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:
Robert Wilmore letter
Letter to "Dear Children" written from Warren County, Illinois, July 6, 1844. This item includes his opinion on the death of the "imposter" Joseph Smith (1805-1844), the Mormon prophet. He says some people thought a few of Smith's own followers killed him.
James W. Woods memoirs
Writings of M. Wilford Poulson, 1909-1941
Includes published and unpublished writings of M. Wilford Poulson.
Writings of W.M. Poulson (unpublished), 1945
Contains notebooks and journals with writings of M. Wilford Poulson that were never published. Writings date from 1902-1946.
Mary Ann Hoopes Yearsley papers
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.
Brigham Young discourses
Typescripts of discourses. Young's remarks cover a wide range of Mormon theological ideas including sacrifice, obedience, and the nature of the biblical character, Adam. Young also talks about his relationship with Joseph Smith (1805-1844), the founder of the Mormon faith.
Postcards of Brigham Young
This collection contains one black and white postcard of Brigham Young, two color postcards of Brigham Young, and one color postcard with the poem "Brigham Young: Our Immortal Pioneer" written by Minnie J. Hardy on it. Also in the collection is a stero card of a sketch of Joseph Smith published by C.W. Carter, a color postcard of the Hill Cumorah, and a large black and white photograph of Norrano Lucca, Piarra della Liberta (Italy).
Joseph Young letters
Holograph letters addressed to Lewis Harvey dated 16 Nov. and 18 Nov. 1880. Young tells about his conversion to the Mormon Church and baptism into that faith in 1832. He also tells about his dealing with the Mormon prophet, Joseph Smith (1805-1844); about the Mormon Church in Kirtland, Ohio in the 1830s; and about the organizing of the Seven Presidents of the Seventies by Joseph Smith in 1835.