Hyrum Smith (February 9, 1800 – June 27, 1844) was an American religious leader in the

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a nontrinitarian Christian church that considers itself to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ. The chu ...

, the original church 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 ...

. He was the older brother of the movement's founder,

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, h ...

, and was killed with his brother at Carthage Jail where they were being held awaiting trial.

Early life

Hyrum was born in Tunbridge, Vermont, the second son of Joseph Smith Sr. and Lucy Mack Smith. Smith received a limited education, and established himself as a farmer. Smith attended Dartmouth College in his teens. This may have been one of the factors behind Dr. Nathan Smith treating Smith's brother Joseph's leg.

Church service

Smith was a close advisor and confidant to his brother Joseph as the latter produced 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 ...

and established the Church of Christ. In June 1829, Smith 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 inv ...

in Seneca Lake, New York. He was one of the Eight Witnesses who swore to the reality of a set of golden plates inscribed with the Book of Mormon. He also said he saw the angel Moroni. When the Church of Christ was organized on April 6, 1830, six men signed their names as charter members; at the age of 30, Hyrum Smith was the oldest of the six. Smith 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, Smith and his family relocated. In 1831, he established a home in

Kirtland, Ohio Kirtland is a city in Lake County, Ohio, Lake County, Ohio, United States. The population was 6,937 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Kirtland is known for being the early headquarters of the Latter Day Saint movement from 1831 to 18 ...

. 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 Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

and

Ohio Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 34th-l ...

. 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, Smith became the church's Presiding Patriarch, a position first held by his father, Joseph Smith Sr. He also replaced Oliver Cowdery as Assistant President of the Church; in this capacity, Smith acted as President of the Church in Joseph's absence and was designated to be Joseph's successor if he were killed or incapacitated. Although Hyrum Smith was never explicitly ordained to the priesthood office of apostle, "his appointment as assistant president may have included such authority". When warned of possible danger, Joseph urged Smith and his family to flee to

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state lin ...

, Ohio. Smith refused and, in 1844, traveled with Joseph to Carthage, Illinois, where both were charged with riot and treason. Joseph, Hyrum,

John Taylor John Taylor, Johnny Taylor or similar may refer to: Academics *John Taylor (Oxford), Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University, 1486–1487 *John Taylor (classical scholar) (1704–1766), English classical scholar *John Taylor (English publisher) (178 ...

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, Smith was shot in the face on the left side of the nose. After staggering back, another ball fired through the window struck him in the back, passed through his body, and struck his watch in his vest pocket. As Smith fell to the floor, he exclaimed, "I am a dead man," as he died.Doctrine and Covenants section 135
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," 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 Smith would have succeeded Joseph and become the next president of the church had he outlived his brother. Joseph & Hyrum Smith P6081260

Political involvement

Smith was a member of the Nauvoo City Council. At the time of his death, Smith was an independent candidate for the Illinois state legislature.

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), who married Lorin Walker *Mary Smith (27 June 1829 – 29 May 1832) *

John Smith John Smith is a common personal name. It is also commonly used as a placeholder name and pseudonym, and is sometimes used in the United States and the United Kingdom as a term for an average person. It may refer to: People :''In chronological ...

(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), who married Charles Emerson Griffin On 24 December 1837, in Kirtland, Ohio, he married Mary Fielding Smith (1801–1852). They had two children. *

Joseph F. Smith Joseph Fielding Smith Sr. (November 13, 1838 – November 19, 1918) was an American religious leader who served as the sixth president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). He was the nephew of Joseph Smith, the founde ...

(13 November 1838 – 19 November 1918) *Martha Ann Smith (14 May 1841 – 19 October 1923) In August 1843, he married and was sealed to two plural wives: Mercy Fielding Thompson, widow of

Robert B. Thompson Robert Blashel Thompson (October 1, 1811 – August 27, 1841) was an associate of Joseph Smith Jr., a leader in the Latter Day Saint movement, a Danite, and an official historian of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Thompson was ...

and sister to Hyrum's wife Mary; and Catherine Phillips.

Descendants

Smith's descendants have played significant roles in the history of

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a nontrinitarian Christian church that considers itself to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ. The ...

, his son by Mary Fielding Smith, served as president of the LDS Church from 1901 to 1918. His grandson, Joseph Fielding Smith also served as president of the church from 1970 to 1972. His eldest son,

, served as the church's Presiding Patriarch from 1855 to 1911. 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, the current Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the LDS Church, is also a direct descendant of Smith. In 1918, Smith's descendants erected a monument to him in the Salt Lake City Cemetery. In 2000, it was estimated that Smith had over 31,000 living descendants."Descendants Celebrate 200th Anniversary of Hyrum Smith’s Birth"
'' Ensign'', June 2000. Image:HyrumSmithMonument1.jpg Image:HyrumSmithMonument2.jpg Image:HyrumSmithMonument3.jpg Image:HyrumSmithMonument4.jpg

Notes

References

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