Since my last post on the Newark Holy Stones in 2017, we have found additional evidence from Dr. Yitzchok Levine Department of Mathematical Sciences Stevens Institute of Technology Hoboken, NJ 07030 . He says as you will see in the Red Title Boxes at the end, The Holy Stones are Genuine. Also see page 545 in the Annotated Book of Mormon.
Here we provide some additional information on the Newark Decalogue Stone, currently on display at the Johnson-Humrickhouse Museum in Coshocton, OH.
We readily agree with the many non-Mormon experts who have actually conducted an analysis of the stone and it’s accompanying Keystone, Stone Bowl and the related Bat Creek Stone, and have provided strong evidence that these are all part of an ancient culture that knew a form of Hebrew language unknown at the time of their discovery, known today as Monumental or Block-Style Hebrew. This form of Hebrew wasn’t known to exist when these stones were discovered, but were later found in Israel. This forms one of the first difficulties to explain if one believes the stones to be a hoax. It would be like asking someone today to write the Ten Commandments… in Klingon! Since no one knows what Klingon looks like, how would one even begin to make a forgery of it? In order to make a forgery, you have to have something authentic to forge from. There were no authentic Monumental or Block-style Hebrew writings known to exist in 1860’s when these stones were recovered.
When you add this fact to the historical documentation that David Wyrick, the man who discovered the stone in an Indian Burial Mound, never recanted his story, was a well respected surveyor for the county and city, and was unable to make an accurate wooden replica of the stone (he attempted this to safeguard the original stone while allowing the characters to be studied by other professionals and interested parties) which would be orders of magnitude easier than creating it in stone, and that he made many attempts to have the stone verified by competent professionals seem to favor the idea that he did not create the stone or was trying to hoax anyone.
Contrary Beliefs:
While Wyrick did apparently believe in the idea that the Ten Lost Tribes had somehow made it to America, and this stone and others like it could certainly be used to bear this out, this was an idea that permeated the American culture at the time. It was not unique to Wyrick. However, there were also those that were determined to refute any claim of Israelite descent for the Native Americans, believing that to accept such an idea Indians would then necessarily have to be given the same rights and respect given to other European peoples. This would fly in the face of the growing American Manifest Destiny Doctrine wherein it was being touted that the Indians were less evolved people who didn’t deserve the same respect and treatment as their more evolved cousins, therefore they could be classified as ‘ignorant savages’ and denied the right to own land, vote, etc. Thus, there was a powerful motive to ignore, erase or attack any evidence that would suggest European ancestry for the Native Americans.
Scientific Analysis:
Experts today disagree on the authenticity of the stones. Some claim that the language on the stones can’t be authentic, that David Wyrick faked them for some unknown purpose (usually forgers do so for money or fame, Wyrick received neither, but rather was mercilessly attacked for his discovery), and therefore the stones are a hoax. Other professionals have determined to use scientific methodologies in their pursuit of the truth. The ONLY scientific analysis of the stones has been done by Scott Wolter, a self-proclaimed atheist who owns American Petrographic Services in Minnesota and is a Forensic Geologist, meaning that he does forensics type work on rock and minerals, both commercially and for the government. He is a highly respected, no-nonsense kind of person who has no reason to try to advance the authenticity of the stone. Using some of the latest scientific technologies he has completed analysis on several of the stones in question with Hebrew characters inscribed into their surfaces and of the Decalogue Stone he claimed “Geologically, I don’t see any problems here that would make these things obvious hoaxes. The evidence seems clear, there’s no reason not to accept these as genuine, legitimate artifacts.” This, from a professional geologist using scientific methodologies that showed conclusively that the stones could not have been faked during the time-frame of Wyrick.
Within the Church there are a small group of scholars who have been systematically promoting the theory that the Book of Mormon took place in Mesoamerica. There is a complete lack of any evidence for Hebrew-based language or characters anywhere in their preferred geography of Mesoamerica. The Mayan civilization had a written language that covered their buildings, walls, ball courts and to an extent, their entire civilization’s buildings, but experts know that this glyph system of writing originates from the Far East, and has no connection to Hebrew whatsoever. They seem to forget that the Nephite language in the Book of Mormon was specifically mentioned as being primarily Hebrew, but the plates themselves were written in a ‘reformed Egyptian’ language, neither of which has ever been found in Mesoamerica. Not even a potential hoax has been found there! They also seem to ignore that fact that the Nephite authors wrote that the hatred of Lamanites caused them to destroy any evidence of their existence, and they would destroy anything the Nephites left in the way of written language, thus they had to hide the plates and records in the depository of records in the Hill Cumorah. The Lamanites had many years to erase the remaining evidence of their former enemies.
