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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 226 Collections and/or Records:

Jock Nickerson notes

 File — Folder 1: [Barcode: 31197230335397]
Identifier: MSS 372
Scope and Contents

Handwritten book containing notes on geometry and on geometrical figures. The book includes many drawings of such figures and calculations based on them. The date of the materials is uncertain. Nickerson lived his last few years with Rey L. Pratt. Nickerson claimed to have known the LDS Church leaders, Joseph Smith and Parley P. Pratt. A brief essay is included which speculates on this claim.

Dates: approximately 1900

Dallin H. Oaks and Marvin S. Hill research files for Carthage Conspiracy

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: MSS 1519
Scope and Contents

Contains miscellaneous notes, correspondence, newspaper articles, several drafts of the book, footnotes, bibliographic notes, and photographs. Many of the items were gathered from the Hancock County courthouse. Materials were compiled between approximately 1970 and 1975 for the production of the book Carthage Conspiracy.

Dates: approximately 1970-1975

The origin of Mormonism and reminiscences of the Mormons in Illinois

 File — Folder 1: [Barcode: 31197230233634]
Identifier: MSS SC 89
Scope and Contents Prepared typescript of a series of ten articles written by J.H. Sherman which appeared in the Ithaca Daily Journal during April and May, 1886. The articles, decidedly anti-Mormon, tell of Joseph Smith's early life, the Solomon Spaulding manuscript from which Smith supposedly got the idea for the Book of Mormon, the organization of the Latter-day Saint Church, the settlement of the Mormons in Nauvoo, Illinois, death of Joseph Smith, mob violence in Illinois, expulsion of the Mormons from...
Dates: 1886

T. Earl Pardoe scrapbook

 File — Folder 1: [Barcode: 31197230338920]
Identifier: MSS 131
Scope and Contents

Scrapbook of newspaper clippings, typewritten speeches, pamphlets, photographs, and miscellaneous items relating to the dedications of monuments and historical sites relating to the early years of the first president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Joseph Smith (1805-1844).

Dates: 1955-1961

Passenger waybills, Nauvoo to Jacksonville, and Nauvoo to Quincy, Ill.

 Collection
Identifier: MSS SC 2865
Scope and Contents

Passenger waybills for the transport of Monrow Davis from Quincy, Illinois, to Nauvoo, Illinois. The item was originally purchased at Quincy, Illinois. Also included are William Houck, listed as "Houcks Boy," and E. R. Rumsey from Warsaw to Nauvoo, Illinois, paid to R. S. Robertson.



Dates: 1842

H. Donl Peterson research collection on the Book of Abraham

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: MSS 2019
Scope and Contents Contains materials pertaining to the research of the Book of Abraham in the Pearl of Great Price conducted by H. Donl Peterson. Includes research files, photocopies of newspapers, materials from books, probate records, and genealogical information. Details the early exploration of Egypt from the 18th and 19th centuries and Antonio Lebolo’s travel and discovery of Ancient Egyptian antiquities and manuscripts, Michael H. Chandler’s acquisition of the lost mummies and papyri, and their...
Dates: 1964-1994

Photocopy of the Printer's Copy of the Book of Mormon

 Collection — Box 1: [Barcode: 31197232481058]
Identifier: MSS 2356
Abstract

A photocopy of the printer's copy of the Book of Mormon, 466 pp. Scribal copy of entire text of the Book of Mormon; each page indicates the relative portion of the volume.

Dates: 1830

Photograph collection

 Collection — Folder 1: [Barcode: 31197227642995]
Identifier: MSS 3675
Scope and Contents

Two photographs; one of Bryce Canyon and one claimed to be a copy of a photograph of Joseph Smith Jr.

Dates: approximately 1900-1999

Photographs of Church history sites and figures

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: MSS P 61
Scope and Contents

Collection includes glass negatives, lantern slides, metal plates, and a tintype of images related to the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Includes images of Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, Native Americans, and other scenes.

Dates: approximately 1840-1976

M. Wilford Poulson papers

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: MSS 823
Abstract

Collection contains correspondence, diaries, and research materials of M. Wilford Poulson. Also included are many research documents pertaining to the LDS Church which include diaries, letters and newspaper clippings.

Dates: 1826-1964