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 225 Collections and/or Records:
Art DeHoyos essays on Joseph Smith and masonry
Collection consists of two essays discussing the effect of Masonry during the life of Joseph Smith.
Minor R. Deming letter
Photocopy of a handwritten and signed letter dated 17 July 1845 and addressed to "Gen. Ewing." Deming admits that the hope of expelling the Mormons from Hancock County had been abandoned and indicates that he had been accused of the murder of the first president of the Mormon Church, Joseph Smith.
Diggle family papers
Richard Drew letter
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.
Dudley family correspondence
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.
James G. Duffin diaries
Lemuel Durfee account book
Lemuel Durfee's account book, its typescript, and lyrics to a song, 1817-1829.
Early Mormon Church leaders
Elders at the first conference at Nauvoo since the expulsion of 1846 : photographed in front of the the Joseph Smith Mansion
An oversize photograph, a newspaper clipping entitled: "Mormons Visit Nauvoo". A brief biography of Gilbert Morse Burr (1881-1982), one of the missionaries in the photograph, is enclosed. It was written by his daughter, Ardys Burr Crane.