The following is a chronological listing of each of the published chapters of The Revised and Enhanced History of Joseph Smith by His Mother. Please click on any chapter or section to read or reread it, or to catch any you have missed.
What Was Edited Out of the Most Personal Book Ever Written about Joseph Smith?
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Can you imagine what a boon it would be if the mother of any of the great men or women of the world had written their biographies? What if we had personal insights no other historian could give from the mother of George Washington or Joan of Arc? As Latter-day Saints, we have that kind of remarkable resource on the life of Joseph Smith, written by his mother Lucy Mack Smith, a rare thing indeed. Read this introduction.
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Did Brigham Young Reject Lucy Mack Smith’s Book on Joseph?
In this article, published yesterday, we talked about how Lucy’s Preliminary Notes were extensively edited before they became the book we have had for years in the Church. Many readers asked, “Did Brigham Young edit Lucy’s book, and if so why?” Here’s the answer.
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Editors’ Note: In serializing Lucy Mack Smith’s History, we have purposely omitted the first 7 chapters. They are all about Lucy Mack Smith’s father, Solomon Mack, and about each of her siblings. Chapter 8, where we begin, starts with the marriage of Joseph Smith, Sr. and Lucy Mack Smith in January of 1796.
The Revised and Enhanced History of Joseph Smith by His Mother–Chapter 8
An introduction to the early life of Lucy Mack, her visits to Tunbridge, Vermont, and subsequent marriage to Joseph Smith. July 8, 1775 to January 24, 1796. Click here to read this chapter.
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Revised and Enhanced History of Joseph Smith by His Mother–Chapter 9
A wedding present of one thousand dollars from Stephen Mack and John Mudget to Lucy. Six years on the farm at Turnbridge, Vermont. Two children, Alvin and Hyrum, added to the Smith family. Move to Randolph, Vermont. January 1796 to spring 1802. Click here to read this chapter.
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When Lucy Mack Smith Nearly Died–Chapter 10
Lucy’s sickness and near death at Randolph, Vermont. Fall 1802. Click here to read this chapter.
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Joseph Smith, Sr. Starts a Ginseng Business and Loses Their Farm–Chapter 11
Joseph Smith Sr. begins the business of crystallizing ginseng root. He exports a large quantity to China but is taken by fraud and deceit, and the entire venture fails. He loses his business in Randolph and has to sell the Tunbridge farm. Visit of Jason Mack, brother of Lucy, and final correspondence from Jason before his death. Fall 1802 to late spring 1803. Click here to read this chapter.
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Lucy Mack Smith has a Prophetic Dream–Chapter 12
Lucy’s dream to the two beautiful trees by a very pure and clear stream in a magnificent meadow. Interpretation is given about Joseph Smith Sr. and his older brother, Jesse Smith. Spring or summer 1803. To read this chapter, click here.
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Joseph Smith Sr.’s Dream of the Tree of Life–Chapter 13
The Smiths move from Tunbridge to Royalton, then to Sharon, Windsor County, Vermont, where they rent a farm from Solomon Mack, Lucy’s father. Births of Joseph Jr., Samuel Harrison, Ephraim, and William mentioned. First and second in a series of seven visions or dreams given to Joseph Smith Sr. First, the dream of the box, and second, the dream of the tree of life. Summer 1803 to late summer 1812. Click here to read this chapter.
Typhoid Fever Epidemic Ravages the Smith Family–Chapter 14
The Smiths settle in Lebanon, New Hampshire. The older children start school. Typhoid fever epidemic rages, and all the Smith children contract the disease. Sophronia’s ninety-day siege, near death, and miraculous recovery.
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Young Joseph Smith’s Dangerous Leg Operation–Chapter 15
Seven-year-old Joseph Smith Jr. suffers from a large fever sore, then contracts osteomyelitis in his left leg. Doctors perform an experimental operation on Joseph’s leg in an attempt to save it. The details you may never have heard about the miracles and courage that surrounded this time of Joseph’s life.
