Book of Mormon Evidence

Category: Joseph Smith

Joseph Knew the Name of the Hill Cumorah before he Even Translated the Plates

The purpose of this blog is to discuss when the word “Cumorah” was first known to the leaders and people in the Church. Many Historians think the word “Cumorah” was only known after 1831, and Heartlanders believe it was as early as 1823 when Joseph knew the word “Cumorah” and the Church members knew this term as early as 1829.

Why is that important? Many historians say that the hill in New York was not called Cumorah until later in histroy as they claim the hill in NY [not called Cumorah], where Joseph found the gold plates was not the same hill where the last battles of the Nephites was fought. These historians believe the last battles happened somewhere in Mexico in a hill that does not necessarily have the name of Cumorah.

Some critics of the Church seem to continualy point out a disparity between what the prophets have taught about hill Cumorah and the revisionist Church history as a weapon to undermine faith. My feelings are that it would be far better to report the truth in the first place.

Millions of Church members plus future generations, may have no hope of learning the complete truth about the gospel, when the LDS book titled, “Saints”, The Standard of Truth, Volume 1, seems that some historians at times deliberately suppress and change Church history into what they think is an acceptable “narrative history”. I like the true history not someones made up narrative that they seem to like better.

“Saints” presents an opportunity to inform Church members about the truth using a narrative history, not necessarily a factual history. Some Church historians claim they are neutral on the location of Hill Cumorah. That appears to be the reason they may chose to mislead readers by not citing and quoting Lucy’s corrected account about the name of the hill as Cumorah, [as I speak about below], and other narratives they include like leaving the name Cumorah out of the “Saints” text replacing it with “the hill”, and at other times leaving out the word “Lamanites” from the text as well.

More blogs can be found at the end of this article that speak about how the book Saints eliminated the words Cumorah, and Lamanites. Also there are blogs that show how the Wentworth Letter was not fully quoted in a Church manual and why some scholars seem to edit things out of important Church works.

Mesoamerican Quotes

“The archaeology of New York—and specifically the Hill Cumorah—is persuasive evidence that Book of Mormon peoples did not live in that region. By implication, the Cumorah of the golden plates is not the Cumorah of the final battles—Mormon’s hill and Moroni’s hill are not one and the same. These conclusions follow from a few basic points and assumptions that the author explores in this article.” Clark, John E. “Archaeology and Cumorah Questions.” Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 13 (2004): 144–51, 174. https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/jbms/vol13/iss1/15.

“We await answers for most questions evoked by this miracle of divinely supervised archaeological toil. What we do know is that Joseph Smith Jr. found the golden plates and other relics in a stone box in a hill near his home, a prominence now known as Cumorah.” Clark, John E. “Archaeology and Cumorah Questions page 146. As you see, Brother Clark says, “now known” not “then known” as Joseph and others have said.

Brother Clark also says, “Most proposals for the location of Mormon’s final stand fall into one of two possibilities: either the Palmyra hill or one in Middle America 2,000 miles to the south. Here I consider reasons for questioning the case for a New York location. I am unaware of any archaeological investigation of the hill itself, but sufficient information is available for the surrounding regions to make a critical assessment. Mormon’s hill and Moroni’s hill are not one and the same.” Clark, John E. “Archaeology and Cumorah Questions page 146 We believe there is only one possibility that Hill Cumorah was in New York.

Many Mesoamericans also don’t believe there was a cave in Cumorah NY, as a separate place from where the stone box was found at Cumorah in NY. They believe that Brigham Young’s quote about Joseph and Oliver going into a large cave at Hill Cumorah was a dream about some place in Mexico. Here is the quote, what do you think?

Cave in Hill Cumorah NY

“Oliver Cowdery went with the Prophet Joseph when he deposited these plates. Joseph did not translate all of the plates; there was a portion of them sealed, which you can learn from the Book of Doctrine and Covenants. When Joseph got the plates, the angel instructed him to carry them back to the hill Cumorah, which he did. Oliver says that when Joseph and Oliver went there, the hill opened, and they walked into a cave, in which there was a large and spacious room. He says he did not think, at the time, whether they had the light of the sun or artificial light; but that it was just as light as day. They laid the plates on a table; it was a large table that stood in the room. Under this table there was a pile of plates as much as two feet high, and there were altogether in this room more plates than probably many wagon loads; they were piled up in the corners and along the walls. The first time they went there the sword of Laban hung upon the wall; but when they went again it had been taken down and laid upon the table across the gold plates; it was unsheathed, and on it was written these words: “This sword will never be sheathed again until the kingdoms of this world become the kingdom of our God and his Christ.” I tell you this as coming not only from Oliver Cowdery, but others who were familiar with it, and who understood it just as well as we understand coming to this meeting. . . . [Don] Carlos Smith was a young man of as much veracity as any young man we had, and he was a witness to these things. Samuel Smith saw some things, Hyrum saw a good many things, but Joseph was the leader.” Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, 17 June 1877

Not having a seperate place in NY Cumorah is also being purposely avoided my some Mesoamercanists as well as the final battles not fought in NY, but in some place in Mexico.

Parley P. Pratt’s Quote

Here is the quote that Mesoamerican theorists use to say no one knew the hill was called Cumorah until this quote by Parley P Pratt in 1831.

“This Book, which contained these things, was hid in the earth by Moroni, in a hill called by him, Cumorah, which hill is now in the State of New York, near the village of Palmyra, in Ontario County.” Quote from Parley P. Pratt in Feb 1831. The Autobiography of Parley P. Pratt – Revised and Enhanced Edition – Chapter 8

Knowledge of Cumorah before 1831 as Heartlanders know.

Heartlanders believe that Mormon’s hill and Moroni’s hill are both in Hill Cumorah NY at different locations in that same hill,and Joseph knew the name “Cumorah” as early as 1823 according to His mothers jourrnal as you see below.

1. Lucy Mack Smith’s Journal of 1845, hs a quote from the year 1823. “The record is on a side hill on the Hill of Cumorah 3 miles from this place.” Lucy Mack Smith https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/lucy-mack-smith-history-1844-1845/41
2. Early 1827– Joseph Smith (Quoted by his mother Lucy Mack Smith) “Stop, father, Stop.” said Joseph, “it was the angel of the Lord— as I passed by the hill of Cumorah, where the plates are, the angel of the Lord met me and said, that I had not been engaged enough in the work of the Lord” https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/lucy-mack-smith-history-1845/111
3. In 1829 David Whitmer, Oliver Cowdery, and Joseph Smith hear a messenger from their wagon while traveling to Fayette say, “No, I am going to Cumorah.’ This name was something new to me, I did not know what Cumorah meant.”David Whitmer http://www.lettervii.com/p/trip-to-fayette-references.html

Purchase Here

More details here: https://bookofmormonevidence.org/the-geography-packet/

Below is a blog written by our good friend Jonathan Neville:

“Saints” First reference to Cumorah 1827

https://saintsreview.blogspot.com/2018/09/chapter-4-be-watchful.html

Chapter 4 of Saints, titled “Be Watchful,” covers the events leading up to the time when Joseph obtained the plates. You can read Chapter 4 here:

https://www.lds.org/ensign/2018/06/chapter-4-be-watchful?lang=eng

At one point, the chapter relates an account of Joseph being chastised.

Here’s the quotation:

Lucy Mack Smith, History, 1844-5 the part quoted and cited in Saints is lined out

One day, Joseph went to town on an errand. Expecting him back for dinner, his parents were alarmed when he did not return. They waited for hours, unable to sleep. At last Joseph opened the door and threw himself into a chair, exhausted.

“Why are you so late?” his father asked.

“I have had the severest chastisement that I ever had in my life,” Joseph said.

“Who has been taking you to task?” demanded his father.

“It was the angel of the Lord,” Joseph replied. “He says I have been negligent.” The day of his next meeting with Moroni was coming soon. “I must be up and doing,” he said. “I must set myself about the things which God has commanded me to do.”19

Note 19 goes to this link:
http://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/lucy-mack-smith-history-1844-1845/59

This is Lucy Mack Smith’s history from 1844-5. If you go to the link, you’ll see that the quoted section is lined out.

We wonder, why would Saints misquote and cite a source that was lined out in the original?

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Lucy Mack Smith, History, 1845 The revision that quotes Joseph referring to Cumorah before he even got the plates is not mentioned, quoted or cited in Saints.

Here is the later, corrected version from 1845:

Presently he smiled, and said in a very calm tone, “I have taken the severest chastisement, that I have ever had in my life”.

My husband, supposing it was from some of the neighbors, was quite angry; and observed, “I would would like to know what business any body has to find fault with you.”

“Stop, father, Stop.” said Joseph, “it was the angel of the Lord— as I passed by the hill of Cumorah, where the plates are, the angel of the Lord met me and said, that I had not been engaged enough in the work of the Lord; that the time had come for the record to <be> brought forth; and, that I must be up and doing, and set myself about the things which God had commanded me to do: but, Father,’ continued he, ‘give yourself no uneasiness concerning the reprimand that I have received; for I now know the course that I am to pursue; so all will be well.”

http://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/lucy-mack-smith-history-1845/111

This statement about Cumorah completely supports the teachings of the prophets that Cumorah is in New York. Here Lucy explains that Joseph knew the name Cumorah even before he got the plates. He could only have learned this from Moroni.

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Saints should have used Lucy’s later version. In fact they cite the later version in note 22!.

Using the later one should be obvious.

So why did Saints use the old version?

I think the editors of Saints avoided the corrected version because they realize it refutes M2C.*

The editors will say that they are neutral on the question of Book of Mormon geography, including the New York Cumorah.

But is that a reason to quote and cite a passage they know Lucy later corrected, especially without telling readers what they’re doing?

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The M2C intellectuals always have a rationale for disbelieving early Church history accounts that contradict their theory. They have said we should disbelieve Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer, and Lucy Smith, among others.

In this case, they claim we should disbelieve Lucy because she must have added this comment about Cumorah because she was confused; i.e., by the time she dictated this history in 1845, the New York Cumorah was well established by Letter VII, D&C 128, etc. Therefore, according to the M2C intellectuals, we can’t believe what Lucy wrote here.

And, apparently, the editors of Saints agreed with their M2C friends.

But consider this.

Just because the original sources are not “neutral” on Book of Mormon geography, does that give the editors of Saints the right to revise Church history?

I think not.

One of the tragedies of Saints is that it is teaching the world the revisionist Church history, not what the original documents actually say.

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Here is one of the practical consequences of this revisionist history.

Had Saints explained what Lucy said–what she directly quoted Joseph Smith as saying–readers would understand that Joseph knew the name of the hill before he even translated the plates.

Readers would realize that Joseph could have learned that only from Moroni.

And readers would realize that all the prophets and apostles who have taught that Cumorah is in New York were correct, while the M2C scholars who have taught that Cumorah cannot be in New York were not correct.

That would go a long way toward building unity in the Church.

Members everywhere would align themselves to what the prophets have taught instead of being misled by the teachings of the M2C intellectuals.

Now you see why the M2C intellectuals and their citation cartel don’t want members of the Church to even know about this.

_____

This may appear to be nit-picking, but I think this is a serious problem.

Even people fairly familiar with Church history would have passed this by unawares.

The millions of Church members around the world, in all languages, plus future generations, have no hope of learning the truth when Saints is deliberately suppressing and changing Church history this way.
_____

BTW, the same M2C intellectuals who cite Lucy’s account for other details–Lucy is the sole source for many important events in early Church history–insist she was wrong about this. She had a poor memory, they say, or she conflated this account with another account.

Those of us who accept Lucy’s account point to two important indicia of credibility and reliability.

First, the earlier draft was lined out and replaced with more detail. Lucy directed the revisions, an indication that when she read the first draft, she realized it was not completely accurate. For example, the first account has the angel telling Joseph he was “negligent,” but the revised account has the angel telling Joseph he “had not been engaged enough in the work of the Lord.” Which sounds more like the words of Moroni?

Second, Lucy’s account of Joseph learning the name Cumorah from Moroni has corroboration in other historical accounts. For example, the Autobiography of Parley P. Pratt, a source cited in Saints (note 4 to Chapter 4), includes this quotation from Oliver Cowdery’s teachings to the Lamanites in Kansas: “This Book, which contained these things, was hid in the earth by Moroni, in a hill called by him, Cumorah, which hill is now in the State of New York, near the village of Palmyra, in Ontario county.” p. 57.

It’s possible Lucy knew what Oliver was teaching, but she didn’t get it from Pratt’s autobiography because it was not published until many years after this 1845 version of Lucy’s account was written.

_____

To summarize: Saints presented an opportunity to inform Church members about the truth.

The historians claim they are neutral on the New York Cumorah. That appears to be the reason they chose to mislead readers by not citing and quoting Lucy’s corrected account.

What they’re really saying is, the original sources are not neutral. They clearly taught that Cumorah is in New York.

The problem is not limited to Saints. The M2C ideology has been inserted throughout the commentary to the Joseph Smith Papers.

As a result, future generations will have no chance to learn the actual history and what the prophets have taught.

Critics of the Church will continue to point out the disparity between what the prophets have taught and the revisionist Church history as a weapon to undermine faith.

I think it would be far better to report the truth in the first place.

Of course, I also think it would be better to sustain the teachings of the prophets about the New York Cumorah, but the exact opposite is going on at BYU/CES/COB.” Jonathan Neville

More Details below about Historical LDS Book Edits

BLOG “Lamanites” and “Cumorah” not in Saints Book
BLOG Why Ideological Edits by Scholars & Historians?
BLOG “Religious Faith has Little Influence on Mormon Scholars” WHY
BLOG Wentworth Letter- Why was a Church Manual Edited?

February 2, 2025
Joseph Smith’s Last Three Dreams

“In early Church records, there are references to several dreams attributed to Joseph Smith Jr. They were recorded by Joseph himself, his clerks, or others who interacted with him. For the most part, Joseph’s dreams include no explanation, by either him or the recorder, concerning their purpose or interpretation. Yet, we know that Joseph viewed dreams as a legitimate channel of revelation, as evidenced in the fact that he recorded his dreams and used them in his public sermons.” LDS Living

“To impel us to do that which is required. As a young Apostle, Spencer W. Kimball was privileged to learn from George F. Richards (1861–1950),[23] who was an alert man and attentive to God-given dreams. He did not think they were the least unusual for the faithful. While addressing the topic of dreams in a general conference, President Kimball referred to the following experience told by George F. Richards in council with the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles nearly thirty years earlier.

I believe in dreams, brethren. The Lord has given me dreams which to me are just as real and as much from God as . . . any . . . that we might read in the scriptures… It is not out of place for us to have important dreams. . . . More than 40 years ago I had a dream which I am sure was from the Lord. In this dream I was in the presence of my Savior as he stood mid-air. He spoke no word to me, but my love for him was such that I have not words to explain. I know that no mortal man can love the Lord as I experienced that love for the Savior unless God reveals it to him. I would have remained in his presence, but there was a power drawing me away from him.

As a result of that dream, I had this feeling that no matter what might be required of my hands, what the gospel might entail unto me, I would do what I should be asked to do even to the laying down of my life. . . . If only I can be with my Savior and have that same sense of love that I had in that dream, it will be the goal of my existence, the desire of my life.” https://rsc.byu.edu/vol-12-no-1-2011/quiet-slumber-revelation-through-dreams

The Blessing of Dreams

Many Prophets like Lehi, Daniel and Joseph sold into Egypt had the gift of a seer and a revelator. They could see past, present, and future events. Many prophets had dreams and could interpret them with the Spirit of the Lord accompanying them. The Prophet Joseph Smith was also a blessed seer and prophet. Joseph Smith had 3 dreams which I will discuss below. What did these dreams mean and how can we learn from them?

The first of Joseph Smiths dreams happened about four months prior to his death and spoke about a sinking steamboat. Then again about two days before his death he had another dream about a sinking boat. This third dream happened the night before his death, while in Carthage jail, one about a barn he built on his land in Kirtland. It had become old and worn out and various people were fighting over it. Joseph got out of the worn out barn in his dream and also out of the two sinking boats. Joseph Smith’s life was preserved in all three dreams. What do they possibly mean?

It is not my purpose to decipher these dreams, but to make the reader aware of them. After just reading these dreams a short while ago, I believe they are most appropriate for us to read and study to assist us in our mortal journey today. What can we learn from personal revelation? President Nelson said, “Learn for yourself—right now at your age—how to receive personal revelation. And nothing will make a bigger difference in your life than that!” Russell M. Nelson Hope of Israel

Joseph’s Two Dreams about Sinking Boats

Dream 1
In early February 1844, four months prior to his death, Joseph Smith had a dream, which he related to Wilford Woodruff, Willard Richards, and W. W. Phelps. He stated, “I was standing on a peninsula, in the midst of a vast body of water where there appeared to be a large harbor or pier built out for boats to come to. I was surrounded by my friends, and while looking at this harbor I saw a steamboat approaching the harbor. There were bridges on the pier for persons to cross, and there came up a wind and drove the steamboat under one of the bridges and upset it. I ran up to the boat, expecting the persons would all drown; and wishing to do something to assist them, I put my hand against the side of the boat, and with one surge I shoved it under the bridge and righted it up, and then told them to take care of themselves. But it was not long before I saw them starting out into the channel or main body of the water again. The storms were raging and the waters rough. I said to my friends that if they did not understand the signs of the times and the spirit of prophecy, they would be apt to be lost. It was but a few moments after when we saw the waves break over the boat, and she soon foundered and went down with all on board. The storm and waters were still very rough; yet I told my friends around me that I believed I could stem those waves and that storm, and swim in the waters better than the steamboat did; at any rate I was determined to try it. But my friends laughed at me, and told me I could not stand at all, but would be drowned. The waters looked clear and beautiful, though exceedingly rough; and I said I believed I could swim, and I would try it anyhow. They said I would drown. I said I would have a frolic in the water first, if I did; and I drove off in the raging waves. I had swam but a short distance when a towering wave overwhelmed me for a time; but I soon found myself on the top of it, and soon I met the second wave in the same way; and for a while I struggled hard to live in the midst of the storm and waves, and soon found I gained upon every wave, and skimmed the torrent better; and I soon had power to swim with my head out of water: so the waves did not break over me at all, and I found that I had swam a great distance; and in looking about, I saw my brother Samuel by my side. I asked him how he liked it. He said, “First rate,” and I thought so too. I was soon enabled to swim with my head and shoulders out of water, and I could swim as fast as any steamboat. In a little time it became calm, and I could rush through the water, and only go in to my loins, and soon I only went in to my knees, and finally could tread on the top of the water, and went almost with the speed of an arrow. I said to Samuel, See how swift I can go! I thought it was great sport and pleasure to travel with such speed, and I awoke” (Joseph Smith, History of the Church, 6:194–95, bold & italics added).

Dream 2
Joseph Smith Jr. (Related by W. W. Phelps)

In June 1844, when Joseph Smith went to Carthage and delivered himself up to Governor Ford, I accompanied him, and while on the way thither, he related to me and his Brother Hyrum the following dream.

He said: “While I was at Jordan’s in Iowa the other night, I dreamed that myself and my brother Hyrum went on board a large steamboat lying in a small bay, near the great ocean. Shortly after we went on board there was an alarm of fire, and I discovered that the boat had been anchored some distance from the shore out in the bay, and that an escape from the fire, in the confusion, appeared hazardous: but, as delay was folly, Hyrum and I jumped overboard, and tried our faith at walking upon the water.

“At first we sank in the water nearly to our knees, but as we proceeded we increased in faith, and were soon able to walk upon the water. On looking towards the burning boat in the east, we saw that it was drifting towards the wharf and the town with a great flame and clouds of smoke; and, as if by whirlwind, the town was taking fire, too, so that the scene of destruction and horror of the frightened inhabitants were terrible.

“We proceeded on the bosom of the mighty deep and were soon out of sight of land. The ocean was still; the rays of the sun were bright and we forgot all the troubles of our mother earth. Just at that moment I heard the sound of a human voice, and turning around, saw my brother Samuel H. approaching towards us from the east. We stopped and he came up. After a moment’s conversation he informed me that he had been lonesome back there, and had made up his mind to go with me across the mighty deep.

“We all started again, and in a short time were blest with the first sight of a city, whose gold and silver steeples and towers were more beautiful than any that I had ever seen or heard of on earth. It stood, as it were upon the western shore of the mighty deep we walking on, and its order and glory seemed far beyond the wisdom of man. While we were gazing upon the perfection of the city a small boat launched off from the port, and, almost as quick as thought, came to us. In an instant they took us on board and saluted with welcome, and with music such as is not of earth. The next scene, on landing, was more than I can describe; the greeting of old friends, the music from a thousand towers, and the light of God Himself at the return of three of His sons, soothed my soul into quiet and a joy that I felt as if I were truly in heaven. I gazed upon the splendor; I greeted my friends. I awoke, and lo, it was a dream!

“While I meditated upon such a marvelous scene, I fell asleep again, and behold I stood near the shore of the burning boat, and there was great consternation among the officers, crew and passengers of the flaming craft, as there seemed to be much ammunition or powder on board. The alarm was given that the fire was near the magazine, and in a moment, suddenly, it blew up with a great noise, and sank in the deep water with all on board. I then turned to the country east, among the bushy openings, and saw William and Wilson Law, endeavoring to escape from the wild beasts of the forest, but two lions rushed out of a thicket and devoured them. I awoke again.” I will say that Joseph never told this dream again, as he was martyred about two days after. I relate from recollection as nearly as I can. Source: W. W. Phelps, Joseph Smith’s Last Dream, 1–9.

Dream 3 Joseph’s Neglected Home

Joseph Smith Jr. <June 27, 1844> [Carthage Jail] . . .

Joseph related the following dream which he had last night:

“I was back in Kirtland, Ohio, and thought I would take a walk out by myself, and view my old farm, which I found grown up with weeds and brambles, and altogether bearing evidence of neglect and want of culture. I went into the barn which I found without floor or doors, with the weather boarding off, and was altogether in keeping with the farm. While I viewed the desolation around me, and was contemplating how it might be recovered from the curse upon it, there came rushing into the barn a company of furious men, who commenced to pick a quarrel with me. The leader of the party ordered me to leave the barn and <the> farm, stating it was none of mine, and that I must give up all hope of ever possessing it. I told him the farm was given me by the Church, and although I had not had any use of it for some time back, still I had not sold it, and according to righteous principles it belonged to me or the Church. He then grew furious, and began to rail upon me and threaten me, and said it never did belong to me nor the Church. I then told him that I did not think it worth contending about; that I had no desire to live upon it in its present state, and if he thought he had a better right I would not quarrel with him about it, but leave; but my assurance that I would not trouble him at present did not seem to satisfy him, as he seemed determined to quarrel with me, and threatened me with the destruction of my body. While he was thus engaged, pouring out his bitter words upon me, a rabble rushed in and nearly filled the barn, drew out their knives, and began to quarrel among themselves for the premises; and for a moment forgot me, at which time I took the opportunity to walk out of the barn about up to my ankles in mud. When I was a little distance from the barn I heard them screeching and screaming in a very distressed manner, as it appeared they had engaged in a general fight with their knives. While they were thus engaged the dream or vision ended.” Source: “History, 1838–1856, volume F-1,” 177–78.

Possible Dream Interpretation

Dreams can be interpreted in many ways. Gifted ones like Daniel and Joseph of the Old Testament, did so using the Spirit. Some see Joseph’s last three dreams as a way for him to escape his enemies emotionally, overcoming them in the end. Others see a more ominous meaning in them in connection with our day – the current state of things. All of us interpret things from our own perspective and experience, like Peter’s attempt to go to the Savior, where he get out of the boat and went to Him. Some see Peter’s failure. Others see his faith in leaving the comfort of the boat to go to the Lord. Knowing the truth of dreams, from God’s perspective, gives us a great advantage. Walking on Water in the New Testament, Peter leapt out of the boat and tried to walk on water to get to Jesus, only to sink – but eventually be saved by the Master. He was gently chastised for his lack of faith. Many only see the negative in Peter’s attempt to get to the Master and his supposed lack of faith. What is more important is that he desired to be with Him, and left the safety of the boat to do so. Joseph and Hyrum also did this, jumping from a boat and into the water in both dreams to save their lives. They sank in the water for at time, but their faith increased and they soon able walked on the water. There reward was that they made it to the Master. They did not sink in the burning, sinking ship they left behind. For some, staying in the boat is not always the best decision. While some see Joseph overcoming traitors in his final three dreams, others see in them trouble for our day – trouble by staying in the boat or “the box” with an “all is well” complacency, when trouble is all around. Joseph built the barn. It had no floor or doors in the dream. Some tie the floor of the barn to its foundation. In the New Testament, the foundation of the barn or church was Prophets and Apostles. D&C 64:39 states: “And liars and hypocrites shall be proved by them, and they who are not apostles and prophets shall be known.” D&C 50:4, 6 adds: “Behold, I, the Lord, have looked upon you, and have seen abominations in the church that profess my name. But wo unto them that are deceivers and hypocrites, for, thus saith the Lord, I will bring them to judgment.” With no doors on the barn, weeds and destruction can come in. Jesus said in Matthew 13:22. “He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; And the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.” Moroni said it more pointedly. Speaking of the last-days and what he saw, he stated, “O ye pollutions, ye hypocrites, ye teachers, who sell yourselves for that which will canker, why have ye polluted the holy church of God? Why are ye ashamed to take upon you the name of Christ? Why do ye not think that greater is the value of an endless happiness than that misery which never dies—because of the praise of the world? (Mormon 8:38). Jumping into the water from the sinking boats, provided salvation for Joseph Smith in his dreams. He also escaped the old barn and its dangerous men. Lehi and his family left Jerusalem for very similar reasons – to raise up righteous seed on this land, away from the influences of Egypt and Babylon that were destroying Jerusalem. Bold and italics added.

What do these things mean?

Are we in 2025 understanding His signs as a type of trouble or a precurser to learning? Are we part of a group who are hypocrites and deceivers? Do we have faith to be saved?

“Truly He was the Son of God” by Clark Kelley Price

(Remember being saved through the Resurrection and Atonement does not necessarily mean living with God again. All who are born into this life will all be saved, or Resurrected without any works on our own). Are we ones who proceed with faith into dark and troubled waters believing we will be saved by the Lord or do we resist the trouble ahead in order to save ourselves? Do we believe our faith in Christ is able to save us, or that avoiding the diffiult earthly challenges we can be saved in the end? Do we put too much stock in the things of this world while complaining to the Lord in our station of life? When we see trouble do we run away or do we run in; towards the trouble and save those we can? Just like a firefighter or policeman, are we the first to run into danger, or are we the one who tries to avoid it. What makes someone run into danger?

Are we more concerned for our own safety or the saving of others? In these last days, 2025, are we waiting fo others to save us or do we have faith to move forward and warn and resue others, not thinking of ourselves? Why is this test of faith so difficult? Have we forgotten our Savior and all He has done for us, especially during times of trouble?

These are many things to think about as we seek to understand Joseph Smith’s dreams. Were these symbolic of things to come, or have we not even heard or thought about these dreams. Like myself, I barely became aware of these marvelous dreams and they have given me more hope to stay on the Celestial Path that President Nelson speaks of today.

The Gift of Dreams

Ryan C. Jenkins, “Quiet Slumber: Revelation through Dreams,” Religious Educator 12, no. 1 (2011): 73–89 said, “Prior to Joseph Smith’s First Vision, the Lord prepared the mind and heart of his father, Joseph Smith Sr., to believe his son’s vision. From 1811 to 1819, Joseph Smith Sr. received at least seven dreams, and his wife, Lucy Smith, detailed five of them…

“The forthcoming events of the Restoration through his son Joseph Smith Jr. would bring ordinances and covenants assuring the venerable patriarch of future salvation. These dreams prepared Joseph Smith Sr. for what was about to unfold in the latter days and more intimately, among his own family. When Joseph Smith Jr. approached his father and told him what had transpired during Moroni’s initial visits, his father counseled, “My son, these things are of God; take heed that you proceed in all holiness to do His will.” A messenger coming to his son must have resonated with the messenger in his own inspired dreams. Though the dreams of Joseph Smith Sr. were not recorded in Book of Commandments, their validity and timing confirm the Lord’s practice of reaching the children of men through this avenue of revelation.

These dreams confirm what the Lord taught his disciples: “And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do” (Luke 12:4; see also Matthew 10:28). Through Joseph Smith Sr. and his son Joseph Smith Jr. we see that the Lord comforted and prepared these men for events that were to come to them. Both men prospered despite their circumstances, were delivered from their enemies’ malicious behaviors, and were taught the word of God which was accompanied with great power—their dreams assured them it was so.

“It is to teach us a principle.” President Wilford Woodruff proposed that “we may have dreams about things of great importance, and dreams of no importance at all. . . . There are a great many things taught us in dreams that are true, and if a man has the spirit of God he can tell the difference between what is from the Lord and what is not. . . . Whenever you have a dream that you feel is from the Lord, pay attention to it.” He illustrated this truth by recounting an occurrence during a mission in England:

When I was in the City of London on one occasion, with Brother George A. Smith, I dreamt that my wife came to me and told me that our first child had died. I believed my dream, and in the morning while at breakfast, I felt somewhat sad. Brother George A. noticed this and I told him my dream. Next morning’s post brought me a letter from my wife, conveying the intelligence of the death of my child. It may be asked what use there was in such a thing. I don’t know that there was much use in it except to prepare my mind for the news of the death of my child. But what I wanted to say in regard to these matters is, that the Lord does communicate some things of importance to the children of men by means of visions and dreams as well as by the records of divine truth. And what is it all for? It is to teach us a principle. We may never see anything take place exactly as we see it in a dream or a vision, yet it is intended to teach us a principle.

The blow of Wilford Woodruff’s heartbreaking letter was softened by the Lord preparing him through his dream. He was certain the communication was from God, and George A. Smith would stand as a second witness to the truthfulness of the account. However, Wilford Woodruff had to determine the principle the Lord was teaching him with this dream for himself. Likewise, we must wisely discern what we are supposed to learn from our own inspired dreams.” https://rsc.byu.edu/vol-12-no-1-2011/quiet-slumber-revelation-through-dreams

Fulfillment of Signs Today

Ezra Taft Benson said, “Are we not witnessing the fulfillment of these signs today? The gospel is being extended to all nations which permit our missionaries to penetrate their countries. The Church is prospering and growing. Yet in undiminished fury, and with an anxiety that his time is short—and it is—Satan, that great adversary of all of us, is attempting to destroy all we hold dear. We constantly hear or read of wars and rumors of wars. Atheism, agnosticism, immorality, and dishonesty are flaunted in our society. Desertions, cruelty, divorce, and infidelity have become commonplace, leading to a disintegration of the family. Truly we live in the times of which the Savior spoke, when “the love of men shall wax cold, and iniquity shall abound….

This preparation must consist of more than just casual membership in the Church. You must learn to be guided by personal revelation and the counsel of the living prophet so you will not be deceived. Our Lord has indicated who, among Church members, will stand when he appears: D&C 45:” https://speeches.byu.edu/speakers/ezra-taft-benson/

Read more here: https://www.ldsliving.com/joseph-smiths-last-dreams-and-other-prophetic-dreams-from-his-life/s/91424

and here: History, 1838–1856, volume F-1 [1 May 1844–8 August 1844]

January 13, 2025
“Interpreters” Used for BofM, D&C, Bible, & More
Many scholars and intellectuals say Joseph used a stone he found in a well and put it in a hat in order to translate the Book of Mormon. Many of them also claim the gold plates were not even looked at by Joseph during his translation. That is silly to me. No where in the scriptures does it say that Joseph used a stone in a hat, but many times in scripture say Joseph used the spectacles attached to a breastplate to translate as in the picture below.

The word “interpreters” and “Urim and Thummim” mean plural stones, not a singular one. Many of these scholars equate a single stone as the Urim and Thummim, which to me is wrong. They also say that Joseph read the words that appeared in the single stone. That would mean someone was giving Joseph the words to write so it wouldn’t be a translation but more like a dictation. Why did Mormon and Nephi go through all the hard work of writing on gold plates, if the Lord was just going to give Joseph a stone to read from. It makes no sense to me.

Buried in the Stone box, the Interpreters, Spectacles & Breastplate, Not a Seer Stone and a Hat.

What 3 artifacts were found in the stone box of Hill Cumorah where Joseph Smith found the gold plates? The Gold Plates, the Breastplate and the Urim and Thummim. (That’s It) The Sword of Laban and the Liahona were found in the Cave of Records at Cumorah NY, with wagon loads of other Jaredite and Nephite plates, in a different location at Hill Cumorah NY.

Two Separate Repositories

As Orson Pratt says, “The hill Cumorah, with the surrounding vicinity, is distinguished as the great battlefield on which, and near which, two powerful nations were concentrated with all their forces. Men, women and children fought till hundreds of thousands on both sides were hewn down, and left to molder upon the ground. . . . These new plates were given to Moroni to finish the history. And all the ancient plates, Mormon deposited in Cumorah, about three hundred and eighty-four years after Christ. When Moroni, about thirty-six years after, made the deposit of the book entrusted to him, he was, without doubt, inspired to select a department of the hill separate from the great depository of the numerous volumes hid up by his father. The particular place in the hill where Moroni secreted the book, was revealed, by the angel, to the prophet Joseph Smith, to whom the volume was delivered in September, A.D. 1827. But the grand repository of all the numerous records of the ancient nations of the western continent, was located in another department of the hill, and it’s contents under the charge of holy angels, until the day should come for them to be transferred to the sacred temple of Zion.” 1866 Orson Pratt Millennial Star (28 (27): 417)

What are the Urim and Thummim? (Bible)

Israel’s High Priest was commanded to carry two things called the Urim and Thummim. What are they and what do they symbolize? What is their purpose? When did they stop being used? The King James Old Testament refers to the Urim and Thummim in only seven passages.

The first place it is mentioned is in the book of Exodus in relation to the unique and special clothing worn by the High Priest of Israel. And you shall put in the breastplate of judgment the Urim (Hebrew: uriym, Strong’s Concordance #H224 which literally means “lights”) and the Thummim (Hebrew: tummiym, Strong’s Concordance #H8550 which literally means “perfections” or emblem of truth).

And they shall be upon Aaron’s heart, when he goes in before the Lord. And Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel . . . (Exodus 28:30, HBFV). The other places in the Bible the Urim and Thummim are directly referenced are Leviticus 8:8, Numbers 27:21, Deuteronomy 33:8, 1 Samuel 28:6, Ezra 2:63 and Nehemiah 7:65.

This Old Testament Urim and Thummim are very diferent than the Interpreters or Urim and Thummim which was in possession of the Brother of Jared and handed down to Moroni who buried it in the Hill Cumorah NY. (Scripture below)

What are the Urim and Thummim? (Modern Scripture)

Here is the detailed explanation of Joseph Smith’s mother, Lucy Mack Smith who actually help the Urim and Thummim in her hands, along with the separated breastplate, as each wes only wrapped in a thin linen cloth. Lucy Mack Smith said, “I trembled so much with fear lest all might be lost again by some small failure in keeping the commandments, that I was under the necessity of leaving the room to conceal my feelings Lucy. Joseph saw this and followed me. “Mother,” said he. “Do not be uneasy. All is right. See here,” said he, “I have got the key.” I knew not what he meant, but took the article in my hands and, examining it with no covering but a silk handkerchief, found that it consisted of two smooth three-cornered diamonds set in glass, and the glasses were set in silver bows connected with each other in much the same way that old-fashioned spectacles are made. He took them again and left me, but did not tell me anything of the record…. That of which I spoke, which Joseph termed a key, was indeed nothing more nor less than a Urim and Thummim by which the angel manifested those things to him that were shown him in vision; by which also he could at any time ascertain the approach of danger, either to himself or the record, and for this cause he kept these things constantly about his person.” (History of Joseph Smith, Revised and Enhanced, p. 139, 145)

Are the Words, Urim and Thummin Found in the Book of Mormon?

No. The words of urim and thummim are not found anywhere in the Book of Mormon. They are called “Interpreters”, or Nephite Interpreters. See Scriptures: Mosiah 28:13, 20; Ether 3:22-23; 4:5; Alma 37:21, 24-25 The words urim and thummim are in the Pearl of Great Price here: JSH 1:35,52,62,75*; and in Abraham 3:1,4. These words are found in the Doctrine and Covenants here D&C 3; 6; 7; 11; 14; 15; 16; 17; D&C 10:1; D&C 17:1; D&C 130:8; D&C 130:9; D&C 130:10.

Did Brigham Young have the Urim & Thummim?

Yes. The Prophet Joseph Smith was not the only individual in this dispensation to use the Urim and Thummim and to receive revelations from God. Heber C. Kimball testified that Brigham Young also used these sacred instruments. “The question is asked many times, “Has brother Brigham got the Urim and Thummim?” Yes, he has got everything; everything that is necessary for him to receive the will and mind of God to this people. Do I know it? Yes, I know all about it; and what more do you want? That is true, gentlemen; I am one of his witnesses in the last days, and to bear testimony of the truth of “Mormonism.”” (Heber C. Kimball, J.D. 2:111)

Revelations by Joseph Smith while using the Urim and Thummim
- Section 3- Harmony, Pennsylvania, July 1828, relating to the loss of 116 pages “In July 1828, the heavenly messenger returned the Urim and Thummim (which had been taken in consequence of Joseph “having wearied the Lord in asking for the privilege of letting Martin Harris take the writings”). Joseph then received the revelation now recorded in Doctrine and Covenants 3 through the Urim and Thummim.” Larry E. Morris, “The Conversion of Oliver Cowdery,” in Days Never to Be Forgotten: Oliver Cowdery, ed. Alexander L. Baugh (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 2009), 15–49.
- Section 6- Harmony, Pennsylvania, April 1829, Oliver Cowdery began his labors as scribe
- Section 7- Revelation given to Joseph Smith the Prophet and Oliver Cowdery, at Harmony, Pennsylvania, April 1829, The revelation is a translated version of the record made on parchment by John
- Section 11- Revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet to his brother Hyrum Smith, at Harmony, Pennsylvania, May 1829.
- Section 14- Revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet to David Whitmer, at Fayette, New York, June 1829.
- Section 15- Revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet to John Whitmer, at Fayette, New York, June 1829
- Section 16- Revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet to Peter Whitmer Jr., at Fayette, New York, June 1829
- Section 17- Revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet to Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer, and Martin Harris, at Fayette, New York, June 1829.
Urim and Thummim used to Translate the Bible.

