Hyrum Smith
Born: 9 February 1800
Called as Assistant President of the Church: 3 September 1837 (Joseph Smith)
Called as Presiding Patriarch: 14 September 1840
Died: 27 June 1844
Called as Assistant President of the Church: 3 September 1837 (Joseph Smith)
Called as Presiding Patriarch: 14 September 1840
Died: 27 June 1844
Conference TalksApr 1840 - Case of Frederick G. Williams
Oct 1840 - Necessity of Paying Debts Oct 1840 - General Instructions Oct 1841 - Correction of False Teachings by A. Babbitt Oct 1841 - Embarrassment at Owing Mr. Eaton Oct 1841 - Remarks Apr 1842 - Military Affairs Apr 1842 - Endowment Aug 1842 - Missionaries Apr 1843 - Pretenders Oct 1843 Oct 1843 Apr 1844 - Temple Image source: Improvement Era, December 1910
Image source: Juvenile Instructor, February 1909
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Image source: Improvement Era, December 1905
Image source: Relief Society Magazine, January 1922
Image source: Young Women's Journal, June 1905
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Biographical Articles
Biographical Encyclopedia, Volume 1
Young Woman's Journal, June 1905, The Patriarch Hyrum Smith
Improvement Era, June 1907, Willard Richards - Martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum Smith
Juvenile Instructor, February 1909, Hyrum Smith, The Patriarch
Juvenile Instructor, February 1909, Remarkable Blessings
Juvenile Instructor, February 1909, Hyrum Smith
Improvement Era, August 1911, The Prophet and Patriarch
Young Woman's Journal, January 1917, Extracts from a Sermon by Patriarch Hyrum Smith Delivered in Nauvoo October, 1842
Juvenile Instructor, February 1919, True Pioneer Stores - The Martyred Patriarch Hyrum Smith
Relief Society Magazine, January 1922, Reminiscences of the Granddaughter of Hyrum Smith
Improvement Era, February 1933, Hyrum Smith - A Tribute
Improvement Era, June 1934, Hyrum Smith's Book of Mormon
Instructor, December 1956, Little Deeds from Big Lives
Instructor, February 1965, They Stand Side by Side
Ensign, February 2000, Hyrum Smith: The Mildness of a Lamb, the Integrity of Job
Young Woman's Journal, June 1905, The Patriarch Hyrum Smith
Improvement Era, June 1907, Willard Richards - Martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum Smith
Juvenile Instructor, February 1909, Hyrum Smith, The Patriarch
Juvenile Instructor, February 1909, Remarkable Blessings
Juvenile Instructor, February 1909, Hyrum Smith
Improvement Era, August 1911, The Prophet and Patriarch
Young Woman's Journal, January 1917, Extracts from a Sermon by Patriarch Hyrum Smith Delivered in Nauvoo October, 1842
Juvenile Instructor, February 1919, True Pioneer Stores - The Martyred Patriarch Hyrum Smith
Relief Society Magazine, January 1922, Reminiscences of the Granddaughter of Hyrum Smith
Improvement Era, February 1933, Hyrum Smith - A Tribute
Improvement Era, June 1934, Hyrum Smith's Book of Mormon
Instructor, December 1956, Little Deeds from Big Lives
Instructor, February 1965, They Stand Side by Side
Ensign, February 2000, Hyrum Smith: The Mildness of a Lamb, the Integrity of Job
Jenson, Andrew. "Smith, Hyrum." Biographical Encyclopedia. Volume 1. pg. 52-53.
SMITH, Hyrum, second counselor to President Joseph Smith, from 1837 to 1841, was the second son of Joseph Smith and Lucy Mack, and was born Feb. 9, 1800, at Tunbridge, Vermont, and removed with his father's family to western New York when about nineteen years old. He married Jerusha Barden, at Manchester, N. Y., Nov. 2, 1826, by whom he had six children, Lovina, Mary, John, Hyrum, Jerusha and Sarah. He became a widower Oct. 13, 1837, while absent at Far West, Mo., and married Mary Fielding the same year, by whom he had two children, Joseph F. and Martha. Like his brother Joseph, Hyrum spent his early years in ae-ricultural labors, and nothing of particular note characterized that period of his life. He speedily became a believer in Joseph's mission, and by him was baptized in Seneca lake, in June, 1829. He was one of the eight persons permitted to view the plates from which the Book of Mormon was translated, and his name is prefixed to it as a witness. Nov. 7, 1837, at a conference assembled in Far West, Mo., he was appointed second counselor to Pres. Joseph Smith, instead of Frederick G Williams, who was rejected. Jan. 19, 1841, he was called by revelation to take the oflice of Patriarch to the whole Church, to which he had been appointed by his deceased father, by blessing and also by birthright, and was likewise appointed a Prophet, Seer and Revelator. He was personally connected with many of the principal events of the Church, up to the time of his death, and in the various offices he filled won the love and esteem of all persons. In the revelation calling him to be the chief Patriarch, the Lord
thus spoke of him: "Blessed is my servant Hyrum Smith, for I the Lord love him, because of the integrity of his heart, and because he loveth that which is right before me, saith the Lord." (Doc. & Cov., 124: 15.) He was tenderly attached to his brother Joseph, whom he never left more than six months at one time, during their lifetime. He was arrested with him at Far West, Mo., and imprisoned with him at Liberty, and finally spilt his blood with him at Carthage, Ill., June 27, 1844. In this catastrophe he fell first, exclaiming, "I am a dead man," and Joseph responding, "O dear Brother Hyrum!" In the "Times and Seasons" we find the following beautiful eulogy: "He lived so far beyond the ordinary walk of man, that even the tongue of the vilest slanderer could not touch his reputation. He lived godly, and he died godly, and his murderers will yet have to confess, that it would have been better for them to have had a millstone tied to them, and have been cast into the depths of the sea, and remain there while eternity goes and eternity comes, than to have robbed that noble man of heaven of his life." At his death he held various military and civil offices in the Nauvoo Legion and in the municipality. (For further particulars see sketch of Joseph Smith Jun. and early Church publications generally.)
SMITH, Hyrum, second counselor to President Joseph Smith, from 1837 to 1841, was the second son of Joseph Smith and Lucy Mack, and was born Feb. 9, 1800, at Tunbridge, Vermont, and removed with his father's family to western New York when about nineteen years old. He married Jerusha Barden, at Manchester, N. Y., Nov. 2, 1826, by whom he had six children, Lovina, Mary, John, Hyrum, Jerusha and Sarah. He became a widower Oct. 13, 1837, while absent at Far West, Mo., and married Mary Fielding the same year, by whom he had two children, Joseph F. and Martha. Like his brother Joseph, Hyrum spent his early years in ae-ricultural labors, and nothing of particular note characterized that period of his life. He speedily became a believer in Joseph's mission, and by him was baptized in Seneca lake, in June, 1829. He was one of the eight persons permitted to view the plates from which the Book of Mormon was translated, and his name is prefixed to it as a witness. Nov. 7, 1837, at a conference assembled in Far West, Mo., he was appointed second counselor to Pres. Joseph Smith, instead of Frederick G Williams, who was rejected. Jan. 19, 1841, he was called by revelation to take the oflice of Patriarch to the whole Church, to which he had been appointed by his deceased father, by blessing and also by birthright, and was likewise appointed a Prophet, Seer and Revelator. He was personally connected with many of the principal events of the Church, up to the time of his death, and in the various offices he filled won the love and esteem of all persons. In the revelation calling him to be the chief Patriarch, the Lord
thus spoke of him: "Blessed is my servant Hyrum Smith, for I the Lord love him, because of the integrity of his heart, and because he loveth that which is right before me, saith the Lord." (Doc. & Cov., 124: 15.) He was tenderly attached to his brother Joseph, whom he never left more than six months at one time, during their lifetime. He was arrested with him at Far West, Mo., and imprisoned with him at Liberty, and finally spilt his blood with him at Carthage, Ill., June 27, 1844. In this catastrophe he fell first, exclaiming, "I am a dead man," and Joseph responding, "O dear Brother Hyrum!" In the "Times and Seasons" we find the following beautiful eulogy: "He lived so far beyond the ordinary walk of man, that even the tongue of the vilest slanderer could not touch his reputation. He lived godly, and he died godly, and his murderers will yet have to confess, that it would have been better for them to have had a millstone tied to them, and have been cast into the depths of the sea, and remain there while eternity goes and eternity comes, than to have robbed that noble man of heaven of his life." At his death he held various military and civil offices in the Nauvoo Legion and in the municipality. (For further particulars see sketch of Joseph Smith Jun. and early Church publications generally.)
Smith, Joseph F., Jr. "The Patriarch Hyrum Smith." Young Woman's Journal. June 1905. pg. 274-277.
THE PATRIARCH HYRUM SMITH.
Joseph F. Smith, Jr.
Blessed of the Lord is my brother Hyrum for the integrity of his heart; he shall be girt about with strength and faithfulness shall be the strength of his loins. From generation to generation he shall be a shaft in the hands of his God to execute judgment upon His enemies. . . . His children shall be many and his posterity numerous, and they shall rise up and call him blessed.
Joseph Smith, the Prophet.
The Patriarch, Hyrum Smith, was one of the noblest, and most faithful elders of the dispensation of the fullness of times. He was a descendent of patriotic ancestors who were among the founders of our country, who fought and bled for American liberty. The spirit of freedom and the love of justice and truth were born in him. He was a foe to oppression and unrighteousness. His disposition was sympathetic ; he was kind, long-suffering, forgiving and perfectly just in all his dealings: true to his friends, firm in his convictions, and rigidly honest.
He was born in Tunbridge, Orange county, Vermont, February 9, 1800, and was the second child of the first Patriarch. Joseph Smith and Lucy Mack Smith. Hyrum shared the great responsibility and care of the family during the trying scenes following the announcement of the Prophet’s visions. In those eventful days Hyrum’s thoughts and actions were directed towards his father’s family and the protection of his younger and beloved brother in that mighty work to which Joseph had been divinely called. His labors were appreciated, and called forth, at a family gathering, in Kirtland in December 1834, this blessing from his father:
Behold, thou art Hyrum; the Lord has called thee by that name, and by that name he has blessed thee. Thou hast borne the burden and heat of the day; thou hast labored hard and labored much for the good of thy father’s family. Thou hast been a stay many times to them, and by thy diligence they have often been sustained. Thou hast loved thy father’s family with a pure love, and hast greatly desired their salvation. Thou hast always stood by thy father, and reached forth the helping hand to lift him up when he was in affliction. Thou hast never forsaken him, nor laughed him to scorn; and for all these kindnesses the Lord my God will bless thee. Thy posterity shall be numbered with the house of Ephraim, and with them thou shalt stand up to crown the tribes of Israel.
In the year 1829 Hyrum devoted much of his time to the publishing of the Book of Mormon. In Mav of that year he inquired what was the mind and will of the Lord concerning him, for he had a testimony of the work and desired to warn the world. The answer was that he should wait a little longer till he had the word of the Lord, His rock, His Church and Gospel, that Hyrum might know for a surety of the doctrine. He was baptized in Seneca lake by his brother Joseph, in June 1829, and was one of the first six to receive that ordinance in this dispensation. He was one of the eight witnesses of the Book of Mormon, and one of the six original members of the Church at its incorporation, April 6, 1830.
From the time of the organization of the Church until his death, his life was interwoven with that of his younger brother, the Prophet, Joseph Smith. So closely were they attached to each other by the bonds of brotherly love, a love which was greatly intensified by the Gospel’s light, and by their suffering in a common cause, that the history of one is the history of the other. They loved each other only as the righteous children of God can love. No man was ever more closely associated with the Prophet than was the Patriarch Hyrum; no man understood the Prophet better. They were together through most of the trials and difficulties that beset the Saints. Together they shared joy and sorrow, and side by side they stood in their unjust imprisonments, persecutions, and sentence of death.
As a counselor, an adviser in times of trouble, the words of none were so dear to the Prophet as were those of his brother Hyrum. During the summer of 1842, when the Prophet was in exile because of the relentless persecutions of the Missourians, who were determined to drag him to Missouri on the pretense of his being accessory to the shooting of Governor Boggs, he was administered to by a few faithful friends, and in his grateful heart be blessed them for their constant and unselfish labors. Of Hyrum at this time he wrote:
There was Brother Hyrum, a natural brother. Thought I to myself, Brother Hyrum, what a faithful heart you have got. Oh may the Eternal Jehovah crown eternal blessings upon your head, as a reward for the care you have had for my soul! Oh how many are the sorrows we have shared together; and again we find ourselves shackled with the unrelenting hand of oppression. Hyrum, thy name shall be written in the book of the law of the Lord, for those who come after thee to look upon, that they may pattern after thy works.
At the first conference of the Church, held in June, 1830, Hyrum was ordained a Priest. One year later, June 3, 1831, when the first High Priests were ordained he was among that number, and received his ordination under the hands of the Prophet. That same month he with other brethren was called by revelation on a mission to Missouri and was commanded to preach the first principles of the gospel on the way.
He was a member of the building committee appointed to erect the Kirtland Temple, Jared Carter and Reynolds Cahoon were his associates. This committee, at a conference held in June 1833, was instructed to “proceed immediately to commence building the house” and to obtain material for the same. They addressed a communication to the Saints m the different branches of the Church asking for their material assistance, and in due time the building was completed and acknowledged by the Lord. In this building many important revelations were given and the keys of the various dispensations were bestowed upon the head of the Prophet Joseph Smith.
When Zion’s Camp was organized, Hyrum Smith was one of the volunteers; and he took an active part in that eventful journey. After his return to Ohio he became a member of the Kirtland High Council, and in January 1836. was sustained as President of that body. With Oliver Cowdery and John Smith, he was sustained as an assistant counselor to President Joseph Smith. Sunday, September 3, 1837. After the rejection of Frederick G. Williams, Hyrum succeeded him as second counselor in the Presidency of the Church. He was sustained in this position at a conference at Far West. Mo., November 7. 1837. He held this office until the year 1841. when he was called by revelation to the office of Presiding Patriarch—which was his right—and he was succeeded in the Presidency by William Law. In this revelation, section 124 of the Doctrine and Covenants, the Lord declared:
Verily I say unto you, let my servant William be appointed, ordained, and anointed, as a counselor unto my servant Joseph, in the room of my servant Hyrum, that my servant Hyrum may take the office of Priesthood and Patriarch, which was appointed unto him by his father, by blessing and also by right. That from henceforth he shall hold the keys of the Patriarchal blessings upon the heads of all my people, that whoever he shall bless shall be blessed, and whoever he curses shall be cursed; that whatsoever he shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever he shall loose on earth shall be looked in heaven; and from this time forth I appoint unto him that he may be a prophet, and a seer, and a revelator unto my Church, as well as my servant Joseph, that he may act in concert also with my servant Joseph, who shall show unto him the keys whereby he may ask and receive, and be crowned with the same blessing, and glory, and honor, and Priesthood, and gifts of the Priesthood, that once were put on the head of him that was my servant Oliver Cowdery.
