The Martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum Smith

It may be that my enemies will kill me. And in case they should, and the keys and power which rest on me not be imparted to you, they will be lost from the earth. But if I can only succeed in placing them upon your heads, then let me fall a victim to murderous hands if God will suffer it, and I can go with all pleasure and satisfaction, knowing that my work is done, and the foundation laid on which the kingdom of God is to be reared in this dispensation of the fulness of times.

Upon the shoulders of the Twelve must the responsibility of leading this church henceforth rest until you shall appoint others to succeed you'" Draft declaration of the Twelve Apostles, reporting March meeting of Twelve, Brigham Young Papers, LDS Church Archives. Foster had been ordained an elder of the LDS Church and appointed to serve a mission, though he later was excommunicated and was identified as a member of the mob that killed Joseph Smith, the Joseph Smith Papers said.

The thought of meeting Joseph and Hyrum Smith at the bar of God is more awful to me than anything else. Hinckley was first counselor in the First Presidency when he spoke on the th anniversary of the death of the prophet, reported the Deseret News. Their direction swept away the thick darkness that had seized him and threatened to destroy him.

It forever swept away his confusion. Consider how painful his days were. Consider the suffering and the persecution he had to endure.


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Yet he continued, step by step, never giving up, never doubting that if he only did what he could, his Heavenly Father would make up the rest. During a general conference address in October , President Russell M. You might ask yourself: Do I obey the Word of Wisdom? Is my language free from obscenities and swearing? Am I morally righteous?

Am I truly grateful for the Atonement that makes my resurrection a reality and eternal life a possibility? Do I honor temple covenants that seal loved ones to me forever?


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  • 12 quotes remembering the martyrdom, legacy of Joseph and Hyrum Smith.

Monson encouraged others in April to take courage when experiencing fear and opposition, as the Prophet Joseph Smith did. Needed is the courage of a Daniel, an Abinadi, a Moroni, or a Joseph Smith in order for us to hold strong and fast to that which we know is right. They had the courage to do not that which was easy but that which was right. Let us — all of us — have the courage to defy the consensus, the courage to stand for principle.

Courage becomes a living and an attractive virtue when it is regarded not only as a willingness to die manfully but also as the determination to live decently. John Taylor, one of the eyewitnesses to the Martyrdom, wrote an account of the events in Doctrine and Covenants Below are his words:. Hyrum, too, had endured periods of persecution with the Saints and had always emerged ready to rebuild and press forward.

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But in the late afternoon of June 27, , a lynch mob stormed Carthage Jail and murdered them both. News of the violent deaths of the two brothers shocked the Saints in Nauvoo. In one day, they had lost their prophet and their patriarch. For many, Joseph and Hyrum were also friends and role models, men who had helped and blessed them in times of need.

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In the days, weeks, and months following the martyrdom, the Saints grappled with how to describe their reactions to the deaths. Many Latter-day Saints in Nauvoo had friends and family members who were far away from the city at the time of the martyrdom. They were left with the difficult task of breaking the news to their loved ones.

Lesson Joseph and Hyrum Smith Are Martyred

Almira Mack Covey, a cousin to the Smith brothers, wrote to her family about watching the bodies of Joseph and Hyrum return to Nauvoo. It was enough to rend the heart of a stone to behold two Prophets of the Lord laid prost[r]ate. Kimball, who had played a key role in the founding of the Relief Society, was also among those who saw the bodies returned to the city. Other writers tried to record details about the martyrdom and their responses to it by writing reflective entries in their journals.

Rather than focusing on the moment and on immediate worries, as letters often did, journal entries often tried to sift out valuable details for future generations and to make spiritual sense of the tragedy.

The Martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum Smith

In seeking an explanation or precedent for the loss of their leaders, the Saints often turned to the Bible. Many compared the murders to biblical events, from the killing of Abel to the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ. The events at Carthage led Joseph Fielding to fill several pages of his journal with commentary on the life, mission, and death of Joseph Smith. For Jacobs, the murders of Joseph and Hyrum were evidence of the wickedness of the world.

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After reviewing the evidence, Clayton placed much of the blame for the murders with government officials, including Illinois governor Thomas Ford. And yet the militia that was supposed to protect Joseph and Hyrum had cooperated with the mob. Like Zina Jacobs, Clayton saw a broad contrast between American ideals of religious liberty and the reality the Saints were experiencing.


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