“In this respect the testimony of Lorenzo Brown about the preparation the Prophet made for his translation of the Bible may be instructive. He records the Prophet as saying: “After I got through translating the Book of Mormon, I took up the Bible to read with the Urim and Thummim. I read the first chapter of Genesis and I saw the things as they were done. I turned over the next and the next, and the whole passed before me like a grand panorama; and so on chapter after chapter until I read the whole of it. I saw it all!” (as cited in Matthews, Plainer Translation, 25).” The Process of Translating the Book of Mormon Joseph Fielding McConkie (Professor of Ancient Scripture, BYU) Craig J. Ostler (Assistant Professor of Church History and Doctrine, BYU)

Joseph Smith Translation (JST)

“A revision or translation of the King James Version of the Bible begun by the Prophet Joseph Smith in June 1830. He was divinely commissioned to make the translation and regarded it as “a branch of his calling” as a prophet. Although the major portion of the work was completed by July 1833, he continued to make modifications while preparing a manuscript for the press until his death in 1844, and it is possible that some additional modifications would have been made had he lived to publish the entire work. Some parts of the translation were published during his lifetime. “The translation process was a learning experience for the Prophet, and several sections of the Doctrine and Covenants (and also other revelations that are not published in the Doctrine and Covenants) were received in direct consequence of the work (D&C 76–77; 91). Also, specific instruction pertaining to the translation is given in D&C 37:1; 45:60–61; 76:15–18; 90:13; 94:10; 104:58; 124:89. The book of Moses and the 24th chapter of Matthew (JS—M), contained in the Pearl of Great Price, are actual excerpts from the JST. Many excerpts from the JST are also given in the appendix and footnotes in the edition of the KJV that accompanies this dictionary. The JST to some extent assists in restoring the plain and precious things that have been lost from the Bible (see 1 Ne. 13–14). Although not the official Bible of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the JST offers many interesting insights and is an invaluable aid to biblical interpretation and understanding. It is a most fruitful source of useful information for the student of the scriptures. It is likewise a witness for the divine calling and ministry of the Prophet Joseph Smith.” https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/bd/joseph-smith-translation?lang=eng

Apostle John’s Parchment

“While translating the Book of Mormon, Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery found they held different views on the meaning of a passage in the Bible. They “mutually agreed to settle” the question “by the Urim and [Thummim].” As a result, Joseph received a revelation giving the translation of an account by the ancient disciple John, [D&C 7] written on parchment but lost to history. This early experience seeking revelation that illuminated the text of a Bible passage was an important precedent. About a year later, during the summer of 1830, Joseph and Oliver received by revelation an account of visions experienced by Moses but not found in the Bible. This revelation marked the beginning of Joseph Smith’s efforts to prepare an inspired revision or translation of the Bible. For the next three years, Joseph worked on his “new translation of the Bible” with Oliver Cowdery, Sidney Rigdon, and other scribes, considering the project a “branch of [his] calling” as a prophet of God.” https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/history/topics/joseph-smith-translation-of-the-bible?lang=eng

Translation of Foxe’s Book of Martyrs.

“While looking over our copy of a large English Book of Martyrs, he (Josoeph Smith) expressed sympathy for the Christian martyrs and a hope for their salvation. He asked to borrow the book, promising to return it when he should meet us again in Missouri.

On returning it he said, ‘I have, by the aid of the Urim and Thummim, seen those martyrs. They were honest, devoted followers of Christ, according to the light they possessed. They will be saved.’” Hyrum L. Andrus, They Knew the Prophet, pg. 83

The Loss of the 116 Pages

The summer of 1828 had been a traumatic one for the Smith family. On June 15, Joseph and Emma, then living in Harmony, Pennsylvania, near Emma’s parents, lost their firstborn child, a son named Alvin, who died shortly after his birth. For two weeks, Joseph nursed Emma, who seemed “for some time,” wrote Lucy, “more like sinking with her infant into the mansion of the dead, than remaining with her husband among the living.” With Emma slowly recovering, Joseph traveled to the Smith farm in Manchester, New York, only to discover that Martin Harris had lost the 116 transcribed pages of the Book of Mormon. The entire family was plunged into despair, and when Joseph departed for Harmony, Lucy wrote, “We parted with heavy hearts, for it now appeared that all which we had so fondly anticipated, and which had been the source of so much secret gratification, had in a moment fled, and fled for ever.”[5] About two months later, apparently in late August or early September, Joseph Sr. and Lucy traveled to Harmony because they had heard nothing from Joseph and were worried about him. To their surprise, he met them “with a countenance blazing with delight.”[6] Although the plates and the Urim and Thummim had been taken from Joseph, they had now been restored because of his penitence. He had also received a revelation (now section 3 of the Doctrine and Covenants) in which the Lord told Joseph that he was “still chosen” and “again called to the work” (v. 10). Furthermore, reported Joseph, “the angel said that the Lord would send me a scribe, and I trust his promise will be verified.”[7] Larry E. Morris, “The Conversion of Oliver Cowdery,” in Days Never to Be Forgotten: Oliver Cowdery, ed. NOTES [5] Lucy Mack Smith, Biographical Sketches of Joseph Smith the Prophet and His Progenitors for Many Generations (Liverpool, England: S. W. Richards, 1853), 122. [6] Lucy Mack Smith, Preliminary Manuscript [1844–45], Church History Library, in Anderson, Lucy’s Book, 424. [7] Smith, Biographical Sketches, 126. Reconstructing a precise chronology for this time period is problematic because of differences in Joseph Jr.’s and Lucy Mack Smith’s accounts. Joseph said that “immediately” after his return to Harmony, in July 1828, the heavenly messenger returned the Urim and Thummim (which had been taken in consequence of Joseph “having wearied the Lord in asking for the privilege of letting Martin Harris take the writings”). Joseph then received the revelation now recorded in Doctrine and Covenants 3 through the Urim and Thummim. “After I had obtained the above revelation,” recorded Joseph, “both the plates, and the Urim and Thummin were taken from me again, but in a few days they were returned to me” (Joseph Smith, Manuscript History of the Church, Book A-1, Joseph Smith Papers, Church History Library [hereafter “Manuscript History”], in Dan Vogel, Early Mormon Documents [Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 1996–2003], 1:73).

Urim and Thummim Returned to Joseph

“Lucy, on the other hand, said in one portion of her reminiscences that the Urim and Thummim was returned on September 22, 1828, and that sometime after that, she and her husband visited Joseph (see Smith, Biographical Sketches, 126). Complicating the matter even further, she said in another part of her history that “nearly two months” had passed when she and Joseph Sr. decided to go to Harmony. Since Joseph apparently returned to Pennsylvania the first week of July, such reckoning places Joseph Sr. and Lucy’s trip south around the beginning of September rather than at the end of the month. I believe Lucy was simply mistaken about the September 22 date and that the plates and Urim and Thummim were returned to Joseph in July and that his parents visited early in September, arriving back in Manchester on or before September 11, the date when Gain C. Robinson visited the Smith family and charged Joseph Sr. for medicine (see note 10). This is one of a number of instances where a third-party account confirms details of Lucy Mack Smith’s history—rather impressive considering the fact that she dictated it in 1844–45.” Larry E. Morris, “The Conversion of Oliver Cowdery,” in Days Never to Be Forgotten: Oliver Cowdery, ed. Alexander L. Baugh (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 2009), 15–49. See additional blog here: https://bookofmormonevidence.org/abinadi-foxes-book-of-martyrs/
January 6, 2025
Joseph the Seer Dec 23, 1805

“Joseph Smith, the Prophet and Seer of the Lord, has done more, save Jesus only, for the salvation of men in this world, than any other man that ever lived in it.” D&C 135:3

“If the Book of Mormon is true, then America is a choice land, but if it is to remain such the inhabitants of the land must worship the God of the land, the Lord Jesus Christ. The histories of two great nations, told with warning in this sacred volume, indicate that while we must have science, while we must have education, while we must have arms, we also must have righteousness if we are to merit the protection of God.” Gordon B. Hinckley The Power of the Book of Mormon Ensign June 1988

[Apostle Abraham H. Cannon Journal] (at a stake conference at Brigham City) President Snow reported that on one occasion Joseph Smith was once asked who he was: “The Prophet smiled kindly upon his interlocutor and replied, “Noah came before the flood; I have come before the fire.” 3 – Abraham H. Cannon Journal Excerpts,

For those concerned how this occultic “Joseph Smith” could make its way into Church publications, President Ezra Taft Benson offered this advice, “Sometimes from behind the pulpit, in our classrooms, in our Council meetings and in our church publications we hear, read or witness things that do not square with the truth. . . . Now do not let this serve as an excuse for your own wrong-doing. The Lord is letting the wheat and the tares mature before he fully purges the Church. He is also testing you to see if you will be misled. The devil is trying to deceive the very elect.” Ezra Taft Benson, “Our Immediate Responsibility” (BYU Devotional, Provo, October 25, 1996),

Known by the Ancients

Ancient American Magazine LDS Issue 3 by Wayne May Purchase Here

The dispensation of the fulness of times was destined to bring to consummation the work of the Lord. Because this era would be a time when God would “gather together … all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth” (Eph. 1:10), it was a day anticipated and longed for by the early Saints. It was known and spoken of by them, as was the man who would lead the final dispensation. President Brigham Young thus observed concerning Joseph Smith: “It was decreed in the counsels of eternity, long before the foundations of the earth were laid, that he, Joseph Smith, should be the man, in the last dispensation of this world, to bring forth the word of God to the people, and receive the fulness of the keys and power of the Priesthood of the Son of God. The Lord had his eye upon him, and upon his father, and upon his father’s father, and upon their progenitors clear back to Abraham, and from Abraham to the flood, from the flood to Enoch, and from Enoch to Adam. He has watched that family and that blood as it has circulated from its fountain to the birth of that man. He was foreordained in eternity to preside over this last dispensation” (in Discourses of Brigham Young, selected by John A. Widtsoe, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company, 1954, page 108; emphasis added).

A Great Man Was Born

Joseph Smith Jr. was born on December 23, 1805, to Lucy Mack Smith and Joseph Smith Sr. At the time, the Smiths lived in a small home on a farm owned by Lucy’s father, Solomon Mack. On the 100th anniversary of Joseph Smith Jr.’s birth, a 50-foot granite obelisk was raised on the site. Today, the grounds at the birthplace serve as a contemplative space open to the public. A visitors’ center provides information about Joseph Smith’s life and his mission as the prophet through whom Jesus Christ began to restore His gospel to the earth.

The Monument and Memorial Grounds Today

Since its dedication, the birthplace site has welcomed visitors, inviting them to connect with their religious heritage and gain a greater appreciation for the Prophet Joseph Smith. Visitors to the site can explore the landscape, see the monument, and go through a visitors’ center, which offers exhibits and information about the Prophet’s life, his family, and their New England heritage.

Doorstep stone of the home at the Joseph Smith birthplace.

Several features on the grounds also help visitors connect to the site’s past. The original stone doorstep and stone garden mark the approximate location of the birthplace home. In the visitors’ center, the home’s original hearthstone is also on display. Visitors can also see the nearby foundations of the homes once owned by Solomon Mack and Lucy’s brother Daniel G. Mack.

Nestled within a rotunda of dense forest, the Joseph Smith Birthplace Monument and Memorial grounds offer visitors a quiet spot to contemplate the life and prophetic mission of Joseph Smith.

John Pratt Calendar’s about Joseph Smith

Dr. John Pratt

This editor has read John Pratt’s material for many years. John is a very brilliant man, but reader beware. Some of his ideas are so hard to understand. John Pratt is a dear friend of Dr. John Lefgren who works with us at the Heartland Research Group. With my condolences, John Pratt passed away a few months ago.

I love the prophet Joseph and I use these Pratt quotes about Joseph Smith’s birthday, as an example of how special a man Joseph Smith is. Using the signs in the heavens, it is interesting to me how the Lord can speak to us truth through various signs and wonders in heaven. Be prayerful.

JOSEPH SMITH’S BIRTH: 1 TEBETH

The Prophet Joseph Smith was born on Mon 23 Dec 1805. That is close to the winter solstice, which usually occurs on 21 December, which has led to the suggestion that his birth symbolized the time when darkness would begin to recede and that the light would return to the earth. But that date is about two days off, according to our calendar. When we looked at the Savior’s birth and death dates, we saw that his birth was timed down to the quarter-day period before the midnight which commenced Thu 6 Apr 1 BC. Similarly, his resurrection must have been after midnight and before dawn on the morning of Sun 3 Apr AD 33. If the Savior’s birth and death were timed so precisely, we might expect that of Joseph Smith to have been also. At this point it might be well to remember that the Lord tends to use the calendars which he has revealed, rather than the one originating with Julius Caesar, which we currently employ. On the Hebrew Calendar, (Below left) the four seasonal markers are the first days of the months Nisan (spring), Tammuz (summer), Tishri (autumn) and Tebeth (winter).

What was the day 23 Dec 1805 on the Hebrew Calendar? While the true Hebrew Calendar is not yet perfectly understood, all indications are that the evening of 23 Dec 1805 began the Hebrew day 1 Tebeth, the precise day of the winter solstice on that calendar. The identification of Joseph Smith as one of the four angels associated with the four seasons suggests that his birth date was carefully planned to coincide with one of the four seasonal markers on a calendar which God has endorsed. On the Hebrew calendar, the first day of every month is considered a holy day, so Joseph Smith was not only born on a holy day, but apparently was the standard bearer for the day of the winter solstice throughout all time. Source

The Modern Hebrew Calendar. The lunar months all begin near a new moon, and an extra month is inserted seven times every nineteen years before Nisan to keep that month in the spring. Note that Nisan is numbered as the first month (Ex. 12:2) even though the civil year begins with the planting season in the fall (Lev. 25:3-22) on 1 Tishri. The original seven holy days of the law of Moses are indicated with black dots. This modern calendar is based entirely on calculations; the Judean calendar used at the time of Christ was based on actual observations of the thin crescent of the new moon to determine the beginning of the month. For some purposes years are reckoned from Nisan, but the official civil year begins on 1 Tishri.

The modern Hebrew Calendar is a lunisolar (“luni”= moon, “solar”=sun) calendar, meaning that it starts its months at the new moon and uses years which are tied to the seasons of the sun. Each month has either 29 or 30 days, which are alternated as needed to keep in sync with the moon’s 29.53-day period of phases. Similarly, either 12 or 13 months are included in the year to track the 365.24-day seasonal year. There is a more detailed description of lunisolar calendars in general in the Introduction to Calendars section, which describes the mathematics of how this is accomplished. The Hebrew Calendar has Several Holy Days, shown in the illustration above.

Oh How Lovely was the Morning (DVD)

This is the true story about two men who had never met, who were on the same search for important dates associated with the History of the Church. Little did they know that their paths would come together many years later in such an important way. The event of the First Vision and the appearance of the Father and the Son to the Prophet Joseph Smith, stands alone as the pivotal event from the Lord in these last days! John Lefgren and John Pratt conclude the date of The First Vision was March 26, 1820. The date on the Star Calendar for the birth of the Prophet Joseph is 10 Sgr. That corresponds to a star in the bow of the Archer (Sagittarius). With so many constellations available representing him, the birth date seemed surprising at first.

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Joseph’s Birth Date

The date on the Star Calendar for the birth of the Prophet Joseph is 10 Sgr. That corresponds to a star in the bow of the Archer (Sagittarius). With so many constellations available representing him, the birth date seemed surprising at first.

The blessings given to his twelve sons by Jacob have many references to constellations in them. Reuben is called unstable as water (Waterbearer), Dan is a serpent which bites heels (Scorpion) and Judah is a Lion. In the later blessing by Moses, Joseph is referred to as a wild ox (the Bull, mistranslated “unicorn” in KJV), with his two sons Ephraim and Manasseh being the two horns (Deut. 33:17).

What was Jacob’s blessing to Joseph? Here is part of it:

But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob (Gen. 49:24)

We know a lot of detail about the life of Joseph of Egypt. Having his bow be strong does not sound like a highlight of his life. It might refer to his descendants being mighty warriors. But it is well known that many of these blessings have obscure and/or multiple meanings. Consider the possibility that another intended meaning of this blessing could be a reference to the Prophet Joseph Smith being the “bow”. If so, then the word “his” in “arms of his hands” could refer to the strength of Joseph Smith. He was known for his great strength, which allowed him to become a champion wrestler.

In any case, it seems possible that Joseph Smith could indeed be symbolized by the Bow of the Archer. If so, then Joseph was born on a day representing him. That star is called the “Bow” in my work now. The day proposed in my work for the date of the death of Isaac was also on the day of the Bow, so Joseph is in good company.

Joseph’s Death Date

Joseph Smith died on the day of the brightest star in the sky in the Big Dog, which represents him. (Photo by Alan Dyer)

The death date of Joseph Smith is more clearly symbolized in the constellations than that of his birth and provides a strong witness as to his identity. The Prophet was murdered on the afternoon of Thu 27 Jun 1844 about 5 p.m. On the Star Calendar that martyrdom day was the day of the brightest star in the sky, Sirius, in the Big Dog, which represents Joseph Smith! There is such a small probability that Sirius would fall exactly on the Prophet’s death date by chance, that this is taken as strong evidence that his death date had been known from the beginning.

Fig. 4. The Raven (Corvus) attacking the Fleeing Serpent is Joseph Smith

There is also a second witness. In my work the name of the day of the Hebrew Calendar (10 Tammuz) on which the Prophet Joseph Smith was murdered has been called “Raven Day” because it was the same day as Noah released the raven from the ark. Moreover, it was suggested that it should be considered a holy day because it completes the set of four fast days of mourning which all occur on the tenth day of the months that begin each of the four seasons. That day ties Joseph Smith to his mother because she was born on Raven Day (10 Tammuz) on Sat 8 Jul 1775. It was mentioned in an earlier article that those dates being the same provides both a mother-son link but also emphasizes the importance of that day.^[9]

Now two more witnesses appear, making it much harder to ignore all of these witnesses as due to random chance. There is a constellation of a Raven in the heavens. There are three figures attacking the female Fleeing Serpent in the last days as shown in the constellations (see Figure 4). First, there is the Lion (Leo) who is running after her and pouncing on her head to crush it. That Lion has been identified with Adam (as well as Christ). Second, there is a Raven clinging to its back and pecking at it (depicted by the same star being in the serpent’s back and the raven’s beak). And third, there is a Cup attached to it which may represent the Cup of the Wrath of God which is to be poured out on the great and abominable church to cause its demise. Thus it appears that Adam again has two helpers in his quest to destroy his enemy. It is here proposed that the Raven represents Joseph Smith. The cup may represent Abel, but that is not yet clear.

Fig. 5. Using Priesthood Pattern to identify Joseph Smith’s star.

Why a raven for Joseph Smith? In folk tale symbolism, the raven often represents someone who has died and is bringing a message as a spirit. That matches what the Perseus myth says was required from Perseus to be able to slay the Medusa (invisibility). Thus, it is consistent with the symbolism that the Prophet would be martyred on Raven Day on the Hebrew Calendar.

Now consider the Star Calendar. The constellation of the Raven (Corvus) is just below the Maiden (Virgo). The brightest star in the Raven, which represents the entire constellation, has its star slot on the day 13 Vir. It turns out that the prophet’s martyrdom occurred on the very day of the Raven on the Uniform Star Calendar! Thus there are two witnesses that Joseph Smith is the Raven because that was also the day on the Hebrew Calendar.

https://www.johnpratt.com/items/docs/2016/star_cal.html#2.2

Seven Angels

Angel Man

1. Uriel Peter

2. Raguel Moses

3. Sariel Abel

4. Raphael Enoch

5. Phanuel Joseph Smith

6. Gabriel Noah

7. Michael Adam

Table 2. Proposed Seven Chief Angels

In a previous paper by this author, the seven holy angels who serve the Lord were tentatively identified with seven men who have lived on earth.^[2] Those proposed identifications are summarized in Table 2. The numbers correspond to how the scriptures number them, which turns out also to be the millennium over which they preside (D&C 88:108-110). A later paper also identified each with seven constellations,^[3] some of which are shown as illustrations in this article in the section for each angel.

Order of the Angels.

Until now, there has been no obvious way to verify that those proposed identifications were correct. Now a new pattern emerges. If all seven of those men had birth or death dates during the brief spans when the Venus and Uniform Venus Calendars align, it would be beyond chance and hence set a requirement for any proposed candidate to be a chief angel. The chance of any one already proposed or known date occurring in one of the 20-year alignment intervals every 434 years is only 20/434 or 1 in 22. To have either the birth or death date of all seven occur in those intervals from chance would be (2/22)⁷ which is 1 in 19,000,000. In other words, it would be totally beyond chance (unless one believes chance created the universe, in which case anything is considered possible). With that in mind, let us look at suggested vital dates of each of the seven proposed chief angels.

Twins Reversed

God’s house is a house of order, and it is fair to ask in what order are the columns of the seven angels found. According to the numbers assigned to them for the order in which they sound the trump, noted in the “Seven Angels” section above, the order they appear here is 2, 4, 6, 1, 5, 3, 7. This is nearly identical to the order of the seven rewards of Revelation (but with Adam at the last).[21] That order is seen in Figure 5, by tracing a the line between the points. The exception is that Joseph and Abel are reversed. That reversal of the Twins seems justified in order to put Abel’s column adjacent to Adam’s, because those two are part of each other’s stories. But as I wrote this article, it hit me that there could me something much more important symbolized here. It is also curiously reminiscent of the reversal of the order of blessings to the sons of Joseph of Egypt, Manasseh and Ephraim, who were also most likely twins, both being born when Joseph was age 34.[22] The same thing also happened with the twin sons of Judah (Zerah and Pharez), who are also represented by the same colors (the red rose and white rose), and who have reigned alternately on the throne of Israel.[23] The figures are actually also reversed also in the heavens. Castor (Abel) is not nearest the Lion (Adam), and Pollux (Joseph Smith) is not nearest the Bull (Joseph Smith) as might be expected.[24] There is probably some very deep symbolism here having to do with birth order and birth rights before this life.

The Twins

One note on the colors of their clothing shown in my illustrations, white for Pollux and red for Castor. Those colors seemed right for them long before the connection to Joseph Smith and Abel was discovered. They are shown in those colors in my article on the twelve stones.[25] Why? The colors for the Twins are those of Benjamin, being red and white, but which is which? Because it seemed clear that the twins represent Christ at his first coming (lower earthly twin) and also at his second (higher, heavenly, resurrected twin), and the Savior will wear red at his second coming (Rev. 19:13), the higher twin was clothed in red. But now that turns out also to be perfect coloring for Pollux and Castor. Pollux is in white, being Joseph Smith, whose color is white, and Castor is Abel, dressed in red, the color of his father Adam. The attention to detail in all of the symbolism represent. https://www.johnpratt.com/items/docs/lds/meridian/2006/49constellations.html

Joseph Smith The Hero

Joseph Smith, The Hero.

In all of my work so far, the Prophet Joseph Smith has had a lack-luster birth date. It was an important holy day on the Hebrew (PHC) calendar, being 1 Tebeth, the winter solstice, but not a holy day on any other calendar. He was born on 9 Quake, which seems like just an average day on the Sacred Round.

Now for the first time something really unusual shows up about his birth date of Mon 23 Dec 1805. It was 9 Quake (SR), 9 Prime (V), 9 Prime (M), and 9 Prime (UV). The importance of 9 is just being discovered in my work, such as the 9 holy points of the Venus Calendars. For the purposes of this research, that is the same day on both the Venus and the Uniform Venus Calendars, so that meets the criterion being investigated for the chief angels. Adding 2 cycles of 868 years to AD 67 brings one to AD 1803. So with full alignments every 868 years, the birth date of Joseph Smith falls two alignment intervals after Peter’s death.

https://www.johnpratt.com/items/docs/lds/meridian/2013/uniform_venus.html#2.5

December 3, 2024
The First Presidential Candidate Assassination Ignored by History

There is a vital lesson to learn about the similar challenges we have in today’s political discourse, which is very similar to that same discourse in Joseph Smith’s day.

It seems history has a way of repeating itself. Only through love and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ may we overcome this unrighteous pattern.

Learn some of the details behind the Prophet Joseph Smith as a candidate for President of the United States, who was the first one ever to be assassinated.

Dallin H. Oaks said the assassination was, “a deliberate political assassination, committed or condoned by some of the leading citizens in Hancock County.”

Church History

The First Presidential Candidate Assassination Ignored by History
By Derek Sainsbury · August 4, 2024

The following first appeared in Public Square Magazine.

“Americans are shocked following the attempted assassination of former president and current presidential candidate Donald J. Trump. In recent days, legacy and independent media have reminded us that political assassinations are a dark and recurring part of the American story. However, someone is missing from these articles, even from the official Congressional Research Service. Despite abundant scholarship for fifty years explaining his murder, no one is discussing the first assassinated presidential candidate—Joseph Smith Jr.

That is unfortunate—not only because it is a significant historical omission but because of the lessons it holds for our current political moment. However, to understand the political lessons from Joseph Smith Jr.’s assassination, we must first understand why he was running for president in the first place.

While trying to build Zion in Missouri, stark religious, political, social (particularly the Saints’ more positive views of Blacks and American Indians), and economic differences between the Saints and Missourians led to conflict. In 1833, mobs extralegally drove the Saints out of Jackson County. Five years later, militia/mobs murdered two dozen Saints and terrorized the remainder with indiscriminate rape, theft, and destruction of property, this time with the protection of the law. The majority had spoken, depriving the minority’s rights of life, liberty, property, and freedom of worship under both the federal United States and Missouri state constitutions.

Nauvoo’s city charter and militia gave Joseph Smith and the Saints in Illinois the legal protection they sought. Their majority in Hancock County ensured that they could elect candidates favorable to them. To many outsiders, however, Nauvoo and its prophet-mayor seemed a threatening theocracy, similar to contemporary views of Catholics’ “subservience” to the Pope. Thus, religious freedom seemingly did not apply to Saints, and tensions mounted again.

On January 29, 1844, church leaders decided “that Joseph Smith be a candidate for the next presidency and that we use all honorable means to secure his election.” Smith wrote a political pamphlet and had it distributed widely. He was running to protect the constitutional rights of all Americans and to “restore” virtuous, non-partisan government. Nearly seven hundred men volunteered to preach and electioneer across the nation for Smith. The Saints’ religion now became their politics. Smith was serious about his candidacy, and he understood its danger. “If I lose my life in a good cause I am willing to be sacrificed . . . in maintaining the laws and Constitution of the United States, if need be, for the general good of mankind.”

Smith was stepping into the most partisan era the nation had yet experienced. The Democratic and Whig parties had recently popularized politics. They organized millions, not just to vote but to attend partisan conventions, meetings, and rallies. Partisan newspapers stoked political fires daily rather than at the end of the election cycle. As Alexis de Tocqueville observed, popular politics was the American religion. In the 1840s, as the Second Great Awakening ended, voter enrollment was ten times that of church enrollment. In western Illinois, that zealously partisan Whig/Democrat dynamic overlapped with an Anti-Mormon/Mormon one.

Joseph Smith’s shirt after assassination

Following Joseph Smith’s campaign announcement, enemies inside and outside of the Church plotted his murder. They would not accept his legally gained influence or his right to run for president. For them, he was an existential danger to be eliminated by extralegal means. They tried to drag him away from the safety of Nauvoo using trumped-up charges issued from the county seat. Smith simply traveled in force to Carthage, made bail, and returned home. The conspirators needed something more to incite the passions of the people to destroy Smith and a way to strip him of protection.

William Law led Smith’s enemies inside the Church. He and Smith had split over plural marriage and the Church’s voting power. An ardent Whig, Law was furious that at the last hour, Smith had influenced the Saints to vote Democratic in 1843. The Nauvoo dissidents procured a printing press from a Whig politician to print the Nauvoo Expositor. The paper’s only issue made accusations against Smith using distorted truths and outright falsehoods wrapped in inflammatory language, such as: Continued below

Below is an excellent video by Ducon Williams of Zions’s Media, that tells the true story of how William Law, Josephs previous counselor, attempted to take the life of the Prophet but Joseph was protected by miraculous means.

Continued from above: “Joseph and his accomplices [are] specimens of injustice of the most pernicious and diabolical character that ever stained the pages of the historian. …[If you vote for Joseph Smith] you are voting for an enemy to your government…. You are voting for a man who stands indicted, and is now held to bail, for the crimes of adultery and perjury…. [he] is…one of the blackest and basest scoundrels that has appeared upon the stage of human existence since the days of Nero, and Caligula.

Leading the conspiracy outside of Nauvoo was Thomas Sharp, owner of the Warsaw Signal. He spent 1841-1842 publishing his opposition to the Saints’ political power. Sharp, a Whig, ran in 1842 for state representative but lost to Democrat William Smith (Joseph Smith’s younger brother) due to the Saints’ voting majority in Hancock County. Financial setbacks also forced him to sell the Warsaw Signal. Stewing, he spent 1843 strengthening the Anti-Mormon Party he had created.

Just days after Joseph Smith announced his candidacy, Sharp regained control of the Warsaw Signal. Consequently, his attacks against the Saints intensified. He was particularly angered that Hyrum Smith was running for state representative, once again blocking his personal ambitions. Surreptitiously, Sharp and his associates did some blocking of their own. They began intercepting Nauvoo newspapers to ensure that only their newspapers reached the wider public.

Sharp knew of the Nauvoo dissidents’ plans to use the Nauvoo Expositor to destroy the Smiths. He was not afraid to admit it openly. Just a week before the Expositor’s only issue, Sharp published in the Signal,

We have seen and heard enough to convince us that Joe Smith is not safe out of Nauvoo, and we would not be surprised to hear of his death by violent means in a short time. He has deadly enemies…. The feeling of this country is now lashed to its utmost pitch and will break forth in fury upon the slightest provocation…

Mayor Joseph Smith and the city council gave the conspirators the needed provocation when they destroyed the Expositor. Four days later, Sharp called for political violence.

We have only to state, that this is sufficient! War and extermination is inevitable! Citizens ARISE, ONE and ALL!!! — Can you stand by, and suffer such INFERNAL DEVILS!! to ROB men of their property and RIGHTS, without avenging them. We have no time for comment, every man will make his own. LET IT BE MADE WITH POWDER AND BALL!!!

Eleven days later, Joseph and Hyrum Smith arrived in Carthage, under the protection of Governor Thomas Ford, to face arraignment on charges of riot. This time, when the Smiths posted bail, authorities immediately rearrested them on a charge of treason, a non-bailable offense. They had 18 separate charges ready to ensure that the Smiths could not leave Carthage. The judge, also one of the conspirators, twisted the law and the defendants’ rights to ensure their prey was “secure” in jail. During the evening of June 26th, the Carthage Anti-Mormon Committee of Safety met and finalized its plans to deliver “summary execution” on the Smiths in the name of the people.

The next morning, Governor Ford disbanded the militias (except for a small contingent to guard the jail) and left Carthage for Nauvoo. He did not take Joseph and Hyrum Smith with him as he had promised. William Law also departed Carthage, now safe with an alibi. Thomas Sharp led the disbanded Warsaw militia to the jail, where they first killed Hyrum and then Joseph. Lifeless and lying alongside the well outside Carthage Jail, Joseph Smith became the first assassinated candidate for President of the United States.

As a lawyer, Dallin H. Oaks and historian Marvin Hill wrote almost fifty years ago,

The murder of Joseph and Hyrum Smith at Carthage, Illinois, was not a spontaneous, impulsive act by a few personal enemies of the Mormon leaders, but a deliberate political assassination, committed or condoned by some of the leading citizens in Hancock County.

When those leading citizens stood trial for the murders, the judge and jurors ensured justice was not served.

The first assassination of a presidential candidate is a cautionary tale about our current political environment. William Law, Thomas Sharp, and the other conspirators of 1844 felt justified in twisting truth and telling falsehoods using inflammatory language through their newspapers, controlling the narrative by intercepting their opponents’ newspapers, bringing questionable lawsuits to endanger their opponents, bending the law to their own ends, inciting and leading destructive mobs intent on political intimidation, and in using the ultimate political violence—assassination.

So, let’s step back and look around today. Do the factors involved in the assassination of Joseph Smith exist today?

Twisting truth and pushing falsehoods in pursuit of political ends? Check. Two examples are particularly instructive. While one side declared, and some continue to believe, that the 2020 election was rigged, the other side, for at least two years, hid the fact that the President of the United States was in cognitive decline. Willing accomplices in the media pushed both of their agendas. No wonder the country is suffering from a crisis of political and institutional trustworthiness.

Inflammatory, partisan media? Check. Derisive, partisan, threatening, and “end of democracy” language in our media and political discourse is ubiquitous. It is the default dialect on all sides. Social media guarantees that such politics are in our faces every minute of the day. Engagement algorithms ensure the acceleration of heated discourse while simultaneously placing us in echo chambers where each side sees the other as not just wrong but treacherously evil. After the attempted assassination of Trump, both sides called for the lowering of the temperature. Just one week later, the dangerous rhetoric returned from both camps as if Butler, Pennsylvania, never happened.

Censuring others’ views to control the narrative? Check. The past five years have seen institutional and governmental restrictions on free speech on social media, the town square of today. Furthermore, online mobs “cancel” persons who deviate from their narrative, creating a toxic culture where citizens are afraid to express their views openly.

Stretching or abusing the law to hurt political opponents? Check. “Lawfare” against political opponents is incredibly dangerous. It started with the chants at Trump rallies in 2016 to “Lock her [Senator Hillary Clinton] up!” Now, we’ve clearly passed the Rubicon in the openly partisan civil and criminal suits against former President Trump that the majority of Americans acknowledge as political persecution. Trump has already promised revenge if elected, and the crowd at Kamala Harris’ first speech as a presidential candidate chanted, “Lock him up!”

Incited, destructive mobs for political intimidation? Check. The “mostly peaceful” riots in the summer of 2020 caused 1-2 billion dollars of damage and saw at least 25 people murdered. Donald Trump supporters rioted at the Capitol on January 6, 2021, with many intent on stopping the final certification of the 2020 election. Also, see online mobs above in the previous point.

Not accepting the results of an election? Check. In 2016, Democrats pronounced Trump’s election illegitimate and hampered his presidency with investigations founded on falsehoods and half-truths. In 2020, Trump and many of his supporters declared the election was rigged, which culminated in the January 6th riot. Now, one wonders if either side will accept the results this year.

Politics as religion? Check. Research has shown that, like the 1840s and 1850s, personal religion is increasingly mediated by politics as religious identity weakens. On both sides, politics becomes the chief driver of one’s beliefs about reality. For many Americans and Latter-day Saints, their politics is their religion—the real god they worship. Zealous service to that god gives one a feeling of moral superiority, of being “the good guys.” In such an apocalyptic, good versus evil political environment, some feel that they can and even must take extralegal action, subtle or direct, to defeat the existential threat of “the bad guys.”

If our problems echo the atmosphere surrounding Smith’s assassination, what is the solution, especially as the arena is national? Others on this platform have given wise suggestions. I would only point back to what Joseph Smith wrote in his campaign pamphlet.

Unity is power, and when I reflect on the importance of it to the stability of all governments, I am astounded at the silly moves of persons and parties, to foment discord in order to ride into power on the current of popular excitement.

Smith was trying to create a non-partisan solution to extend the rights of the Constitution to himself, his people, and all Americans rather than pit them against each other. As a people, Latter-day Saints have a doctrinal directive to “befriend” the political process and a prophetic priority to “build, lift, encourage, persuade, and inspire—no matter how difficult the situation.” That will take moral courage and open minds. We, like the prophet Joseph Smith, must be willing to sacrifice in the “good cause…of maintaining the laws and Constitution of the United States…for the general good of mankind.” https://latterdaysaintmag.com/the-first-presidential-candidate-assassination-ignored-by-history/?#google_vignette

September 2, 2024
Debunking Critics’ Attack on the Transfiguration of Brigham Young
Debunking Critics

There seems to be quite a few critics of the restored Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints lately focused against Brigham Young. There is the Denver Snuffers, Doctrine of Christ Church and many others.

Why all of this commotion? I believe it may be a new fad to go after Brigham Young as there are very few new criticisms about our dear Prophet Joseph Smith. Critics have failed for nearly 200 years with any credible evidence against the fruit of Joseph Smith, which is of course the truth of the Book of Mormon and the other amazing truths he has provided for us. Critics seem to be saying, if we can’t take down Joseph, then we better work against the number two guy, Brigham Young. This subject seems critical to many of those who love Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon, but they aren’t a part of today’s Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I love these people, but I also pray for them, as they would likely say the same thing about me, as we all have our own biases.

Many of these critics claim that Joseph Smith never practiced polygamy, but it all started with Brigham Young which is not correct in my opinion. This is how the name of Brigham continues to get smeared. There is a huge difference between what the world calls “polygamy” and what it actually is. A great friend and defender of the Church and its doctrine, Kimberley Smith said, “Joseph Smith taught and practiced Celestial Plural Marriage which can be only entered into by Revelation and by the one who holds the sealing keys. Both Joseph Smith and Hyrum Smith both spoke out against “unauthorized polygamy” even Brigham Young was excommunicating men in Nauvoo who married women not given to them through the one who held the keys.” Kimberly Watson Smith

Brigham Young Deniers

“Millions of faithful Mormons are entirely oblivious to the dramatic gulf between the scriptures, revelations and teachings of the founder Joseph Smith, and the replacement religion created through Brigham Young.” Denver Snuffer, Christian Apostacy

In another example of denial for Brigham Young, is in the documentary, titled “Who Killed Joseph Smith” which premiered in 2022. It was made by the Doctrine of Christ group, with Justin Griffin and Steve Sorensen, and speaks about framing Brigham Young, John Taylor, and Willard Richards for the murder of Joseph Smith.

It is also a common practice for some to say that Brigham was not the true successor to Joseph Smith. They dismiss the many eyewitness accounts of saints who actually saw the transfiguration of Brigham Young, who was to be the Lord’s next Prophet. This article is to assist Latter-day Saints in continual faith in the current Prophet, even Russell M. Nelson, and all the prophets that came before. This Church has the true Priesthood of God, and we know that is why the adversary continues to attack.

