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Mormons
Joseph Smith, Jr. (December 23, 1805 – June 27, 1844)
1808app Palmyra N.Y. (Age 3app)
His family moves to a small farm just outside of
Palmyra N.Y.
Book of Abraham (video)
1820 Palmyra N.Y. (Age 14) First Vision
Smith reported that, in 1820 at the age of 14, an appearance of God to him, a
divine disclosure, most commonly referred to by Latter Day Saints as the First
Vision. Smith reported his vision to a local minister, who pronounced it "of the
devil," because the minister believed "there were no such things as visions or
revelations in these days; that all such things had ceased with the apostles,
and there would never be any more of them".
1823 Palmyra N.Y. (Age 17) The vision of
Moroni
According to Smith, an 1823 (age 17) visitation from a
resurrected prophet named Moroni led to his finding and unearthing (in 1827)
(age 21) a long-buried book, inscribed on metal plates, which contained a record
of God's dealings with the ancient Israelite inhabitants of the Americas. The
record, along with other artifacts (including a breastplate and what Smith
referred to as the Urim and Thummim), was buried in a hill near his home.
1826 On 11 September 1826, William Morgan was arrested:
according to the law, he could be held in debtor's prison until the debt was
paid. Learning of this, Miller went to the jail to pay the debt. After several
failed attempts, he finally secured Morgan's release.
A few hours later, Morgan was arrested again, now for another apparent loan he
had not paid back and for supposedly stealing clothing. He was jailed again,
this time in Canandaigua. On the night of 11 September, someone appeared,
claiming to be a friend of Morgan's and offering to pay his debt and have him
released. Morgan was taken to a carriage that was waiting for him outside the
prison. The next day, the carriage arrived at Fort Niagara.
There are several tales of what happened next, but he was never seen again.
Morgan's widow later became one of the plural wives of
Mormon church founder Joseph Smith, Jr. Subsequent confrontations between
Freemasonry and the Mormon church, including over the church’s adoption of
Masonic rituals and regalia, gives rise to speculation that Mormonism may have
been a factor in Morgan’s fate. William Morgan was given one of the first
official baptisms for the dead into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints. He published the book “Illustrations of Masonry”,
critical of the Freemasons and describing their secret degree work in great
detail.
http://utlm.org/onlinebooks/captmorgansfreemasonrycontents.htm
1827 Palmyra N.Y. (Age 22) People looking for the plates
On September 22, 1827, After sayin he has see these plates he then says that
they are taken away. Smith's record indicates that the angel allowed him (after
4 years of waiting and preparation) to take the plates and other artifacts.
Almost immediately thereafter Smith began having difficulties with people trying
to discover where the plates were hidden on the Smith farm.
1828 Harmony, Pennsylvania, (Age 23) shows translation
to Charles Anthon
Smith and his wife moved to Harmony, Pennsylvania, with
the monetary and moral support of a wealthy Palmyra neighbor named Martin
Harris. Smith reported that he had translated some of the Reformed
Egyptian text from the Golden plates. According to Smith's , he invited Harris
to take a sample of the characters from the plates to a few well-known scholars
including Charles Anthon. Harris returned to report that Anthon initially
provided authentication to the translation of the Reformed Egyptian, but tore up
his written statement upon hearing the story of how Joseph had obtained them.
Harris returned, and acted as Smith's scribe while Smith translated words using
Urim and Thummim. In June 1828, after completing the first 116 pages of
the record, Smith allowed Harris to take the manuscript to Palmyra to show
Harris' wife. Harris returned, long overdue, and informed Smith that the
manuscript had been lost or stolen. According to Smith's record "the Lord took
the Urim and Thummim and the plates", stopping the work of translation.
1829 Harmony, Pennsylvania, Oliver Cowdery Eleven witneses "the priesthood of
Aaron"
Around February 1829, Smith recounts that the plates and the Urim and Thumim
were returned to him by God. He resumed translating with Emma as scribe.
Translation greatly intensified on April 7, 1829, when Oliver Cowdery, a school
teacher in Palmyra, NY who had taken an interest in Smith's story while in
Palmyra, and then set out for Harmony, PA to begin acting as Joseph's scribe.
