Church of Latter-day Saints founded in 1830 after pilgrimage

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was officially born in Fayette, N.Y., in 1830.

But founder Joseph Smith, born in Vermont in 1805, started his religious pilgrimage years before.

When Smith was 14, he experienced a vision of God and Jesus Christ while praying for religious guidance in a wooded area near his family farm, according to church historians.

At that point, he was instructed not to join existing churches.

The reason, say church historians, is that Christ told Smith that many original church teachings had been changed by mankind over the centuries.

Working through Smith, Christ began to restore his church, Mormons believe.

In fall 1827, the angel Moroni directed Smith to some gold plates inscribed with hieroglyphics. Smith translated the plates -- he was only given temporary possession -- into the Book of Mormon, which was published in Fayette in 1830.

After establishing the LDS church, Smith helped found the Mormon settlement of Nauvoo, Ill., in 1839. He served as mayor. He reportedly instituted polygamy in the church in 1843, causing rumors that angered local residents.

Smith announced his candidacy for U.S. president early in 1844, but that effort ended when he was arrested. He and his brother, Hyrum, were taken to the county seat in Carthage, Ill. Both were killed by a mob on June 27, 1844, according to secular historical accounts.

Following Smith's death, Brigham Young was voted leader of the church. He organized and led the epic march in 1846 from Nauvoo to what is now Salt Lake City, Utah.

The first church members in Oregon arrived in 1850.

But Utah was the promised land for most Mormons. The church continued to grow in Utah, but polygamy led to increasing tension with the federal government. War nearly broke out between federal troops and Mormons in the mid-1800s, over polygamy and other issues.

After sporadic fighting, the two sides reconciled. Congress passed antibigamy laws in 1862 and 1882. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that religious freedom could not be claimed as grounds for polygamy.

In 1890, Mormons officially ended the practice of plural marriage.