They have used their organizations to launch attacks against any geography theories contrary to their own. It is sad to think that they would attack and undermine the ONLY viable evidences of the Hebrew language mentioned in the Book of Mormon in the Americas solely because these evidences fall outside of their theorized geography. But unfortunately that is exactly what they are doing in order to continue with their promotion that Guatemala is the Promised Land and the Book of Mormon occurred there, which, by the way, has now been shown to have originated within the church by three apostates back in the days of Joseph Smith. For more information on that historical account, please read the book The Lost City of Zarahemla or the blog posts by attorney Jonathan Neville on the subject.
New Information posted Oct 29, 2019 Below.
The “Holy” Stones Found Near Newark, Ohio
Dr. Yitzchok Levine Department of Mathematical Sciences Stevens Institute of Technology Hoboken, NJ 07030 [email protected]
“In 1867, David M. Johnson, a banker who co-founded the Johnson-Humrickhouse Museum, in conjunction with Dr. N. Roe Bradner, M.D., of Pennsylvania, found a fifth stone, in the same mound group south of Newark in which Wyrick had located the Decalogue. The original of this small stone is now lost, but a lithograph, published in France, survives.
“The letters on the lid and base of the Johnson-Bradner stone are in the same peculiar alphabet as the Decalogue inscription, and appear to wrap around in the same manner as on the Decalogue’s back platform.
“The independent discovery, in a related context, by reputable citizens, of a third stone bearing the same unique characters as the Decalogue stone, strongly confirms the authenticity and context of the Decalogue Stone, as well as Wyrick’s reliability.”7
The Johnson-Bradner Stone
To construct a model of the Johnson-Bradner stone, click here to display the stone by itself, somewhat enlarged, and then print out its image on light cardboard or on paper that you paste to light cardboard. (I’ve now solved my earlier technical problem of its not printing out correctly.) Cut out the solid black portions of the three pieces, including the hatched blemish. Ignore the thin lines. Tape point A on the Base to point A on the Side. Continue taping these edges together, bending the Side to follow the base. Tape the two ends of the Side together so that the two identical markings at the ends overlap and so that it stands at a right angle to the Base the whole way around. Tape the lid onto the upper edge of the Side, so that the blemishes align. The result is roughly coffin-shaped. The original was approximately 3 in. (7.6 cm.) long.
The Newark Holy Stones Are Genuine
Dr. Rochelle Altman, a specialist in ancient phonetic-based writing systems, maintains that the Newark Holy Stones are indeed genuine. In her discussion of this topic she notes that “Dr. Arnold Fischel, lecturer at the Sephardic synagogue in New York (founded in 1654, thus with a Sephardic-Dutch connection), a noted scholar and authority, had written a paper, ‘The Hebrew Inscribed Stones Found in Ohio,’ delivered in June of 1861 to The American Ethnological Society. In this paper, he stated he was convinced of the authenticity of the artifact and ascribed it to ‘medieval and European origins’.” Dr. Altman notes that the 1863 report of a committee set up by the Ethnological Society agreed with Dr. Fischel’s conclusions; nonetheless, this report has been ignored by the archaeological world. She writes, “Why was the identification ignored? Because neither the committee’s report nor Fischel’s identification fit the two models erected with regard to these artifacts. On one side, we had a group who maintained that the artifacts were evidence of the presence of the ten lost tribes of Israel in ‘Ancient America.’ On the other side, we had a school who declared the artifacts were ‘modern forgeries.’” Dr. Altman then presents a new and novel explanation of what the five Newark Holy Stones really are. There are five pieces, four of which compose a set of ritual artifacts of two types. The fifth item is a case, made-to-order, to house one of the ritual artifacts. The two types are intended for different purposes. “Type one consists of head (‘rosh’) [which Dr. Altman identifies as the Johnson-Bradner Stone] and hand (‘yad’) phylacteries (tefillin), made of black limestone (black is required for phylacteries). The hand phylactery is 6-7/8” in length by 2-7/8” in width by 1-3/4” in thickness. “The artifact [the Decalogue Stone] is inscribed in the incantation format and displays a variant of a known condensed version of the ‘decalogue,’ with abbreviations and composite graphs that dates to before the second century BCE. The head phylactery,
