December 9, 1842
Joseph Smith spent the day chopping wood.
Personal Life
January 11, 1843
Joseph Smith had a mishap with his sleigh while on an outing with his wife Emma.
January 28, 1843
Joseph Smith played ball with the brethren and rode around the city with Mr. Taylor, a land agent visiting from New York.
February 8, 1843
After visiting with a man and woman from Michigan, Joseph Smith recorded, "I went out with my little Frederick, to exercise myself by sliding on the ice."
February 20, 1843
Joseph Smith stopped two boys from fighting in the street and instructed them about their inappropriate behavior, after which he lectured bystanders for not interfering.
February 26, 1843
Joseph Smith stayed at home all day nursing his mother, who was "sick with inflammation of the lungs."
March 4, 1843
In the evening, Joseph Smith said, "For a man to be great, he must not dwell on small things, though he may enjoy them."
March 13, 1843
Joseph Smith wrestled with and threw "the most expert wrestler in Ramus" and later, with "great fervency," blessed nineteen children.
March 18, 1843
Joseph Smith spent most of the morning in the office in “cheerful conversation” with Willard Richards and others. About noon he lay down on the writing table with his head on a pile of law books and said, “Write and tell the world I acknowledge myself a very great lawyer; I am going to study law, and this is the way I study it.” He then fell asleep. Later that day he played ball with some boys.
March 28, 1843
Joseph Smith moved his office from the smokehouse to the small upper room of his Red Brick Store. Josiah Butterfield (stepfather of the Lawrence sisters who were later sealed to Joseph) came to Joseph's house and insulted him so outrageously that Joseph kicked Butterfield "out of the house, across the yard, and into the street."
Pages
Read peer-reviewed articles about Joseph Smith and other Church history topics from BYU Studies. Visit byustudies.byu.edu.