The Patriarch Hyrum married his first wife Jerusha Barden, November 2, 1826. They had six children : Lovina, Mary, John, the present Patriarch, Hyrum, Jerusha and Sarah. Mary and Hyrum died in their childhood. His wife died after the birth of her daughter Sarah, when her husband was hundreds of miles from home in the mission field. Sad, indeed, was his return.
In 1837 he married Mary Fielding. She had two children. Joseph F., born at Far West, November 13, 1838, and Martha Ann, born in Nauvoo. This good woman crossed the plains in 1848. and died in Salt Lake City, September 21, 1852.
It was the lot of the Patriarch Hyrum to pass through the persecutions and abuse showered on the heads of the Saints in Ohio. Missouri and Illinois, and with his brother, to lay down his life for the Gospel.
In the fall of 1838, when the Missouri mob militia threatened the city of Far West, then the headquarters of the Church, and Joseph and others had been betrayed and delivered to the rabble, Hyrum was also seized and dragged from his family without the privilege of a last farewell.
With the other prisoners he was forced to Independence and later to Liberty jail. Within two weeks following this brutal act his son, Joseph F. Smith, now President of the Church, was born amid threatening and stormy scenes. For many months the prisoners, under unlawful sentence of death, suffered cruel imprisonment, while their families, destitute and robbed of the scanty means they owned, were driven from Missouri. In January,. 1839, the Patriarch’s wife, Mary, with her infant son, was taken in a wagon on her sick-bed to see her husband then confined in Liberty prison. The following month she, with the other Saints, was driven from her home and sought refuge in Quincy, Illinois, where she was joined by her husband, after his escape from his enemies in April of that year.
The sympathy of the Patriarch Hyrum was always exercised in behalf of the person in distress; and the suffering of the Saints would cause his heart to melt. He was a peacemaker, and when he failed to reconcile his brethren, the services of others were in vain. It was through his efforts, and through his sympathy and love for the souls of men. that harsh and rigorous measures were turned aside, even at times when such measures were justified. His hand was always extended to belt) the erring one to rise, and by him the Gospel flame was rekindled in many a breast. It was the Patriarch Hyrum that saved Sidney Rigdon from being removed from the Presidency in 1843. I was his voice that was first raised in behalf of Frederick G. Williams, at Nauvoo, when the latter sought again the fellowship of the Saints. And in Kirtland, when Hyrum had soothed the ruffled feelings of his brother William when the latter, in a fit of rage attacked his brother Joseph, the Prophet said:
I could pray in my heart that all my brethren were like unto my beloved brother Hyrum, who possesses the mildness of a lamb, and the integrity of a Job, and in short, the meekness and humility of Christ; and I love him with that love that is stronger than death, for 1 never had occasion to rebuke him, nor he me, which he declared when he left me today.
After his escape from the Missourians, Hyrum gathered with the Saints in Commerce, afterwards named by the Prophet Nauvoo, and was one of the incorporators of that city. Here the Patriarch took an active part in the municipality. He was a general in the Nauvoo Legion of the state Militia, and labored diligently for the welfare of the Saints. His martyrdom, which occurred June 27, 1844, is familiar to all the Saints, so this unpleasant scene will not be dwelt upon. Let it suffice to say that he was steadfast till the last and died a martyr to the Truth. With Paul he can say:
Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give me at that day.
THE PATRIARCH HYRUM SMITH.
Joseph F. Smith, Jr.
Blessed of the Lord is my brother Hyrum for the integrity of his heart; he shall be girt about with strength and faithfulness shall be the strength of his loins. From generation to generation he shall be a shaft in the hands of his God to execute judgment upon His enemies. . . . His children shall be many and his posterity numerous, and they shall rise up and call him blessed.
Joseph Smith, the Prophet.
The Patriarch, Hyrum Smith, was one of the noblest, and most faithful elders of the dispensation of the fullness of times. He was a descendent of patriotic ancestors who were among the founders of our country, who fought and bled for American liberty. The spirit of freedom and the love of justice and truth were born in him. He was a foe to oppression and unrighteousness. His disposition was sympathetic ; he was kind, long-suffering, forgiving and perfectly just in all his dealings: true to his friends, firm in his convictions, and rigidly honest.
He was born in Tunbridge, Orange county, Vermont, February 9, 1800, and was the second child of the first Patriarch. Joseph Smith and Lucy Mack Smith. Hyrum shared the great responsibility and care of the family during the trying scenes following the announcement of the Prophet’s visions. In those eventful days Hyrum’s thoughts and actions were directed towards his father’s family and the protection of his younger and beloved brother in that mighty work to which Joseph had been divinely called. His labors were appreciated, and called forth, at a family gathering, in Kirtland in December 1834, this blessing from his father:
Behold, thou art Hyrum; the Lord has called thee by that name, and by that name he has blessed thee. Thou hast borne the burden and heat of the day; thou hast labored hard and labored much for the good of thy father’s family. Thou hast been a stay many times to them, and by thy diligence they have often been sustained. Thou hast loved thy father’s family with a pure love, and hast greatly desired their salvation. Thou hast always stood by thy father, and reached forth the helping hand to lift him up when he was in affliction. Thou hast never forsaken him, nor laughed him to scorn; and for all these kindnesses the Lord my God will bless thee. Thy posterity shall be numbered with the house of Ephraim, and with them thou shalt stand up to crown the tribes of Israel.
In the year 1829 Hyrum devoted much of his time to the publishing of the Book of Mormon. In Mav of that year he inquired what was the mind and will of the Lord concerning him, for he had a testimony of the work and desired to warn the world. The answer was that he should wait a little longer till he had the word of the Lord, His rock, His Church and Gospel, that Hyrum might know for a surety of the doctrine. He was baptized in Seneca lake by his brother Joseph, in June 1829, and was one of the first six to receive that ordinance in this dispensation. He was one of the eight witnesses of the Book of Mormon, and one of the six original members of the Church at its incorporation, April 6, 1830.
From the time of the organization of the Church until his death, his life was interwoven with that of his younger brother, the Prophet, Joseph Smith. So closely were they attached to each other by the bonds of brotherly love, a love which was greatly intensified by the Gospel’s light, and by their suffering in a common cause, that the history of one is the history of the other. They loved each other only as the righteous children of God can love. No man was ever more closely associated with the Prophet than was the Patriarch Hyrum; no man understood the Prophet better. They were together through most of the trials and difficulties that beset the Saints. Together they shared joy and sorrow, and side by side they stood in their unjust imprisonments, persecutions, and sentence of death.
As a counselor, an adviser in times of trouble, the words of none were so dear to the Prophet as were those of his brother Hyrum. During the summer of 1842, when the Prophet was in exile because of the relentless persecutions of the Missourians, who were determined to drag him to Missouri on the pretense of his being accessory to the shooting of Governor Boggs, he was administered to by a few faithful friends, and in his grateful heart be blessed them for their constant and unselfish labors. Of Hyrum at this time he wrote:
There was Brother Hyrum, a natural brother. Thought I to myself, Brother Hyrum, what a faithful heart you have got. Oh may the Eternal Jehovah crown eternal blessings upon your head, as a reward for the care you have had for my soul! Oh how many are the sorrows we have shared together; and again we find ourselves shackled with the unrelenting hand of oppression. Hyrum, thy name shall be written in the book of the law of the Lord, for those who come after thee to look upon, that they may pattern after thy works.
At the first conference of the Church, held in June, 1830, Hyrum was ordained a Priest. One year later, June 3, 1831, when the first High Priests were ordained he was among that number, and received his ordination under the hands of the Prophet. That same month he with other brethren was called by revelation on a mission to Missouri and was commanded to preach the first principles of the gospel on the way.
He was a member of the building committee appointed to erect the Kirtland Temple, Jared Carter and Reynolds Cahoon were his associates. This committee, at a conference held in June 1833, was instructed to “proceed immediately to commence building the house” and to obtain material for the same. They addressed a communication to the Saints m the different branches of the Church asking for their material assistance, and in due time the building was completed and acknowledged by the Lord. In this building many important revelations were given and the keys of the various dispensations were bestowed upon the head of the Prophet Joseph Smith.
When Zion’s Camp was organized, Hyrum Smith was one of the volunteers; and he took an active part in that eventful journey. After his return to Ohio he became a member of the Kirtland High Council, and in January 1836. was sustained as President of that body. With Oliver Cowdery and John Smith, he was sustained as an assistant counselor to President Joseph Smith. Sunday, September 3, 1837. After the rejection of Frederick G. Williams, Hyrum succeeded him as second counselor in the Presidency of the Church. He was sustained in this position at a conference at Far West. Mo., November 7. 1837. He held this office until the year 1841. when he was called by revelation to the office of Presiding Patriarch—which was his right—and he was succeeded in the Presidency by William Law. In this revelation, section 124 of the Doctrine and Covenants, the Lord declared:
Verily I say unto you, let my servant William be appointed, ordained, and anointed, as a counselor unto my servant Joseph, in the room of my servant Hyrum, that my servant Hyrum may take the office of Priesthood and Patriarch, which was appointed unto him by his father, by blessing and also by right. That from henceforth he shall hold the keys of the Patriarchal blessings upon the heads of all my people, that whoever he shall bless shall be blessed, and whoever he curses shall be cursed; that whatsoever he shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever he shall loose on earth shall be looked in heaven; and from this time forth I appoint unto him that he may be a prophet, and a seer, and a revelator unto my Church, as well as my servant Joseph, that he may act in concert also with my servant Joseph, who shall show unto him the keys whereby he may ask and receive, and be crowned with the same blessing, and glory, and honor, and Priesthood, and gifts of the Priesthood, that once were put on the head of him that was my servant Oliver Cowdery.
The Patriarch Hyrum married his first wife Jerusha Barden, November 2, 1826. They had six children : Lovina, Mary, John, the present Patriarch, Hyrum, Jerusha and Sarah. Mary and Hyrum died in their childhood. His wife died after the birth of her daughter Sarah, when her husband was hundreds of miles from home in the mission field. Sad, indeed, was his return.
In 1837 he married Mary Fielding. She had two children. Joseph F., born at Far West, November 13, 1838, and Martha Ann, born in Nauvoo. This good woman crossed the plains in 1848. and died in Salt Lake City, September 21, 1852.
It was the lot of the Patriarch Hyrum to pass through the persecutions and abuse showered on the heads of the Saints in Ohio. Missouri and Illinois, and with his brother, to lay down his life for the Gospel.
In the fall of 1838, when the Missouri mob militia threatened the city of Far West, then the headquarters of the Church, and Joseph and others had been betrayed and delivered to the rabble, Hyrum was also seized and dragged from his family without the privilege of a last farewell.
With the other prisoners he was forced to Independence and later to Liberty jail. Within two weeks following this brutal act his son, Joseph F. Smith, now President of the Church, was born amid threatening and stormy scenes. For many months the prisoners, under unlawful sentence of death, suffered cruel imprisonment, while their families, destitute and robbed of the scanty means they owned, were driven from Missouri. In January,. 1839, the Patriarch’s wife, Mary, with her infant son, was taken in a wagon on her sick-bed to see her husband then confined in Liberty prison. The following month she, with the other Saints, was driven from her home and sought refuge in Quincy, Illinois, where she was joined by her husband, after his escape from his enemies in April of that year.
The sympathy of the Patriarch Hyrum was always exercised in behalf of the person in distress; and the suffering of the Saints would cause his heart to melt. He was a peacemaker, and when he failed to reconcile his brethren, the services of others were in vain. It was through his efforts, and through his sympathy and love for the souls of men. that harsh and rigorous measures were turned aside, even at times when such measures were justified. His hand was always extended to belt) the erring one to rise, and by him the Gospel flame was rekindled in many a breast. It was the Patriarch Hyrum that saved Sidney Rigdon from being removed from the Presidency in 1843. I was his voice that was first raised in behalf of Frederick G. Williams, at Nauvoo, when the latter sought again the fellowship of the Saints. And in Kirtland, when Hyrum had soothed the ruffled feelings of his brother William when the latter, in a fit of rage attacked his brother Joseph, the Prophet said:
I could pray in my heart that all my brethren were like unto my beloved brother Hyrum, who possesses the mildness of a lamb, and the integrity of a Job, and in short, the meekness and humility of Christ; and I love him with that love that is stronger than death, for 1 never had occasion to rebuke him, nor he me, which he declared when he left me today.
After his escape from the Missourians, Hyrum gathered with the Saints in Commerce, afterwards named by the Prophet Nauvoo, and was one of the incorporators of that city. Here the Patriarch took an active part in the municipality. He was a general in the Nauvoo Legion of the state Militia, and labored diligently for the welfare of the Saints. His martyrdom, which occurred June 27, 1844, is familiar to all the Saints, so this unpleasant scene will not be dwelt upon. Let it suffice to say that he was steadfast till the last and died a martyr to the Truth. With Paul he can say:
Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give me at that day.
Richards, Preston D. "Willard Richards - Martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum Smith." Improvement Era. June 1907. pg. 561-571.
WILLARD RICHARDS—THE MARTYRDOM OF JOSEPH AND HYRUM SMITH.
BY HON. PRESTON D. RICHARDS, A GRANDSON.
Willard Richards had an inherent love for freedom and religious liberty, his ancestors belonged to the Plymouth Colony, and his father is now immortalized with the [patriots of *"76" who gained the world's greatest victory for political freedom. Broadened by such a lineage, he was a fit and powerful instrument in the hands of the Lord to assist in establishing his work in the land and his people in these magnificent mountains.
