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 15 Collections and/or Records:
Hyrum L. Andrus letter
Photocopy of a handwritten letter dated May 17, 1953. Andrus travelled with his wife to visit the location of a home owned by the Mormon prophet Joseph Smith (1805-1844) near the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania. He describes what he saw there and relates stories of the Smith family that were told to him while he was there.
Hyrum L. Andrus letter
Photocopy of a handwritten letter. The item is a history of the Manchester, New York home of the Mormon prophet, Joseph Smith (1805-1844). The letter also provides information on the Smith family.
Transcription of the Averett Family ledger book
Narrative of the history of members of the Averett family, including conversion, activities in Far West and Nauvoo, emigration westward, and settlement and activities in Utah Territory. The transcription was entrusted to P.T. Reilly.
Biography Joseph Alston
Photocopy of a microfilm copy of a typed biography. Joseph Alston was born in 1821 in England, and he joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1839. He migrated to Nauvoo, Illinois, where he knew Joseph Smith, the first president of the Mormon Church. He migrated to Utah probably in 1850 and died in 1891.
Barzillai Frost travel journal
Journal kept by Barzillai Frost during his travels in the West in 1843. Includes an account of his visit to Nauvoo, Ill., and his meeting with Joseph Smith and other prominent Mormons. A photocopy and transcript of the diary are also included in the collection, as well as articles and biographical information on Frost.
David and Ira P. Hale papers
Collection includes the originals, photocopies, and digital scans of a ledger used by David Hale and two notebooks used by Ira P. Hale. Also includes a photocopy and a typescript of a letter from Lorenzo D. Wasson, Emma Smith, and a third author to David Hale. The handwriting may be from Joseph Smith, but it is unsigned. Original documents date from 1827 to 1888.
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.
Mary E. Lightner papers
James Madison Monroe journal
Mormon splinter groups collection
Papers, research notes, and correspondence. These items relate to the numerous off-shoots of the two largest Mormon denominations, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon Church or LDS Church) and the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (RLDS church) and their leaders. Also included is a photocopy of a letter by the Mormon prophet, Joseph Smith (1805-1844).