Hyrum Smith
| Hyrum Smith | ||
|---|---|---|
 | ||
| Assistant President of the Church | ||
| January 24, 1841 – June 27, 1844 | ||
| Called by | Joseph Smith, Jr. | |
| Latter Day Saint Apostle | ||
| January 24, 1841 – June 27, 1844 | ||
| Called by | Joseph Smith, Jr. | |
| Reason | Excommunication of Oliver Cowdery[1] | |
| Reorganization at end of term | No apostles ordained | |
| 2nd Presiding Patriarch | ||
| September 14, 1840 – June 27, 1844 | ||
| Called by | Joseph Smith, Jr. | |
| Second Counselor in the First Presidency | ||
| November 7, 1837 – January 24, 1841 | ||
| Called by | Joseph Smith, Jr. | |
| End reason | Called as Assistant President of the Church | |
| Assistant Counselor in the First Presidency | ||
| September 3, 1837 – November 7, 1837 | ||
| Called by | Joseph Smith, Jr. | |
| End reason | Called as Second Counselor in the First Presidency | |
| Personal details | ||
| Born |
February 9, 1800 Tunbridge, Vermont, United States | |
| Died |
June 27, 1844 (aged 44) Carthage, Illinois, United States | |
| Resting place |
Smith Family Cemetery 40°32′25.98″N 91°23′31.06″W / 40.5405500°N 91.3919611°W | |
| Spouse |
Jerusha Barden Mary F. Smith Mercy F. Thompson | |
| Children | 8 | |
| Parents |
Joseph Smith, Sr. Lucy Mack Smith | |
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Hyrum Smith (February 9, 1800 – June 27, 1844) was an American religious leader in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, the original church of the Latter Day Saint movement. He was the older brother of the movement's founder, Joseph Smith.
Early life
Hyrum was born in Tunbridge, Vermont, the second son of Joseph Smith, Sr. and Lucy Mack Smith. Hyrum received a limited education, and established himself as a farmer.
Hyrum attended Dartmouth College in his teens. This may have been one of the factors behind Dr. Nathan Smith being brought in to treat Hyrum's brother Joseph's leg.[2]
Service in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
During the translation of the Book of Mormon and the establishment of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Hyrum was Joseph Smith, Jr.'s close advisor and confidant. In June 1829, Hyrum was baptized in Seneca Lake, New York. He was one of the Eight Witnesses examining and testifying of the reality of the Golden Plates, the original source of the Book of Mormon. When the Church of Christ[3] was organized on April 6, 1830, six men signed their names as charter members; at the age of thirty, Hyrum was the oldest of the six. Hyrum served as presiding officer of a church branch in Colesville, New York and was one of the first Latter Day Saint missionaries in the surrounding area.
As the church headquarters and membership moved west, Hyrum and his family relocated. In 1831, he established a home in Kirtland, Ohio. During his residence there, he served as foreman of the quarry providing stone for the Kirtland Temple. Between 1831 and 1833, he served proselyting missions to Missouri and Ohio. In 1834, under the direction of Joseph Smith, he recruited members for a militia, Zion's Camp, and traveled with the group to the aid of the Latter Day Saints in Missouri. He was appointed Second Counselor in the church's First Presidency in November 1837. In 1838 and 1839, Hyrum, Joseph and three other church leaders shared a jail cell in Liberty, Missouri while awaiting trial.
After relocating to Nauvoo, Illinois, Hyrum was ordained as Presiding Patriarch of the Church, a position formerly held by his deceased father, Joseph Smith, Sr. He also was ordained by Joseph to the priesthood office of Apostle and replaced Oliver Cowdery as Assistant President of the Church; in this capacity, Hyrum acted as President of the Church in Joseph's absence and was designated to be Joseph's successor if he were killed or incapacitated.
When warned of possible danger, Joseph urged Hyrum and his family to flee to Cincinnati, Ohio. Hyrum refused and, in 1844, traveled with Joseph to Carthage, Illinois where both were charged with riot and treason. Joseph, Hyrum, John Taylor and Willard Richards were held awaiting trial in a jail in Carthage. On June 27, 1844, the building was attacked by a mob of between sixty and two hundred men. While attempting to barricade the door to prevent the mob from entering, Hyrum was shot in the face and exclaimed, "I am a dead man," as he died.[4] Taylor was struck by several bullets but survived with the help of Richards. Joseph was hit by at least two shots, exclaimed "O Lord, My God,"[4] and fell through a second-story window to the ground where he was shot again.
