Skip to main content

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 36 Collections and/or Records:

Research materials relating to John Cook Bennett

 File — Multiple Containers
Identifier: MSS 1301
Scope and Contents

Includes correspondence with Dr. Frederick C. Waite and Dale L. Morgan, printed material, and numerous notes and references relative to the life and activities of John C. Bennett.

Dates: 1804-1867

John M. Bernhisel letter

 Collection — Folder 1: [Barcode: 31197231019354]
Identifier: Vault MSS 8
Scope and Contents

Handwritten and signed letter, dated 18 Aug. 1841, composed in New York, and addressed to Joseph Smith, first president of the Mormon Church. Bernhisel writes concerning the purchase of land in Nauvoo, Illinois.

Dates: 1841 August 18

Lillburn W. Boggs letters received

 File — Folder 1: [Barcode: 31197230325661]
Identifier: MSS SC 2698
Scope and Contents Photographs of a handwritten and signed letters addressed to Lilburn W. Boggs and dated 22 and 24 July 1840. One of the items is from Chauncey Durkus denying reports that he has been involved in arresting Mormons in Illinois and taking them back to Missouri. The veracity of his statements was confirmed by the signatures of 37 residents of Lewis County, Missouri. The other item was signed by 11 residents of Lewis County claiming that persons; who went to Nauvoo, Illinois, to recover stolen...
Dates: 1840 July 24; 1840 July 22

Thomas Bullock letter

 File — Folder 1: [Barcode: 31197230316181]
Identifier: MSS SC 1820
Scope and Contents

Handwritten letter to Robert Ball along with two corrected, typed copies of it. The letter bears witness to his belief in Joseph Smith and Brigham Young as prophets of God and praises the wholesome lifestyle in Utah.

Dates: 1855

Jacob Kemp Butterfield correspondence

 File — Folder 1: [Barcode: 31197230327600]
Identifier: MSS SC 2841
Scope and Contents

Photocopies of handwritten and typed copies of correspondence. Butterfield writes to his mother and other family members. Butterfield writes about his missionary work for the Mormon Church in Missouri; his association and employment with Joseph Smith, the first president of the Mormon Church; and his life in Missouri, Illinois, and Missouri. He also writes about his service with the Mormon Battalion. Also included is a biography of Abel Butterfield.

Dates: 1837-1886

John William Coward letter

 Item — Folder 1: [Barcode: 31197232572344]
Identifier: MSS 8618
Content Description

Letter from John William Coward, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in England, to an unnamed acquaintance in New Jersey. The majority of the letter is Coward sharing his beliefs in what is taught by the LDS Church, including his testimony and defense of Joseph Smith. Dated June 5, 1854.

Dates: 1854 June 5

Diggle family papers

 Collection — Box 1: [Barcode: 31197223103141]
Identifier: MSS 2208
Scope and Contents Mainly letters to the Samuel and Sarah Diggle family, in Iowa, from relatives, including Elizabeth W. Andrew and George Openshaw, Salt Lake City; Nancy W. Butterworth, Mary Diggle, and Mary Banks, Heywood, Lancashire, England; and Robert B. Whitaker, Kenosha, Wisconsin. Topics include family news, plural marriage, Brigham Young, and the family of Joseph Smith Jr. Envelopes accompany several of the letters. Includes letters from children of Elizabeth Andrew and Nancy Butterworth. Also...
Dates: 1854-1893

Richard Drew letter

 File — Folder 1: [Barcode: 31197230320530]
Identifier: MSS SC 2174
Scope and Contents

Photocopy of a typewritten and signed letter addressed to Philip Wilson. The item deals with questions on the successor of the Mormon Church after the death of Joseph Smith (1805-1844) from the position of the Strangites.

Dates: 1983

Dudley family correspondence

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: MSS SC 449
Scope and Contents

21 ALS's (plus typescripts of 11) referring to family matters, exhortations to join the Mormon Church, and descriptions of Nauvoo and settlement of Utah.

Dates: 1844-1897

Edward R. Ford letter

 File — Folder 1: [Barcode: 31197230325711]
Identifier: MSS SC 2703
Scope and Contents

Photocopy of a handwritten and signed letter dated 8 Sept. 1842, composed in St. Louis, Missouri, and addressed to "His Exelency," probably governor Thomas Reynolds of Missouri. Ford describes an attempt to arrest the first president of the Mormon Church, Joseph Smith, and his friend, Orrin Porter Rockwell.

Dates: 1842 September 8