History of the Prophet Joseph, by His Mother

In Short

Lucy Smith’s account offers an intimate, eyewitness chronicle of the birth of the Latter-day Saint movement, told through the raw emotional lens of the Prophet Joseph Smith’s mother. The narrative traces the Smith family through devastating financial losses and severe illness, into miraculous visions and the translation of new scripture. It follows their grueling migrations across the American frontier, facing mob violence, imprisonment, and betrayal from former allies. It has endured as an essential historical artifact—a rare, deeply personal female perspective on the founding of a major American religion.

The Story

The narrative opens not in religious triumph, but in the somber reality of a early American family facing sickness and loss. Lucy Smith recounts the tragic deaths of her sisters to consumption and her own spiritual journey, marked by a quiet search for faith independent of established denominations. After moving to Vermont and New York, the Smith family suffers repeated economic hardships—from a failed enterprise exporting ginseng to China to three consecutive years of destroyed crops. Driven by poverty, the family resettles in Palmyra, New York.

It is here that supernatural events begin to unfold. Joseph Smith Jr., then a youth, receives visits from a heavenly messenger instructing him on hidden ancient golden plates. Lucy records the domestic realities surrounding these miraculous events: the family’s poverty as Joseph labors in wells to pay for a wooden chest to hide the plates, the anxious moments as the sacred items are protected from thieves, and the agonizing loss of early translated manuscript pages. Guided by visions, the family and a small circle of believers withstand intense scrutiny and hostility from neighbors as the translation progresses and the Book of Mormon is finally printed.

As the movement grows into an organized church, the narrative turns into a grueling saga of migration and persecution. Lucy describes leading groups of impoverished converts across frozen canals, managing unruly children and meager rations while relying on faith. In Ohio, internal infandous scandals disrupt the community, leading to mob violence where leaders are dragged from their homes, beaten, and tarred.

The hostility escalates dramatically as the believers move westward into Missouri and Illinois. Lucy Details the horrific conditions under state-issued extermination orders: families forced into cold fields, leaders thrust into dungeon-like conditions in Liberty Jail, and rumors of horrific mistreatments. Through visions, Lucy maintains an unwavering connection to her sons, foreseeing their suffering and temporary escapes. The arc culminates in Nauvoo, Illinois, with the ultimate tragedy—the betrayal and assassination of her sons, Joseph and Hyrum, by a armed mob while held in Carthage Jail. The narrative ends in profound mourning, framed by eulogistic poetry that laments the fall of two righteous men while appealing to divine justice.

How It Unfolds

A family shaped by tragedy The early years are defined by severe illness, deep personal grief over dying sisters, and persistent economic trials that strip the family of their land and savings.

The call of a young prophet Joseph receives instructions from an angel regarding hidden golden plates on a hill near Manchester, setting off a years-long period of spiritual instruction and intense opposition from curious neighbors.

Translating amidst adversity The family struggles to survive while supporting the translation, guarding the sacred text in wooden chests, and enduring the agonizing setbacks of lost manuscript pages and poverty.

Leading the early converts Lucy steps forward as a resolute community organizer, captaining groups of poor believers across canals and rivers to gather with the main body of the church in Ohio.

Mob violence and expulsion Hostility from surrounding towns turns physical as church leaders are tarred, feathered, and driven from their homes, culminating in full-scale conflict and forced exile in Missouri.

Imprisonment and dark dungeons Joseph and other leaders endure months of horrific confinement in Liberty Jail under extreme winter conditions, while their followers are driven from the state by armed militia.

Martyrdom and a mother’s grief The narrative reaches its tragic peak with the murder of Joseph and Hyrum in Carthage Jail, leaving a devastated community and a mother left to mourn her fallen sons.

The People

• Lucy Smith: The author and matriarch. She wants to maintain a devout, unified family and protect her children's divine mission, facing extreme financial ruin, physical exile, and the tragic deaths of her sons. She evolves from a quiet seeker into a fierce, prophetic community leader.
• Joseph Smith Jr.: The founder and prophet. He wants to fulfill the heavenly instructions given to him by angels and lead his church, facing violent mobs, legal persecutions, and internal betrayals. He grows from an uneducated farm boy into a charismatic, tragic leader who dies for his cause.
• Joseph Smith Sr.: The father. He wants to provide for his large family through farming and trade, but is repeatedly thwarted by bad business partners, crop failures, and mob violence.
• Jesse Smith: Joseph Sr.'s brother. He wants to keep his relatives away from what he considers a dangerous, fraudulent religious deception, standing as a bitter opponent to his nephew's claims.

In Its Own Voice

"My father stepped into the next room to procure a little water and wine for her. He was absent but a moment; however, when he returned it was too late, her spirit had fled from its earthly tabernacle to return no more..."

Lucy describes the sudden death of her sister, illustrating the constant presence of mortality in her early life.

"Joseph saw this, and said, 'Do not be uneasy, mother, all is right--see here, I have got a key.'"

A moment of quiet reassurance from Joseph after returning home with the sacred instruments needed for translation.

"'God d--mn ye, call on yer God for help, we'll show ye no mercy;' and the people began to show themselves in every direction..."

The harrowing transcript of mob violence during an attack on early church leaders.

What It's Really About

At its core, this narrative is an exploration of maternal devotion fused with absolute religious conviction. It is not merely a chronicle of miraculous visions or church history; it is a raw study of human endurance under sustained hardship. The text grapples with the tension between earthly poverty and heavenly callings, questioning how a family survives when every attempt at material stability is shattered by economic failure or physical violence. It examines the nature of authority, community loyalty, and the devastating price paid by ordinary people caught in the fiery birth of a new religious movement on the American frontier.

Why Read It Today

Readers interested in American history, nineteenth-century religious movements, or autobiography will find this a fascinating human document. It offers a rare, unpolished look at the frontier experience through the eyes of a resilient matriarch. Reading this account feels like sitting beside an elderly woman as she recounts a lifetime of incredible, often harrowing memories—intimate, direct, and unsparing in its details of frontier life.

The book does present challenges. The narrative style reflects nineteenth-century oral history, complete with rambling anecdotes, shifting focal points, and dramatic shifts from everyday domestic details to high religious drama. Modern readers must navigate archaic prose, period attitudes, and long descriptions of local squabbles. Yet, what stays with you is the sheer grit of Lucy Smith—a woman who managed starving children on broken canals, endured the imprisonment of her family, and ultimately carried the weight of profound personal tragedy with unyielding faith.

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