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Successive Crop Failures Force the Smiths to Move to Western New York–Chapter 16
The Smiths move to Norwich, Vermont. Three successive years of crop failures lead to the decision of the Smith family to move to Palmyra, New York. They obtain one hundred acres of virgin land. Record of Joseph Smith Sr.’s third and sixth visions.
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Joseph Smith’s First Vision From his Mother’s Perspective–Chapter 17
Assassination attempt upon fourteen-year-old Joseph. The seventh and final vision of Joseph Smith Sr. Religious excitement in the region of Palmyra. Young Joseph wants to know which church he should join. Account of the First Vision. Account of the first three visits of the angel Moroni.
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The Angel Moroni gives Joseph Numerous Teachings–Chapter 18
Joseph tells his father of the visits of Moroni. His father believes every word and tells Joseph to do as he is commanded. Joseph goes to the hill and finds the ancient record hidden in a stone box. Joseph is shown by contrast the powers of darkness and light. Moroni informs Joseph that the time has not yet come for the record to come forth. Evening after evening Joseph teaches his family about the ancient inhabitants of America.
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Alvin Smith Becomes Very Ill and Dies–Chapter 19
Alvin Smith’s illness and death. He speaks to each of his brothers and sisters and to his parents, encourages them, and bids them farewell. Cause of his death is determined. His funeral. Alvin’s great zeal for the work of the Lord.
November 15, 1823 to end of November 1823.
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Powerful Lesson from Moroni; Joseph Moves to Harmony, Pennsylvania–Chapter 20
A man tries to unify the churches in Palmyra. Joseph gives a prophecy about Deacon Jessup that is fulfilled. Joseph goes to the hill September 22, 1824, and is unable to obtain the plates. A lesson from the angel on keeping all the commandments. Joseph works for Josiah Stowell in Harmony, Pennsylvania. The frame house is completed. Joseph becomes acquainted with Emma Hale.
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Evil-Designing Men Steal the Smith Farm by Treachery–Chapter 21
Evil-designing men purchase deed to Smith property and press for immediate eviction of the Smiths. Mr. Durfee helps them, and they become tenants on their own land. Joseph’s and Hyrum’s marriages. Three-hour reprimand from Moroni to Joseph. The time is near for the plates to be received.
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Joseph Receives the Gold Plates from the Angel Moroni–Chapter 22
Joseph Knight and Josiah Stowell arrive at the Smith home on September 20, 1827. Joseph and Emma go to the Hill Cumorah. Joseph receives the plates from the angel Moroni. Description of the Urim and Thummim. Money diggers gather and by evil means conjure to find the gold plates. Joseph hides the plates in an old birch log. Joseph brings the plates home and is accosted by three men. Admonition of Moroni to Joseph.
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Mobs Gather; Joseph and Emma Move to Harmony, Pennsylvania–Chapter 23
Detailed description of the breastplate. Mob action. Hiding the plates under the hearthstone in the house and then in the cooper’s shop. Martin Harris involves himself in the work. Dealing with Lucy Harris. Lucy Harris’s remarkable dream. Joseph and Emma move to Harmony, Pennsylvania. Martin and Lucy Harris visit soon thereafter. Lucy Harris actively tries to destroy Joseph’s reputation.
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The Sacred 116 Pages are Lost; Joseph and Emma’s Firstborn Dies–Chapter 24
Martin Harris pleads with Joseph to take the sacred manuscript to show to his family. The Lord finally consents to let Martin take the 116 pages, with a solemn covenant to show them only to five of his family members. Emma gives birth to a son who soon after dies. Emma’s precarious health condition. Joseph leaves for Palmyra to find Martin. A stranger assures Joseph’s safe passage home. The “Book of Lehi” manuscript is lost.
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How Martin Harris Lost the 116 Pages–-Chapter 25
Events in the life of Martin Harris leading to the loss of the 116 manuscript pages. He first shows the manuscript to those he is allowed to, but then forgets his sacred covenant and begins showing it to others. The manuscript is stolen. His crops are blighted and destroyed by a thick fog.