inscribed with two of the four excerpts of Exodus required by halacha (Laws), is also written in the spirals of an incantation format and is also made of black limestone. Now only a lithograph of the head piece remains. The phylactery was approximately 3” long by 1-3/4” in thickness and tapered from approximately 1” at the top to a rounded “point” at the bottom. Dr. Yitzchok Levine Department of Mathematical Sciences Stevens Institute of Technology Hoboken, NJ 07030 [email protected] More Here:
“Soon after Adam and Eve were cast out of the Garden of Eden, the Lord gave them the law of sacrifices, which included offering the firstlings of their flocks in a similitude of the sacrifice that would be made of the Only Begotten Son of God (
Mormon tells us that “it was not a harsh voice, neither was it a loud voice; nevertheless, and notwithstanding it being a small voice it did pierce them that did hear to the center, insomuch that there was no part of their frame that it did not cause to quake; yea, it did pierce them to the very soul, and did cause their hearts to burn” (3 Ne. 11:3). The first time and the second time the voice spoke, the people heard it but could not understand it.
Joseph Smith said, “Through the medium of the Urim and Thummim I translated the record by the gift, and power of God. In this important and interesting book the history of ancient America is unfolded, from its first settlement by a colony that came from the tower of Babel, at the confusion of languages to the beginning of the fifth century of the Christian era. We are informed by these records that America in ancient times has been inhabited by two distinct races of people. The first were called Jaredites and came directly from the tower of Babel. The second race came directly from the city of Jerusalem, about six hundred years before Christ. They were principally Israelites, of the descendants of Joseph. The Jaredites were destroyed about the time that the Israelites came from Jerusalem, who succeeded them in the inheritance of the country. The principal nation of the second race fell in battle towards the close of the fourth century. The remnant are the Indians that now inhabit this country. This book also tells us that our Saviour made his appearance upon this continent after his resurrection, that he planted the gospel here in all its fulness, and richness, and power, and blessing; that they had apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers and evangelists; the same order, the same priesthood, the same ordinances, gifts, powers, and blessing, as was enjoyed on the eastern continent…” The Wentworth Letter, Joseph Smith Jr.
There is a temple mound situated above the Ohio River near Cincinnati. “Fragments of burnt limestone may still be seen on the top. The mound is a rectangle two hundred and twenty-five feet long by one hundred and twenty feet broad, and seven feet high.” In contrast to the hewn stone buildings and altars of Mexico, the Ohio mound has the right dimensions to have accommodated a timber and burnt lime plaster (“cement”) building of the size and proportions of Solomon’s Temple.” J. P. Maclean, The Mound Builders – Archaeology of Butler County, Ohio, 1904, pp. 222-223.
“Good evening. It’s a great honor and privilege to greet you this evening—the beautiful Sabbath evening that is—in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. We meet in his name; it’s because of him that we’re here.
We talk of a person having a good spirit or a bad spirit. We talk of the spirit of ‘76. We are going to celebrate our two hundredth national anniversary in the not-too-distant future, and this spirit of ‘76 is to permeate everything that we do. This evening I’d like to talk a bit about the spirit of ‘76 and what we are really dong when we celebrate the Fourth of July.
To everyone the Fourth means parades with marching bands, horses, floats, and beautiful girls such as are here this evening. It also means the flag, Old Glory, the star-spangled banner, the red, white, and blue. There is a poem that says:
I’m proud of the USA because it has provided the means to establish and carry forth the gospel
Calling missionaries from other countries wouldn’t just take the load from the United States, because I don’t anticipate any cutback in the missionary force from the USA. In fact, we need to increase the missionary force here because the Lord is going to open more doors for us and we’re going to go places we’ve never been before. We’re going to need this group that can come from the USA to go into lands that we would consider behind the Iron Curtain or the Bamboo Curtain. When the time comes to go, the Lord will open the curtains. There will be no curtains. We can penetrate them. We need to get ready to do that kind of work because it is vitally important that good people everywhere have an opportunity to hear the gospel. What happens to a young man when he has given the Lord his two years? Well, that’s where we produce future mission presidents and stake presidents and bishops. That’s what happens there. I’ve seen it happen among the peoples of those countries when their own young men have filled missions.
