BY vs Henry Jacobs

[_moksha]

And Henry was a weakling. He should have told Brigham where to stick it, and not made it easy for either Brigham or Zina.

Wonder if he feared being murdered by Porter Rockwell if he didn't relinquish his wife and let her cohabitate with President Young?

Too bad it wasn't in a more modern day and she could have just told him to take a hike and that she was shacking up with a holy dude.

[_harmony]

Too bad it wasn't in a more modern day and she could have just told him to take a hike and that she was shacking up with a holy dude.

More likely... an unholy dude.

[_cinepro]

It's odd that several biographical sketches and remembrances of Zina have been published by the Church over the years, but none mention her marriage to Joseph. Only Brigham.

Zina was first married to Henry Bailey Jacobs, and gave birth to two sons. Later, she married Brigham Young and gave birth to his daughter, Zina Presendia. She also reared Brigham Young’s four children by his wife Clarissa Chase when Clarissa died. “They were never anything but my own,” she lovingly declared.

"Great-Grandmother Zina:A More Personal Portrait"
By Mary Brown Firmage
Ensign, March 1984

The bio on the Church website describes her situation this way:

Widowed by her first husband, she raised two sons from that marriage, one daughter from her later marriage to Brigham Young, and four of Brigham Young’s other children.Zina DH Young: Biographical Sketch

The Friend talks about it this way:

After Henry deserted Zina and the two little boys, Zebulon and Chariton, she married Brigham Young and crossed the plains to the Salt Lake Valley with his family. A few years later a daughter, Zina Presendia Young, was born.

Heroes and Heroines: Zina Young- Angel of Mercy

Just think, if Emma had died before Joseph, the Church might not be so reluctant to acknowledge at least one of his other wives.

[_Jason Bourne]

Zina may have loved Henry when she first married him, but it's clear, she no longer wanted him sometime after after she was sealed to Brigham Young

So Zina was a power monger then. She dumped her husband for a more powerful man. That reflects well on her. What would you say of a sister in your ward who say dumped her mechanic husband for a more wealthy and powerful attorney? How about if she dumped her primary teacher husband for a stake president? Would either be able to remain in good standing?

It is amazing the arguments we make to justify this in our little minds yet were similar things to happen today we would resoundingly condemn it.

and Henry went on a mission--which allowed her to make the break completely.

Uh.... Brigham sent him on a mission. And then she dumped him while he was out serving the Lord. What a fine woman.

I feel very sorry for Henry that he never got over her leaving him--but it's clear she didn't want him.

Crystal clear.

Zina was no pawn, Brigham didn't "steal" her..

One would think the Prophet of God would counsel her to stay with her current active and worthy husband. Brigham did not do this and yes it appears he welcomed her and even created the situation for her to make the move. In any other case I am sure you would find both parties behavior despicable.

she saw an opportunity to get out of her marriage to Henry and live openly with Brigham Young as his wife, and she took it.

And you are ok with this? Amazing.

[_Jason Bourne]

The point is that Zina didn't initiate this, as far as I'm aware. It was initiated by Brigham Young (perhaps there was some flirting between them). Although Zina may have wanted to go with him, it would not have been possible without Brigham's invitation. Then, he tells Henry to go find one of his own "kindred spirits". What's that? Children of a lesser God? This is a classic case of married woman lusts after more powerful man, both conspire to break up a marriage. The only real victim is Henry.

Well said. If anything like this happened in Wyatts ward today both would be ex'd and the members of the ward would be appalled with the affair.

[_Alter Idem]

Zina may have loved Henry when she first married him, but it's clear, she no longer wanted him sometime after after she was sealed to Brigham Young

So Zina was a power monger then. She dumped her husband for a more powerful man. That reflects well on her. What would you say of a sister in your ward who say dumped her mechanic husband for a more wealthy and powerful attorney? How about if she dumped her primary teacher husband for a stake president? Would either be able to remain in good standing?

It is amazing the arguments we make to justify this in our little minds yet were similar things to happen today we would resoundingly condemn it.

and Henry went on a mission--which allowed her to make the break completely.

Uh.... Brigham sent him on a mission. And then she dumped him while he was out serving the Lord. What a fine woman.

I feel very sorry for Henry that he never got over her leaving him--but it's clear she didn't want him.

Crystal clear.

Zina was no pawn, Brigham didn't "steal" her..

