Joseph Smith 
Joseph was born on December 22nd, 1805 in Sharon,Windsor,VT. Joseph's father was Joseph SMITH and his mother was Lucy MACK. His paternal grandparents were Asael SMITH and Mary DUTY; his maternal grandparents were Solomon MACK and Lydia GATES. He had seven brothers and six sisters, named Alvin, Alvin, Hyrum, Samuel Harrison, Ephraim, William, Don Carlos, Infant, Daughter, Sophronia, Lucy, Cathrine and Lucy. He was the seventh oldest of the fourteen children. He died at the age of 38 on June 27th, 1844 in Carthage,Hancock,IL. He was buried on June 29th, 1844 in Nauvoo, Hancock, Illinois.General Notes
Name Suffix:<NSFX> Jr.
Name Prefix:<NPFX> "Prophet"
Ancestral File Number:<AFN> 9KGL-W2
REFN: 7900
by Richard L. Bushman and Dean C. Jessee
Joseph Smith, Jr. (1805-1844), often referred to as the Prophet Joseph Smith, was the founding prophet of THE CHURCH of JESUS CHRIST of Latter-day Saints. Latter-day Saints call him "the Prophet" because, in the tradition of Old and New Testament prophets, he depended on revelation from God for his teachings, not on his own learning. They accept his revelations, many of them published as the Doctrine and Covenants and as the Pearl of Great Price, as scripture to accompany the Bible. As a young man, Joseph Smith also translated a sacred record from ancient America known as the Book of Mormon. These revelations and records restored to the earth the pure gospel of Christ. Joseph Smith's role in history was to found the Church of JesusChrist based on this restored gospel in preparation for the second coming of Christ. (See Joseph Smith-History in his own words)
Little in his background pointed toward this momentous life. Joseph Smith's ancestors were ordinary New England farm people. His Smith ancestors emigrated from England to America in the seventeenth century and settled in Topsfield, Massachusetts, where they attained local distinction. His grandfather Asael Smith, unable at the time to pay the debts on the family farm, sold the farm,liquidated the debts, and migrated in 1791 to Tunbridge,Vermont, where he purchased enough land to provide for his sons. Joseph Smith's Mack ancestors, from Scotland, settledin Lyme, Connecticut, prospered for a while, and then fellon hard times. Joseph's grandfather Solomon Mack attempted various enterprises in New England and New York, with little financial success. One of the Mack sons moved to Tunbridge, and through him Lucy Mack met Joseph Smith, Sr.,one of Asael's sons. The pair married in 1796. They hadeleven children, nine of whom lived to adulthood. Joseph Smith, Jr., born December 23, 1805, in Sharon, Vermont, wasthe third son to live and the fourth child.
Young Joseph had little formal schooling. His parents lost their Tunbridge farm in 1803 through a failed business venture and for the next fourteen years moved from one tenant farm to another. In 1816 they migrated to Palmyra,New York, just north of the Finger Lakes, where in 1817 they purchased a farm in Farmington (later Manchester), the township immediately south of Palmyra. Clearing land and wresting a living from the soil left little time for school. "As it required the exertions of all that were able to render any assistance for the support of the Family,"Joseph wrote in 1832, "we were deprived of the bennifit of an education suffice it to say I was mearly instructid in reading writing and the ground rules of Arithmatic which constuted my whole literary acquirements" (Jessee, 1989-,1:5). His mother described him as "much less inclined to the perusal of books than any of the rest of the children,but far more given to meditation and deep study" (Smith, p.84). His knowledge of the Bible and his biblical style of writing suggest that much of his early education came from that source.
One subject he pondered was religion. His parents had been reared under the influence of New England Congregationalism, but dissatisfied with the preachers around them, they werenot regular churchgoers. Both parents had deep religious experiences and an intense longing for salvation, without having a satisfactory way to worship. A few years after settling in Palmyra, Lucy Smith and three of the children joined the Presbyterians; Joseph, Sr., and the others stayed home, Joseph, Jr., among them. Young Joseph was deeply perplexed about which church to join, and the preaching of the revival ministers in the area intensified his uncertainty.