Before publication, Joseph showed the ancient record to eleven other men. These
men recorded their personal witnesses of seeing an angel show them the record
(plates), seeing the record, handling the plates, and hearing the voice of the
Lord command them to bear witness of the veracity of the record. These
testimonies are included in the title pages of the Book of Mormon as The
Testimony of the Three Witnesses, and The Testimony of The Eight Witnesses
By the time the Book of Mormon was published, Smith's record indicates that
he had received additional revelations and had begun the work of organizing a
new Christian church. Smith and Cowdery reported having been visited by John the
Baptist, the same as referenced in the New Testament. They stated that they were
ordained by John the Baptist to "the Priesthood of Aaron." They said that he
then commanded them to baptize one another.
1830 Palmyra N.Y. (Age 25) Book of Mormon
published
The Book of Mormon, is the translation of the Golden
Plates, it was first published in Palmyra in 1830 by E.B. Grandin
1830 Harmony, Pennsylvania, Formal organization, Missouri"zion", move
to Ohio
On April 6, 1830, a church was formally organized as the Church of Christ,
and small branches were soon set up in Palmyra, Fayette, and Colesville, New
York. There was strong local opposition to these branches, however, and Smith
soon dictated a revelation (D & C 57:1-3) that the church would establish a
"City of Zion" in Native American lands near Missouri. In preparation, Smith
dispatched missionaries led by Oliver Cowdery to the area of this new "Zion". On
their way, the missionaries converted a group of Disciples of Christ adherents
in Kirtland, Ohio led by Sidney Rigdon. At the end of 1830, Smith dictated a
revelation (D & C 37) that the three New York branches should gather in Ohio
pending the results of Oliver Cowdery's mission to Missouri.
1830 Ohio , Sidney Rigdon conversion
The church had more than doubled in size following the
conversion of Sidney Rigdon, a former Campbellite minister in September 1830.
Rigdon led several congregations of Restorationists in Ohio's Western Reserve
area, and hundreds of his adherents followed him into Mormonism. Rigdon was soon
called to be Smith's spokesman and quickly became one of the early leaders of
the Movement.
1832 Harmony, Pennsylvania, (Age 27) Smith tarred and fethered
However, due to the controversy which followed him, he was not to escape
persecution for long. In March of 1832, a violent mob came to Smith's house and
attacked him. According to recorded accounts of the event, the mob broke down
the front door, took Smith's oldest surviving adopted child from his arms , and
dragged Smith from the room. The mob beat, tarred and feathered, and attempted
to poison Joseph
1833 Kirtland, Ohio First temple (Age 28)
Under Smith's leadership & direction, the church's
first temple was constructed in Kirtland, Ohio. The work of building the
Kirtland Temple was begun in 1833, and was completed by 1836. Around the time of
its completion, many extraordinary events were reported: appearances by Jesus,
Moses, Elijah, Elias, and numerous angels, speaking and singing in tongues,
prophesying, and other spiritual experiences.
1836 Kirtland,Ohio (Age 31) Finacial problems, Failed bank
However, the construction of the temple, in addition to other
ventures of Smith's, left him and the Church deeply in debt. To
raise money, Smith planned a banking institution, which was
called the Kirtland Safety Society. The State of Ohio denied
Smith a charter to legally operate a bank causing Smith to
rename the company under the advice of non-Mormon legal counsel
as 'The Kirkland AntiBanking Safety Society' and he continued to
operate the bank and print notes. The bank collapsed after 21
days of operation in January. During this time, Smith and his
associates were accused of illegal and unethical actions. In the
wake of this bank failure, many Mormons, including prominent
leaders who had backed the venture, became disaffected with
Smith.
1838 (Age 33)
Eventually, lawsuits and indictments against Smith and
his banking partners became so severe that, on January 12, 1838, Smith and
Rigdon left Kirtland by dark of night for the Far West settlement in Caldwell
County, Missouri. At the time, there were at least $6,100 in civil suits
outstanding against him in Chardon, Ohio courts, and an arrest warrant had been
issued for Smith on a charge of bank fraud. Those who continued to support Smith
left Kirtland for Missouri shortly thereafter.
