Smith, Joseph, Jr., 1805-1844
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 9 Collections and/or Records:
Willard Washington Beans papers
Photocopies of a typewritten autobiography, a newspaper clipping, a Mormon Church blessing, and an essay. Also included are photocopies of handwritten letters received by Bean. These items include letters received from Mormon Church leaders Heber J. Grant and J. Golden Kimball. Bean was a missionary to the Southern States and lived in Palmyra, New York from 1915 to 1939.
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints revelation collection
This collection consists of photocopies of early manuscripts of revelations given to Joseph Smith, most of which are contained in the modern LDS Church's Doctrine and Covenants. Note: Unless otherwise noted, the originals of these documents are located in the Historical Department of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in Salt Lake City.
Copies of revelations
Edwin Charles Cox papers
Handwritten notes, musical scores, an obituary, and excerpts from an autobiography. Cox writes mostly about his life in England during the 1830s and 1840s. His writings include a "Dialogue between Joseph Smith and the Devil."
Art DeHoyos essays on Joseph Smith and masonry
Collection consists of two essays discussing the effect of Masonry during the life of Joseph Smith.
Jock Nickerson notes
Handwritten book containing notes on geometry and on geometrical figures. The book includes many drawings of such figures and calculations based on them. The date of the materials is uncertain. Nickerson lived his last few years with Rey L. Pratt. Nickerson claimed to have known the LDS Church leaders, Joseph Smith and Parley P. Pratt. A brief essay is included which speculates on this claim.
The present time and prophecy
John J. Roberts prophecy
Typewritten "Prophecy" supposedly copied from a "journal of Elder John J. Roberts of Paradise, Utah." The information was "related to Edwin Rushton and Theadore Turley, May 6th, 1843 by the Prophet Joseph Smith." The item contains the "White Horse Prophecy" also called the "Horse Shoe Prophecy." The dating of the item is uncertain.
White horse prophecy
Handwritten prophecy supposedly related by John J. Roberts and Edwin Rushton in 1843 by Joseph Smith, first president of the Mormon Church, and written down some time later. The item is called the "White Horse Prophecy" or the "Horse Shoe Prophecy." The dating of the item is uncertain.