Don Carlos Smith (March 25, 1816 – August 7, 1841) was the youngest brother of

Joseph Smith Joseph Smith Jr. (December 23, 1805June 27, 1844) was an American religious leader and founder of Mormonism and the Latter Day Saint movement. When he was 24, Smith published the Book of Mormon. By the time of his death, 14 years later, he ...

and a leader,

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Tho ...

, and periodical editor in the early days of the

Latter Day Saint movement The Latter Day Saint movement (also called the LDS movement, LDS restorationist movement, or Smith–Rigdon movement) is the collection of independent church groups that trace their origins to a Christian Restorationist movement founded by Jo ...

. Smith was born in

Norwich, Vermont Norwich is a town in Windsor County, in the U.S. state of Vermont. The population was 3,612 at the 2020 census. Home to some of the state of Vermont's wealthiest residents, the municipality is a commuter town for nearby Hanover, New Hampshir ...

, on March 25, 1816, the seventh son of

Joseph Smith Sr. Joseph Smith Sr. (July 12, 1771 – September 14, 1840) was the father of Joseph Smith Jr., the founder of the Latter Day Saint movement. Joseph Sr. was also one of the Eight Witnesses of the Book of Mormon, which Mormons believe was translated ...

and

Lucy Mack Smith Lucy Mack Smith (July 8, 1775 – May 14, 1856) was the mother of Joseph Smith, founder of the Latter Day Saint movement. She is noted for writing the memoir, '' Biographical Sketches of Joseph Smith, the Prophet, and His Progenitors for Many Ge ...

. As an adolescent, Smith was an early convert to the

Church of Christ Church of Christ may refer to: Church groups * When used in the plural, a New Testament designation for local groups of people following the teachings of Jesus Christ: "...all the churches of Christ greet you", Romans 16:16. * The entire body of Ch ...

that was established by his brother Joseph in 1830. Don Carlos was

baptized Baptism (from grc-x-koine, βάπτισμα, váptisma) is a form of ritual purification—a characteristic of many religions throughout time and geography. In Christianity, it is a Christian sacrament of initiation and adoption, almost ...

on June 9 of that year in Seneca Lake. Smith was the first editor of the

Nauvoo, Illinois Nauvoo ( ; from the ) is a small city in Hancock County, Illinois, United States, on the Mississippi River near Fort Madison, Iowa. The population of Nauvoo was 950 at the 2020 census. Nauvoo attracts visitors for its historic importance and its ...

-based Latter Day Saint newspaper ''

Times and Seasons ''Times and Seasons'' was a 19th-century Latter Day Saint newspaper published at Nauvoo, Illinois. It was printed monthly or twice-monthly from November 1839 to February 1846. The motto of the paper was "Truth will prevail," which was printed u ...

'', beginning in June of 1839 after he and his colleague, Ebenezer Robinson, were commissioned by a council of leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints to publish. He edited a total of 31 editions of the ''Times and Seasons'' from 1839 to 1841''.'' As a printer and editor, Smith was involved in the printing of the 1835 edition of the

Doctrine and Covenants The Doctrine and Covenants (sometimes abbreviated and cited as D&C or D. and C.) is a part of the open scriptural canon of several denominations of the Latter Day Saint movement. Originally published in 1835 as Doctrine and Covenants of the Chur ...

, several editions of the

Book of Mormon The Book of Mormon is a religious text of the Latter Day Saint movement, which, according to Latter Day Saint theology, contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the American continent from 600 BC to AD 421 and during an interlude date ...

, and also served as the publisher and editor for the short-lived periodical ''

Elders' Journal The ''Elders' Journal of the Church of Latter Day Saints'' (the name changed to ''Elders' Journal of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints'' with the third issue) was an early Latter Day Saint periodical edited by Don Carlos Smith, you ...

''. Smith also participated in printing the monthly editions of the ''

Messenger and Advocate The ''Latter Day Saints' Messenger and Advocate'', often shortened to ''Messenger and Advocate'', was an early Latter Day Saint monthly newspaper published in Kirtland, Ohio, from October 1834 to September 1837. It was the successor to ''The Eveni ...