Transfiguration Witnesses

“I knew then and also know now that Joseph was a true prophet of God, and that the mantle of Joseph fell on Brigham Young who was his legal successor. We all thought Joseph had come back to us! I was present at the meeting when this took place and heard with my own ears and saw with my own eyes. We all thought Joseph had come back to us although we knew he was in his grave. I was standing by the temple talking to Brother Woodruff and he pointed out a spot to me on the opposit[e] side of the river about a mile and a half above Montrose, and said there would be a city and a temple built there and the place would be called Zarahemla. I was at Nauvoo when the temple was finished and dedicated. I went up into the tower and wrote my name there. As I understand, the wicked have burned that temple to the ground and it is all destroyed like the Jerusalem temple. But I expect to see that temple re-erected and the one built on the opposite side of the river to match.” Pioneer Saint Edward Phillips Journal

“The day is Thursday, August 8, 1844. Six weeks to the day have passed since the martyrdom of the Prophet Joseph Smith on June 27, 1844. The majority of the Twelve Apostles have recently returned from missions and some are still stunned and disheartened by the loss of their Prophet. Upon their arrival they find “Sidney Rigdon busy among the Saints, trying to establish his claim to the presidency of the Church.” According to a report issued by the Times and Seasons:

[A] special meeting of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, convened at the stand in the city of Nauvoo, President Brigham Young, called the audience to order, and arranged the several quorums according to their standing, and the rules of the church. The meeting had been previously called, as stated, to choose a guardian, or trustee for said church.

Opinions differ, either Sidney Rigdon, former First Counselor in the First Presidency, or the Quorum of the Twelve with Brigham Young at their head. The audience is divided as the polished and eloquent Sidney Rigdon commences his message. The old gentleman is charismatic and the arguments are compelling to some of the flock.

Brigham Young, a man fiercely loyal to the Prophet Joseph Smith, current President of the Twelve and later to become known as the “Lion of the Lord”, takes the stand. Suddenly, the people arise “en-masse to their feet astonished.” One eyewitness later remembered, “it appeared that Joseph had returned and was speaking to the people.” As Brigham Young commences speaking, hundreds in the audience believe “in every possible degree it [is] Joseph’s voice, and his person, in look, attitude, dress and appearance [it is] Joseph himself, personified”. William Hyde later remembers:

[Brigham Young] then called upon the saints to know if they would receive the Twelve and let them stand in their place as the First Presidency of the Church in the absense of Joseph. The vote was unanimous in the affirmative. On this day it was plainly manifest that the mantle of Joseph had rested upon President Young.” James F. Stoddard IV and Aaron R. Halsell. More Witnesses Here from the Joseph Smith Foundation

Not one dissenting hand was raised at the conference to sustain Brigham Young, yet thousands today are leaving the Church believing that Brigham Young was not the Prophet or Joseph’s legal successor. The transfiguration of Brigham Young is a key assertion in a continuing debate. If the Lord miraculously transfigured Brigham Young’s appearance, then Brigham Young was divinely sanctioned as Joseph Smith’s successor. If this transfiguration never took place, the very foundations of our LDS faith and history are weakened. I believe the many eyewitnesses and their testimonies that Brigham was Joseph’s successor and was a Prophet of God.

You will love this article below from my good friend, Kimberly Watson Smith of the Joseph Smith Foundation. Her insights are full of truth.

DEBUNKING CRITICS’ ATTACK ON THE TRANSFIGURATION

By Kimberly Watson Smith, Joseph Smith Foundation

“Critics of the Church always attack the Transfiguration of Brigham Young so they can destroy faith and testimony in the authority and the Priesthood of the Church.

These attacks and arguments against the historical documentation of the Transfiguration are neither original nor honest.

Today I want to address the oft-repeated and yet failed argument: “there are no contemporary records of the Transfiguration so it must be folklore or false memory” or worst some even go as far as accusing the Saints of lying.

I invite you to come and reason with me using plain common sense and sound logic.

Let’s begin.
1. The Transfiguration of Brigham Young is the most documented event in Church History. We currently have access to 141 accounts of the event. The number of individuals who recorded the event totals to 125. Sixty-one of these are first-hand documents, including personal journals, autobiographies and direct testimonies chronicled in Church publications. The remaining 63 are biographical works by family members or historical compilations.
2. The Charts pictured below display how many eyewitnesses wrote of their mantle experience each year following 1844.
If these eyewitness reports were the result of an invented story, we could expect the Saints to begin jotting down their accounts when the idea was allegedly first noised abroad. The testimonies would have been recorded in a condensed period of time.

Two things to consider about that

—there is no specific timeframe for a spike in the accounts.

—there is no central location for the supposed “myth” to develop

Witnesses recorded their testimonies from various locations: some still living in Nauvoo, some throughout Utah ranging from the northern to the southernmost tip, some into Idaho and the Arizona territories, and some locales as remote as the island of Tubuai.

Any expert in analyzing witness testimony would tell you that it would be IMPOSSIBLE to have a consistent story with that many people and spread over continents for that length of time if it were just a “myth” or “folk lore”

That is why trained historians all accept the Transfiguration of Brigham Young despite limited contemporaneous accounts.

It is also important to point out that non-contemporary record ≠ false record.
1. Detractors dismiss the role the Holy Ghost plays. This is something that the spiritually blind cannot understand. The Spirit of the Lord leaves an impression on a person far more indelible than any other agent. One of the gifts of the Spirit is the gift of memory and the consistency with which these early Saints and pioneers recorded their memories suggest they were far more influenced by the gift than we can possibly ever realize. Joseph Smith himself knew how powerful the Spirit was that caused people to remember what he said. He received the revelation contained in 1831 and without ever having written it down could recall it word for word in 1843.
2. Condemning the Saints for not writing spiritual experiences as they were happening or even years later is wrong and is an unrealistic expectation. The same arguments used against the transfiguration accounts can be used against the First Vision accounts and in fact they are!
How we judge others is how we will be judged by the Lord. If you judge a group of Saints for waiting to record their histories and spiritual experiences instead of as they transpired, you will judged just as harshly by the Lord for your own delayed or lack of record keeping of your life.

There are many many reasons why records were recorded much later.

The Saints were suffering immense persecution while constantly being drive out of their homes and having to rebuild over and over again to

Many were too traumatized at the time to think of writing anything down. Thousands of people were in attendance at that incredible meeting, and many (not all) experienced the transfiguration of Brigham young into Joseph Smith. Not all wrote down their experiences, because of many variables. But many DID write their experiences when they had time to write. The remarkable thing is that ALL the varied experiences were almost exactly the same. In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall the truth of a thing be established. There are hundreds of testimonies that this transfiguration actually took place. These are eyewitness accounts, and shouldn’t be dismissed or discredited.

Many records did not survive the trek west and so people had to re-record their experiences later. I am sure that getting to a barren desert wasteland and having to build homes and plant food for survival made record keeping a lot more difficult!” Kimberly Watson Smith.

*** Graph courtesy of the Joseph Smith Foundation

More information below about the succession crisis of 1844 which is a great article that explains the circumstances of this dark time in the History of the Church, and how Brigham Young valiantly followed the Lord.

When did Brigham Young hear about the Death of Joseph and Hyrum?

Six Days in August: Brigham Young and the Succession Crisis of 1844 Ronald W. Walker https://rsc.byu.edu/firm-foundation/six-days-august-brigham-young-succession-crisis-1844

“Brigham Young had no idea events would turn so badly when he left Nauvoo on May 21 [1844]. From Nauvoo, he took a side trip to Kirtland, Ohio, where Mormonism had first really begun to mold him. Kirtland was also the place where he began his friendship with Joseph Smith, which became the lodestone for the rest of Young’s life. Young visited the old sites in Kirtland and preached in the temple, trying to breathe new life into the old disciples who had let the Church go on without them. He found them “dead and cold to the things of God…

“In the next day or two, Young heard other rumors about the deaths of the Smiths, which he again dismissed. [42] Traveling with Orson Pratt, Young went on Church business to out-of-the-way Peterborough, New Hampshire, a few miles north of the Massachusetts border. His sermon there suggested that he might be coming to grips that some of these awful rumors. “The death of one or a dozen could not destroy the priesthood,” he told the local Saints, “nor hinder the work of the Lord from spreading throughout all nations.” [43]

Brigham Hears of the Prophets Death, 19 Days Later

The ambiguity ended on July 16. Young and Pratt were leaning back in their chairs at Brother Bement’s house in Peterborough when a letter arrived from Nauvoo telling of the killings. Later in the day, Elder Woodruff’s letter with the same news arrived. “I felt then as I never felt bef[ore],” Young later said. There were no tears but an awful, paralyzing headache. “My head felt as tho my head [would] crack.” His thoughts went everywhere. Had Joseph and Hyrum taken the keys or the authority of the Church with them?

At last, his despair lifted “like a clap,” he said. The answer came to him like revelation: “The keys of the kingdom [are] here.” He brought his hand to his knee to make the point. [44] He later confessed that the idea of assuming Joseph’s office had never occurred to him. [45] It had been an interesting psychological study, resisting reality until he could resist it no longer—followed by an emotional and religious outburst of feeling.

There was another meaning to Young’s revelation. It showed that the Church’s procedures for succession were by no means clear, even to the leading Apostle. Young, of course, had been present during those almost daily private council meetings with Smith earlier in the year. During these councils, Smith had laid out the endowment or temple rituals step-by-step, the capstone of his revelation. He concluded with what should have been a portentous warning: “Brethren, the Lord bids me hasten the work in which we are engaged. . . . Some important scene is near to take place. It may be that my enemies will kill me, and in case they should, and the keys and power which rest on me not be imparted to you, they will be lost from the Earth.” Joseph and Hyrum Smith then anointed the Apostles and other men who were present in the room, after which Joseph paced before them and dramatically pushed back upon his shoulders the collar of the coat he was wearing. “I roll the burden and responsibility of leading this church off from my shoulders on to yours,” he said. “Now, round up your shoulders and stand under it like men; for the Lord is going to let me rest a while.” [46]

The “Last Charge”

This event, now known in Church history as the “last charge,” was memorialized by several of the men who were present, but perhaps most significantly by an unpublished and unsigned statement that currently resides in the Church History Library. “Joseph Smith did declare that he had conferred upon the Twelve every key and every power that he ever held himself before God,” the statement said. “This our testimony we expect to meet in a coming day when all parties will know that we have told the truth and have not lied, so help us God.” [47] For Young, the last charge was a final act in a series of events. “Joseph more than one score of times told . . . [the apostles] both in private and in public, that he rolled the Kingdom on to their shoulders,” Young would later say. [48] Joseph’s conferral of authority included priesthood keys of authority but also a fullness of the endowment ritual, “everything necessary for the salvation of man.” [49]

Young and a majority of the other Apostles had been present during these occasions and heard Joseph’s words. But their hopes and wishes, like those of Jesus’ disciples before Calvary, did not permit them to accept the last charge at face value. Only the actual killings, months later, made Joseph Smith’s warning clear. [50]

But Young’s religious experience at Peterborough was more certain, especially as the days wore on and he continued to feel religiously prompted. He was convinced that he, as President of the Twelve, had authority to lead the Church, or to at least name Joseph’s successor. He also believed that at some point a new First Presidency of three men would be required, though he was willing to let that issue rest for the moment. [51] And he hoped that a general assembly of the Saints would give its approval to the succession. One of Joseph’s revelations declared such a gathering to be the highest authority in the Church—the collective inspiration of leaders and members (D&C 107:32). [52]

The day after hearing of the Smith brothers’ deaths, Young hurried from Peterborough to Boston. That night he shared a room with Elder Woodruff at Sister Voice’s home. Young slept in the bed while Woodruff, who was grieving the Prophet’s death, slept in a large chair and did his best to shield his convulsive tears. [53] Young’s grief, in contrast, was clear-eyed and determined. On July 18, he held a council with the Apostles who could be quickly gathered together in the East. The result was a letter that the Church’s eastern newspaper, the Prophet, soon published. The Apostles told Church leaders to head quickly to Nauvoo for the general council. [54] That evening Young briefly preached. He tried to cheer the local Saints: “When God sends a man to do a work all the devils in hell cannot kill him untill he gets through his work. So with Joseph[.] He prepared all things[,] gave the keys to men on the earth[,] and said[,] I may be soon taken from you.” [55] He was already using the last charge as a text.

Deciding the Succession

On Wednesday, August 7—the fifth day of the succession crisis—the Apostles spent much of the day huddled in conference at John Taylor’s house. They held two meetings early in the day. It was the first time that a legal quorum of seven or more Apostles gathered since Carthage—and they actually had not met since months before that because of their missions. Richards had been the Saints’ “principal counselor” during the previous five anxious weeks, answering “calls and inquiries” by the hundreds. [56] Before the others returned, he had been the only healthy Apostle in Nauvoo. He knew the Church’s business as well as anyone in the city and had a reputation for good judgment and good works.

People may have deferred to Richards for another reason. Less than two weeks after the killings, Richards, in the course of his usual correspondence, signed one preacher’s license as “Clerk and acting President.” Other preaching licenses reportedly had a still more interesting signature. An entry in the historical record of these licenses explained, “From the murder of President Joseph Smith to this Date [September 2, 1844] licenses were signed ‘Twelve Apostles, President.’” This last piece of evidence was confirmed by the Church’s official chronological history. [57] Since these materials were written weeks and even years after the succession controversy and may represent a later view of events, they require some skepticism. On the other hand, they may also suggest that Richards, early on, was asserting the leadership claims of a united Quorum of the Twelve and some people were accepting them.

It is unfortunate that someone who attended the meetings held on Wednesday did not leave a record of the issues discussed. These two meetings had to be among the most important during the succession crisis. For one thing, the newly arrived Apostles had to be brought up to date. There had been difficulties in Nauvoo from the first week of the murders. “The greatest danger that now threatens us is dissensions and strifes amongst the Church,” William Clayton had written on July 6. Clayton reported that the Saints were discussing four or five possible successors to Smith in his twin offices as Church President and trustee-in-trust. [58] Clayton regrettably did not identify these men, though they may have included Rigdon and Young, as well as William Marks and Samuel Smith, another of the Smith brothers.

The office of trustee-in-trust, which managed the Church’s property, posed a serious problem. Someone had to receive property and pay the bills for the temple, which meant an immediate appointment. More explosive was the conduct of Emma Smith, the Prophet’s widow, who was determined that the family’s property should not be swallowed by the Church’s claims—Joseph had mixed personal and official accounts and many of his debts were unresolved. Emma opposed the stopgap idea of having Clayton serve until the Apostles returned, and during July repeatedly inserted herself into the trustee-in-trust issue. [59] Her feelings were deep. She accused such opponents as Richards of not treating her “right” and warned if they should “trample upon her,” she would “look to herself”—lawyers were obviously on her mind. By the middle of July, she threatened that she “would do the church all the injury” she could if a new trustee-in-trust were appointed without her approval. Her choice, apparently, was Marks, whose views on Church policy and doctrine more closely agreed with her own. Clayton, in the middle of controversy, despaired. Bills were coming due, and Lucy Mack Smith, the Prophet’s mother, was also restive. [60] Clayton felt that a public disturbance over Smith’s estate and the trustee would bring clamoring creditors and a costly settlement. With proper management, however, there was enough “to pay the debts and plenty left for other uses.” [61]

There were other topics that the Twelve must have discussed in their Wednesday meetings. Some were crucial to the future of Mormonism. Did the Smith family have a special claim to the Church’s leadership? For several months Joseph and Hyrum Smith had been acting closely together, and Hyrum, as the Church’s Assistant President and Patriarch, had the authority to carry on had he survived Carthage. [62] The Old Testament and the Book of Mormon were full of examples of prophetic primogeniture—passing a prophet’s mantle of leadership to a son or perhaps to a family member. For the moment, this question of family succession was not pressing. Joseph Smith’s brother, Samuel Smith, had died on July 30, and Joseph Smith’s sons were young. Another brother, William Smith, was erratic, and no one saw him as a serious candidate.

New Doctrines and Practices Argued

There were underground issues, too. Historian Ronald K. Esplin has argued that Nauvoo in early 1844 had been a city of secrets. During the several years before his death, Joseph Smith had introduced a breathtaking array of new doctrines and practices: “The plurality of gods, new temple ordinances, new theocratic practices, and even plural marriage.” This “Nauvoo ‘package’” was known unevenly among the Saints, according to Esplin. The result were insider Saints who possessed a “private gnosis,” while the majority of Church members were either unaware or not fully informed. [63]

In addition to new doctrines, Smith had also created three new organizations. The first was the Female Relief Society. This organization was publicly known and open to the women living in Nauvoo, though most of its members were drawn from the city’s leading women. The two other organizations were semisecret. The Council of Fifty sought to redress past wrongs, increase the Church’s political influence, and expand Mormonism’s borders into the American West. The Council of Fifty also was a contingency plan for the last days when earthly governments would fall at Christ’s Second Coming and a new religious and political order would be necessary. While some historians have suggested that this new council was not much more than a symbol, the weight of inconclusive evidence suggests that Joseph Smith was serious about his political outreach. His 1844 political campaign and the later Mormon settlement in the Great Basin were not speculative patterns or decorations. [64]

The second semisecret group was Joseph Smith’s prayer circle. Known in furtive references in diaries and minutes as the “Holy Order,” the “Quorum of the Anointed,” the “First Quorum,” or still more often as the “Quorum” or “Council,” this group was making Church decisions in July along with Richards. [65] He was a member of the group and influenced many of its decisions, but not without some tension and hurt feelings along the way. [66]

Like the Council of Fifty, the Quorum of the Anointed began in 1842 and two years later was meeting weekly and sometimes daily. [67] Members were the first initiates of the empowering “ancient order of things,” or the endowment, that later was introduced in the Nauvoo Temple. By the summer of 1844, membership was limited to about sixty-five specially devoted men and women. These anointed members met in special priesthood robes, discussed the matters of the kingdom, and offered special prayers. Their July devotions were fervent. According to Brigham Young, a few of the select group met twice “every day . . . to offer up the signs and pray to our heavenly father to deliver his people.” It had been the “cord which bound the people together.” [68] Some of their soulful petitions were pleas to return the Apostles back to the city. [69]

Many of Smith’s new teachings went against the grain of commonplace or sectarian Christian tradition—and the views of conservative Saints. But within this circle, the Prophet felt at ease. [70] “Brother Joseph feels as well as I Ever see him,” wrote Heber C. Kimball to Parley P. Pratt in 1842. “One reason is he has got a Small company, that he feels safe in thare ha[n]ds. And that is not all, he can open his bosom to[o] and feel him Self safe.” [71] The groups who knew of Smith’s advanced teaching were the Twelve Apostles, the Council of Fifty, and the Anointed Quorum, as well some of the officers of the Relief Society. Sometimes their meetings merged into a single assembly—an informal fusion of the three or four groups—and as a result there were disorderly lines of authority. The March 1844 meeting in which Smith gave his last charge almost certainly was such an example. On that occasion, there had been an assembly of about sixty men—probably a meeting of the Council of Fifty and the Twelve Apostles with others. [72] Altogether, there were probably no more than one hundred such select disciples in Nauvoo, and perhaps only one member in twenty knew about them. [73] But these few members held in their bosom knowledge of the explosive ideas of plural marriage and the temporal kingdom. [74]

Understandably, Smith’s last agenda had little space on the public stage. But privately it gave context to the events surrounding the succession. The succession of 1844 was not simply about appointing a man or group of men to lead the Church. Rather, it was about what kind of Church would survive. When Marks was being pushed for the position of trustee-in-trust, Bishop Whitney objected. He remembered Marks’s past association with William Law and Emma Smith, both of whom had a recent history of opposing Joseph Smith and the Twelve. “If Marks is appointed Trustee our spiritual blessings will be destroyed inasmuch as he is not favorable to the most important matters,” Whitney told Clayton, referring to the temple ordinances. Moreover, Whitney believed the office of trustee was inseparably tied to the Presidency. One office entailed the other, and that combination put Joseph Smith’s last teachings in jeopardy. Whitney favored the appointment of Samuel Smith before Samuel died. [75]

As the events leading to Joseph Smith’s death closed in on Joseph in June, he seemed to retreat from some of his advanced teachings. According to D. Michael Quinn, immediately before he went to Carthage, Smith turned his back on polygamy, the endowment, and the Council of Fifty. [76] Whether the retreat was meant to be temporary or permanent, or whether the steps were expedient or heartfelt, the most likely conclusion was that Smith was stabilizing Nauvoo while privately holding firmly to his teachings. His closest disciples accepted this view. But the possibility of a turnabout gave comfort to Emma Smith and Marks during the succession crisis. A rumor circulated through Nauvoo on August 7 claiming that Rigdon had cemented his alliance with Marks by offering him the office of Patriarch, while Rigdon would become the Church’s President. [77] Emma Smith could be expected to lend her quiet support. Still more likely, these people never worked out an agenda of offices or goals. They were united vaguely by their lack of belief in Joseph Smith’s last teachings and probably never organized themselves into a formal group or opposition.

The Apostles concluded their meetings on August 7 with a decision: a general assembly would be convened within the week on Tuesday, August 13, at 10:00 a.m. They intended to put forward their claims and follow it with a formal, ratifying vote. [78] For the Apostles, there was no turning back. Most had accepted plural marriage at great emotional and psychological cost. Their days of fervent councils with the founding Prophet were at odds with a pre-Nauvoo program and a pre-Nauvoo Church. The idea of Joseph Smith conducting a fallen ministry was out of the question.

The Apostles made two other decisions. They wanted a semipublic airing of Rigdon’s claims and scheduled a meeting at Navuoo’s still uncompleted Seventies Hall later in the day. Rigdon would have the opportunity of speaking before the Church’s local and general leaders. The Apostles also agreed to meet the following morning, August 8, for another private meeting.

Minutes and reports of the 4:00 p.m. meeting at the Seventies Hall are incomplete, but it is possible to reconstruct what took place. Rigdon once more put forward his claims and gave more detail about the vision he revealed earlier about putting the Church in order. It was not an “open vision,” he explained, but a stirring that had come to his mind—a continuation of what Joseph Smith and he had experienced in their vision revealing the three degrees of heaven. [79] His future calling, Rigdon said, was to build up the Church for Joseph, because all future blessings must come through Joseph. He was again asserting his position as Joseph Smith’s councilor and spokesman. Elder Wilford Woodruff probably spoke for his fellow Apostles with a curt dismissal. “A long story,” Woodruff said, and a “second class vision.” [80]

William Clayton, who attended the meeting, said that Brigham Young concluded with a few blunt sentences that had his characteristic sting. He did not care who led the Church, he told the Church leaders; even old Ann Lee would do if that was the mind of God. (Ann Lee had helped found the Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing, or Shakers, a century before.) But on the question of who would manage the succession, there was no compromise. Young alone held “the keys and the means of knowing the mind of God,” he said. [81] On these grounds, Young did not accept Rigdon’s claims.

Brigham Young Teaching Native Americans

Young’s claim was extraordinary. During the last years of Joseph Smith’s life, Smith had increasingly turned to Young. He was the first to receive his full endowment, and Smith later allowed him to perform the endowment ceremonies in his absence. Young was given many other prominent duties as he became one of Smith’s closest colaborers. [82] But the last charge had not singled Young out—Smith had spoken expansively about most members of the Twelve and some members of the Council of Fifty having the full blessings of the endowment or patriarchal power. Still more important, Smith recognized the Apostles’ special priesthood authority, and one of his revelations described the Twelve (along with other quorums) as forming a group “equal in authority and power” to the First Presidency (D&C 187:24). But this revelation described the Apostles’ collective power and said nothing about their president being a special revelator. Nor did Young use this revelation as a source for his authority. The one thing that seemed to give Young assurance in the early days of August was his Peterborough experience, though he did not say a word about it.”

The complete article is here: https://rsc.byu.edu/firm-foundation/six-days-august-brigham-young-succession-crisis-1844
August 9, 2024
Joseph Smith Translated Two Sets of Plates

“And then, behold, other records have I, that I will give unto you power that you may assist to translate.” (Doctrine and Covenants 9:2)

Introduction to Doctrine and Covenants Section 10.

REVELATION given to Joseph Smith the Prophet, at Harmony, Pennsylvania, likely around April 1829, though portions may have been received as early as the summer of 1828. Herein the Lord informs Joseph of alterations made by wicked men in the 116 manuscript pages from the translation of the Book of Lehi, in the Book of Mormon. These manuscript pages had been lost from the possession of Martin Harris, to whom the sheets had been temporarily entrusted. The evil design was to await the expected retranslation of the matter covered by the stolen pages and then to discredit the translator by showing discrepancies created by the alterations. That this wicked purpose had been conceived by the evil one and was known to the Lord even while Mormon, the ancient Nephite historian, was making his abridgment of the accumulated plates, is shown in the Book of Mormon.” (see Words of Mormon 1:3–7, and Annotated Book of Mormon by David Hocking and Rod Meldrum p. 135).

“AND now, verily I say unto you, that an account of those things that you have written, which have gone out of your hands [the 116 pages translated from the Plates of Mormon], is engraven upon the Plates of Nephi; Yea, and you remember it was said in those writings [the Book of Lehi abridged by Mormon on his Plates of Mormon] that a more particular account was given of these things upon the Plates of Nephi. “And now, because the account which is engraven upon the Plates of Nephi is more particular concerning the things which, in My wisdom, I would bring to the knowledge of the people in this account—therefore, you shall translate the engravings which are on the Plates of Nephi, down even till you come to the reign of king Benjamin [the Book of Omni], or until you come to that which you have translated, which you have retained;* And behold, you shall publish it as the record of Nephi [1 Nephi through Omni]; and thus I will confound those who have altered My words [the stolen 116 pages; see Annotated Book of Mormon p. 136].

“I will not suffer that they [those who stole the 116 pages] shall destroy My work; yea, I will show unto them that My wisdom is greater than the cunning of the devil. Behold, they have only got a part, or an abridgment of the account of Nephi [the 116 pages]. Behold, there are many things engraven upon the Plates of Nephi which do throw greater views upon My gospel; therefore, it is wisdom in Me that you should translate this first part of the engravings of Nephi, and send forth in this work. “And, behold, all the remainder of this work does contain all those parts of My gospel which My holy prophets, yea, and also My disciples [the Nephite prophets], desired in their prayers should come forth unto this people. And I said unto them, that it should be granted unto them according to their faith in their prayers; Yea, and this was their faith— that My gospel, which I gave unto them [the Nephites] that they might preach in their days, might come unto their brethren the Lamanites, and also all that had become Lamanites because of their dissensions. “Now, this is not all—their faith in their prayers was that this gospel should be made known also, if it were possible that other nations should possess this land; And thus they did leave a blessing upon this land in their prayers, that whosoever should believe in this gospel in this land might have eternal life; yea, that it might be free unto all of whatsoever nation, kindred, tongue, or people they may be. And now, behold, according to their faith in their prayers will I bring this part of My gospel to the knowledge of My people. Behold, I do not bring it to destroy that which they have received, but to build it up” (Doctrine and Covenants 10:38-52; bracketed comments and emphasis added).

*Retained: Joseph apparently retained some of what he translated with Martin Harris; i.e., page 117. This may be Words of Mormon 1:12-18, which flow into Mosiah 1. The current Mosiah 1 was originally Mosiah 3; i.e., the first chapter and a half of Mosiah was included on the 116 pages that were stolen. (Also, see Annotated Book of Mormon, “Two Sets of Plates,” p. 559. and below)

Annotated Book of Mormon by David Hocking and Rod Meldrum Page 559. Click to Enlarge

TWO SETS OF PLATES
“I [Mormon] made this record out of the Plates of Nephi, and hid up in the hill Cumorah
all the records which had been entrusted to me by the hand of the Lord, save it were these
few plates which I gave unto my son Moroni” (Mormon 6:6).

“The depository in the Hill Cumorah in New York was the site of all the Nephite records. Mormon gave his abridgment of the Large Plates of Nephi to Moroni, who added the abridgment of the Book of Ether along with his commentary and included his own record whereupon he “sealed” the record. Moroni put this set of plates into the stone box he constructed in a separate department of the Hill Cumorah, as Orson Pratt explained in 1882.** This was the “Original Book of Mormon” as Joseph Smith described it.

“Joseph translated all of these plates (except the sealed portion) in Harmony, PA with Oliver Cowdery as the scribe. He translated the title page there, which was on the last leaf of the plates. Then he and Oliver discussed going back to re-translate the Book of Lehi, the original translation of which Martin Harris had lost. Instead, the Lord told them they’d have to translate the plates of Nephi—except they didn’t have the plates of Nephi. (See p. xxxi, Doctrine and Covenants 10).

“Joseph gave the Harmony plates (the Plates of Mormon) to a divine messenger before leaving Harmony. After Joseph, Oliver, and David Whitmer arrived in Fayette, a messenger (probably the same one, see map at end of blog) brought the Small Plates of Nephi from the repository in the Hill Cumorah. Joseph, therefore, translated the Small Plates of Nephi in Fayette, NY” – Jonathan Neville, Whatever Happened to the Golden Plates?, Digital Legend [2016].

**“But the grand repository of all the numerous records of the ancient nations of the western continent, was located in another department of the hill, and its contents put under the charge of holy angels, until the day should come for them to be transferred to the sacred temple of Zion” – Orson Pratt, The Contributor, Salt Lake City, Vol. 03, No. 12 [Sep 1882], 357 Read the entire story with Jonathan Neville’s book below:

https://bookofmormonevidence.org/bookstore/product/whatever-happened-to-the-golden-plates/

Whatever Happened to the Golden Plates? Jonathan Neville’s book above reflects one of the most basic questions people have when they first hear about the restoration.

Jonathan said, “People asked Joseph Smith and the other early saints this same question. How could anyone who hears the story not wonder what happened to the plates?

Although I do offer an answer to the question in this book, most of the book explains the new paradigm about the plates themselves.

Traditional Story

The traditional story is this: the angel Moroni showed Joseph a set of gold plates that he, Moroni, had placed in a stone box when he was still a mortal around 421 A.D. After 4 years, Joseph was allowed to remove the plates from the box. He took them to Harmony, PA, where he translated most of them (Book of Lehi through Book of Moroni). Then he went to Harmony and finished the translation from 1 Nephi through Words of Mormon. At that point, he returned the plates to the angel, who later showed them to the 3 witnesses. A few days later, Joseph showed the plates to the 8 witnesses near his parents’ home outside of Palmyra. Again, Joseph returned the plates to the angel and they haven’t been seen since.

The traditional story is fine as far as it goes, but when you think about it, it doesn’t make sense and it doesn’t explain numerous historical events.

Here are some examples.

1. The Title Page, which Joseph said was a literal translation from the last leaf of the plates, describes the contents of the plates as two abridgments, plus Moroni’s sealing. It says nothing about the original plates of Nephi.

2. Joseph translated the Title Page before he left Harmony. If it was the last leaf, then why didn’t he translate 1 Nephi – Words of Mormon in Harmony?

3. Joseph said the title page was from the “original Book of Mormon.”

4. Witnesses described the plates as 4″ thick and 6″ thick.

5. No one can explain where the unabridged plates of Nephi fit into the record if it was included in the plates Moroni gave Joseph.

New Paradigm

After assessing all the evidence, I concluded that the plates Joseph originally obtained from Moroni didn’t include the plates of Nephi. You’ll see that the more you think about it, the more obvious it is. I thought I’d write an article, but there was so much evidence that it grew into an entire book.

Here’s an example.

D&C 9 promises Oliver there would be “other records” for which he would have power to assist to translate. D&C 10 explains what these “other records” are; i.e., the plates of Nephi. But Joseph didn’t have the plates of Nephi when he was in Harmony.

Before he left Harmony, Joseph gave the plates to a divine messenger who returned them to the repository in the Hill Cumorah. From there, the messenger got the plates of Nephi and took them to Fayette so Joseph could translate 1 Nephi through Words of Mormon.

Implications

Once we understand that there were two sets of plates, we can reconcile the different accounts and make sense of these details of Church history.

We also understand that the repository Mormon referred to in Mormon 6:6 was actually in the Hill Cumorah in New York, as explained by several of the men who knew Joseph Smith, including Brigham Young, Wilford Woodruff, Heber C. Kimball, and Orson Pratt.

Obviously, if the repository was in the New York Cumorah, the entire premise for the Mesoamerican theory collapses.

You can expect Mesoamerican advocates to insist on the traditional one set of plates theory, but they won’t be able to show you evidence to support their idea.

Just remember it this way.
There is one Cumorah and two sets of plates.
Not two Cumorah’s and one set of plates.” Jonathan Neville

See Jonathan Neville’s blog here:

July 25, 2024
Gnolaum-Eternal & Kokaubeam-Sons of God
Intelligence, or the light of truth, is eternal and has always existed. What a wonderful pure truth this is. It has helped me all my life to understand my Divine Nature, to to seek to repent daily, and work to fulfill my full measure while on this earth.

“Man was also in the beginning with God. Intelligence, or the light of truth, was not created or made, neither indeed can be.”
D&C 93:29
1. Intelligence is the light of truth.
2. Intelligence cannot be created.
3. Intelligence has always existed and will always exist.
  
  “All men and women are in the similitude of the universal Father and Mother, and are literally the sons and daughters of Deity. God created man in His own image.’ This is just as true of the spirit as it is of the body, which is only the clothing of the spirit, its complement; the two together constituting the soul. The spirit of man is in the form of man, and the spirits of all creatures are in the likeness of their bodies. This was plainly taught by the Prophet Joseph Smith (Doctrine and Covenants, 77:2)” (The First Presidency [Joseph F. Smith, John R. Winder, and Anthon H. Lund], in James R. Clark, comp., Messages of the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 4:203).” https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/doctrines-of-the-gospel-student-manual/6-premortal-life?lang=eng&id=p32#p32
  
  In the same link as above it says, “The Lord made it known to Moses (See Book of Moses Chap. 3.) and also to Abraham (Abraham Ch. 3) and it is expressed in several revelations, that man was in the beginning with God. In that day, however, man was a spirit unembodied. The beginning was when the councils met and the decision was made to create this earth that the spirits who were intended for this earth, should come here and partake of the mortal conditions and receive bodies of flesh and bones. The doctrine has prevailed that matter was created out of nothing, but the Lord declares that the elements are eternal. Matter always did and, therefore, always will exist, and the spirits of men as well as their bodies were created out of matter. We discover in this revelation that the intelligent part of man was not created, but always existed. There has been some speculation and articles have been written attempting to explain just what these ‘intelligences’ are, or this ‘intelligence’ is, but it is futile for us to speculate upon it. We do know that intelligence was not created or made and cannot be because the Lord has said it. There are some truths it is well to leave until the Lord sees fit to reveal the fulness” (Joseph Fielding Smith, Church History and Modern Revelation, 1:401).
I have been taught most recently, as I have studied and prayed what some very unusual words in the Scriptures more fully mean. I have known OF them, but I feel I now more fully UNDERSTAND THEM. That knowledge continues as I strive for more truth daily.

These new words below with one simple term that each means to me.

Gnolaum– My Father in Heaven
Kokaubeam– My Savior Jesus Christ
Kolob- My Heart and Soul with the Witness of the Holy Ghost
Olea, or Olaha- Moon A reflection of Light from the Eternal Sun
Shinehah- Sun An eternal ever giving source of Light and Truth

Now I can comprehend a scripture that I have always loved.

“Is there not room enough on the mountains of Adam-ondi-Ahman, and on the plains of Olaha Shinehah, or the land where Adam dwelt, that you should covet that which is but the drop, and neglect the more weighty matters? Therefore, come up hither unto the land of my people, even Zion.” D&C 117:8-9

I now understand the significance of the Plains of Olaha Shinehah. I believe these Plains of North America are the most Sacred of any place on earth. It is where Adam was first placed and the location where the New Jerusalem will be built.

This same area of Adam stretching all the way to Kirtland and Cumorah are the most sacred plains as I call them, and are the very same sacred locations and or plains, as the names below indicate.

1- PLAINS OF THE NEPHITES Joseph Letter to Emma Plains where the Nephites dwelt
2- PLAINS OF NEPHIHAH Alma 62:18 Teancum vs. Ammoron
3- PLAINS OF BOUNTIFUL/MULEK Alma 52:20 Moroni vs Jacob (Zoramite)
4- PLAINS OF OLAHA SHINEHAH D&C 117:8 Plains of the Garden of Eden
5- PLAINS OF HESHLON ETHER 13:28 Coriantumr vs Shared
6- PLAINS OF AGOSH ETHER 14:15-17 Coriantumr vs Lib and Shiz.

To learn more about these Sacred Plains of the Heartland visit my blog here:

These words I have recently understood, may mean even more to you as you will see in the article below. As I have simplified my definition of these complex words, it has assisted me in having a greater understanding of what each means to me. What eternal significance I have learned from studying these previously unknown terms.

Gnolaum- Eternal, Ancient One, Everlasting God

“15 And the Lord said unto me: Abraham, I show these things unto thee before ye go into Egypt, that ye may declare all these words.

16 If two things exist, and there be one above the other, there shall be greater things above them; therefore Kolob is the greatest of all the Kokaubeam that thou hast seen, because it is nearest unto me.

17 Now, if there be two things, one above the other, and the moon be above the earth, then it may be that a planet or a star may exist above it; and there is nothing that the Lord thy God shall take in his heart to do but what he will do it.

18 Howbeit that he made the greater star; as, also, if there be two spirits, and one shall be more intelligent than the other, yet these two spirits, notwithstanding one is more intelligent than the other, have no beginning; they existed before, they shall have no end, they shall exist after, for they are gnolaum, or eternal.

19 And the Lord said unto me: These two facts do exist, that there are two spirits, one being more intelligent than the other; there shall be another more intelligent than they; I am the Lord thy God, I am more intelligent than they all.” Abraham 3:15-19

Hebrew עולם ˁÔlām; Aramaic ˁâl(a)mâ (*ˁawlăm, the augmentative original?)^[1]; Hebrew עולם ˁOlam “The-Eternal” = Phoenician ˁUlom = Oulomos of Mochus) “the name of a Phoenician old god, ‘the ancient one’ literally.”^[2] https://bookofmormonevidence.org/wp-content//index.php/GNOLAUM

Kokaubeam- Sons of God, Stars, Constellations, Elohim

“Truly He was the Son of God” by Clark Kelley Price

“11 Thus I, Abraham, talked with the Lord, face to face, as one man talketh with another; and he told me of the works which his hands had made;

12 And he said unto me: My son, my son (and his hand was stretched out), behold I will show you all these. And he put his hand upon mine eyes, and I saw those things which his hands had made, which were many; and they multiplied before mine eyes, and I could not see the end thereof.

