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Submitted: 1/23/14 • Approved: 1/24/14 • Last Updated: 4/8/18 • R746778-G0-S3
Nov. 6, 1832 Kirtland, Ohio
Dec. 10, 1914
Parents: Joseph Smith, Jr., Emma Hale Smith
Spouses: Emmeline Griswold(1856-1869), Bertha Madison(1869-1896), Ada R. Clark(1898-1914)
Father of 17 children: 5 by Emmeline, 9 by Bertha including Frederick M. Smith, Israel Alexander Smith, 3 by Ada including, William Wallace.
The eldest surviving son of Joseph Smith, Jr., founder of the Latter Day Saint movement, and Emma Hale Smith. Joseph Smith III was the Prophet–President of what became known as the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, now called Community of Christ, which considers itself a continuation of the church established by Smith's father in 1830.
Joseph Smith, Jr. was assassinated at Carthage, Illinois when Joseph III was 11 years old. When his father was killed by a mob in 1844 over religious and political conflicts, Joseph III, affectionately called Young Joseph, was 11 years old. The boy's mother, Emma Smith, and his brothers and sisters continued to live in Nauvoo, Illinois, although most members had left the community by late 1846.
In 1860, when he was 27 years old, Joseph Smith III became the leader of the church known as The Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, formed by those disappointed with other leaders. He served until his death in 1914. Under his direction the church eventually became the second largest of the Latter Day Saint groups. Noted for his patience, tolerance, and logical bent of mind, Joseph matured in the affections of his followers and became a patriarchal father-figure as well as a skilled writer and administrator. Joseph Smith III received no income from being Prophet/President of the church, but was given a modest salary as the editor of the church paper, The Saints' Herald.
Contributed on 1/23/14 by tslundberg
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Record #: 746778