One would think the Prophet of God would counsel her to stay with her current active and worthy husband. Brigham did not do this and yes it appears he welcomed her and even created the situation for her to make the move. In any other case I am sure you would find both parties behavior despicable.

she saw an opportunity to get out of her marriage to Henry and live openly with Brigham Young as his wife, and she took it.

And you are ok with this? Amazing.

I tried to post objectively what I saw as the situation. Somehow, you got the impression I approved of her choices, which I do not--but since I don't know all the particulars of her relationship with Henry, I'd rather not condemn her outright. I did say I thought it reflected poorly on her character and that is why the whitewash of saying she was "widowed".

I know there are many reasons one spouse will fall out of love with another. I do not know the situation of Henry and Zina's marriage, but I'd expect that having more powerful, enigmatic men "wanting" her certainly did not help her want to stay in her marriage to plain old Henry. And people were poor and poverty can be grinding and destroy marriages. I suspect that Zina got out of her marriage for what many of us would see as calculating and cold-hearted reasons.

Yes, Brigham didn't help it any by sending her husband on a mission, once again. While reading about Zina in Todd Compton's book, the disturbing thought came to me--I sure hope Brigham was not guilty of taking Henry's one little "ewe lamb" when he had a whole corral of "ewes" already. If he did, then I'm sure, just like David of Old, he'll have to answer for it in the hereafter.

That said, I still believe Brigham Young was a Prophet. But I believe Prophets are capable of sinning, just like the rest of us and like Prophets of old, they don't necessarily lose their position (David and Solomon are good examples) because they are not perfect. And I believe that any sins we commit which we have not repented of will have to be answered for.

[_Sethbag]

So, a modern-day deacon can't worthily pass the sacrament if he's been cracking one off in the shower, but Brigham Young can serve just fine as a Prophet after taking a man's wife and impregnating her, while she's still married to her real husband?

It's funny how some members will argue that "hey, Prophets can be fallible", but in reality we're talking about sins that, according to Mormon doctrine, are second only to murder. I mean seriously, Alter Idem, just how many women aside from their legal and lawful wives do these guys have to shag before God decides that he'd better set them straight? Do they really, literally get a pass from you for anything and everything they might do because, after all, they're still human, and nobody's perfect? At what point would you expect for Elohim to take these men aside and open a can of Celestial woop-ass on them and get them back on track, and worthy of the Holy Ghost, so he can inspire them and they are able to hear his voice?

I think in all of this question of Zina and her motivations for shacking up with the Alpha Male of Mormondom, we have so far failed to mention that Brigham Young apparently represented to Henry, and we may safely assume to Zina as well, that Brigham was by right the proxy for Joseph Smith, and that Zina already, according to God, belonged to him (ie: to Brigham). Faced with such a fait accompli (the stick), and the inducement of being married to the Alpha Male of the entire territory (the carrot), and trusting that the men who represented to speak for Elohim on Earth would not lead her astray, can anyone really wonder very long how it is that she chose to go with Brigham? She was basically made an offer that she couldn't, and dare not refuse.

[_Yoda]

So, a modern-day deacon can't worthily pass the sacrament if he's been cracking one off in the shower, but Brigham Young can serve just fine as a Prophet after taking a man's wife and impregnating her, while she's still married to her real husband?

This is definitely sig-worthy! ;)

Edited to add---In all seriousness, I think there is a lot of truth to Seth's statement here. With the stringent standards we hold for our members in modern day, is it too much to ask to expect better behavior from our prophets?

[_harmony]

Martha told Joseph to go to hell. Zina could have done the same thing; she didn't.

If one looks at the timeline of polygamy, what one sees is the total lack of revelation, once Joseph started his affair with Fanny. From then on, the heavens were as dry as the heavens are today. Nothing but men from then on. It's all tainted, once the Abomination was allowed to raise its evil head. The only way to fix it is for our leaders to acknowledge the mistake, humble themselves, and fix the canon. And it will never happen. At least not in my lifetime.

[_JustMe]

Jersey Girl

Suitable for framing:

Jason Bourne said

Oh and by the way since I am not sure where this personal attack out of left field came, kiss off jerk.

Jersey Girl

I totally love Jason Bourne.
:-)

Well, I don't totally love Jason Bourne, but I will say I agree with him here. That was a totally unnecessary thing for collegeterrace to say. But then most of what he says anyway is totally unnecessary....;)