©2004 Brigham Young University. All rights reserved.
This collection was donated 8 March 1991 by Patriarch Emeritus Eldred G. Smith, and his sister Cleone Smith Isom. All materials have remained in the possession of the descendants of Hyrum Smith until their donation to the BYU Library.
The account book found in folder seven of box one was donated by Eldred G. Smith on 11 May 2000, as part of the activities surrounding the naming of the Joseph Smith, Sr. Family Room in the Special Collections of the Harold B. Lee Library (room 1141).
This collection is open for research. Photocopying or any type of single duplication is permissible for reference use only. The whole duplication of documents, reprinting, digitizing, or otherwise publishing is expressly prohibited without written permission from the Board of Curators of the L. Tom Perry Special Collections library.
The use of original documents is restricted. Researchers must use photocopies and/or typescripts.
It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain any necessary copyright clearances.
Permission to publish material from Hyrum Smith (1800-1844) Papers must be obtained from the Supervisor of Reference Services and/or the Special Collections Board of Curators.
Hyrum Smith, the second son of Joseph and Lucy Mack Smith and older brother of Joseph Smith, Jun. [founder of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or LDS Church], was born in Tunbridge VT, 9 February 1800. At nineteen he moved with his family to western New York. On 12 November 1826 he married Jerusha Barden. He was baptized by his brother Joseph in Seneca Lake in June 1829 and was one of the Eight Witnesses to see the actual gold plates of the Book of Mormon. Hyrum's wife, Jerusha, died in October of 1837, shortly before Hyrum was called as Joseph Smith's Second Counselor in the First Presidency of the Church.
During the 1830s Hyrum served several short missions for the Church, mainly in Ohio. Hoping for a respite from religious persecution, the main body of the Church moved from Ohio to Missouri in 1838. As the oppression intensified in Missouri, however, Hyrum and his brother Joseph were incarcerated in the jail at Liberty, Missouri for about six months before escaping to western Illinois in April of 1839. Hyrum later helped establish the city of Nauvoo and held several civil and military offices in Nauvoo.
In January of 1841 upon the death of his father, Hyrum was called to be Patriarch of the Church, at that time a hereditary office. He was also called to be the Associate President of the Church in 1841. In June 1844 he was again imprisoned with Joseph, this time at Carthage, Illinois. On 27 June 1844 Hyrum and Joseph were both killed by a mob that stormed the Carthage jail.
(Biographical information for Hyrum Smith was taken from the
collection itself, articles found in Andrew Jenson,
The Hyrum Smith papers were originally catalogued under the title of "The Joseph Smith Sr. Family Collection," which consisted of two parts: the papers of Hyrum Smith (1800-1844), and those of his son, John Smith (1832-1911). The Hyrum Smith papers are divided into diaries, letters, legal papers, books and include: five mission diaries, finances, prayers, poetry and daily events between 1832 and 1844; three items of correspondence; legal papers; Hyrum's bible with family history notes; and Hyrum's Old Testament in Hebrew and Latin, thought to have been used by the School of the Prophets in Kirtland, OH.
The Hyrum Smith papers were originally catalogued under the title of “The Joseph Smith Sr. Family Collection,” which consisted of two series: (1) the papers of Hyrum Smith (1800-1844), and (2) those of his son, John Smith (1832-1911). The Hyrum Smith papers are divided into diaries, letters, legal papers, books and include: five mission diaries, finances, prayers, poetry and daily events between 1832 and 1844; three items of correspondence; legal papers; Hyrum's Bible with family history notes; and Hyrum's Old Testament in Hebrew and Latin, thought to have been used by the School of the Prophets in Kirtland, Ohio. The John Smith Papers are now catalogued as VMSS 803.
In addition to the items listed above, the following were also donated to the Brigham Young University Library:
Six nineteenth century Smith family paintings, four of which are on display in the Joseph Smith, Sr. Family Room (room 1141 HBLL) : One of Lucy Mack Smith, one of Jerusha Barden Smith, two of Hyrum Smith, and two of John Smith.
The John Smith Papers (see VMSS 803)
Various artifacts: two walking canes and a set of metal scales belonging to Hyrum Smith are also in the possession of the Brigham Young University Library.
1 v. 10.5 cm x 8.5 cm. 126 pages
Relates mission travels in the Ohio area. The book is covered in an oil-cloth binding with a hand-painted floral design. The tradition of the Smith family is that this cover was made by Hyrum’s mother, Lucy Mack Smith. The pages have been stitched together in two places and then stitched through the cover to attach to it. The individual pages have been made up of single leaves folded over one another. For example, a group of seven leaves would be folded to form twenty eight pages. Several of these groups of pages, each with between five and eight leaves were then put together to form the book. The diary contains one hundred and twenty-six pages. The pages are numbered by hand from page fifty to page sixty-four. Pages 51-63, 74-80, 82, 85-118 are blank. The diary pages are made up of thin, light tan paper that has been written on with black ink. The paper itself is lined.
1 v. 15.5 cm x 20 cm. 16 pages.
Relates mission to the east with William Smith. The pages of the diary are not bound; rather, they have been encapsulated. The pages are not contained in a cover. Fifteen pages are written on, the last page is blank. Every other page has been numbered, apparently by some later person, in pencil. The diary is written on thin, faded brown paper in brown ink.
19.5 cm x 16 cm. 122 pages.
It is composed of single sheets which have been attached to each other with needle and thread, and later placed in the binding. The volume contains one hundred and twenty-two pages, including the front and back covers. The pages are numbered up until page twelve. Pages fifty two, fifty five, and one hundred seventeen are blank. The paper in the book is not lined, but does have a printed border of lines which frame each page. The handwriting throughout the book seems to be the same. Each pages contains an account, with a name listed under the heading. The text is written either in blue or black ink, or in pencil. The binding is a dark grey with a brown stripe along the spine of the volume, and part of the front cover has been damaged in such a way that the layers which make it up are clearly visible.
