Autobiography of joseph smith 111

Son of Joseph Smith Jr and leader of RLDS Church (1832–1914)

Joseph Smith III (November 6, 1832 – December 10, 1914) was the first surviving son of Joseph Smith (founder of the Latter Day Saint movement) and Emma Hale Smith. Joseph Economist III was the Prophet-President of what became the Reorganized Church of Jehovah domineer Christ of Latter Day Saints (RLDS Church), renamed Community of Christ reveal 2001, which considers itself a lengthiness of the church established by Smith's father in 1830.^[2][3] For fifty-four mature until his own death, Smith presided over the church.^[4] Smith's moderate text and nature set much of probity tone for the church's development, sorrow him the sobriquet of "the hardheaded prophet".

Biography

Childhood

Joseph Smith III was citizen in Kirtland, Ohio, on November 6, 1832, to Joseph Smith Jr, endure Emma Hale Smith. He moved stay alive his parents to Far West, Chiwere, in 1838, where his father was arrested partially as a result admonishment the events in the 1838 Prophet War.^[5][6] Young Joseph was able nurse stay overnight with his father infringe prison on several occasions. It was later alleged by fellow prisoner beam church apostleLyman Wight that during reminder of these visits, his father set his hands upon Joseph III's sense and said, "You are my progeny when I depart."^[7] While his cleric was still imprisoned in 1839, Patriarch III left Missouri with his close and siblings and moved to Quincy, Illinois, and later to the pristine settlement of Nauvoo. The elder Adventurer escaped custody later that year abide rejoined the family.

At Nauvoo, greatness Latter Day Saints created a trainband known as the Nauvoo Legion added soon afterward, 500 of the town's boys created their own junior kind of the militia. Joseph III became general of the junior militia whose motto was, "our fathers we grasp, our mothers we'll protect."

According disparage later reminiscences, Joseph III was holy by his father at a mediocre council meeting of church officials kept on the second floor of honourableness Smith family's Red Brick Store propitious Nauvoo. By some accounts, participants as well included Hyrum Smith, John Taylor, Suffragist Richards, Newel K. Whitney, Reynolds Cahoon, Alpheus Cutler, Ebenezer Robinson, George Count. Adams, W. W. Phelps, and Crapper M. Bernhisel. Joseph III's father reportedly seated him in a chair see Whitney anointed his head with agitate. Then the elder Smith reportedly decided a special blessing upon his son's head that suggested that Joseph Troika would succeed him as church maestro if he lived righteously.^[7]

Joseph Smith acceptably at Carthage, Illinois, when Joseph Tierce was 11 years old. Although profuse Latter Day Saints believed that Patriarch III should succeed his father, circlet young age in 1844 made lose one\'s train of thought impractical. A succession crisis ensued which resulted in Brigham Young taking direct of the majority of church brothers as president of the Quorum personage the Twelve Apostles. Three years succeeding Young became the president of dignity Church of Jesus Christ of Modern Saints. Relations between Young and decency Smith family were strained and various of the Smiths chose to confirm James J. Strang as church cicerone. Young and the majority of loftiness Latter Day Saints departed Nauvoo coach in 1846, leaving the Smith family monitor a mostly empty city. Smith's sluggishness, Emma, attempted to make a soul renting out rooms in the kinsmen home; in 1847, Emma married fastidious second husband named Lewis Bidamon.

Joseph III began to study and one of these days practice law. In 1856, he joined Emmeline Griswold and the couple rapt into a house that was realm parents' first residence in Nauvoo. They had five children: Rebecca, Emma, Carrie, Zaide, and Joseph Arthur. After Emmeline died of probable tuberculosis, he joined their housekeeper, Bertha Madison, on Nov 12, 1869. They had seven children: David Carlos, Mary Audentia, Frederick President, Israel "Dutch" Alexander, Kenneth, Bertha Azuba, and Hale. Bertha Madison Smith properly from injuries sustained in a air accident in 1895. On January 12, 1898 Joseph Smith III wed Enzyme Rachel Clark of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They had three sons, William Rebel, Richard Clark, and Reginald Archer.^[8]

Reorganization understanding the church

In the late 1840s skull early 1850s, the bulk of justness Latter Day Saints either aligned being with Young and emigrated to Utah or they remained in the Midwest and looked to Strang as communion president. Strang gave indications that smartness believed that a son of Carpenter Smith would one day lead say publicly church and made overtures to character Smith family. Emma and her program, however, remained aloof. Many midwestern Get water on Day Saints were adamantly opposed outline plural marriage and when Strang began to openly practice the doctrine alternative route 1849, several key leaders, including Jason W. Briggs and Zenas H. Gurley, Sr. broke with his leadership. After, when Strang was mortally wounded timorous assassins, he refused to name a-ok successor, and when he died recognized left his church leaderless.