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Joseph Smith Repents of the Manuscript Debacle–Chapter 26
Joseph Smith Sr. and Lucy go to see Joseph Jr. and Emma in Harmony, Pennsylvania. Joseph relates details of what happened after the manuscript was stolen. Joseph goes through time of repentance and finally obtains forgiveness. Parts of D&C 3 and 10 are quoted. Joseph Sr. and Lucy meet Emma’s parents, Isaac and Elizabeth Hale.
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Sickness in the Smith household. Oliver Cowdery is hired to teach school in Manchester. Oliver becomes acquainted with the history of Joseph Smith Jr. and desires to become a scribe for him. Smiths are forced to move to their old cabin. Oliver and Samuel Smith go to Harmony, Pennsylvania, to see Joseph. Oliver acts as scribe for Joseph in the translation of the Book of Mormon. Joseph and Oliver receive the Aaronic Priesthood and the ordinance of baptism.
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Lucy Harris Brings a Lawsuit Against Joseph; Martin Harris Defends Him–-Chapter 28
Lucy Harris raises a vexatious lawsuit against Joseph Smith Jr. Mrs. Harris gathers witnesses. Mother Smith prays fervently for her son’s protection and receives a direct answer. Conflicting witnesses are confounded. Martin Harris boldly testifies as to Joseph Smith’s integrity and the work of the Lord.
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David Whitmer Enters the History; Miracles Take Place–Chapter 29
Joseph is commanded to write David Whitmer and ask him to move them to Fayette, New York. David Whitmer wants a witness of the work. Three strangers arrive and in an extraordinary fashion finish all remaining farmwork. David makes the trip to Harmony and gets Joseph and Oliver. The translation process continues in the home of Peter Whitmer Sr.
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Three Witnesses See An Angel and Hear the Voice of God–Chapter 30
Translation of the Book of Mormon is completed. Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer, and Martin Harris receive divine witness of the work. Testimony of the Three Witnesses. Testimony of the Eight Witnesses. Contract negotiations completed for publication of the Book of Mormon with E. B. Grandin of Palmyra. Mob gathers to stop Joseph and is confounded. Copyright secured. Careful instructions are given concerning protection of the sacred manuscript.
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A Mob Tries to Steal The Book of Mormon Manuscript and Burn It–Chapter 31
Group of religionists meet and plan to thwart the work of publishing the Book of Mormon. Mother Smith spends the night with the manuscript in a trunk under her bed. She contemplates many scenes she has passed through. Three men visit the Smiths with intentions of distracting Lucy, seizing the manuscript, and immediately burning it. Their scheme fails.
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The Incredible Story of the First Printing of The Book of Mormon–Chapter 32
Work of printing the Book of Mormon continues. Hyrum Smith is led by the Spirit to go to the press on the Sabbath. He and Oliver Cowdery discover Abner Cole pilfering the Book of Mormon, publishing it in a series in his small newspaper. They ask him to cease and desist. Joseph is brought in from Pennsylvania, warns Cole he will use the law, and convinces Cole to stop his illegal activities. Citizens of Palmyra combine and agree to never purchase the “gold bible.” The Book of Mormon is published.
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The Church is Legally Organized; Joseph’s Parents are Baptized–Chapter 33
Legal organization of the Church at the home of Peter Whitmer Sr. in Fayette, New York. Joseph’s parents are baptized. Samuel Harrison Smith called on a mission to surrounding area. An account of his challenges. He meets with John P. Greene.
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Joseph Smith, Sr. Preaches to Extended Family; Joseph the Prophet Arrested and Tried–Chapter 34
Joseph Smith Sr. and Don Carlos set out on a mission to bring the gospel to the extended Smith family. They are well treated by all the family, save Jesse. Extract from brother John Smith’s journal. Meeting with Parley P. Pratt.
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Joseph Smith, Sr. Defends The Book of Mormon and Goes to Jail–Chapter 35
A Quaker calls upon Joseph Smith Sr. to pay a debt for fourteen dollars. Joseph cannot pay but is given the option to burn the Book of Mormon and be forgiven the debt. Joseph refuses and goes to jail. A large mob gathers to pilfer the Smith home when only Lucy and little Lucy are present. Mother Smith prays that her family will be safe. Son William Smith arrives and immediately breaks up the mob. Samuel goes to help his father in jail. Joseph Sr. works for thirty days in the jail yard to pay his debt, preaches the gospel, and baptizes two people.
