Alexander Hale Smith was born 2 June 1838 in Far West, Caldwell County, Missouri, United States to Joseph Smith (1805-1844) and Emma Hale (1804-1879) and died 12 August 1909 Nauvoo, Hancock County, Illinois, United States of unspecified causes. He married Elizabeth Agnes Kendall (1843-1919) 23 May 1861 in Nauvoo, Hancock County, Illinois, United States.
Biography
Alexander Hale Smith, son of the Mormon Prophet Joseph Smith (1805-1844) and his wife Emma Hale (1804-1879). Senior leader of the RLDS Church, opponent of polygamy.
Alexander Hale Smith (June 2, 1838 – August 12, 1909) was the third surviving son of Joseph Smith and Emma Hale Smith. Smith was born in Far West, Missouri, and was named after Alexander Doniphan, who had once refused an extermination order to execute Joseph Smith, then had acted as Joseph's defense attorney during Joseph's incarceration at Liberty Jail. [2] Alexander eventually became a senior leader of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (RLDS Church, now Community of Christ). Smith served as an apostle and as Presiding Patriarch of the church. He became religiously inclined after the April 1862 death of his older brother Frederick Granger Williams Smith (1836-1862), who had not been baptized, and was baptized on May 25, 1862, in Nauvoo, Illinois, by another older brother, Joseph Smith III.
Alexander was ordained an apostle on April 10, 1873,[4] and "served a mission to the Pacific Slope"[3] with David Hyrum Smith (1844-1904) (his younger brother) in 1875. He was ordained president of the Council of Twelve on April 15, 1890, at Lamoni, Iowa. He was called to be a counselor to his brother, Joseph Smith III, and also a patriarch and evangelical minister on April 12, 1897.[5] He went on a mission to Australia, Hawaii, and the Society Islands in 1901. Smith was a partner in a photograph gallery before becoming a carpenter.
Missionary Work for RLDS Church
On May 25, 1862 Alexander was baptized into the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and in September of the same year was ordained as a Teacher
On April 8, 1863 he was ordained as an Elder and served a mission to California in 1864 and on April 12, 1866 he was ordained as a High Priest.
In 1869 he was assigned to the California/ Utah Mission and later re-assigned to Utah in 1870.
On April 10, 1873 he was ordained as an Apostle and later on April 15, 1890 he was ordained as the President of the Quorum of the Twelve.
He was ordained as a counselor to the First Presidency and also as Presiding Patriarch/Evangelist of the Church on April 12, 1897.
In 1902 he was released from the First Presidency and he and Elizabeth spent their final years in Lamoni, Iowa among family and long-time friends.
In 1909 while visiting Nauvoo, Illinois he died at the Mansion House.
Father's Letter 1838
12 November 1838 Letter from his father, Joseph, at Liberty Jail written to Emma. First part of letter mentions trials at the jail, second part asks Emma to relay instructions to their children:
rejoice that we are counted worthy to be persicuted for christ sake, tell little Joseph, he must be a good boy, and Father loves him <with> a perfect love, he is the Eldest must not hurt those that <are> smaller then him, but cumfort them tell little Frederick, Father, loves him, with all his heart, he is a lovely boy. Julia is a lovely little girl, I love her also She is a promising child, tell her Father wants her to remember him and be a good girl, tell all the rest that I think of them and pray for them all. Br Babbit is waitting to carry our letters, for us the colonal <price (Sterling Price)> is inspecting them therefore my time is short <the> little baby Elexander <Alexander> is on my mind continualy Oh my affectionate Emma, I want you to remember that I am <a> true and faithful friend, to you and the chilldren, forever, my heart is intwined around you[r]s forever, and ever, Oh may God bless you all amen. you I am your husband and am in bonds and tribulation &c.
1915 Life Sketch
A History of Decatur County, Iowa, published in 1915, provides many details about his life and his personality:
He loved the wide outdoors, land and water and sky, and delighted in athletic sports, holding a record in his younger days as one of the best skaters and one of the two surest shots in the community. Of the nine children born to him, one daughter, Mrs. Grace Madison, died and is buried in San Bernardino, California, and one son, Don A., is buried at Lamoni. The second daughter, Mrs. Ina I. Wright, lived at Avalon, New South Wales, Australia, and Mrs. Coral Horner lived near Davis City, Iowa, she spent the later years of her life with her husband in Ronan, Montana. Mrs. Emma Kennedy and the youngest sons, Joseph G. and Arthur M., resided at Independence, Missouri, while the oldest children, Fred A. and Mrs. Heman C. Smith, were residents of Lamoni, where the widow still lived in their home on the south side.
Marriage and Family
- Frederick Alexander Smith (1862-1954)
- Vida Elizabeth Smith (1865-1945) - Married R.L.D.S. Apostle and Church Historian Heman Conoman Smith June 2, 1886 at Independence,Jackson County, Missouri. They were later divorced. She married James Elmer Yates October 2, 1926 at Potlatch,Latah County,Idaho. Wrote the hymn, "The Old Old Path" and was the author of "One Day When Fell the Spirit's Whisper: Young People's History of the Church of Jesus Christ of L.D.S." vol. 1 (1914) vol. 2 (1918).
- Ina Inez Smith (1866-1945)
- Emma Belle Smith (1869-1960)
- Don Alvin Smith (1871-1904)
- Eva Grace Smith (1874-1893)
- Joseph George Smith (1877-1936)
- Arthur Marion Smith (1880-1965) - an apostle and secretary for the Church of Christ Temple Lot. He also served several missions for the Temple Lot Church, including the United States and Wales. He married Estella Danielson 15 Jun 1904. His early adult life included many adventures such as homesteading in Colorado, working on the Alaskan highway, a street conductor in Kansas City, and he was a bookbinder working at the Herald Press in Independence, MO
- Coral Cecil Rebekah Smith (1882-1968)
Children
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| Frederick Alexander Smith (1862-1954) | |||
| Vida Elizabeth Smith (1865-1945) | |||
| Ina Inez Smith (1866-1945) | |||
| Emma Belle Smith (1869-1960) | |||
| Don Alvin Smith (1871-1904) | |||
| Eva Grace Smith (1874-1893) | |||
| Joseph George Smith (1877-1936) | |||
| Arthur Marion Smith (1880-1965) | |||
| Coral Cecil Rebekah Smith (1882-1968) | |||
Siblings
Vital Records
Lamoni Cemetery Gravestone
Family Gravestone at Rose Hill Cemetery in Lamoni IA.
Gravestone Location: Rose Hill Cemetery, Lamoni, Iowa; Plot: 801, Grave 3
References
- Alexander Hale. Smith at Find A Grave #9310253
- Alexander Hale Smith - Wikipedia
- Quinn, D. Michael. "The Mormon Hierarchy Origins of Power." Salt Lake City: Signature Books in association with Smith Research Associates, 1994. Pp. 100-101.
- The Community of Christ was called the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints before its name change in 2001. While William Smith, who was the Presiding Patriarch of the LDS Church from May 24 to October 6, 1845, believed that he was entitled to become the presiding patriarch or a member of the Council of Twelve Apostles of the RLDS Church. Joseph Smith III, his nephew, did not agree and William Smith remained a high priest in the RLDS Church for the remainder of his life.
