Joseph Smith Jr. - Nauvoo, Illinois - Grave of a Famous Person on Waymarking.com

Following the murders of Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum on June 27, 1844 by a mob at the Carthage Jail their bodies were moved several times. Finally they were hidden beneath a spring house. The location of the bodies was a long family secret. After an extensive search their bodies were found and re-interred in the family cemetery on January 20, 1928.

From Wikipedia:

"Joseph Smith, Jr. (December 23, 1805 – June 27, 1844) was an American religious leader and founder of the Latter Day Saint movement, whose predominant branch is Mormonism. At age twenty-four Smith published the Book of Mormon, and in the next fourteen years he attracted thousands of followers, established cities and temples, and created a lasting religious culture.

Smith was born in Sharon, Vermont, and by 1817 had moved with his family to the burned-over district of western New York, an area repeatedly swept by religious revivals during the Second Great Awakening. The Smiths believed in visions and prophecies, and participated in folk religious practices typical of the era. According to Smith, beginning in the early 1820s he had visions, in one of which an angel directed him to a buried book of golden plates inscribed with a Judeo-Christian history of ancient American civilizations. In 1830, he published what he said was an English translation of these plates as the Book of Mormon, and organized the Church of Christ as a restoration of the early Christian church. Church members were later called Latter Day Saints, Saints, or Mormons.

In 1831, Smith and his followers moved west to Kirtland, Ohio, and also established an outpost in Independence, Missouri, where Smith planned to build a city called Zion. In 1833, Mormons in Zion were expelled by Missouri settlers who were alarmed by the rapid growth of the Mormon community. The Kirtland church collapsed in 1837, after members held Smith responsible for a bank failure. Smith regrouped with his remaining followers in northern Missouri, but his presence and policies exacerbated tensions with non-Mormon settlers. After an 1838 military conflict, Latter Day Saints were expelled from the state, and Smith was imprisoned. In 1839, Smith rejoined his followers to settle at Nauvoo, Illinois, where he served as both a spiritual and political leader. In 1844, Smith and the Nauvoo City Council angered non-Mormons by destroying a printing press after it was used to publish an exposé critical of Smith's power and practice of polygamy. During the ensuing turmoil, Smith was imprisoned in Carthage, Illinois, and killed when a mob stormed the jailhouse.

During his lifetime Smith published many revelations and other texts that are regarded as scripture by his followers. His teachings include unique views about the nature of God, cosmology, family structures, political organization, and religious collectivism. His followers regard him as a prophet of at least the stature of Moses and Elijah. Smith's legacy includes a number of religious denominations, including the Missouri-based Community of Christ and the Utah-based Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which claims a growing membership of more than 14 million worldwide."

Description: Founder of the Latter Day Saints movement. Date of birth: 12/23/1805 Date of death: 06/27/1844 Area of notoriety: Religion Marker Type: Horizontal Marker Setting: Outdoor Visiting Hours/Restrictions: Open 24 hours a day Fee required?: No Web site: [Web Link]

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