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Samuel Harrison Smith Brings Numerous People Into the Church–Chapter 36
Samuel’s account of his third mission to Livonia, New York. John and Rhoda Greene, Phineas Young, Brigham Young, and others join the Church through Samuel’s efforts. The Smiths move from the farm at Manchester to Waterloo, New York, and are treated with great kindness and enjoy a season of peace.
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Four Missionaries Change the Course and History of the Church–Chapter 37
Parley P. Pratt, Ziba Peterson, Peter Whitmer Jr., and Oliver Cowdery are called on a mission to the Lamanites. Lucy’s description of the indomitable Emma. The four missionaries stop in Ohio to preach the gospel, and hundreds respond to the message of the Restoration, including Sidney Rigdon and Edward Partridge. Sidney and Edward come to Waterloo to meet the Prophet. The Lord commands the Church to gather in Ohio. Joseph and Emma move to Kirtland, Ohio.
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Lucy Mack Smith leads a group of families from Fayette (Waterloo), New York, to Kirtland, Ohio, the gathering place for the Saints. They sing hymns and preach sermons along the Erie Canal. They arrive at Buffalo and the harbor is closed because of ice. The Saints murmur because of their ill comfort, hunger, and thirst, but Lucy continues to encourage and strengthen them. She calls upon them to exercise their faith and the way will be opened for them. The twenty-foot-thick ice bursts apart like the roar of thunder and they make their passage out of the harbor, then upon Lake Erie to Fairport, Ohio. Joyous meeting with the Prophet Joseph. Safe arrival in Kirtland.
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The Smiths Settle at Kirtland; Joseph and Brothers Head to Missouri for the First Time–Chapter 39
The Smiths settle on a farm in Kirtland. Joseph, Samuel, and Hyrum leave on missions for Missouri. Lucy Mack Smith inserts a number of revelations given at this time concerning the building up of Zion, the keeping of the commandments, and the preaching of the gospel among the congregations of the wicked, including, in part or whole, D&C 52, 58, 59, 60, and 61 of the Doctrine and Covenants.
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Lucy Mack Smith Gives a Prophecy that is Fulfilled–Chapter 40
Lucy recounts her mission with niece Almira Mack, son Hyrum, and others to Detroit and Pontiac, Michigan. Teaching the Book of Mormon aboard ship. Meeting with various relatives (all from the Stephen Mack family). Confrontation with the Reverend Mr. Ruggles of Pontiac. Lucy gives a prophecy to the reverend concerning the missionary work and his congregation. It is all fulfilled. Samuel serves a mission with William McLellin, then an eleven-month mission with newly baptized Orson Hyde.
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Joseph is Beaten, Tarred and Feathered and Nearly Killed; Son Joseph Dies–Chapter 41
Joseph, Emma, and family move thirty miles south to John Johnson farm in Hiram, Ohio. Joseph and Sidney Rigdon are mobbed, beaten, tarred, and feathered. Little Joseph M. Smith dies five days later. Joseph the Prophet goes to Missouri. An account of a stagecoach accident, poisoning, and safe return to Kirtland. Report of terrible mob action in Missouri. Joseph gathers an army to redeem Zion.
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Lucy Helps Build a Schoolhouse; Joseph and Hyrum Nearly Die of Cholera–Chapter 42
Lucy recounts her involvement and management of building a new schoolhouse in Kirtland. Joseph and Hyrum return from Zion’s Camp. They relate details to their mother about the journey, including the terrible outbreak of cholera, Hyrum’s vision of Mother Smith praying for them while they were attacked by the disease, and their healing.
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Struggles to Build the Kirtland Temple; Joseph’s Letter to His Uncle–Chapter 43
A council is called to discuss the matter of building the house of the Lord. Joseph gives the plan of the Lord. Account of the struggles to build the temple in poverty and guarding it against the mob. Sophronia taken very sick and healed by the power of the priesthood. Letter from Joseph the Prophet to his uncle Silas Smith outlining the reasons for modern-day revelation. Joseph Sr. and Lucy Mack Smith move into Joseph and Emma’s home. Lucy falls down the stairs, receives a severe injury, later catches a cold and loses her eyesight. She is healed by the blessing of the priesthood and never uses glasses again.
