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 113 Collections and/or Records:
Hancock County (Ill.) Circuit Court legal documents
Collection contains about 750 documents relating to some 250 actions arising in justice of the peace or circuit courts in Hancock County, Illinois. Also includes a letter from David Martin concerning part of the collection and indexes to court cases involving Joseph Smith Jr. and the autographs of those who martyred Smith.
Hancock County, Illinois summonses
Handwritten and printed summonses for Joseph Smith, first president of the Mormon Church, and John C. Bennett, and apostle in the Mormon Church. Also included is a receipt from Emma Hale Smith, first wife of Joseph Smith, made out to Thomas Sharp.
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.
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.
Illinois Circuit Court (Northern District) records
Phtocopies of handwritten court records. The materials are pages 1 and 486 to 697 from volume 4 of a much larger record on court proceedings. The entries regard the case of the "United States of America vs. Joseph Smith, et al." The manuscript deals with the estate of Joseph Smith, first president of the Mormon Church. The originals are located at the Federal Records Center, Chicago, Illinois.
Joseph Fielding Smith Institute for Latter-day Saint History symposia records, 1987-2005
Joseph Smith : prophet to our generation
Typewritten copy of an address delivered at General Conference for the Mormon Church on 4 Oct. 1981. Benson talks about the role of the first president of the Mormon Church, Joseph Smith (1805-1844), in founding the faith and in guiding his followers.