History of the Prophet Joseph, by His Mother

by Lucy Smith

"History of the Prophet Joseph, by His Mother" by Lucy Smith is a biography published in 1853. Dictated by the mother of Latter Day Saint movement founder Joseph Smith, this family memoir sparked immediate controversy. Church leader Brigham Young condemned it as lies and ordered copies destroyed, possibly due to conflicts with its publisher and the book's portrayal of the Smith family as legitimate church leaders. Despite the opposition, historians later recognized it as an essential source for understanding Mormon origins.