Joseph Smith

Joseph Smith
Likely William Warner Major see http://silverepicent.com/photofound/photofound/P · Public domain · source
Name	Joseph Smith
Birth date	December 23, 1805
Birth place	Sharon, Vermont, United States
Death date	June 27, 1844
Death place	Carthage, Illinois, United States
Occupation	Religious leader, founder
Known for	Founding the Latter Day Saint movement

Joseph Smith (December 23, 1805 – June 27, 1844) was an American religious leader and the principal founder of the Latter Day Saint movement. His life intersected with major antebellum developments including migration to Kirtland, Ohio, conflict in Missouri Mormon War, and settlement in Nauvoo, Illinois, leaving a contested legacy among historians, theologians, and adherents.

Early life and family

Born in Sharon, Vermont into a frontier family, Smith was the son of Joseph Smith Sr. and Lucy Mack Smith, who later published a family history. The family moved to Palmyra, New York and later to Palmyra Township, Wayne County, New York during the era of the Second Great Awakening and the Market Revolution (United States), interacting with neighbors from Manchester, New York and communities near the Erie Canal corridor. Siblings included Hyrum Smith, Samuel H. Smith, William Smith, and Sophronia Smith, and family connections extended into networks of converts in Ohio and Missouri. Local events such as the New York religious revivals and regional tensions influenced his upbringing.

Religious visions and founding of the Latter Day Saint movement

Smith reported a series of visions and angelic visitations beginning in the 1820s, which he described as encounters with figures like an angel named Moroni. These claims occurred amid contemporaneous phenomena involving figures like Elias in revival contexts and drew attention alongside movements led by Charles Grandison Finney, Alexander Campbell, and Lyman Beecher. His accounts tied into the broader American religious landscape including references to texts such as the King James Bible and debates linked to the Burned-over district. Early followers included converts from communities associated with Martin Harris, Oliver Cowdery, and David Whitmer, and organizational moves invoked precedents from institutions such as the United States Constitution and local civic practices in Ontario County, New York.

Translation of the Book of Mormon and other writings

Smith claimed to have translated the Book of Mormon from golden plates revealed by Moroni, a process supported by witnesses including the Three Witnesses and Eight Witnesses. The volume was first published in Palmyra, New York with assistance from Martin Harris, E. B. Grandin, and Oliver Cowdery. Smith later produced other texts, including the Doctrine and Covenants revelations, the Articles of Faith, and the Book of Abraham, which he associated with artifacts acquired from Michael Chandler. His translation methods and textual history have been analyzed by scholars referencing manuscript collections in repositories such as the Community of Christ Library-Archives and archives in Salt Lake City, Utah. Debates over sources and influences have engaged historians from institutions like Brigham Young University, University of Utah, and Harvard University.

Leadership of the Church and institutional development

In 1830 Smith organized the church and later guided migrations to Kirtland, Ohio and Independence, Missouri, where institutional projects included establishment of a Kirtland Temple and development of the Law of Consecration. Leadership structures incorporated figures such as Brigham Young, Sidney Rigdon, and George Miller; offices included President and the Quorum of the Twelve. Smith oversaw publishing ventures like the Times and Seasons and municipal efforts exemplified by the Nauvoo Legion and the City of Nauvoo. Doctrinal innovations, temple ordinances, and administrative councils influenced subsequent institutions such as the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (now Community of Christ).

Legal conflicts, imprisonment, and death

Tensions with neighbors and state authorities culminated in episodes including the Extermination Order issued by Lilburn Boggs during the Missouri Mormon War (1838), and legal disputes in Illinois over the Nauvoo Expositor. Smith was arrested multiple times, imprisoned at Liberty Jail (Missouri), and later detained at Carthage Jail (Illinois), where he and his brother Hyrum Smith were killed by a mob in 1844. The events involved actors from Sangamon County, Illinois, local militia formations, and political figures such as Thomas Ford. His death precipitated succession crises that engaged leaders including Brigham Young and James J. Strang.

Legacy, schisms, and historical assessment

Smith's legacy includes the global presence of movements tracing roots to his leadership, notably The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Community of Christ, and restorationist groups like followers of James J. Strang and Joseph Smith III. Schisms produced competing claims about authority, scriptural canons, and institutional headquarters in places such as Salt Lake City, Independence, Missouri, and Toronto. Academic assessment has been conducted by scholars at Princeton University, Yale University, University of Michigan, and independent historians such as Richard P. Howard, Jan Shipps, and Fawn M. Brodie, engaging topics including prophetic authority, the production of scripture, and American religiosity. Commemorations and controversies persist in legal, cultural, and historiographical arenas involving sites like the Smith Family Farm (Palmyra) and museums in Nauvoo and Salt Lake City.

Category:Founders of religions Category:1805 births Category:1844 deaths