Smith Family Farm
Encyclopedia
The Smith Family Farm was the boyhood home of Joseph Smith, Jr., the founder of the Latter Day Saint movement
.
The farm—located in the townships of Palmyra
, Wayne County
and Manchester
, Ontario County
, New York
—includes the Sacred Grove
, the Smiths' restored frame home and a reconstructed log home. The farm site passed into ownership of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) in 1916, and in the 1990s, the church restored the frame home, reconstructed the log home, and built a welcome center. Church missionaries
provide free tours.
, his wife Lucy Mack Smith
, and some of their children moved from Norwich, Vermont
to Palmyra
, New York
in 1816. In 1818 or 1819, the family built a log home near property owned by the estate of Nicholas Evertson of New York City
, but did not enter a purchase agreement for the land until a land agent had been appointed in 1820. Joseph Smith, Sr. agreed to pay the Evertson estate between $
600 and 700 for the 100 acre (0.404686 km²) farm. In 1825, the family moved into a larger and more comfortable frame home that they had built on the property but were unable to make payments on the land. A carpenter who had completed the house sued the Smiths for his costs in February 1825. A new agent for the Evertson estate also foreclosed on them, although a sympathetic Quaker, Lemuel Durfee, purchased the farm and permitted the family to rent the frame house until they returned to the log home in the spring of 1829. The Smiths left the area in 1830.
The farm was purchased by the LDS Church in 1907 and passed into its ownership in 1916. The instigator of the purchase was LDS president Joseph F. Smith
, who "successfully reframed the L. D. S. church’s sense of its past, shaping its history onto the American terrain and directing his people’s attention beyond the Rocky Mountains to where he believed their future lay." The grove of trees on the site where Joseph Smith was assumed to have had his First Vision
became a pilgrimage site, and centennial celebrations were held there in 1920.
Latter Day Saint movement
The Latter Day Saint movement is a group of independent churches tracing their origin to a Christian primitivist movement founded by Joseph Smith, Jr. in the late 1820s. Collectively, these churches have over 14 million members...
.
The farm—located in the townships of Palmyra
Palmyra (town), New York
Palmyra is a town in Wayne County, New York, USA. The population was 7,672 at the 2000 census. The town is named after the ancient city Palmyra in Syria....
, Wayne County
Wayne County, New York
Wayne County is a county located in the US state of New York. It is part of the Rochester, New York Metropolitan Statistical Area and lies on the south shore of Lake Ontario, forming part of the northern border of the United States with Canada. The name honors General Anthony Wayne, an American...
and Manchester
Manchester (town), New York
Manchester is a town in Ontario County, New York, USA. The population was 9,258 at the 2000 census. The town was named after one of its villages, which in turn was named after the original Manchester in Greater Manchester, England....
, Ontario County
Ontario County, New York
As of the census of 2000, there were 100,224 people, 38,370 households, and 26,360 families residing in the county. The population density was 156 people per square mile . There were 42,647 housing units at an average density of 66 per square mile...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
—includes the Sacred Grove
Sacred Grove
The foundational event of the Latter Day Saint movement took place in what is commonly referred to as The Sacred Grove. This Grove is a forested area near the border of western New York near the home of Joseph Smith, Jr....
, the Smiths' restored frame home and a reconstructed log home. The farm site passed into ownership of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) in 1916, and in the 1990s, the church restored the frame home, reconstructed the log home, and built a welcome center. Church missionaries
Missionary (LDS Church)
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is one of the most active modern practitioners of missionary work, with over 52,000 full-time missionaries worldwide, as of the end of 2010...
provide free tours.
History
Joseph Smith, Sr.Joseph Smith, Sr.
Joseph Smith, Sr. was the father of Joseph Smith, Jr., the founder of the Latter Day Saint movement. Joseph Sr. was also one of the Eight Witnesses of the Book of Mormon, which Mormons believe was translated by Joseph Jr. from the Golden Plates. In 1833 Joseph Sr...
, his wife Lucy Mack Smith
Lucy Mack Smith
Lucy Mack Smith was the mother of Joseph Smith, Jr., founder of the Latter Day Saint movement. She is most noted for writing an award-winning memoir: Biographical Sketches of Joseph Smith, the Prophet, and His Progenitors for Many Generations. She was an important leader of the movement during...
, and some of their children moved from Norwich, Vermont
Norwich, Vermont
Norwich is a town in Windsor County, Vermont, United States, located along the Connecticut River opposite Hanover, New Hampshire. The population was 3,544 at the 2000 census....
to Palmyra
Palmyra (town), New York
Palmyra is a town in Wayne County, New York, USA. The population was 7,672 at the 2000 census. The town is named after the ancient city Palmyra in Syria....
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
in 1816. In 1818 or 1819, the family built a log home near property owned by the estate of Nicholas Evertson of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, but did not enter a purchase agreement for the land until a land agent had been appointed in 1820. Joseph Smith, Sr. agreed to pay the Evertson estate between $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
600 and 700 for the 100 acre (0.404686 km²) farm. In 1825, the family moved into a larger and more comfortable frame home that they had built on the property but were unable to make payments on the land. A carpenter who had completed the house sued the Smiths for his costs in February 1825. A new agent for the Evertson estate also foreclosed on them, although a sympathetic Quaker, Lemuel Durfee, purchased the farm and permitted the family to rent the frame house until they returned to the log home in the spring of 1829. The Smiths left the area in 1830.
The farm was purchased by the LDS Church in 1907 and passed into its ownership in 1916. The instigator of the purchase was LDS president Joseph F. Smith
Joseph F. Smith
Joseph Fielding Smith, Sr. was the sixth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
, who "successfully reframed the L. D. S. church’s sense of its past, shaping its history onto the American terrain and directing his people’s attention beyond the Rocky Mountains to where he believed their future lay." The grove of trees on the site where Joseph Smith was assumed to have had his First Vision
First Vision
The First Vision refers to a vision that Joseph Smith, Jr. said he received as a youth in a wooded area in Manchester, New York, which his followers call the Sacred Grove. Smith described it as a personal theophany in which he received a forgiveness of sins...
became a pilgrimage site, and centennial celebrations were held there in 1920.