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 268 Collections and/or Records:
Hancock County records
Film contains 22 items, including three collections: Nauvoo court records; Eudocia Marsh's Mormons in Hancock County : a Reminiscence; and the Strangite Papers, 1851-1963.
I. J. Harvey letter
Photocopy of a handwritten letter addressed to Harvey's wife in Indiana. Harvey describes the experience of being a homesteader on the Missouri frontier and mentions the possibility of buying "negro" for 2 or 3 dollars. In a postscript Harvey relates a rumor that "Jo Smith and others have made their escape from the sheriff" by stealing two horses. He also states that supposedly Joseph Smith (1805-1844) had twenty thousand dollars with him.
Alvira Lavona Smith Hendricks statement
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.
Joseph Leland Heywood diaries
Nelson Higgins certificates
History of the life of Stephen Markham
Photocopy of a typed history of Stephen Markham by Julina Markham Crow. The item gives an account of Stephen Markham's personal life as well as his involvement in the early history of Mormonism. This includes his close association with the Mormon Prophets, Joseph Smith (1805-1844) and Brigham Young (1801-1877), his participation with the initial Mormon pioneer company of 1847, and his involvement in the settlement of Utah.
James Holt autobiography
Typescript of an autobiography. Holt writes about his childhood, conversion to the Mormon Church, mission for that faith in Tennessee, and migration to Salt Lake City, Utah. He also tells about the confusion in the Mormon Church after the death of its first president, Joseph Smith.
William Huntington diary and autobiography
Elias Hutchings autobiography
Handwritten autobiography and photocopies of the item. Hutchings was born in New Hampshire and lived later in Vermont, New York, Ohio, Iowa, and Illinois. He was baptized a member of the Mormon Church in 1830, participated in the "Zion's Camp" march of 1834, served on a mission to New York and Pennsylvania, and personally knew Joseph Smith (1805-1844), first president of the Mormon Church. Hutchings died in 1845 in Nauvoo, Illinois.