In the spring of 1820, when he was just fourteen, Joseph turned directly to God for guidance. The answer was astonishing. As he prayed in the woods near his house, the Father and the Son appeared to him.
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Ancestor Pedigree Chart
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*There are earlier generations for the ancestor(s) indicated. See their page(s) for details (click name)
- b.26 Jan 1666 in Boxford, Essex, Massachusetts d.12 Jul 1748 in Topsfield, Essex, Massachusetts
- b.26 Jan 1714 in Topsfield, Essex, Massachusetts d.14 Nov 1785 in Topsfield, Essex, Massachusetts
- b.20 Jan 1687/1688 in Topsfield, Essex, Massachusetts d.02 Mar 1753 in Topsfield, Essex, Massachusetts
- b.07 Mar 1744 in Topsfield, Essex, Massachusetts d.31 Oct 1830 in Stockholm, St. Lawrence, New York
- b.26 Mar 1672 in Topsfield, Essex, Massachusetts d.29 Apr 1739 in Topsfield, Essex, Massachusetts
- b.04 Aug 1707 in Topsfield, Essex, Massachusetts d.25 Sep 1744 in Topsfield, Essex, Massachusetts
- b.15 Dec 1679 in Topsfield, Essex, Massachusetts d.21 Jun 1740 in Topsfield, Essex, Massachusetts
- b.12 Jul 1771 in Topsfield, Essex, Massachusetts d.14 Sep 1840 in Nauvoo, Hancock, Illinois
- b.05 Aug 1658 in Rowley, Essex, Massachusetts d.11 Apr 1738 in Rowley, Essex, Massachusetts
- b.02 Sep 1700 in Rowley, Essex, Massachusetts d.W.p. 29 1778 Apr in , Exeter, New Hampshire
- b.1622 in (settled Rowley, Essex, Massachusetts) From, England d.18 Feb 1701/1702 in Rowley, Essex, Massachusetts
- b.19 Dec 1665 in Rowley, Essex, MA d.7 Feb 1742/1743 in Rowley, Essex, MA
- b.~ 1633 in Rowley, Essex, Massachusetts d.19 Oct 1729 in Rowley, Essex, Massachusetts
- b.11 Oct 1743 in Rowley, Essex, Massachusetts d.27 May 1836 in Kirtland, Geauga, Ohio
- b.21 Jun 1689 in Rowley, Essex, Massachusetts d.22 Dec 1763 in Rowley, Essex, Massachusetts
- b.01 Jun 1717 in Rowley, Essex, Massachusetts d.02 Nov 1763 in Exeter, Rockingham, New Hampshire
- b.1 Mar 1686/1687 in Rowley, Essex, Massachusetts d.02 Nov 1763 in Rowley, Essex, Massachusetts
- b.22 Dec 1805 in Sharon,Windsor,VT d.27 Jun 1844 in Carthage,Hancock,IL
- b.06 Mar 1653 in Inverness, SCOTLAND d.24 Feb 1721 in Lyme, New London, CT
- b.08 Dec 1697 in Lyme, New London, CT d.08 May 1777 in Lyme, New London, CT
- b.~ 1628 in of Amesbury, Essex, MA d.< 1700 in Boston, Suffolk, MA
- b.02 Mar 1663 in Boston, Suffolk, MA d.24 Feb 1720 in Lyme, New London, CT
- b.~ 1635 in Cambridge, Middlesex, MA d.18 May 1663 in Boston, Suffolk, MA
- b.15 Sep 1732 in Lyme, New London, CT d.23 Aug 1820 in Gilsum, Cheshire, NH
- b.15 Apr 1654 in Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts d.24 May 1744 in Lyme, New London, Connecticut
- b.01 Dec 1680 in Lyme, New London, CT d.26 Sep 1748 in Lyme, New London, CT