He was born in Hopkinton, Middlesex county, Massachusetts, one hundred three years ago on the 24th of this June, being the youngest of eleven children. He attended the common schools until he was fifteen, and then entered the Richmond high school; in fact, he lived the characteristic life of boyhood, there being nothing recorded of him to indicate that he was not a boy and not human. His parents were Presbyterians, so he was sprinkled, catechized, and educated according to the prescribed forms of that sect. He witnessed several sectarian "revivals" at Richmond, where the family had removed when he was ten years old, and offered himself to the Congregational church when he was seventeen years old, but the total disregard of that church to his request for admission led him to a more thorough investigation of the principles of religion, which convinced him that the sects were all wrong, and that the Lord had no church on the earth. From that time, he kept himself aloof from sectarian influences.
In 1820, he commenced teaching school, and taught four years in New York and Massachusetts, and during his spare time he constantly devoted himself to the acquisition of knowledge.
In 1827, he commenced lecturing on electricity and other scientific subjects, which he continued to do at intervals, for several years, throughout the New England states. There are numerous testimonials preserved in favor of his lectures from men of high standing in the literary and scientific world. Seven years later, he studied medicine, and while practicing at Southborough, near Boston, he observed on the table a Book of Mormon,[1] which Brigham Young had left with his cousin. He opened the book without regard to place, and totally ignorant of its contents, and before reading half a page declared, "God or the devil has had a hand in that book, for man never wrote it." In ten days he read the book through twice, and so strongly was he impressed with its truth that he began making preparations to go to Kirtland, Ohio, seven hundred fifty miles west, that he might give the work a thorough investigation. He arrived in Kirtland in October, 1836, where he was most cordially received by his cousin, Brigham Young, with whom he tarried and gave the work an unceasing and untiring investigation, until December of the same year, when he was baptized by Brigham Young, the ice being cut from the river in order to perform the ordinance.
He was ordained an Elder March 6, 1837, and a few days later set apart to accompany Brigham Young on a special business mission to the Eastern States, from which he returned June 11 of the same year. On the day following, he was set apart to accompany Heber C. Kimball, Orson Hyde and others on a mission to England. These were the first missionaries to Europe.
The gospel door was successfully opened to Europe, at Preston, after which Elder Richards was sent to Bedford and surrounding country to inaugurate the work in that part, which he did successfully, notwithstanding bitter opposition. He returned to Preston, mission headquarters, in February, 1838, and on April 1, attended a general conference, when he was ordained a High Priest and appointed First Counselor to Joseph Fielding, who was appointed to preside over the mission. April 14, 1840, after the arrival of the Apostles from America, Dr. Richards was ordained one of the Twelve Apostles, and, after the publication of the Millennial Star was commenced, he assisted Parley P. Pratt in its editorial department, and later performed the general duties of presiding over the European Mission. He assisted in indexing the Book of Mormon, and in publishing the first English edition of that book.
Not long after the first missionaries arrived in England, a great friend was raised up to the Elders in the person of Rev. John Richards, Independent minister at Walkerfold, Lancashire, who opened his church to the elders. But when he discovered that the greater portion of his flock were becoming converted to, and about to be baptized into, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he became less favorable, and forbade the elders preaching in his church; but his daughter Jennetta[2] was baptized, with others of his congregation, by Heber C. Kimball. After the baptism. Elder Kimball said to Dr. Richards: "Well, Willard, I baptized your wife today, " and the true significance of the words was never understood by Dr. Richards until several months later, when he evidently discovered Jennetta entangled in the meshes of his affection, as shown by his doings of March 10, as recorded in his private journal:
While walking home from meeting with Jennetta Richards, I remarked: "Richards is a good name—I never want to change it. do you, Jennetta?" "No, I do not," was her reply, and I think she never will.
Then the following September 24, he records:
Today I married Jennetta Richards, daughter of the Rev. John Richards. Most truly do I praise my Heavenly Father for his great kindness in providing me a partner to his promise.
Many of the Saints complained bitterly because Elder Richards married, saying he should have remained as the Apostle Paul. And so, it seems, people complain if you do get married, and people complain if you don't.
Dr. Richards, with his family and others of the Twelve, left England in April, 1841, returning to America. Soon after his arrival home, he was elected a member of the city council of Nauvoo, and two days later he was appointed recorder for the Temple, private secretary to the Prophet Joseph, and General Church Clerk. From the time he entered Joseph Smith's office, with the exception of a short mission to the East after his family, he was with Joseph until his death, continually at work with his pen. He was recorder of the city council and clerk of the municipal court, and kept the Prophet's private journal, making an entry only a few minutes previous to the awful tragedy at Carthage. From the time he became the Prophet's private secretary until the latter's death, he was perhaps as close to the Prophet as any living man. Indeed, their lives at this point became so interwoven that the history of Joseph becomes the history of Willard.
Dr. Richards nominated Joseph Smith for the presidency of the United States, and writing to Gen. Bennett of New York he said:
Your views about the nomination of Gen. Smith for the presidency are correct. We will gain popularity and extended influence. But this is not all; we mean to elect him, and nothing shall be wanting on our part to accomplish it; and why? Because we are satisfied, fully satisfied, this is the best or only method of saving our free institutions from a total overthrow.
Dr. Richards was a member of the city council of Nauvoo at the time the council ordered the press and fixtures of the Nauvoo Expositor to be abated as a nuisance, which order was executed by the proper authorities without delay. This finally led to the martyrdom. The Expositor was a vile sheet of slander published in Nauvoo for the purpose of defaming the characters of good men, inciting its readers to deeds of violence and murder, and carrying on all the hellish plans of the lawless publishers. The proceedings of the council in ordering the nuisance abated were perfectly regular and legal, the same as if a foul leaki.ge in the sewer were ordered stopped.
The night following, the proprietors of the press fired the buildings of their plant, just as they had done in Missouri, hoping to raise the hue and cry that the "Mormons" had done it, and by that means raise a mob against the city and perhaps get the sympathy of the governor; but the vigilant police discovered the fire and abated that also. Chagrined at their disappointment, and drunken with madness, they next went to Carthage, the county seat, and headquarters of mobocracy, and swore that Joseph and about seventeen others had committed a riot, and sent a warrant for their arrest. Joseph and the others offered to go before any magistrate in the vicinity, but refused to go to Carthage, because they knew there was a mob there thirsting for their blood. The officer insisted on their going to Carthage and would not consent to their going before any other magistrate, so they obtained a writ of habeas corpus from the city court of Nauvoo, and were set free. This only enraged the mob more, and another writ was issued by a county magistrate in the vicinity, not a "Mormon," before whom they were brought, and every exertion made to convict them; but the magistrate discharged them. The next day the terrible excitement that had been stirred up brought Gov. Ford to Carthage, where all manner of falsehoods were poured into his ear concerning the doings of people at Nauvoo. He addressed a communication to Joseph Smith asking him to send to Carthage "one or more well-informed and discreet persona who will be capable of laying before me your version of the matter." Accordingly Drs. Richards and Bernhisel and John Taylor were sent with a number of affidavits which proved that, at that very moment, there were men in Carthage who had declared that they would rush through a thousand people to wash their hands in Joseph Smith's blood, and that there were many there who had sworn that they would kill him and exterminate his people. Those appointed to go carried a letter from Joseph to the Governor stating that he would be pleased to answer to the Governor or any authority for the destruction of the press, by order of the council, but he knew that if he went to Carthage to do it he would be butchered, and therefore he entreated the Governor to come to Nauvoo, in case the explanation of those sent was not satisfactory. Those sent to Carthage returned with a written communication "To the Mayor and Council of the City of Nauvoo," from Governor Ford, telling them that they must submit to arrest by the officer before sent, and under the same warrant, and be brought to Carthage for trial. The men sent to confer with the governor were many times insulted and threatened in his office by the mobocrats, who were permitted to remain there during the whole time the men from Nauvoo were in conference with the governor. Governor Ford promised protection to Joseph Smith and the council if they would come to Carthage, and all the while and subsequently, his conduct gave the lie to his word and promise.
The same evening that they returned from Carthage with the letter from the governor, Joseph called Hyrum, Willard and some others together in his upper room and, after reading the governor's letter, he remarked "There is no mercy—no mercy here." Hyrum said, "No; just as sure as we fall into their hands, we are dead men." Joseph replied, "Yes; what shall we do. Brother Hyrum?" He replied, "I don't know." All at once Joseph's countenance brightened up, and he said, "The way is open; it is clear to my mind what to do. All they want is Hyrum and myself. There is no doubt they will come here and search for us. Let them search, they will not harm you in person or in property, and not even a hair of your head. We will cross the river tonight, and go away to the West."
At midnight, the same night, Joseph, Hyrum, and Dr. Richards called for 0. P. Rockwell, and at 2 a. m. all four got into a boat and started to cross the Mississippi River. 0. P. Rockwell rowed the boat. The boat was very leaky, and it kept Joseph, Hyrum and the Doctor very busy bailing out the water with their boots and shoes, to prevent it from sinking. At daybreak Joseph, Hyrum and Willard landed on the Iowa side of the river, and O. P. Rockwell returned to Nauvoo for horses, that the start might be made at once to the Rocky Mountains.
The same morning a posse arrived in Nauvoo to arrest Joseph, but as he 'could not be found they returned to Carthage. They said that if Joseph and Hyrum were not given up that the governor would send his troops and guard the town until they were found.
Messengers were sent at once across the river by Emma, entreating Joseph to return and give himself up. Others also crossed the river to persuade them to return. They found Joseph, Hyrum and Willard in a room by themselves with provisions ready for the start. They begged Joseph to return, and some accused him of deserting the flock when the wolves came, like the shepherd in the fable. To which Joseph replied,—"If my life is of no value to my friends, it is of none to myself." He then turned to Hyrum and said, "Brother Hyrum, you are the oldest, what shall we do?" Hyrum answered, "Let us go back and give ourselves up, and see the thing out. " After studying a few minutes, Joseph replied, "If you go back, I shall go with you, but we will be butchered."
Joseph then wrote to Governor Ford saying he would come to Carthage the next day, and Dr. Richards wrote to legal counsel and witnesses requesting them to be at Carthage on the morrow. As they were walking back to the river, some one requested Joseph to hurry, but he answered, "It is of no use to hurry, for we are going back to be slaughtered." On previous occasions, while surrounded by murderers and assassins, Joseph had felt little alarm, saying, "They cannot kill me, my time has not yet come," but all of Joseph's words at this time indicate that he knew his time had now come.
They arrived in Nauvoo late in the evening. Joseph tarried with his family all night, and next morning early Joseph, Hyrum, Willard and others started for Carthage and when within four miles of Carthage Joseph said, "I am going like a lamb to the slaughter, but I am calm as a summer's morning. I have a conscience void of offense toward God and toward all men. If they take my life, I shall die an innocent man, and my blood shall cry from the ground for vengeance, and it will yet be said of me, 'he was murdered in cold blood.' "
When they arrived in Carthage the Carthage Greys called for "Joe Smith," and raised the cry that they now had him, and he would not leave Carthage alive.
The next morning Joseph and Hyrum, and those who had destroyed the press of the Nauvoo Expositor, were arrested on the charge, and the two former were also arrested on the charge of treason. Before going before the justice, those who had sworn out the complaint said, "There is nothing against these men; the law cannot reach them, but powder and ball can, and they shall not go out of Carthage alive."
They were all taken before the justice who released all on bail of $500 each,—all except Joseph and Hyrum who were illegally sent to jail, the others returned to Nauvoo.
Joseph tried again to get an interview with the governor, but he was unable. Next day, however, he succeeded in obtaining the interview he had so long sought, and the governor promised him that if he went to Nauvoo the next day, as he intended, Joseph and Hyrum should go with him, with the troops to insure their personal safety.
Next morning Governor Ford went to Nauvoo but did not take the prisoners with him. Just before leaving, he sent this permit to the prisoners:
Permit Dr. Richards, the private secretary of Joseph Smith, to be with him, if he desires it, and to pass and repass the guard.
Thomas Ford,
June 27, 1844.
Commander-in-Chief.
They were to wait in jail, two days more, when they were to be tried for treason, but after the governor's departure, the mob without became very noisy and desperate. Dr. Richards was taken sick in the afternoon, and Brother Markham was sent out of the jail for medicine, but the Carthage Greys prevented his return; they put him on a horse, and forced him out of town at the point of the bayonet.
Joseph, Hyrum, John Taylor and Dr. Richards were now the only ones left in Carthage, except the enemy. At 5:20 o'clock in the afternoon, the jailor became alarmed at the conduct of the mob, and suggested to the prisoners that they go into the cell room for safety, which they agreed to do after supper. Joseph said to Dr. Richards, "If we go into the cell, will you go with us?" The doctor answered, "Brother Joseph, you did not ask me to cross the river with you; you did not ask me to come to Carthage; you did not ask me to come to jail with you, and do you think I would forsake you now? But I tell you what I will do; if you are condemned to be hung for treason, I will be hung in your stead, and you shall go free." Joseph answered, "You cannot." The doctor replied, "I will."
The jailor's boy came in and said that the guard wanted some wine. Dr. Richards handed him two dollars, and he threw one back, he returned with the wine which was passed out to the guard. Immediately there was a rustling at the outer door of the jail, and a cry of surrender, and also a discharge of three or four firearms. The doctor glanced an eye by the curtain of the window, and saw about a hundred armed men around the door. What followed is vividly pictured by him—the only man who witnessed the whole of the dreadful scene, in an article from the Times and Seasons:
TWO MINUTES IN JAIL.
Possibly the following events occupied near three minutes, but I think only about two, and have penned them for the gratification of many friends:
Carthage, June 27, 1844.
A shower of musket balls were thrown up the stairway against the door of the prison in the second story, followed by many rapid footsteps.
While Generals Joseph and Hyrum Smith, Mr. Taylor and myself, who were in the front chamber, closed the door of our room against the entry at the head of the stairs, and placed ourselves against it, there being no lock on the door, and no catch that was useable.
The door is a common panel, and as soon as we heard the feet at the stairs head, a ball was sent through the door, which passed between us, and showed that our enemies were desperadoes, and we must change our position.
General Joseph Smith, Mr. Taylor, and myself sprang back to the front part of the room and General Hyrum Smith retreated two-thirds across the chamber directly in front of and facing the door.
A ball was sent through the door which hit Hyrum on the side of his nose, when he fell backwards, extended at length, without moving his feet.
From the holes in his vest (the day was warm, and no one had their coats on but myself), pantaloons, drawers, and shirt, it appeared evident that a ball must have been thrown from without, through the window^, which entered his back on the right side, and passing through lodged against his watch, which was in his right vest pocket, completely pulverizing the crystal and face, tearing off the hands and mashing the whole body of the watch. At the same instant the ball from the door entered his nose.