1838 Jackson County, Missouri, the New Jerusalem
Jackson County, Missouri, and the surrounding lands would become a
"promised land" to the Mormons as they purchased property and built settlements.
The 'Latter Day Saints' began migrating to Missouri after Smith stated that
Missouri would be the future center of the New Jerusalem. After Mormon
leadership left Kirtland in 1838, the Saints from Kirtland followed them to
Missouri increasing the church's numbers, which confirmed the fears of the local
leaders and residents that the Mormons would dominate Missouri politics
Missouri Governor Lilburn Boggs. Boggs issued an executive order in response
on 27 October 1838, known as the "Extermination Order". It stated that the
Mormon community had "made war upon the people of this State" and that "the
Mormons must be treated as enemies, and must be exterminated or driven from the
State if necessary for the public peace". The Extermination Order was not
officially rescinded until 1976 by Missouri Governor Christopher S. Bond.
1839 (Age 34) Commerce, Hancock County, Illinois
Most of the Mormon community in Missouri had either immediately left or been
forced out by the spring of 1839. After escaping Missouri , Smith and his
followers regrouped. They established a new headquarters in a town on the banks
of the Mississippi River, called Commerce, in Hancock County, Illinois, which
they renamed Nauvoo. They were granted a charter by the state of Illinois, and
Nauvoo was quickly built up by the faithful, including many new arrivals. The
Nauvoo city charter authorized independent municipal courts, the foundation of a
university and the establishment of a militia unit known as the "Nauvoo Legion."
These and other institutions gave the Latter Day Saints a considerable degree of
autonomy.
1842 (age 37) Hancock County, Illinois Instant Mason
On March 15, 1842, Smith was initiated as an Entered Apprentice Mason at the
Nauvoo Lodge. The next day, he was raised to the degree of Master Mason; the
usual month-long wait between degrees was waived by the Illinois Lodge
Grandmaster, Abraham Jonas. Some commentators have noted similarities
between portions of temple ordinance of the endowment and the Royal Arch Degree
of Freemasonry.
1844 (Age 39) Hancock County, Illinois Run for the Presidency
In February, 1844, Smith announced his candidacy for President of the United
States, with Sidney Rigdon as his vice-presidential running mate. He also
theorized a quasi-republican political system which he termed Theodemocracy and
organized the Council of Fifty based upon its principles.
1844 Hancock County, Illinois Newspaper against smith closed
A few disaffected Mormons in Nauvoo joined together to publish a newspaper,
the Nauvoo Expositor. Its first and only issue was published 7 June 1844. The
paper was highly antagonistic toward Smith; the bulk of the Expositor's single
issue was devoted to criticism of Smith. The city council, headed by Smith - who
was mayor of Nauvoo - responded by passing an ordinance declaring the newspaper
a public nuisance designed to promote violence against Smith and his
followers.[42] Under the council's new ordinance, Smith and the city council
ordered the city marshal to destroy the paper.
1844 Hancock County, Illinois Smith jailed and killed
Smith was accused of violating the freedom of the press. Violent threats were
made against Smith and the Mormon community in Nauvoo. Charges were brought
against Smith and he submitted to incarceration in Carthage, the Hancock County
seat.
On June 27, 1844, (Age 39) an armed group of about 200 men stormed the jail,
and went to Smith's cell. Despite a brief struggle, the group was able to open
fire on Smith and his associates. Hyrum Smith was shot in the face, and died
immediately. As the mob burst through the doorway, Joseph Smith (who had earlier
been given a six-shooter by a visitor) managed to fire three shots at the mob.
Richards was unharmed, while Taylor was shot several times, but survived. (One
of the bullets may have glanced off the pocket watch in his left breast
pocket.[46][47]) Smith, however, was shot multiple times while trying to jump
out an open window. After he fell from the window, he was shot several more
times, killing him.
Smith was married to approximately 33 women besides Emma.In the group of
Smith's well-documented wives, eleven (33 percent) were 14 to 20 years old when
they married him.
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