Another reason why I love the USA is that she has produced some great men—great men that you can hold up as an example, that you can look to for leadership. George Washington, whom many call the father of this country, was such a man. In his first inauguration he set a tone that everyone could profitably seek to emulate. After he had accepted the oath of office from Robert Livingston of New York, he added the words “so help me God,” and then he kissed the Bible and went back to work. 
And then, of course, there was Abraham Lincoln, who could not abide that man should be in bondage one to another. Born in a log cabin, he followed the study course of the Bible, the scriptures, and you couldn’t do better than that. He was probably one of the most quoted men of all times. They tell me his words fill fifteen volumes. The 2 1/2-minute talk that he delivered at Gettysburg I presume will stand always and forever as a masterpiece:
The greatest American who has ever lived in this dispensation was the Prophet Joseph Smith, who was raised up by the Lord.
Wherever the old stars and stripes flies or Old Glory waves, there the kingdom of God must be.
Hartman Rector Jr.r., was a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints when this fireside address was given at Brigham Young University on 30 June 1974.
“For my first post in 2019, I’m showing another instance of M2C* censorship. This one is from the Brigham Young lesson manual (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church – Brigham Young).
Church historians concede they censored Cumorah in Saints
“From the time Father Bosley* located near Avon [Livingston County, NY], he found and plowed up axes and irons, and had sufficient to make his mill irons, and had always abundance of iron on hand without purchasing. In the towns of Bloomfield, Victor, Manchester, and in the regions round about, there were hills upon the tops of which were entrenchments and fortifications, and in them were human bones, axes, tomahawks, points of arrows, beads and pipes, which were frequently found; and it was a common occurrence in the country to plow up axes, which I have done many times myself. “The hill Cumorah [the Jaredite hill Ramah] is a high hill for that country and had the appearance of a fortification or entrenchment around it. In the State of New York, probably there are hundreds of these fortifications which are now visible, and I have seen them in many other parts of the United States. “Readers of the Book of Mormon will remember that in this very region, according to that sacred record, the final battles were fought between the Nephites and Lamanites. At the hill Cumorah, the Nephites made their last stand prior to their utter extermination, A. D., 385.” – Life of Heber C. Kimball, by Orson F. Whitney, Salt Lake City, UT: Stevens & Wallis, Inc. [1888], 25. 
Near the feet was found a piece of copper, weighing three ounces. From its shape it appears to have been used as a plumb, or for an ornament as near one of the ends is a circular crease, or groove, for tying a thread; it is round, two and a half inches in length, one inch in diameter at the centre and half an inch at each end. It is composed of small pieces of native copper pounded together, and in the cracks between the pieces are stuck several pieces of silver, one nearly the size of a four-penny piece, or half a dime.
“Somewhere in the Mountains of Wyoming, a sheep herder stumbled upon this 24 inch iron sword of unusual workmanship. The sword was sent to the Smithsonian Museum and they put a date upon it between 100 BC and 200 AD, Hopewell timeline. How the test was conducted, we do not know. These photos were supplied by the discoverer and are here for our readers to view.” 
” Lying immediately over, or on the forehead of the body, were found three large circular bosses, or ornaments for a sword-belt or a buckler: they are composed of copper overlaid with a thick plate of silver. The fronts are slightly convex, with a depression like a cup in the centre, and measure two inches and a quarter across the face of each. On the back side, opposite the depressed portion, is a copper rivet or nail, around which are two separate plates, by which they were fastened to the leather. Two small pieces of the leather were found lying between the plates of one of these bosses; they resemble the skin of a mummy and seem to have been pre served by the salts of copper. The copper plates are nearly reduced to an oxyde, or rust. The silver looks quite black, but is not much corroded, and in rubbing is quite brilliant. Two of these are yet entire 5 the third one is so much wasted that it dropped in pieces in removing it from the earth. Around the rivets of one of them is a small quantity of flax or hemp, in a tolerable state of preservation. Near the side of the body was found a plate of silver, which appears to have been the upper part of a sword-scabbard; it is six inches in length and two inches in breadth, and weighs one ounce. It has no ornaments or figures, but has three longitudinal ridges, which probably corresponded with the edges or ridges of the sword; it seems to have been fastened to the scabbard by three or four rivets, the holes of which remain in the silver.
