| Joseph Smith Sr. | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 1stPresiding Patriarch | |
| December 18, 1833 (1833-12-18) – September 14, 1840 (1840-09-14) | |
| Called by | Joseph Smith Jr. |
| Successor | Hyrum Smith |
| Assistant Counselor in theFirst Presidency | |
| September 3, 1837 (1837-09-03) – September 14, 1840 (1840-09-14) | |
| Called by | Joseph Smith Jr. |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1771-07-12)July 12, 1771 Topsfield,Province of Massachusetts Bay |
| Died | September 14, 1840(1840-09-14) (aged 69) Nauvoo,Illinois, United States |
| Resting place | Smith Family Cemetery 40°32′25.98″N91°23′31.06″W / 40.5405500°N 91.3919611°W /40.5405500; -91.3919611 (Smith Family Cemetery) |
| Spouse(s) | Lucy Mack |
| Children | 11, including: Alvin Smith Hyrum Smith Joseph Smith Jr. Samuel H. Smith William Smith Katharine Smith Don Carlos Smith |
Joseph Smith Sr. (July 12, 1771 – September 14, 1840) was the father ofJoseph Smith Jr., the founder of theLatter Day Saint movement. Joseph Sr. was also one of theEight Witnesses of theBook of Mormon, which Mormons believe was translated by Smith Jr. fromgolden plates. In 1833, Smith Sr. was named the firstpatriarch of theChurch of Christ (which was renamed to the Church of the Latter Day Saints[1] in 1834 and Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints[2][3] in 1838). Joseph Sr. was also a member of theFirst Presidency of the church.
He was one of the first recipients of the controversialSecond Anointing ritual in 1833. During the ceremony, he gave his sonJoseph Smith Jr. a blessing indicating Smith Jr. would, "continue in his Priests office until Christ come."[4]
Smith was born on July 12, 1771, inTopsfield,Massachusetts, toAsael Smith and Mary Duty. He marriedLucy Mack inTunbridge, Vermont, on January 26, 1796, and had 11 children with her.[5] Details of Smith’s paternal line go back to his 3rd great-grandfather Robert Smith fromLincolnshire, England who settled inMassachusetts colony during thePuritan migration.[6] Some previous DNA testing on Smith’s descendants had revealed some Irish roots.[7]
Smith tried his hands at several occupations, including farmer, teacher, and shop-keeper, none of which proved very successful.[5] He moved his family toPalmyra, New York, in 1816 and began to make payments on a farm located on the edge of neighboringManchester Township. In the Palmyra–Manchester area, Smith and his sons were involved in a number of treasure digging excavations in the 1820s.[8]
Work on a frame house at the farm was halted by the unexpected death of Smith's eldest son,Alvin, in 1823. Smith subsequently failed to make payments on the farm.[5] Lemuel Durfee purchased it as a favor to the family and allowed the Smiths to continue there as renters until 1830.
Though a spiritual man, Smith showed little interest in organized religion prior to his son Joseph reporting his visions to the family. He was content to allow his wife control over the religious upbringing of their children. This indifference bothered Lucy very much. After much prayer, she said she had received a divine witness that her husband would some day accept "the pure and undefiled Gospel of the Son of God."[9]
Smith professed that he had visionary dreams with highly symbolic content, perhaps related to his ambivalence about religious faith and sometimes presaging events to come. These dreams continued after the family's move to Palmyra until he had had seven in all; Lucy remembered five well enough to quote in detail.[10]
In the late 1820s, Smith's son, Joseph Jr., began to tell the family aboutgolden plates, which he said contained a record of the ancient inhabitants of the Americas. In September 1827, Joseph Jr. said he obtained the plates. In the following years, Joseph Jr. said he translated the plates into English through the use of aseer stone, which he found previously during a treasure digging expedition, as well as theUrim and Thummim, a device given to him by theangel Moroni. When the work was near completion, at the end of June 1829, Joseph Sr. and seven other men signed a joint statement, testifying that they had both lifted the plates and seen the engravings on the plates. Known as the "Testimony of the Eight Witnesses", this statement was published with the first edition of theBook of Mormon and has been a part of nearly all subsequent editions.
Smith wasbaptized when theChurch of Christ was formally organized on April 6, 1830. When Joseph Jr. saw Joseph Sr. come up out of the water, he is reported to have cried, "Oh! My God I have lived to see my own father baptized into the true church of Jesus Christ!"[11]
In January 1831, Smith and his family moved to the church's new headquarters inKirtland, Ohio. He was ordained to be the church's firstPresiding Patriarch on December 18, 1833.
In reference to his father's role as patriarch of the church, Joseph Jr. likened his father toAdam, the first biblical patriarch: "So shall it be with my father; he shall be called a prince over his posterity, holding the keys of the patriarchal priesthood over the kingdom of God on earth, even the Church of the Latter Day Saints".[12]
As part of his new role, Smith presided in council meetings and administeredpatriarchal blessings.
On September 3, 1837, Smith was also made an Assistant Counselor to his son in theFirst Presidency of the church.
Smith was present at the first performance of theSecond Anointing ritual, the highest ordinance in theLatter-day Saint movement, which guarantees salvation and confers godhood.
Joseph Smith Jr. hosted the first recorded version of this ritual in January 1833. During the meeting, Smith Jr. washed the feet of all 12 men present, pausing to ask his father for apriesthood blessing before washing Smith Sr.'s feet. Joseph Smith Sr. "pronouncing upon his head that he should continue in his Priests office until Christ come."[4]
Joseph Smith Jr. taught the participants of the ritual that they were "sealed up unto salvation."[4]
Smith moved with his family toFar West, Missouri, in 1838 and from there to the church's new headquarters atNauvoo, Illinois, in 1839. Old age and illnesses had taken their toll and by the end of summer 1840, Smith realized he was dying. He called his family around him to administer patriarchal blessings.
He blessed his wife: "Mother, do you not know that you are the mother of as great a family as ever lived upon the earth. ... They are raised up to do the Lord's work".[13] He blessed and ordained his eldest surviving son,Hyrum to succeed to the office ofPresiding Patriarch by right oflineage.
Smith died in Nauvoo on September 14, 1840.
Also known as Church of the Latter Day Saints andChurch of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints | ||
| First | Presiding Patriarch December 18, 1833 (1833-12-18) - September 14, 1840 (1840-09-14) | Succeeded by |
| Assistant Counselor in theFirst Presidency September 3, 1837 (1837-09-03) – September 14, 1840 (1840-09-14) Served alongside:Oliver Cowdery,Hyrum Smith, andJohn Smith | Succeeded by | |
| Three Witnesses |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Eight Witnesses | ||
| Additional Witnesses | ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