- b.1651 in Saybrook, Middlesex, Connecticut d.10 Dec 1732 in Lyme, New London, Connecticut
- b.22 Jul 1708 in Lyme, New London, Connecticut d.1796 in Lyme, New London, Connecticut
- b.~ 1650 in Hartford, Hartford, Connecticut d.17 Oct 1702 in Lyme, New London, Connecticut
- b.25 Jul 1690 in Lyme, New London, Connecticut d.>26 Sep 1748 in Lyme, New London, Connecticut
- b.~ 1662 in Wethersfield, Hartford, Connecticut
- b.08 Jul 1775 in Gilsum,Cheshire,NH d.14 May 1856 in Nauvoo,Hancock,IL
- b.~ 1634 in Chelmsford, Essex, England d.12 Nov 1724 in East Haddam, Middlesex, CT
- b.04 May 1680 in Haddam, Middlesex, Connecticut d.24 Nov 1761 in East Haddam, Middlesex, Connecticut
- b.~ 1641 in Hartford, Hartford, Connecticut d.17 Nov 1709 in East Haddam, Middlesex, Connecticut
- b.05 Feb 1706 in East Haddam, Middlesex, CT d.05 Oct 1775 in East Haddam, Middlesex, CT
- b.25 Jan 1660/1661 in Woburn, Middlesex, Massachusetts d.24 Jan 1733/1734 in East Haddam, Middlesex, Connecticut
- b.13 Aug 1686 in Billerica, Middlesex, MA d.24 Nov 1761 in East Haddam, Middlesex, CT
- b.21 Oct 1662 in Lynn, Essex, Massachusetts d.17 Sep 1693 in Reading, Middlesex, Massachusetts
- b.03 Sep 1732 in East Haddam, Middlesex, CT d.1818 in Royalton, Windsor, VT
- b.~ 1684 in Barnstable, Barnstable, MA d.29 May 1748 in East Haddam, Middlesex, CT
- b.01 Sep 1709 in East Haddam, Middlesex, CT d.14 Aug 1778 in East Haddam, Middlesex, CT
- b.15 Jul 1662 in Barnstable, Barnstable, Massachusetts d.24 Aug 1746 in Barnstable, Barnstable, Massachusetts
- b.26 Mar 1688 in Barnstable, Barnstable, MA d.31 Mar 1751 in East Haddam, Middlesex, CT
- b.15 May 1661 in Barnstable, Barnstable, Massachusetts d.11 Feb 1710 in East Haddam, Middlesex, Connecticut
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Joseph and Emma were married in a religious ceremony on January 18th, 1827 in Bainbridge, Chenango Co., NY. They had nine sons and two daughters, named Alvin, Thaddeus, Joseph, Joseph, Frederick Granger Williams, Alexander Hale, Don Carlos, Son, David Hyrum, Louisa and Julia.
Family Notes
_UID287C3B7185680E40A6CB238C429EEB00763E
REFN37225
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Children
Alvin SMITH
Alvin was born on June 15th, 1828 in Harmony, Susquehanna, Pennsylvania. He died on June 15th, 1828 in Harmony, Susquehanna, Pennsylvania. He was buried in Harmony, Butler, Ny.
Thaddeus SMITH
Thaddeus was born on April 30th, 1831 in Near Kirtland, Geuaga, Ohio. He died on April 30th, 1831 in Near Kirtland, Geuaga, Ohio.
Louisa SMITH
Louisa was born on April 30th, 1831 in Near Kirtland, Geuaga, Ohio. She died on April 30th, 1831 in Near Kirtland, Geuaga, Ohio.
Joseph Murdock
Joseph was born on April 30th, 1831 in Warrenville, Ohio. He died at 10 months old on March 29th, 1832.
