Children of Joseph Smith

The children of Joseph Smith Jr., the founder of the Latter Day Saint movement, and his wife Emma Smith, are historically significant because of their roles in establishing and leading the Latter Day Saint Movement, which includes The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (RLDS Church, now called Community of Christ), The Church of Jesus Christ (Bickertonite), the Church of Christ (Temple Lot) and several other sects. Several Latter Day Saint sects, including the RLDS, believed that leadership of the church would flow through lineal succession of Smith's descendants. In 1860, Joseph Smith III became its prophet and president of the RLDS Church, although they no longer adhere to this practice. The larger LDS Church did not follow that practice, and it was led after Joseph Smith's death by Brigham Young.

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Joseph Smith publicly condemned polygamy,[1][2][3][4] but there is ample evidence that Smith both taught in its favor and practiced it, and had a number of wives sealed to him. "The number of Smith's polygamous offspring is a bit of a mystery." Several women later testified that they were wives in the full sense of the word. Emily D. P. Partidge said she 'roomed' with him, and Melissa Lott Willes testified that she was his wife 'in very deed.' Though there were allegations of paternity in some of these polygamous marriages, ongoing genetic research of descendants of these plural marriages have been negative. This list names the nine biological children of Emma and Joseph Smith, four of whom survived to adulthood, and the two children they adopted.[5][6][7][8]

Joseph and Emma Hale Smith family
Child Lifespan Notes
Alvin SmithJune 15, 1828 – June 15, 1828Born with un-described birth defects[9]
Thaddeus SmithApril 30, 1831 – April 30, 1831Twin of Louisa, premature, died within a few hours of their birth[9]
Louisa SmithApril 30, 1831 – April 30, 1831Twin of Thaddeus, premature, died within a few hours of their birth[9]
Joseph Smith Murdock*April 30, 1831 – March 29, 1832 (age 10 months)*Adopted. Twin of Julia, birth son of Julia Clapp Murdock and John Murdock who upon his wife's death in childbirth gave the infants to the Smiths for adoption. Died from exposure (many accounts say pneumonia) following a mob attack on the Smith home on the night of March 24, 1832.[10]
Julia Murdock Smith*(1831-04-30)April 30, 1831 – September 12, 1880(1880-09-12) (aged 49)*Adopted. Twin of Joseph, birth daughter of Julia Clapp Murdock and John Murdock
Joseph Smith III(1832-11-06)November 6, 1832 – December 10, 1914(1914-12-10) (aged 82)Prophet-President of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (RLDS), opponent of polygamy
Frederick Granger Williams Smith(1836-06-20)June 20, 1836 – April 13, 1862(1862-04-13) (aged 25)Frederick married Anna Marie Jones on November 13, 1857. On November 27, 1858, a daughter, Alice Fredericka Smith, was born in Nauvoo. Alice never had any children.[11]
Alexander Hale Smith(1838-06-02)June 2, 1838 – August 12, 1909(1909-08-12) (aged 71)Senior leader of the RLDS Church, opponent of polygamy
Don Carlos SmithJune 13, 1840 – September 15, 1841 (age 14 months)
Male childFebruary 6, 1842 – February 6, 1842Stillborn
David Hyrum Smith(1844-11-17)November 17, 1844 – August 29, 1904(1904-08-29) (aged 59)born after Smith's death, active in the RLDS Church, opponent of polygamy

See also

Notes
  1. Whitmer 1887
  2. Times and Seasons, Volume 5, page 474
  3. Times and Seasons, Volume 5, page 423
  4. The Latter-Day Saints' Millennial Star 4 [January 1844]: 144
  5. Ugo A. Perego, Natalie M. Myers, and Scott R. Woodward, “Reconstructing the Y-Chromosome of Joseph Smith Jr.: Genealogical Applications, Journal of Mormon History Vol. 32, No. 2 (Summer 2005) 70-88.
  6. "Research focuses on Smith family". Deseret News. 2005-05-28.
  7. "DNA tests rule out 2 as Smith descendants: Scientific advances prove no genetic link". Deseret News. 2007-11-10.
  8. Moore, C. DNA tests rules out 2 as Smith descendants, Mormon Times, November 12, 2007
  9. Jones, Gracia (June 10, 2009). "Emma's Lost Infants". The Joseph Smith Jr. and Emma Hale Smith Historical Society. Retrieved January 3, 2012.
  10. Newell, Linda King; Avery, Valeen Tippetts (1984), Mormon Enigma: Emma Hale Smith, Prophet's Wife, "Elect Lady," Polygamy's Foe, Garden City, NY: Doubleday, ISBN 0-252-02399-4
  11. Jones, Gracia (December 11, 2009). "Children of Joseph and Emma: Frederick Granger Williams Smith". The Joseph Smith Jr. and Emma Hale Smith Historical Society. Retrieved October 3, 2011.
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