Born in Royalton, Vermont, Smith and his family suffered considerable financial problems and moved several times in the New England area.

William was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints on June 9, 1830, by David Whitmer, one of the Three Witnesses to the Book of Mormon.

Smith was patriarch to the church until October 6, 1845, when his name and positions were read at general conference, but fellow apostle Parley P. Pratt expressed objections due to his character and practices.

The conference attenders unanimously voted against Smith being retained as both an apostle and the patriarch, and he lost both offices and was disfellowshipped from the church.

[15] Weeks later, in December, there was an altercation between the two at a debating school being held in their father's home,[16][17] and it is said that at the time Joseph died, he was still suffering the physical effects of the beating that he received.

Rather, Smith followed the leadership of James J. Strang and was involved with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Strangite).

[19] In 1847, Smith announced that he was the new president of the Latter Day Saint church and that he held a right to leadership due to the doctrine of lineal succession.

Smith believed that Young had arranged for William's older brother Samuel to be poisoned in 1844 to prevent his accession to the presidency of the church.

[20][21][22] However, in 1860, Smith wrote a letter to Young stating that he desired to join the Latter-day Saints in the Salt Lake Valley.