The $1,000 Mack Inheritance and Joseph Smith Sr.'s Disastrous Ginseng Venture

Origin of the $1,000 Gift

The $1,000 originated in the estate of Lucy Mack Smith’s older brother Jason Mack, who died around 1802. Jason had built his holdings through Universalist preaching that drew paying congregations in New England and the Maritime provinces, combined with mercantile and coastal shipping interests that moved goods between ports in New Brunswick and New England.

After Jason’s death, brothers Stephen Mack and John Mack (sometimes listed as Christopher in later references) divided the estate according to standard inheritance practice and forwarded Lucy her share. In her 1853 memoir Biographical Sketches of Joseph Smith the Prophet, Lucy describes the money as deliberate family support sent around 1802–1803 to serve as startup capital for her and Joseph Smith Sr.

Lucy presents the transfer as practical assistance rather than charity, intended to give the couple a foundation for building a stable life.Lucy Mack Smith memoir

Joseph Smith Sr.'s Ginseng Business Venture

Joseph Smith Sr. took the $1,000 inheritance that Lucy Mack Smith received from her brothers Stephen and John Mack after Jason Mack’s death around 1802 and invested it in a mercantile store in Tunbridge, Vermont. He focused the business on ginseng root, a commodity then in high demand for export to China because of its reputed medicinal value.

Joseph Sr. acquired the root locally, then prepared and packed it himself for shipment. He cleaned and dried the ginseng, sorted the pieces by quality, and sealed them in casks or crates suitable for transport to New York City, where the cargo was to be sold onward to China-bound vessels.

The Swindle and Complete Financial Ruin

Joseph Smith Sr. entrusted the prepared ginseng along with the remaining cash from the $1,000 Mack inheritance to a merchant named Mr. Stevens, who was to carry the shipment to New York City, sell it, and return with the proceeds. Instead Stevens absconded with both the root and the money, and the planned export never occurred.

the family was left with nothing but a load of debtLucy Mack Smith, Biographical Sketches of Joseph Smith the Prophet

The loss stripped the Smiths of their entire nest egg. Creditors pressed for payment, forcing the sale of the Tunbridge farm and household goods to settle what was owed.

Lucy's Immediate Response and Family Survival

After the ginseng venture collapsed in total loss, with the merchant absconding with the prepared root and remaining cash, Lucy Mack Smith faced a household stripped of its $1,000 inheritance capital and burdened by debt. She responded immediately by taking paid work herself rather than attempting any rescue of the failed Tunbridge store. Her memoir records that she commenced painting oil-cloth for sale and opened a small school, becoming the family’s main earner during the period of acute hardship that followed.

I commenced painting oil-cloth, and opened a small school, which together enabled us to live.Lucy Mack Smith, Biographical Sketches of Joseph Smith the Prophet (1853)

These two income sources—schoolteaching and the oil-cloth work—directly replaced the vanished capital and prevented destitution. Lucy’s efforts supplied food and basic needs while the family sold their farm to settle outstanding obligations, making clear that her labor addressed the aftermath of the swindle rather than underwriting the original ginseng scheme.

Jason Mack's Background and Wealth Building

Jason Mack, the oldest of Lucy Mack Smith’s siblings, built his estate through a combination of Universalist preaching and coastal trade. He began as a minister, drawing paying congregations across New England with his Universalist message before extending his work into the Maritime provinces.

Alongside his preaching, Mack ran mercantile and shipping interests, moving goods between ports in New Brunswick and New England ports. These ventures in small-scale exporting and coastal commerce added land, property, and cash to his holdings.

By the time of his death around 1802, the accumulated assets were divided among his surviving siblings under standard inheritance practice, with Stephen and John Mack sending Lucy her $1,000 share.

Primary Source and Historical Limitations

Every concrete detail about the $1,000 inheritance from Jason Mack’s estate and the subsequent ginseng venture traces back to a single source: Lucy Mack Smith’s 1853 memoir, Biographical Sketches of Joseph Smith the Prophet. No business ledgers, partnership agreements, shipping manifests, or court filings from Tunbridge or New York City have survived to corroborate the transaction or the disappearance of the merchant Lucy identifies as Mr. Stevens.

Later retellings introduce only minor inconsistencies—chiefly the precise spelling of the merchant’s name and whether Joseph Smith Sr. risked the entire sum or a large portion of it—while preserving the core sequence Lucy recorded.

Sources

• Lucy Mack Smith, Biographical Sketches of Joseph Smith the Prophet (1853)
• Details on Jason Mack's preaching and shipping interests from historical traces in New Brunswick and New England