Because of his position as Assistant President of the Church, it is likely that Hyrum would have succeeded Joseph and become the next president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints had he outlived his brother.
- "Hyrum is credited in Church history with being an astute organizer who gave ecclesiastical leadership to the emerging Church. As a person, he was considered a man without guile." (Ludlow, Editor, p. 493).
Wives and children
On 2 November 1826, in Manchester, New York, he married Jerusha Barden (1805–1837). They had six children together.
- Lovina Smith (16 September 1827 – 8 October 1876)
- Mary Smith (27 June 1829 – 29 May 1832)
- John Smith (22 September 1832 – 6 November 1911)
- Hyrum Smith (27 April 1834 – 21 September 1841)
- Jerusha Smith (13 January 1836 – 27 June 1912)
- Sarah Smith (2 October 1837 – 6 November 1876)
On 24 December 1837, in Kirtland, Ohio, he married Mary Fielding Smith (1801 – 1852). They had two children.
- Joseph F. Smith (13 November 1838 – 19 November 1918)
- Martha Ann Smith (14 May 1841 – 19 October 1923)
In August 1843 he married Mercy Fielding Thompson, widow of Robert B. Thompson and sister to Hyrum's wife Mary, and Catherine Phillips.[5]
Descendants
Hyrum's descendants have played significant roles in the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Joseph F. Smith, his son by Mary Fielding Smith, served as president of the LDS Church between 1901 and 1918. His grandson, Joseph Fielding Smith also served as president of the church between 1970 and 1972. His eldest son, John Smith, served as Presiding Patriarch of the church between 1855 and 1911, and John Smith's descendants held this post from 1912 to 1932 and from 1942 to 1979, when the office was effectively discontinued and the incumbent, Eldred G. Smith, was given the title patriarch emeritus. M. Russell Ballard, a current member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the LDS Church, is also a direct descendant of Hyrum Smith.
In 1918 Hyrum Smith descendants erected a Monument to him in the Salt Lake City Cemetery.
See also
Notes
- ↑ Cowdery was excommunicated on April 12, 1838. Smith was ordained an apostle and replaced Cowdery as Assistant President of the Church almost three years later.
- ↑ KJZZ Joseph Smith Papers interview with Leroy Wirthlin and Ron Esplin
- ↑ In 1838, the church was renamed the "Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints".
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Doctrine and Covenants
- ↑ Newell, Linda King; Valeen Tippetts Avery (1994). Mormon Enigma: Emma Hale Smith (2nd ed.). Urbana and Chicago: University of Illinois Press. p. 142. ISBN 0-252-06291-4.
References
- Allen, James B.; Glen M. Leonard (1976). The Story of the Latter-day Saints. Deseret Book Company. ISBN 0-87747-594-6.
- Ludlow, Daniel H., Editor. (1992). Church History, Selections from the Encyclopedia of Mormonism. Deseret Book Company. ISBN 0-87579-924-8.
- O'Driscoll, Jeffrey S. (2003). Hyrum Smith: A Life of Integrity. Deseret Book Company. ISBN 1-57008-857-8.
External links
Media related to Hyrum Smith at Wikimedia Commons
- Hyrum Smith's Missionary Journal Digital Collections, Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University
- Grampa Bill's G.A. pages: Hyrum Smith
- Biography at Joseph Smith Papers Project website
| Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Joseph Smith, Sr. |
Presiding Patriarch September 14, 1840 – June 27, 1844 |
Succeeded by William Smith |
| Preceded by Oliver Cowdery |
Assistant President of the Church January 24, 1841 – June 27, 1844 With: Possibly John C. Bennett April 8, 1841 – May 25, 1842 |
Position discontinued |
| Church of the Latter Day Saints titles Later renamed: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (1838) | ||
| Preceded by Frederick G. Williams |
Second Counselor in the First Presidency November 7, 1937 – January 24, 1841 |
Succeeded by William Law |
| First | Assistant Counselor in the First Presidency September 3, 1837–November 7, 1837 With: Oliver Cowdery John Smith Joseph Smith, Sr. |
Succeeded by Oliver Cowdery Joseph Smith, Sr. John Smith |
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