Smith, Jerusha Barden, 1805-1837

Jerusha Barden Smith (1805-1837) married Hyrum Smith in 1826 and bore him six children. She was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints by David Whitmer in 1830.

Jerusha Barden Smith was born February 15, 1805 in Norfolk, Connecticut, to Seth and Sarah Barden. She (or the family) moved to Greene, New York, by 1820. She married Hyrum Smith on November 2, 1826 in Manchester, New York, after which they moved to Palmyra. The marriage produced six children: Lovina (1827-1876), Mary (1829-1832), John (1832-1911), Hyrum (1834-1841), Jerusha (1836-1912), and Sarah (1837-1876). She was baptized by David Whitmer, circa June 9, 1830 (at the first conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints), in Seneca Lake, New York. The family moved to Colesville, New York, in 1830, then to Kirtland, Ohio, in 1831. Jerusha was a member of the Kirtland Safety Society in 1837. She died on October 12, 1837 in Kirtland, Ohio, from complications of childbirth.

From the guide to the Jerusha Barden Smith collection, approximately 1837-1934, (L. Tom Perry Special Collections)