| Birth Name: | Nancy Rigdon |
| Birth Date: | 8 December 1822 |
| Birth Place: | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Spouse: | Robert Ellis |
| Parents: | Sidney Rigdon Phebe Brooks |
Nancy Rigdon (December 8, 1822 - November 1, 1887) was the daughter of Sidney Rigdon, an early leader in the Latter-day Saint Movement. In 1842, she was the recipient of a controversial letter written by Joseph Smith, after she refused his offer of polygamous marriage.
Nancy was born to Sidney Rigdon and Phebe Brooks on December 8, 1822. She and her parents became early members of the Latter-day Saint Movement. She moved numerous times during her childhood as the Latter-day Saints moved from Kirtland, Ohio to Far West, Missouri, and eventually to Nauvoo, Illinois.[1]
Nancy's brother, John Wickliffe Rigdon, recorded that Joseph Smith proposed polygamous marriage to Nancy in 1842, which she "flatly refused."[2]
A few days later, Smith's personal secretary, Willard Richards, delivered a letter to Nancy. The letter contained statements such as, "That which is wrong under one circumstance, may be, and often is, right under another" and "Whatever God required is right, no matter what it is."[3]
She married Robert Ellis in 1846.
In 1842, Joseph Smith locked 19-year-old Nancy in a room, and proposed polygamous marriage. Nancy refused, saying she would "alarm the neighbors" if she was not allowed to leave.
A few days after the encounter, Willard Richards, secretary of Joseph Smith, delivered a letter to Nancy, explaining that "That which is wrong under one circumstance, may be, and often is, right under another." The letter is widely regarded by Church leaders as being written by Joseph Smith, and has been quoted by numerous Church leaders, including in General Conference.[4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11]
John C. Bennett, who was serving as Assistant President of the Church at the time, recorded:
Joseph Fielding Smith published a statement from Nancy's brother, John Wickliffe Rigdon, about the encounter: