Patriarch of the Church: Establishment of the office

Joseph Smith Sr. (George E. Anderson Collection, BYU)

Thirty years ago in Mormon church history .... the office of Presiding Patriarch of the LDS church was effectively ended when the Presiding Patriarch of the church was granted emeritus status.  This is the first of three articles reviewing the history of this office.

On Dec. 18th, 1833, Joseph Smith Jr., "first elder and first patriarch of the Church" gave patriarchal blessings to family members and Oliver Cowdery.  He set apart his father Joseph Smith Senior as a "Patriarch, and President of the high Priesthood."  During this meeting, Joseph Smith reported a vision of Adam giving patriarchal blessings to his descendants (often referred to as the Patriarchs of the the Old Testament).  The vision indicated Adam's descendants were also High Priests who gathered together in Missouri near the Garden of Eden three days before Adam's death.

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