13 And he said unto me: This is Shinehah, which is the sun. And he said unto me: Kokob, which is star. And he said unto me: Olea, which is the moon. And he said unto me: Kokaubeam, which signifies stars, or all the great lights, which were in the firmament of heaven.

14 And it was in the night time when the Lord spake these words unto me: I will multiply thee, and thy seed after thee, like unto these; and if thou canst count the number of sands, so shall be the number of thy seeds.” Abraham 3:11-14

Hebrew כוכבים kōkābîm “stars” Abraham 3:13, Akkadian kukkabū “star, planet, constellation”; in Job 38:7 the “sons of God “ are in synonymous parallel with כוכבי בקר kokebe boqer “morning stars” = בני אלהים bene ̕Elohim, “Sons of God.”

See KOKOB, HAHKOKAUBEAM. https://bookofmormonevidence.org/wp-content//index.php/KOKAUBEAM

Kolob- Heart, Interior, Near-One, Primeval-One, Center; Soul, Spirit

Hebrew קרב qereb, qarob “near, interior, heart,” as in theophoric Hebrew קרוב Qarob “The-Near-One” (Psalm 119:151 ∥152 קדם Qedem “The-Primeval-One”; cf. Deuteronomy 33:27, Psalms 69:19, 74:12, 145:18; https://bookofmormonevidence.org/wp-content//index.php?title=KOLOB

Olea- Moon, Sun and Moon, Month, Surround, Enclose, Reflected Solar Light

OLEA “the Moon” (BofAbraham 3:13), pronounced same as OLAHA (D&C 117:8). Variants: OLAHA (D&C 117:8 “Olaha Shinehah” July 8, 1838; var. “Olea Shinehah”)

https://bookofmormonevidence.org/wp-content//index.php?title=Special%3ASearch&search=olaha&go=Go

This Afro-Asiatic word for “moon, month” seems to reflect Mehri and Jibbali (Shahri) warx, ͻrx, Berber ōyær (Ghadamsi), Wargla yur (Ayt Seghrouchen), and Shilḥa ay:ur, and Geˁez wrx, wärəḥ (cf. Akkadian warḫu, Ugaritic yrg, yrḫ, *wrḫ), more than Amorite Iariḫ, Hebrew yārēaḥ (Genesis 37:9; Greek selēnē); cf. the Greek transliteration Ιαρε (Ιεραχ), Egyptian iˁḥ(w) “moon” (∥inḥ “surround, enclose”), and Coptic ouwh, ioh.^[1]

Egyptologist Val Sederholm says that “Olea suggests a common root for names of both sun and moon. Hebrew Ya-reah, O-lea speaks to reflected solar light, as it were,” and “The name of the sun god, Re, was originally (and variously) pronounced as liaw or lia.”^[2]

Olaha or Olihah

Variants: OLAHA (D&C 117:8 “Olaha Shinehah” July 8, 1838; var. “Olea Shinehah”), OLIHAH (O. Cowdery, 1835 D&C 82:11, 104:28-29). https://bookofmormonevidence.org/wp-content//index.php?title=OLEA

Shinehah- Sun, Eternity, Forever, One Eternal Round, Celestial Waterway.

As Egyptian, SHINEHAH could certainly be the “sun,” since it apparently incorporates Egyptian šn(w), the name for the solar “circuit,” and for the old “cartouche” – “emblem of sun’s orbit, which symbolizes eternity”^[1]; + Egyptian nḥḥ “eternity, forever” (with solar determinative ⊙) > Coptic eneḥ “eternity,” šaeneḥ “forever”; or Egyptian ḥḥ > Coptic ḥaḥ “million, large number,” which may be related. Egyptian nḥḥ is “dynamic eternity,” to be differentiated from dt “static eternity.”^[2] Cf. also 1 Nephi 10:19, “the course of the Lord is one eternal round”; Alma 7:20, D&C 35:1, “course is one eternal round.”

Used also as a convenient code-word for Kirtland, Ohio, in 1835 D&C 82:12, 117:8, etc.^[3]

John Gee has suggested another etymology for SHINEHAH, from ancient Egyptian š-n-ḫЗ , the prouniciation of which he reconstructs as *šī-ne-ḫaʼ,^[4] which describes the sun’s ecliptic as a “celestial waterway” going across the sky from East to West.^[5] Egyptologist Raymond Faulkner translated the alternative (earlier) reading, Mr nḫЗ, as the “Winding Waterway”^[6] in the sky, ascending with Reˁ and the Imperishable Stars (see especially Pyramid Text 624). https://bookofmormonevidence.org/wp-content//index.php?title=SHINEHAH

I repeat:
Gnolaum– My Father in Heaven
Kokaubeam– My Savior Jesus Christ
Kolob- My Heart and Soul with the Witness of the Holy Ghost
Olea, or Olaha- Moon A reflection of Light from the Eternal Sun
Shinehah- Sun An eternal ever giving source of Light and Truth

“Have you learned any new truth by reading this blog? I pray that you will or have. May the Lord bless each of you.” Rian Nelson
July 4, 2024
Abinadi & Foxe’s Book of Martyrs/Urim and Thummim
Joseph Smith said, “I have, by the aid of the Urim and Thummim, seen those martyrs. They were honest, devoted followers of Christ, according to the light they possessed. They will be saved.” Hyrum L. Andrus, They Knew the Prophet, pg. 83

“The Nephite prophet Abinadi holds a singular place in the Book of Mormon. He is the first Nephite of whom we have record to die as a martyr.” Robert J. Matthews

Additional Urim and Thummim Usage

1- How many revelations were given in the Doctrine and Covenants using a seer stone? Zero. How many revelations were given vusing the Urim and Thummim? At least 8 sections (Sections 3, 6, 7, 11, 14, 15, 16, and 17).

Dates of Revelations by Joseph Smith while using the Urim and Thummim
- Section 3– Harmony, Pennsylvania, July 1828, relating to the loss of 116 pages “In July 1828, the heavenly messenger returned the Urim and Thummim (which had been taken in consequence of Joseph “having wearied the Lord in asking for the privilege of letting Martin Harris take the writings”). Joseph then received the revelation now recorded in Doctrine and Covenants 3 through the Urim and Thummim.” Larry E. Morris, “The Conversion of Oliver Cowdery,” in Days Never to Be Forgotten: Oliver Cowdery, ed. Alexander L. Baugh (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 2009), 15–49.
- Section 6– Harmony, Pennsylvania, April 1829, Oliver Cowdery began his labors as scribe
- Section 7- Revelation given to Joseph Smith the Prophet and Oliver Cowdery, at Harmony, Pennsylvania, April 1829, The revelation is a translated version of the record made on parchment by John.
- Section 11– Revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet to his brother Hyrum Smith, at Harmony, Pennsylvania, May 1829.
- Section 14– Revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet to David Whitmer, at Fayette, New York, June 1829.
- Section 15- Revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet to John Whitmer, at Fayette, New York, June 1829
- Section 16- Revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet to Peter Whitmer Jr., at Fayette, New York, June 1829
- Section 17- Revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet to Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer, and Martin Harris, at Fayette, New York, June 1829.
2- “While translating the Book of Mormon, Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery found they held different views on the meaning of a passage in the Bible. They “mutually agreed to settle” the question “by the Urim and [Thummim].” As a result, Joseph received a revelation giving the translation of an account by the ancient disciple John, [D&C 7] written on parchment but lost to history. This early experience seeking revelation that illuminated the text of a Bible passage was an important precedent. About a year later, during the summer of 1830, Joseph and Oliver received by revelation an account of visions experienced by Moses but not found in the Bible. This revelation marked the beginning of Joseph Smith’s efforts to prepare an inspired revision or translation of the Bible. For the next three years, Joseph worked on his “new translation of the Bible” with Oliver Cowdery, Sidney Rigdon, and other scribes, considering the project a “branch of [his] calling” as a prophet of God.” https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/history/topics/joseph-smith-translation-of-the-bible?lang=eng

3- Joseph Smith Translation (JST). “A revision or translation of the King James Version of the Bible begun by the Prophet Joseph Smith in June 1830. He was divinely commissioned to make the translation and regarded it as “a branch of his calling” as a prophet. Although the major portion of the work was completed by July 1833, he continued to make modifications while preparing a manuscript for the press until his death in 1844, and it is possible that some additional modifications would have been made had he lived to publish the entire work. Some parts of the translation were published during his lifetime.” https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/bd/joseph-smith-translation?lang=eng

4- “Dec. 27, 1841: I met with the Twelve at Brother Joseph’s. He conversed with us in a familiar manner on a variety of subjects, and explained to us the Urim and Thummim which he found with the plates, called in the Book of Mormon the Interpreters. He said that every man who lived on the earth was entitled to a seer stone, [Not a Urim and Thummim, editor’s note] and should have one, but they are kept from them in consequence of their wickedness, and most of those who do find one make an evil use of it; he showed us his seer stone.” (Brigham Young, Mill. Star 26:118)

5- The Prophet Joseph Smith was not the only individual in this dispensation to use the Urim and Thummim and to receive revelations from God. Heber C. Kimball testified that Brigham Young also used these sacred instruments. “The question is asked many times, “Has brother Brigham got the Urim and Thummim?” Yes, he has got everything; everything that is necessary for him to receive the will and mind of God to this people. Do I know it? Yes, I know all about it; and what more do you want? That is true, gentlemen; I am one of his witnesses in the last days, and to bear testimony of the truth of “Mormonism.”” (Heber C. Kimball, J.D. 2:111 Quote from August 13, 1853)

5- Urim and Thummim used to Translate the Bible. “In this respect the testimony of Lorenzo Brown about the preparation the Prophet made for his translation of the Bible may be instructive. He records the Prophet as saying: “After I got through translating the Book of Mormon, I took up the Bible to read with the Urim and Thummim. I read the first chapter of Genesis and I saw the things as they were done. I turned over the next and the next, and the whole passed before me like a grand panorama; and so on chapter after chapter until I read the whole of it. I saw it all!” (as cited in Matthews, Plainer Translation, 25).” The Process of Translating the Book of Mormon Joseph Fielding McConkie (Professor of Ancient Scripture, BYU) Craig J. Ostler (Assistant Professor of Church History and Doctrine, BYU)

6- Translation of Foxe’s Book of Martyrs. “While looking over our copy of a large English Book of Martyrs, he (Josoeph Smith) expressed sympathy for the Christian martyrs and a hope for their salvation. He asked to borrow the book, promising to return it when he should meet us again in Missouri.

On returning it he said, ‘I have, by the aid of the Urim and Thummim, seen those martyrs. They were honest, devoted followers of Christ, according to the light they possessed. They will be saved.’” Hyrum L. Andrus, They Knew the Prophet, pg. 83

Abinadi: The Prophet and Martyr

Robert J. Matthews

“The Nephite prophet Abinadi holds a singular place in the Book of Mormon. He is the first Nephite of whom we have record to die as a martyr. His doctrinal teachings are some of the most valuable in the Book of Mormon, clarifying the purpose of the law of Moses, identifying who the Redeemer would be, and declaring some facts about the Resurrection not previously mentioned in the Book of Mormon. He was capable of exquisitely colorful language sparked with fiery metaphor, yet at times was plain-spoken to the point of bluntness.

Abinadi confronted the wicked establishment—in the person of king Noah and his priests—single-handedly. The record gives no hint of any other prophet being present with whom he could share the burden of his ministry. So far as we know, he converted but one man; yet that one man, Alma, became the progenitor of a posterity that kept the sacred records and served the Nephites as their ecclesiastical leaders (and sometimes their political leaders) for the remainder of their history, a period of well over 400 years. (This is seen in the lineage of Alma¹, Alma², Helaman², Shiblon, Helaman³, Nephi², Nephi³, Amos¹, Amos² and Ammoron. We do not know if Mormon was also a descendant of Alma, since the abridged record that we have does not give Mormon’s lineage, other than to say he was a descendant of Lehi [3 Nephi 5:20] and of Nephi [Mormon 1:5].) Abinadi’s history and teachings were preserved in the writings of his one convert, Alma, and Alma’s posterity kept the records down to the time of the prophet Mormon, thus making the remainder of the Book of Mormon possible. Abinadi’s ministry influenced the entire second half of Nephite history. Because Abinadi’s story is in the Book of Mormon, it has already influenced millions of readers in this dispensation and will yet influence billions more…

In this paper I will deal with two general subjects. First, I will discuss the historical and circumstantial record of the man Abinadi—his life, ministry, and death. Second, I will discuss his doctrinal teachings. As we review these things, I invite you to think of the prophet Mormon, at the end of his nation’s struggles in the fourth century AD, searching what must have been by that time a wagonload of the large plates of Nephi and selecting those things of greatest worth to include in his abridged and summarized record. Mormon was not a freelance writer, but was called of God to prepare a record of his people. He was divinely appointed to be the editor and compiler of a sacred record that would deliver a specific message. We can be grateful that he was inspired to include the story and the teachings of the prophet Abinadi. The Book of Mormon would lack continuity, and a major part of its message would be missing, without the Abinadi portion.

Abinadai

Several times in Mosiah 11 the point is made that the bad example of the leaders led the people into wrong-doing (vv 2, 6–7, 15, 19). Pointing out this cause-and-effect relationship is a major contribution of the story: people have a tendency to follow their leaders, and corrupt leaders corrupt the whole kingdom.” Abinadi: The Prophet and Martyr Robert J. Matthews

Editor’s Note: As you read the sins of the leaders below, think of the government today and its leaders. Think about the greedy business people and those who seek out riches daily and compare these sins in the Book of Mormon to those sins we see and hear about today. This sins of today seem even more horrific than those listed. I know the Lord is not pleased.

As defined in the record, the people’s catalog of sins included the following (Mosiah 11:1–19):

1. having many wives and concubines
2. doing all manner of wickedness
3. levying heavy taxes, with which they supported their opulence and luxury
4. consecrating priests who were lifted up in pride
5. being lazy
6. worshiping idols
7. enjoying whoredoms
8. speaking lying and vain words
9. placing their hearts upon riches
10. spending their time in riotous living
11. becoming winebibbers
12. boasting of their own strength
13. delighting in the shedding of blood

As noted earlier, these were at first the sins of only Noah and his priests, but the iniquity spread until it became general among the people.” Abinadi: The Prophet and Martyr Robert J. Matthews

Interesting Note about BOMC (Why do they lookdown at Heartlanders?)

Little Barley in Iowa

Side note about Abinadi: Book of Mormon Central (BOMC) prides itself in highlighting evidence for the Book of Mormon found in both North America and Central America to show they are being neutral by including North American evidence. They do this by sharing an article about Abinadi and him being tortured using faggots. BOMC claims that the North American Indians used this method as well as the Mesoamericans. BOMC sites the following quote and reference for proof of this; “More recent work by Mark Wright and Kerry Hull, however, documents the practice among the ancient Maya in pre-Columbian times. Wright and Hull also show that the practice was widespread among Native American cultures in both Mesoamerica and throughout North America.6“ If you visit here reference 6 as noted it says, “Mark Wright and Kerry Hull, “Ethnohistorical Sources and the Death of Abinadi,” unpublished manuscript in our possession.” So BOMC’s proof of faggots used by North American Indians is in an UNPUBLISHED MANUSCRIPT IN POSSESSION OF THEMSELVES? How convenient! I love much of the work from BOMC but their opinion on being neutral about geography is not correct. They only want to appear neutral because that is what the Church’s official position is.

The odd thing about this idea of using faggots, the only other thing BOMC says comes from North America information about Barley, which doesn’t come from Mesoamerica. In Book of Mormon Central’s own words they say “While the connection between Mesoamerica and Barley is not made, it would seem odd that trade of “principal crops” would take place without the trade of barley. Whether the trade came from Mesoamerica to Arizona, or the other way around, it would make sense that barley was part of the crop trade between the cultures. Why make a trade of major crops and not trade barley? They very well may have. But, because of the moisture content and acidity of the soil in Mesoamerica, it may be difficult to find “little barley” in archaeological digs in Central America.” Tyler Livingston “Barley and the Book of Mormon New Evidence” See my blog about Barley and how it comes from North America in many places here: https://www.bofm.blog/barley-in-iowa-not-in-mesoamerica/

Little Barley in Iowa

BOMC Continues, “Our policy is to utilize the most reliable academic scholarship on the Book of Mormon and follow the evidence wherever it might lead. Our process in selecting and highlighting Book of Mormon evidence is based on the following principles:
- “In our hierarchy of evidence, the text itself is primary because it is closest to the divine.”
- “If profound and compelling location-specific insights shed light on the text, we highlight these regardless of their geographic provenience.”
- “We favor authors with credentials in their areas of interest.”
- “We favor formally published works from reputable presses.”
As explained in BOMC’s statement on geographical neutrality, “We welcome good work from any geographic persuasion that is responsive to these principles.” BOMC

Foxe’s Book of Martyrs

The Book of Martyrs, by John Foxe, documents the persecution and suffering endured by faithful men and women from the 1st to early 16th centuries for their faith in Jesus Christ. Commonly known as Foxe’s Book of Martyrs, one fuller title is Actes and Monuments of these Latter and Perillous Days, Touching Matters of the Church.

Teach your children the true history of the lives, sufferings, and triumphant deaths of the early Christian martyrs. May it never be said that the blood of the saints has been spilled in vain and their testimonies forgotten. “And they overcame him by the blood of the lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death” (Revelation 12:11). Thanks to Joseph Smith foundation for most of this information. See them here

Edward Stevenson

Taken from They Knew the Prophet

During the fall of 1834, the Prophet Joseph Smith paid a visit to the home of Edward Stevenson, a faithful member of the Church who would later become a prominent missionary and one of the seven presidents of the Seventy. While there he noticed a copy of Foxe’s Book of Martyrs by the sixteenth-century English cleric John Foxe. Brother Stevenson recorded the Prophet’s remarks in reference to Christian martyrs massacred during the Dark Ages:

“While looking over our copy of a large English Book of Martyrs, he expressed sympathy for the Christian martyrs and a hope for their salvation. He asked to borrow the book, promising to return it when he should meet us again in Missouri.

On returning it he said, ‘I have, by the aid of the Urim and Thummim, seen those martyrs. They were honest, devoted followers of Christ, according to the light they possessed. They will be saved.’” Hyrum L. Andrus, They Knew the Prophet, pg. 83

What did Joseph Smith see? Who were these martyrs?

The Reformation was the fuel for the colonization of America and a study of this period brings a deeper appreciation for scripture. To understand this era of persecution, is to appreciate why the Lord established a government of liberty in America. To comprehend this era of “rebirth” in civilization through sacred scripture is to envision how Christians in the 21st century can rebuild a broken world and fragmented society. To remember the Reformation is to remember the captivity and deliverance of our fathers. (Alma 36:2, 29, 29:11-12, 60:20)

Foxe’s Book of Martyrs
- Boston, Lincolnshire, England – Birthplace
- 1516 – Born
- 1832 – Published
- Author: John Foxe
- PDF (26.7 M)
Summary

Teach your children the true history of the lives, sufferings, and triumphant deaths of the early Christian martyrs. May it never be said that the blood of the saints has been spilled in vain and their testimonies forgotten. “And they overcame him by the blood of the lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death” (Revelation 12:11).

CHAPTER I

History of Christian Martyrs to the First General Persecutions

Under Nero

Christ our Savior, in the Gospel of St. Matthew, hearing the confession of Simon Peter, who, first of all other, openly acknowledged Him to be the Son of God, and perceiving the secret hand of His Father therein, called him (alluding to his name) a rock, upon which rock He would build His Church so strong that the gates of hell should not prevail against it. In which words three things are to be noted: First, that Christ will have a Church in this world. Secondly, that the same Church should mightily be impugned, not only by the world, but also by the uttermost strength and powers of all hell. And, thirdly, that the same Church, notwithstanding the uttermost of the devil and all his malice, should continue.

Which prophecy of Christ we see wonderfully to be verified, insomuch that the whole course of the Church to this day may seem nothing else but a verifying of the said prophecy. First, that Christ hath set up a Church, needeth no declaration. Secondly, what force of princes, kings, monarchs, governors, and rulers of this world, with their subjects, publicly and privately, with all their strength and cunning, have bent themselves against this Church! And, thirdly, how the said Church, all this notwithstanding, hath yet endured and holden its own! What storms and tempests it hath overpast, wondrous it is to behold: for the more evident declaration whereof, I have addressed this present history, to the end, first, that the wonderful works of God in His Church might appear to His glory; also that, the continuance and proceedings of the Church, from time to time, being set forth, more knowledge and experience may redound thereby, to the profit of the reader and edification of Christian faith.

As it is not our business to enlarge upon our Savior’s history, either before or after His crucifixion, we shall only find it necessary to remind our readers of the discomfiture of the Jews by His subsequent resurrection. Although one apostle had betrayed Him; although another had denied Him, under the solemn sanction of an oath; and although the rest had forsaken Him, unless we may except “the disciple who was known unto the high-priest”; the history of His resurrection gave a new direction to all their hearts, and, after the mission of the Holy Spirit, imparted new confidence to their minds. The powers with which they were endued emboldened them to proclaim His name, to the confusion of the Jewish rulers, and the astonishment of Gentile proselytes.

I. St. Stephen

Illustration from a 1583 edition of Foxe’s Book of Martyrs, showing Papists torturing Protestants, in this case by scraping their bodies with shells.

St. Stephen suffered the next in order. His death was occasioned by the faithful manner in which he preached the Gospel to the betrayers and murderers of Christ. To such a degree of madness were they excited, that they cast him out of the city and stoned him to death. The time when he suffered is generally supposed to have been at the passover which succeeded to that of our Lord’s crucifixion, and to the era of his ascension, in the following spring.
Upon this a great persecution was raised against all who professed their belief in Christ as the Messiah, or as a prophet. We are immediately told by St. Luke, that “there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem;” and that “they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles.”

About two thousand Christians, with Nicanor, one of the seven deacons, suffered martyrdom during the “persecution that arose about Stephen.”

II. James the Great

The next martyr we meet with, according to St. Luke, in the History of the Apsotles’ Acts, was James the son of Zebedee, the elder brother of John, and a relative of our Lord; for his mother Salome was cousin-german to the Virgin Mary. It was not until ten years after the death of Stephen that the second martyrdom took place; for no sooner had Herod Agrippa been appointed governor of Judea, than, with a view to ingratiate himself with them, he raised a sharp persecution against the Christians, and determined to make an effectual blow, by striking at their leaders. The account given us by an eminent primitive writer, Clemens Alexandrinus, ought not to be overlooked; that, as James was led to the place of martyrdom, his accuser was brought to repent of his conduct by the apostle’s extraordinary courage and undauntedness, and fell down at his feet to request his pardon, professing himself a Christian, and resolving that James should not receive the crown of martyrdom alone. Hence they were both beheaded at the same time. Thus did the first apostolic martyr cheerfully and resolutely receive that cup, which he had told our Savior he was ready to drink. Timon and Parmenas suffered martyrdom about the same time; the one at Philippi, and the other in Macedonia. These events took place A.D. 44.

III. Philip

Was born at Bethsaida, in Galilee and was first called by the name of “disciple.” He labored diligently in Upper Asia, and suffered martyrdom at Heliopolis, in Phrygia. He was scourged, thrown into prison, and afterwards crucified, A.D. 54.
IV. Matthew

Whose occupation was that of a toll-gatherer, was born at Nazareth. He wrote his gospel in Hebrew, which was afterwards translated into Greek by James the Less. The scene of his labors was Parthia, and Ethiopia, in which latter country he suffered martyrdom, being slain with a halberd in the city of Nadabah, A.D. 60.

V. James the Less

Is supposed by some to have been the brother of our Lord, by a former wife of Joseph. This is very doubtful, and accords too much with the Catholic superstition, that Mary never had any other children except our Savior. He was elected to the oversight of the churches of Jerusalem; and was the author of the Epistle ascribed to James in the sacred canon. At the age of ninety-four he was beat and stoned by the Jews; and finally had his brains dashed out with a fuller’s club.

VI. Matthias

Of whom less is known than of most of the other disciples, was elected to fill the vacant place of Judas. He was stoned at Jerusalem and then beheaded.

VII. Andrew

Was the brother of Peter. He preached the gospel to many Asiatic nations; but on his arrival at Edessa he was taken and crucified on a cross, the two ends of which were fixed transversely in the ground. Hence the derivation of the term, St. Andrew’s Cross.

VIII. St. Mark

Was born of Jewish parents of the tribe of Levi. He is supposed to have been converted to Christianity by Peter, whom he served as an amanuensis, and under whose inspection he wrote his Gospel in the Greek language. Mark was dragged to pieces by the people of Alexandria, at the great solemnity of Serapis their idol, ending his life under their merciless hands.

IX. Peter

Among many other saints, the blessed apostle Peter was condemned to death, and crucified, as some do write, at Rome; albeit some others, and not without cause, do doubt thereof. Hegesippus saith that Nero sought matter against Peter to put him to death; which, when the people perceived, they entreated Peter with much ado that he would fly the city. Peter, through their importunity at length persuaded, prepared himself to avoid. But, coming to the gate, he saw the Lord Christ come to meet him, to whom he, worshipping, said, “Lord, whither dost Thou go?” To whom He answered and said, “I am come again to be crucified.” By this, Peter, perceiving his suffering to be understood, returned into the city. Jerome saith that he was crucified, his head being down and his feet upward, himself so requiring, because he was (he said) unworthy to be crucified after the same form and manner as the Lord was.

Illustration from a 1583 edition of Foxe’s Book of Martyrs, showing Papists torturing Protestants, in this case by scraping their bodies with shells.

X. Paul

Paul, the apostle, who before was called Saul, after his great travail and unspeakable labors in promoting the Gospel of Christ, suffered also in this first persecution under Nero. Abdias, declareth that under his execution Nero sent two of his esquires, Ferega and Parthemius, to bring him word of his death. They, coming to Paul instructing the people, desired him to pray for them, that they might believe; who told them that shortly after they should believe and be baptised at His sepulcher. This done, the soldiers came and led him out of the city to the place of execution, where he, after his prayers made, gave his neck to the sword.

XI. Jude

The brother of James, was commonly called Thaddeus. He was crucified at Edessa, A.D. 72.

XII. Bartholomew

Preached in several countries, and having translated the Gospel of Matthew into the language of India, he propagated it in that country. He was at length cruelly beaten and then crucified by the impatient idolaters.

XIII. Thomas

Called Didymus, preached the Gospel in Parthia and India, where exciting the rage of the pagan priests, he was martyred by being thrust through with a spear.

XIV. Luke

The evangelist, was the author of the Gospel which goes under his name. He travelled with Paul through various countries, and is supposed to have been hanged on an olive tree, by the idolatrous priests of Greece.

XV. Simon

Surnamed Zelotes, preached the Gospel in Mauritania, Africa, and even in Britain, in which latter country he was crucified, A.D. 74.

XVI. John

The “beloved disciple,” was brother to James the Great. The churches of Smyrna, Pergamos, Sardis, Philadelphia, Laodicea, and Thyatira, were founded by him. From Ephesus he was ordered to be sent to Rome, where it is affirmed he was cast into a cauldron of boiling oil. He escaped by miracle, without injury. Domitian afterwards banished him to the Isle of Patmos, where he wrote the Book of Revelation. Nerva, the successor of Domitian, recalled him. He was the only apostle who escaped a violent death.

XVII. Barnabas

Was of Cyprus, but of Jewish descent, his death is supposed to have taken place about A.D. 73.

And yet, notwithstanding all these continual persecutions and horrible punishments, the Church daily increased, deeply rooted in the doctrine of the apostles and of men apostolical, and watered plentously with the blood of saints.

CHAPTER II

The Ten Primitive Persecutions Continued at the Link Below

https://josephsmithfoundation.org/foxes-book-of-martyrs-vol-1/
June 13, 2024
The Father and the Son Appear to Members of The School of the Prophets

Very few times in the scriptures or histories do we hear of people or Prophets seeing both Our Father in Heaven and/or Our Lord Jesus Christ. It is rare and what a blessing that would be. I can’t imagine the joy of Joseph Smith as these two perfect beings appeared to this 14 year old. It is a sure witness to me that Joseph Smith is a Prophet of God: Many have also heard the voice of God or our Savior. The manifestations below will inspire you to seek His counsel in all that you do.

John Taylor said, “Joseph Smith, the Prophet and Seer of the Lord, has done more, save Jesus only, for the salvation of men in this world, than any other man that ever lived in it. In the short space of twenty years, he has brought forth the Book of Mormon, which he translated by the gift and power of God, and has been the means of publishing it on two continents; has sent the fulness of the everlasting gospel, which it contained, to the four quarters of the earth; has brought forth the revelations and commandments which compose this book of Doctrine and Covenants, and many other wise documents and instructions for the benefit of the children of men; gathered many thousands of the Latter-day Saints, founded a great city, and left a fame and name that cannot be slain. He lived great, and he died great in the eyes of God and his people; and like most of the Lord’s anointed in ancient times, has sealed his mission and his works with his own blood; and so has his brother Hyrum. In life they were not divided, and in death they were not separated!” D&C 135:3. I love Joseph and Hyrum.

President Hinckley said, “I feel today the presence of the Father and the Son.” The Many Visits of the Father and the Son in This Dispensation By Scot Facer Proctor.

The Life of Levi Hancock, p. 33

And we beheld the glory of the Son, on the right hand of the Father, and received of his fulness; And saw the holy angels, and them who are sanctified before his throne, worshipping God, and the Lamb, who worship him forever and ever.” See D&C 76:15-21

Philo Dibble, in Juvenile Instructor, May 1892, pp. 303–4

Author Karl Ricks Anderson

“God the Father and His son Jesus Christ both appeared in Kirtland 5 times. The Lord appeared to Joseph Smith 11 times in Kirtland. There are 23 people I have found, where the Savior Jesus Christ appeared to each of them.” Karl Anderson (Podcast with Rod Meldrum 2024)

Church history is filled with amazing stories of courage and divine inspiration, but often we skip over the profound events that happened to the Saints in Kirtland, Ohio. In this volume, author Karl Ricks Anderson brings to light unparalleled events and divine manifestations that were given during those early years of the Restoration. In Kirtland the Savior personally directed His Church and taught His Saints by appearing to at least twenty-three Church leaders or by speaking to them. Brother Anderson points out that more first-person words of the Lord have gone out to the world from Kirtland than from any other location in the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

It was in Kirtland that Jesus Christ taught the world about His mission of the Atonement, the premortal and the postmortal worlds, and the structure of the Church. It was there He commanded that the first latter-day temple be built. And it was in the Kirtland Temple that the Lord began to restore sacred ordinances for the salvation of His children.

The Savior’s visits to Kirtland fulfilled millennia of promises from the Old and New Testaments as well as from the Book of Mormon. The story of Kirtland is a story of Christ — the two can never be separated.

The Father and the Son appear to members of The School of the Prophets

Kirtland, Ohio 1833
Zebedee Coltrin, a member of the School of the Prophets records: “At one of these meetings after the organization of the school, (the school being organized on the 23rd of January, 1833, when we were all together, Joseph having given instructions, and while engaged in silent prayer, kneeling, with our hands uplifted each one praying in silence, no one whispered above his breath, a personage walked through the room from east to west, and Joseph asked if we saw him. I saw him and suppose the others did and Joseph answered that is Jesus, the Son of God, our elder brother. Afterward Joseph told us to resume our former position in prayer, which we did. Another person came through; he was surrounded as with a flame of fire. He (Brother Coltrin) experienced a sensation that it might destroy the tabernacle as it was of consuming fire of great brightness. The Prophet Joseph said this was the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. I saw Him.

When asked about the kind of clothing the Father had on, Brother Coltrin said: I did not discover his clothing for he was surrounded as with a flame of fire, which was so brilliant that I could not discover anything else but his person. I saw his hands, his legs, his feet, his eyes, nose, mouth, head and body in the shape and form of a perfect man. He sat in a chair as a man would sit in a chair, but this appearance was so grand and overwhelming that it seemed I should melt down in his presence, and the sensation was so powerful that it thrilled through my whole system and I felt it in the marrow of my bones. The Prophet Joseph said: Brethren, now you are prepared to be the apostles of Jesus Christ, for you have seen both the Father and the Son and know that they exist and that they are two separate personages.

This appearance occurred about two or three weeks after the opening of the school. After the Father had passed through, Joseph told us to again take our positions in prayer. We did so, and in a very short time he drew our attention and said to us that Brother Reynolds Cahoon was about to leave us, and told us to look at him. He (Brother Cahoon) was on his knees and his arms were extended, his hands and wrists, head, face and neck down to his shoulders were as a piece of amber, clear and transparent, his blood having apparently left his veins. Upon the attention of the brethren being thus called to Brother Cahoon, the change seemed to pass away and Joseph said that in a few minutes more, Brother Cahoon would have left us, but he came to himself again. The school room was in the upper room of [Newel K.] Whitney’s store. . . .” Source: Minutes, Salt Lake City School of the Prophets, October 11, 1883. REMARKS OF ZEBEDEE COLTRIN on KIRTLAND, OHIO HISTORY OF THE CHURCH Source: Minutes, Salt Lake City School of the Prophets, October 3, 1883.

Joseph Smith, Oliver Cowdery, and Zebedee Coltrin behold Adam and Eve
Vision of Adam and Eve

Once after returning from a mission, he [Zebedee Coltrin] met Brother Joseph in Kirtland, who asked him if he did not wish to go with him to a conference at New Portage. The party consisted of Presidents Joseph Smith, Sidney Rigdon, Oliver Cowdery and myself [Zebedee Coltrin]. Next morning at New Portage, he noticed that Joseph seemed to have a far off look in his eyes, or was looking at a distance and presently he, Joseph, stepped between Brothers Cowdery and Coltrin and taking them by the arm, said, “Let’s take a walk.” They went to a place where there was some beautiful grass and grapevines and swamp beech interlaced. President Joseph Smith then said, “Let us pray.” They all three prayed in turn—Joseph, Oliver, and Zebedee. Brother Joseph then said, “Now brethren, we will see some visions.” Joseph lay down on the ground on his back and stretched out his arms and the two brethren lay on them. The heavens gradually opened, and they saw a golden throne, on a circular foundation, something like a light house, and on the throne were two aged personages, having white hair, and clothed in white garments. They were the two most beautiful and perfect specimens of mankind he ever saw. Joseph said, “They are our first parents, Adam and Eve.” Adam was a large, broad-shouldered man, and Eve as a woman, was large in proportion.

Notes

Graffam, ed., Salt Lake School of the Prophets Minute Book: 1883, 64. In a first person recital of this vision on pages 102-103 of this same source, Coltrin adds, “Their heads were white as snow, and their faces shone with youth.” (see also “The Papers of Zebedee Coltrin,” in E. Cecil McGavin, The Record of the Spanish Fork Branch [29 April 1866 to 1 December 1898], LDS Church Archives, Salt Lake City, Utah, 251.

The Father and the Son appear to members of The School of the Prophets

Brigham Young sustained from heaven

In the month of February, 1848, the Twelve Apostles met at Hyde Park, Pottawattamie County, Iowa, where a small branch of the Church was established. .. We were in prayer and council, communing together; and what took place on that occasion? The voice of God came from on high and spake to the Council. Every latent feeling was aroused, and every heart melted. What did it say to us? ‘Let my servant Brigham step forth and receive the full power of the presiding Priesthood in my Church and Kingdom.’ This was the voice of the Almighty unto us at Council Bluffs. . . .

We said nothing about the matter in those times, but kept it still. . . . Men, women, and children came running together where we were, and asked us what was the matter. They said their houses shook, and the ground trembled, and they did not know but that there was an earthquake. We told them that there was nothing the matter—not to be alarmed; the Lord was only whispering to us a little, and that he was probably not very far off. We felt no shaking of the earth or of the house, but were filled with the exceeding power and goodness of God. Source:

Orson Hyde 1805-1878

Elder Hyde related this incident, in public, on 7 October 1860. On the same day Brigham Young verified the content of the story. “Brother Hyde, in his remarks, spoke about the voice of God at a certain time. I could tell many incidents relating to that circumstance, which he did not take time to relate. We were in his house, which was some ten or twelve feet square. The houses in the neighborhood shook, or, if they did not, the people thought they did, for they ran together and enquired whether there had been an earthquake. We told them that the voice of God had reached the earth- that they need not be afraid; it was the power of God.” 2

On 21 October 1860, Elder Hyde related this story once again. He “boldly declared that the Lord manifested himself to them, the (12) in council assembled at Hyde’s Park, Pottowatomie Nation, on their return from the valley and said with a voice of thunder that made the earth tremble, “This is my servant Brigham in whom I am well pleased, hear ye him, for he shall be the leader of my people and shall hold the keys of the kingdom as did my servant Joseph Smith.” Source

Notes

Journal of Discourses, 8: 234. It is worth noting that Myrtle Hyde puts the date of the revelation in Orson Hyde’s modest home to December 5, 1847. She writes, “Sunday, December 5, 1847, the eight men arrived in Hyde Park, breath of men and horses forming clouds in the frosty air… At dusk, five o’clock, the meeting began. The fire received Orson’s regular attention, warmth emanating from the blazing wood in front of the large backlog in the fireplace. The nearness of the cabin walls enhanced the feelings of unity in the small room. Brigham Young, president of the Quorum of the Twelve, disclosed that the need for a Presidency of the Church “lies with weight upon my mind,” adding, “I have been stirred up to do this by the Spirit of the Lord.” He asked the other apostles to tell their feelings upon the subject. In turn, Heber C. Kimball, Orson Hyde, Orson Pratt, Willard Richards, Wilford Woodruff, George A. Smith, Amasa Lyman, and Ezra T. Benson manifested sincere opinions. They conversed more, and they prayed, a sublime outpouring of the Holy Spirit assuring the nine companions of Heaven’s acceptance of their efforts. Absorbed with the enveloping peace in the room, Orson looked upward in sudden astonishment when he heard a rich encompassing voice. The sound originated somewhere beyond and above the circle of the brethren. Quickened to the center of his soul, Orson knew the source: “The voice of God came from on high, and spake to the Council.” The words were brief, the message direct: “Let my servant Brigham step forth and receive the full power of the presiding Priesthood in my Church and kingdom.” (Myrtle Hyde, Orson Hyde: The Olive Branch of Israel, p. 221). Journal of Discourses 8:196. Robert G. Cleland and Juanita Brooks, eds., A Mormon Chronicle: The Diaries of John D. Lee 1848-1876 (Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, 1983), 1:278; cf. Matthew 3:17; John 12:29; Revelation 14:2; 2 Samuel 22:14; Job 37:5.