As he struck the Hoor he exclaimed emphatically, 'I’m a dead man." Joseph looked towards him and responded, "Oh dear! Brother Hyrum," and opening the door two or three inches with his left hand, discharged one barrel of a six-shooter (pistol) at random in the entry, from whence a ball grazed Hyrum's breast, and entering his throat passed into his head, while other muskets were aimed at him and some balls hit him.
Joseph continued snapping his revolver round the casing of the door into the space as before, three barrels of which missed fire, while Mr. Taylor with a walking stick stood by his side and knocked down the bayonets and muskets which were constantly discharging through the doorway, while I stood by him, ready to lend any assistance, with another stick, but could not come within striking distance without going directly before the muzzles of the guns.
When the revolver failed, we had no more firearms, and expected an immediate rush of the mob, and the doorway full of muskets, half way in the room, and no hope but instant death from within.
Mr. Taylor rushed into the window, which is some fifteen or twenty feet from the ground. When his body was nearly on a balance, a ball from the door within entered his leg, and a ball from without struck his watch, a patent lever, in his vest pocket near the left breast, and smashed it into pi, leaving the hands standing at 5 o'clock, 16 minutes, and 26 seconds, the force of which ball threw him back on the floor, and he rolled under the bed which stood by his side, where he lay motionless, the mob from the door continuing to fire upon him, cutting away a piece of flesh from his left hip as large as a man's hand, and were hindered only by my knocking down their muzzles with a stick; while they continued to reach their guns into the room, probably left handed, and aimed their discharge so far round as almost to reach us in the corner of the room to where we retreated and dodged, and then I recommenced the attack with my stick.
Joseph attempted, as the last resort, to leap the same window from whence Mr. Taylor fell, when two balls pierced him from the door, and one entered his right breast from without, and he fell outward, exclaiming, "0 Lord, my God." As his feet went out of the window my head went in, the balls whistling all around. He fell on his left side a dead man.
At this instant the cry was raised, "He's leaped the window," and the mob on the stairs and in the entry ran out.
I withdrew from the window, thinking it of no use to leap out on a hundred bayonets, then around General Smith's body.
Not satisfied with this I again reached my head out of the window, and watched some seconds to see if there were any signs of life, regardless of my own, determined to see the end of him I loved. Being fully satisfied that he was dead, with a hundred men near the body and more coming round the corner of the jail, and expecting a return to our room, I rushed towards the prison door, at the head of the stairs, and through the entry from whence the firing had proceeded, to learn if the doors into the prison were open.
When near the entry, Mr. Taylor cried out, ''Take me.'' I pressed my way until I found all doors unbarred, returning instantly, caught Mr. Taylor under my arm, and rushed by the stairs into the dungeon, or inner prison, stretched him on the floor and covered him with a bed in such a manner as not likely to be perceived, expecting an immediate return of the mob. I said to Mr. Taylor. "This is a hard case to lay you on the floor, but if your wounds are not fatal, I want you to live to tell the story." I expected to be shot the next moment, and stood before the door awaiting the onset.
Willard Richards.
The terrible news was carried to Nauvoo, and the people were overcome with excitement. The people at Carthage were stricken with terror at the thought that the "Mormons," enraged, might come upon them.
This was one of the most critical periods in the history of the Church, when the care of the dead and the direction of the living rested upon one man, Apostle Willard Richards.
Dr. Richards sent a letter to Nauvoo requesting the people to be calm, not to come to Carthage, and not to resort to violence. It was midnight before Dr. Richards could obtain any help or refreshments for John Taylor, nearly all the inhabitants of Carthage having fled in terror. Next morning Dr. Richards started for Nauvoo with the bodies of Joseph and Hyrum, on two wagons, the bodies being covered with bushes to keep them from the sun.
When the bodies arrived in Nauvoo the scene cannot be described. Between eight thousand and ten thousand people were addressed by Dr. Richards, who admonished them to keep the peace, stating that he had pledged his honor and his life for their good conduct. Next day the people were permitted to view the remains. The bodies were placed in coffins, and then in pine boxes. Afterward the coffins with the bodies were taken from the boxes, and sacks of sand placed in, instead, and a mock funeral held over the boxes which were taken to the graveyard and deposited in a grave with the usual ceremonies. At midnight, the bodies were interred in the basement of the Nauvoo House. All this was done in the fear that the enemy might dig up the bodies as they had threatened.
In 1847, Dr. Richards came to Utah with the Pioneers, returning to Winter Quarters where he was ordained second counselor to Brigham Young.
As a civil officer, he served as secretary to the government of the State of Deseret, secretary of the Territory of Utah, president of the council of the legislative assembly, and postmaster of Great Salt Lake City.
He was the first editor of the Deseret News, general Church historian. Church recorder, and counselor to President Young, in which latter capacity he acted until the time of his death which occurred March 11, 1854. The number of offices which he held at the time of his death indicate the confidence which the Church and people reposed in his great integrity and varied abilities.
May his descendants prove worthy of their lineage.
Salt Lake City, Utah.
[1] This copy of the Book of Mormon is now in possession of President Joseph F. Smith.
[2] Jennetta Richards, born August 21, 1817, in Lancashire, England, was the first person confirmed in Britain. —History of the Church, vol. 2, page 504.
WILLARD RICHARDS—THE MARTYRDOM OF JOSEPH AND HYRUM SMITH.
BY HON. PRESTON D. RICHARDS, A GRANDSON.
Willard Richards had an inherent love for freedom and religious liberty, his ancestors belonged to the Plymouth Colony, and his father is now immortalized with the [patriots of *"76" who gained the world's greatest victory for political freedom. Broadened by such a lineage, he was a fit and powerful instrument in the hands of the Lord to assist in establishing his work in the land and his people in these magnificent mountains.
He was born in Hopkinton, Middlesex county, Massachusetts, one hundred three years ago on the 24th of this June, being the youngest of eleven children. He attended the common schools until he was fifteen, and then entered the Richmond high school; in fact, he lived the characteristic life of boyhood, there being nothing recorded of him to indicate that he was not a boy and not human. His parents were Presbyterians, so he was sprinkled, catechized, and educated according to the prescribed forms of that sect. He witnessed several sectarian "revivals" at Richmond, where the family had removed when he was ten years old, and offered himself to the Congregational church when he was seventeen years old, but the total disregard of that church to his request for admission led him to a more thorough investigation of the principles of religion, which convinced him that the sects were all wrong, and that the Lord had no church on the earth. From that time, he kept himself aloof from sectarian influences.
In 1820, he commenced teaching school, and taught four years in New York and Massachusetts, and during his spare time he constantly devoted himself to the acquisition of knowledge.
In 1827, he commenced lecturing on electricity and other scientific subjects, which he continued to do at intervals, for several years, throughout the New England states. There are numerous testimonials preserved in favor of his lectures from men of high standing in the literary and scientific world. Seven years later, he studied medicine, and while practicing at Southborough, near Boston, he observed on the table a Book of Mormon,[1] which Brigham Young had left with his cousin. He opened the book without regard to place, and totally ignorant of its contents, and before reading half a page declared, "God or the devil has had a hand in that book, for man never wrote it." In ten days he read the book through twice, and so strongly was he impressed with its truth that he began making preparations to go to Kirtland, Ohio, seven hundred fifty miles west, that he might give the work a thorough investigation. He arrived in Kirtland in October, 1836, where he was most cordially received by his cousin, Brigham Young, with whom he tarried and gave the work an unceasing and untiring investigation, until December of the same year, when he was baptized by Brigham Young, the ice being cut from the river in order to perform the ordinance.
He was ordained an Elder March 6, 1837, and a few days later set apart to accompany Brigham Young on a special business mission to the Eastern States, from which he returned June 11 of the same year. On the day following, he was set apart to accompany Heber C. Kimball, Orson Hyde and others on a mission to England. These were the first missionaries to Europe.
The gospel door was successfully opened to Europe, at Preston, after which Elder Richards was sent to Bedford and surrounding country to inaugurate the work in that part, which he did successfully, notwithstanding bitter opposition. He returned to Preston, mission headquarters, in February, 1838, and on April 1, attended a general conference, when he was ordained a High Priest and appointed First Counselor to Joseph Fielding, who was appointed to preside over the mission. April 14, 1840, after the arrival of the Apostles from America, Dr. Richards was ordained one of the Twelve Apostles, and, after the publication of the Millennial Star was commenced, he assisted Parley P. Pratt in its editorial department, and later performed the general duties of presiding over the European Mission. He assisted in indexing the Book of Mormon, and in publishing the first English edition of that book.
Not long after the first missionaries arrived in England, a great friend was raised up to the Elders in the person of Rev. John Richards, Independent minister at Walkerfold, Lancashire, who opened his church to the elders. But when he discovered that the greater portion of his flock were becoming converted to, and about to be baptized into, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he became less favorable, and forbade the elders preaching in his church; but his daughter Jennetta[2] was baptized, with others of his congregation, by Heber C. Kimball. After the baptism. Elder Kimball said to Dr. Richards: "Well, Willard, I baptized your wife today, " and the true significance of the words was never understood by Dr. Richards until several months later, when he evidently discovered Jennetta entangled in the meshes of his affection, as shown by his doings of March 10, as recorded in his private journal:
While walking home from meeting with Jennetta Richards, I remarked: "Richards is a good name—I never want to change it. do you, Jennetta?" "No, I do not," was her reply, and I think she never will.
Then the following September 24, he records:
Today I married Jennetta Richards, daughter of the Rev. John Richards. Most truly do I praise my Heavenly Father for his great kindness in providing me a partner to his promise.
Many of the Saints complained bitterly because Elder Richards married, saying he should have remained as the Apostle Paul. And so, it seems, people complain if you do get married, and people complain if you don't.
Dr. Richards, with his family and others of the Twelve, left England in April, 1841, returning to America. Soon after his arrival home, he was elected a member of the city council of Nauvoo, and two days later he was appointed recorder for the Temple, private secretary to the Prophet Joseph, and General Church Clerk. From the time he entered Joseph Smith's office, with the exception of a short mission to the East after his family, he was with Joseph until his death, continually at work with his pen. He was recorder of the city council and clerk of the municipal court, and kept the Prophet's private journal, making an entry only a few minutes previous to the awful tragedy at Carthage. From the time he became the Prophet's private secretary until the latter's death, he was perhaps as close to the Prophet as any living man. Indeed, their lives at this point became so interwoven that the history of Joseph becomes the history of Willard.
Dr. Richards nominated Joseph Smith for the presidency of the United States, and writing to Gen. Bennett of New York he said:
Your views about the nomination of Gen. Smith for the presidency are correct. We will gain popularity and extended influence. But this is not all; we mean to elect him, and nothing shall be wanting on our part to accomplish it; and why? Because we are satisfied, fully satisfied, this is the best or only method of saving our free institutions from a total overthrow.
Dr. Richards was a member of the city council of Nauvoo at the time the council ordered the press and fixtures of the Nauvoo Expositor to be abated as a nuisance, which order was executed by the proper authorities without delay. This finally led to the martyrdom. The Expositor was a vile sheet of slander published in Nauvoo for the purpose of defaming the characters of good men, inciting its readers to deeds of violence and murder, and carrying on all the hellish plans of the lawless publishers. The proceedings of the council in ordering the nuisance abated were perfectly regular and legal, the same as if a foul leaki.ge in the sewer were ordered stopped.
The night following, the proprietors of the press fired the buildings of their plant, just as they had done in Missouri, hoping to raise the hue and cry that the "Mormons" had done it, and by that means raise a mob against the city and perhaps get the sympathy of the governor; but the vigilant police discovered the fire and abated that also. Chagrined at their disappointment, and drunken with madness, they next went to Carthage, the county seat, and headquarters of mobocracy, and swore that Joseph and about seventeen others had committed a riot, and sent a warrant for their arrest. Joseph and the others offered to go before any magistrate in the vicinity, but refused to go to Carthage, because they knew there was a mob there thirsting for their blood. The officer insisted on their going to Carthage and would not consent to their going before any other magistrate, so they obtained a writ of habeas corpus from the city court of Nauvoo, and were set free. This only enraged the mob more, and another writ was issued by a county magistrate in the vicinity, not a "Mormon," before whom they were brought, and every exertion made to convict them; but the magistrate discharged them. The next day the terrible excitement that had been stirred up brought Gov. Ford to Carthage, where all manner of falsehoods were poured into his ear concerning the doings of people at Nauvoo. He addressed a communication to Joseph Smith asking him to send to Carthage "one or more well-informed and discreet persona who will be capable of laying before me your version of the matter." Accordingly Drs. Richards and Bernhisel and John Taylor were sent with a number of affidavits which proved that, at that very moment, there were men in Carthage who had declared that they would rush through a thousand people to wash their hands in Joseph Smith's blood, and that there were many there who had sworn that they would kill him and exterminate his people. Those appointed to go carried a letter from Joseph to the Governor stating that he would be pleased to answer to the Governor or any authority for the destruction of the press, by order of the council, but he knew that if he went to Carthage to do it he would be butchered, and therefore he entreated the Governor to come to Nauvoo, in case the explanation of those sent was not satisfactory. Those sent to Carthage returned with a written communication "To the Mayor and Council of the City of Nauvoo," from Governor Ford, telling them that they must submit to arrest by the officer before sent, and under the same warrant, and be brought to Carthage for trial. The men sent to confer with the governor were many times insulted and threatened in his office by the mobocrats, who were permitted to remain there during the whole time the men from Nauvoo were in conference with the governor. Governor Ford promised protection to Joseph Smith and the council if they would come to Carthage, and all the while and subsequently, his conduct gave the lie to his word and promise.
The same evening that they returned from Carthage with the letter from the governor, Joseph called Hyrum, Willard and some others together in his upper room and, after reading the governor's letter, he remarked "There is no mercy—no mercy here." Hyrum said, "No; just as sure as we fall into their hands, we are dead men." Joseph replied, "Yes; what shall we do. Brother Hyrum?" He replied, "I don't know." All at once Joseph's countenance brightened up, and he said, "The way is open; it is clear to my mind what to do. All they want is Hyrum and myself. There is no doubt they will come here and search for us. Let them search, they will not harm you in person or in property, and not even a hair of your head. We will cross the river tonight, and go away to the West."
