Boyhood of Joseph Smith
1805-1820
The Birth of Joseph Smith, the Prophet
Joseph Smith, son of Asael, was born in Topsfield, July 12, 1771. Near
the close of the eighteenth century he was residing in Tunbridge,
Vermont, where he owned a good farm and engaged in tilling the soil.
It was here he met Lucy Mack, daughter of Solomon Mack, of Gilsum, who
later became his wife. She was visiting in Tunbridge with her brother
Stephen, who at that time was a resident of Tunbridge. Joseph Smith,
after his marriage, continued to reside in Tunbridge for about six
years. In 1802 he rented his farm and moved to Randolph, to engage in
the mercantile business. Later he sold his farm in Tunbridge and moved
to Royalton, then to Sharon, Windsor County, where their son Joseph was
born, Dec. 23, 1805. In 1811 the Smith family moved from Vermont to
Lebanon, New Hampshire, just over the border line, where they intended
to settle down "and began to contemplate, with joy and satisfaction"
the prosperity which had attended their exertions. They were desirous,
as most parents are, to provide comfortably for their children and give
them the advantages of an education. Of this desire the Joseph Smith
mother writes:
Early Struggles of the Smiths
"As our children had, in a great measure, been debarred from the
privilege of schools, we began to make every arrangement to attend
to this important duty. We established our second son, Hyrum, in an
academy at Hanover; and the rest, that were of sufficient age, we were
sending to a common school that was quite convenient; meanwhile myself
and companion were doing all that our abilities would admit of for the
future welfare and advantage of the family; and were greatly blessed in
our labors."
These desires, however, were rudely shattered, for an epidemic of
typhus fever passed over the land and all the Smith children were
sorely afflicted. The oldest daughter, Sophronia, lay for a long time
nigh unto death, and was saved only by Divine providence in answer to
prayer. Joseph recovered from the fever after an illness of two weeks,
but was left suffering with extreme pain in his shoulder which was
first treated as the result of a sprain, but later developments proved
it to be from another cause. A bag of pus had formed which had to be
lanced. The description of his suffering is very vividly told by his
mother in the following words:
Serious Affliction of Joseph Smith
"As soon as the sore had discharged itself, the pain left it, and shot
like lightning (using his own terms) down his side into the marrow of
the bone of his leg, and soon became very severe. My poor boy, at this,
was almost in despair, and he cried out, 'Oh, father, the pain is so
severe, how can I bear it!'
"His leg soon began to swell, and he continued to suffer the greatest
agony for the space of two weeks longer. During this period I carried
him much of the time in my arms in order to mitigate his suffering
as much as possible; in consequence of which I was taken very ill
myself. The anxiety of mind that I experienced, together with physical
over-exertion, was too much for my constitution, and my nature sank
under it.
Tenderness of Hyrum Smith
"Hyrum who was rather remarkable for his tenderness and sympathy, now
desired that he might take my place, as he was a good, trusty boy
we let him do so; and, in order to make the task as easy for him as
possible, we laid Joseph upon a low bed, and Hyrum sat beside him,
almost day and night, for some considerable length of time, holding the
affected part of his leg in his hands, and pressing it between them so
that his afflicted brother might be enabled to endure the pain, which
was so excruciating that he was scarcely able to bear it.
Surgical Aid Sought
"At the end of three weeks, we thought it advisable to send again for
the surgeon. When he came, he made an incision of eight inches on the
front side of the leg, between the knee and ankle. This relieved the
pain in a great measure, and the patient was quite comfortable until
the wound began to heal, when the pain became as violent as ever.
"The surgeon was called again, and he this time enlarged the wound,
cutting the leg even to the bone. It commenced healing the second time,
and as soon as it began to heal, it also began to swell again, which
swelling continued to rise till we deemed it wisdom to call a council
of surgeons; and when they met in consultation, they decided that
amputation was the only remedy.
A Council Held
"Soon after coming to this conclusion, they rode up to the door, and
were invited into a room, apart from the one in which Joseph lay. They
being seated, I addressed them thus: 'Gentlemen, what can you do to
save my boy's leg?' They answered, 'We can do nothing; we have cut it
open to the bone, and find it so affected that we consider his leg
incurable, and that amputation is absolutely necessary in order to save
his life.'
"This was like a thunderbolt to me. I appealed to the principal
surgeon, saying, 'Dr. Stone, can you not make another trial? Can you
not, by cutting around the bone, take out the diseased part, and
perhaps that which is sound will heal over, and by this means you will
save his leg? You will not, you must not, take off his leg until you
try once more. I will not consent to let you enter his room until you
make me this promise.'
"After consulting a short time with each other, they agreed to do as I
had requested, then went to see my suffering son. One of the doctors,
on approaching his bed, said, 'My poor boy, we have come again.' 'Yes,'
said Joseph, 'I see you have; but you have not come to take off my leg,
have you, sir?' 'No,' replied the surgeon, 'It is your mother's request
that we make one more effort, and that is what we have now come for.'
"The principal surgeon, after a moment's conversation, ordered cords
to be brought to bind Joseph fast to the bedstead; but to this Joseph
objected. The doctor, however, insisted that he must be confined, upon
which Joseph said very decidedly, 'No, doctor, I will not be bound, for
I can bear the operation much better if I have my liberty.' 'Then,'
said Dr. Stone, 'will you drink some brandy?'