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Kirtland Temple Completed; Many begin to Apostatize–Chapter 44
The completion of the Kirtland Temple. Joseph takes a journey to the East. A vision is given to Joseph as he passes through Palmyra which he finds difficult to look upon. Joseph returns to Kirtland, meets with the Saints, and prophesies about the apostasy of one-third of those present. His words are fulfilled and many turn violently against the Prophet. A woman of Kirtland begins receiving revelations through a black stone. Many are deceived, including David Whitmer and Frederick G. Williams. Lucy describes Sidney Rigdon.
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Grandma Smith Comes to Kirtland and Dies; Hyrum’s Wife Passes Away–Chapter 45
Mary Duty Smith, grandmother of the Prophet Joseph, arrives in Kirtland and dies ten days later. Joseph Smith Sr. and John Smith perform a mission to the East, visiting many of their extended family and trying to further convince them of the Restoration. Hyrum’s wife, Jerusha, passes away in Kirtland.
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Joseph Flees for His Life from Kirtland; All the Smiths are in Danger–Chapter 46
Mob action increases in Kirtland; apostasy is rampant. Mob threatens to burn the Egyptian mummies. Joseph prophesies of the Lord’s promise of protection on his life. Joseph flees Kirtland to Missouri. Constable Luke Johnson arrests Joseph Smith Sr., then allows him to escape with son Hyrum. Most of the Smiths move temporarily to New Portage, Ohio, to await removal to Missouri.
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Joseph Smith Sr. and Lucy Mack Smith with twenty-two family members are driven from Ohio and take the nearly one-thousand-mile journey to Far West, Missouri. An account of their terrible suffering and trials along the way. Lucy catches a cold that persists and threatens her life. Catharine Smith Salisbury gives birth to a son on the journey. Mother Smith hobbles into the woods at Huntsville, Missouri, prays for three hours, and is completely healed. Lucy recounts the mob action at the election in Gallatin, Missouri. Eight mobsters enter the Smith home in Far West to murder Joseph the Prophet. Lucy withstands them and Joseph softens their hearts. The Missouri militia surround the city of Far West to lay it to ashes.
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Hyrum Smith gives sworn statement of the trials, tribulations, abuses, and privations of the Saints in Missouri. Mob action at Far West, Diahman, DeWitt, and Haun’s Mill. Missouri militia marches on Far West to lay siege to the city. Joseph, Hyrum, and others are taken prisoner and marched to Independence, Richmond, and Liberty. Sufferings and privations of these leaders and the Saints in general are enumerated. Joseph and others spend six months under guard and in prison. Sufferings of the brethren in Liberty Jail. More than twelve thousand Saints are driven from Missouri. Brethren are aided in escaping.
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Joseph, Hyrum are Taken Prisoner; Horrible Scenes from Far West–Chapter 49
Joseph, Hyrum, and others are taken prisoner in Far West. His parents think Joseph has been murdered. Lucy describes the scenes of Joseph and Hyrum being taken prisoner and their parting emotions. The Spirit whispers peace to the mind and heart of Mother Smith. Merciless conditions in Far West are beyond description. The Smiths leave for Illinois. Lucy describes the deplorable conditions of their journey east. The Saints, as destitute refugees, gather at Quincy, Illinois.
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Trials Abound for the Smiths; Lucy Sees Joseph and Hyrum in Vision–Chapter 50
Lucy and Joseph Sr. gather with members of their family and share their experiences of the expulsion from Missouri. Samuel and party nearly starve to death, but are saved by direction from the Lord. Young Lucy becomes very ill. Mother Smith contracts cholera. Both finally receive their health. Mother Smith sees Joseph and Hyrum in vision as they make their way painfully across Missouri. She prophesies of their arrival. They are reunited in Quincy and rejoice together.