At midnight, the same night, Joseph, Hyrum, and Dr. Richards called for 0. P. Rockwell, and at 2 a. m. all four got into a boat and started to cross the Mississippi River. 0. P. Rockwell rowed the boat. The boat was very leaky, and it kept Joseph, Hyrum and the Doctor very busy bailing out the water with their boots and shoes, to prevent it from sinking. At daybreak Joseph, Hyrum and Willard landed on the Iowa side of the river, and O. P. Rockwell returned to Nauvoo for horses, that the start might be made at once to the Rocky Mountains.
The same morning a posse arrived in Nauvoo to arrest Joseph, but as he 'could not be found they returned to Carthage. They said that if Joseph and Hyrum were not given up that the governor would send his troops and guard the town until they were found.
Messengers were sent at once across the river by Emma, entreating Joseph to return and give himself up. Others also crossed the river to persuade them to return. They found Joseph, Hyrum and Willard in a room by themselves with provisions ready for the start. They begged Joseph to return, and some accused him of deserting the flock when the wolves came, like the shepherd in the fable. To which Joseph replied,—"If my life is of no value to my friends, it is of none to myself." He then turned to Hyrum and said, "Brother Hyrum, you are the oldest, what shall we do?" Hyrum answered, "Let us go back and give ourselves up, and see the thing out. " After studying a few minutes, Joseph replied, "If you go back, I shall go with you, but we will be butchered."
Joseph then wrote to Governor Ford saying he would come to Carthage the next day, and Dr. Richards wrote to legal counsel and witnesses requesting them to be at Carthage on the morrow. As they were walking back to the river, some one requested Joseph to hurry, but he answered, "It is of no use to hurry, for we are going back to be slaughtered." On previous occasions, while surrounded by murderers and assassins, Joseph had felt little alarm, saying, "They cannot kill me, my time has not yet come," but all of Joseph's words at this time indicate that he knew his time had now come.
They arrived in Nauvoo late in the evening. Joseph tarried with his family all night, and next morning early Joseph, Hyrum, Willard and others started for Carthage and when within four miles of Carthage Joseph said, "I am going like a lamb to the slaughter, but I am calm as a summer's morning. I have a conscience void of offense toward God and toward all men. If they take my life, I shall die an innocent man, and my blood shall cry from the ground for vengeance, and it will yet be said of me, 'he was murdered in cold blood.' "
When they arrived in Carthage the Carthage Greys called for "Joe Smith," and raised the cry that they now had him, and he would not leave Carthage alive.
The next morning Joseph and Hyrum, and those who had destroyed the press of the Nauvoo Expositor, were arrested on the charge, and the two former were also arrested on the charge of treason. Before going before the justice, those who had sworn out the complaint said, "There is nothing against these men; the law cannot reach them, but powder and ball can, and they shall not go out of Carthage alive."
They were all taken before the justice who released all on bail of $500 each,—all except Joseph and Hyrum who were illegally sent to jail, the others returned to Nauvoo.
Joseph tried again to get an interview with the governor, but he was unable. Next day, however, he succeeded in obtaining the interview he had so long sought, and the governor promised him that if he went to Nauvoo the next day, as he intended, Joseph and Hyrum should go with him, with the troops to insure their personal safety.
Next morning Governor Ford went to Nauvoo but did not take the prisoners with him. Just before leaving, he sent this permit to the prisoners:
Permit Dr. Richards, the private secretary of Joseph Smith, to be with him, if he desires it, and to pass and repass the guard.
Thomas Ford,
June 27, 1844.
Commander-in-Chief.
They were to wait in jail, two days more, when they were to be tried for treason, but after the governor's departure, the mob without became very noisy and desperate. Dr. Richards was taken sick in the afternoon, and Brother Markham was sent out of the jail for medicine, but the Carthage Greys prevented his return; they put him on a horse, and forced him out of town at the point of the bayonet.
Joseph, Hyrum, John Taylor and Dr. Richards were now the only ones left in Carthage, except the enemy. At 5:20 o'clock in the afternoon, the jailor became alarmed at the conduct of the mob, and suggested to the prisoners that they go into the cell room for safety, which they agreed to do after supper. Joseph said to Dr. Richards, "If we go into the cell, will you go with us?" The doctor answered, "Brother Joseph, you did not ask me to cross the river with you; you did not ask me to come to Carthage; you did not ask me to come to jail with you, and do you think I would forsake you now? But I tell you what I will do; if you are condemned to be hung for treason, I will be hung in your stead, and you shall go free." Joseph answered, "You cannot." The doctor replied, "I will."
The jailor's boy came in and said that the guard wanted some wine. Dr. Richards handed him two dollars, and he threw one back, he returned with the wine which was passed out to the guard. Immediately there was a rustling at the outer door of the jail, and a cry of surrender, and also a discharge of three or four firearms. The doctor glanced an eye by the curtain of the window, and saw about a hundred armed men around the door. What followed is vividly pictured by him—the only man who witnessed the whole of the dreadful scene, in an article from the Times and Seasons:
TWO MINUTES IN JAIL.
Possibly the following events occupied near three minutes, but I think only about two, and have penned them for the gratification of many friends:
Carthage, June 27, 1844.
A shower of musket balls were thrown up the stairway against the door of the prison in the second story, followed by many rapid footsteps.
While Generals Joseph and Hyrum Smith, Mr. Taylor and myself, who were in the front chamber, closed the door of our room against the entry at the head of the stairs, and placed ourselves against it, there being no lock on the door, and no catch that was useable.
The door is a common panel, and as soon as we heard the feet at the stairs head, a ball was sent through the door, which passed between us, and showed that our enemies were desperadoes, and we must change our position.
General Joseph Smith, Mr. Taylor, and myself sprang back to the front part of the room and General Hyrum Smith retreated two-thirds across the chamber directly in front of and facing the door.
A ball was sent through the door which hit Hyrum on the side of his nose, when he fell backwards, extended at length, without moving his feet.
From the holes in his vest (the day was warm, and no one had their coats on but myself), pantaloons, drawers, and shirt, it appeared evident that a ball must have been thrown from without, through the window^, which entered his back on the right side, and passing through lodged against his watch, which was in his right vest pocket, completely pulverizing the crystal and face, tearing off the hands and mashing the whole body of the watch. At the same instant the ball from the door entered his nose.
As he struck the Hoor he exclaimed emphatically, 'I’m a dead man." Joseph looked towards him and responded, "Oh dear! Brother Hyrum," and opening the door two or three inches with his left hand, discharged one barrel of a six-shooter (pistol) at random in the entry, from whence a ball grazed Hyrum's breast, and entering his throat passed into his head, while other muskets were aimed at him and some balls hit him.
Joseph continued snapping his revolver round the casing of the door into the space as before, three barrels of which missed fire, while Mr. Taylor with a walking stick stood by his side and knocked down the bayonets and muskets which were constantly discharging through the doorway, while I stood by him, ready to lend any assistance, with another stick, but could not come within striking distance without going directly before the muzzles of the guns.
When the revolver failed, we had no more firearms, and expected an immediate rush of the mob, and the doorway full of muskets, half way in the room, and no hope but instant death from within.
Mr. Taylor rushed into the window, which is some fifteen or twenty feet from the ground. When his body was nearly on a balance, a ball from the door within entered his leg, and a ball from without struck his watch, a patent lever, in his vest pocket near the left breast, and smashed it into pi, leaving the hands standing at 5 o'clock, 16 minutes, and 26 seconds, the force of which ball threw him back on the floor, and he rolled under the bed which stood by his side, where he lay motionless, the mob from the door continuing to fire upon him, cutting away a piece of flesh from his left hip as large as a man's hand, and were hindered only by my knocking down their muzzles with a stick; while they continued to reach their guns into the room, probably left handed, and aimed their discharge so far round as almost to reach us in the corner of the room to where we retreated and dodged, and then I recommenced the attack with my stick.
Joseph attempted, as the last resort, to leap the same window from whence Mr. Taylor fell, when two balls pierced him from the door, and one entered his right breast from without, and he fell outward, exclaiming, "0 Lord, my God." As his feet went out of the window my head went in, the balls whistling all around. He fell on his left side a dead man.
At this instant the cry was raised, "He's leaped the window," and the mob on the stairs and in the entry ran out.
I withdrew from the window, thinking it of no use to leap out on a hundred bayonets, then around General Smith's body.
Not satisfied with this I again reached my head out of the window, and watched some seconds to see if there were any signs of life, regardless of my own, determined to see the end of him I loved. Being fully satisfied that he was dead, with a hundred men near the body and more coming round the corner of the jail, and expecting a return to our room, I rushed towards the prison door, at the head of the stairs, and through the entry from whence the firing had proceeded, to learn if the doors into the prison were open.
When near the entry, Mr. Taylor cried out, ''Take me.'' I pressed my way until I found all doors unbarred, returning instantly, caught Mr. Taylor under my arm, and rushed by the stairs into the dungeon, or inner prison, stretched him on the floor and covered him with a bed in such a manner as not likely to be perceived, expecting an immediate return of the mob. I said to Mr. Taylor. "This is a hard case to lay you on the floor, but if your wounds are not fatal, I want you to live to tell the story." I expected to be shot the next moment, and stood before the door awaiting the onset.
Willard Richards.
The terrible news was carried to Nauvoo, and the people were overcome with excitement. The people at Carthage were stricken with terror at the thought that the "Mormons," enraged, might come upon them.
This was one of the most critical periods in the history of the Church, when the care of the dead and the direction of the living rested upon one man, Apostle Willard Richards.
Dr. Richards sent a letter to Nauvoo requesting the people to be calm, not to come to Carthage, and not to resort to violence. It was midnight before Dr. Richards could obtain any help or refreshments for John Taylor, nearly all the inhabitants of Carthage having fled in terror. Next morning Dr. Richards started for Nauvoo with the bodies of Joseph and Hyrum, on two wagons, the bodies being covered with bushes to keep them from the sun.
When the bodies arrived in Nauvoo the scene cannot be described. Between eight thousand and ten thousand people were addressed by Dr. Richards, who admonished them to keep the peace, stating that he had pledged his honor and his life for their good conduct. Next day the people were permitted to view the remains. The bodies were placed in coffins, and then in pine boxes. Afterward the coffins with the bodies were taken from the boxes, and sacks of sand placed in, instead, and a mock funeral held over the boxes which were taken to the graveyard and deposited in a grave with the usual ceremonies. At midnight, the bodies were interred in the basement of the Nauvoo House. All this was done in the fear that the enemy might dig up the bodies as they had threatened.
In 1847, Dr. Richards came to Utah with the Pioneers, returning to Winter Quarters where he was ordained second counselor to Brigham Young.
As a civil officer, he served as secretary to the government of the State of Deseret, secretary of the Territory of Utah, president of the council of the legislative assembly, and postmaster of Great Salt Lake City.
He was the first editor of the Deseret News, general Church historian. Church recorder, and counselor to President Young, in which latter capacity he acted until the time of his death which occurred March 11, 1854. The number of offices which he held at the time of his death indicate the confidence which the Church and people reposed in his great integrity and varied abilities.
May his descendants prove worthy of their lineage.
Salt Lake City, Utah.
[1] This copy of the Book of Mormon is now in possession of President Joseph F. Smith.
[2] Jennetta Richards, born August 21, 1817, in Lancashire, England, was the first person confirmed in Britain. —History of the Church, vol. 2, page 504.
Anderson, Edward H. "Hyrum Smith, The Patriarch." Juvenile Instructor. February 1909. pg. 46-51.
