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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 5 Collections and/or Records:

John Murdock journal and autobiography

 File — Folder 1: [Barcode: 31197233631024]
Identifier: MSS SC 997
Scope and Contents

Materials include two copies of the typescript of an autobiography covering, 1792-1867, and journals, 1830-1859. Murdock was a Campbellite who joined the Mormon Church in 1830. He lived with Joseph Smith (1805-1844), the Mormon prophet, in 1833 and participated in "Zion's Camp" in 1834. He lived in Kirtland, Ohio; Nauvoo, Illinois; and Lehi, Utah and was in Missouri during the persecution of Mormons in that state.

Dates: 1830-1867

Neibaur family papers

 Collection
Identifier: MSS 438
Scope and Contents Contains typed copies of a diary, biographies, autobiographies, and miscellaneous items. Neibaur kept his diary from 1841 to 1861. This typescript is 60 pages long, and there are many gaps in the record. Neibaur writes about leaving England for the United States. He lived in Nauvoo, Illinois, and later migrated to Utah in 1847 where he lived in Salt Lake City. Neibaur writes about his experiences with the presidents of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Joseph Smith and...
Dates: 1841-1972

Joseph Lee Robinson journal fragments

 File — Folder 1: [Barcode: 31197230350776]
Identifier: MSS 5898
Scope and Contents

Joseph Lee Robinson's autobiography and journal, 1852-1893. Joseph Lee Robinson writes about his family, spiritual manifestations, conversion to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Joseph Smith's teachings, his journey from Nauvoo to Salt Lake City, service as a bishop, how seagulls saved the crops, death of Jedediah M. Grant, his plural wives and his journey to southeast Idaho.

Dates: 1852-1893

Nancy Alexander Tracy autobiographical writings

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: MSS 2198
Scope and Contents Includes three reminiscent accounts written in 1880, 1885, and 1895, reflecting on her early life in New York state; marriage to Moses Tracy, 1832; conversion to Mormonism, 1834; occasional interactions with Joseph Smith Jr.; and experiences with her husband in New York, 1844. Also includes information on her activities in Kirtland, Ohio; Far West, Missouri; Nauvoo, Illinois; Council Bluffs, Iowa; Winter Quarters, Nebraska; and Ogden, Utah. She also comments on her emigration to Utah,...
Dates: 1880-1899

Mary Ann Hoopes Yearsley papers

 File — Folder 1: [Barcode: 31197230240241]
Identifier: MSS SC 391
Scope and Contents

Materials include papers related primarily to Yearsley. Includes a holograph journal of a visit to her home state of Pennsylvania in 1872 and a printed life sketch compiled by James D. Cummings, a grandson, in 1914. Also includes her husband, David Dutton Yearsley's, missionary recommend signed by John D. Lee and Joseph Young, Nauvoo, Illinois, 1844. Dated 1844-1914.

Dates: 1844-1914