” Two or three broken pieces of a copper tube were also found filled with iron rust. These pieces, from their appearance, composed the lower end of the scabbard, near the point of the sword. No signs of the sword itself were discovered, except the appearance of rust above mentioned. Near the feet was found a piece of copper weighing three ounces [now in the Museum of the Antiquarian Society of Worcester]. From its shape it appears to have been used as a plumb, or for an ornament, as near one of the ends is a circular crease or groove, for tying a thread: it is round, two inches and a half in length, one inch in diameter at the centre, and half an inch at each end. It is composed of small pieces of native copper pounded together; and in the cracks between the pieces are stuck several pieces of silver, one nearly the size of a half-dime. A piece of red ochre or paint, and a piece of iron ore [hematite] which had the appearance of having been partially vitrified [polished.?], were also found.
“The body of the person here buried was laid upon the surface of the ground, with his face upwards, and his feet pointing to the south-west. From the appearance of several pieces of charcoal and bits of partially burned fossil coal, and the black color of the earth, it would seem that the funeral obsequies had been celebrated by fire; and while the ashes were yet hot and smoking, a circle of these flat stones had been laid around and over the body. The circular covering was about eight feet in diameter; and the stones yet look black, as if stained by fire and smoke. This circle of stones seems to have been the nucleus over which the mound was formed, as immediately over them is heaped the common earth of the adjacent plain. At the time of opening it, the height was 6 feet and diameter between 30 and 40. It has every appearance of being as old as any in the neighborhood, and was, at the first settlement of Marietta, covered with large trees. It seems to have been made for this single personage, as the remains of one skeleton only were discovered. The bones were much decayed, and many of them crumbled to dust on exposure to the air.”
Engravings of the silver-plated discs and also of the embossed silver plate, supposed by Dr. Hildreth to have been a sword ornament, are herewith presented. These articles have been critically examined, and it is beyond doubt that the copper ” bosses ” are absolutely plated, not simply overlaid, with silver. Between the copper and the silver exists a connection, such as, it seems to me, could only be produced by heat ; and if it is admitted that these are genuine remains of the mound-builders, it must, at the same time, be admitted that they possessed the difficult art of plating one metal upon another. There is but one alternative, viz., that they had occasional or constant intercourse with a people advanced in the arts, from whom these articles were obtained. Again, if Dr. Hildreth is not mistaken, oxidized iron, or steel, was also discovered in connection with the above remains ; from which also follows, as a necessity upon the previous assumption, the extraordinary conclusion that the mound-builders were acquainted with the use of iron the conclusion being, of course, subject to the improbable alternative already mentioned.
Below is information from Rod Meldrum’s #1 Best Selling LDS book on Geography, “Exploring the Book of Mormon in America’s Heartland”. 
“This past summer (2010), Dr.Harold Alanen from Thunder Bay,Canada, experienced a rare and exciting adventure. Walking private property on Dog Lake, near the north shore of Lake Superior, he chanced upon a big ancient copper tool or weapon, see Fig. 1, Plate I. Nearby he found a cache of 11 smaller copper objects. Dr. Alanen sent pictures of the big artifact, asking me what it could have been used for?…
I hope by now you realize that there 
“Five Hebrew letters are cut in the forehead. When Dr. Lillenthal saw it, he instantly decided the last three letters were nun, pe, lamed…” Dr. Bernard Illowy gives it as his judgement that the words are Yerachamehu Adonai Nephel, May the Lord have mercy on him, an untimely birth, or an abortion.” This Land: by Wayne May America 2,000 B. C. to 500 A. D. (Source The Latter-day Saints’ Millennial Star, Volume 28)
There is a concerted effort to relocate the East Fork Works by a group of researchers known as the Heartland Research Group. By using cutting edge magnetometry surveying, the group will scan hundreds of acres in south west Ohio in an effort to find the “lost menorah”. When it is relocated, possibly the proof of Hebrews contacting the Hopewell in Ohio will be discovered.