Hyrum Smith, the Patriarch. By Edward H. Anderson, in Junior M. I. A. Manual for 1908-9. "Blessed is my servant Hyrum Smith, for I, the Lord, love him because of the integrity of his heart, and because he loveth that which is right before me, saith the Lord."—Doc. & Cov. Sec. 124-15. SKETCH OF HIS LIFE. In the life of the Prophet Joseph we have almost also the life of Hyrum the Patriarch, for they were never separated more than six months at one time during the days they lived upon the earth. Hyrum was the second son of Joseph Smith, Senior, and Lucy Mack, and was born February 9, 1800, being thus nearly six years the senior of the Prophet. Like his prophet brother, he spent his early youth upon the farm; and when he heard of his brother's vision he believed, entered with zeal into the work of preparation for the establishment of the Church, and was baptized in Seneca Lake, in 1829. On the second of November, 1826, he had married Jerusha Barden at Manchester, New York, with whom he had a family of six children, Lovina, Mary, John (now the venerable Patriarch of the Church) Hyrum, Jerusha and Sarah. Eleven years after his marriage he became a widower, while absent in Far West, Missouri. He married Mary Fielding the same year (1837) and with her had two children, Joseph F. Smith and Martha, Joseph F. being today the respected, honored and beloved President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This was the year of the trying scenes in Missouri, which culminated in the expulsion, in the fall of 1838. Before her first child, Joseph, was yet born, she was called to part with her husband under very trying circumstances. We have learned how a number of the brethren were arrested, after having been betrayed into the hands of the mob by Colonel Hinckle. Parley P. Pratt (Autobiography, page 208) describes the farewell of the Smith family in Far West as follows: "As I returned from my house towards the troops in the square, I halted with the guard at the door of Hyrum Smith, and heard the sobs and groans of his wife, at his parting words. She was then near confinement; and needed more than ever the comfort and consolation of a husband's presence. As we returned to the wagon we saw Sidney Rigdon taking leave of his wife and daughters, who stood at a little distance. in tears of anguish indescribable. In the wagon sat Joseph Smith, while his aged father and venerable mother came up overwhelmed with tears, and took each of the prisoners by the hand with a silence of grief too great for utterance." Hyrum shared with Joseph the despiteful treatment of Liberty jail; the freedom, the sorrows, and the joys of those six years of toil, care and anxiety that passed between the Missouri expulsion and the day' when the City of Joseph, Nauvoo the Beautiful, with 20,000 thrifty inhabitants was at the height of her prosperity ; and stood by him to the bitter end in Carthage, (June 27, 1844) where they both sealed their testimonies with their blood, martyrs to the cause of truth. At his death he held several military offices in the Nauvoo legion ; and several civil offices in the city government. For Zion's Camp he and Lyman Wight had gathered a company of volunteers in Michigan who joined the camp June 8, making its numbers 205. That same day he was chosen captain of twenty men who were selected as lifeguards to the Prophet Joseph, with George A. Smith as armor bearer. HIS CALLINGS IN THE CHURCH. Hyrum was one of the eight witnesses to the Book of Mormon, who solemnly testified to all the world that Joseph the Prophet had in hi? charge the plates of the Book of Mormon, which had the appearance of gold ; that he showed them to the witnesses ; and that they handled them with their hands, and saw the engravings which were on the plates, and which had the appearance of old and curious workmanship. The testimonies of these eight witnesses differs essentially from that the Three Witnesses in the way the plates were shown. To the three witnesses, an angel presented the plates, and the voice of the Lord declared to them that they had been translated by the gift and power of God, and shown by His grace ; to the eight witnesses, one of whom was Hyrum Smith, Joseph the Prophet exhibited the plates, and nothing is said in their testimony as to the translation, but it is declared that these eight men saw them and hefted them, and knew of a surety that Joseph had them. One is a spiritual manifestation, and the other, temporal; as if in this as in all other things, spiritual and temporal must be united to make a perfect whole. When Hyrum was about thirty-seven years of age, he was appointed and sustained by a conference in Far West, second counselor to President Joseph Smith, in the First Presidency, in the place of Frederick G. Williams who was rejected. He held his position with honor and integrity, until he was called by revelation, January 19, 1841, to take the office of Patriarch to the whole Church. The revelation calling him to the office of Patriarch, the first received in Hancock County, Illinois, after the prophet's escape from Missouri, gives in a very few words the index to Hyrum's character—integrity, and love of right. (Doc. & Cov. Sec. 124: 15). For these qualities, the Lord blessed him, and declared that he loved him. He had been appointed to this office, by right as well as by the blessings of his father, Joseph, who died on the previous Sept. 14, and now that calling and blessing were confirmed: "That my servant Hyrum take the office of Priesthood and Patriarch which were appointed unto him by his father, by blessing and also by right. That from henceforth he shall hold the keys of the patriarchal blessing upon the heads of all my people, That whoever he blesses shall he blessed, and whoever he curses shall he cursed; that whatsoever he shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven ; and whatsoever he shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven ; and from this time forth I appoint unto him that lie may be a prophet, and a seer, and revelator unto my Church, as well as my servant Joseph. “That he may act in concert also with my servant Joseph and that he shall receive counsel from my servant Joseph, who shall show unto him the keys whereby he may ask and receive, and be crowned with the same blessing, and glory, and honor, and Priesthood, and gifts of the priesthood, that once were put upon him that was my servant Oliver Cowdery. "That my servant Hyrum may bear record of the things which I shall show unto him, that his name may be had in honorable remembrance from generation to generation, for ever and ever." In another verse, (124) in the same section, the purpose of patriarchal blessings is given. It is that the person who receives the blessing may not fall when the hour of temptation comes upon him'. In other words, it is a help to aid him in the way of right. The blessing which Hyrum's father gave to him, on the day of his death, is recorded in Lucy Smith's History of the Prophet, as follows: "At this Hyrum bent over his father and said: 'Father, if you are taken away, will you not intercede for us at the throne of grace, that our enemies may not have So much power over us?' He then laid his hands upon Hyrum's head and said: "My son, Hyrum, I seal upon your head your patriarchal blessing, which I placed upon your head before, for that shall be verified. In addition to this, I now give you my dying blessing. You shall have a season of peace, so that you shall have sufficient rest to accomplish the work which God has given you to do. You shall be as firm as the pillars of heaven unto the end of your days. I now seal upon your head the patriarchal power, and you shall bless the people. This is my dying blessing upon your head in the name of Jesus. Amen." THE MARTYRDOM. In life, Joseph and Hyrum were not divided, and in death they were not separated. On the morning after Hyrum had made ready to go to Carthage, which both Joseph and he seemed to know was the road which led to death, he read a paragraph from near the close of the 12th chapter of Ether, in the Book of Mormon, and turned down the leaf upon it : "And it came to pass that I prayed unto the Lord that he would give unto the Gentiles grace, that they might have charity. And it came to pass that the Lord said unto me, if they have not charity, it mattereth not unto thee, thou hast been faithful ; wherefore thy garments shall be made clean. And because thou hast seen thy weakness, thou shalt be strong, even to the sitting down in the place which I have prepared in the mansions of my Father. And now I bid farewell unto the Gentiles ; yea, and also unto my brethren whom I love, until we shall meet before the judgment seat of Christ, where all men shall know that my garments are not spotted with your blood." (Ether 12:26-38.) HYRUM’S CHARACTER. Hyrum Smith was eminently just in his dealings with men. Favoritism and partiality had no effect upon him when shown to him by others ; and in his own life he was never known to make a practice of them. He was counted a perfect gentleman by all who knew him. A number of years ago, on a visit to Kirtland, President Smith called upon a Mrs. Turk, who was a nonmember of the Church, but who came to Kirtland when a young girl, and who was well acquainted with his father Hyrum. Speaking of the early characters in the Church, this is what she said of Hyrum: "I never knew Joseph very well, but Hyrum I remember distinctly. I have heard him preach often. The Presbyterian minister here who met Hyrum said in mv hearing, and I am convinced from my recollection also, that his words are true. 'Whatever else other 'Mormons' might have been, Hyrum was a perfect gentleman.' " A little incident will illustrate his sympathy, love and care for the poor. An old British Canadian soldier, whose name was George Mills, had been employed by the Temple committee, at Nauvoo, to obtain timber on the Mississippi river for the building of the Nauvoo temple. While engaged in this work, the man took severe cold, and inflammation settled in his eyes. He became practically blind, at least so blind that he could not distinguish anything but daylight and the dark. This helpless man Hyrum Smith took into his home as a member of his family. There he remained not only during the lifetime of the Patriarch, but he came to Utah with the family, and lived with them until President Smith's mother died. The kindness shown to this unfortunate soldier was a pure display of compassion, since there was neither obligation resting upon Hyrum nor any request of the Church to have him care for the lonely man. That the man was unfortunate and in need was sufficient to awaken the mercy of his benefactor. Strang?; to say, the old soldier was not even a Latter-day Saint but was nevertheless looked after and cared for just as well as any member of the family or of the Church. Hyrum's sympathy for the aged, the unfortunate and the helpless, caused him to extend similar favors to many others of this class. Margaret Bryson, a helpless widow, Mother Conklin, and others who might be named, thus partook of the hospitality and help of Hyrum Smith and his family. He was a defender and a helper of the poor. His sympathy went out to all men but especially to those who were in unfortunate circumstances. Another strong characteristic of the Patriarch was his desire for peace. He was preeminently a peace-maker, full of love and sympathy, with a disposition as calm as a summer's morning. He was deliberate in action, and moderation was one of the prevailing virtues of his life. |
PATRIARCH HYRUM SMITH
Second Patriarch of the Church. Born February 9, 1800; martyred June 27, 1844. SITE OF HYRUM SMITH'S BIRTHPLACE SUMMER.
SITE OF HYRUM SMITH'S BIRTHPLACE WINTER.
If ever there was an exemplary, honest, and virtuous man, an embodiment of all that is noble in the human form, Hyrum Smith was its representative. --Pres. John Taylor.
|
"Remarkable Blessings." Juvenile Instructor. February 1909. pg. 57.
REMARKABLE BLESSINGS.
I.
BLESSING OF THE PROPHET JOSEPH SMITH UPON THE HEAD OF HYRUM SMITH, given December 18, 1833, in Kirtland, Ohio.
Blessed of the Lord is my brother Hyrum, for the integrity of his heart; he shall be girt about with strength, and faithfulness shall be the strength of his loins: from generation to generation, he shall be a shaft in the hands of his God to execute judgment upon His enemies; and he shall be hid by the hand of the Lord, that none of his secret parts shall be discovered to his enemies unto his hurt. * * * * He shall stand in the tracks of his father, and be numbered among those who hold the right of Patriarchal Priesthood, even the Evangelical Priesthood, and power shall be upon him. * * * * His children shall be many and his posterity numerous, and they shall rise up and call him blessed.
II.
THE BLESSING OF PATRIARCH JOSEPH SMITH UPON THE HEAD OF HYRUM SMITH HIS SON, given December 9, 1834, in Kirtland, Ohio.
Hyrum, thou art my oldest son whom the Lord has spared unto me. * * * * Behold thou art Hyrum, the Lord has called thee by that name, and by that name He has blessed thee. Thou hast borne the burden and heat of the day, thou hast toiled hard and labored much for the good of thy father's family: thou hast been a stay many times to them, and by thy diligence they have often been sustained Thou hast loved thy father's family with a pure love, and hast greatly desired their salvation. Thou hast always stood by thy father, and reached forth the helping hand to lift him up when he was in affliction, and though he has been out of the way thou hast never forsaken him nor laughed him to scorn; for all these kindnesses the Lord my God will bless thee. * * * * The Lord will multiply His choice blessings upon thee and thy seed after thee and thou with them shalt have an inheritance in Zion, and they shalt possess it from generation to generation, and thy name shall never be blotted out from among the just; for the righteous shall rise up, and also thy children after thee, and say thy memory is just, that thou wert a just man and perfect in thy day.
REMARKABLE BLESSINGS.
I.
BLESSING OF THE PROPHET JOSEPH SMITH UPON THE HEAD OF HYRUM SMITH, given December 18, 1833, in Kirtland, Ohio.
Blessed of the Lord is my brother Hyrum, for the integrity of his heart; he shall be girt about with strength, and faithfulness shall be the strength of his loins: from generation to generation, he shall be a shaft in the hands of his God to execute judgment upon His enemies; and he shall be hid by the hand of the Lord, that none of his secret parts shall be discovered to his enemies unto his hurt. * * * * He shall stand in the tracks of his father, and be numbered among those who hold the right of Patriarchal Priesthood, even the Evangelical Priesthood, and power shall be upon him. * * * * His children shall be many and his posterity numerous, and they shall rise up and call him blessed.
II.
THE BLESSING OF PATRIARCH JOSEPH SMITH UPON THE HEAD OF HYRUM SMITH HIS SON, given December 9, 1834, in Kirtland, Ohio.
Hyrum, thou art my oldest son whom the Lord has spared unto me. * * * * Behold thou art Hyrum, the Lord has called thee by that name, and by that name He has blessed thee. Thou hast borne the burden and heat of the day, thou hast toiled hard and labored much for the good of thy father's family: thou hast been a stay many times to them, and by thy diligence they have often been sustained Thou hast loved thy father's family with a pure love, and hast greatly desired their salvation. Thou hast always stood by thy father, and reached forth the helping hand to lift him up when he was in affliction, and though he has been out of the way thou hast never forsaken him nor laughed him to scorn; for all these kindnesses the Lord my God will bless thee. * * * * The Lord will multiply His choice blessings upon thee and thy seed after thee and thou with them shalt have an inheritance in Zion, and they shalt possess it from generation to generation, and thy name shall never be blotted out from among the just; for the righteous shall rise up, and also thy children after thee, and say thy memory is just, that thou wert a just man and perfect in thy day.
"Hyrum Smith." Juvenile Instructor. February 1909. pg. 62.
HYRUM SMITH.
He lived so far beyond the ordinary walk of man, that even the tongue of the vilest slanderer could not touch his reputation. He lived godly, and he died godly; and his murderers will yet have to confess, that it would have been better for them to have had a millstone tied to them, and have been cast into the depths of the sea, and remain there while eternity goes and eternity comes, than to have robbed that noble man of heaven of his life.
Times and Seasons.
HYRUM SMITH.
He lived so far beyond the ordinary walk of man, that even the tongue of the vilest slanderer could not touch his reputation. He lived godly, and he died godly; and his murderers will yet have to confess, that it would have been better for them to have had a millstone tied to them, and have been cast into the depths of the sea, and remain there while eternity goes and eternity comes, than to have robbed that noble man of heaven of his life.
Times and Seasons.
Anderson, Edward H. "The Prophet and Patriarch." Improvement Era. August 1911. pg. 855-858.
The Prophet and Patriarch. On the beautiful grounds in the famous temple block, in Salt Lake City, Utah, on June 27, 1911, were erected life-size statues in bronze, of Joseph Smith the prophet and his brother Hyrum. There was no special unveiling ceremony, owing to the unexpected absence of President Joseph F. Smith in Washington, D. C. The pedestals are of Utah granite, the base of each being five feet ten inches by four feet, and one foot four inches high; and the die, four feet four inches, by two feet six inches, three feet high, making a total height of four feet four inches. The statues are from models by the artist Mahonri M. Young, son of the late Joseph Young, and formerly occupied the niches at the east entrances to the Holy Temple. They were placed in the open grounds that visitors might more easily see them, and be informed of the noble mission of the martyr brothers, by means of the inscriptions on the pedestals. The inscription plates were cast by Winslow Brothers of Chicago, and with the granite blocks were placed in position under the personal supervision of Nephi L. Morris, of Elias Morris & Sons, Salt Lake City. The letters are block-type with polished face and brushed background, legible and clear, making the words easily readable. Text on the plate of the Hyrum Statue: HYRUM SMITH The Patriarch and a witness of the Book of Mormon. An elder brother and the steadfast friend and counselor of Joseph Smith, the Prophet. Born at Tunbridge, Vermont, February 9th, 1800; suffered martyrdom with the Prophet at Carthage, Illinois, on the 27th of June, 1844. The friendship of the brothers Hyrum and Joseph Smith is foremost among the few great friendships of the world's history. Their names will be classed among the martyrs for religion. The Book of Mormon—the plates of which Hyrum Smith both saw and handled; the revelations in the book of Doctrine and Covenants; the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints—these, to bring them forth for the salvation of the world, cost the best blood of the 19th century. "I could pray in my heart that all men were like my brother Hyrum, who possesses the mildness of a lamb and the integrity of Job; and, in short, the meekness and humility of Christ. I love him with that love that is stronger than death."—Joseph smith. "If ever there was an exemplary, honest and virtuous man, the embodiment of all that is noble in the human form, Hyrum Smith was the representative."—President John Taylor. As he shared in the labors, so does he share in the honor and glory of the new dispensation with his prophet brother. In life they were not divided; in death they were not separated; in glory they are one. The front plate of the Joseph Statue: JOSEPH SMITH The Prophet of the new dispensation of the gospel of Jesus Christ our Lord. He was born at Sharon, Vermont, on the 23rd of December, 1805; and suffered martyrdom for the word of God and the testimony of Jesus at Carthage, Illinois, on the 27th of June, 1844. HIS VISION OF GOD I saw two personages whose glory and brightness defy all description. One of them spake unto me and said: THIS IS MY BELOVED SON: HEAR HIM. I asked which of all the sects was right and which I should join. I was answered I must join none of them; they were all wrong; they teach for doctrine the commandments of men; I received a promise that the fulness of the gospel would at some future time be made known to me. THE BOOK OF MORMON This book was revealed to him, and he translated it by the gift and power of God. It is an inspired history of ancient America, and contains the fulness of the gospel. It is the American Testament of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. THE ORGANIZATION OF THE CHURCH Joseph Smith received divine authority through the ministration of angels to teach the gospel and administer the ordinances thereof. He established again in the earth the Church of Jesus Christ, organizing it by the will and commandment of God on the 6th day of April, 1830. He also received commission to gather Israel and establish Zion on this land of America; to erect temples and perform all ordinances therein both for the living and the dead; and prepare the way for the glorious coming of the Lord Jesus Christ to reign on earth. The back plate of the statue of the Prophet reads: TRUTH-GEMS From the Teachings of Joseph Smith. The glory of God is intelligence. It is impossible for a man to be saved in ignorance. Whatever principle of intelligence we attain unto in this life will rise with us in the resurrection. There is a law irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated; and when we obtain any blessing from God it is by obedience to that law on which it is predicated. This is the work and glory of God: to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man. Adam fell that man might be; and men are that they might have joy. The intelligence of spirits had no beginning, neither will it have an end. Jesus was in the beginning with the Father: man was also in the beginning with God. Intelligence, or the light oi truth was not created or made, neither indeed can be. The spirit and body is the soul of man; and the resurrection from the dead is the redemption of the soul. "It is the first principle of the Gospel to know for a certainty the character of God; and to know that man, (as Moses), may converse with Him as one man converses with another." The pedestal art work is rugged and bold, typifying the robust types of manhood which characterized the brothers. That these memorials are thus erected in the metropolis of the great western commonwealth, in such surroundings—the temple, the tabernacle, lovely lawns, flowers, fountains, music, houses of worship, the great buildings, the city itself, the hundreds of prosperous towns, cities and settlements of the West,—is the fulfilment in itself of the famous utterance of the prophet just before his martyrdom: "The Saints shall become a mighty people in the midst of the Rocky Mountains." Tens of thousands of strangers from all parts of the world annually visit the grounds, and hundreds of thousands will here read the Prophet's messages of salvation.—Edward H. Anderson. |
HYRUM SMITH, THE PATRIARCH.
