--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - Anderson, Edward H. collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 15 number: 2 published: 1911-12 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: 'Anderson, Edward H., "Presiding Patriarchs of the Church," *Improvement Era* 15, no. 2 (December 1911): 97–98.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera1502unse transcription: Transcribed from the Internet Archive scan of each issue (the item for each issue is named in the issue's own source); unnumbered advertising leaves are omitted, printed page numbers are kept as page markers. identifier: improvementera1502unse start_page: 97 end_page: 98 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1911-12) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera1502unse publication_year: 1911 note: The Internet Archive item metadata carries a blanket "© Copyright by Intellectual Reserve, Inc." notice. The library owner judged it inapplicable because this issue was published in 1911, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # Presiding Patriarchs of the Church HE only hereditary office in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is that of Presiding Patriarch. There have been four incumbents of this office. 1. Joseph Smith, Senior, father of the Prophet Joseph, born July 12, 1771; ordained Presiding Patriarch, Kirtland, Ohio, December 18, 1833; died September 14, 1840. 2. Hyrum Smith, the martyr, father of President Joseph F. Smith, Joseph Smith, Senior's second and eldest living son, and brother of the Prophet, born February 9, 1800; ordained Presiding Patriarch, January 24, 1841; martyred, Carthage Jail, June 27, 1844. There was no Presiding Patriarch from the martyrdom until January 1, 1849. 3. John Smith, uncle of the Prophet Joseph, and the youngest and only surviving brother of Joseph Smith, Senior, born July 16, 1781; ordained Presiding Patriarch, January 1, 1849; died, Salt Lake City, May 23, 1854. 4. John Smith, brother of President Joseph F. Smith and the eldest son of Hyrum Smith, born, Kirtland, Ohio, September 22, 1832; ordained Presiding Patriarch, February 18, 1855, by Brigham Young and others; died at his home in Salt Lake City, Monday night, Novem- ber 6, 1911, at 11:35 o'clock, pneumonia being the cause of death. John Smith's first patriarchal blessing was given August 17, 1856, to Samuel Knight, son of Newell and Lydia Knight, and his last blessing was given October 30, 1911, to Alma Joseph Wil- liam Gardner, born July 19, 1862, in Yorkshire, England. He commenced recording in book "A" and went through the alpha- bet and was recording in book "BB", in which there were forty- seven blessings at the time of his death. In all he gave 20,659 patriarchal blessings. The Presiding Patriarch holds the sealing blessings of the Church, the Holy Spirit of Promise, whereby men and women are sealed up unto the day of redemption, that they may not fall, notwithstanding the hour of temptation that may come upon them. He holds the keys of the Patriarchal blessings upon the heads of all the people, that whoever he blesses shall be blessed; whatso- ever he binds on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatsoever he shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. It is his duty, also, to preside over all the evangelical ministers, or patriarchs, of the whole Church. — Edward H. Anderson. PRESIDING PATRIARCH JOHN SMITH Born, September 22, 1832; died, November 6, 1911,