“Written by the Hand of Mormon”

In June 1829, Joseph Smith and Martin Harris began contacting printers, including Thurlow Weed, who declined a contract, and Egbert B. Grandin, who eventually agreed to publish the Book of Mormon. Oliver Cowdery prepared a printer’s copy of the manuscript, and printing began in late August or early September. Employees of the print shop, including Pomeroy Tucker, Albert Chandler, and John H. Gilbert, later described the process in detail. During this same period, Cornelius Blatchly published an early newspaper article about the Book of Mormon, Abner Cole began illegally publishing extracts from the Book of Mormon, and a controversial revelation dealing with the Canadian copyright was dictated. In March 1830, the Wayne Sentinel announced the publication of the Book of Mormon.

Introduction

Ever since the summer of 1829, when newspapers began announcing the forthcoming publication of the Book of Mormon, that text has been the object of both praise and ridicule, a situation that shows no signs of easing almost two hundred years later. Scholars agree, however, that understanding the primary documents surrounding the origin of the Book of Mormon is essential to understanding its significance in American history. This volume presents a representative selection of those source documents, emphasizing first-person accounts produced close to the time of the events in question. Embracing such values as balance, fairness, openness, integrity, and the willingness to be self-critical, the introductions and annotation accompanying each document set the events in their historical context.

“Days Never To Be Forgotten”

dLate in March 1829, Oliver Cowdery traveled from Manchester, New York, to Harmony, Pennsylvania, to assist Joseph Smith with the translation of the Book of Mormon. The two men had not met prior to this but begin translating on April 7 and translated at a furious pace, completing the project in about fifty-seven working days. Accounts from Pomeroy Tucker, Joseph Knight, and others offer views from both skeptics and believers. Cowdery’s letters to W. W. Phelps present the perspectives of both Cowdery and Smith. During this same period, Smith dictated several revelations that later were incorporated into the Book of Commandments and subsequently the Doctrine and Covenants.

“It Is Marvelous to Me”

The period from the autumn of 1828 to March 1829 was an interregnum of sorts because Joseph Smith was in Harmony, Pennsylvania, providing for his family, as shown by David Hale’s store ledger. Joseph “Could not translate But little Being poor and nobody to write for him But his wife and she Could not do much and take Care of her house and he Being poor and no means to live But work.” In another sense, however, this interregnum proved quite significant because Oliver Cowdery arrived on the scene. In September 1828 he likely knew nothing of any gold plates, but by the end of March 1829, he was well on his way to becoming the cofounder of Mormonism. When the rehabilitation of Martin Harris and the curiosity of newcomer David Whitmer are figured into the equation, this seven-month period looks anything but routine.

“I Cannot Read a Sealed Book”

In February 1828, Martin Harris obtained a transcript of Book of Mormon characters Joseph Smith had copied from the gold plates. He took them to two prominent scholars in New York City: Samuel Mitchill and Charles Anthon. Harris and Anthon both left a record of their meeting, but the accounts differ widely. Anthon said it was all a hoax and that he tried to protect the “simple farmer” from losing his money. Harris said that Anthon confirmed that this was an authentic ancient script. Some accounts add that Anthon also validated Joseph Smith’s translation. Harris returned to Harmony more convinced than ever that the work was divine and that his actions fulfilled a prophecy in the book of Isaiah, chapter 29.

“I Stood Alone, an Unlearned Youth”

The documents in this chapter cover events during the spring of 1828, when Joseph Smith and Martin Harris began the translation in Harmony, Pennsylvania. In the years following, Joseph stressed the miraculous nature of the translation but said little about the details. Key sources include letters from Joseph Smith, Ezra Booth, and Mathew Davis and interviews with Joseph Smith, Mrs. Doolittle, Michael Morse, and Martin Harris. Such documents show how Smith and Harris faced opposition from Emma’s father, Isaac Hale, and her uncle, minister Nathaniel Lewis. Whether Joseph used the spectacles associated with the Urim and Thummim or the seer stone to translate has been disputed, but Harris made it clear that he used both. By June, Joseph and Martin produced a manuscript of 116 pages.

“The Same Heavenly Messenger Delivered Them Up To Me”

Joseph Knight and Josiah Stowell visited the Smith family on September 20, 1827. Two days later, Joseph and his wife, Emma Smith, rode in a wagon to the Hill Cumorah, and Joseph obtained the gold plates from the angel Moroni. William and Katharine Smith handled the plates but did not see them. According to Joseph, he also received other artifacts, including the Urim and Thummim, the Liahona, the brass plates, and the sword of Laban. Neighbor Lorenzo Saunders heard the story directly from Joseph Smith. Other neighbors ransacked Smith property searching for the plates. With the assistance of Martin Harris, Joseph and Emma arranged to move to Harmony, Pennsylvania.

“The Appearance of Ancient Work, and of Curious Workmanship”

The eight witnesses were Christian Whitmer, Jacob Whitmer, Peter Whitmer Jr., John Whitmer, Hiram Page, Joseph Smith Sr., Hyrum Smith, and Samuel Smith. Their statement, titled “The Testimony of Eight Witnesses,” states, “Joseph Smith Jr., the translator of this work, has shown unto us the plates of which hath been spoken, which have the appearance of gold; and as many of the leaves as the said Smith has translated we did handle with our hands; and we also saw the engravings thereon, all of which has the appearance of ancient work, and of curious workmanship. And this we bear record, with words of soberness, that . . . we have seen and hefted, . . . and we give our names unto the world, . . . and we lie not, God bearing witness of it.”

“I Often Sat By and Saw and Heard Them Translate and Write for Hours Together”

Around June 1, 1829, David Whitmer arrived in Harmony, Pennsylvania, to move Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery to Fayette Township, New York, a journey of more than one hundred miles. With the help of David and his family, the translation was completed at the Whitmer farm by the end of June. Several individuals witnessed the translation, including David Whitmer and his sister, Elizabeth (future wife of Cowdery). During this same period, Jesse Smith wrote a hostile letter to Hyrum Smith—this is the first extant letter mentioning the Book of Mormon. This chapter also includes a contemporaneous letter from Oliver Cowdery to Hyrum Smith as well as Cowdery’s “Articles of the Church of Christ.”

“He Appeared unto Me Three Times in One Night”

This chapter discusses Joseph Smith’s First Vision and his vision of the angel and the gold plates. Some historians have argued that he transformed his tale of treasure guarded by a ghost or spirit into a religious account of an ancient record delivered by the angel Moroni. Alan Taylor and others have contended, however, that treasure-seeking itself was rich with Christian symbols and that Joseph’s activities as a village seer led naturally to his role as a prophet. Lucy Mack Smith’s history gives the best account of Joseph’s life from 1820 to 1826. Affidavits from Howe’s Mormonism Unvailed are also included.