Smith family

The Smith family is an American family associated with the origins and later development of the Latter Day Saint movement. Its historical importance rests primarily on the religious leadership of Joseph Smith Jr., who founded the movement in the nineteenth century, and on the participation of numerous relatives in the churches, settlements, legislatures, and civic institutions that emerged from that movement. The family is not a commercial brand or operating enterprise; the name is used genealogically and historically to describe several interconnected branches descended from Joseph Smith Sr., Lucy Mack Smith, and their relatives. Joseph Smith Sr. and Lucy Mack Smith formed the central first-generation household. Their children included Alvin, Hyrum, Sophronia, Joseph Jr., Samuel, William, Katharine, Don Carlos, and Lucy. Joseph Smith Jr. became the best-known member of the family. He organized the Church of Christ, later associated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and other Latter Day Saint denominations, and served as mayor of Nauvoo, Illinois, during the final years of his life. His brother Hyrum Smith was a close religious and administrative associate and also became a major leader. Both Joseph Jr. and Hyrum were killed in Illinois in 1844, an event that shaped the succession disputes and institutional divisions that followed. Other members of the immediate family contributed to the movement in different ways. Samuel H. Smith was an early missionary, while William Smith became involved in Illinois politics and later in competing Latter Day Saint organizations. Joseph Smith Jr.'s wife, Emma Hale Smith, helped preserve and transmit aspects of the family's religious and documentary legacy. Their children included Joseph Smith III, Alexander Hale Smith, and David Hyrum Smith. Joseph Smith III later became the long-serving leader of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, now known as Community of Christ. His sons Frederick M. Smith, Israel A. Smith, and W. Wallace Smith succeeded him in that office, creating a multigenerational leadership line within that denomination. The family also had important branches connected to Hyrum Smith and to Joseph Smith Sr.'s brothers. Joseph F. Smith, Hyrum's son, became president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1901 to 1918. His descendants included Joseph Fielding Smith, who led that church from 1970 to 1972, and other prominent religious figures. Through collateral branches, George A. Smith, George Albert Smith, John Henry Smith, and related descendants held senior positions in Utah territorial and state politics, church administration, and public life. The family network also included M. Russell Ballard and other later church leaders through descent from Hyrum Smith. The Smith family's influence therefore spans several generations and institutions rather than a single organization. Its members were associated with missionary work, church presidency, settlement leadership, education, local government, territorial legislatures, and national or regional politics. Joseph Smith III was associated with the founding of Lamoni, Iowa, and Graceland University, while other relatives served in Utah and Arizona public offices. The family's legacy remains closely tied to debates over Latter Day Saint origins, succession, denominational identity, religious authority, and the political history of the American West.

The Smith family's historical significance begins with Joseph Smith Sr. and Lucy Mack Smith, whose children became involved in the religious movement founded by their son Joseph Smith Jr. The family lived in the northeastern United States during the early nineteenth century, a period marked by religious revivalism and the emergence of new restorationist movements. Joseph Jr. developed the teachings and institutions that became the foundation of the Latter Day Saint movement, while members of his immediate family supported missionary, administrative, and community-building activities. Hyrum Smith became Joseph Jr.'s closest family collaborator and an important leader in the early church. Other siblings, including Samuel H. Smith, participated in missionary work, while William Smith pursued religious and political activity. Joseph Jr. served as mayor of Nauvoo, Illinois, and was a candidate for the presidency of the United States in 1844. His death, together with Hyrum's death, created a succession crisis and contributed to the emergence of different Latter Day Saint organizations. A major institutional branch developed through Joseph Jr.'s son Joseph Smith III. After the deaths of Joseph Jr. and Hyrum, Joseph Smith III eventually became the leading figure of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. He led that organization for more than five decades and was followed by three of his sons: Frederick M. Smith, Israel A. Smith, and W. Wallace Smith. This succession gave the family a continuing role in the leadership of a major Latter Day Saint denomination and linked the family's history to the development of Lamoni, Iowa, and Graceland University. Another major branch descended from Hyrum Smith. Hyrum's son Joseph F. Smith became president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1901 through 1918. Later descendants included Joseph Fielding Smith, who served as president from 1970 to 1972, and other church authorities. Collateral relatives descended from Joseph Smith Sr.'s brothers also became prominent. George A. Smith, George Albert Smith, John Henry Smith, and their descendants held church and public offices in Utah, while Jesse N. Smith and related family members participated in Arizona and Utah civic life. The family network expanded through marriage and descent into wider religious, political, educational, and cultural circles. Members included legislators, territorial officials, mayors, church presidents, missionaries, educators, and writers. Ina Coolbrith, born Josephine Anna Smith, became associated with the family's cultural legacy, while later descendants such as M. Russell Ballard continued the family's connection to senior Latter Day Saint leadership. Rather than functioning as a unified institution, the Smith family became a historical lineage represented across several denominations and public settings. Its legacy includes both cooperation and separation among branches of the Latter Day Saint movement. The family's prominence is chiefly attributable to inherited religious authority, organizational leadership, and participation in the political development of the American West.

• 1996

  End of the Smith presidency line in the Reorganized Church

  [1]Smith family (Latter Day Saints)en.wikipedia.org

  Wallace B. Smith's retirement ended the documented sequence of Smith family members serving as prophet-president of the Reorganized Church.

• 1970

  Joseph Fielding Smith becomes church president

  [1]Smith family (Latter Day Saints)en.wikipedia.org

  Joseph Fielding Smith, a descendant of Hyrum Smith, became president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

• 1915

  Frederick M. Smith succeeds Joseph Smith III

  [1]Smith family (Latter Day Saints)en.wikipedia.org

  Frederick M. Smith began a succession of Smith family presidencies in the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

• 1901

  Joseph F. Smith becomes church president

  [1]Smith family (Latter Day Saints)en.wikipedia.org

  Joseph F. Smith, a son of Hyrum Smith, became president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

• 1844

  Deaths of Joseph Smith Jr. and Hyrum Smith

  [1]Smith family (Latter Day Saints)en.wikipedia.org

  The deaths of the brothers in Illinois marked a decisive turning point for the family and for succession within the Latter Day Saint movement.

• 1842

  Joseph Smith Jr. becomes mayor of Nauvoo

  [1]Smith family (Latter Day Saints)en.wikipedia.org

  Joseph Smith Jr. served as mayor of Nauvoo, Illinois, adding civic and political authority to his religious leadership.

• 1805

  Birth of Joseph Smith Jr.

  [1]Smith family (Latter Day Saints)en.wikipedia.org

  Joseph Smith Jr., later founder of the Latter Day Saint movement, was born into the family of Joseph Smith Sr. and Lucy Mack.

• 1795

  Marriage of Joseph Smith Sr. and Lucy Mack

  [1]Smith family (Latter Day Saints)en.wikipedia.org

  Joseph Smith Sr. and Lucy Mack married, forming the immediate family branch from which Joseph Smith Jr. and several later religious leaders descended.

A historically significant religious and political family network associated with the formation, institutionalization, and denominational development of the Latter Day Saint movement.

1. 1Smith family (Latter Day Saints)en.wikipedia.org