 It is not known how Adams came into contact with Mormonism, but he converted in 1836.He apparently first met Joseph Smith in 1839, when the Mormon prophet preached in Springfield in November 1839, when he was on his way to Washington, D.C. Adams invited Smith to his home.The meeting of the two resulted in an enduring friendship; upon meeting Adams, Smith wrote in his diary that he "treated me like a father."