"'No,' said Joseph, 'not one drop.'
"'Will you take some wine?' rejoined the doctor. 'You must take
something, or you can never endure the severe operation to which you
must be subjected.'
"'No,' exclaimed Joseph, 'I will not touch one particle of liquor,
neither will I be tied down; but I will tell you what I will do--I
will have my father sit on the bed and hold me in his arms, and then
I will do whatever is necessary in order to have the bone taken out.'
Looking at me, he said, 'Mother, I want you to leave the room, for I
know you cannot bear to see me suffer so; father can stand it, but you
have carried me so much, and watched over me so long, you are almost
worn out.' Then looking up into my face, his eyes swimming in tears, he
continued, 'Now, mother, promise me that you will not stay, will you?
The Lord will help me, and I shall get through with it.'
"To this request I consented, and getting a number of folded sheets,
and laying them under his leg, I retired, going several hundred yards
from the house in order to be out of hearing.
The Operation
"The surgeons commenced operating by boring into the bone of his leg,
first on one side of the bone where it was affected, then on the other
side, after which they broke it off with a pair of forceps or pincers.
They thus took away large pieces of the bone. When they broke off the
first piece, Joseph screamed out so loudly, that I could not forbear
running to him. On my entering the room, he cried out, 'Oh, mother, go
back, go back; I do not want you to come in--I will try to tough it
out, if you will go away.' . . .
"I was immediately forced from the room, and detained until the
operation was complete; but when the act was accomplished, Joseph
put upon a clean bed, the room cleaned of every appearance of blood,
and the instruments which were used in the operation removed, I was
permitted again to enter.
He is Healed
"Joseph immediately commenced getting better, and from this onward
continued to mend until he became strong and healthy. When he had so
far recovered as to be able to travel, he went with his uncle, Jesse
Smith, to Salem, for the benefit of his health, hoping the sea breezes
would be of service to him, and in this he was not disappointed."
Removal to New York
Continued sickness pursued the family for a year; this, together with
three successive years of crop failure, placed the family in rather
straitened circumstances. So discouraged did they become that the
decision was reached to move to the milder climate and more fertile
region of western New York, where there would be a better opportunity
to retrieve their fortunes.
As soon as arrangements could be made and obligations settled, Joseph
Smith and family moved to Palmyra, New York, a distance of about three
hundred miles from their home in New Hampshire. The members of the
family now counseled together relative to the course they should adopt.
It was finally decided to purchase about one hundred acres of land,
situated about two miles south of Palmyra on the border of Manchester
township. It should be remembered that western New York, at that time,
was sparsely settled. Ohio, Michigan and Illinois were still largely
in a state of wilderness, and beyond the great "Father of Waters" lay
a vast country scarcely known. More than ten years later Missouri was
spoken of by the Lord to Joseph Smith, in a revelation as being on the
"borders of the Lamanites."[1]
The Purchase of a Home
At the time of the removal to Palmyra, two of the boys, Alvin and
Hyrum, were able to be of material assistance in making their new home.
With their father they set to work clearing the newly acquired land
from a heavy growth of timber, a condition which generally prevailed in
that country one hundred years ago. During the first year they cleared
about thirty acres--no small task in itself--besides engaging in a
day's labor now and again, as opportunity afforded, in order to raise
means to meet their obligations. Thus, during the first year, they were
able to meet most of their first payment on the land, which during
that year was not in a condition to be farmed. The mother, through her
untiring industry, took upon herself the task to provide the household
necessities, which she did through the sale of hand-painted oil-cloth
table covers, a work in which she was quite skilled, and in which she
met with fair success.
Removal to Manchester
About four years after the arrival of the Smith family in Palmyra, they
moved to the farm where they built a four-room log house, which was
later increased by the addition of sleeping rooms on the rear. It was
while living in this house that Joseph received his glorious visions.
The building of a more commodious home was contemplated under the
direction of Alvin, the oldest son, who much desired to see his parents
comfortably located. "I am going to have," he said, "a nice, pleasant
room for father and mother to sit in, and everything arranged for their
comfort, and they shall not work any more as they have done." This
was indeed a noble thought and desire, for his parents had toiled and
labored much in the midst of trials and tribulations that had reduced
them to a state of poverty.
Death of Alvin Smith
Alvin did not live to realize the blessing thus contemplated and to
see the fulfilment of his dream. The frame of the new house was raised
and the necessary material procured to complete the structure in the
fall of 1824; but in November of that year Alvin was stricken. He died
on the 19th day of that month in the twenty-seventh year of his age.
He lived to know of the visitation of the Father and the Son, and of
the coming of Moroni, and was convinced that these things were true.
He died with a prayer on his lips for his younger brother Joseph, and
admonished him to be true to the great work entrusted to his care.
Alvin is spoken of as a "youth of singular goodness and disposition,
kind and amiable."
The Hand of Providence
While hard to bear, the many misfortunes of the Smiths were all
overruled by the providence of the Lord, for their good. Had they
remained in Vermont, or New Hampshire, the purposes of the Lord could
not as well have been accomplished. He had a great work for the
youthful Joseph to perform, and it was necessary that the family should
move to the field of his activities. Therefore, through the valley of
tribulation they were led by the hand of the Lord to the place he had
prepared for them.
Notes
1. Doc. and Cov. 54:8.