Well, *Mormonism would be less patriarchal. I could see polygamy being more than polygyny, in particular, Josephine might have multiple husbands. In the settling of the west, where men outnumbered women 10-1 or worse, *Mormonism might make huge strides if the only way a gold miner or cowboy can get a women is to convert and share one...What if it was a woman who started preaching about golden plates and Chirst in America? What effect would it have on the Mormon church?
I doubt she would found the Church ITTL, because she would be raised entirely different. Josephine Smith would probably just wind up married to some Upstate New York farmer, and die.
You'd be astounded at the variety of sects that started in the Second Great Awakening. The Mormons are just about the only survivors of that great flourishing.QFT.
If some woman mysteriously starts preaching weird stuff that's completely counter to mainstream Christianity, she's a lot less likely to be taken seriously. I'm sure she would realize this, in addition to having been raised to be a lot more timid than OTL Joseph. That's not to say it couldn't happen, of course. But I doubt that even if she did choose to start a new church, it would've taken off.
You'd be astounded at the variety of sects that started in the Second Great Awakening. The Mormons are just about the only survivors of that great flourishing.
Agreed that that it would have been hard for a women to get an audience with such a novel theology. OTOH, if any time (short of the 1920s) was it, that was the time.
Edit: Mary Baker Eddy succeeded with Christian Science in the 1880s, which was, IMO, as less congenial time for a woman leader, in some respects.