May 29, 2024
Seymour Brunson’s Passing- Baptism for the Dead Inspired Joseph Smith

Remember the Name “Brunson”

I have recently come upon the name of Seymour Brunson who is an amazing member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who was a friend, a saint, a leader and so loved by the Prophet Joseph Smith.

My acquaintance about Mr. Brunson came from a conversation I had with a wonderful and loving friend, Dr. Joyce Hunt Brown. In our dialogue Dr. Joyce and myself on May 18, 2024, were speaking about the name Brunson, in relationship to a current U.S. Supreme Court cases of Loy Arlan Brunson vs. Alma S. Adams # 22-1028 and Raland J. Brunson vs. Alma S. Adams # 22-380 (Picture above), which have been considered by the US Supreme Court since Oct, 2022 and are still viable today, [Jan 26, 2025] as important cases that may help restore our inspired Constitution as it hangs by a thread. Supreme Court documents on the two cases here and here. This is my own personal information and does not represent the views of Firm Foundation or its employees.

Brunson Brothers Information Here: https://brunsonbrothers.com/

Quotes Ring True To Me Today More Than Ever.
D. Michael Stewart, Brigham Young University, Department of History said, “The documents show that Joseph Smith did prophesy a number of times that the United States and the Constitution would be imperiled and that the elders would have a hand in saving them. The first known record of the prophecy dates to July 19, 1840, in Nauvoo, when the prophet spoke about the redemption of Zion. Using Doctrine & Covenants 101 as a text, he said, “Even this nation will be on the verge of crumbling to pieces and tumbling to the ground and when the Constitution is on the brink of ruin this people will be the staff upon which the nation shall lean and they shall bear the Constitution away from the very verge of destruction.” (Joseph Smith Papers, LDS Church Historical Archives, Box 1, March 10, 1844.)

There are also other documents in Church History files that show that five different early Saints recorded some remarks by the Prophet Joseph Smith on this same prophecy, perhaps voiced by the Prophet a number of times in a number of ways after 1840. Parley P. Pratt wrote in 1841 that the prophet said, “The government is fallen and needs redeeming. It is guilty of Blood and cannot stand as it now is but will come so near desolation as to hang as it were by a single hair!!!!! Then the servants goes [sic] to the nations of the earth, and gathers the strength of the Lord’s house! A mighty army!!!!!! And this is the redemption of Zion when the saints shall have redeemed that government and reinstated it in all its purity and glory!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” (George A. Smith Papers, Church Archives, Box 7, Folder 5, January 21, 1841.)

Nauvoo Property of Seymour Brunson

A Revelation and a Prophecy
The first known record of the prophecy [Baptisms for the Dead] dates to July 19, 1840, in Nauvoo, when the prophet spoke about the redemption of Zion.” JSP. What inspired revelation came less than one month later in Nauvoo on August 15, 1840? The Church News said, “During the funeral for Seymour Brunson on Aug. 15, 1840, Joseph Smith cited 1 Corinthians 15 and revealed that the Lord would allow the Saints to be baptized by proxy for their deceased ancestors. These first baptisms were done in the Mississippi River.” The Church News by Christine Rappleye

A quote from Joseph in Nauvoo on July 19th, and a revelation about baptisms for the dead a few weeks later on Aug 15 of 1840, a coincidence? I think not. Great wars and battles bring a great need to baptize for those who didn’t have the opportunity because of death by war and other means. This is the reason for the urgency I feel about getting the message out about this great pioneer and saint, Seymour Brunson. Inspired because of Brother Brunson’s death, our dear Prophet Joseph Smith was to reveal the critical need of baptisms for the dead. What a blessing. Thank you Seymour Brunson for your diligence and service which greatly contributed to the Salvation of those who have passed without the saving ordinance of baptism.
The above mentioned four Brunson Brothers, Loy, Raland Deron, and Gaynor, are directly related to Seymour Brunson and they are continuing the work of their Great Great… Grandfather in serving the Lord. In my opinion their attempt to save the Constitution is part of Joseph Smith’s words that the Constitution is indeed hanging by a thread. There are also many Christian’s, Patriots and Saints who continue a brave attempt at helping to secure our Constitution, including Judy Byington, Tom Fairbanks, Ken Cromar, Glenn Beck, and Angel Studios and their film “The Sound of Freedom”

We might see the Supreme Court Announcement of the Brunson Case which was that SCOTUS agreed that Congress did not investigate valid allegations of 2020 Voter Fraud. That decision would automatically nullify the 2020 Election and dissolve the Biden Administration and all of Congress. It is still possible as I report today on Feb 17, 2025. This Brunson case may help us in a restructuring of our current government back to our original freedom that the Constitution afforded us. Even with the election of Pres Trump now complete, there are many other positions in the Congress that need to be addressed.

Complete Blog on the quotes of Leaders about the Constitution Hanging by a Thread Here.
Sorry that some of this beautiful picture was cut off, but it is very beautiful from Dr. Joyce Brown in 2002

‘Come, Follow Me’: Exploring Historic Nauvoo, Illinois

By Christine Rappleye 5 Nov 2021,

The William and Elizabeth Jones Pavilion shares how limestone was cut for Nauvoo Temple and it is part of the Temple District in Historic Nauvoo, Illinois. The West Grove regeneration project can be seen between the Nauvoo Illinois Temple and the Edward and Ann Hunter home. Kenneth Mays

“It was on a bend in the Mississippi River with a bluff that overlooked the river where early leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints decided to build their new gathering place in the summer of 1838.

Church members had left Ohio and Missouri and took refuge in communities along the Mississippi River, including Quincy, Illinois, and in the Iowa Territory. The area on maps was known as Commerce. Church leaders changed the name of the area to Nauvoo.

Of the 135 sections in the current edition of the Doctrine and Covenants that were written during Joseph Smith’s lifetime, nine of them date from the five years he lived in Nauvoo.

It was in Nauvoo, Illinois, that baptisms for the dead was introduced and refined, and the endowment was administered, first in the Red Brick Store and later in the unfinished Nauvoo Temple. Also, the Relief Society was organized in the Red Brick Store in 1842.

Members of the Church left Nauvoo in 1846.

Baptism for the dead and the Nauvoo Temple

The Nauvoo Illinois Temple can be seen from the Montrose, Iowa, side of the Mississippi River in 2018. | Credit: Kenneth Mays

During the funeral for Seymour Brunson on Aug. 15, 1840, Joseph Smith cited 1 Corinthians 15 and revealed that the Lord would allow the Saints to be baptized by proxy for their deceased ancestors. These first baptisms were done in the Mississippi River

Doctrine and Covenants 124, received in January 1841, includes the commandment for the Saints to build a temple with a baptismal font (see vs. 29-31).

More directions for baptism for the dead, including witness and record keeping, were received in Doctrine and Covenants 127 and 128.

It was during this time that Joseph Smith was accused in connection with an assassination attempt against former Missouri Gov. Lilburn W. Boggs and Joseph was in and out of hiding to avoid arrest from Missouri and Illinois officials.

The rebuilt Edward and Anne Hunter home in historic Nauvoo, Illinois, is shown in 2020. The Hunter home is part of the Temple District of Nauvoo. The West Grove regeneration project is next to the home. | Credit: Kenneth Mays

He was hiding at the Edward and Ann Hunter home when he wrote the letters in sections 127 and 128.

The Hunter home is next to the West Grove, an outdoor meeting grove that is being regrown. The Hunter home has been rebuilt as part of the Temple District of Nauvoo. From the home’s windows, Joseph would have been able to see the construction of the Nauvoo Temple.

In addition to instructions on baptisms for the dead, he also offered encouragement: “Shall we not go on in so great a cause? Go forward and not backward. Courage, brethren; and on, on to the victory! Let your hearts rejoice, and be exceedingly glad” (Doctrine and and Covenants 128:22).

Doctrine and Covenants 127 and 128 were canonized in 1844.

The Nauvoo Temple temple site in 1978. The temple was rebuilt and dedicated in 2002. | Credit: Raleigh Davis

The Nauvoo Temple’s baptismal font in the building’s basement was dedicated in November 1841 and used before the temple was completed.

The temple’s attic was completed in November 1845 and dedicated and used for administering the endowment. Nearly 6,000 Latter-day Saints received their endowments before moving west. The temple was dedicated in the spring of 1846.

Fire in 1848 and a tornado in 1850 destroyed the temple and only the west face was standing. In the 1930s, the Church began to acquire the property on the temple block. In April 1999, President Gordon B. Hinckley announced the temple would be rebuilt. It was reconstructed and dedicated in 2002.” Church News bold and color added.

More about Seymour Brunson

(1798–1840) Seymour Brunson was born in Plattsburg, New York. He served in the War of 1812, and, in about 1823, he married Harriet Gould. He was baptized into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in January 1831 and ordained an elder by John Whitmer that same month. That December he was ordained a high priest. In January 1832, Brunson was instructed by revelation to “be united in the ministry” with Daniel Stanton (Doctrine and Covenants 75:30, 33), and he served a mission to Ohio, Kentucky, and Virginia that year. He moved with other Church members to Caldwell County, Missouri, in 1836 or 1837. In 1839, he moved to Commerce, Illinois, which was later renamed Nauvoo, where he was appointed to the Nauvoo high council (Doctrine and Covenants 124:132). He died at Nauvoo. https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/memories/KWJ1-MCB

References in the Doctrine and Covenants
Doctrine and Covenants 75, 124
Additional Information
Biographical facts and sources, The Joseph Smith Papers
Saints, vol. 1, The Standard of Truth

Revelations In Context
Letters on Baptism for the Dead

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/search?query=seymour+brunson&lang=eng&facet=church-history&page=1

Seymour Brunson Timeline

Soldier, body guard and defender of the faith.
Missionary in Ohio, Kentucky and Virginia.
Captain, 59th Regiment Missouri Militia.
High Councilor, Commerce-Nauvoo Stake
Died of disease

1812
Served in War of 1812 with father Reuben and brother Lemuel Brunson. The three Brunsons served in light artillery. Discharged 1815.
1831 Strongsville, Cuyahoga, Ohio January 1831, Baptized by Solomon Hancock
1831, Confirmed Elder by John Whitmer [LDS Church 9 months old]
1834-1836 Kirkland, Ohio Held a valid minister’s license; Married approx. 13 couples:
Amasa M Lyman – Louisa Tanner 10 June 1835
Lyman Stevens – Martha Durfee 21 Jan 1836
Horace Burgess – Almira Pulsifer 6 March 1836
1838
“In April 1838, it was Seymour Brunson who brought the charges against Oliver Cowdery that led to Cowdery’s excommunication.”
1839 May Filed redress petition facts relative to the suffer of the saints by the Missourians
May 8 1839 with Daniel Allen “when they were surrounded with Boart’s company on Log Creek, five miles south of Far West”. Obituary for Danial Allen DN 1892-02-13
1839 October Nauvoo, Illinois
General Conference 5-7 October 1839 Two stakes: Commerce; one in Iowa organized: Seymour Brunson called as High Council of Commerce Stake.
1840 July
“In the month of July 1840, my father having occasion to get up in the night to drive some cattle out of his lot caught cold which brought on a serious illness which ultimately resulted in death. Lewis Brunson, son of Seymour Brunson
1840 Nauvoo, Illinois
At his [Seymour Brunson] funeral on August 15th, 1840, the Prophet Joseph Smith publicly introduced the doctrine of baptism for the dead.
Doctrine and Covenants 124:132
“Seymour Brunson I have taken unto myself; no man taketh his priesthood, but another may be appointed unto the same priesthood in his stead.”
1 Corinthians 15:29 King James Bible
“Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead?”
Luke 20:38
For he is not a God of the dead, but of the living: for all live unto him.
Notes:
Nauvoo records show he is actually buried at the Old Nauvoo Cemetery on the hill.
Son Lewis Brunson 1831-1888 UT
Brother Lemuel C Brunson
Grandson Hyrum Brunson
Great-granddaughter Beatrice Brunson
Great-granddaughter Ardella Brunson
Parents: Reuben Brunson and Sally Clark.
Harriet married John Elmer 1876-1871 UT
https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/memories/KWJ1-MCB

“Orson Hyde recalled that the Prophet predicted that “the time would come that the Constitution and the country would be in danger of an overthrow and said he, if the constitution be saved at all, it will be by the Elders of this Church. I believe this is about the language as nearly as I can recollect it.” (JD, 6:150.)

In a Pioneer Day celebration in Ogden in 1871, Eliza R. Snow said, “I heard the prophet say, ‘The time will come when the government of these United States will be so nearly overthrown through its corruption, that the Constitution will hang as it were by a single hair, and the Latter-day Saints—the Elders of Israel—will step forward to its rescue and save it.” (Journal History, MSF 143 #28, July 24, 1871.)

Complete Blog on the quotes of Leaders about the Constitution Hanging by a Thread Here.

May 18, 2024
Rod of Revelation- Working with the Rod

Shepherds Rod

Book of Commandments 7:3 “the gift of working with the rod” D&C 8:6 changed to “the Gift of Aaron”

O remember, these words and keep my commandments. Remember this is your gift. Now this is not all, for you have another gift, which is the gift of working with the rod: behold it has told you things: behold there is no other power save God, that can cause this rod of nature, to work in your hands, for it is the work of God; and therefore whatsoever you shall ask me to tell you by that means, that will I grant unto you, that you shall know.

Among the instruments used by seers is found mention of a “rod.” The terms of a shepherd’s “rod and staff,” as mentioned in the 23rd Psalm, were synonymous with the great “Shepherd of Israel.”

The rod and staff being the ensigns of power and government, as well as instruments for punishing offenders. (Cruden’s Concordance, p. 497)

Instruments of Revelation

The Lord is to “rule with a rod of iron” (Rev. 2:27). Under Moses’ dispensation it was Aaron who used “the rod” to smite the waters of Egypt (Ex. 7:19), and to swallow up the “rods” of the Egyptians which were transformed into snakes (Ex. 7:12). Moses used the “rod” for a blessing to Israel by smiting the rock to obtain the much needed water (Ex. 17:6), and it was also used in determining the tithing of the Israelites (Lev. 27:32). Each tribe of Israel was to have a rod with their name upon it, and one of these rods was to “blossom” on the following morning. Aaron’s rod “brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms,” thus showing his rod to be “for the head of the house of their fathers” (Num. 17:5).

Oliver Cowdery lived in a culture steeped in biblical ideas, language and practices. The revelation’s reference to Moses likely resonated with him. The Old Testament account of Moses and his brother Aaron recounted several instances of using rods to manifest God’s will (see Ex. 7:9–12; Num. 17:8). Many Christians in Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery’s day similarly believed in divining rods as instruments for revelation. Cowdery was among those who believed in and used a divining rod.

Jeffery G. Cannon, “Oliver Cowdery’s Gift,” Revelations in Context (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 15 December 2012).

Oliver Cowdery’s Gift D&C 6, 7, 8, 9, 13 Jeffrey G. Cannon15 December 2012

Oliver Desires to Translate

As Joseph and Oliver continued their work, Oliver grew anxious to play a greater part in the translation. The Lord had promised him the opportunity to translate and he wanted to claim it. Joseph dictated another revelation. The word of the Lord assured Oliver he could have the gift he desired. The requirements: faith and an honest heart (see D&C 8:1). D&C 8 on JosephSmithPapers.org

The revelation continued, informing the would-be translator how the process was to work. The Lord would “tell you in your mind & in your heart by the Holy Ghost which Shall come upon you & which shall dwell in your heart.” Revelation had always come in this manner. The revelation declared this was the means, or “spirit by which Moses brought the children of Israel through the red Sea on dry ground”7 (see D&C 8:2-3).

Oliver Cowdery lived in a culture steeped in biblical ideas, language and practices. The revelation’s reference to Moses likely resonated with him. The Old Testament account of Moses and his brother Aaron recounted several instances of using rods to manifest God’s will (see Ex. 7:9-12; Num. 17:8). Many Christians in Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery’s day similarly believed in divining rods as instruments for revelation. Cowdery was among those who believed in and used a divining rod.8 D&C 9 on JosephSmithPapers.org

The Lord recognized Oliver’s ability to use a rod: “thou hast another gift which is the gift of working with the rod.”9 Confirming the divinity of this gift, the revelation stated: “Behold there is no other power save God that can cause this [Gift of Aaron in today’s D&C]~~thing of Nature to work in your hands~~ for it is the work of God.” If Oliver desired, the revelation went on to say, the Lord would add the gift of translation to the revelatory gifts Oliver already possessed (D&C 8:8-11).

Though we know very few details about Oliver Cowdery’s attempt to translate, it apparently did not go well. His efforts quickly came to naught. In the wake of Oliver’s failure, Joseph Smith received another revelation, counseling Oliver, “Be patient my son, for it is wisdom in me, and it is not expedient that you should translate at this present time.” Oliver was further told he had not understood the process. He was first to “study it out in your mind; then you must ask me if it be right, and if it is right, I will cause that your bosom shall burn within you”10 (see D&C 9:7-8).

What if the “rod of nature” was indeed a physical object? See FAIR Mormon below:

https://www.fairlatterdaysaints.org/answers/Oliver_Cowdery_and_the_%22rod_of_nature%22

If we presume, for the sake of argument, that the Book of Commandments revelation of 1829 did refer to a physical rod, it is useful to consider just what Oliver was told:

Oliver Cowdery’s first revelation commanded him to lay aside the world and build the restored kingdom: “Seek not for riches but for wisdom, and behold, the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto you, and then shall you be made rich. Behold, he that hath eternal life is rich” (D&C 6:7). Whatever prior use Oliver made of his “gift of working with the rod,” this revelation directed him to heavenly treasure. Indeed, this first commandment names but one special power: “Thy gift” is “sacred and cometh from above.” It is defined as the ability to “inquire” and “know mysteries which are great and marvelous.” Thus Oliver is commanded to “exercise thy gift, that thou mayest find out mysteries, that thou mayest bring many to the knowledge of the truth, yea, convince them of the error of their ways.” Thus his gift of knowledge of salvation will lead to the “greatest of all gifts,” the “gift of salvation” (D&C 6:10-13).

Oliver’s initial revelation closes with the command to seek heavenly “treasures” by assisting “in bringing to light, with your gift, those parts of my scriptures which have been hidden because of iniquity” (D&C 6:27). The revelation on the gift of the rod probably followed within a week. It continued the theme of learning ancient truth through translating: “Remember, this is your gift” (D&C 8:5). And it could be exercised by believing “you shall receive a knowledge concerning the engravings of old records” (D&C 8:1). Then a second promise was made:

Now this is not all, for you have another gift, which is the gift of working with the rod. Behold, it has told you things. Behold, there is no other power save God that can cause this rod of nature to work in your hands, for it is the work of God. And therefore whatsoever you shall ask me to tell you by that means, will I grant unto you, that you shall know.

But there were strict limits to this promise: “Trifle not with these things. Do not ask for that which you ought not. Ask that you may know the mysteries of God, and that you may translate all those ancient records.”

So the “rod of nature” in Cowdery’s “hands” would be a means of gaining revelation on doctrine.[4]

Thus, the alteration which describes the “rod” as “the gift of Aaron” clarifies the Lord’s intent, and explains how Oliver and Joseph understood the matter. Aaron’s rod was an instrument of power, but only insofar as God revealed and commanded its use. Such a perspective is a far cry from the “occult” links which the critics attempt to create:

Rod of Aaron Budded. Others did not. Moses’ and Aaron’s rods represented authority, as in Ex. 4:1–5; 7:9–12, 17.

D&C 8 approves a rod only for sacred information. It also suggests the rod that displayed God’s power in the Egyptian plagues, in striking the rock for life-giving water or in calling down strength on Israel’s warriors. That rod was a straight shaft, the shepherd’s staff possessed by Moses at his call (Ex. 4:2-4). Used by both Moses and Aaron, it was foremost the “rod of God,” also Moses’ rod, but formally called the “rod of Aaron.” It functioned as a visible sign of authority, just as Judah’s “scepter” was a sign of divine kingship in Jacob’s blessing or Elijah’s staff held by the servant who went in his name. Thus the rod of Aaron was a staff of delegated agency, and the 1835 revision to “The gift of Aaron” suggests Oliver’s spiritual power to assist Joseph Smith as Aaron assisted Moses.[5] FAIR Mormon here:

Proper Mode of Translation?

Below is a picture I had commissioned of the instruments from the stone box with which Joseph Smith translated the plates. This process was called, “by the gift and power of God.” Joseph and Oliver used the items found in the stone box, not a stone in a hat.

“These Stones, Fastened to a Breastplate” JSH 1:35 by Ann Marie Oborn

Joseph Smith said, “Also, that there were two stones in silver bows—and these stones, fastened to a breastplate, constituted what is called the Urim and Thummim—deposited with the plates; and the possession and use of these stones were what constituted “seers” in ancient or former times; and that God had prepared them for the purpose of translating the book.” JSH 1:35

Oliver saw the Plates, Breastplate and Interpreters

“When Cowdery returned to Church membership in 1848 he spoke to an Iowa conference. His words there were recorded by Reuben Miller: “I wrote with my own pen the entire Book of Mormon (save a few pages) as it fell from the lips of the Prophet as he translated it by the gift and power of God by means of the Urim and Thummim, or as it is called by that book, holy interpreters. I beheld with my eyes and handled with my hands the gold plates from which it was translated. I also beheld the Interpreters. That book is true. … I wrote it myself as it fell from the lips of the Prophet.”

The Miller journal can be tested by comparing it with official records of the Cowdery speeches, and it is clearly accurate. Thus the above words are likely to be Cowdery verbatim. This judgment is essential because in the report Oliver Cowdery says, “I … handled with my hands the gold plates.” Yet another Witness, David Whitmer, insisted that he had never handled the plates; he only watched as the angel in the vision displayed the plates and other sacred objects. Since Whitmer and Cowdery were together at this impressive vision, one must infer that Cowdery did not handle the plates at that time. Thus a distinction emerges between the key secretary and his witness brother-in-law: at some time during the translation process Oliver Cowdery evidently handled the plates.” By the Gift and Power of God By Richard Lloyd Anderson

“Day after day I continued, uninterrupted, to write from his mouth, as he translated with the Urim and Thummim, or, as the Nephites would have said, ‘Interpreters,’ the history or record called ‘The Book of Mormon.’ D&C 1:75* More information here:

Below is from The Joseph Smith Papers- Revelation, April 1829–B [D&C 8]

6^th^. Commandment AD 1829

A Revelation to Oliver [Cowdery] he being desirous to know whether the Lord would grant him the gift of Revelation & th◊ Translation given in Harmony Susquehannah Pennsylvania⁸

Oliver Verily Verily I say unto you that as Shuredly as the Lord liveth which is your God & your Redeemer even so shure shall ye receive a knowledge of whatsoever things ye shall ask with an honest heart believeing that ye [p. 12] Shall receive, a knowledge concerning the engraveings of old Records which are ancient which contain those parts of my Scriptures of which hath been spoken by the manifestation of my Spirit⁹ yea Behold I will tell you in your mind & in your heart by the Holy Ghost which Shall come upon you & which shall dwell in your heart now Behold this is the spirit of Revelation Behold this is the spirit by which Moses brought the children of Israel through the red Sea on dry ground therefore this is thy gift apply unto it¹⁰ & blessed art thou for [it] shall deliver you out of the hands of your enemies when if it were not so they would sley thee¹¹ & bring thy soul to distruction O remember these words & keep my commandments remember this is thy gift now this is not all for thou hast another gift which is the gift of working with the sprout¹² Behold it hath told you things Behold there is no other power save God that can cause this thing of Nature¹³ to work in your hands for it is the work of God¹⁴ & therefore whatsoever ye shall ask to tell you by that means that will he grant unto you that ye shall know remember that without faith ye can do nothing trifle not with these things do not ask for that which ye had not ought ask that ye may know the mysteries of God & that ye may Translate all those ancient Records which have been hid up which are Sacred¹⁵ & according to your faith shall it be done unto you Behold it is I that have spoken it & I am the same which spake¹⁶unto you from the begining amen.

(12) In preparing the text of Revelation Book 1 for publication, Sidney Rigdon replaced “sprout” with “rod.” Green, flexible shoots or rods cut from hazel, peach, or cherry trees were sometimes used as divining rods. (Revelation Book 1, p. 13 [D&C 8:6]; see also Silliman, “Divining Rod,” 202; and “The Divining-Rod,” Milwaukie [Wisconsin Territory] Sentinel, 7 Sept. 1842, [1].)

As Dallin H. Oaks remarked:

Recent Events Involving Church History and Forged Documents,” Ensign (October 1987)

It should be recognized that such tools as the Urim and Thummim, the Liahona, seerstones, and other articles have been used appropriately in biblical, Book of Mormon, and modern times by those who have the gift and authority to obtain revelation from God in connection with their use. At the same time, scriptural accounts and personal experience show that unauthorized though perhaps well-meaning persons have made inappropriate use of tangible objects while seeking or claiming to receive spiritual guidance. Those who define folk magic to include any use of tangible objects to aid in obtaining spiritual guidance confound the real with the counterfeit. They mislead themselves and their readers.[6]

Conclusion

We know based upon the text of the revelation that Oliver possessed a gift of working with something alternately referred to as a “sprout,” “thing of nature,” or “rod of nature.” We also know that the Lord approved of Oliver’s use of this gift. The reference was later changed to the “gift of Aaron,” but we can only speculate as to the exact reason why. We do not know if the “rod” referred to by Sidney Rigdon when he edited the revelation was referring to a divining rod, since there is no other record beyond the revelation itself that indicates this.

We do know that Oliver’s gift had to do with receiving revelation, and that Oliver attempted to employ it during the period in which the Book of Mormon was being translated. We also know that Oliver’s experience in attempting to translate produced one of the lasting lessons which continues to be taught in Church even today—the knowledge that one must study things out in their mind in order to know the truth of something.

https://www.lds.org/manual/doctrine-and-covenants-student-manual/sections-1-9/section-8-the-spirit-of-revelation?lang=eng

What Was Oliver Cowdery’s Gift Concerning Ancient Records?

D&C 8:1, 11.
President Joseph Fielding Smith explained that “the Lord seemed perfectly willing that Oliver Cowdery as well as Joseph Smith should engage in this labor of translating the plates, and he gave in some detail what qualifications are necessary for the reception of knowledge by revelation and also the procedure necessary in translating ancient records. Oliver was informed that this power could not be received except by the exercise of faith with an honest heart, and by this faith, knowledge of the ancient records and their engravings should be made known. …

Oliver Cowdery was a scribe to Joseph Smith.

“The Lord told him that he was to continue as scribe until the translation of the Book of Mormon was completed, and that there were other ancient records to come forth, and that he might have the privilege of translating these at some future day if he would remain faithful. We learn from the Book of Mormon that there are many records and that at some time, when the people are prepared by faith to receive them, that they shall also be translated and published for the knowledge and salvation of the faithful. (II Nephi 27:7–8;III Nephi 26:6–11; Ether 3:22–28; 4:5–7.)” (Church History and Modern Revelation, 1:50, 52.)

What Is the Spirit of Revelation?

D&C 8:1–3.
Elder George Q. Cannon taught that “the same spirit of revelation that Moses had … rests upon him who holds the presidency as senior apostle in the midst of the people of God. The apostles of this Church have all the authority, they have all the keys, … all the spirit of revelation necessary to lead this people into the presence of the Lamb in the celestial kingdom of our God. …

“… You will find it so to your entire satisfaction if you will listen to their counsels and be guided by them.” (In Journal of Discourses, 21:270–71.)

Enrichment C in the Appendix contains a more complete discussion of personal revelation and how it is received.

A Warning Given to Oliver Cowdery that Applies to Everyone

D&C 8:4.
Oliver Cowdery was given the gift of understanding the voice of the Spirit. If he hearkened to the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, he could protect himself from those who would seek to bring about his physical death and also from those who would tempt him to sin and thus bring his soul “to destruction” (D&C 8:4).

Concerning the destruction of the soul, President Joseph Fielding Smith wrote:

“A soul cannot be destroyed.

“Every soul born into this world shall receive the resurrection and immortality and shall endure forever. Destruction does not mean, then, annihilation. When the Lord says they shall be destroyed, he means that they shall be banished from his presence, that they shall be cut off from the presence of light and truth, and shall not have the privilege of gaining this exaltation; and that is destruction.” (Doctrines of Salvation, 2:227–28; see also Alma 12:16; Helaman 14:18.)

The Lord’s response to those who neglect gifts He gives them is recorded in Matthew 25:14–29; 2 Nephi 28:30;D&C 9:1, 5, 10–11.

What Was the Gift of Aaron?

D&C 8:6–9.
“There was another gift bestowed upon Oliver Cowdery, and that was the gift of Aaron. Like Aaron with his rod in his hand going before Moses as a spokesman, so Oliver Cowdery was to go before Joseph Smith. Whatever he should ask the Lord by power of this gift should be granted if asked in faith and in wisdom. Oliver was blessed with the great honor of holding the keys of this dispensation with Joseph Smith, and, like Aaron, did become a spokesman on numerous occasions. It was Oliver who delivered the first public discourse in this dispensation.” (Smith, Church History and Modern Revelation, 1:52.)

“Oliver Cowdery also had the ‘gift of Aaron.’ Aaron was the elder brother of Moses. Being prompted by the Spirit of the Lord, he met his younger brother in the wilderness and accompanied him to Egypt. He introduced him to the children of Israel in the land of Goshen. He was his spokesman before Pharaoh, and he assisted him in opening up the dispensation which Moses was commissioned to proclaim (Exodus 4:27–31). This was the gift of Aaron. In some respects Oliver Cowdery was the Aaron of the new and last dispensation.” (Smith and Sjodahl, Commentary, p. 44.)

Question

What is “the gift of Aaron” referred to in D&C 8:6-8?

Answer

The revelations given to Joseph Smith were often edited prior to publication in order to clarify their application to the Church members who would read them. The original revelation to Oliver Cowdery referred to “the gift of working with the sprout”, later edited to “working with the rod”. Cowdery was apparently able to channel revelations through a divining rod earlier in his life.

One of the problems with these “folk-magical” means of revelation like divining rods and seer stones was that they could be easily co-opted in order to produce revelations that were not of divine origin– see, for example, D&C 28, which concerns revelations an early church member claimed to receive through a seer stone. As the Church moved away from these particular means of revelation and relied more on direct inspiration from the Lord, the phrase “gift of working with the rod” was eventually modified to “gift of Aaron”, in reference to the Biblical figure who had a rod through which God’s power was shown but was more popularly remembered as a spokesman for and ardent supporter of Jehovah’s appointed prophet Moses.” Ask Gramps

DIVINING ROD:

Book of Commandments 7:3 D&C 8:6 changed

O remember, these words and keep my commandments. Remember this is your gift. Now this is not all, for you have another gift, which is the gift of working with the rod: behold it has told you things: behold there is no other power save God, that can cause this rod of nature, to work in your hands, for it is the work of God; and therefore whatsoever you shall ask me to tell you by that means, that will I grant unto you, that you shall know.

Among the instruments used by seers is found mention of a “rod.” The terms of a shepherd’s “rod and staff,” as mentioned in the 23rd Psalm, were synonymous with the great “Shepherd of Israel.”

The rod and staff being the ensigns of power and government, as well as instruments for punishing offenders. (Cruden’s Concordance, p. 497)

The Lord is to “rule with a rod of iron” (Rev. 2:27). Under Moses’ dispensation it was Aaron who used “the rod” to smite the waters of Egypt (Ex. 7:19), and to swallow up the “rods” of the Egyptians which were transformed into snakes (Ex. 7:12). Moses used the “rod” for a blessing to Israel by smiting the rock to obtain the much needed water (Ex. 17:6), and it was also used in determining the tithing of the Israelites (Lev. 27:32). Each tribe of Israel was to have a rod with their name upon it, and one of these rods was to “blossom” on the following morning. Aaron’s rod “brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms,” thus showing his rod to be “for the head of the house of their fathers” (Num. 17:5)

“Rods, Staffs & Sticks”

Dr. L. La Mar Adams

February 1, 2021 at 3:10 am (Edit)

Those who have not the gift of revelation and gift prophecy, and do not understand the “language of the fathers,” in translating scriptures, have a much different understanding and interpretation of the wording reviewed here, than those who do. So these things can only be fully understood by the Spirit, and naturally much of what is stated here is not to be taken as fully valid, but too much of the philosophies of man. Because of my extensive background and experience in translating the Hebrew Old Testament into English, I would give a much different approach. But the conclusion of Oliver’s gift of Aaron and the rod, would be more related to the Lord saying (in another context) that he would smite with the rod of his mouth (D&C 19:15), his word, revelation. In addition, there are too many assumptions made about Oliver having a diving rod, etc., which assumptions have contradictions.

May 17, 2024
Lucy’s Witness of the Breastplate and “The Key”

The contents of the stone box in Cumorah consisted of only the following:

1. The Gold Plates which a portion were sealed
2. The large Breastplate
3. The two stones in silver bows fastened to the breastplate
4. Two stones crossways. [Read Below]

“Having removed the earth, I obtained a lever, which I got fixed under the edge of the stone, and with a little exertion raised it up. I looked in, and there indeed did I behold the plates, the Urim and Thummim, and the breastplate, as stated by the messenger. The box in which they lay was formed by laying stones together in some kind of cement. In the bottom of the box were laid two stones crossways of the box, and on these stones lay the plates and the other things with them.” JSH 1:52

The Liahona and the Sword of Laban were in the cave of Cumorah in a separate place from the stone box.[Read Below]

“These new plates were given to Moroni to finish the history. And all the ancient plates, Mormon deposited in Cumorah, about three hundred and eighty-four years after Christ. When Moroni, about thirty-six years after, made the deposit of the book entrusted to him, he was, without doubt, inspired to select a department of the hill separate from the great depository of the numerous volumes hid up by his father. The particular place in the hill where Moroni secreted the book, was revealed, by the angel, to the prophet Joseph Smith, to whom the volume was delivered in September, A.D. 1827. But the grand repository of all the numerous records of the ancient nations of the western continent, was located in another department of the hill, and it’s contents under the charge of holy angels, until the day should come for them to be transferred to the sacred temple of Zion.” 1866 Orson Pratt Millennial Star (28 (27): 417)

Only 3 people see the Plates, the Breastplate, and the Spectacles

1. Joseph Smith
2. Oliver Cowdery
3. Lucy Mack Smith

Lucy sees the spectacles and the breastplate under a thin linen. Art by Anne Marie Oborn.

Lucy Mack Smith sees “The Key”

“I trembled so much with fear lest all might be lost again by some small failure in keeping the commandments, that I was under the necessity of leaving the room to conceal my feelings. Joseph saw this and followed me. “Mother,” said he. “Do not be uneasy. All is right. See here,” said he, “I have got the key.”

I knew not what he meant, but took the article in my hands and, examining it with no covering but a silk handkerchief, found that it consisted of two smooth three-cornered diamonds set in glass, and the glasses were set in silver bows connected with each other in much the same way that old-fashioned spectacles are made. He took them again and left me, but did not tell me anything of the record….

That of which I spoke, which Joseph termed a key, was indeed nothing more nor less than a Urim and Thummim by which the angel manifested those things to him that were shown him in vision; by which also he could at any time ascertain the approach of danger, either to himself or the record, and for this cause he kept these things constantly about his person.” (History of Joseph Smith, Revised and Enhanced, p. 139, 145)

Lucy Mack Smith sees the Breastplate

“After bringing home the plates, Joseph now commenced work with his father on the farm in order to be as near as possible the treasure that was committed to his care.

Buried in the Stone box, the Interpreters, Spectacles & Breastplate, Not Brown Seer Stone and a Hat.

Soon after this, he came in from work one afternoon, and after remaining a short time, he put on his greatcoat and left the house. I was engaged at the time in an upper room in preparing some oilcloths for painting. When he returned, he requested me to come downstairs. I told him that I could not leave my work just then, yet upon his urgent request, I finally concluded to go down and see what he wanted, upon which he handed me the breastplate spoken of in his history.

It was wrapped in a thin muslin handkerchief, so thin that I could see the glistening metal and ascertain its proportions without any difficulty.

It was concave on one side and convex on the other and extended from the neck downwards as far as the center of the stomach of a man of extraordinary size. It had four straps of the same material for the purpose of fastening it to the breast, two of which ran back to go over the shoulders, and the other two were designed to fasten to the hips. They were just the width of two of my fingers (for I measured them), and they had holes in the end of them to be convenient in fastening.

The whole plate was worth at least five hundred dollars. After I had examined it, Joseph placed it in the chest with the Urim and Thummim.” (History of Joseph Smith, Revised and Enhanced)

Lucy sees the Gold Plates and other Items

I have myself seen and handled the golden plates; they are about eight inches long, and six wide; some of them are sealed together and are not to be opened, and some of them are loose. They are all connected by a ring which passes through a hole at the end of each plate, and are covered with letters beautifully engraved. I have seen and felt also the Urim and Thummim. They resemble two large bright diamonds set in a bow like a pair of spectacles. My son puts these over his eyes when he reads unknown languages, and they enable him to interpret them in English. I have likewise carried in my hands the sacred breastplate. It is composed of pure gold and is made to fit the breast very exactly.” (Lucy Mack Smith in Henry Caswall, The City of the Mormons; or, Three Days at Nauvoo, in 1842, 2nd ed. revised and enlarged, (London: J. G. F. & J. Rivington, 1843), 26)

We are Entitled to a Seer Stone

Here are two quotes I think you will enjoy:

“Joseph Smith, Jr. said, every man who lived on the earth was entitled to a seer stone, and should have one, but they are kept from them in consequence of their wickedness.” – Prophet Brigham Young, “History of Brigham Young,” Latter-day Saints’ Millennial Star, v. 26, February 20, 1864

“The power of seership is one of the greatest gifts ever given to man; and the time is not far distant when every man who bears the Priesthood will be a seer. But it can only be when men have proved themselves able to withstand all of the false deceptions of the devil. Today the powers of crystal ball gazers, astrologers, ouija boards, etc., are abounding because men have forsaken or rejected the true seers of God. Thousands of people seek unto ‘wizards who peep and mutter’ etc., but they will not seek unto the living God. I can say to all the inhabitants of the earth that before what is called spiritualism was ever known in America, I told the people that if they would not believe the revelations that God had given, He would suffer the devil to give revelations that they–priests and people would follow after. . . I told the people that as true as God lived, if they would not have the truth they would have error sent to them, and they would believe it.” (Brigham Young, Des. News, June 18, 1871, p. 308) (See Revelation 2:17 and D&C 130:11)

“These Stones Fastened to a Breastplate JSH 1:35 by Anne Marie Oborn

There is not one scripture that says Joseph used a stone in a hat to translate. There are many scriptures that say he used the two stones fastened to a breastplate.
[See Here: JSH 1:35,52,62,75*; Mosiah 28:13, 20; Ether 3:22-23; 4:5; Alma 37:21, 24-25]

May we seek for the true priesthood and further the truth as we understand, about the Prophet Joseph Smith. I Love Joseph and the Savior and I know they are leading us in the way of God. Search your own testimony and please share with me how you feel about these things. May the Lord bless you.