Hebrews in Prehistoric America?
There is a concerted effort to relocate the East Fork Works by a group of researchers known as the Heartland Research Group. By using cutting edge magnetometry surveying, the group will scan hundreds of acres in south west Ohio in an effort to find the “lost menorah”. When it is relocated, possibly the proof of Hebrews contacting the Hopewell in Ohio will be discovered.
Joseph of Egypt was an amazing Prophet of God. His influence was felt in the entire world. From his role as one of the favored sons of Jacob he has blessed both the Old World and the New World.
“Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall:
13 And out of weakness he 
“What of Joseph’s Efforts? There seems to be a perception that Joseph’s efforts among the Lamanites were not only relatively unsuccessful but even superficial. It has been argued that “the initiative for [such] missionary work lay more with the members of the Church than with Joseph Smith” (Parry 74), and that Joseph did not see the redemptive work among the Lamanites “as essential to the ‘building up of Zion’” (72). To the contrary, Joseph’s commitment to the Book of Mormon promises to the Lamanites and the need to find a long term home for his people appear to have been closely connected priorities. Oliver B. Huntington recorded that early in the settlement of Nauvoo, Joseph Smith, Sr., confided in him that it had been revealed to the Prophet that the Church would stay in Nauvoo just seven years and “when we left there, we would go right into the midst of the Indians, in the Rocky Mountains” (18). Similarly, efforts by Lyman Wight and Jonathan Dunham appear to have combined proselyting the Lamanites and exploring for a new home for the Saints in their midst (Esplin 90–97). An 1845 mission call by the Council of the Kingdom was to “fill Joseph’s measures originally adopted . . . to seek out a location and a home where the Saints can dwell in peace and health . . . and proceed from tribe to tribe, to unite the Lamanites. . . .” (Ehat 269). Had Joseph done nothing more than translate the Book of Mormon, his contribution would have been greater than all other efforts to help the Native Americans; yet an examination of his life indicates his concern for and involvement with them went much further. But his time and energy were limited. He was faced with continual personal persecution, legal battles, and imprisonment. He conducted the defense, movements, and growth of the Church and the founding of cities. The Lord gave him many assignments including the new translation of the Bible, the translation of the Egyptian papyri, the organization of the Priesthood, the revelation of temple ordinances and their dissemination, etc. All of these required concentrated effort and substantial time. Spencer W. Kimball summarized: The very first thing before the Church was organized, Joseph Smith caught the vision of this work. He sent Oliver Cowdery, Ziba Peterson, and Parley P. Pratt and Peter Whitmer to the Indians immediately. They didn’t do very much. The brethren had their hands full: there were persecutions and the expulsions and the exodus and the settlement of this country. So missionary work with the Indians was limited in the Church to whom the great responsibility came. (Kimball, “The Children” 6) Brigham Young indicated that “there was a watch placed upon [Joseph] continually to see that he had no communication with the Indians” (Journal of Discourses 4:41; hereafter JD). Perhaps the Lord inspired Joseph to proceed cautiously in the face of false accusations which so negatively impacted the Saints. One wonders if the Lord also revealed to him that as important as this work was, only the seeds thereof were then being planted, that the fulfillment of the promises awaited a future day. Whereas this effort had originally been a primary objective of Joseph’s ministry, as the flood of revelation broadened his assignments, it became one of the principal objectives in the midst of many others. In the Proclamation of the Twelve Apostles issued 6 April 1845, many of the 115 paragraphs discuss the Lamanites, giving a more balanced perspective of their place in the overall picture than perhaps would have been the case had such a mission statement been issued in 1829 (see Clark 252–66). In Nauvoo, Joseph was heavily occupied in the restoration of the blessings given to Abraham as part of the gathering of the house of Israel, the initial stages of which were just then beginning. Who, in Joseph’s mind, would have fit more prominently into the family of Abraham (for whom the blessings were being restored) than the Lamanites? It seems Joseph knew they were of Israel before he knew he was. Was it not the spirit of the Book of Mormon and the continual leadership of the Prophet in this regard that led individual members of the Church to have special personal encounters with the Lamanites? (see Johnson 76). Contrary to general assumption, there were a few Lamanites baptized in his day. Panina S. Cotton, a Cherokee, and Lewis Dana, an Oneida, received their temple blessings in Nauvoo (Black 11:760, 13:194).” Byron R. Merrill, “Joseph Smith and the Lamanites,” in Joseph Smith: The Prophet, The Man, ed. Susan Easton Black and Charles D. Tate Jr. (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 1993), 187–202