"Blessed is my servant, Hyrum Smith, for I, the Lord, love him because of the integrity of his heart, and because he loveth that which is right before me, saith the Lord. * * * * I give unto you Hyrum Smith, to be a Patriarch unto you, to hold the sealing blessings of my Church, even the Holy Spirit of promise, whereby ye are sealed up unto the day of redemption, that ye may not fall, notwithstanding the hour of temptation that may come upon you."— (Doctrine and Covenants.) JOSEPH SMITH, THE PROPHET.
"Thou shalt he called a seer, a translator, a prophet, an apostle of Jesus Christ, an elder of the Church through the will of God the Father, and the grace of your Lord, Jesus Christ, being inspired of the Holy Ghost to lay the foundation thereof, and to build it up unto the most holy faith, which church was organized and established in the year of our Lord eighteen hundred and thirty, on the sixth day of April."— (Doctrine and Covenants.) |
"Extracts from a Sermon by Patriarch Hyrum Smith Delivered in Nauvoo October, 1842." Young Woman's Journal. January 1917. pg. 58-59.
Extracts from a Sermon by Patriarch Hyrum Smith Delivered in Nauvoo October, 1842.
“ ‘Everything has become degenerated from what it was in its primitive state. God made man pure, but he has found out many inventions’; his vices have become innumerable, and his diseases multiplied ; his taste has become vitiated, and his judgment impaired; he has fallen, fallen, fallen from that dignified state that he once occupied on the earth, and it needs a restorative that man has not in his possession—wisdom which is beyond the reach of human, intellect—and power which human philosophy, talent, and ingenuity cannot control. * * * He knows what course to pursue to restore mankind to their pristine excellency, and primitive vigor and health; and He has appointed the word of wisdom as one of the engines to bring about this thing. * * *
“ ‘We are told, by some, that circumstances alter the revelations of God.
“ ‘Tell me what circumstance would alter the ten commandments—they were given by revelation— given as a law to the children of Israel? Who has a right to alter that law? Some think that they are too small for us to notice: they are not too small for God to notice; and have we got so high * * * * * that we cannot condescend to notice things that God has ordained for our benefit? or have we got so weak that we are not fit to be called Saints? for the word of wisdom is adapted to the capacity of all that ‘are or can be called Saints.’ Listen not to the teaching of any man, or any elder who says the word of wisdom is of no moment; for such a man will be eventually overthrown. These are principles that I have always acted upon—that I have always practiced ; and they are what my family practices; they are what Brother Hyrum has always contended for, and what I now contend for; and I know that nothing but an unwavering course can save a man in the Kingdom of God.’ Speaking of the use of tobacco, he says:
“‘God will not prosper the man who uses it. And again, “Hot drinks are not for the body or belly:” there are many who wonder what this can mean, whether it refers to tea or coffee, or not. I say it does refer to tea and coffee. * * * Let these things be adhered to—let the Saints be wise— let us lay aside our folly and abide by the commandments of God, so shall we be blessed of the great Jehovah in time and in eternity; we shall be healthy, strong, and vigorous we shall be enabled to resist disease, and wisdom shall crown our councils, and our bodies will become strong and powerful; our progeny will become mighty, and will rise up and call us blessed; the daughters of Zion will be beautiful, and her sons the joy of the whole earth.’ Thus spake the man of God, fired with heavenly, holy zeal for the welfare of the Saints of the Most High who were assembled around him in breathless silence listening to the gracious words that fell from his lips.”[1]
[1] Millennial Star, Vol. 3, page 97.
Extracts from a Sermon by Patriarch Hyrum Smith Delivered in Nauvoo October, 1842.
“ ‘Everything has become degenerated from what it was in its primitive state. God made man pure, but he has found out many inventions’; his vices have become innumerable, and his diseases multiplied ; his taste has become vitiated, and his judgment impaired; he has fallen, fallen, fallen from that dignified state that he once occupied on the earth, and it needs a restorative that man has not in his possession—wisdom which is beyond the reach of human, intellect—and power which human philosophy, talent, and ingenuity cannot control. * * * He knows what course to pursue to restore mankind to their pristine excellency, and primitive vigor and health; and He has appointed the word of wisdom as one of the engines to bring about this thing. * * *
“ ‘We are told, by some, that circumstances alter the revelations of God.
“ ‘Tell me what circumstance would alter the ten commandments—they were given by revelation— given as a law to the children of Israel? Who has a right to alter that law? Some think that they are too small for us to notice: they are not too small for God to notice; and have we got so high * * * * * that we cannot condescend to notice things that God has ordained for our benefit? or have we got so weak that we are not fit to be called Saints? for the word of wisdom is adapted to the capacity of all that ‘are or can be called Saints.’ Listen not to the teaching of any man, or any elder who says the word of wisdom is of no moment; for such a man will be eventually overthrown. These are principles that I have always acted upon—that I have always practiced ; and they are what my family practices; they are what Brother Hyrum has always contended for, and what I now contend for; and I know that nothing but an unwavering course can save a man in the Kingdom of God.’ Speaking of the use of tobacco, he says:
“‘God will not prosper the man who uses it. And again, “Hot drinks are not for the body or belly:” there are many who wonder what this can mean, whether it refers to tea or coffee, or not. I say it does refer to tea and coffee. * * * Let these things be adhered to—let the Saints be wise— let us lay aside our folly and abide by the commandments of God, so shall we be blessed of the great Jehovah in time and in eternity; we shall be healthy, strong, and vigorous we shall be enabled to resist disease, and wisdom shall crown our councils, and our bodies will become strong and powerful; our progeny will become mighty, and will rise up and call us blessed; the daughters of Zion will be beautiful, and her sons the joy of the whole earth.’ Thus spake the man of God, fired with heavenly, holy zeal for the welfare of the Saints of the Most High who were assembled around him in breathless silence listening to the gracious words that fell from his lips.”[1]
[1] Millennial Star, Vol. 3, page 97.
Horne, Flora B. "True Pioneer Stores - The Martyred Patriarch Hyrum Smith." Juvenile Instructor. February 1919. pg. 71-73.
TRUE PIONEER STORIES Contributed by Daughters of Utah Pioneers The Martyred Patriarch Hyrum Smith By Flora B. Home "I could pray in my heart that all men were like my brother Hyrum, who possesses the mildness of a lamb and the integrity of Job; and, in short, the meekness and humility of Christ. I love him with that love that is stronger than death."—Joseph Smith, the Prophet. It was a happy day for Joseph and Lucy Mack Smith when baby Hyrum came to their home. It was on the ninth of February, 1800, when they lived on a farm near Tunbridge, Vermont. Of course, all babies are just lovely, but little Hyrum had such a great and noble spirit given him by his Heavenly Father. His earthly parents were choice, too. They lived the Gospel of Christ the best they knew. Alvin was so pleased with his new baby brother and loved him harder than mother desired, at times. Little did Joseph and Lucy Smith realize they were to rear the Prophets of the Lord; but, I guess, the Lord knew where to send them. While they were not surrounded with wealth, they had something far more valuable—the influence and power of God to protect and direct them. In those days, the Bible lesson was as necessary as their daily meals. Hyrum grew up with this sweet spirit of love and humility that always marked his later years. While poverty deprived him of much school education, he made the most of his experiences and his study of the Scriptures. Every child of twelve years had read the Bible through, two or three times, and Hyrum was not behind the rest. This was over a hundred years ago when school books and the like were very scarce. Hyrum was quite young when he learned to help his father feed chickens, milk cows, hitch up the horses, and plant potatoes and corn and wheat. At the age of fifteen, Hyrum went with his father and family, to Palmyra, New York, to lease a farm. Four years later, they moved to another farm about five miles south, to the little town of Manchester. Here they struggled to clear the timber for planting. At odd moments, the felled trees were cut up for fuel. Can you imagine why Joseph and Lucy Mack Smith were prompted to settle in this section? Every Latter-day Saint knows. They were blessed with several choice children, seven boys and three girls; but Joseph, nearly six years younger than Hyrum, had the most responsible mission of them all. The religious revivals attracted the Smiths soon after arriving in Manchester. They knew the Bible so well, it was hard to decide which Church lived up to its teachings the best. Joseph could not be satisfied, so he went to the woods to pray to God, to know which was right. That prayer, in the woods, near Manchester, N. Y., by a clean, humble boy, opened up the light of Heaven to the world. There and then they learned that God is a Personage like His Son, Jesus Christ. Hyrum knew Joseph had seen a vision, because of his kindred spirit, and from that time recognized his younger brother as the mouth-piece of God. This was in the Spring of 1820. The ministers raved over Joseph's announcement of his experiences. When the Angel Moroni came to him, three years later, conveying the knowledge that the Hill Cumorah that rises between Palmyra and Manchester, contained sacred records of an Ancient people, and that "a great and marvelous work" was soon to be established, and many other things, Joseph was overjoyed, but avoided the ministers, this time. After four years of careful schooling by the Angel, on Sept. 22, 1823-7, Joseph was entrusted with the "Gold Plates," and Urim and Thummim, for the translation of the Book of Mormon. Hyrum worked all the harder, in order to free Joseph from farm work to take his great responsibility. He was not jealous of his favored brother. He thanked God for him. In May, 1829, Hyrum went down to Harmony, Pa., where Joseph, and his scribe, Oliver Cowdery, were translating the Book of Mormon, to get more information. He received a Revelation from the Lord, through his brother, Joseph, that was a marvel and a great comfort to him. Hyrum was one of the first to be baptized. He was one of the six members in the organization of the Church, Apr. 6, 1830, at the Whitmer home, in Fayette, N. Y. He was one of the eight witnesses permitted to handle the Gold Plates. He was one of Zion's Camp to go to aid the suffering Saints in Missouri, in 1834. When that deadly disease, the cholera, broke out in camp, Joseph and Hyrum were stricken while waiting upon others. They knelt together, even the third time, pleading with the Lord to heal them. While thus kneeling, Hyrum, in vision, saw his dear mother away oi? in Kirtland, Ohio, praying for her sons. They arose and were healed. Hyrum stood shoulder to shoulder to his Prophet brother, as a Counselor, as Presiding Patriarch, as persecuted Saint and prisoner in Liberty Jail, Missouri, as missionary, and as Martyr at Carthage, Ill. That dark and dreadful day can never be wiped from the memory of the Saints. It is an interesting fact, that just before leaving his home for Carthage, Hyrum was trying to quiet his premonitions, and again get solace and comfort from the scriptures. He read from the Book of Mormon, Ether, the 5th Chap., 4th verse (new paragraphing 12:36-41), where in part it says: "And it came to pass that I prayed unto the Lord that He would give unto the Gentiles grace, that they might have charity. And it came to pass that the Lord said unto me, if they have not charity, it mattereth not unto thee, thou hast been faithful; wherefore thy garments shall be made clean. And because thou hast seen thy weakness, thou shalt be made strong, even unto the sitting down in the place which I have prepared in the mansions of my Father. And now I, Moroni [how fitting to sav Hyrum] bid farewell unto the Gentiles, yea, and also unto my brethren whom I love, until we shall meet before the judgment seat of Christ," etc. Brother Hyrum pressed the corner of the leaf down at this place, as he solemnly closed the book. He died, a Martyr, June 27, 1844, with his brother Joseph, the Prophet. Truly, Hyrum was a great man—tall in stature, a giant in spirit, yet humble and innocent as a child—"for of such in the Kingdom of Heaven." |
Blanchard, Jerusha Walker. "Reminiscences of the Granddaughter of Hyrum Smith." Relief Society Magazine. January 1922. pg. 8-10.
