Biography:

Joseph Smith, Sr.; born July 12, 1771, Topsfield, Provine of Massachusetts Bay; died September 14, 1840, Nauvoo, Illinois; moved his family to Palmyra, New York in 1816; father of Joseph Smith, Jr.; first Presiding Patriarch of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, December 18, 1833-1840; member of the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, September 3, 1837-September 14, 1840; farmer, teacher, shop-keeper; moved to Kirtland, Ohio in 1831; moved to Far West, Missouri in 1838; moved to Nauvoo, Illinois in 1839.