“Joseph Smith stands at the head of this last, greatest of all dispensations (see JD 8:224). From his position today in the spirit world, he undoubtedly presides over the day of the Lamanite which now has arrived (see Kimball “The Day of the Lamanites”). In that sphere, with the cultural biases, the language difficulties, and the centuries of tradition put aside, one wonders if Joseph is not now preaching those very words and seeing the budding and blossoming of that rose which will, in due course, both there and here, reach the perfection of its bloom.” Byron R. Merrill, “Joseph Smith and the Lamanites,” in Joseph Smith: The Prophet, The Man, ed. Susan Easton Black and Charles D. Tate Jr. (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 1993), 187–202
James Talmadge said, “Parallels of the Hopewell Culture as described by William C. Mills, Chief Archaeologist of Ohio, with the Book of Mormon. [May 20, 1917; Sunday] Attended Sunday School and afternoon service in Hawthorne Hall, and was a speaker at each assembly. Evening meetings here, as also in Brooklyn, have been discontinued for the summer. The attendance both at Sunday School and afternoon meeting was surprisingly large in view of the fact that many of the Utah college students have left for the vacation period. This evening at the hotel I had a long and profitable consultation with Professor Wm. C. Mills, State Archaeologist of Ohio. He is continuing his splendid work of exploration in the Ohio mounds, and I went over with him again the remarkable agreement between his deductions and the Book of Mormon story. He has reached the following (10) conclusions: The area now included within the political boundaries defining the State of Ohio was once inhabited by two distinct peoples, representing two cultures, a higher and a lower. These two classes were contemporaries; in other words, the higher and the lower culture represented distinct phases of development existing at one time and in contiguous sections, and furnish in no sense an instance of evolution by which the lower culture was developed into the higher. These two cultural types or distinct peoples were generally in a state of hostility one toward the other, the lower culture being more commonly the aggressor and the higher the defender. During limited periods, however, the two types, classes, or cultures, lived in a state of neutrality, amounting in fact to friendly intercourse. The numerous exhumations of human bones demonstrate that the people of the lower type, if not indeed both cultures, were very generally affected by syphilis, indicating a prevalent condition of lasciviousness. There (are) two peoples or cultures…the lower culture was most commonly the assailing party, while the people of the higher type defended as best they could but in general fled. As a further consequence of this belligerent status they buried their dead, with or without previous cremation, in such condition as to admit of expeditious covering up of the cemeteries by the heaping of earth over the sepulchers [sic], in which hurried work the least skilled laborers and even children could be employed. From a careful collating of data it is demonstrated that the general course of migration through the area now defined as the State of Ohio was inward from the west and outward toward the east. Professor Mills states that no definite data as to the age of these peoples have as yet been found, but that the mounds may date back a few hundred years or even fifteen hundred or more. Several years ago I placed a Book of Mormon in the hands of Professor Mills and, while he is reticent as to the parallelism of his discoveries and the Book of Mormon account, he is impressed by the agreement.” James E. Talmage 20 May 1917
Principal location of Ross County Ohio – even in historic times, the geology, geography, and biotic zones have been recognized as significant and even desirable for habitation. Modern Chillicothe serves as regional commerce center and a crossroads of transportation. The Scioto River and large tributaries in Paint Creek and Deer Creek converge in one relatively concentrated region. The Shawnee revered the place. Ohio pioneers made Chillicothe the first capital of the newly formed state.
Sugarloaf Mountain – “The Hopewell road from Newark points straight as an arrow to Sugarloaf Mountain, the hill directly behind the Cedar Bank site. It is also the hill which many Chillicothe earthworks align to. Additionally, the Marietta Road, another ancient thruway, points straight to Sugarloaf from Marietta. Then consider the Kanawha Trail from Charleston WV and the Scioto Trail from Portsmouth OH…yep, the same. It seems everything in southern Ohio points to Sugarloaf. And there is more. The largest concentration of Hopewell earthworks are within minutes of Sugarloaf (over 500). You can see Columbus OH from the top of the hill. It commands the valley more in presence as opposed to height. Anthony George Lifelong Resident of Chillicothe, Ohio and Archaeological Researcher.