Reminiscences of the Granddaughter of Hyrum Smith Written by Nellie Stary Bean JERUSHA WALKER BLANCHARD "You want me to tell you a story of pioneer days, dearie? Why, I'll be glad to do it." I sat down eagerly to hear the tale. "First, I'll tell you all my family history, then some interesting things about my childhood. As you know, I'm the oldest grand-daughter of Hyrum Smith, the martyred patriarch. My mother's name was Lovina Smith; and the memories of her sisters, Jerusha and Sarah, with Uncle John Smith, are dear to me now. How I loved my dear Uncle John Smith, the Patriarch, who always met me with a smile and a kiss! "The Prophet Joseph and Aunt Emma were very fond of children and so, besides their own family of four boys and one adopted daughter, Julia, who married John R. Murdock, they reared my father, Loren Walker, and his sister, Lucy Walker. Father and mother were playmates together, grew to manhood and womanhood and finally married. My mother was very young to marry, but both the Patriarch Hyrum, her father, and the Prophet Joseph, her uncle, felt that their time was near at hand and they desired that Lovina should have a male protector as her mother had died some years before. At the time of my grandmother Jerusha Bardon Smith's death my grandfather, Hyrum, was on a mission. In due time therefore he brought Mary Fielding Smith home to brighten his life and to care for his motherless children, and she was the mother of the late Joseph Fielding Smith, and Martha A. Smith Harris. "On the 23rd of June, 1844, my father and mother, Loren Walker and Lovina Smith were married by the justice of the peace. Some time later, they received their endowments and were married in the Nauvoo temple; only four days later than the marriage, on the 27th of June, Joseph and Hyrum were martyred in Carthage jail. "On July 6, 1849, I came to their home and received the name of Jerusha Walker. When I was three years old we moved from Nauvoo to Macedonia, Hancock county, and lived there three or four years. Often times Aunt Emma would send for us in the carriage and we would drive to her home to spend a few days with her and with great-grandmother, Lucy Mack Smith, who was a little old lady suffering from rheumatism. ''What fun we had with Aunt Emma's boys, Joseph, Frederick, Alexander and David. How we raced through the house playing hide and seek. My favorite hiding place was in an old wardrobe which contained the mummies, and it was in here that I would creep while the others searched the house. There were three mummies: The old Egyptian king, the queen and their daughter. The bodies were wrapped in seven layers of linen cut in thin strips. In the arms of the Old King, lay the roll of papyrus from which our prophet translated the Book of Abraham. "After leaving Macedonia we moved to Iowa City where I well remember seeing the first handcart company leave for the Valleys of the Mountains. It was here that we received news of my grandmother, Lucy Mack Smith's, death. She nearly reached the century mark and she was glad to rest. "While at Iowa City my uncle, William Walker, had charge of all the cattle of the immigrants and also the wagons; so we moved on to Florence, Nebraska, or Winter-quarters, as it was called, passing on the journey many graves of faithful Saints who had failed to reach their goal. Father located us down on the Missouri bottom where the feed was plentiful for the cattle. Father and Uncle William cut and stacked the hay for winter. After this was completed they built our house. Two rows of poles parallel to each other and about two feet apart were driven in the ground and willows were woven in and out, forming a double wall. The space between was filled with dirt and the roof was also of willows and dirt. Just a few feet from our door was a deep ravine with a tiny stream flowing along the bottom. This stood us in very good stead, one time, and this is the way it happened: "One day the stage coach was passing along, and a man carelessly tossed his cigarette away and passed on, little thinking of the damage he had done. Soon the dry grass blazed and we were in the midst of a terrible prairie fire. The grass was nearly as tall as the willows and burned like chaff. Flames pursued flames and came together with a clap like thunder. Father hurried us down to the little creek and placed us under the over-hanging bank with wet quilts protecting us from the heat. The flames sped on and reached the very banks of the creek, sparks fell to the other side and the demon fire sped on. All winter it smoldered in the grass and willows along that river. Oh! dearie me, how careless some folks are. "In 1857, Uncle John Smith Who had acted as a scout across the plains, came for my mother and they went back to visit Aunt Emma. What a dear, sweet woman she was, and though she made serious mistakes, yet how many of us, if placed in her position, would have done any better? None of her children, and only one granddaughter, remained true to the faith. "In 1860, we started for the Land of Promise with fifteen or twenty wagons. Karl G. Maeser, with his wife and sister-in-law, were in our company. Of course, we had some minor troubles, such as stampedes and Indian scares, but only two serious accidents marred our journey. My sister fell from the wagon and sustained injuries which caused her to be a cripple all her life. My brother was accidentally shot in the arm, and it was necessary for my mother. Uncle John and Dr. John Hershey, to proceed to Salt Lake without the rest of the company. We arrived in two weeks after leaving the Ferry on Green river, where the accident occurred; my brother was able to greet us as we arrived. "Did I see any hardships? Oh, yes; many times the grasshoppers were so thick as to hide the sun, and the Indians were often troublesome. We were trained in the school of hard experience and we had few hours for play. But what of the gay times I have had at our parties? With home-made shoes, a dress made from wool carded by father, or perhaps a calico gown, I felt like a queen; and when we sat down to a dinner of whole roasted pig and service-berry sauce, my heart overflowed with happiness. Perhaps my sparkling eyes attracted Brother Blanchard, for it wasn't long until I answered 'yes.' We are the proud parents of eleven children, and twenty-eight greatgrandchildren, and forty-two grandchildren. Ah! they are good children and love their mother, which repays any privation I may have suffered as a pioneer. What a glorious gospel, dear Uncle Joseph proclaimed to the world, and how thankful I am to be a member of the Relief Society, in Le Grande ward, Union stake, where I hope to work for my own and others' welfare." |
JERUSHA W. BLANCHARD
|
Smith, Joseph Fielding. "Hyrum Smith - A Tribute." Improvement Era. February 1933. pg. 200-201.
Hyrum Smith A Tribute by Joseph Fielding Smith "And again, verily I say unto you, blessed is my servant Hyrum Smith, for I, the Lord, love him because of the integrity of his heart, and because he loveth that which is right before me, saith the Lord."—D. and C. 124: 15. WHO would not be happy to have such a tribute of confidence and praise given him, and coming from the Lord ? Hyrum Smith was among the first baptized in this dispensation. Through his life he stood by the side of his brother Joseph and strengthened him by encouragement, faith and devoted love. Hyrum was a man of wonderful tenderness of heart. He possessed deep humility and loved his brother better than he loved his own life. This is shown in his death through which he obtained a martyr's crown. He was fearless in his defense of truth. Verily he "loved that which is right." Hyrum Smith was born on the ninth day of February, 1800, and was nearly six years the senior of the Prophet. No honor came to Joseph Smith that was not shared by Hyrum who rejoiced with his brother in all the blessings the Lord bestowed upon him. This same quality of brotherly love was shown by the Prophet Joseph for his brother Hyrum. They passed through the same sorrows and joys together. The same persecutions descended upon them both. They shared the same dungeons for. the Gospel's sake, and when the time came for the sealing of their testimony, they shared together the crown of martyrdom. "In life they were not divided, and in death they were not separated." Together they held the keys of the dispensation of the Fulness of Times, and the sealing of the testimony would not have been complete had Joseph died alone. They filled the measure of divine law requiring two witnesses for truth, in their martyrdom, and they died that they "might be honored, and the wicked might be condemned." This is a merited tribute from the Prophet: "Brother Hyrum, what a faithful heart you have got! Oh may the Eternal Jehovah crown eternal blessings upon your head, as a reward for the care you have had for my soul! Oh how many are the sorrows we have shared together; and again we find ourselves shackled with the unrelenting hand of oppression. Hyrum, thy name shall be written in the book of the Law of the Lord, for those who come after thee to look upon, that they may pattern after thy works." Again the Prophet said: "I could pray in my heart that all my brethren were like unto my beloved brother Hyrum, who possesses the mildness of a lamb, and the integrity of a Job, and in short, the meekness and humility of Christ and I love him with that love that is stronger than death, for I never had occasion to rebuke him, nor he me, which he declared when he left me today." It is, no doubt, because of this love and integrity, that the Lord conferred upon Hyrum Smith—in addition to the honor of the Patriarchal Priesthood held by his father—the following everlasting blessing: "And from this time forth I appoint unto him that he may be a prophet, and a seer, and a revelator unto my church, as well as my servant Joseph; that he may act in concert also with my servant Joseph; and that he shall receive counsel from my servant Joseph, who shall show unto him the keys whereby he may ask and receive, and be crowned with the same blessing, and glory, and honor, and priesthood, and gifts of the priesthood, that once were put upon him that was my servant Oliver Cowdery. That my servant Hyrum may bear record of the things which I shall show unto him, that his name may be had in honorable remembrance from generation to generation forever and ever." It is very evident from this promise given by the Lord to Hyrum Smith that he had opened to his vision the wonders of eternity and beheld the glory, honor and power which once had been given to Oliver Cowdery. This was necessary in the great plan of the Lord that his work might be fully accomplished. Hyrum Smith was not fully qualified as the special witness for Christ with his younger brother, until this vision and these keys and powers had been given to him; that he received them in full, we have no reason to doubt, but every reason to believe, for the word of the Lord does not fail. |
"Hyrum Smith's Book of Mormon." Improvement Era. June 1934. pg. 329.
ON June 27, 1844, Patriarch Hyrum Smith, the man who turned down the corner of this page pictured here and who owned the book, together with his brother, President Joseph Smith, was slain in Carthage Jail. The signatures shown in the little book ought to be of interest to hundreds of people. Nine of those who left their testimony by means of their signatures are now dead. |
Anderson, Arthur S. "Little Deeds from Big Lives - Flanked by His Family - "Blessed Is My Servant Hyrum"." Instructor. December 1956. pg. 362.
Little Deeds from Big Lives Flanked by His Family Compiled by Arthur S. Anderson "Blessed Is My Servant Hyrum . . ."[1] WHEN the Prophet, as a young boy, lay ill with an infected leg, Hyrum, his brother, sat at his bedside day and night holding the infected portion of the leg in his hand in an attempt to reduce the excruciating pain. This is typical of the way in which Hyrum stood by his brother, Joseph, during the entire time of his ministry. Hyrum was seldom away from his brother's side. Although he had ample opportunity to avoid the "death trap" set for the Prophet in Carthage, III, Hyrum chose to stay with Joseph to the end. Hyrum's faithfulness, integrity and loyalty were recognized by the Almighty in a revelation calling Hyrum to be the chief patriarch of the Church.' The Lord said of him: "Blessed is my servant Hyrum Smith; for I, the Lord, love him because of the integrity of his heart, and because he loveth that which is right before me. . . ." (Doctrine and Covenants 124:15.) [1] Material from Life of Joseph F. Smith by Joseph Fielding Smith, page 40. |
Patrick, Edith Smith. "They Stand Side by Side." Instructor. February 1965. pg. 55.
THEY STAND SIDE BY SIDE[1] This story is one of brotherly love, a love almost superhuman and divine. Hyrum and Joseph Smith, two little boys in a small, humble home, not only loved each other dearly; but they also loved their other brothers and sisters, as well as their parents, as God intended His children to do. Hyrum was outstanding and remarkable for his tenderness and sympathy. Everyone who had the pleasure of knowing him noticed this wonderful characteristic. When Joseph as a little boy was taken seriously ill, it was his brother Hyrum, he wanted with him. His mother became ill under the strain and was ordered to rest. Hyrum took her place by the side of the suffering, little brother. He held Joseph's affected leg in his arms night and day for over a week. When Joseph was better, Hyrum helped him in his play and work and taught him when it was study time. Problems which always arise in youth were freely discussed by these two brothers. They learned early in life to trust each other. Their love grew with the years which brought many hardships and trying experiences. When, as a young man, Joseph was chosen by the Lord to restore the Gospel and lead the Latter-day Saints, his elder brother and his father were the first ones to hear the message. The older brother, so unlike the brothers of Joseph of the Old Testament, accepted the message and was glad. In May, 1829, the Prophet Joseph received a revelation through the Urim and Thummim directing Hyrum as to his life's work. (Doctrine and Covenants 11.) Following this, the biographer says: "There was no doubt left in Hyrum's mind as to the truth of God's work. He pondered over and over the things the Lord had told him. . . ."[2] Later he experienced the great joy of being one of the Eight Witnesses who saw the plates of the Book of Mormon: "To Hyrum it was a never-to-be forgotten occasion; before the eight witnesses stood Joseph, his brother, so young; and yet it was with the power and authority of a seer that he spoke. As Hyrum listened, a spirit of peace and joy came over him; and it seemed that he was experiencing a foretaste of heaven "[3] Hyrum stood by Joseph when practically everyone else doubted him. Hyrum encouraged Joseph and advised and helped him with great problems, as he had done in childhood days. Joseph always appreciated this help and held valuable all counsel from Hyrum. In August, 1842, he wrote: "... Brother Hyrum, what a faithful heart you have got! Oh may the Eternal Jehovah crown eternal blessings upon your head, as a reward for the care you have had for my soul! how many are the sorrows we have shared together; and again we find ourselves shackled by the unrelenting hand of oppression. Hyrum, thy name shall be written in the book of the law of the Lord, for those who come after thee to look upon, that they may pattern after thy works."[4] Hyrum was not only accepted by the Prophet, but by God Himself. Many times in revelations God expressed His love and thankfulness for the work of Hyrum, one of God's truest, chosen spirits. The following revelation was given to Joseph Smith: "And from this time forth I appoint unto him [Hyrum] that he may be a prophet, and a seer, and a revelator unto my church, as well as my servant Joseph. . . . That my servant Hyrum may bear record of the things which I shall show unto him, that his name may be had in honorable remembrance from generation to generation, forever and ever." (Doctrine and Covenants 124:94, 96.) These two brothers fought together for the right. They stood side by side in trials beyond our understanding; and even when death was inevitable, the love which bound them together in life held fast and carried them together into the Kingdom of God. —Edith Smith Patrick.[5] Library File Reference: Smith, Hyrum. [1] (For Course 5, lesson of April 11, "A Special Person"; for Course 9, lesson of April 11, "A Leader Is Loyal"; and for general use of Courses 11 and 29.) [2] Pearson H. Corbett, Hyrum Smith, Patriarch; Deseret Book Company, Salt Lake City, Utah, 1963; page 49. [3] Pearson H. Corbett, Hyrum Smith, Patriarch, page 53. [4] Joseph Smith, History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Volume 5; Deseret News, Salt Lake City, Utah, 1909; pages 107, 108. [5] Sister Edith Smith Patrick, wife of William T. Patrick, is the daughter of President Joseph F. Smith and a granddaughter of Hyrum Smith. In addition to being a housewife and a Church worker, she is the mother of four and the grandmother of 18. She has recently been released from 20 years of service on the General Board of the Primary Association. |
Joseph Smith
Hyrum Smith
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