“Blessed of the Lord is my father, for he shall stand in the midst of his posterity and shall be comforted by their blessings.” — Joseph Smith Jr.1
Joseph Smith Sr. was born on July 12, 1771, to Mary Duty and Asael Smith (a veteran of the Revolutionary War).2 He married Lucy Mack in 1796, and they had 11 children.3 Joseph Sr. often struggled financially, with several failed business ventures including the ginseng export episode. For this reason, the Smith family moved often, seeking new opportunities.4 Joseph moved to upstate New York in 1816, paving the way for his family to join him.
Though Joseph Sr. and his father joined a Universalist Society in 1797 back in Vermont, he was not interested in organized religion.3 But when Joseph Jr. told his father of Angel Moroni's visit, Joseph Sr. immediately believed his son's account.5 Joseph Smith Sr. was baptized into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on April 6, 1830, the day the Church was formally organized.6 He also served as one of the Eight Witnesses of the Book of Mormon.7
In 1833, Joseph Smith Sr. was ordained as the Church's first Presiding Patriarch, and he gave patriarchal blessings and "blessings to the fatherless."8 Joseph Sr. served in this role until his death on September 14, 1840, in Nauvoo, Illinois.8
2. "The Tapestry of God's Hand," churchofjesuschrist.org
3. "Joseph Smith Sr.," churchofjesuschrist.org
4. "Early Struggles of the Smith Family," Curtis Ashton
5. Saints, Volume 1, Chapter 3, 23-25
6. Saints, Volume 1, Chapter 8, 86
7. "Joseph Smith Sr.," churchofjesuschrist.org
8. "A History of Patriarchs and Patriarchal Blessings," Church History Library Staff, March 2019