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| Joseph Smith, Jr. |
"The Lord does reveal himself to me. I know it. He revealed himself first to me when I was about fourteen years old, a mere boy . . . . I kneeled down, and prayed, saying, 'O Lord, what Church shall I join?' Directly I saw a light, and then a glorious Personage in the light, and then another personage, and the first personage said [of] the second, "Behold this is my beloved Son, hear him."
-- Joseph Smith, Jr.
Who was Joseph Smith, Jr.? He was a sixth-generation American, his ancestors having emigrated from England to America in the 1600s. They typified the characteristics often associated with early generations of Americans: 1) They believed in God's directive care over them; 2) They had a strong work ethic; and 3) They diligently served their families and their country.
His parents - Joseph Smith, Sr. and Lucy Mack Smith - married in 1796 in Tunbridge, Vermont. The Smith's were a hard-working and God-fearing couple who and began their life together under favorable financial conditions. Soon, however, the elder Smith lost his first farming homestead and the family suffered a number of financial reverses over subsequent years. .As a result, they were forced to move several times as their father attempted to make a living.
Joseph was born on December 23, 1805 in Sharon Vermont and was the fifth of eleven children. He was named after his father. His brothers and sisters were: an unnamed son (who died shortly after birth), Alvin, Hyrum, Sophronia, Joseph, Samuel, Ephraim (who lived less than two weeks), William, Katharine, Don Carlos, and Lucy.
Evidence of Brother Joseph's extraordinary character emerged early in his life. While his family was living in West Lebanon, New Hampshire, typhoid fever (Wikipedia article - typhoid fever) attacked many in the community -- including all of the Smith children. While his siblings recovered without any complications, Joseph developed a serious, secondary infection in his left leg. Dr. Nathan Smith, in nearby Hanover, New Hampshire, agreed to perform a new surgical procedure in an effort to save Joseph's leg. Not wishing for his mother to witness his suffering, he asked his mother to leave the room prior to the start of the procedure. Relying only on his father's reassuring embrace, he endured as the surgeons first bored and then chipped into the affected bone in an attempt to save it. Despite having to walk with crutches for the next several years, the surgery was a success.
Besieged by repeated crop failures, in 1816, the Smith family moved from Norwich, Vermont to Palmyra, New York having to find a more prosperous situation. Explained Joseph: "Being in indigent circumstances, we were obliged to labor hard for the support of a large family . . .and as it required the exertions of all that were able to render any assistance for the support of the family, therefore we were deprived of the benefit of education. Suffice it to say, I was merely instructed in reading, writing, and the ground rules of arithmetic."
I say these things in Jesus name, Amen
Evidence of Brother Joseph's extraordinary character emerged early in his life. While his family was living in West Lebanon, New Hampshire, typhoid fever (Wikipedia article - typhoid fever) attacked many in the community -- including all of the Smith children. While his siblings recovered without any complications, Joseph developed a serious, secondary infection in his left leg. Dr. Nathan Smith, in nearby Hanover, New Hampshire, agreed to perform a new surgical procedure in an effort to save Joseph's leg. Not wishing for his mother to witness his suffering, he asked his mother to leave the room prior to the start of the procedure. Relying only on his father's reassuring embrace, he endured as the surgeons first bored and then chipped into the affected bone in an attempt to save it. Despite having to walk with crutches for the next several years, the surgery was a success.
Besieged by repeated crop failures, in 1816, the Smith family moved from Norwich, Vermont to Palmyra, New York having to find a more prosperous situation. Explained Joseph: "Being in indigent circumstances, we were obliged to labor hard for the support of a large family . . .and as it required the exertions of all that were able to render any assistance for the support of the family, therefore we were deprived of the benefit of education. Suffice it to say, I was merely instructed in reading, writing, and the ground rules of arithmetic."
I say these things in Jesus name, Amen
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