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Smith, Joseph, Jr., 1805-1844

 Person

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:

Hyrum L. Andrus book drafts

 Collection — Box 1: [Barcode: 31197232501301]
Identifier: MSS 553
Scope and Contents

Typewritten book drafts with handwritten corrections. One of the drafts is for Andrus' book "Doctrinal Commentary on the Pearl of Great Price" which was first published in 1960. The other draft is of his book "Joseph Smith: The Man and the Seer" which was first published in 1967. Andrus comments on the Mormon scripture, the Pearl of Great Price, and writes a biography of Joseph Smith, the first president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Dates: 1960-1967

Hyrum L. Andrus letter

 File — Folder 1
Identifier: MSS SC 1072
Scope and Contents

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.

Dates: 1953 May 17

Hyrum L. Andrus letter

 File — Folder 1: [Barcode: 31197230311638]
Identifier: MSS SC 1464
Scope and Contents

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.

Dates: 1953

Hyrum L. Andrus manuscript of Doctrines of the Kingdom

 File — Folder 1: [Barcode: 31197232507803]
Identifier: MSS 6126
Abstract

Manuscript copy of Doctrines of the Kingdom by Hyrum Leslie Andrus, 1973.

Dates: 1973

William Marks arrest warrant

 Collection — Folder 1: [Barcode: 31197233289252]
Identifier: Vault MSS 366
Scope and Contents

Handwritten arrest warrant, dated 28 Nov. 1842, and registered in Nauvoo, Illinois. Marks seeks the arrest of Thomas J. Hunter for slandering Joseph Smith, the first president of the Mormon Church.

Dates: 1842 November 28

Arrest warrant

 Collection — Folder 1: [Barcode: 31197233289872]
Identifier: Vault MSS 402
Scope and Contents

Handwritten and signed arrest warrant, dated 6 Dec. 1842, and written in Nauvoo, Illinois. As mayor, Smith signs a warrant ordering the marshall of Nauvoo to arrest Amos Davis who had been accused of assault by William C. Walker. On the reverse is a statement saying that Davis was brought before a city court.

Dates: 1842

Transcription of the Averett Family ledger book

 File — Folder 1: [Barcode: 31197231046316]
Identifier: MSS 1303
Scope and Contents

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.

Dates: 1972

Ivan J. Barrett audio recordings

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: MSS 2197
Abstract Recordings of LDS Sunday School lessons and other presentations by Barrett on several topics including Jesus Christ, Joseph Smith, the Doctrine and Covenants, LDS Church history, the Old Testament, the New Testament, and the Book of Mormon. Presentations were recorded by D. Clayton Bishop, friend to Barrett and fellow member of the Orem 13th Ward, Orem Utah Sharon Stake. Also includes videocassette of a musical performance by Barrett and members of his family, 1989; plus handouts entitled,...
Dates: approximately 1957-1990

Alvin Pliny Bean essays

 File — Folder 1: [Barcode: 31197230321728]
Identifier: MSS SC 2272
Scope and Contents

Typewritten talk, a biography of Bean's father, Willard Washington Bean, and a biography of Alvin Pliny Bean by Vicki Zimmerman. The biography of Willard Bean relates his missionary experiences for the Mormon Church in the Southern States, 1882-1884. The other items emphasize Alvin Bean's experiences in Palmyra.

Dates: approximately 1978

Rebecca Peterson Bean speech

 File — Folder 1: [Barcode: 31197230321736]
Identifier: MSS SC 2273
Scope and Contents

Typewritten talk given in the fall of 1964 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Rebecca Bean lived in the Joseph Smith house from 1915 to 1939. She talks about the anit-Mormon sentiments of many of her neighbors and tells about how she and her husband, Willard Washington Bean, coped with these issues.

Dates: 1964