My Summary of the actual Translation process is submitted below. The details are in the 30 page PDF at the end.

1- The Plates, Breastplate and Interpreters not allowed to be seen by others, unless the Lord authorizes. DC 5:3 (Those known to see and feel all 3 articles are Joseph, Oliver, and Lucy Mack, but Lucy only saw them through the linen they were wrapped in.
2- Most reports say Joseph sat on one end of a table and the scribe on the other facing one another.
3- It is never mentioned in scripture that anything other than “The Interpreters” were used for translation.(The term Urim and Thummim is never used in the text of the Book of Mormon)
4- Joseph could not translate unless he was in tune with the Lord and had all the proper equipment about him.
5- There was not a curtain between Jospeh and the scribes according to Emma and Anne Cowdery. (Possibly a curtain between Martin Harris and Joseph for the 116 pages as Martin was aware if he ever saw the 3 items he would be destroyed)
6- Joseph likely hid the breastplate under his shirt as Lucy was quoted twice saying “He (Joseph) had these things (Spectacles and breastplate) constantly upon his person.”
7- Lucy also said of the breastplate, “It is composed of pure gold and is made to fit the breast very exactly.” Lucy Mack Smith (in Henry Caswall, The City of the Mormons
8- There was a single rod connecting the spectacles to the breastplate. “These stones, he continued, “were attached to the breastplate by a rod which was fastened at the outer shoulder edge of the breastplate and to the edge of the silver bow.” William Smith
9- The Translation was accomplished only “By the Gift and Power of God” which none of us can fully understand.
10- The three witnesses saw the plates as Moroni turned the pages in front of them. (Spiritual Witnesss)
11- The eight witnesses saw Joseph hand the plates to each of them and each of the 8 handled and hefted the plates. (Physical Witness)

Detailed PDF Below of the Proper Method of Translation

[pdf-embedder url=”https://bookofmormonevidence.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/The-Key-Short-Version.pdf” title=”The Key Short Version”]

May 6, 2024
Sacred Nauvoo-Smith Family & Hopewell Cemetery
Rod Meldrum takes a deep dive into the Nauvoo property purchased by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, from the Community of Christ. We are so thankful to our friends in the Community of Christ for all their hard work and dedication in taking care of these historic sites all these years. See the video below:

Nauvoo Video Gallery of Pictures

Lewistown, Illinois. Dickson Mound Artifacts

East Side Red Brick Store

East Lawn of Red Brick Store. Fence is the Joseph Smith Family Cemetery and Nephite Cemetery

Joseph & Emma Home

Joseph & Emma Home in Nauvoo, Illinois April of 1839

Rod at Steps of Red Brick Store Searching with I Dig Nauvoo Team

With Paul Debart from Community of Christ

Community of Christ downstairs of the Red Brick Store piecing together old pottery

Nauvoo Plat Map

Nauvoo Map with Tumuli (Mounds)

Beautiful Nauvoo Temple

Temple View Looking West

Looking North West

Curlee Property Mound

Curlee Mound next to their home in Nauvoo

Illinois Map. There are over 160,000 Mounds in Illinois

Mansion House. Joseph Lived here in 1840

Big Mound, Illinois

The rest of this comprehensive blog shares many things about Nauvoo, the Mounds, and Church History that most of you have never heard.

Sacred Mounds of Nauvoo Quotes

“Mormonism sprang from the mounds,” wrote Roger Kennedy, former director of the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.

“In the early 1970’s, when they were re-building Joseph’s Red Brick Store, while digging a trench for spot light wiring, they hit some artifacts, which resulted in calling in the archaeologists who then unearthed more artifacts and bones, all carbon dated to the Hopewell civilization of at least 2000 years ago..” Lachlan McKay quoted by Wilson Curlee

“Joseph Smith, his wife Emma, his brother Hyrum and his parents are buried in a Hopewell burial site.” Jonathan Neville

“We learned later that there were ten main mounds that were recognized by the State of Illinois as ancient burials.” Jenny Curlee

“The Mounds, for their part are “steadfast and immovable”, and always greet us with a tender spirit each time we spend time in their presence, which is almost daily from Spring until Fall. To us, and many others, it feels very much like being in the Sacred Grove.” Jenny Curlee

“No other Land fits all the prophecies.  And the Book of Mormon happened right here in United States of America.  I bear such a powerful testimony of that, and the evidence is all around us.” Jenny Curlee

He [Wayne May] took in everything I told him about the recent information we learned from Lach regarding the burial sites around the Red Brick Store, the tumuli on the old map [Pictured Below] and about us buying some mounds, with enthusiasm. He said, “I’m coming down in a couple of weeks, and we will have some fun!” Jenny Curlee

THREE SPECIFIC MOUNDS FIGURE PROMINENTLY IN LDS HISTORY

Zion’s Camp March May 5th to July 3rd, 1834
Nauvoo Mounds Now Enter Current History

“Mormonism sprang from the mounds,” wrote Roger Kennedy, former director of the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. Even before the Book of Mormon was published, Mormonism was linked to the Moundbuilder civilizations of North America. One man who claimed to have heard a reading of the lost 116 pages said “It was a description of the mounds about the country and similar to the Book of Mormon. In 1843, Joseph Smith apparently alluded to the 116 pages when he said the Book of Mormon spoke about sacred burial places. Several authors have placed the Book of Mormon among other 19^th century books about the origins of the Moundbuilders. At one time, there were over a million ancient earth mounds in North America; approximately 100,000 remain today. Many of these mounds are located in the territory from western New York through western Missouri where early Mormon history took place. Three specific mounds figure prominently in LDS history: Zelph’s mound in Illinois, the Kinderhook mound, also in Illinois, from which the six brass plates were taken, and Enon mound in Ohio. Until the early Saints leveled them to build homes and farms, Indian mounds dominated Nauvoo. Joseph Smith purchased one and resorted to it from time to time. Less well known are the mounds located just north of Nauvoo that have recently been discovered and preserved. The connections between Mormonism and the mounds of North America have yet to be fully explored. …The increasing awareness of the numerous Hopewell mounds in the Nauvoo area may give renewed attention to the connection between Mormons and the mounds. When workers dug a utility trench between the Red Brick Store and the Joseph Smith Homestead, the equipment churned up Hopewell bones and artifacts. This area is adjacent to the Smith Family Cemetery, leading to the possibility that Joseph Smith, his wife Emma, his brother Hyrum and his parents are buried in a Hopewell burial site.” The Mormons and the Mounds – Jonathan Neville Mormon History Association June 2017.

[Read more about Joseph’s burial mound from Jennice Curlee below]

LIVING AMONG THE MOUNDS

Ten Years of Care-taking sacred Nephite/Hopewell Mounds

And how it dramatically changed our lives

Copyright © 2019 by Jennice Curlee

INTRODUCTION

Life had a way of helping us discover answers to questions we didn’t know we were supposed to ask.  Some people call this serendipity, or a fortunate accident.  Our plans can get broken midstream by something unexpected, but if we look at it with an open mind and heart, it is really what we were meant to do all along.  Sometimes we resist and sometimes we are just half-heated, but then if we allow ourselves to accept the change, we will not want to turn back.  Does this mighty change happen in days, months or years?  In my case, it happened almost instantly.  This change can be spiritual, physical, mental or emotional, or it can be all combined into one.  In this case, it was the latter.   Our new relationship required a total commitment, as well as rearranging our retirement finances and dedication to long days of physical labor.  Whatever could cause such a shift in mere hours to change our lives so totally?  We had met the MOUND BUILDER CULTURE of NORTH AMERICA.  Specifically a group of mounds outside of Nauvoo, Illinois, and it was love at first sight!

Beginning in 1998, Wilson and I had felt a gravitational pull to Nauvoo from our home in Helena, Montana, and began making yearly trips there, usually in conjunction to see family in other states. Without having a concrete plan, we decided in 2005 to buy a small second home in Navuoo for retirement in a few years, and in the meantime, a place to spend our summers.  And so it came to be that in 2009 when we retired and semi-relocated to Nauvoo that we were introduced to Heartland Model of the Book of Mormon geography.  We were invited to a small gathering of people to hear a presentation about the possibility of the ancient city of Zarahemla having been located across the Mississippi from Nauvoo, near Montrose, Iowa, with the Mississippi River being the River Sidon.  It was as if that night I began wearing a new pair of glasses.  My view was broadened, clarified and in focus.  I felt the hand of the Lord was in this, much like when I learned about the True Gospel taught by the Missionaries when I was 19 years old in Billings, Montana.  At that time it was less than 12 hours later that I gained a testimony that the Gospel had been restored to the earth in these last days.

After hearing the presentation that summer night, I went home with my head spinning.  As I was getting ready for bed, I had many thoughts about the years I had spent reading about Mesoamerica supposedly being where the Book of Mormon happened, although I never doubted that there was just one Hill Cumorah.  I was sort of muttering to myself and to God at the same time, saying that I didn’t like this feeling of my “head being messed with”.  Then very quickly and emphatically a voice came into my mind saying “You were always into archaeology and history, and wanted to go to Central America, but I put you in the MIDDLE of it here!!”.  From the bathroom I called out to Wilson, “It’s True”! Once the Spirit answers, the discussion is over.  It was the same voice that spoke when I knew the Restored Gospel was true.  Was this the main reason we felt pulled to move to Nauvoo after all? Since that night it has been one roller-coaster ride after another.  I have been writing significant things down as they happened, and then at the end of each fall I have typed them up to make a ruining log of the year’s events.  If I had not actually lived it, I would think I was writing a novel made up out of my own imagination. That eventful summer ended with sharing this new information with like-minded friends and family; buying books and videos on the subject, and looking forward to the next summer when we would once again immerse ourselves in the spirit of Navuoo, and see more of what the Midwest and the Nauvoo area would reveal regarding Book of Mormon evidence.



The next summer, on July 9, 2010, we were walking through the woods outside Nauvoo with our son and his wife.  Joseph and Emily Abercrombie and children were visiting us from Idaho.  Joe had heard about some mounds located outside of Nauvoo, and wanted us all to see them.  Our friend Cal, a long-time resident knew of them and initially took Joe and Wilson up to a bluff where they were, even though it was raining and they could only walk in through the unimproved dirt trail.  A few days later when the sun partially dried the trail, Emily and I went back with Wilson and Joe.  That is a day and a moment that is frozen in time for me. As we walked into the dense, shaded and still humid woods, tears welled up in my eyes and the first words out of my mouth were “I need to take care of these”. Those words came from somewhere deep inside of me, a spiritual place that even I was not expecting. I knew at that moment, without being to able to explain it, that we were called to be there at that time of life.

These woods and mounds were definitely in very sad shape with overgrown vegetation and downed trees by the hundreds, many laying across the mounds themselves in haphazard fashion, making it difficult to see the mounds themselves.  We learned later that there were ten main mounds that were recognized by the State of Illinois as ancient burials.  At that time we did not even know who owned the land or if it could be considered for sale, which was a moot point anyway because we did not have enough money for such an undertaking..  Nevertheless, I knew instantly that we were to pursue such a course.  On the surface it really sounded insane because we were both 67 years old, on a fixed income, and had our main year-around home still in Montana.  But because of the powerful urge to take care of these mounds, we decided to turn our life upside down just as we were retiring, to answer the siren call of a “supposed serendipitous” encounter.  I felt it was much deeper, it was God calling us.

Our kids had to leave the next day (Saturday) for Idaho, but they encouraged us in our intentions to pursue this calling. We asked around and were told that an acquaintance owned the property, so I spoke to her at church Sunday and thanked her for allowing up to go up on that property. She told us that there were 70 more acres connected to what we had seen, and all of it was for sale, but the very land we were interested in  (about 25 acres) had all been subdivided into building lots many years before, therefore each lot (many with mounds on them) was to be priced separately according to its size. Supposedly a hunter and his family were already interested in one chunk of 70 acres for a lower price, but there was still room for negotiation on the platted lots.  The plan was for her to build homes on each of these lots once they were sold (not our intent).  We immediately began to make plans for what we thought was within range of our financial possibility.  We later learned that she was the partner of the owner who was an investor who lived in Las Vegas. She was actually the builder.  A few days later when we finally reached him by phone, we learned the price of the individual lots kept changing and going up each time we thought we had settled on the few lots we might buy.  One of the lots was owned by the man who did the original surveying back in the mid 1970’s.  After going to the courthouse to find the man, we learned his widow now lived in Texas with married children.  We were able to locate her and purchase that first lot in August, 2010.  It had two large mounds on it and we named it “The Homestead” appropriately.  By late October we were able to arrange financing to buy 3 more lots that were connected to the Homestead, so now we had a total of 4 of the possible 23 lots for sale. As it was, the owner had raised enough money by selling those lots, and the 70 acres across the creek to meet his immediate need to pay off some debts after the housing crash of 2008, and he decided he could now wait until the housing market improved.  So it looked like we were at a dead end.

But as you read on, you will see how God’s plans are not necessarily what we see from our vantage point.  We could not imagine early in this experience how God would go about fulfilling his will through ordinary people like us, as instruments in His hands as he worked his wondrous ways.



Before we even had the paperwork finished on the first of the lots (1 ¾ acre), I received another of those unexpected, yet powerful directives from the Lord, that we were to “protect the whole hill”. That Heavenly charge laid the foundation for everything else that happened between 2010 to current (2019).

Now something greater than ourselves and of our primary goal was in store.  Instead of just being able to clean up a few acres of woods so people could come and enjoy the peace and serenity, a whole new story was being written.  Within just a few short months, we went from being jubilant that we could save a few mounds, to being overwhelmed at what God was asking of us. We were willing to obey, “line upon line, precept upon precept”, and I suspect the learning and discovering is still not over.

Little by little, over the course of the next few years, we were able to buy 16 lots or about 20 acres just North of Nauvoo about 2 miles, in order to care-take not just 10 large mounds, but literally dozens of burials that were discovered as the woods were cleaned up, in order to save them from a planned housing development. That simple statement is laced with years of intense planning, reshuffling finances, selling our home, trying to interest others to help us secure the property, misinformation as to who owned what, and what it would take to buy it.  Misunderstandings, lots of intrigue as to who was to blame and “who did it”, fighting with loggers, working with country and state officials, getting cemetery status, defeatist thinking that all was lost many times, arranging for loads of dirt and gravel, opening up spaces for parking, taking down dead trees, cutting and stacking firewood walking with a spray canister for hours up hill and down killing noxious weeds, getting Poison Ivy, insect bites, slivers and thorns in spite of long sleeves and gloves, intense heat and long hours between meals with aching backs and feet.  And I might add, just the two of us for the most part, with blessed periodic summer help from kids and grand-kids when they could make the trip from the west for a week or two. But it has all been so worth it, and we count ourselves most blessed, although there have been trials.

We have a solid relationship with the Mounds.  With all good relationships we stay true to the knowledge we have been given, stay committed and open-minded, and get up and go to work whether we feel like it or not.  And like other relationships, the love, devotion, hurts and thrills keep growing, and we know we are in it for the long haul.  Our prayers every day, as with all good causes are “God, please help us to make it better”  The Mounds, for their part are “steadfast and immovable”, and always greet us with a tender spirit each time we spend time in their presence, which is almost daily from Spring until Fall.  To us, and many others, it feels very much like being in the Sacred Grove, and we try hard to keep the area feeling pristine and away from the world so that others can come and feel that same peace.  With any relationship, there are so many payoffs. The months and years have gone by like a dream, with many rich friendships of like-minded people, Native American Ceremonies, uplifting church meetings, weekly temple attendance, new archaeology discoveries and for the most part, beautiful weather, and the ever-present spirit of Nauvoo.

As time went on, we were able to break through barriers of all manner.  We realized with acuteness that we were particularly suited to this calling and God had been grooming us through the years to answer this very call.  I could think of no one else who loved the outdoors and the almost torturous work it required, any more than me, and Wilson is not far behind in that passion.  I have been almost driven through the years on many other projects where we invested ourselves in bringing life back to the outside as well as the inside or older homes.  I had joked with my family that the reason I was sent to earth (other than to raise our family) was to destroy/pull weeds, and to beautify the earth.  I can spot a noxious weed from a distance, and seem to know what is out of place.  One day a few years ago I had an epiphany that “weeding” was not a joke. With my love of history, especially of the Church and the Book of Mormon, old things and beautifying the earth, it is no mistake that this was/is my calling.

We finally sold our Nauvoo home in 2013 after three years of trying, and we are in awe at how the timing worked out for us to pay off the 2^nd mortgage we took out so we could offer on the rest of the lots we felt we should secure.  That timing was far better than what we had planned and were able to buy the modular home on the river that backed up to the mounds hill.  What happened and will be written about was a culminating event, but since then even more has been revealed, and I suspect the Lord still has more surprises in store since the directive in 2010 was “protect the whole hill”.  As this story unfolds, our hope is that the reader senses the awe and wonder that God is so mindful of all of us, and he is sending his “love letters” to us in these last days, if we ask with faith, nothing wavering and endure to the end.  He wants to show us what has been hidden, it is time.  This hill and the whole area around it are sacred places for reasons that will be shown in this story.  Our part is not over until we have shared it with you, those of us who are searching, know that God will reveal these sacred places to us in His time if we stay humble and teachable, for that is what He is asking of us, to be humble, submissive and open.  Those who want to contend with each other will have their hearts closed.

As a sneak preview, I will tell you that in October 2010, we had the enjoyable experience of our first meeting with the Editor and Publisher of “Ancient American Magazine”, who came to Nauvoo to spend a few days with us.  During this time we explored the “Hopewell” burials that are on the property owned by the Community of Christ, notably those in the area of the Red Brick Store, and the Smith Cemetery, along with the 20 or more mounds that once existed within the town of Nauvoo, going north along Partridge St.,  back when the early Saints were here.  We also had an adventure exploring across the river near Montrose, Iowa, searching for evidence of the ancient city of Zarahemla.  As the discoveries and sacred places are revealed, my goal in writing at this time is to lift all of our testimonies of the Book of Mormon to a higher, holier ground, to show that God really does want us to know where it happened.  We are all inspired when we walk where the Prophet Joseph and early members of the Church lived.  The Church expends much effort and money to improve these sites for the “Strengthening of the Saints”.  We all long to walk where the Savior, Jesus Christ walked and gave His life for us, and so we dream about a trip to the Holy Land.  Likewise, it is not necessary to know where the Book of Mormon happened in order to know that it is true, but because of the Love our Heavenly Father has for us, He knows how thrilling it would be for us to walk where the Prophets and Christ walked here in America.  Experience through our eyes and my writing, the things that are right before us, waiting the right time to be shared and rejoiced in.  This really is the Promised Land, it is the Land of the New Jerusalem, the land of Liberty where the Gospel was restored and where our founding fathers fought and died for us and for this land to be free so the church would be restored and taken to the world.  No other Land fits all the prophecies.  And the Book of Mormon happened right here in United States of America.  I bear such a powerful testimony of that, and the evidence is all around us.

Proposed Book of Mormon Sites by Jenny & Wilson Curlee

Jennice and Wilson Curlee Caretakers of the Sacred Nauvoo Mounds

“The days that Sister Sandie was with us were filled with a variety of activities around Nauvoo, but mostly were centered on the mounds. One afternoon Wilson stayed home with the two dogs while Sandie and I went to the Community of Christ tour of the Joseph Smith home and Mansion House. While we were standing outside of the “Homestead” house next to the fence that enclosed the Smith family cemetery, the guide was saying that this was not the first time that the cemetery had been used as a burial ground; that many years before it was an Indian Burial Ground. Both of us looked at each other signaling what we had just picked up on. Later, having left the tour early, because Sandie said she had something on her mind, she told me that at the moment that the guide said that about it being an ancient burial ground, she heard a soft whisper saying “You’ve got to find us”. This certainly did add another dimension to our searching for answers. Either that afternoon or the next day I took her over to Susan’s house for introductions. As soon as Susan saw Sandie she said she had the vibrations that Sandie was “a Grandmother”, meaning in the Native American sense, as Susan also is one. They felt like kindred spirits. We talked about numerous things, as well as what had just happened at the Smith family cemetery. Sandie showed her the carved rock that she found in a field in North Dakota many years ago, and which she always carries with her. It was undoubtedly an anciently carved rock. We all bonded in a special way. On Saturday the 18th we took her back to St. Louis to the airport to return to Colorado Springs. We hope she can return next summer or fall. It was on one of these afternoons that Emma, my cat was killed by a car by our house, and as hard as it was on me, Sandie, Wilson and Susan’s company helped. It is hard to explain many shared memories, I just skim over it.

On Monday morning, Sept 20, 2010, Wilson [Curlee] took a bike ride around Nauvoo, which he often does before I am even fully awake. This time he rode over to the Community of Christ visitor’s center to ask Lach [*Lachlan McKay. See profile in blue text below], the director, where this one particular guide got her information about it being a burial ground for ancient American Indians. He shared with Wilson how in the early 1970’s, when they were re-building Joseph’s Red Brick Store, while digging a trench for spot light wiring, they hit some artifacts, which resulted in calling in the archaeologists who then unearthed more artifacts and bones, all carbon dated to the Hopewell civilization of at least 2000 years ago.. He also said the 1840’s map of Nauvoo has the legend showing ancient “tumuli” [Map Below] within the city of Nauvoo at that time. When Wilson got home he shared this information with me, and you would know for a certainty that I went right over to talk to Lach myself and to buy a copy of that map!! We talked for about an hour and he brought out two binders that were given to them from the University of Missouri that detailed the dig, sketching out the artifacts. He said most of the artifacts were still with the university, but that they held a real treasure in their vault, which was a Cardinal Platform Pipe, which was dated to middle woodland, or Hopewell era (100 BC to 400AD). He said the bones were sent off to the Archaeology museum in Kampsville, which is a very small village on the Illinois River, not far from Zelph’s mound. I found out by researching it that there are major archaeology digs around that area because of the high density of ancient mounds on the Illinois River, so Kampsville is a summer training place for students and they have a nice little museum there. So the very next day Wilson and I drove to Kampsville, enjoyed the trip and the museum, but they said “no, any bones would have been sent to the Chicago or the Springfield museum”. Now, many months later, we have talked to other archaeologists who say that those bones have been re-interred in Nauvoo.

*Lachlan Mackay is a member of the Council of Twelve Apostles, for the Community of Christ Church assigned to the Northeast USA Mission Field. He also serves as Historic Sites director and Church History and Sacred Story Ministries Team lead.

A native of Independence, Missouri, Lach received a bachelor of arts in economics and Russian arts studies from the University of Missouri-Columbia. He is active in the John Whitmer Historical Association; the Mormon History Association; and the Nauvoo, Illinois, Chamber of Commerce.

He co-authored A Time of Transition: The Kirtland Temple, 1838–1880. He was the winner of the John Whitmer Historical Association’s Best Article award for 1999. He also has published articles in Mormon Historical Studies, The Encyclopedia of Latter-day Saint History, The Journal of Mormon History, and Religion in Ohio: Profiles of Faith Communities.

Community of Christ has 250,000 members in more than 60 nations. The church’s mission is to “proclaim Jesus Christ and promote communities of joy, hope, love, and peace.” Community of Christ International Headquarters is located in Independence, Missouri.

Jennice Curlee continues, “I shared all of this information with Susan and Sandie and also Joe and Emily. In turn, Joe had filled Alan and Jane in on everything that was going on, so little by little our support network was growing. By now we had talked to Jared and James about it as well, and feel they are with us. Susan felt sure that we should call Wayne May and tell him of the new discoveries and that we had bought some of the mounds on the hill. Wayne is the Editor/Publisher of “Ancient American Magazine”. He had been here in the spring, and that is when Susan had met him, and had been up on the hill to see the mounds himself. He has been doing his own discoveries and seminars for most of his adult life. He is a convert to the church (as a young adult) and lives in Wisconsin. He was on hand to see a mound excavated when 7 years old, and was hooked. He has a gift for discerning the truth about who the Hopewell Indians were, long before he was a member. He says he has somehow always known it and it surprises him that other did not see and understand what he has naturally known. He writes books and compiles information for the rest of us to enjoy. He puts on wonderful lectures. Much of what was presented at Book of Mormon evidence conferences at that early date came from Wayne. When I called him to introduce myself, he was so down to earth and genuine that I was very comfortable talking to him. He [Wayne] took in everything I told him about the recent information we learned from Lach regarding the burial sites around the Red Brick Store, the tumuli on the old map [Pictured Below] and about us buying some mounds, with enthusiasm. He said, “I’m coming down in a couple of weeks, and we will have some fun!”

When I shared all this with Joe by phone, he got on the computer and while we were talking he pulled up a copy of the Nauvoo 1840’s Map and enlarged it to see the “tumuli” [Map Above] He also googled articles on the church and ancient mounds during the early saints time here, and had them forwarded to me in just a few minutes. Wow! Such great information. We live in such times that communication is instant! We then bought a second map for Joe, but had to wait until December to take it to him, as it is big. Wilson counted the “tumuli” on the map and then drew them on a “tourist’s map” of Nauvoo. [Map Below]

That map was made from a copy of the old map, and if looked at closely you could see the mounds drawn in the background of the copy. So he used that to draw them in and counted 20 of them, beginning at the corner of Mulholland and Partridge St., and running north to Carlos Street. They of course, are no longer there, and are covered up by the pavement and even the parking lot of the Church’s Visitor Center! Mystery! When/who took down the mounds? Again Joe did some research and sent us a page from the biography of Parley P. Pratt, which quotes him saying that upon his return from his 3 year mission in England, Nauvoo had changed dramatically, and the “hills had been leveled”.  Obviously to make room in the growing city to house more of the Saints moving there.

With the beautiful Month of October upon us, on Oct 6-9th, we took a side trip on our way to Dubuque, Iowa to see Vaughn, Christine and grandkids. We drove up the Illinois side of the Mississippi to see mound sites in Albany (pretty little river town) and in East Dubuque at Gramercy Park. While visiting with V & C, we went to “Mines of Spain” park which was very interesting, and which history I had never known before. There were also mounds there, but they were a mile hike off the road, so we didn’t see them. Then when we left we drove down the Iowa side of the river and went off the main road to see the Toolesboro mound site [Map Below] and there they told about some little known about and not very accessible mounds (56) known as the Malchow mounds. They are outside a very little town just north of Burlington (30 miles from Nauvoo). It was almost dark when we got there, and they were located up a very steep trail. At the top of the bluff was tall grass with no paths, but you could see them along the ridge. We plan to go back there in the summer and spend more time. But it was a lovely and well spent trip all around.

We were able to buy more lots that adjoined our original purchase yet that fall.   On October 14, we signed the papers to buy three adjoining lots,  one beside and  two in back of our first lot, the Homestead, but we had no immediate hope of buying more. In two days we would be learning so much more, with more to rejoice over.  I think the Lord knew we needed to pause and regroup to get a new perspective, but the year had already brought us more than we ever dreamed of when we first asked.” Jennice Curlee Nauvoo Mounds Owner

Indian mounds near Nauvoo are believed to be battle burial sites

By Mississippi Valley Publishing Alan Moberly Jun 3, 2019

Native Americans lived in the Nauvoo area for centuries. Illinois resident and American researcher and writer Janice K. Patterchak writes that from 10,000 BC to 8,000 BC, Paleo peoples roamed this area, briefly occupying small camps in coniferous forests and subsisting on large game and wild plants.

From 8,000 BC to 500 BC, archaic period peoples inhabited deciduous forests in small groups, hunted deer and small game, wove baskets, and ground seeds with stones. More recently, from 500 BC to 900 AD, she writes that woodland culture “Indians” developed maize agriculture, built villages and burial mounds, invented the bow and arrow for hunting, and began making pottery.

Some things these woodland culture people left behind are the Hopewell Burial Mounds. These mounds are part of the Hopewell culture which flourished from around 550BC to 400AD.

These mounds were first discovered in Ohio during the early 1800s on land owned by a Mr. Hopewell. The mounds that he found were the first to be excavated publicly by “archeologists” who documented their findings.

Early settlers in our country found mounds all over the East and Midwest, and often took them down for farming purposes.

Today mounds are found between the Gulf of Mexico and the Great Lakes, from the Atlantic Ocean to the Missouri River.

These mounds were built by the Woodland Culture people, who were part of the ancestors of today’s Native Americans.

Just like the ancient pyramids of Egypt or Peru, Hopewell mounds are in existence and visible along the Mississippi River just north of Nauvoo.

In 2005 Wilson and Jenny Curlee came to Nauvoo to purchase property so they could spend their retirement years in Nauvoo. They discovered Hopewell mounds near their property on Sycamore Haven Road.

Jenny Curlee was awed and told her husband Wilson, “I gotta take care of these!”

During the next few years, the Curlees purchased the adjoining property that contained some of the mounds. Since purchasing the land, the Curlees have worked hard to clear out brush and dead trees.

A local Boy Scout chose to help with the effort as his Eagle Scout Project. Many people, as well as representatives of the Standing Bear Council, came to assist.

A state archaeologist came to Nauvoo, identified the mounds as Hopewell Indian burial sites and placed protective archaeological signs around them.

According to Jenny Curlee the State of Illinois had certified the largest mounds back in the 1970s, but since they were on private property they did not have any other contact through the years, and they were not kept up or taken care of until the Curlees purchased the land and called the State ourselves to come and oversee how they were protecting them.

The State of Illinois then gave the Curlees official signs/markers to place throughout the area. They also helped them to apply for “cemetery status” so that the mounds would be further protected and exempt from real estate taxes.

The mounds are like “grave stone markers” that we use today. Hopewell people build mounds over their dead. It was a sacred place for them.

The Curlees continue to treat the mounds that way and hope to preserve this site for the future. Visitors are welcome to walk through the land and see the mounds located about 2 miles north of Nauvoo on Sycamore Haven Drive. Source:

Why Do Nauvoo’s Historic Burial Mounds Matter?

Meridian Magazine By Rosemary G. Palmer · June 9, 2013

On Memorial Day, which we recently observed, we honor those who died while serving in the U.S. military, and we often remember our own family members by visiting cemeteries and placing flowers on their graves. “The place where a man is buried is sacred to me,” the Prophet Joseph Smith said. Each cemetery forms a chapter in the history of our human past. What about burial sites from many years ago which have no visible markers and are hidden from view?

Centuries ago, the Hopewell culture flourished in central and eastern North America. Hopewell people lived and farmed along the Mississippi River, and many chose bluffs along the river to build earthen mounds to bury their dead. A group of these mounds is located along the Mississippi River north of Nauvoo. Some 40 years ago, many of the mounds were attacked by looters seeking artifacts. Later, the area became neglected, and brush, brambles, and dead trees concealed these burial spots.

Wilson Curlee in brush hiding a mound

Then, a few years ago Wilson and Jennice (Jenny) Curlee moved to Nauvoo and discovered the mounds. When they first walked into the area, “it was an overwhelming moment,” Jenny Curlee said. She felt they had stepped on sacred ground. “The first thing out of my mouth besides Wow’ was “I wish I could take care of them.” During the next few years, the Curlees purchased property that contained some of the mounds. “One is struck by the serenity and spirituality this place evokes,” Jenny Curlee said. “It is like being in another time and place.”

Jenny and Wilson felt compelled to preserve this chapter of the Hopewellian past by keeping the area pristine and making it a retreat for visitors who appreciate nature, tranquility, and those who lived and had been forgotten. Since purchasing the land, the Curlees have spent hours clearing out brush and dead trees. The prospect of restoring the mounds seemed overwhelming–until they met Joseph Petersen, a young man from Nauvoo looking for an Eagle Scout service project.

Joseph and the Curlees’ make plans

Eagle Project Proposal

Carrie Petersen, Joseph’s mother, said that Joseph’s journey began last fall when the former owner of the land mentioned to Joseph’s father the possibility of an Eagle Scout project. Joseph’s father suggested this to Joseph who contacted the Curlees and they agreed. “Throughout the years these sacred grounds have been pillaged and vandalized,” Joseph wrote in his project proposal. “To honor the deceased,” Joseph chose to restore several mounds to their original appearance by refilling them with dirt. He noted that the beneficiaries of this project would be Native Americans of the Standing Bear Council as well as the local and surrounding communities when the area becomes a public archaeological park.

Mound to be restored Tom Simpson Photo

Preparation for the Project

Before Joseph could submit his proposal to the Boy Scouts of America, the local Native American Council representatives needed to approve the project. A meeting was organized; and on October 26, 2012, the Curlees, several Native American Grandfathers and Grandmothers, Joseph’s family, and other guests met at the mounds site to join in a healing ceremony to restore harmony and balance to the land and mounds before Joseph began the restoration project.

Preparing for healing ceremony

During the last fall and winter, Native American men tutored Joseph and gave him instructions to complete his project. “In following these instructions, Joseph learned more about an ancient culture and was brought into a fellowship of something he had only heard about,” Jenny Curlee said.

In addition, Joseph needed to receive permission from the State of Illinois Historic Preservation Agency and Dawn Cobb, Human Skeletal Remains Protection Act Coordinator of the same agency. According to Dawn Cobb, “this Act protects from disturbance all graves, grave markers, and grave artifacts that are over 100 years old and not located in a registered cemetery.” Prehistoric burial mounds are both a cemetery and a grave marker, and the mounds on the Curlee’s property met the criteria.

The Day of the Project

At 10:00 a.m. on Easter weekend March 30, 2013, approximately 33 people met on the bluff near the mounds to assist Joseph Petersen with his Eagle project. Carrie Petersen “was in awe to see everyone who came and gave up their holiday Saturday morning to help.”

Tom Simpson Photography

With a cloudy sky and forecast of rain, “many prayers went up for us to accomplish the project before it rained, and that was exactly what happened,” Jenny Curlee said. “Wilson and I were the last ones off the hill when it started to rain.”

Ceremonial Protocol

Observing Native American protocol, the participants gathered in a circle for an opening ceremony and instructions before entering the project site. Susan Stanton of the Turtle Island Council and Monica Thompson of the Hummingbird Council drummed and led the group in the Cherokee morning song, a lyrical prayer which greets the new day with gratitude to the Creator.

Larry Cooper of the Standing Bear Council told of his personal history around Nauvoo and the many years he visited this mound group and hundreds more in the Mississippi River vicinity.

He honored Joseph and offered a prayer. Others in the circle spoke, and Joseph gave instructions. Jenny Curlee told the volunteers “not be surprised at what they might feel or learn, but be aware that they will have an experience meant just for them.”

Sage smudging before entering the site Tom Simpson Photo

Later, Carrie Petersen shared her impressions and said, “This has been no ordinary Eagle Scout project. From the beginning of the customary healing ritual after everyone was smudged with sage to cleanse came a peculiar and powerful spirit that was unexpected. We came to a revived awareness that the desire to restore and preserve Native American history and culture is similar to ours as members of the LDS Church. We feel a connection with those who once lived where we now live.”

Restoration of Two Mounds

Dawn Cobb from Springfield, Illinois, identified many mounds on the Curlee’s property “and nearly all of them were damaged decades ago when someone dug into the tops of them, most likely in search of prehistoric artifacts. Joseph Peterson’s Eagle project began the process of repairing damage to two of the mounds.”

Joseph and Scouts fill buckets Tom Simpson Photo

On the day of the project, the previous owners of the property used their heavy equipment to haul dirt to a location where volunteers could access it with wheelbarrows and buckets and carry it to the mounds. Joseph’s Native American tutors requested that the mounds be filled in by hand as they had originally been built. Joseph honored the tradition. Although he planned to repair several mounds that day, Joseph discovered how long it took to finish the first mound. Time would only permit the restoration of two mounds following these steps:
- Rake the mounds of leaves before placing ground fabric on the mounds.
- Lay the ground fabric according to state law to separate existing dirt from new dirt on the mounds.
- Fill the mounds with dirt using shovels, buckets, and wheelbarrows.
- Clear the area of tools and materials.
After the opening ceremony and smudging with sage, the volunteers headed to the project site. “We had to carry our tools, rakes, shovels, buckets, and wheelbarrows along the sides of the road, walking in the leaves because of the muddy ground from the recent snow melt and torn-up road,” Jenny Curlee said. “No one seemed to mind the mud or the chill as they focused on the higher reason they had come together. There was an air of excitement, of oneness of purpose and fellowship.”

Walking on muddy ground to the site Tom Simpson Photo

When the group reached the project site, volunteers first raked leaves off the mounds. Then Dawn Cobb taught them “how to install landscape fabric in the holes before backfilling them with clean fill.” She explained that “landscape fabric covers the old disturbance (the looter’s pit) as a visible separation between the mound and the new fill.”

After the fabric was in place, boys and men filled buckets with dirt and carried them up the sides of the mound to dump the dirt. “The teamwork was awe-inspiring,” Jenny Curlee said. “Dawn Cobb urged them to fill in just a little more here or a little more there.”

Putting dirt on the mound Tom Simpson Photo

At noon the volunteers took a lunch break with homemade chili, cookies, and Indian fry bread. After lunch they finished the first mound and started on the second one. When it was time to leave, the second mound still needed dirt to round the top, and the Curlees offered to finish it during the week. “No doubt all who picked up their shovels and other tools and buckets walked more slowly down the lane than when they came in,” Jenny Curlee said. “Tonight there will be aching backs and knees and probably deep sleep, but peace of mind and a sense of accomplishment.”

