Samuel H. Smith was born 13 March 1808 in Tunbridge, Orange County, Vermont, United States to Joseph Smith (1771-1840) and Lucy Mack (1775-1856) and died 1 August 1844 Nauvoo, Hancock County, Illinois, United States of bilious fever. He married Mary Bailey (1808-1841) 13 August 1834 in Kirtland, Geauga County, Ohio, United States. He married Levira Clark (1815-1883) 3 May 1841 in Scott County, Illinois, United States.
Biography
Samuel Harrison Smith (1808-1844) was the faithful younger brother of LDS Church Founder, Joseph Smith (1805-1844). He performed much valuable service for his brother and the restored church in its early days. He also became its first missionary.
First Convert to Mormonism
Soon after the baptism of Joseph and his scribe, Oliver Cowdery (1806-1850) at the hands of the angel, John the Baptist on 15 May 1829, Samuel went out to the woods to pray about the veracity of his brother's teachings and received a divine confirmation of its truth. On 25 May 1829 he went to be baptized by Oliver, becoming the third person to be baptized in the restoration.
First Missionary of LDS Church
When Samuel asked how he could best serve in the newly organized church, his answer came in a revelation: “Thy calling is to exhortation, and to strengthen the church; and thou are not as yet called to preach before the world” (D&C 23:4). Two months later (June 1830) the Prophet called his younger brother to serve as a missionary to neighboring villages.
In late spring 1830, was the First Missionary Journey of Samuel Smith to the nearby town of Mendon, NY. At the time it was thought this mission was failure since he could only hand out just one Book of Mormon and was otherwise met with much rejection and discouragement.
But in just two years time, that one book would come into the hands of the Young and Kimball families which would be the source by which many thousands would join the new church and also the source of many future prominent church leaders.
- LDS Kirtland Ohio Stake - original member of the 1st stake high council.
Marriage and Family
1st Marriage
- Susanna Bailey Smith (1835-1905)
- Mary Bailey Smith (1837-1916)
- Samuel Harrison Bailey Smith (1838-1914) - in 1858 served mission to England with his cousin, LDS Apostle, Joseph Fielding Smith (1838-1918)
- Lucy Bailey Smith (1841-1841)
2nd Marriage
Samuel remarried shortly after the death of his first wife to: Levira Clark (1815-1883).
- Levira Annette Clark Smith (1842-1888) at age 16 she married her cousin, LDS Apostle, Joseph Fielding Smith (1838-1918), his first wife, but they had not children and later divorced.
- Lovisa Clark Smith (1843-1843)
- Lucy Jane Clark Smith (1844-1844)
Children
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| Susanna Bailey Smith (1835-1905) | |||
| Mary Bailey Smith (1837-1916) | |||
| Samuel Harrison Bailey Smith (1838-1914) | 1 August 1838 Shady Grove, Daviess County, Missouri, United States | 12 June 1914 Salt Lake City, Salt Lake County, Utah, United States | Mary Catherine Smith (1842-1916) Julia Ann Restel Winter (1854-1946) Rachel Emily Amelia Tuttle (1858-1935) Clara Minerva Tuttle (1865-1956) |
| Lucy Bailey Smith (1841-1841) | 21 January 1841 Nauvoo, Hancock County, Illinois | January 1841 Nauvoo, Hancock County, Illinois | |
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| Levira Annette Clark Smith (1842-1888) | 29 April 1842 Nauvoo, Hancock County, Illinois, United States | 18 December 1888 St. Louis, Saint Louis County, Missouri, United States | Joseph Fielding Smith (1838-1918) |
| Lovisa Clark Smith (1843-1843) | |||
| Lucy Jane Clark Smith (1844-1844) | |||
Siblings
Burial Site
Smith Family Cemetery, in Nauvoo, Illinois, is the final resting place of this person and several other historical figures in the early LDS Church including the prophet Joseph Smith (1805-1844), his wife Emma Hale (1804-1879), brother Hyrum Smith (1800-1844) and several family members. Additionally their parents are buried there.
Overlooking the Mississippi River, the cemetery is located on Water Street, and is open 24 hours a day to visitors.
References
- Samuel H Smith Foundation - The Samuel H. Smith Foundation is dedicated to the preservation and sharing of strong and valued legacies. We work to capture and preserve meaningful life stories for the benefit of future generations, in the quest to share positive values and persuade people to do good and to live happier, more fulfilling lives.
- Samuel Smith: Faithful Brother - LDS Ensign Magazine (Aug 2008)
- Samuel Smith: First Missionary - LDS New Era Magazine - (Sept 2004)
- Lucy Mack Smith, History of Joseph Smith, ed. Preston Nibley (1958), 82.
- Samuel H Smith - Wikipedia
- Ch 11 LDS History Manual - The Field is White and Already to Harvest
- Little Known Stories About the Doctrine and Covenants - Section 23 - Samuel H Smith (Free on Google Books)
Footnotes (including sources)
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