Graves of Joseph, Jr, Emma, and Hyrum Smith - Nauvoo, Illinois
Posted by: 
BruceS
N 40° 32.422 W 091° 23.533
15T E 636154 N 4488977
Grave of the founder of the Latter Days Saints movement along with that of his wife and brother in Nauvoo, Illinois.
Waymark Code: WMF9MB
Location: Illinois, United States
Date Posted: 09/15/2012
Views: 1
On the river side of the house are the Graves of Joseph, Emma, and Hyrum Smith. The bodies of the Prophet and his brother were moved several times after the murder at Carthage, and were finally secretly buried in a springhouse near the homestead. Knowledge of their location was for years a family secret; the springhouse fell into ruin; and in 1928 the bodies were found only after considerable search. A hole in one of the skulls identified it as that of Hyrum Smith, shot through the head at Carthage jail. The bodies, with that of Joseph Smith's wife, Emma Smith Bidamon, were reinterred on January 20, 1928. - Illinois: A Descriptive and Historical Guide, Nauvoo section, pg. 353.
The graves are located in the Smith Family Cemetery adjacent to the Joseph Smith Homestead. In recent years considerable effort has been taken to restore the cemetery and to encourage visitors to the cemetery. The cemetery is open 24 hours a day.