George A. Smith was born in Potsdam, St. Lawrence County, New York, the son of John Smith and Clarissa Lyman, and was brought up in the Congregational Church. His first cousin was Joseph Smith, Jr., the founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or Mormon Church. In September 1832, at the age of 15, George A. Smith, was baptized into the new church, eight months after his parents had been baptized.. The following year, John Smith and his family moved to Kirtland, Ohio, the church's new headquarters. There George met his cousin, Joseph, for the first time. In 1838, he moved with his parents and a large body of church members to the state of Missouri.