'' newspaper. He was also active as an early missionary of the Latter Day Saint church. At the age of fourteen, Smith was the youngest missionary for the church, serving with his father, Joseph Smith Sr., in the Eastern States mission from August through September 1830. When he was nineteen, he served again in the Eastern States mission (in the year 1836). Smith served his last mission at age 22 in the Southern States mission, from September 26, 1838, until December 25, 1838. Smith participated in the ceremony of the laying of the cornerstones of the

Kirtland Temple The Kirtland Temple is a National Historic Landmark in Kirtland, Ohio, United States, on the eastern edge of the Cleveland metropolitan area. Owned and operated by the Community of Christ, formerly the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of La ...

, and he was a member of the temple's construction crew. He married Agnes Moulton Coolbrith on July 30, 1835, with whom he had three daughters. On January 15, 1836, Smith was selected as the first president of the high priests

quorum A quorum is the minimum number of members of a deliberative assembly (a body that uses parliamentary procedure, such as a legislature) necessary to conduct the business of that group. According to ''Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised'', the ...

of the church,

B. H. Roberts Brigham Henry Roberts (March 13, 1857 – September 27, 1933) was a historian, politician, and leader in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). He edited the seven-volume ''History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...

(ed), '' History of the Church'', 2:205, 370. a position that is today referred to as a

stake president A stake is an administrative unit composed of multiple congregations in certain denominations of the Latter Day Saint movement. The name "stake" derives from the Book of Isaiah: "enlarge the place of thy tent; stretch forth the curtains of thine h ...

. He represented the high priests of the church when the cornerstones were laid to the

Nauvoo Temple The Nauvoo Temple was the second temple constructed by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.''Manuscript History of the Church'', LDS Church Archives, book A-1, p. 37; reproduced in Dean C. Jessee (comp.) (1989). ''The Papers of Jose ...

in early 1841. Smith also served on the

Nauvoo City Council The Nauvoo City Council was a short-lived municipal body for the City of Nauvoo, Illinois. Establishment The Nauvoo City Charter was passed by the Illinois Legislature on December 16, 1840. The legislature established the Nauvoo City Council, ...

. He was

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

of the

Nauvoo Legion The Nauvoo Legion was a state-authorized militia of the city of Nauvoo, Illinois, United States. With growing antagonism from surrounding settlements it came to have as its main function the defense of Nauvoo, and surrounding Latter Day Saint ...

and a regent at the

University of Nauvoo The University of Nauvoo was a short-lived university in Nauvoo, Illinois. After the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints had been expelled from Missouri, they crossed into Illinois and settled in Nauvoo in 1839. They were granted a city c ...

. Smith died in Nauvoo, Illinois, on August 7, 1841 of

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...

. He was buried at the

Smith Family Cemetery The Smith Family Cemetery, in Nauvoo, Illinois, is the burial place of Joseph Smith, his wife Emma, and brother Hyrum. Joseph Smith's parents Joseph Smith Sr. and Lucy Mack Smith are also buried there, as are Joseph Smith's brothers Samuel and Don ...

."Don Carlos Smith"
findagrave.com. He was survived by his wife Agnes Moulton Coolbrith, who later became a

plural wife Polygamy (called plural marriage by Latter-day Saints in the 19th century or the Principle by modern fundamentalist practitioners of polygamy) was practiced by leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) for more tha ...

of Joseph Smith. Don Carlos Smith was the father of

Ina Coolbrith Ina Donna Coolbrith (born Josephine Donna Smith; March 10, 1841 – February 29, 1928) was an American poet, writer, librarian, and a prominent figure in the San Francisco Bay Area literary community. Called the "Sweet Singer of California", sh ...

, who became the first poet laureate of

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

Notes

External links

Roger D. Launius Roger D. Launius (born May 15, 1954) is an American historian and author of Lithuanian descent, a former chief historian of NASA. He retired in 2016 as Associate Director for Collections and Curatorial Affairs for the Smithsonian National Air ...

Don Carlos Smith: Brother of the Prophet
1816 births 1841 deaths American Latter Day Saint leaders American Latter Day Saint missionaries Burials at the Smith Family Cemetery Converts to Mormonism Deaths from pneumonia in Illinois Doctrine and Covenants people Editors of Latter Day Saint publications Latter Day Saint missionaries in the United States Leaders in the Church of Christ (Latter Day Saints) People from Norwich, Vermont People from Ontario County, New York Religious leaders from New York (state) Religious leaders from Vermont Smith family (Latter Day Saints) Harold B. Lee Library-related 19th century articles {{LDS-stub

See also

Notes

External links