Hale blev gift med Rogene Bertha Munsell den 30 jun. 1905 i Omaha, Douglas, Nebraska, USA. Rogene (datter af Matt Munsell og Ellen Elizabeth Rayner) blev født den 15 aug. 1881 i Red Bluff, Tehama, California, USA; døde i dec. 1978 i Kaw, Jackson, Missouri, USA. [Gruppeskema] [Familietavle]

Andre Begivenheder og Egenskaber:

• Bopæl: 1900, Lamoni, Decatur, Iowa, USA

Joseph blev gift med Bertha Madison den 12 nov. 1869 i Sandwich, De Kalb, Illinois, USA. Bertha (datter af Made Madison og Mary Thomasson) blev født den 16 jul. 1843 i Indian Creek, La Salle, Illinois, United States; døde den 19 okt. 1896 i Lamoni, Decatur, Iowa, USA. [Gruppeskema] [Familietavle]

Matt + Ellen Elizabeth Rayner. Ellen blev født den 8 aug. 1851 i Piqua, Clark, Ohio, USA; døde den 30 jul. 1916 i Omaha, Douglas, Nebraska, USA. [Gruppeskema] [Familietavle]

Notater:

Joseph Smith's ancestors were ordinary New England farm people who emigrated from England to America in the seventeenth century and settled in Massachusetts. Joseph Smith was born on December 23, 1805, in Sharon, Vermont, the son of Joseph and Lucy Mack Smith. In his youth Joseph was largely deprived of a formal education, but he was instructed in reading, writing, and the basic rules of arithmetic; his mother reported that he was often given to meditation and deep study.

The Smiths moved several times in less than twenty years. When Joseph was eleven, his family moved to Palmyra, New York, where Joseph lived almost all of his later childhood. This area was known as the "burned-over district," because it was given to frequent and fervent religious excitement. Various Christian sects sponsored tent meetings and revivals, and they competed vigorously for converts.

In 1820, at the age of fourteen, Joseph was deeply perplexed about which church he should join, and the conflicting preaching of many religious ministers increased his uncertainty. Members of his immediate family were drawn to the Methodist and Presbyterian Churches. Joseph was determined to know which of the many religions was right. After reading a passage in the Bible in the Book of James, instructing any who lacked wisdom to "ask of God" (James 1:5), Joseph decided to turn directly to God for guidance.

Early one morning in the spring of 1820, Joseph went to a secluded wood to ask God which church he should follow. As he was praying, as he recounted later, God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, appeared to him. This experience is called the First Vision in Mormonism and considered a pivotal event in the history of humankind, second only to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The importance of the event hinges on its definition as the beginning of the restoration of Christ's true gospel on earth, which was lost upon the death of the original apostles.

Later, in 1823, Joseph Smith said he was also visited by an angel named Moroni, who told him of an ancient record containing God's dealings with the former inhabitants of the American continent. Joseph was shown the forest location of the record's hiding place by the angel. However, he was also told that he should wait another four years before being able to obtain the record, and that until then he should return each year to the same place to receive further instructions. In 1827, Joseph was finally able to retrieve the record, which was inscribed on golden plates. Shortly after obtaining these golden plates, Joseph Smith began translating its words by the "gift of God."
1843 Photograph of Joseph Smith, Mormon Prophet
1843 Photograph of Joseph Smith, Mormon Prophet

The result of his translating efforts became known as the Book of Mormon-Another Testament of Jesus Christ, which was published in March of 1830. Following the publication of the Book of Mormon, on April 6, 1830, the prophet finally organized the Church and became its first president.

While working in Harmony, Pennsylvania, in 1825, Joseph Smith met Emma Hale. On January 18, 1827, Joseph and Emma were married. Together they had eleven children (including two who were adopted), only five of whom lived past infancy. Joseph deeply loved his family, and his personal writings are filled with concerns and prayers for the welfare of his family.

Made + Mary Thomasson. Mary blev født i 1812; døde den 6 maj 1898. [Gruppeskema] [Familietavle]