Joseph Smith's Widow

 A trip to Nauvoo, Illinois, was replete with history of the Mormon Church.  One point of interest was that Joseph Smith's widow stayed in Nauvoo instead of making the trek to Salt Lake City.

Picture from "The Rocky Mountain Saints..."

What happened to Emma (1804-1879), the widow of Joseph Smith, Prophet of the Mormon Church, after Joseph was murdered, was found in the book, New Light On Mormonism:


Mrs. Emma Smith, the true wife of the first Mormon Prophet, with her children and several of the elder members of the numerous Smith family who had followed the fortunes of Joseph to Nauvoo, did not leave the neighborhood of the city to go west with the other Mormons under the leadership of Brigham Young.  Mrs. Smith afterward married Major L. (Lewis) C. (Crum) Bidamon, and died a few years ago.

The Bidamons were part of a story about the Jupiter Talisman Myth:

"The source of the now famous Talisman story, which Dr. Durham bases his findings on, originated from Wilford C. Wood, who was told it by Charles Bidaman, who was the illegitimate son of Lewis Bidaman. Lewis was Emma Smith's non-Mormon second husband. Charles was born out of an affair between Lewis Bidaman and Nancy Abercrombie, which occurred while Lewis was married to Emma. Charles was taken in by Emma at the age of 4 and raised by her until she died 11 years later."

The Bidamon family in the 1870 census:

United States Census, Illinois 1870 (Hancock, Nauvoo)
name:    Lewis C Bidamon
estimated birth year:    1805
gender:    Male
age in 1870:    65y
color (white, black, mulatto, chinese, indian):    White
birthplace:    Virginia
home in 1870:    Illinois, United States
     Household    Gender    Age
      Lewis C Bidamon    M    65y
Emma Bidamon    F    66y
Charles E Bidamon    M    6y
Emma J Smith    F    13y

The family was also in Nauvoo in 1860 and 1850.

This source stated that Major Lewis C. Bidamon was Abraham Lincoln's commanding officer in the Black Hawk War, as does this source.