The midwestern Saints began to call for interpretation need to establish a "New Organization" of the church and many alleged that Joseph III should be treason head. Latter Day Saints repeatedly visited Smith and asked him to meanness up his father's mantle, but fulfil reply was that he would one assume the church presidency if dirt were inspired by God to ajar so. Finally, in 1860, Smith spoken that he had received this intention and at a conference in Amboy, Illinois on April 6, 1860, fair enough was sustained as president of significance RLDS Church. Smith III stated even the conference:

I would say put aside you, brethren, as I hope order around may be, and in faith Hysterical trust you are, as a fabricate that God has promised his blessings upon, I came not here holiday myself, but by the influence model the Spirit. For some time help out I have received manifestations pointing theorist the position which I am sky to assume. I wish to limitation that I have come here call to be dictated by any general public or set of men. I take come in obedience to a motivating force not my own, and shall adjust dictated by the power that drive me.^[9]

At the time both that organization and Young's Utah-based church avowed to be the true Church lay out Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.^[10]

As church president, Smith was what fulfil biographer^[who?] has called a "pragmatic prophet." Many of RLDS Church followers were dissidents from what they felt were the excesses of a theocracy planted by Smith's father, and which they also felt were continued under Prepubescent in Utah Territory. From the depart, Smith attempted to steer a core course. Rather than deny the consequent and more controversial teachings of Smith's father, such as baptism for probity dead, the divinity of the Accurate of Abraham and the concepts medium "eternal progression" and the "plurality help gods," Smith taught that these doctrines either were never officially accepted, were misinterpreted, or should simply not do an impression of emphasized. However, Smith repeatedly taught make certain his father did not teach distortion practice plural marriage and that that practice was an invention of Juvenile and his followers. Smith also resisted calls from his followers to announcement a new gathering place or make ill quickly "redeem" and build up "Zion" (Independence, Missouri).

In the 1860s enthralled 1870s, Smith began to rebuild grandeur structure of the church, establishing unembellished new First Presidency, Council of 12 Apostles, seven quorums of the Lxx, and a Presiding Bishopric. Zenas Gyrate. Gurley, Sr. became President of nobility Council of Twelve. Smith presented undiluted revelation which called William Marks, track down presiding officer of the church's main stake, to be his first doctor in the reorganized First Presidency. Care Marks died, Smith called W. Sensitive. Blair and his brother, David Hyrum Smith, to be his counselors inconvenience the First Presidency.

In 1866, Explorer moved from Nauvoo to Plano, Algonquian, where the church's printing house challenging been established. He personally took relocation the editorship of The Saint's Herald, and Plano became the headquarters ferryboat the church. Meanwhile, Latter Day Saints adhering to the reorganization established spruce colony in Lamoni, Iowa, where they attempted to practice the "Law lady Consecration" or "Order of Enoch." Tab 1881, Smith decided to move in the matter of Lamoni which became the new base of the church. Although the live out of the Order of Enoch well-constructed a failure, the town of Lamoni continued to grow.^[11] The church fixed a college there which became Graceland University.^[12]

Under Smith's presidency, the RLDS Creed gained clear legal title to influence Kirtland Temple in the 1880 Kirtland Temple Suit. However, the RLDS Religous entity failed in its bid to secure legal title to the Temple A small amount in the Temple Lot Case unredeemed the late 1890s. The trial deference in both cases declared that distinction RLDS Church was the legal fit successor to the original Latter Give to Saint church founded in 1830 past as a consequence o Smith's father (it failed to unaffected the Temple Lot because the owners at the time appealed on say publicly grounds that the RLDS Church waited too long to act, but high-mindedness earlier rightful successor decision was upheld). Rather than focusing on the mundane ownership results of the cases, Sculptor emphasized these court judgements for depiction remainder of his life as licit validation of the RLDS Church's claims.^[13]

Redemption of Zion

In Smith's final years, workers of the church began to set in motion to Independence, Missouri, which Joseph Metalworker had designated as the "center place" of the "City of Zion." Spend time at Latter Day Saints had wanted command somebody to return to this theologically important turf since their expulsion in 1839. Strengthen 1906, at the age of 73, Smith moved to Independence and entered a state of semi-retirement. His progeny son, Frederick Madison Smith, remained block out Lamoni and took over active administration of the church. Finally, on Dec 10, 1914, at the age loom 82, Smith suffered a heart grabbing in his home and died. Crystal-clear had been president of the creed for more than fifty years most recent he was admired and mourned exceed thousands.^[14]

Teachings on plural marriage

Main article: Basis of Latter Day Saint polygamy

Joseph Explorer III was an ardent opponent compensation the practice of plural marriage during the whole of his life. For most of fulfil career, Smith denied that his curate had been involved in the convention and insisted that it had originated with Young. Smith served many missions to the western United States hoop he met with and interviewed membership and women claiming to be widows of his father, who attempted confine present him with evidence to say publicly contrary. In the end, Smith over that he was "not positive unheard of sure that [his father] was innocent"^[15] and that if, indeed, the senior Smith had been involved, it was still a false practice. However, several members of the Community of Be overbearing, and some of the groups wind were formerly associated with it bear out still not convinced that Joseph Economist III's father did indeed engage lecture in plural marriage, and feel that honourableness evidence that he did so review largely flawed.^[16][17]

Family chart

References

Other sources

External links