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 20 Collections and/or Records:
Dallin H. Oaks and Marvin S. Hill research files for Carthage Conspiracy
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.
Jennetta Richards letter
Benjamin Riter letters
Alvin Fielding Smith letters
Typewritten and signed letters written to Frank S. Hawkins. Smith responds to Hawkins' requests for information largely relating to the Doctrine and Covenants. Also included is a list of wives of the Mormon Prophet, Joseph Smith (1805-1844), compiled by Alvin Smith. These were women sealed to the prophet during his lifetime.
Joseph Smith correspondence
Photocopies of handwritten correspondence. The items include a letter to the president of the United States, John Tyler (1790-1862), requesting federal aid from the mobs in Illinois; a note to Smith's wife, Emma Hale Smith (1804-1879); and a receipt for Joseph Smith's coffin.
Joseph Smith letter
Photocopy of a handwritten and signed letter, dated 20 June 1844, and addressed to John Tyler, president of the United States. Smith asks Tyler for protection.
Joseph Smith letter
Photocopy of a handwritten letter, dated June 11, 1829, and addressed to the Northern Judicial District of New York, R. R. Lansing, clerk. The item claims copyright for the Book of Mormon and describes its content and authorship.
Joseph Smith letters
Photocopy of a handwritten letter with a typescript of the item. This letter is dated 27 June 1844 at 8:20 A.M. and was written from Carthage Jail. Also included is a typewritten copy of another letter dated 23 June probably also in the year 1844. Both letters were addressed to Smith's wife, Emma Hale Smith (1804-1879). Smith describes the condition of his incarceration, states that they have no valid case against him, and expresses the belief that he was in little danger.
Edward Stevenson papers
227 p. holograph diary (1895-1896) which contains an account of Stevenson's travels as a visiting Mormon Church leader to Arizona and the Northwestern United States. Collection includes many newspaper clippings regarding state, world, and church events. Also included is an account of visits and letters of David Smith, son of Joseph Smith.
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.