Smith, Joseph, Sr., 1771-1840

Joseph Smith Senior (1771-1840) was born in Massachusetts and married Lucy Mack in 1795. Among his eleven children was the founder of the LDS Church, Joseph Smith Junior. Being plagued by crop failures in Vermont, Smith moved his family to upstate New York where the birth of the Latter-day Saint movement began. In late 1833, Joseph Smith Junior called upon his father to become the first presiding patriarch of the LDS Church. Patriarchal blessings often state an individual's particular talents and abilities, lineage, and often contain admonitions and blessings. Joseph Smith Senior carried this calling until his death in 1840 at Nauvoo, Illinois. The calling of patriarch was then given to Smith's son, Hyrum.

From the guide to the Joseph Smith Senior patriarchal blessing book records, 1833-1843, (J. Willard Marriott Library, University of Utah)

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