Review
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Title: Courtships of the Prophets: From Childhood Sweethearts to Love at First Sight
Authors: Mary Jane Woodger & Paulette Preston Yates
Publisher: Covenant Communications
Genre: Biography
Year Published: 2015
Number of Pages: 126
Binding: Paperback
ISBN: 978-1-68047-041-3
Price; $11.99
Reviewed by Trudy Thompson for the Association for Mormon Letters
Whenever anyone asks my husband or me where we met, we both have to laugh. It is not a typical Mormon courtship story. Despite the fact that we both joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in different states, and moved to Utah at different times, and for different reasons, we did not meet at Brigham Young University like everyone assumes. We actually met at a wedding reception- on Friday the 13th. I was a bridesmaid and my future husband was a groomsman. The bride had planned to match up her sister with the man who would become my husband, but they did not click. During lulls in the reception line, Mike would wander over and start talking to me. Later on, I caught the bouquet. Mike offered to take me home, and one week later we double dated with the newlyweds. This year we will celebrate our thirty seventh wedding anniversary. Sadly, the other couple had a very acrimonious divorce after their first child was born.
Maybe it is because of my own unusual courtship story that I have always enjoyed hearing and reading about how other couples met, dated and married. I find it fascinating to hear if the courtships went smoothly, or if there were bumps in the road.
In the delightful new book, “Courtships of the Prophets,” one theme appears to run through the stories of the courtships of eleven of the modern day prophets of the Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In a nutshell, that theme would be perseverance.
From the twisted and tortured tale of the courtship between George Albert Smith and Lucy Emily Woodruff that lasted twelve years before his quest to make Lucy his wife was finally fulfilled, to the tender courtship of David O. McKay and Emma Louisa Riggs, these love stories are captivating and at times surprising.
George Albert Smith had set his cap for Lucy Woodruff at the tender age of ten. Her family had just moved in down the street, and from the moment he first saw her, he loved Lucy and expected to marry her. He was delighted when she was assigned the desk in front of his at church. Seriously lacking in social graces, he did everything he could to get her attention, which only disgusted her. When she failed to turn around after he tapped her on the shoulder, he decided he would dip her long black hair braids in the inkwell on his desk.
Because George was from a poorer family, and their house was not the nicest, he thought he could impress Lucy by fixing up the exterior and grounds of his family home, and holding lawn parties for the neighbors. This did not work in wooing Lucy either. George did have musical ability though, and with the help of some of his friends, began to hold minstrel shows in their back yard. This endeavor was an instant success.
As a teenager, George began to change in ways that caught Lucy’s attention, and they casually began to date. Even then, it was far from smooth sailing for George. Lucy was popular and continued to date other young men and there arose a serious misunderstanding over one suitor. This would be their first disagreement and there would be many more to come. Over time, George endured an on again, off again relationship with Lucy and soon there was a second, and very serious, suitor–a young many by the name of Jim. This only added to the complicated relationship between Lucy and George. Over the next several years, Lucy went between breaking off and dating George, then she would break up with George and go back to Jim. This bouncing back and forth between the two men went on for years and drove Lucy to a state of severe emotional distress. George took Jim out for a drive and talked to him. Jim told George that Lucy had told him that everything was over between her and George and that he trusted her. George told Lucy that he truly loved Jim and if she wanted to be with him, he would not stand in her way. Then a mission call came for George and he realized that in the time he would be gone, Lucy would probably be married before he returned. When he went to tell Lucy goodbye, her reply startled him. Emphatically she said, “George Albert Smith, if you think you’re going to the Southern States without me, you’re wrong. Let’s get married and go together!” As their wedding day neared, Jim begged, cajoled and finally asked that his gifts to her be returned. This put Lucy in a panic and as late as the night before her and George’s wedding, she was still in a turmoil. Surprisingly – the marriage did take place.
Years later when Jim had married someone else and had a family, and his mortgage was in default and he was about to lose his home, George generously co-signed a loan with Jim and later paid off the balance due on the Jim’s mortgage.
There are many little known facts within the stories of the courtships of the prophets. When Thomas S. Monson first laid eyes on Frances Beverly Johnson, he was a freshman at the University of Utah, and was at a “Hello Day Dance.” He had taken a girl he knew in high school, but when he spotted beautiful Frances, he thought to himself, “there’s a girl I want to meet.” But just as quickly as he saw her ,she and her partner disappeared. All that night and throughout the next several days, Thomas looked for the beautiful brunette whose name he did not even know. Finally one day when standing on a street corner, he spotted her with other friends, and summoned up the courage to approach her. Two days later, he called her to arrange their first date.
Their courtship went smoothly and they found they had much in common. Though they continued to date, marriage was not discussed because of WW II. Thomas had a choice of either being drafted or enlisting. Because Frances thought he would look best in Naval uniform, that is the branch of service he chose. When he and his father went to the Naval Recruiting office in downtown Salt Lake City, they listened to a lecture on why they should join the regular Navy over the reserves. Thomas was not sure and asked his father for advice, who did not know either. After Thomas had offered up a brief and silent prayer, a thought came as clearly to him as if he had heard a voice: “Ask those chief petty officers how they chose.” Tom asked one officer and then the other and they both quietly admitted they had chosen the reserves. Tom told them that if the reserves were good enough for them, he wanted to follow their example.
The decision proved to be advantageous for his relationship with Frances. Because WW II ended just months later, his total service lasted only one year. Had he enlisted in the regular Navy for the full four years, his courtship with Frances would have been waylaid.
These are just two examples of the delightful and entertaining stories of the heartwarming courtships of some of the prophets. This engaging and unique book is enhanced with photos of the couples – some in their early years and some in later years, including a picture of a young Ezra Taft Benson sporting a ten gallon hat nearly the size of Texas.
With Mother’s Day fast approaching, you will want to think of this collection of reminiscences for the perfect gift for everyone on your list- mothers, grandmothers, sisters, daughters, aunts, friends, neighbors, visiting teachers- you get the picture. Such a delightful read would be treasured by everyone you give it to.