1 v. 16 cm x 10.5 cm. 24 pages.
The day book relates mission to the east with Jared Carter, and includes lists and financial notes. The book has been made up of single leaves which have been stitched together at three points with white thread, knotted in the middle (thread visible between pages twelve and thirteen) and folded over the same thread. The book is made up of twenty-four pages, page twenty-one being blank. The pages have been numbered through eleven, in pencil, apparently by a later hand. The paper itself is unlined, thick and light brown, with a darker edge to each page. The writing throughout the volume has been rendered in brown ink and pencil. The front inside cover has been written on, while the back inside cover remains blank. The cover is thick cardboard covered with mingled red, blue, and purple circles in an almost swirled pattern, with white lines separating the circles. Various names are listed throughout the book, with an amount in dollars written next to each name, then underlined the width of the page. Some entries are crossed out, apparently after being paid or reclaimed.
1 v.15.5 cm x 10.5 cm. 94 pages.
The book relates commencement of mission to the South with
Jared Carter,
1 v. 16 cm x 10 cm. 12 pages.
This item is composed of small, individual leaves which have been stitched together with white thread into a clear plastic cover, by a later hand than Hyrum Smith’s. The volume is made up of twelve pages, page eleven being blank. The paper itself is a weathered grey brown, of about medium thickness, with some apparent water damage to the bottom right hand corner of the volume. The entries have been made in a dark brown ink which in some places has faded to a light grey, while in other places it appears almost black. The binding is obviously not original, but has been redone some years since the volume itself was created. The majority of the entries in the volume appear to be psalms of some sort, while some entries on the back page contain names.
25 cm x 20 cm. 2 pages. Encapsulated.
Written from Liberty Jail, this two page letter contains advice to Sister Grinnels, and Hyrum Smith’s children. The signature at the bottom of the letter has been clipped away. The letter is written in black ink.
25.5 cm x 20 cm. 2 pages. Encapsulated.
This letter has been written on light tan paper, in blue ink and remains in very good condition.
30 cm x 20.5 cm. 4 pages. Encapsulated.
This letter consists of two pages which contain the body of the letter written in ink, a page containing the address written in pencil, and a page that is blank. It is written on cream colored paper in light brown ink.
23 cm x 30 cm. 2 pages. Encapsulated.
This map shows an addition to the existing city of Nauvoo,
Illinois surveyed by J. Wilson Williams on
19.5 cm x 31 cm. 2 pages. Encapsulated.
This map shows an addition to the existing city of Nauvoo,
Illinois. It was surveyed by J. Wilson Williams on
38 cm x 31 cm. 2 pages.
This document consists of two pages, one of which is printed with blanks left to be filled by hand, the other of which is hand written. The indenture itself is printed and filled in with black ink. One of the parties, Elizabeth Gallund, signed in blue-green ink. The note on the other side of the indenture indicating the place and parties of the indenture has been written in blue-green ink.
30 .5 cm x 19.5 cm. 2 pages. Encapsulated.
This document consists of two pages, one of which is printed with blanks left to be filled in by hand, the other of which is hand written. The indenture is printed and filled in with black ink. The note on the other side indicating filing of the indenture is also written in black ink.
33 cm x 42 cm. 2 pages. Encapsulated.
This document consists of two pages, one of which is printed
in with blanks left to be filled in by hand, the other being completely
handwritten. The indenture itself is printed in black ink, while the blanks are
filled in with blue-green ink. The note on the back indicates only a date,
30 cm x 20 cm. 2 pages. Encapsulated.
This document consists of two pages, one of which is printed with blanks left to be filled in by hand, the other being handwritten. The indenture itself is printed in black ink, and has been filled in with light brown ink at the top and blue ink at the bottom. The handwritten note on the back is written in light brown ink.
31.5 cm x 19.5 cm. 6 pages. Encapsulated.
This document consists of six pages, two of which are blank. Three of the pages are printed in black ink, containing blanks which have been filled in, also in black ink. The second leaf has a note on the back indicating the nature of the claim which has been written in black ink as well.
31.5 cm x 19.5 cm. 4 pages. Encapsulated.
This item consists of four pages, two of which are blank. The handwriting has been rendered in dark brown ink.
21.5 cm x 13.5 cm. 1392 numbered pages.
Title page missing, pages one and two also missing. Family
tradition holds that it originally belonged to Hyrum Smith and was used by the
first class of the School of the Prophets at Kirtland, OH. The cover is black,
a coarse cloth covering a thick card-stock shield not attached to the pates of
the volume. The pages have been sewn together in sections. The volume is
printed and has
1 v. 28.5 cm x 24 cm.
The cover of this volume is just over one half of a centimeter thick, of a dark red or wine color. The pages are numbered according to the book that contains them. The table of contents and a listing of how many pages are in each can be found after the title, advertisement, and dedication pages. There is an index at the end of the volume, following the New Testament. The books of the Apocrypha are also included in this version of the Bible. The text is printed, typeset in black ink. Each page is divided into two vertical columns, with text filling both halves of the page.
The first four of these paintings are on display in the Joseph Smith, Sr. Family Room, located in 1141 HBLL.
Jerusha Barden Smith (
Hyrum Smith (
John Smith (
Lucy Mack Smith (
The two remaining paintings can be found in the vault of
Brigham Young University Special Collections. The painting of John Smith which
is housed in the vault was rendered by Danquart Weggland (