for Regional Studies at Utah State University, 1998. Winner of the Ella Larsen Turner Award for the Best Biography in Mormon History, 1998. Winner of the John Whitmer Historical Association Best Book Award.''This is an astonishing accomplishment which not only tells the reader about a neglected historical figure, but about myriad neglected dimensions of both Mormon history and the history of religion in general.'' -- Jan Shipps, author of Mormonism: The Story of a New Religious Tradition''This will stand alone as a biography of David H. Smith. . . . But it is also an insightful look at the times and environment from which the Smith family, and its ideas, emerged.'' -- Paul M. Edwards, author of Our Legacy of Faith: A Brief History of the Reorganized Church
''Avery writes with grace and power. Drawing on rich primary archival sources, she presents a convincing argument and gives us valuable insights not only into the compelling personality of David Smith but also into the time in which he lived... A first-rate biography.'' -- William A. Wilson, Western Historical Quarterly ''A full-bodied biography that thoughtfully illuminates a remarkable life from which much can be learned.'' -- Richard L. Jensen, Journal of Mormon History ''Avery's immensely insightful, scholarly biography of David Hyrum Smith greatly enhances our understanding of this tormented son of the founding prophet of the Latter-day Saints.'' -- Danny L. Jorgensen, Utah Historical Quarterly ''A very thoroughly researched, well-written, and fascinating biography; a superb book that is more than a biography of one subject, but a moving and poignant social history as well.'' -- Evans Biography Award Panel.
