"And again, blessed is my father, for the hand of the Lord shall be over him, and he shall be full of the Holy Ghost; for he shall predict whatsoever shall befal[l] his posterity unto the latest generation, and shall see the affliction of his children pass away, and their enemies under their feet: and when his head is fully ripe he shall behold himself as an olive tree whose branches are bowed down with much fruit." — Joseph Smith Jr.¹

By 1831, Joseph Smith Sr. had moved to Kirtland, Ohio, and he was soon after ordained a high priest and later became a member of the high council.²

Three years later, in December 1834, Joseph Sr. was ordained as the first presiding patriarch of the Church, which gave him authority to give patriarchal blessings to members, akin to those given by biblical figures like Abraham and Jacob to their children.^3,4 At the same time, he was ordained as the assistant to the First Presidency. And 1836, Joseph Sr. labored on the construction of the Kirtland Temple and went on a mission to the eastern states with his brother John Smith.²

In one example of Joseph Sr.'s blessings, the Knights visited him so Lydia could receive a blessing. Despite Lydia's past afflictions and pain, Joseph Sr. assured her of comfort and love from the Lord. He prophesied that she and her husband, Newel, would be preserved in life and safely journey to the land of Zion.⁴ Joseph Sr. regularly organized public blessing meetings and traveled to branches of the Church, giving patriarchal blessings to many members.³

1. Blessing to Joseph Smith Sr. and Lucy Mack Smith, September 1835, josephsmithpapers.org

2. "Smith, Joseph, Sr.," josephsmithpapers.org

3. "Patriarch," josephsmithpapers.org

4. Saints, Volume 1, Chapter 21, 242-243