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John Smith was born 22 September 1832 in Kirtland, Ohio, United States to Hyrum Smith (1800-1844) and Jerusha Barden (1805-1837) and died 6 November 1911 Salt Lake City, Utah, United States of unspecified causes. He married Helen Mariah Fisher (1835-1907) 25 November 1853 . He married Nancy Melissa Lemon (1833-1915) 18 February 1857 .

John Smith, was the fifth Presiding Patriarch of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). His father and grandfather having served as the 2nd and 1st Patriarchs of the church. His father was Hyrum Smith (1800-1844), the older brother of Joseph Smith (1805-1844), the founder of Mormonism. He was the longest serving Presiding Patriarch of the LDS Church with a service of 56 years. Smith traveled west to Winter Quarters (North Omaha, Nebraska) and then Salt Lake City with the Mormon pioneers. He traveled with Heber C. Kimball's party and his step-mother Mary Fielding Smith. Smith joined the "Battalion of Life Guards" to protect the Latter-day Saints from Native Americans.

During his life, Smith maintained strong relationships with his family members in the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (RLDS Church), particularly his cousin Joseph Smith III. Though John Smith was never released as Presiding Patriarch, some General Authorities were outspoken in their disapproval of Smith's unwillingness to marry more than one plural wife and his habit of tobacco use. Smith was married to Hellen Maria Fisher with whom he had nine children. Smith married Nancy Melissa Lemmon as his plural wife after the encouragement of Brigham Young. Smith had one child with Lemmon.

Family Life

JohnSmithb1832Grave

John Smith's grave marker

Smith was involved in plural marriage and had two wives.[1]:127 Smith's first wife was Hellen Maria Fisher. She was born on September 20, 1835 in Pennsylvania. Smith and Fisher married on December 25, 1853.[2]:99 She died on September 3, 1907. Hellen was outspoken about her lack of enthusiasm for plural marriage which was a highly encouraged practice by the LDS Church at the time.[2]:99 Brigham Young encouraged Smith to marry another woman, which Smith obeyed five months later. Smith married twenty-three year old Nancy Melissa Lemmon on February 18, 1857. Lemmon was born in Illinois on September 6, 1833 and died on March 29, 1915.[2]:100 After the death of Hellen, Joseph Smith III wrote to Smith stating that he was not surprised that Smith had not remarried, because he and Hellen had been married for a long time. Smith responded, admitting that he had been lonely since the death of Hellen, but that it would be difficult to find a substitute for Hellen since they had been married for nearly 54 years. In his letter to his cousin, Smith made no mention of Melissa to whom he was still married.[1]:143 Smith had nine children with Hellen Fisher.[2]:100 Smith had one child with Melissa Lemmon.[2]:100


Children


Offspring of John Smith and Helen Mariah Fisher (1835-1907)
Name Birth Death Joined with
Elizabeth Maria Smith (1854-1891)
Hyrum Fisher Smith (1856-1923)
Lucy Smith (1858-1938)
Don Carlos Smith (1861-1937)
Joseph Girdlestone Smith (1865-1912)
Alvin Fisher Smith (1867-1945)
Evaline Smith (1867-1878)
John David Smith (1870-1878)
Hellen Jerusha Smith (1872-1881)


Offspring of John Smith and Nancy Melissa Lemon (1833-1915)
Name Birth Death Joined with
John Lemmon Smith (1858-1867)


 



See Also




Footnotes (including sources)

‡ General



  1. ^ a b Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named bates
  2. ^ a b c d e (2008) "The Wives of the Patriarchs". Journal of Mormon History 34 (3): 85–109. 
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