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Smith, Joseph, Jr., 1805-1844

 Person

Dates

  • Existence: 1805 - 1844

Biography

Joseph Smith, Jr. (1805-1844) was a prophet and founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Joseph Smith, Jr. was born on December 23, 1805, to parents Joseph Sr. and Lucy Mack Smith. He was the fifth of eleven children. He worked on the family farm in Vermont and later in western New York. A series of remarkable spiritual experiences prepared him for his prophetic calling. Beginning in 1820 at Palmyra, New York, Joseph Smith saw God the Father and Jesus Christ in vision. Through revelation, he translated and published the Book of Mormon, organized The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on April 6, 1830, and received revelations to guide the Church. By inspiration, he called Apostles and other Church leaders, defined doctrines, and taught the principles and ordinances that would lead to exaltation. Under his leadership, Latter-day Saints founded communities in Ohio, Missouri, and Illinois. He was sustained as First Elder of the Church on April 6, 1830. On June 27, 1844, at Carthage, Illinois, Joseph Smith died a martyr to his faith.

Citation:
Book of Mormon. Japanese. Morumon-kyō, 1909 (1950 printing): t.p. (Josefu Sumisu [in Japanese])

Book of Moemon. Armenian. Girkʻ Mōrmōni, 1937: t.p. (Kart. Chōzēf Smitʻh)

Britannica.com, Oct. 13, 2010 (Joseph Smith, originally Joseph Smith, Jr. (b. Dec. 23, 1805, Sharon, Vt., U.S.; d. June 27, 1844, Carthage, Ill.), prophet and founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)

The Book of Mormon, 1830: title page (Joseph Smith, Junior)

Doctrine and covenants of the Church of the Latter Day Saints, 1835: title page (Joseph Smith, Junior)

Encyclopedia of Mormonism, page 1331 (Joseph Smith, Jr. (1805-1844), the Prophet Joseph Smith, founding prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; born December 23, 1805 in Sharon, Vermont; moved to Palmyra, N.Y. in 1816; founded the Church in Fayette, N.Y. April 6, 1830; migrated with the Church to Kirtland, Ohio in 1831; then to Far West, Missouri in 1838; finally to Nauvoo, Ill. (which he founded) in 1839; killed by a mob in Carthage, Ill. June 27, 1844)

Found in 6 Collections and/or Records:

Transcription of the Averett Family ledger book

 File — Folder 1: [Barcode: 31197231046316]
Identifier: MSS 1303
Scope and Contents

Narrative of the history of members of the Averett family, including conversion, activities in Far West and Nauvoo, emigration westward, and settlement and activities in Utah Territory. The transcription was entrusted to P.T. Reilly.

Dates: 1972

Barzillai Frost travel journal

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: MSS 3276
Scope and Contents

Journal kept by Barzillai Frost during his travels in the West in 1843. Includes an account of his visit to Nauvoo, Ill., and his meeting with Joseph Smith and other prominent Mormons. A photocopy and transcript of the diary are also included in the collection, as well as articles and biographical information on Frost.

Dates: 1843

Alvira Lavona Smith Hendricks statement

 File — Folder 1: [Barcode: 31197230336262]
Identifier: MSS 470
Scope and Contents

Photocopy of a handwritten statement with a typewritten transcript. The item was dictated when Hendricks was 89 years old. She was present at the Haun's Mill Massacre in 1838 and tells how her mother treated her twin brother, Alma, who had been seriously wounded there. She also mentions hearing Joseph Smith, first president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, speak.

Dates: 1919

Typescript copy of Benjamin F. Johnson letter to George Snow Gibbs

 Collection — Folder 1: [Barcode: 31197232578648]
Identifier: MSS 8915
Content Description Contains a typescript of a 1903 letter from Benjamin F. Johnson, who was in Mesa, Arizona, to George Snow Gibbs in Salt Lake City, Utah, written in response to a request from Gibbs to have Johnson relate some of his early experiences in the Church, particularly with reference to his associations with Joseph Smith. Topics covered by Johnson include plural marriage and its effect on the members of the Church; Joseph Smith's charge to the Twelve Apostles before his death, causes for persecution...
Dates: 1911

Nauvoo (Ill.) legal proceedings

 File — Folder 1: [Barcode: 31197230310994]
Identifier: MSS SC 1262
Scope and Contents

Two handwritten transcripts of court cases regarding the slandering of Joseph Smith (1805-1844), the Mormon prophet. The first item is dated Dec. 5, 1842 and involves the City of Nauvoo vs. Thomas J. Hunter. The second item is dated Feb. 17, 1843 and involves the City of Nauvoo vs. Amos Davis.

Dates: 1842-1843

J. Winter Smith collection

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: MSS 8387
Scope and Contents Collection of photocopies of handwritten transcriptions and original documents from the nineteenth century that pertain to the lives of members of the Joseph Smith family. The materials were collected by Joseph Smith's great nephew, J. Winter Smith. Includes copies of correspondence, diary entries, obituaries, life histories, and genealogical documents associated with the family. These include reflections on past periods of church history, personal problems in the Smith family, persecution...
Dates: approximately 1840-1932