In Joseph’s final report he expressed gratitude that “everyone was willing to help. They were dressed properly, brought tools, and worked until the end of the project even though it was a holiday weekend.”

The Project’s Impact

What impact did this Eagle Scout project have on its participants?

Dawn Cobb from the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency said, “Joseph Peterson’s Eagle project has a greater depth of meaning because a variety of groups were interested in helping him succeed. Everyone had the same goal – to repair the damage and to right a wrong. His project began the healing process that these mounds and the community needed. I hope that other Scouts look to this project as an example of a community working together towards a positive goal.”

Eagle project volunteers Tom Simpson Photo

Joseph’s mother observed that “Scouts from Troop 110 learned something by the service they gave and hopefully will continue to reverence that place.” She reported that even though Joseph is normally shy, he always has been service-oriented. “This experience will continue to shape the way he views himself and his ability to accomplish something extraordinary.”

Jenny Curlee noticed that “Joseph’s face almost radiated, and he looked and acted like a leader. He seemed to have grown up since we first met him last fall at the onset of the Eagle project.” She added, “As for us, we felt the Spirit radiate through the trees, on the mounds, in the faces of all who came and shared. Many remarked to us how they felt something they had not known they would feel. It was far more than an Eagle Scout project; it was service to each other, to those who built these original mounds, and to God.”

As stewards of the land, the Curlees plan to repair other mounds. One they recently restored is “turnaround mound.” “And for the first time we can walk right up to it, and it is clean and visible,” Jenny said. “Before, it was covered with brambles, honeysuckle, and dead trees. Also the trail by the children’s mound’ is almost cleaned out and looking good.” After a wet Nauvoo spring, visitors to the site were amazed to see beautiful ferns growing prolifically on the tops of mounds and no other place in the area.

Mound with ferns growing on it

Besides restoring mounds on their property, the Curlees hoped to preserve the burial sites in the future. Before Joseph began his Eagle Scout project, Dawn Cobb and a state archaeologist came to Nauvoo, identified mounds, and placed protected archaeological signs by some of them. The Curlees also requested cemetery designation, and a week after the Eagle project, the State of Illinois granted the property cemetery designation.

President Gordon B. Hinckley said, “Each of us has a small field to cultivate. While so doing, we must never lose sight of the greater picture . . . Weave beautifully your small thread in the grand tapestry, the pattern for which was laid out for us by the God of Heaven.” (Ensign, Nov. 1989)

Thanks to the Curlees’ and Joseph Petersen’s small threads, Nauvoo’s diverse history is expanding for visitors to learn more about Nauvoo’s historic past. By keeping this area pristine, individuals and families can roam through the trees, appreciate nature, and contemplate the lives and history of those who built the earthen mounds and were forgotten but can be remembered again. Source:
April 13, 2024
How could Joseph “not know” the Actual Geography of the Nephites?

How could Joseph not know the actual location of the Nephites or its geography, as many Mesoamericanists say? I don’t think that was possible. I love believing Joseph Smith and not listening to many so-called scholars.

Wandering over the Plains of the Nephites by Ken Corbett

Joseph had at least 20 meetings with Moroni alone, you know. I’m confident Moroni showed Joseph the Nephites location. After all Joseph is quoted as saying while in Atlas, Illinois on the Mississippi River, “wandering over the plains of the Nephites, recounting occasionally the history of the Book of Mormon, roving over the mounds of that once beloved people of the Lord, picking up their skulls & their bones, as a proof of its divine authenticity…” Joseph Smith Papers Letter to Emma Smith, 4 June 1834 Page 56

John Clark an avid Mesoamericanist said, “One thing all readers share with Joseph is a partial understanding of the book’s complexities. Indeed, many things about the book were simply unknowable in 1830. Over the last sixty years, Hugh Nibley, John Sorenson, and other scholars have shown the Book of Mormon to be “truer” than Joseph Smith or any of his contemporaries could know. Consequently, what Joseph Smith knew and understood about the book ought to be research questions rather than presumptions. Thanks in large part to his critics, it is becoming clear that Joseph Smith did not fully understand the geography, scope, historical scale, literary form, or cultural content of the book.” See Jonathan Neville’s blog here for quote and details. https://www.bookofmormoncentralamerica.com/2021/06/the-worlds-of-joseph-smith-updated.html

President John Taylor said, “the principles which [Joseph Smith] had, placed him in communication with the Lord, and not only with the Lord, but with the ancient apostles and prophets; such men, for instance, as Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Noah, Adam, Seth, Enoch, and Jesus and the Father, and the apostles that lived on this continent as well as those who lived on the Asiatic continent. He seemed to be as familiar with these people as we are with one another” (in Journal of Discourses,21:94). Elder Orson Pratt of the Quorum of the Twelve added that Joseph Smith “often received visits from Nephi, Moroni, Peter, James, John (the beloved), John (the Baptist), Elijah, Moses, the three Nephites, etc. etc.”1

On at least twenty-two occasions, the former-day prophet Moroni came as a resurrected being to instruct, reprimand, or bless the latter-day prophet Joseph Smith.4

Elder Orson Pratt of the Quorum of the Twelve added that Joseph Smith “often received visits from Nephi, Moroni, Peter, James, John (the beloved), John (the Baptist), Elijah, Moses, the three Nephites, etc. etc.”1

The sources History of the Church and Journal of Discourses are abbreviated as HC and JD. The Prophet Joseph communicated with other messengers who previously had lived righteously on earth, but the precise nature of these visits is not known. These personages include Seth, Isaac, Jacob, and the Jewish and Nephite Apostles (see Journal of Discourses,21:94). In addition, Joseph Smith saw other angels in vision, some of whom are identified in recorded revelation (see, for example, D&C 107:53; compare History of the Church, 3:388).

April 8, 2024
Giant Skeletons of Ancient Illinois and Indiana

“And the brother of Jared being a large and mighty man, and a man highly favored of the Lord, Jared, his brother, said unto him: Cry unto the Lord, that he will not confound us that we may not understand our words.” Ether 1:34

“AND for a testimony that the things that they had said are true, they have brought twenty-four plates, which are filled with engravings, and they are of pure gold. And behold, also, they have brought breastplates, which are large, and they are of brass and of copper, and are perfectly sound.” Mosiah 8:9-10

Annotated Edition of the Book of Mormon by David Hocking and Rod Meldrum

Species of Extinct Giants whose Bones fill the Mounds of America

“Niagara Falls! By what mysterious power is it that millions and millions are drawn from all parts of the world to gaze upon Niagara Falls? There is no mystery about the thing itself. Every effect is just as any intelligent man, knowing the causes, would anticipate without seeing it… Yet this is really a very small part of that world’s wonder. Its power to excite reflection and emotion is its great charm. The geologist will demonstrate that the plunge, or fall, was once at Lake Ontario, and has worn it’s way back to its present position; he will ascertain how fast it is wearing down now, and so get a basis for determining how long it has been wearing back from Lake Ontario, and finally demonstrate by it that this world is at least fourteen thousand years old. A philosopher of a slightly different turn will say, ‘Niagara Falls is only the lip of the basin out of which pours all the surplus water which rains down on two or three hundred thousand square miles of the earth’s surface.’ He will estimate with approximate accuracy that five hundred thousand tons of water fall with their full weight a distance of a hundred feet each minute — thus exerting a force equal to the lifting of the same weight, through the same space, in the same time.

But still there is more. It calls up the indefinite past. When Columbus first sought this continent — when Christ suffered on the cross — when Moses led Israel through the Red Sea — nay, even when Adam first came from the hand of his Maker; then, as now, Niagara was roaring here. The eyes of the species of extinct giants whose bones fill the mounds of America have gazed on Niagara, as ours do now. Contemporary with the first race of men, and older than the first man, Niagara is strong and fresh to-day as ten thousand years ago. The Mammoth and Mastodon, so long dead that fragments of their monstrous bones alone testify that they ever lived, have gazed on Niagara — in that long, long, time never still for a single moment (never dried), never froze, never slept, never rested …” Abraham Lincoln (September 25, 1848)

Joseph Smith, Zelph’s Mound, and the Armies of Zion:
The Construction of American Indians from Archaeological Evidence in Illinois in the Nineteenth Century by Thomas J. Riley

“They crossed the river at what was called Phillips Ferry [Illinois] and camped there for a few days. It was here on the bluffs above the Illinois River about a mile downstream from Phillips Ferry that the first reported archaeological excavations on the lower Illinois River valley occurred on June 3, 1834 (Jelks 1984). This is a fascinating article by Kenneth Godfrey recently published in BYU Studies (1989) has collected seven of the known descriptions of the events that transpired there.

Zelph, a Man of God by Ken Corbett

The seven stories of the finding of Zelph differ significantly from one another, but the one that is the official ‘History of the Church” contains most of the details that are known of the excavation:

“Tuesday the 3rd during our travels we visited several of the mounds which had been thrown up by the ancient inhabitants of this country, and this morning I went up on a high mound near the river, accompanied by several. From this mound we could overlook the tops of the trees and view the prairie on each side of the river as far as our vision could extend and the scenery was truly delightful.

On the top of the mound were stones which presented the appearance of three alters, one above the other, according to ancient order and the remains were strewn over the surface of the ground. The brethren procured a shovel and a hoe, and removing the earth to a depth of about one foot discovered the skeleton of a man, almost entire, and between his ribs was the stone point of a LAMANITE arrow which evidently produced his death. Elder Burr Riggs retained the arrow. The contemplation of the scenery around us produced peculiar sensations in our bosoms and subsequently the vision of the past being opened to my understanding by the Spirit of the Almighty, I discovered that the person whose skeleton we had seen was a White Lamanite, a large thickset man and a man of God. His name was Zelph. He was a warrior and chief under the great ONANDAGUS who was known from the Eastern Sea to the Rocky mountains. The curse was taken from Zelph, or at least in part. One of his thighbones was broken by a stone flung from a sling, while in battle years before his death. He was killed in battle, by the arrow found among his ribs, during a great struggle with the Lamanites. Elder Woodruff carried the thigh bone to Clay County” (Smith 1902:78-80)

The excavation into the “Zelph Mound” was not an isolated case for the Mormons in the nineteenth century. They were surrounded in Ohio with the remains of Earthworks, mounds, circles, etc. On the trip to Zion, Godfrey (1989:31) notes, Joseph Smith wrote:

“The whole of our journey, in the midst of so large a company of social honest and sincere men, wandering over the plains of the NEPHITES, recounting occasionally the history of the Book of Mormon, roving over the mounds, of that once beloved people… and gazing upon a country the fertility, the splendor and the goodness so indescribable, all serves to pass away time unnoticed.” After the above ellipses in red, The author Thomas J. Riley left out the following, “of the Lord, picking up their skulls & their bones, as a proof of its divine authenticity…” Joseph Smith Papers Letter to Emma Smith, 4 June 1834 Page 56. [Most likely the author left that part out, as he didn’t want to tie Joseph’s words as truth or him as a Prophet?]

Riley continued, “Of the very early history of the region which now embraces Lake County but little can be written. The Mound Builders had occupied this area, but little written language or oral tradition is left to use as accounts. I did however find the following:

Excavations…have revealed the crumbling bones of a mighty race. Samuel Miller, who has resided in the county since 1835, is authority for the statement that one skeleton which he
assisted in unearthing was a trifle more than eight feet in length, the skull being correspondingly large, while many other skeletons measured at least seven feet…” (Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Lake County and edited by Newton Bateman, LL.D. and Paul Selby, A.M. (1902) https://ilarchsurv.org/Resources/Documents/ias_journal_index.pdf

Mounds at Dunleith, Illinois – Smithsonian Excavation No.5

“No. 5, the largest of the group was carefully examined. Two feet below the surface, near the apex, was a skeleton, doubtless an intrusive Indian burial… Near the original surface, 10 or 12 feet from the center, on the lower side, lying at full length on its back, was one of the largest skeletons discovered by the Bureau agents, the length as proved by actual measurement being between 7 and 8 feet. It was clearly traceable, but crumbled to pieces immediately after removal from the hard earth in which it was encased….

Pike County – Smithsonian Excavation

The other, situated on the point of a commanding bluff, was also conical in form, 50 feet in diameter and about 8 feet high. The outer layer consisted in sandy soil, 2 feet thick, filled with slightly decayed skeletons, probably Indians of intrusive burials. The earth of the main portion of this mound was a very fine yellowish sand which shoveled like ashes and was
everywhere, to a depth of 2 to 4 feet, as full of human skeletons as could be stowed away in it, even to two and three tiers. Among these were a number of bones not together as
skeletons, but mingled in confusion and probably from scaffolds or other localities. Excepting one, which was rather more than 7 feet long, these skeletons appeared to be of medium size and many of them much decayed…

Metal Coin

“At Lawn Ridge, 20 miles north of Peoria, Illinois, in August of 1870, three men were drilling an artesian well, when – from a depth of over a hundred feet – the pump brought up a small metal medallion to the surface. One of the workmen, Jacob W. Moffit, from Chillicothe, was the first to discover it in the drill residue. A noted scholar of the time, Professor Alexander Winchell, reported in his book Sparks From a Geologist’s Hammer, that he received from another eye-witness, W.H. Wilmot, a detailed statement, dated December 4, 1871, of the deposits and depths of materials made during the boring, and the position where the metal “coin” was uncovered. The stratification took this form: Soil – 3 feet; yellow clay – 17 feet; blueclay – 44 feet; dark vegetable matter – 4 feet; hard purplish clay – 18 feet; bright green clay – 8 feet; mottled clay – 18 feet; paleosol (ancient soils) – 2 feet; coin location; yellowish clay – 1 foot; sand, clay and water – 11 feet. The strange “coin-medallion” was composed of an unidentified copper alloy, about the size and thickness of a U.S. quarter of that period. It was remarkably uniform in thickness, round, and the edges appeared to have been cut. Researcher William E. Dubois, who presented his investigation of the medallion to the American Philosophical Society, was convinced that the object had in fact passed through a rolling mill, the edges showed “further evidence of the machine shop.” Despite its “modern characteristics”, however, Dubois plainly saw that, upon the object, “the tooth of time is plainly visible.”

Both sides of the medallion were marked with artwork and hieroglyphs, but these had not been metal engraved or stamped. Rather, the figures had somehow been etched in acid, to a remarkable degree of intricacy. One side showed the figure of a woman wearing a crown or headdress; her left arm i[ez-toc]s raised as if in benediction, and her right arm holds a small child, also crowned. The woman appears to be speaking. On the opposite side is another central figure, that looks like a crouching animal: it has long, pointed ears, large eyes and mouth, claw-like arms, and a long tail frayed at the very end. Below and to the left of it is another animal, which bears a strong resemblance to a horse. Around the outer edges of both sides of the coin are undecipherable glyphs – they are of very definite character, and show all the signs of a form of alphabetic writing..

As a sidelight, the enigmatic coin was not the only item that came from deep levels in Illinois. In 1851, in Whiteside County, another well-drilling bit brought up from a sand stratum 120 feet deep two copper artifacts: What appears to be a hook, and a ring. Their age is thought to be the same as that of the coin – about 150,000 years old.” 12th Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution 1890-1891 (published in 1894)

GIANTS OF INDIANA

“In 1879, some Indiana archaeologists dug into an ancient burial mound at Brewersville, Indiana, and unearthed a human skeleton that measured nine feet eight inches in length. A mica necklace still hung around the giant’s neck. The bones, which were stored in a grain mill, were swept away in the 1937 flood.

In 1925, several amateurs digging in an Indian mound at Walkerton, Indiana, eight skeletons were uncovered measuring in height from eight to almost nine feet. All eight giants had been buried in substantial copper armor.

Clay Township – John Stucky, Mr. Osborn and a few others were digging a grave on top of a mound near Siple’s and reaching the depth of about three feet came upon the remains of
three persons. The first was a huge being, the lower maxillary being large enough to pass over that of a living person, flesh and all. Mr. Stucky further said that the femur bone was several inches longer than that of an ordinary man.

Mrs. Alice Taylor recorded an interesting story of Pike County as follows: “My mother, Clarissa Brenton Laws’ grandfather was George Parker, who died at an early age in Pike County. He was buried in a cemetery on a knob about three miles below Petersburg Indiana. When they thought the grave was dug, one of the men sounded his pick down and it sounded hollow; so they dug some more and found a metal casket with a skeleton between eight and NINE FEET LONG, WITH RED HAIR AND TEETH FILLED WILL GOLD.. This was an account of a burial of the great grandfather of Mrs. Taylor and she was born in 1856. https://burlingtonnews.net/giants2.html

March 28, 2024
Joseph Smith’s Name for Good and Evil

Asael Smith

“It has been borne in upon my soul that one of my descendants will promulgate a work to revolutionize the world of religious faith.” Statement of Asael Smith before his grandson Joseph Smith was born (quoted in George Q. Cannon, Life of Joseph Smith, the Prophet [1986], 26).

The Prophet Joseph Smith wrote:

Joseph’s Personality by Clark Kelley Price

“My grandfather, Asael Smith, long ago predicted that there would be a prophet raised up in his family, and my grandmother was fully satisfied that it was fulfilled in me. My grandfather Asael died in East Stockholm, St. Lawrence county, New York, after having received the Book of Mormon, and read it nearly through; and he declared that I was the very Prophet that he had long known would come in his family” (In History of the Church, 2:443).

President Brigham Young said, “The Lord had his eye upon him, and upon his father, and upon his father’s father, and upon their progenitors clear back to Abraham, and from Abraham to the flood, from the flood to Enoch, and from Enoch to Adam. He has watched that family and that blood as it has circulated from its fountain to the birth of that man. He was foreordained in eternity to preside over this last dispensation” (in Journal of Discourses, 7:289–90).

For Good and Evil

Why is it that so many people in the world only know Joseph Smith as a fallen prophet, or a storyteller, or a money digger, or a fake, or a deceiver? It was all prophesied as you know.

Why is Joseph Smith’s name known among all nations and all people? He must be a very influential person. Think of the name of Adam, or Noah, Moses, Abraham, or Peter. They are also very important people who are known for good and evil among the entire planet. Why? Because the mission of Joseph Smith was to be the Prophet of the at Dispensation to cry a final repentance among the people of this earth’s final existence.

Joseph Smith said, “He called me by name, and said unto me that he was a messenger sent from the presence of God to me, and that his name was Moroni; that God had a work for me to do; and that my name should be had for good and evil among all nations, kindreds, and tongues, or that it should be both good and evil spoken of among all people.” Joseph Smith—History 1:33.

“How could a farm boy, largely without formal education, have dared to say such a thing? And yet it has all come to pass and will continue to increase as this restored gospel is taught across the world” (President Gordon B. Hinckley in Conference Report, Apr. 1998, 4; or Ensign, May 1998, 6).

Early Bird Tickets

John H. Groberg

I had the opportunity to serve my Mission in the Fiji, Suva Mission from 1975 to 1977. This included service in Fiji, Kiribati, formerly known as the Gilbert Islands, and Tuvalu, formerly known as the Ellice Islands. During this incredible time amongst the Children of Israel my testimony was strengthened. I also had the privledge of meeting Elder Groberg in 1976, as he visited our small mission. I then at the end of my mission in Nov 1977 left from Kiribati. and flew to Honolulu to receive my mission release from Elder Groberg who was a Regional Representative serving in Hawaii. I love this great man, Elder Groberg.

Testing the Prophesy

While serving a mission in Tonga [1953], Elder John H. Groberg of the Presidency of the Seventy decided to test that prophecy about the name of Joseph Smith.

“Elder Groberg and his companion sailed to the island of Tafahi, located about eight miles from their home island of Niuatoputapu. About 80 people lived on Tafahi. Like the people on Niuatoputapu, the people on Tafahi had no running water or electricity, but they were even more isolated from the outside world since they had no telegraph or scheduled boats.

When Elder Groberg visited, the island had only 18 homes, and the missionaries visited each one. He wrote: “At the last home, a strange thought occurred to me, ‘Why don’t you test the prophecy that the name of Joseph Smith should be known for good and evil throughout the world?’ I don’t know why the thought came, but it did.”

The missionaries asked the family if they had ever heard of the president of the United States. “Who’s he?” and “Where’s the United States?” was their response. Elder Groberg reported: “I tried to explain where it was, but they couldn’t understand. They asked how big an island it was. I replied that it was a very big island, thousands of miles away with millions of people living on it. I told them that many people there had never even seen the ocean and that many people didn’t know one another. They couldn’t comprehend that.”

He then asked if they had heard of Russia and France and their leaders; he asked about movie stars, sports figures, and world political leaders. They knew nothing of these places or people, nor of world events such as the Depression and the Korean War.

Elder Groberg recalled: “There was not a member of the Church living on this island, although there were two other churches there. I took a deep breath and said, ‘Have you ever heard of Joseph Smith?’”

“Immediately their faces lit up. Everyone looked at me, and the father said, ‘Don’t talk to us about that false prophet! Not in our home! We know all about him. Our minister has told us!’ I could hardly believe what I was hearing. The scripture … sounded in my mind that Joseph’s name should be had for good and evil among all nations. … To me this was a direct fulfillment of prophecy.

“I am convinced that you could hardly get a place more remote, more out of touch with modern civilization, than the little island of Tafahi. The people there knew nothing of the great leaders of the day—political, economic, or otherwise—but they knew the name Joseph Smith. In this case they knew it for ill, at least to begin with. I spent the next few days explaining more of the mission of the Prophet Joseph Smith, and before we left, a few of them knew his name for good” (In the Eye of the Storm [1993], 104–6). https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/presidents-of-the-church-teacher-manual-religion-345/joseph-smith-first-president-of-the-church?lang=eng

More About Groberg

“Groberg was born in Idaho Falls, Idaho, in 1934 and was reared there after the Great Depression. After a year at Brigham Young University, and shortly after the Korean War, he served a mission to Tonga.

After much difficulty in getting to Tonga with strikes, visa problems, and problems finding boats, he served briefly in Los Angeles, Samoa, and Fiji while waiting to get to Tonga. When he finally arrived in Tonga, his first assignment was on a remote isolated island called Niuatoputapu, which with neighboring Tafahi, was a place whose contact to the outside world was an occasional telegraph and visiting boat. On this Island he suffered mosquitoes, a typhoon, and starvation. He spent nearly a year there.

He then returned to more developed islands and served as a district president supervising smaller congregations called branches. The branches he dealt with lacked unity and morality. He had little contact with his mission president. He nearly drowned when pushed out of a boat during a major storm and suffered exhaustion many times. He was denied an extension so he could take a group of Latter-day Saint converts to the Hamilton New Zealand Temple. He flew home, and shortly after married Jean Sabin; together, they have had 11 children.

Groberg received his bachelor’s degree from BYU and an MBA from Indiana University. He was then involved in real estate in the Idaho Falls area. Groberg also served for five years as a bishop of a ward in Idaho Falls.

He returned to the islands of his mission ten years later as a mission president and, since his release as mission president, has been there many times as a regional representative. He is beloved by the people of that region.

With much coaxing, he wrote a book about his mission from his memoirs called In the Eye of the Storm. His missionary experiences in Tonga became the subject of the film The Other Side of Heaven (released by Disney, 2001) and the sequel The Other Side of Heaven 2 (2018).

John Groberg, center, with actors Christopher Gorham (right, as Groberg) and Joe Folau (left, as Feki)

In April 1976, Groberg was called to be a general authority of the Church of Jesus Christ. The changes he saw in Tonga from a missionary to church leader were documented in his book The Fire of Faith. He had other assignments besides Tonga as a general authority.” https://www.mormonwiki.com/John_H._Groberg

March 15, 2024
Puritans & Pilgrims- Same People?

In September 1620, a merchant ship called the Mayflower set sail from Plymouth, a port on the southern coast of England. Normally, the Mayflower’s cargo was wine and dry goods, but on this trip the ship carried passengers: 102 of them, all hoping to start a new life on the other side of the Atlantic. Nearly 40 of these passengers were Protestant Separatists—they called themselves “Saints”—who hoped to establish a new church in the so-called New World. Today, we often refer to the colonists who crossed the Atlantic on the Mayflower as “Pilgrims.” Source

We will show quotes below from some Founding Fathers who we know were Christians. Many progressives today claim most of these Fathers were Atheists’ or non-Christian. I don’t not believe that.

1619 Jamestown Virginia

The 1619 Project is an ongoing project developed by The New York Times Magazine in 2019 which “aims to reframe the country’s history by placing the consequences of slavery and the contributions of black Americans at the very center of [the United States’] national narrative. The project was timed for the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the first enslaved Africans in the Virginia colony in 1619, and suggests that this date represents the “nation’s birth year.” It is an interactive project directed by Nikole Hannah-Jones, a reporter for The New York Times, with contributions by the newspaper’s writers, including essays on the history of different aspects of contemporary American life which the authors believe have “roots in slavery and its aftermath…

Editors note: Today this radical theory of 1619 is being taught in our schools. It is much worse in the schools back east than in Utah, but it is making its way here as well. It may even be in High School teaching by now. Beware, it is another tool of Satan to change our history and turn the USA into a racist nation.

How Many Pilgrims Were on the Mayflower?

There were 46 pilgrims (Separatists) on board the Mayflower.

In addition to the pilgrims there were also 30 non-separatists, dozens of personal servants and 36 crewmen as well as two dogs and some farm animals.

Who Were the Mayflower Pilgrims?

The pilgrims on board the Mayflower were:

Isaac Allerton
Mary Allerton
Bartholomew Allerton
Remember Allerton
Mary Allerton
William Bradford
Dorothy Bradford
William Brewster
Mary Brewster
Love Brewster
Wrestling Brewster
John Carver
Catherine Carver
James Chilton
Mrs. James Chilton
Mary Chilton
Francis Cook
John Cook
John Crackstone
John Crackstone (son)
Moses Fletcher
Edward Fuller
Ann Fuller
Samuel Fuller (son)
Samuel Fuller
John Goodman
Digory Priest
Thomas Rogers
Joseph Rogers
Edward Tilley
Ann Tilley
John Tilley
Joan Tilley
Elizabeth Tilley
Thomas Tinker
Mrs. Thomas Tinker
Son of Thomas Tinker
John Turner
First son of John Turner
Second son of John Turner
William White
Susanna White
Resolved White
Thomas Williams
Edward Winslow
Elizabeth Winslow
See All Passengers Here including Puritans and other servants.

In late November, Susanna White also gave birth to a baby, Peregrine White, on board the Mayflower while it was anchored in Cape Cod Harbor.

Editor’s note: John Howland the famous pilgrim who fell off the Mayflower and was miraculously saved at sea, was not a Pilgrim Separatist, but a possible non-Separatist. He later married Elizabeth Tilley. Joseph Smith is a direct descendant of John and Elizabeth Howland through their oldest son named John. Emma Smith is a direct Descendant of John and Elizabeth Howland through their 2nd oldest daughter, Hope. I am a direct Descendant of John and Elizabeth Tilley through their oldest daughter, Desire. What a blessing to have this bloodline in my family.

John Howland (c. 1592 – February 23, 1673) accompanied the English Separatists and other passengers when they left England on the Mayflower to settle in Plymouth. He was an indentured servant and in later years an executive assistant and personal secretary to Governor John Carver.[1]

In 1620 he signed the Mayflower Compact and helped found the colony.[2] During his service to Governor Carver in 1621, Howland assisted in the making of a treaty with the Sachem Massasoit of the Wampanoag.[3] In 1626, he was a freeman and one of eight settlers who agreed to assume the colony’s debt to its investors in exchange for a monopoly on the fur trade.[4] He was elected deputy to the Plymouth General Court in 1641 and held the position until 1655, and again in 1658.[5] Wikipedia

Our Pilgrim Heroes

If you want to know about what is happening in these last days, I hope and pray you first of all know your history? Why is our Constitution being violated so much today? What does it mean that this is Satan’s world? What are we doing to make this a more peaceful and Christlike world? What is happening to our government today?

I want you to understand who settled this land we call America. The Pilgrims are the faithful saints who started it all. Not the Puritans who came over in 1630. Some Puritans may have helped but initially it was a small band of 46 who left Holland and then England to discover this great Promised Land at Plymouth. After only one year in America there only remained about 23 Pilgrims the rest suffering death.

Here are the most important questions!

What are we doing to spread the good news of the Book of Mormon to the world? Are we actively engaged in a good cause? Pres Nelson wants us to Gather Israel and share the Book of Mormon with all.

What is the difference between a Jew and a Gentile?
What is the difference between a Christian and a Muslim?
What is the difference between a Catholic and a Baptist?
What is the difference between a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and any other belief?
Do your Neighbors know the difference?

Let’s now understand the difference between a Puritan and a Pilgrim. It’s important. Cotton Mather, was an influential New England Puritan minister.

What’s the Difference Between Puritans and Pilgrims? by David Roos

Both sought a different religious practice than what the Church of England dictated, but they were otherwise distinct groups of people

Many Americans get the Pilgrims and the Puritans mixed up. Common thinking is: They were both groups of English religious reformers. They both landed in modern-day Massachusetts. And they were both stuffy sourpusses who wore black hats, squared collars and buckled shoes, right?

Well, maybe not the buckles.

To understand the biggest differences between the Pilgrims and the Puritans, one has to go back to the Protestant Reformation, which swept across Europe after Martin Luther (supposedly) nailed his “95 Theses” to the church door in 1517.

Thanks to the printing press, non-clergy had access to the Bible in their native languages for the first time. They began to question why the Roman Catholic worship services were so different than those of the primitive Christian church.

The Reformation was slower to arrive to the British Isles, but England had its own split from the Roman Catholic church in 1534 when King Henry VIII wanted a divorce and the Pope wouldn’t grant it. The newly created Church of England was similar to Catholicism in every way, except instead of the Pope carrying divine authority, it was the British Crown.

1620 Who Were the Pilgrims? Separatists!

Every British citizen was expected to attend the Church of England, and those who didn’t were punished by the state. One group of farmers in Northern England, known disparagingly as the Separatists, began to worship in secret, knowing full well that it was treasonous.

“Once they decided that the only way they could be true to their conscience was to leave the established church and secretly worship, they were hunted and persecuted, and many of them faced the loss of their homes and the loss of their livelihood,” says Donna Curtin, executive director of the Pilgrim Hall Museum in Plymouth, Massachusetts. “When it became impossible for them to continue in this way, they began to seek another place to live.”

Pilgrims Look to the New World

Pilgrim leader William Bradford, later the Governor of Plymouth Colony, reads the Mayflower Compact on board the Mayflower off the coast of what became known as Massachusetts. MPI/Getty Images. Separatists is the same a a Pilgrim

The Separatists first fled to the Netherlands, a wealthy maritime superpower that was far more religiously diverse and tolerant. But while life in Holland was peaceful, it wasn’t English, and the Separatists feared that their children were losing their native culture. They decided that the only way to live as true English Christians was to separate even further and establish their own colony in the New World.

Not all of the Separatists could make the cross-Atlantic journey, including their spiritual leader, Reverend John Robinson. Writing years later in Of Plymouth Plantation, William Bradford recounted the tearful farewell at the docks in Delftshaven, where a ship would take the Separatists to meet the Mayflower in London.

“So they left that goodly and pleasant city which had been their resting place near twelve years; but they knew they were pilgrims, and looked not much on those things, but lift up their eyes to the heavens, their dearest country, and quieted their spirits.”

Curtin points out that Bradford didn’t name his community “Pilgrims,” and wouldn’t have heard the term in his lifetime. The first usage of capital-P “Pilgrim” appeared around 1800, when a group of citizens in Plymouth proposed the creation of a Pilgrim Society to organize the annual celebration of the founding of the Plymouth Colony in 1620. Before 1800, the Separatists who landed at Plymouth Rock were known as the “first-comers” or “forefathers.”

The Pilgrims, led by Bradford, arrived in New England in December. Roughly half of the 102 passengers on the Mayflower died that first winter from starvation, exposure and disease. With the help of the native Wampanoag people, the Pilgrims learned to fish and farm their new lands, resulting in the famous feast of Thanksgiving attended by natives and new arrivals in 1621.

1630 Who Were the Puritans? Reformers!

The Puritans were members of a religious reform movement that arose within the Church of England in the late 16th century. Nawrocki/ClassicStock/Getty Images

So who, then, were the Puritans? While the Separatists believed that the only way to live according to Biblical precepts was to leave the Church of England entirely, the Puritans thought they could reform the church from within. Sometimes called non-separating Puritans, this less radical group shared a lot in common with the Separatists, particularly a form of worship and self-organization called “the congregational way.”

In a congregational church, there is no prayer book, no formal creeds or belief statements, and the head of the church isn’t a Pope or the King, but Jesus Christ as revealed in the scriptures. Sabbath worship doesn’t include sermons and preaching, but extemporaneous “testifying” by the Holy Spirit. As an organizing principle, congregational churches are bound together by a “covenant” and make decisions democratically, including the selection of religious leaders.

The biggest difference between the Separatists and the Puritans is that the Puritans believed they could live out the congregational way in their local churches without abandoning the larger Church of England.

“The Puritans said, ‘It’s completely acceptable that this ecclesiastical structure is above us, but we’re going to operate as a congregation in this biblical way,’” says Vicki Oman, associate director of group participation and learning at the historic Plimouth Plantation. “The Separatists said, ‘That’s baloney. We have to completely separate ourselves and have this congregational community separate from the state church.’”

This theological split between Separatists and non-separating Puritans had lasting consequences.

“Separatists end up on the outside of society,” says Oman. “Even if they’re educated, they end up with low-paying jobs. They leave for places like the Netherlands, where they’re also not financially successful. Meanwhile, the Puritans stay wealthy.”

Puritans Seek Land in America

The Puritans ultimately decided to journey to the New World, too, but not for the same reasons as the Separatists. The Puritans, who already had some money, saw a favorable investment opportunity by owning land in America. And somewhat paradoxically, the Puritans also believed that by being far away from England, they could create the ideal English church.

“[The Puritan leader] John Winthrop talks about creating a church that will be a light to the nations,” says Oman. “The Pilgrims never really expressed that desire.”

John Winthrop, who was a wealthy English Puritan lawyer of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, approaches a Narragansett warrior. Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group/Getty Images

When the Puritans settled the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1630, they arrived in 17 ships carrying more than 1,000 passengers. They came with money and resources and divinely ordained arrogance. Just 10 years later, the Massachusetts Bay Colony was a Puritan stronghold of 20,000, while humble Plymouth was home to just 2,600 Pilgrims. Plymouth was fully swallowed up by Mass Bay just a few decades later.

Because the Pilgrims and the Puritans share a similar backstory, their legacies often got blurred in the minds of later generations of Americans, and not always accidentally. Writing in 1820, Daniel Webster used the Pilgrims as nostalgic symbols of Manifest Destiny, which was more of a Puritan thing:

“Two thousand miles westward from the rock where their fathers landed, may now be found the sons of the Pilgrims … [cherishing the blessings] of wise institutions, of liberty, and religion.”

Sarah Crabtree, a historian at San Francisco State University, admits that she gets frustrated by the “slippage” between the Pilgrims and the Puritans.

“It contributes to the myth that ‘the first Thanksgiving’ and ‘religious freedom’ are part and parcel of America’s origin story,” writes Crabtree in an email. “The Puritans and their ‘City on a Hill’ explicitly rejected religious freedom and never attempted to adopt the Pilgrims’ initial, fleeting cooperation with American Indian peoples.”

What Did the Pilgrims Wear?

And those black hats and buckled shoes? That popular imagery of the Pilgrims was dreamed up in the late 19th- and early 20th century. Oman says that buckles were around in the 17th century, but weren’t Pilgrim fashion, and black dye would have been too expensive for the humble settlers. Only the wealthier Puritans may have worn black hats. Pilgrim clothing was likely very colorful, full of blues, greens and oranges.

“A lot of our mythology about the Pilgrims comes out of the early 20th century, when Americans were once again recreating their identity at a moment of great cultural upheaval,” says Curtin. “America was changing with the rise of manufacturing and the rise of immigration, when many new people were coming in to become Americans. ”BY DAVE ROOS

https://www.history.com/news/pilgrims-puritans-differences

Founding Fathers are Christians Source- Wallbuilders

Samuel Adams
Father of the American Revolution, Signer of the Declaration of Independence

“I . . . recommend my Soul to that Almighty Being who gave it, and my body I commit to the dust, relying upon the merits of Jesus Christ for a pardon of all my sins.” Will of Samuel Adams

Charles Carroll
Signer of the Declaration of Independence

“On the mercy of my Redeemer I rely for salvation and on His merits; not on the works I have done in obedience to His precepts.”

From an autographed letter in our possession written by Charles Carroll to Charles W. Wharton, Esq., on September 27, 1825, from Doughoragen, Maryland.

William Cushing
First Associate Justice Appointed by George Washington to the Supreme Court

“Sensible of my mortality, but being of sound mind, after recommending my soul to Almighty God through the merits of my Redeemer and my body to the earth . . .”

Will of William Cushing

John Dickinson
Signer of the Constitution

“Rendering thanks to my Creator for my existence and station among His works, for my birth in a country enlightened by the Gospel and enjoying freedom, and for all His other kindnesses, to Him I resign myself, humbly confiding in His goodness and in His mercy through Jesus Christ for the events of eternity.”

Will of John Dickinson

John Hancock
Signer of the Declaration of Independence

“I John Hancock, . . . being advanced in years and being of perfect mind and memory-thanks be given to God-therefore calling to mind the mortality of my body and knowing it is appointed for all men once to die [Hebrews 9:27], do make and ordain this my last will and testament…Principally and first of all, I give and recommend my soul into the hands of God that gave it: and my body I recommend to the earth . . . nothing doubting but at the general resurrection I shall receive the same again by the mercy and power of God. . .”

Will of John Hancock

Patrick Henry
Governor of Virginia, Patriot

“This is all the inheritance I can give to my dear family. The religion of Christ can give them one which will make them rich indeed.”

Will of Patrick Henry

John Jay
First Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court

“Unto Him who is the author and giver of all good, I render sincere and humble thanks for His manifold and unmerited blessings, and especially for our redemption and salvation by His beloved son. He has been pleased to bless me with excellent parents, with a virtuous wife, and with worthy children. His protection has companied me through many eventful years, faithfully employed in the service of my country; His providence has not only conducted me to this tranquil situation but also given me abundant reason to be contented and thankful. Blessed be His holy name!”

