Joseph Smith Jr's Kevo

Smith met Emma Hale in 1825 when he boarded with the Hales while he was employed in a company hoping to unearth buried treasure. Although the company was unsuccessful, Smith returned to Harmony several times seeking Emma's hand. Isaac Hale, Emma's father, refused to allow the marriage so the couple eloped across the state line to South Bainbridge, New York, present day Afton, New York, and were married on 18 January 1827, by the Village of Afton, New York Justice of the Peace. The couple initially moved to the home of Smith's parents on the edge of Manchester Township near Palmyra.

During the early portion of their marriage, Joseph and Emma Smith had the following children:
o June 15, 1828, Alvin, who lived only a few hours.
o April 30, 1831, twins, Thaddeus and Louisa, who died hours after their premature birth.
o April 30, 1831, twins Joseph and Julia. These were the children of Julia Clapp Murdock and John Murdock. Murdock, upon his wife's death in childbirth, gave the infants to the Smiths (who had just lost their own twins) to adopt.

The couple later had four additional sons:
o November 6, 1832, Joseph Smith III
o June 29, 1836, Frederick Granger Williams Smith
o June 2, 1838, Alexander Hale Smith.
o November 17, 1844, David Hyrum Smith, born after Joseph's death.