Julia Murdock
Julia was born on April 30th, 1831 in Warrenville, Ohio. She died at the age of 49 on September 12th, 1880.
Joseph Smith
Joseph was born on November 6th, 1832 in Kirkland, OH. He died at the age of 82 on December 10th, 1914.
Frederick Granger Williams SMITH
Frederick Granger Williams was born on June 20th, 1836 in Kirtland, Geuaga, Ohio. He died at the age of 25 on April 13th, 1862 in Nauvoo, Hancock, Illinois. He was buried in Nauvoo, Hancock, Il.
Alexander Hale Smith
Alexander Hale was born on June 2nd, 1838 in Far West, Missouri. He died at the age of 71 on August 12th, 1909.
Don Carlos Smith
Don Carlos was born on June 13th, 1840 in Nauvoo, Hancock, IL. He died at the age of 1 on August 15th, 1841.
Son SMITH
Son was born on February 6th, 1842 in Nauvoo, Hancock, Illinois. He died on February 6th, 1842 in Nauvoo, Hancock, Illinois. He was buried in , , , Stillborn.
David Hyrum SMITH
David Hyrum was born on November 18th, 1844 in Nauvoo, Hancock, Illinois. He died at the age of 59 on August 29th, 1904 in Elgin, Kane, Illinois.
Joseph and Prescindia Lathrop were married in a religious ceremony on December 11th, 1841 in Nauvoo, Hancock, IL.
Family Notes
_UID5981D727482FD745843A6A78CDBF918DB5BE
Joseph and Sarah Ann were married in a religious ceremony on July 27th, 1842 in Nauvoo, Hancock, IL.
Family Notes
_UIDC715508A85F7D14EAEFE1BF899E1710E09A1
REFN36887
Joseph and Lucy were married in a religious ceremony on May 1st, 1843 in Nauvoo, Hancock, IL.
Family Notes
_UIDA1AAACF17277144080EA5C9829106B4B72A3
Joseph and Mary Ann were married in a religious ceremony before March 1844 in Nauvoo, Hancock, IL.
Family Notes
_UID4DF85E2E0E148E42AAF9F7BC5A382E4A237F
Joseph and Martha were married in a religious ceremony before May 1844 in Nauvoo, Hancock, IL.
Family Notes
_UID229B117B59A5E94FA3221BF591D5F0E79181
Joseph and Cordelia were married in a religious ceremony before June 1844 in Nauvoo, Hancock, IL, She Was 20 Years.
Family Notes
_UID76901F2411F0E249B4D85F621672C8445605
Joseph and Eliza R. were married in a religious ceremony before June 1844.
Family Notes
_UIDF2DE8BC1F49E03449861DE4A696D8517885E
Joseph and Sarah were married in a religious ceremony in January 1846 in Nauvoo, Hancock, IL.
Family Notes
_UIDE8A49DE8BD55F742B27E4E15EE0ABE3DE2C3
Joseph and Sarah were married in a religious ceremony on January 26th, 1846 in Nauvoo, Hancock, IL.
Family Notes
_UIDA141B90FF3C6ED418D79CEA1396BCA67DB01
Joseph and Sarah were married in a religious ceremony on February 3rd, 1846.
Family Notes
_UID5796EBCF28E2E04DB7702FDB88E574A09022
Joseph and Nancy Mariah were married in a religious ceremony on February 3rd, 1846 in Nauvoo, Hancock, IL.
Family Notes
_UID4A2DB7D0300C1E489B00F45183B249C8C6EE
Family Notes
_UID2C6E6DC9D9046345BF307C1EE1DAF862F32A
Sources/Citations
Ancestral File (R), Gary O. Shaw - Family Historian & Genealogy, Ancestral File (R), Ancestral File (R)
Ancestral File (R), Gary O. Shaw - Family Historian & Genealogy, Ancestral File (R), Ancestral File (R)