Lucy Mack Smith facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lucy Mack Smith
Painting of Lucy Mack Smith located at the Joseph Smith Birthplace Memorial
Personal details
Born	Lucy Mack (1775-07-08)July 8, 1775 Gilsum, New Hampshire
Died	May 14, 1856(1856-05-14) (aged 80) Nauvoo, Illinois, US
Resting place	Smith Family Cemetery 40°32′25.98″N 91°23′31.06″W / 40.5405500°N 91.3919611°W / 40.5405500; -91.3919611 (Smith Family Cemetery)
Title	History of Joseph Smith by His Mother
Spouse(s)	Joseph Smith, Sr.
Children	11, including: Alvin Smith Hyrum Smith Joseph Smith, Jr. Samuel H. Smith William Smith Katharine Smith Don Carlos Smith

Lucy Mack Smith (born July 8, 1775 – died May 14, 1856) was a very important woman in the early days of the Latter Day Saint movement. She was the mother of Joseph Smith, who founded the movement. Lucy is well-known for writing a book about her family and Joseph's life, called Biographical Sketches of Joseph Smith, the Prophet, and His Progenitors for Many Generations. She played a big role in leading the movement while Joseph was alive.

Lucy Mack Smith's Early Life

Lucy Mack was born in Gilsum, New Hampshire, on July 8, 1775. This was a time of big changes in America, especially after the American Revolutionary War. During this period, mothers started to take on more responsibility for teaching their children about morals and religion.

Lucy was proud that her father, Solomon Mack, fought in the Revolutionary War. Even though her father wasn't very religious, he saw how important his wife, Lydia Gates Mack, was in teaching their children good values. Lucy's mother was a great example of a "moral mother," a role that was becoming more celebrated at the time.

Lucy's family was very religious. Her older brother, Jason, even started his own religious group. Her two older sisters had spiritual experiences where they felt their sins were forgiven. These kinds of experiences were common during that time, as religious leaders often encouraged people to have "visions." In 1810, Lucy's father also had a religious conversion after a difficult time.

In the countryside of New England, many new religious groups were forming. People were looking for new ways to practice their faith. The family became a very important place for teaching children about identity and values. Lucy grew up in this kind of environment, which shaped her beliefs and her life.

Marriage and Family Life

In January 1796, Lucy Mack married Joseph Smith Sr.. She brought a wedding gift of $1,000 from her brother, Stephen. Lucy took on the important job of guiding her children in both their education and their religious beliefs. Because of this, she greatly influenced her children, helping to prepare them for their roles in starting The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

After six years of marriage, Lucy became very sick with a disease called "consumption," which her sisters had died from. Doctors thought she wouldn't live. Lucy felt she wasn't ready to die and prayed to God to spare her life. She promised that if she lived, she would serve God with all her heart. She then heard a voice telling her to "Seek and ye shall find; knock and it shall be opened unto you." From that day on, Lucy began searching for a religion that would teach her about salvation. This was a common desire for women at that time, who were encouraged to be pious and guide their families morally.

Lucy continued to teach her ten children from the Bible. A doctor named John Stafford, who knew the family, remembered that Lucy "had a great deal of faith that their children were going to do something great." He also noted that her son, Joseph Jr., who was not very educated at first, improved a lot after they started having school at home. Lucy's strong belief in her children's abilities was typical for mothers of that era. They were expected to educate their children and guide them in being good citizens.

Lucy's son, William Smith, later said that his mother was a very religious woman who cared deeply about her children's well-being. She encouraged them to attend religious meetings, and almost the whole family became interested in finding the truth. Lucy's strong faith and principles were a major influence on her children's lives. She also prayed for her husband, Joseph Sr., who was not very religious at first. She had a dream that he would receive "the pure and undefiled Gospel." Around this time, Joseph Sr. began having symbolic dreams that Lucy believed were related to his search for faith.

The Book of Mormon and Family Faith

Lucy continued her search for the "true religion" in Palmyra, New York. She visited different churches. After 1824, she and three of her children—Hyrum, Samuel, and Sophronia—joined the Western Presbyterian Church. However, she couldn't convince her husband or her son Joseph to join.