Trail#1– The “Great Trail” so-called, was the most important of the east and west trails in Ohio. It was the western extension of the great highway between the Indian country around Delaware and Chesapeake Bay traveling westward to the forks of the Ohio
“Indian Point, located just 14 miles northeast of the Kirtland Temple. This ancient Indian enclosure features two earthen walls bordered by ditches and protected on two sides of a triangle by steep cliffs. The walls were built around 140 B.C.” Jonathan Neville by reading the signage at the site.
Proximity of likely temple site – the Cedar Bank site is a great candidate for a temple site. It is situated on the east bank of the Scioto and below Sugarloaf Mountain. Incidentally, Sugarloaf has a very, majestic shape. Even Squire and Davis suggest Cedar Bank as a place of “religious observances”. And then there is the name ‘Cedar Bank. It is understood that the site was named from the inordinate number of cedar trees growing on a bank among
“There was a wall at the Great Circle at the Hopeton site. For those of you interested in dry archeological research, here is more about an interesting and recent discovery at the Hopeton Great Circle (adjacent to the Cedar Bank site near Chillicothe OH and also adjacent to the Chillicothe Ward building). Typically, I try to remain abreast with the research happening each year in Ohio and nearby. I spoke with an archaeologist last summer [2017] at the site, and learned of his confirmation of anomalies indicated by a an extensive magnetometry survey. The other day in conversation, we discussed more details regarding the findings. It appears the Great Circle has evidences of a wooden fence, where the at least 6 ft height 1050 ft diameter earthen wall (enclosing 20 acres) was located. Indications are a pattern of very large posts spaced every 6 meters. This excavation last season revealed a post mold to be 96cm (about 38 inches) in diameter and 1.13 meters deep. One can estimate the height from that data. Indications are that smaller posts existed between the larger ones. The Hopeton site is significant in its location in relation to Cedar Bank, Sugarloaf, Mound City, and Dunlap Works and likely others. The current Chillicothe Ward building aligns with the Cedar Bank site (specifically the platform mound) and is within sight of Sugarloaf and in association with other major earthworks, including Hopeton. I am pretty sure Church engineering had not considered the earthworks when the building was designed.” Anthony George Lifelong Resident of Chillicothe, Ohio and Archaeological Researcher
Triple Divide – 3 River Sources
“James Dutcher, in June 1987, received permission from Elizabeth Cooperrider, the owner, to excavate the stone mound… He measured the mound at 129 feet east to west and 110 feet north to south, with the highest point being 12 feet. Using a backhoe, he removed large portions of stone from the center of the mound, excavating a trench 30 feet by 10 feet on the northwest side of the stone mound. In the trench he found a fire hearth and a layer of charcoal on thirteen flat stones; four post molds were also located. The charcoal was sent to Beta Analytic in Florida in January 1988 for radiocarbon dating, and the results produced a date of 2220 ± 50 b.p., which translated to a date of ca. 270 b.c., suggesting a late Adena or early Hopewell period structure”. Glenford Stone “Fort” and Other Stone Constructions in Ohio and Beyond Norman Muller NEARA Journal, 2010
“Effigy of a human hand cut from sheet mica, Ohio Hopewell culture, 100 BC-500 AD. Excavated from Hopewell Mound Group, Ross County, Ohio ca.1922-1925. The Hopewell obtained mica from western North Carolina. This object is 11” x 7” and is held in the Ohio History Connection Archaeology Collection. Hopewell culture spiritual leaders used small slabs of mica for a kind of mirror, possibly used in divination ceremonies, and artisans cut sheets into a variety of delicate shapes that may have been sewn onto garments to serve as personal ornaments. Around 400 A.D Hopewell culture began to decline for an unknown reason according to archaeologists.” Ohio History Connection Archaeology.
3 Nephi 11: 13-17
Ken Corbet is our featured artist in the new Annotated Book of Mormon.