Lewis Crum Bidamon (January 16 1806 – February 11 1891) was an American militia officer, businessman, and civic leader best known for his role in the Illinois militia during the 1846–1847 “Battle of Nauvoo” and for his marriage to Emma Smith, the widow of Joseph Smith, founder of the Latter Day Saint movement.
Early life and family
Born in Smithfield, Virginia, Bidamon moved with his family to Highland County, Ohio, at age fourteen. He later settled in Canton, Illinois, where he became involved in local religious and civic affairs, helping to establish a Congregational church.
Militia service
During the 1840s, Bidamon joined the Illinois state militia, rising to the rank of lieutenant colonel in the 32nd Regiment. In 1846, as the Latter Day Saints prepared to leave Nauvoo, Illinois, he assisted in maintaining order and protecting the community from violent mobs. His militia rank led contemporaries to refer to him as “Major” Bidamon.
Marriage to Emma Smith
On December 23 1847, Bidamon married Emma Hale Smith in Nauvoo. Emma was the widow of Joseph Smith, who had been killed in 1844. Through this marriage, Bidamon became stepfather to Emma’s surviving children, including Joseph Smith III. Unlike most Latter Day Saints, Emma chose to remain in Nauvoo rather than follow Brigham Young to Utah. Bidamon, who was not a member of the Latter Day Saint church, maintained a personal belief that Joseph Smith was an honest man misled into claiming prophetic authority.
Later career and personal life
Bidamon pursued various business ventures, including operating enterprises along the Mississippi River and managing properties in Nauvoo such as the Mansion House and later the Nauvoo House, which he converted into a residence known as Riverside Mansion. He served multiple terms as a justice of the peace and police magistrate in Nauvoo.
Bidamon’s marital history includes an early marriage to Nancy Sebree (1827), producing four children, a brief marriage to Mary Ann Douglas (1842), and, after Emma’s death in 1879, a marriage to Nancy Abercrombie, a widowed neighbor, with whom he remained until his death.
Death and legacy
Lewis C. Bidamon died on February 11 1891 in Nauvoo, Illinois, at the age of 85. He was interred in the Smith Family Cemetery beside his wife Emma. His personal papers, covering correspondence, business records, and legal documents from 1837 to 1962, are archived at the Huntington Library in San Marino, California. Bidamon is remembered primarily for his involvement in the turbulent period surrounding the Latter Day Saint migration and for his role as the second husband of Emma Smith.