In 1827, when Joseph Smith obtained the golden plates, Lucy stopped going to Presbyterian meetings. The plates told the story of ancient people in the Americas. Lucy felt that God was about to reveal something important that would give them a clearer understanding of salvation. She said, "the sweetest union and happiness pervaded our house." Lucy hoped that her family would be part of bringing salvation to everyone. When Joseph established what he taught was the original Christian church, it helped make his mother's dream of a family united in faith come true. Lucy saw Joseph's work as a family effort, often using "we" and "us" when talking about it.

Lucy's Role in Church Leadership

Portrait of Smith in Nauvoo. In her right hand is a Book of Mormon, and a vignette from the Book of Abraham is on the wall.

Lucy Mack Smith became like a mother figure to new members who joined the Church of Christ. In Kirtland, Ohio, she often shared her home with new immigrants, sometimes even sleeping on the floor herself when her house was full. She also helped with missionary work and once defended her faith against a Presbyterian minister.

When Joseph Smith made his father, Joseph Sr., the church's first patriarch in December 1833, it showed how important family was to the early Latter Day Saint movement. Joseph said his father would be like a "prince over his posterity," holding special authority. Joseph Sr. would give special blessings to church members, and he always wanted Lucy to be with him when he did. Sometimes, Lucy would even add her own blessing or confirm what had been said.

During a difficult time when Joseph Jr. and Hyrum were imprisoned in Liberty Jail in Missouri, Lucy Smith was a strong leader for her family and the church. Later, in Nauvoo, Illinois, her role in the church became smaller as she cared for her dying husband. Joseph Sr.'s last blessing to her confirmed her importance, saying, "Mother, do you not know that you are the mother of as great a family as ever lived upon the earth. ... They are raised up to do the Lord's work."

Family Losses and Challenges

Lucy suffered many heartbreaking losses in her family. Her oldest child, Alvin, died on November 19, 1823. Later, her sons Joseph and Hyrum were killed on June 27, 1844, in Carthage, Illinois. When Lucy saw their bodies, she cried out in sorrow. About a month later, her son Samuel also died after an illness, likely due to the stress and events surrounding Joseph and Hyrum's deaths. Lucy remembered feeling "desolate in my distress," with only one son, William, remaining alive, but he was far away on a mission.

Leadership Changes and Lucy's Role

Grave of Joseph Sr. and Lucy Mack Smith, Nauvoo IL

After Joseph and Hyrum died, there was a crisis about who should lead the church next. Hyrum had been chosen to follow Joseph, so it was unclear what to do when both were gone. While Lucy first supported James Strang as the new leader, most Latter Day Saints eventually followed Brigham Young and the other leaders of the Quorum of the Twelve.

At one point, a statement was published that claimed Lucy and her children supported James Strang. However, Lucy later spoke at a church meeting in October 1844. She said she hoped all her children would go west with the Latter Day Saints, and if they did, she would go too. Brigham Young showed his support for Lucy, saying she had the best carriage in the city and could ride in it whenever she wanted.

During this time, Lucy became a symbol of the church's history and continuity. She spoke at a church meeting in February 1845, sharing "with the most feeling and heartbroken manner" about all the difficulties her family had faced in establishing the church. She also asked if the church members considered her a "mother in Israel." Brigham Young formally gave her this title, and everyone present agreed with a loud "yes."

Lucy did not write much about the challenges she faced with church leaders during this period of change, especially because her son William refused to follow Brigham Young. Lucy never traveled to Utah Territory. She stayed in Nauvoo with her daughters, her daughter-in-law Emma (Joseph's widow), and Emma and Joseph's sons until she died in May 1856.

Family Connections

Lucy Mack Smith was a third cousin of Oliver Cowdery. Oliver Cowdery was one of the Three Witnesses to the golden plates, helped write the Book of Mormon, and was an early leader in the church.

Images for kids

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  Painting of Lucy Mack Smith

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  Portrait of Smith in Nauvoo. In her right hand is a Book of Mormon, and a vignette from the Book of Abraham is on the wall.

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  Grave of Joseph Sr. and Lucy Mack Smith, Nauvoo IL

See also

• Joseph Smith Papyri