The Gods are Among the People Summary and Analysis

Joseph Smith descended from the Robert Smith family, who came to Massachusetts in 1638, and the John Mack family, who arrived in 1669. His ancestors fought in the Revolutionary War, and were "conservative, respectable, active in local politics, and moderately prosperous."

Into a world of westward movement, seeking for better land, and religious turmoil, Joseph Smith, Jr. was born, December 23, 1805 in the small village of Sharon, Vermont. His family moved three times before he was five. This was a time of financial depression. Joseph's family survived several financial crises.

While in Vermont, a fever devastated the whole area. The Smith's children fell ill with this fever. Eight-year-old Joseph, Jr. seemed to be recovering well enough, until his mother, Lucy, discovered huge infections breaking out on his shoulder and leg. Nothing would cure it...