Will of John Jay

Daniel St. Thomas Jenifer
Signer of the Constitution

“In the name of God, Amen. I, Daniel of Saint Thomas Jenifer . . . of dispossing mind and memory, commend my soul to my blessed Redeemer. . .”

Will of Daniel St. Thomas Jenifer

Henry Knox
Revolutionary War General, Secretary of War

“First, I think it proper to express my unshaken opinion of the immortality of my soul or mind; and to dedicate and devote the same to the supreme head of the Universe – to that great and tremendous Jehovah, – Who created the universal frame of nature, worlds, and systems in number infinite . . . To this awfully sublime Being do I resign my spirit with unlimited confidence of His mercy and protection . . .”

Will of Henry Knox

John Langdon
Signer of the Constitution

“In the name of God, Amen. I, John Langdon, . . . considering the uncertainty of life and that it is appointed unto all men once to die [Hebrews 9:27], do make, ordain and publish this my last will and testament in manner following, that is to say-First: I commend my soul to the infinite mercies of God in Christ Jesus, the beloved Son of the Father, who died and rose again that He might be the Lord of the dead and of the living . . . professing to believe and hope in the joyful Scripture doctrine of a resurrection to eternal life . . .”

Will of John Langdon

John Morton
Signer of the Declaration of Independence

“With an awful reverence to the great Almighty God, Creator of all mankind, I, John Morton . . . being sick and weak in body but of sound mind and memory-thanks be given to Almighty God for the same, for all His mercies and favors-and considering the certainty of death and the uncertainty of the times thereof, do, for the settling of such temporal estate as it hath pleased God to bless me with in this life . . .”

Will of John Morton

Robert Treat Paine
Signer of the Declaration of Independence

“I desire to bless and praise the name of God most high for appointing me my birth in a land of Gospel Light where the glorious tidings of a Savior and of pardon and salvation through Him have been continually sounding in mine ears.”

Robert Treat Paine, The Papers of Robert Treat Paine, Stephen Riley and Edward Hanson, editors (Boston: Massachusetts Historical Society, 1992), Vol. I, p. 48, March/April, 1749.

“[W]hen I consider that this instrument contemplates my departure from this life and all earthly enjoyments and my entrance on another state of existence, I am constrained to express my adoration of the Supreme Being, the Author of my existence, in full belief of his providential goodness and his forgiving mercy revealed to the world through Jesus Christ, through whom I hope for never ending happiness in a future state, acknowledging with grateful remembrance the happiness I have enjoyed in my passage through a long life. . .”

Will of Robert Treat Paine

Charles Cotesworth Pinckney
Signer of the Constitution

“To the eternal, immutable, and only true God be all honor and glory, now and forever, Amen!. . .”

Will of Charles Cotesworth Pinckney

Rufus Putnam

Revolutionary War General, First Surveyor General of the United States

“[F]irst, I give my soul to a holy, sovereign God Who gave it in humble hope of a blessed immortality through the atonement and righteousness of Jesus Christ and the sanctifying grace of the Holy Spirit. My body I commit to the earth to be buried in a decent Christian manner. I fully believe that this body shall, by the mighty power of God, be raised to life at the last day; ‘for this corruptable (sic) must put on incorruption and this mortal must put on immortality.’ [I Corinthians 15:53]”

Will of Rufus Putnam

Benjamin Rush
Signer of the Declaration of Independence

“My only hope of salvation is in the infinite, transcendent love of God manifested to the world by the death of His Son upon the cross. Nothing but His blood will wash away my sins. I rely exclusively upon it. Come, Lord Jesus! Come quickly!”

Benjamin Rush, The Autobiography of Benjamin Rush, George Corner, editor (Princeton: Princeton University Press for the American Philosophical Society, 1948), p. 166, Travels Through Life, An Account of Sundry Incidents & Events in the Life of Benjamin Rush.

Roger Sherman
Signer of the Declaration of Independence, Signer of the Constitution

“I believe that there is one only living and true God, existing in three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. . . . that the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are a revelation from God. . . . that God did send His own Son to become man, die in the room and stead of sinners, and thus to lay a foundation for the offer of pardon and salvation to all mankind so as all may be saved who are willing to accept the Gospel offer.”

Lewis Henry Boutell, The Life of Roger Sherman (Chicago: A. C. McClurg and Company, 1896), pp. 272-273.

January 21, 2024
The Bravest Woman in Church History That You’ve Never Heard Of

Our friend, Brian Stutzman wrote the following article for LDS Living and several publications. Firm Foundation would like to acknowledge this wonderful story by sharing it with our readers.

Mr. Stutzman sent me an email saying, “I followed closely the approval by the city of Nauvoo for the new visitor center [Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints approved].

It will be on the west side of the temple just a bit north. Our building [Brian Stutzman] is on the block east of the temple. Right next door to where the Expositor building was!…

The building we bought is at 1279 Mulholland. It was the Knights of Columbus building and they just moved next door after they were gifted there new building. Ours is a 3-story building and we are making the upstairs a summer living quarters for us, the main floor a no charge summer museum, with the basement for storage.

We are hoping to have our building permit tomorrow night [Jan 16, 2024] if the city meets…they postponed last week’s meeting… and the weather is bitter cold right now out there… But regardless we have a new HVAC and other work ready to go.

Future Church Visitor Center in Nauvoo

We will see you [Firm Foundation] in the fall, and hope to see you in Nauvoo summer 2025 or after. Our focus will be telling the Martyrdom story. It is not being told in Nauvoo or Carthage. Such as the Expositor or the court case after, or my favorite the story of Eliza Graham [See article below], who was the 18 year old church member who was the waitress at the Warsaw House who served the mob who killed Joseph and Hyrum the night of the martyrdom. She testified against the 5 mob leaders the next year.

The Bravest Woman in Church History That You’ve Never Heard Of
by Brian Stutzman

“Eliza Jane Graham may be the bravest woman in church history that you have never heard of. Eliza, a member of the church, was just 19 years old when she became the star witness for the prosecution in the trial of those charged in the death of the Prophet Joseph Smith.

It all started when Eliza was a teenager. Her family joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and moved to Nauvoo, Illinois. Her aunt and uncle, Samuel and Ann Graham Fleming, not church members, moved to Warsaw, Illinois. Warsaw was a small but thriving city just 18 miles south of Nauvoo. Situated on the Mississippi River, Warsaw became the hotbed of anti-Mormon feelings in the 1840s. Warsaw Signal newspaper editor Thomas Sharp and others fanned the flames of hate and religious bigotry toward the church and especially its leaders.

The Flemings owned and operated the Fleming Inn, also known as the Warsaw House Hotel. It was a hotel, boarding house, restaurant, saloon, and livery completely with stables. It was at this Warsaw House Hotel that Eliza found employment as a waitress, working for her aunt and uncle. Although a faithful church member, Eliza had not broadcast her religious affiliation to those in town.

The Night To Always Be Remembered

Normal life came crashing to an end for Eliza on the night of June 27, 1844, when a mob, mostly from Warsaw, attacked the Carthage Jail and martyred the Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum Smith, the Patriarch. Earlier that day, a group of men, about 200, had left Warsaw and gone north toward Nauvoo. They had erroneously heard that Governor Ford had been kidnapped by church members and was awaiting rescue.

The Warsaw group, made up of two military detachments from Warsaw and one from nearby Green Plains, was greeted by a messenger from the governor as they approached a crossroads known as Golden’s Point, about halfway between Warsaw and Nauvoo. It was close to noon. The messenger ordered the Warsaw group to disassemble and return home.

But instead of immediately following the governor’s orders this group decided to discuss their next move. Some, such as the group’s doctor Charles Hay, advocated returning to Warsaw, which he and a few others did. However, Thomas Sharp and Levi Williams, a colonel in the militia from Green Plains, and others, urged the mob to re-direct to Carthage. They reminded the mob that not only did they not like Joseph Smith, but they also had political problems with Governor Ford. Because of this, some told the mob that if they went to Carthage and killed Joseph Smith, the church members in Nauvoo might be so enraged they might immediately kill Governor Ford, thereby potentially removing two enemies of the mob from Warsaw. After more debate, it was decided that the majority of the group would march on to Carthage.

Disguising themselves with mud and gunpowder, this group entered Carthage just after 5 pm. What followed is well known to church members: the cold-blooded murders of Joseph and Hyrum Smith. After this treachery was complete, a shout of “the Mormons are coming” was heard and the cowardly mob hastily returned to Warsaw.

Around 9pm, the mob began to return to Warsaw and went directly to the Warsaw House Hotel where Eliza Jane Graham was on duty in her waitress job. No one in town knew what had occurred in Carthage until Thomas Sharp, the first mob member to return, came into the restaurant and asked for a glass of water. Sharp waited at the Warsaw House Hotel’s restaurant until dozens of his co-conspirators joined him. Eventually, some 50-60 mob members gathered, ordered food and drink, and celebrated their wicked deed.

Eliza Jane Graham, just 18 years old at the time, listened in horror as different members of the group began describing what had happened. She gathered herself and paid close attention to what the various mob members were saying. She memorized where they sat, what they said, and how they said it. At the same time, her aunt, the proprietor of the Warsaw House, remained in the back kitchen cooking and preparing the requested meals. Her husband Samuel was in Boston on business.

As the evening got later and more alcohol was consumed, the group began to get louder and more boisterous. Jacob C. Davis and William Grover openly discussed the killing of the Smiths with Grover bragging that he had been the actual killer of “Old Joe.” Little did the crowd know that Eliza Graham was a church member and was taking mental notes of the various conversations. The boastful crowd finished dinner and the last of the group dispersed about 2am. A few, including Davis and Grover, retired upstairs to their rented rooms at the Warsaw House.

Almost immediately, Eliza left her employment and moved to Nauvoo to live with her parents. It was a traumatic time in Nauvoo as church members mourned the deaths of their prophet leader and the church’s patriarch. Governor Ford, horrified that his promise of safety given to the Smith brothers was not honored by the mobs and militias in the area, promised swift legal justice.

The Trial

A few months later, in October 1844, Eliza’s uncle Thomas Graham, a non-church member, was asked to sit on a Grand Jury that was convened in Carthage. The purpose of the Grand Jury was to see if there was enough evidence to warrant a trial be held on this matter. On Saturday, October 26, 1844, this Grand Jury decided to charge nine people for the crime committed in Carthage. These nine were Thomas Sharp, Levi Williams, William Grover, Jacob Davis, Mark Aldrich, John Wills, William Voras, John Allen, and William Gallaher.

Some of those who faced these charges were celebrated as heroes. For example, Gallaher and Voras were bought new suits by the residents of Green Plains. But others felt those charged were criminals, including Governor Ford, who wrote that the mob committed “mutiny and treachery.” Out of these nine that were charged, four fled the area, leaving only Sharp, Williams, Grover, Davis, and Aldrich to stand trial about seven months later. All of these five lived in Warsaw except for Levi Williams, who lived, as noted, in nearby Green Plains.

In regards to this case, the prosecutor acknowledged that it might never be known who actually pulled the trigger at Carthage. Therefore, the charge filed was not murder but rather “the conspiracy to commit murder.” Therefore, instead of seeking the actual murderers, the charge would instead be against community ringleaders and others who conspired to stir up the mob to commit the crimes. The charges, therefore, were brought against prominent men in the area who had influence enough to lead the crowd. Regarding this charge, Thomas Sharp clearly had the lead role in inciting anti-Mormon feelings and whipping the mob up to march on to Carthage on June 27, 1844.

Court cases were not regularly heard in this part of the country in the 1840s, but rather cases were heard twice a year in what was known as “Court Week.” For this case, Court Week began in Carthage in May 1845. Mormon leaders counseled their members not to attend, noting that not even Joseph Smith was safe in that town. The prosecution wanted Mormon leaders to come and testify, but the leaders avoided being served subpoenas as they realized the trial was likely to be a sham anyway. For good measure, however, the anti-Mormons posted a mob of nearly 1000 people outside Carthage in an effort to keep any Mormons or their friends from attending and possibly testifying.

The case was officially called “The People vs. Levi Williams,” and the courthouse was overflowing when the proceedings began. The audience was a rough crowd and many openly carried rifles and other weapons inside and around the courthouse.

The mob and their guns intimidated the judge and the prosecution. At the start of this trial, it was noted this was an important case where the lives of five men were at stake and the eyes of the nation were watching. The judge was Richard Young, an experienced and respected former member of the Illinois Supreme Court.

The attorney for the prosecution was Josiah Lamborn and the defendants were represented by Oliver H. Browning, Archibald Williams, and Calvin Warren, all of Quincy, and William Richardson of Rushville. Warren, ironically, had previously represented Joseph Smith several times. While attendance wasn’t kept, it is safe to say that many residents of Warsaw were at the trial to see the fate of their neighbors, friends, and militia leaders. In fact, the prosecutor publicly acknowledged that the crowd was anti-Mormon when, near the start of the trial, he told the jury that, “There are hundreds here I have no doubt who are ready to applaud you and rejoice with you if you should return a verdict of not guilty against these men.”

After the prosecution had called a few witnesses who didn’t give much testimony, they called on their star witness Eliza Graham. Mr. Lamborn had recently found and interviewed her and asked her to come to the trial. Even though Brigham Young and the other church members felt Carthage was unsafe and had decided not to be involved in the trial, Eliza went and testified. She was just 19 years old when she gave her testimony.

Once on the stand, Eliza recounted her experience the night of the crimes. She told of how she served those boasting of the murders. Attorney Lamborn asked Eliza to tell the jury what was said by those she served. She testified that someone said “he had killed Old Jo” but then another would insist that no, they had killed Smith. Eliza testified she heard William Grover say he had committed the murders. She said that all around the Warsaw House the men were bragging and rejoicing concerning their deeds. In her concluding remarks, Eliza testified that Sharp and Davis had said “we have finished the leading men of the Mormon Church.”

Eliza also testified she had often heard Thomas Sharp threatening to kill the Smiths. Sharp had even allegedly threatened this on the morning of the murders. Eliza held strong during cross-examination and that she only found out a week prior that she was to testify at this trial.

Her testimony was received with enough prejudice that the defense was able to convince the jury to discount it. Writing about Miss Graham some years later, former Warsaw resident and famous town son John Hay shared what is probably more of a community memoir, since he was only a child at the time of the trial. Concerning Graham, John Hay wrote, “The evidence of Miss Graham, delivered with all the impetuosity of her sex, was all that could be desired-and more too. She had assisted in feeding the hungry mob at the Warsaw House as they came straggling in from Carthage, and she should remember where every man sat, and what he said, and how he said it. Unfortunately, she remembered too much.”

Returning to the trial, the defense next had their turn. Near the end of their sixteen witnesses, the defense called on Eliza Graham’s aunt, Ann Fleming. Ann testified she had remembered a large group of men coming for dinner late on the night of the murders but none had mentioned the killing of the Smiths. Although she was in the back kitchen cooking, Ann testified she specifically did not see Sharp or Grover at her business that night. It was said that because Ann viewed the accused, as well as their friends and neighbors, as valuable customers whom she didn’t want to offend, she blatantly contradicted the testimony of her niece Eliza Graham.

On Friday, May 30, 1845, after six days of testimony, the court broke for lunch and the jury met to deliberate and decide their verdict. At 2pm that day the jury returned with a “Not Guilty” verdict. Very few were surprised. The Mormons had already figured they would never see a conviction in Carthage. The Nauvoo Neighbor newspaper did not even mention the trial. A second trial, one for the murder of Hyrum Smith, was never held because the prosecution failed to appear. When it was all over there were two murdered men, five known ringleaders, and no convictions.

In the public’s mind, at least for some, these acquittals exonerated those that stood trial for the crime. It allowed the five who stood trial not only to fit back into society free of any stigma and allowed them to excel in their professions, including being leaders in government. In the same article noted above, John Hay summarized that “there was not a man on the jury, in the court, in the county, that did not know the defendants had not done the murder. But it was not proven, and the verdict of NOT GUILTY was right in the law.” Sometime later, Thomas Sharp was asked if he had murdered Joseph Smith and he simply replied, “Well, the jury said not.”

Moving to Utah

Shortly after the trial, Eliza became a plural wife of John Pack, an illustrious pioneer and famous Mormon settler. While walking across the plains from Nauvoo to Salt Lake City, John Pack felt his wives’ dresses were too long and kicked up too much dust. Pack demanded that his wives cut their dresses so they would not kick up so much dust. Eliza refused. Angered, Pack took Eliza over his knee like a child and cut her dress shorter. When they arrived in Utah, she obtained a divorce.

Once settled in Utah, John Pack helped found the University of Utah. At the “This is the Place” monument outside of Salt Lake City, Utah, a cabin with some of John Pack’s items on display still stands.

After her divorce, Eliza then married Robert Porter and had five children. For a time they settled in Salt Lake. Feelings over the conflicting testimony at the trial in Carthage must have healed because the Flemings sold the Warsaw House and decided to move to California as part of the Gold Rush of 1849. During their move West, the Flemings went out of their way to pay a visit Eliza in Salt Lake City. Although Ann Fleming was partly responsible for the mob leader’s acquittal, she was treated respectfully and cordially on her visit to Utah.

Eliza and Robert eventually moved to Wyoming. They settled on a ranch about eighteen miles south of Evanston near Hillyard on the Bear River. Sadly, Eliza died during the childbirth of her daughter Sady. At the time of this birth, a group of Indians had trapped the family in their home. Because they feared these Indians, Eliza’s family was forced to bury her in an unmarked grave near their home.

Lessons Learned

Eliza Jane Graham stands as a hero in church history. She stood by her story of what she saw and heard in the most intimidating courtroom setting imaginable. And although she risked potential physical harm for showing up at the trial in Carthage, and suffered her courtroom testimony being belittled and discredited, and not believed, Eliza stood true. Perhaps more importantly, Eliza stayed true to her larger convictions of the truth of the restored Gospel. She died a faithful member of the church and her posterity has been blessed by her example and testimony.” Brian Stutzman

Edited June 22, 2024

THE INCREDIBLE ELIZA GRAHAM

Eliza Jane Graham may be the bravest woman in church history that you have never heard of. Eliza, a member of the church, was just nineteen years old when she became the star witness for the prosecution in the trial of those charged in the death of the prophet Joseph Smith.

It all started when Eliza was a teenager. Her family joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and moved to Nauvoo, Illinois. Her aunt and uncle, Samuel and Ann Graham Fleming, not church members, moved to Warsaw, Illinois. Warsaw was a small but thriving city just eighteen miles south of Nauvoo. Situated on the Mississippi River, Warsaw became the hotbed of anti-Mormon feelings in the 1840s. Warsaw Signal newspaper editor Thomas Sharp and others fanned the flames of hate and religious bigotry toward the church, especially its leaders.

The Flemings owned and operated the Fleming Inn, also known as the Warsaw House Hotel. It was a hotel, boarding house, restaurant, saloon, and livery complete with stables. It was at this Warsaw House Hotel that Eliza found employment as a waitress, working for her aunt and uncle. Although a faithful church member, Eliza had not broadcast her religious affiliation to those in town.

The Night To Always Be Remembered

Normal life came crashing to an end for Eliza on the night of June 27, 1844, when a mob, mostly from Warsaw, attacked the Carthage Jail and martyred the Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum Smith, the Patriarch of the Church. Earlier that day, a group of men, about 200, had left Warsaw and gone north toward Nauvoo. They had erroneously heard that Governor Ford had been kidnapped by church members and was awaiting rescue.

The Warsaw group, made up of two military detachments from Warsaw and one from nearby Green Plains, was greeted by a messenger from the governor as they approached a crossroads known as Golden’s Point, about halfway between Warsaw and Nauvoo. It was close to noon. The messenger ordered the Warsaw group to disassemble and return home.

But instead of immediately following the governor’s orders this group decided to discuss their next move. Some, such as the group’s doctor Charles Hay, advocated returning to Warsaw, which he and a few others did. However, Thomas Sharp and Levi Williams, a colonel in the militia from Green Plains, and others, urged the mob to re-direct to Carthage. They reminded the mob that not only did they not like Joseph Smith, but they also had political problems with Governor Ford. Because of this, some told the mob that if they went to Carthage and killed Joseph Smith, the church members in Nauvoo might be so enraged they might immediately kill Governor Ford, thereby potentially removing two enemies of the mob from Warsaw. After more debate, it was decided that the majority of the group would march on to Carthage.

Disguising themselves with mud and gunpowder, this group entered Carthage just after 5 P.M. What followed is well known to church members: the cold-blooded murders of Joseph and Hyrum Smith. After this treachery was complete, a shout of “the Mormons are coming” was heard and the cowardly mob hastily returned to Warsaw.

Around 7:45 P.M., the mob began to return to Warsaw and went directly to the Warsaw House Hotel where Eliza Jane Graham was on duty at her waitress job. No one in town knew what had occurred in Carthage until Thomas Sharp, the first mob member to return, came into the restaurant and asked for a glass of water. Sharp waited at the Warsaw House Hotel’s restaurant until dozens of his co-conspirators joined him. Eventually, some fifty-sixty mob members gathered, ordered food and drink, and celebrated their wicked deed.

Eliza Jane Graham, just eighteen years old at the time, listened in horror as different members of the group began describing what had happened. She gathered herself and paid close attention to what the various mob members were saying. She memorized where they sat, what they said, and how they said it. At the same time, her aunt, the proprietor of the Warsaw House, remained in the back kitchen cooking and preparing the requested meals. Her husband Samuel was in Boston on business.

As the hour got later and more alcohol was consumed, the group began to get louder and more boisterous. Jacob C. Davis and William Grover openly discussed the killing of the Smiths with Grover bragging that he had been the actual killer of “Old Joe.” Little did the crowd know that Eliza Graham was a church member and was taking mental notes of the various conversations. The boastful crowd finished dinner and the last of the group dispersed about 2 A. M. A few, including Davis and Grover, retired upstairs to their rented rooms at the Warsaw House.

Almost immediately, Eliza left her employment and moved to Nauvoo to live with her parents. It was a traumatic time in Nauvoo as church members mourned the deaths of their prophet and the church’s patriarch. Governor Ford, horrified that his promise of safety given to the Smith brothers was not honored by the mobs and militias in the area, promised swift legal justice.

The Trial

A few months later, in October 1844, Eliza’s uncle Thomas Graham, a non-church member, was asked to sit on a grand jury that was convened in Carthage. The purpose of the grand jury was to see if there was enough evidence to warrant a trial be held on this matter. On Saturday, October 26, 1844, this grand jury decided to charge nine people for the crime committed in Carthage. These nine were Thomas Sharp, Levi Williams, William Grover, Jacob Davis, Mark Aldrich, John Wills, William Voras, John Allen, and William Gallaher.

Some of those who faced these charges were celebrated as heroes. For example, the residents of Green Plains bought Gallaher and Voras new suits. But others felt those charged were criminals, including Governor Ford, who wrote that the mob committed “mutiny and treachery.” Out of these nine that were charged, four fled the area, leaving only Sharp, Williams, Grover, Davis, and Aldrich to stand trial about seven months later. All of these five lived in Warsaw except for Levi Williams, who lived, as noted, in nearby Green Plains.

In regards to this case, the prosecutor acknowledged that it might never be known who actually pulled the trigger at Carthage. Therefore, the charge filed was not murder but rather “the conspiracy to commit murder.” Therefore, instead of seeking the actual murderers, the charge would instead be against community ringleaders and others who conspired to stir up the mob to commit the crimes. The charges, therefore, were brought against prominent men in the area who had influence enough to lead the crowd. Regarding this charge, Thomas Sharp clearly had the lead role in inciting anti-Mormon feelings and whipping the mob up to march on to Carthage on June 27, 1844.

Court cases were not regularly heard in this part of the country in the 1840s, but rather cases were heard twice a year in what was known as “Court Week.” For this case, Court Week began in Carthage in May 1845. Mormon leaders counseled their members not to attend, noting that not even Joseph Smith was safe in that town. The prosecution wanted Mormon leaders to come and testify, but the leaders avoided being served subpoenas as they realized the trial was likely to be a sham anyway. For good measure, however, the anti-Mormons posted a mob of nearly 1000 people outside Carthage in an effort to keep any Mormons or their friends from attending and possibly testifying.

The case was officially called The People vs. Levi Williams, and the courthouse was overflowing when the proceedings began. The audience was a rough crowd and many openly carried rifles and other weapons inside and around the courthouse.

The mob and their guns intimidated the judge and the prosecution. At the start of this trial, it was noted this was an important case where the lives of five men were at stake and the eyes of the nation were watching. The judge was Richard Young, an experienced and respected former member of the Illinois Supreme Court.

The attorney for the prosecution was Josiah Lamborn and the defendants were represented by Orville H. Browning, Archibald Williams, and Calvin Warren, all of Quincy, and William Richardson of Rushville. Warren, ironically, had previously represented Joseph Smith several times. While attendance wasn’t kept, it is safe to say that many residents of Warsaw were at the trial to see the fate of their neighbors, friends, and militia leaders. In fact, the prosecutor publicly acknowledged that the crowd was anti-Mormon when, near the start of the trial, he told the jury that, “There are hundreds here I have no doubt who are ready to applaud you and rejoice with you if you should return a verdict of not guilty against these men.”

After the prosecution had called a few witnesses who didn’t give much testimony, they called on their star witness Eliza Graham. Mr. Lamborn had recently found and interviewed her and asked her to come to the trial. Even though Brigham Young and the other church members felt Carthage was unsafe and had decided not to be involved in the trial, Eliza went and testified. She was just 19 years old when she gave her testimony.

Once on the stand, Eliza recounted her experience the night of the crimes. She told of how she served those boasting of the murders. Attorney Lamborn asked Eliza to tell the jury what was said by those she served. Eliza recounted who sat where, what they said, and how they said it. She testified that someone said “he had killed Old Jo” but then another would insist that no, they had killed Smith. Eliza testified she heard William Grover say he had committed the murders. She said that all around the Warsaw House the men were bragging and rejoicing concerning their deeds. In her concluding remarks, Eliza testified that Sharp and Davis had said “We have finished the leading men of the Mormon Church.”

Eliza also testified she had often heard Thomas Sharp threatening to kill the Smiths. Sharp had even allegedly threatened this on the morning of the murders. Eliza held strong during cross-examination, despite the fact that she only found out a week prior that she was to testify at this trial.

Her testimony was received with enough prejudice that the defense was able to convince the jury to discount it. Writing about Miss Graham some years later, former Warsaw resident and famous town son John Hay shared what is probably more of a community memoir, since he was only a child at the time of the trial. Concerning Graham, John Hay wrote, “The evidence of Miss Graham, delivered with all the impetuosity of her sex, was all that could be desired-and more too. She had assisted in feeding the hungry mob at the Warsaw House as they came straggling in from Carthage, and she should remember where every man sat, and what he said, and how he said it. Unfortunately, she remembered too much.”

Returning to the trial, the defense next had their turn. Near the end of their sixteen witnesses, the defense called on Eliza Graham’s aunt, Ann Fleming. Ann testified she had remembered a large group of men coming for dinner late on the night of the murders but none had mentioned the killing of the Smiths. Although she was in the back kitchen cooking, Ann testified she specifically did not see Sharp or Grover at her business that night. It was said that because Ann viewed the accused, as well as their friends and neighbors, as valuable customers whom she didn’t want to offend, she blatantly contradicted the testimony of her niece Eliza Graham.

On Friday, May 30, 1845, after six days of testimony, the court broke for lunch and the jury met to deliberate and decide their verdict. At 2 PM that day the jury returned with a “Not Guilty” verdict. Very few were surprised. The trial was general thought of as a farce. The Mormons had already figured they would never see a conviction in Carthage. The Nauvoo Neighbor newspaper did not even mention the trial. A second trial, one for the murder of Hyrum Smith, was never held because the prosecution failed to appear. When it was all over there were two murdered men, five known ringleaders, and no convictions.

In the public’s mind, at least for some, these acquittals exonerated those who stood trial for the crime. It allowed the five who stood trial to fit back into society free of any stigma and allowed them to excel in their professions, including being leaders in government. In the same article noted above, John Hay summarized that “there was not a man on the jury, in the court, in the county, that did not know the defendants had not done the murder. But it was not proven, and the verdict of NOT GUILTY was right in the law.” Sometime later, Thomas Sharp was asked if he had murdered Joseph Smith and he simply replied, “Well, the jury said not.”

Moving to Utah

Shortly after the trial, Eliza became a plural wife of John Pack, an illustrious pioneer and famous Mormon settler. While walking across the plains from Nauvoo to Salt Lake City, John Pack felt his wives’ dresses were too long and kicked up too much dust. Pack demanded that his wives cut their dresses so they would not kick up so much dust. Eliza refused. Angered, Pack took Eliza over his knee like a child and cut her dress shorter. When they arrived in Utah, she obtained a divorce.

Once settled in Utah, John Pack helped found the University of Utah. At the “This is the Place” monument outside of Salt Lake City, Utah, a cabin with some of John Pack’s items on display still stands.

After her divorce, Eliza then married Robert Porter and had five children. For a time they settled in Salt Lake. Feelings over the conflicting testimony at the trial in Carthage must have healed because the Flemings sold the Warsaw House and decided to move to California as part of the Gold Rush of 1849. During their move West, the Flemings went out of their way to pay a visit to Eliza in Salt Lake City. Although Ann Fleming was partly responsible for the mob leader’s acquittal, she was treated respectfully and cordially on her visit to Utah.

Eliza and Robert eventually moved to Wyoming. They settled on a ranch about eighteen miles south of Evanston near Hillyard on the Bear River. Sadly, Eliza died during the childbirth of her daughter Sady. At the time of this birth, a group of Native Americans had trapped the family in their home. Because they feared these Indians, Eliza’s family was forced to bury her in an unmarked grave near their home.

Lessons Learned

Eliza Jane Graham stands as a hero in church history. She stood by her story of what she saw and heard in the most intimidating courtroom setting imaginable. And although she risked potential physical harm for showing up at the trial in Carthage, and suffered her courtroom testimony being belittled and discredited, and not believed, Eliza stood true. Perhaps more importantly, Eliza stayed true to her larger convictions of the truth of the restored Gospel. She died a faithful member of the church and her posterity has been blessed by her example and testimony.” By Brian Stutzman

January 15, 2024
Joseph of Old and Joseph Smith

“For some time before the birth of Joseph Smith, an interest in Egypt had been growing among Western cultures.[1] This was heightened and hastened by Napoleon’s invasion of Egypt, which took place just seven years before the birth of the Mormon prophet.[2] The reports and descriptions of Egypt and her wonders brought about renewed European contact with the land of the Nile and did much to curry curiosity and fascination with Egypt’s culture and wonders.[3] A slew of travelers published their adventures in and impressions of Egypt before and after Joseph Smith acquired his antiquities, adding fuel to the flame of interest in Egypt.[4] It was during Joseph Smith’s youth that Egyptian artifacts first started to flow into the United States, igniting greater attention to the ancient land.[5] As fascinating as Nile history and culture was, much of Egypt’s appeal to the Western mind, both before and immediately after the burst of academic inquiry that accompanied Napoleon’s invasion, was attached to the role Egypt played in the Bible.[6] This was at least partially because the study of Egypt was not yet on a sure academic footing.[7] For a variety of reasons, a great deal of the attention given to things Egyptian centered on Biblical associations.”[8] Joseph Smith’s Biblical View of Egypt Kerry Muhlestein

Does the Bible Speak of Joseph Smith?

I am sometimes asked if there is any evidence in the Bible that foretells the divine calling of the Prophet Joseph Smith. I usually reply that the only sure evidence of the Prophet Joseph Smith’s divine calling is a personal witness from the Holy Ghost. Still, there are many references to the Prophet in the Bible that confirm that testimony…

Joseph Makes Himself Known to His Brothers, by Gustave Doré (1866)

“…and the seer who would arise in the “latter days” and would be called “Joseph … after the name of his father” (JST, Gen. 50:31–33). This seer—obviously Joseph Smith, Jr.—was prophesied of in the original records of Moses. (See 1 Ne. 5:11–14.) Lehi quoted it when he found it on the plates of brass. (See 2 Ne. 3:6–21.)

It should not be surprising to find the Prophet Joseph spoken of in the scriptures. After all, Joseph Smith was called, ordained, and given the keys to begin what Peter called “the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began” (Acts 3:21), and what Paul described as “the dispensation of the fulness of times,” in which God would “gather together in one all things in Christ” (Eph. 1:10).

Joseph of Egypt Prophesies of Joseph Smith

It should not be surprising, either, that Joseph of Egypt, whose posterity was foreordained to take the gospel to all nations, would prophesy of his namesake who would become the great Prophet of the Restoration: (JST, Gen. 50:27, 30–31, 33.)

(See D&C 124:58; D&C 132:30–32; see also Gal. 3:27–29.)

Because many “plain and precious things” were lost from the Bible, it is probable that Ezekiel’s prophecy of the two “sticks” (see Ezek. 37:16–17) is but an echo of the patriarch Joseph’s earlier prophecy (see JST, Gen. 50:31)…

“Doctrine and Covenants 113 identifies the “Stem of Jesse” as the Lord Jesus Christ (D&C 113:1–2) and the “rod” as “a servant in the hands of Christ, who is partly a descendant of Jesse as well as of Ephraim, or of the house of Joseph, on whom there is laid much power” (D&C 113:3–4). The “root of Jesse,” verses 5 and 6 tell us, is “a descendant of Jesse, as well as of Joseph, unto whom rightly belongs the priesthood, and the keys of the kingdom, for an ensign, and for the gathering of my people in the last days.” [D&C 113:5–6]

It is possible that Joseph Smith is both the “rod” and the “root.”

Undoubtedly, the terms rod and root, like the term Elias, can be used to designate different people in different situations. Since they are symbols, the terms can also be applied to the same person. It is possible, therefore, that Joseph Smith is both the “rod” and the “root.”…

Elder Joseph Fielding Smith explained that “it is reasonable … that we one and all have come through a mixed relationship, and that the blood of Ephraim … could be in the veins of many of us, likewise the blood of others of the twelve tribes of Israel, and that none of us had come through the ages with clear exclusive descent from father to son through any one of the tribes.” (Answers to Gospel Questions, comp. Joseph Fielding Smith, Jr., 5 vols., Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1960, 3:63–64.)

Joseph Smith fulfills this prophecy of the “root” in two ways. First, the Lord told Joseph that the priesthood rightly belonged to him by lineage. (See D&C 86:8–10; see also Joseph Fielding Smith, comp., The Life of Joseph F. Smith, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1969, p. 34.) Second, Joseph was given the “keys of the kingdom” by a succession of heavenly messengers. (See D&C 13:1; D&C 27:5; D&C 110:11–13, 16; D&C 128:20–21.)”…

Joseph Smith’s Keys

Following the First Vision, Joseph received keys, power, and authority from a succession of heaven-sent messengers, and those keys and that power and authority have been passed on to his successors. Under that direction, millions of members of the Church, in many nations, receive the blessings of the fulness of the gospel through the divine power of the holy priesthood…

Elder Joseph Fielding Smith wrote, “If a person thinks the name of Joseph Smith ought to be found in the Bible spelled out in so many letters, he will search in vain.” (Answers to Gospel Questions, 3:6.)” Prophecies in the Bible about Joseph Smith By George A. Horton, Jr

Similarities between Joseph sold into Egypt and Joseph Smith

“Brother Joseph Fielding McConkie a professor of Ancient Scripture, at Brigham Young University) discusses many of the similarities between Joseph sold into Egypt and Joseph Smith and the seed of Joseph (tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh) in the last days. This is an informative discussion”. Bruce Satterfield

“Joseph’s life as a type or prophecy is not limited to the manner in which it portrays the life of Christ. We have already noticed that Moroni saw it as foreshadowing that of the New Jerusalem of the last days. In a discourse by the other Moroni of the Book of Mormon (the military commander in Alma), there is preserved for us a prophecy that Joseph’s father, Jacob, made shortly before his death. Having before him a remnant of Joseph’s coat, given to him by his sons when they declared Joseph lost, Jacob noticed that part of the remnant of that coat had decayed with the passing of years, while part of the coat’s remnant had been preserved. Seeing this, Jacob prophesied, “Even as this remnant of garment of my son hath been preserved, so shall a remnant of the seed of my son be preserved by the hand of God, and be taken unto himself, while the remainder of the seed of Joseph shall perish, even as the remnant of his garment” (Alma 46:24).

Moroni, in response to dissensions within his own nation, rent his coat and wrote upon it, making of it a memorial to God, their religion, their freedoms, and their families, and then fastened it upon the end of a pole. “He went forth among the people, waving the rent part of his garment in the air, that all might see the writing which he had written upon the rent part, and crying with a loud voice, saying: Behold, whosoever will maintain this title upon the land, let them come forth in the strength of the Lord, and enter into a covenant that they will maintain their rights, and their religion, that the Lord God may bless them” (Alma 46:19-20).

Responding to Moroni’s challenge, many came forth “rending their garments in token, or as a covenant, that they would not forsake the Lord their God,” and that they would not transgress his holy laws, nor would they be ashamed to take upon them the name of Christ, for should they do so, “the Lord should rend them even as they had rent their garments.” Those entering this covenant were reminded by Moroni that they were “a remnant of the seed of Joseph, whose coat was rent by his brethren into many pieces,” and that they must keep the commandments of God or their garments would be rent by their brethren and they “be cast into prison, or be sold, or be slain.” Rehearsing Jacob’s prophecy about the remnant of Joseph that would perish, Moroni, likening the prophecy unto his own people, said, “Who knoweth but what the remnant of the seed of Joseph, which shall perish as his garment, are those who have dissented from us? Yea, and even it shall be ourselves if we do not stand fast in the faith of Christ.” (Alma 46:21-27.)

Though we see the shadows of Jacob’s prophecy reaching far beyond the circumstances to which Moroni applied them, of greatest interest to the present work is that Book of Mormon and Bible prophets alike saw Joseph’s life as a prophetic type. In that same spirit, let it be suggested that its greatest significance to those of our day is as a marvelous foreshadowing of the life of Joseph Smith, his great labors and those of the tribe of Joseph, of which he effectually stands as the head in this the last dispensation. We know that Joseph of Egypt knew the Prophet Joseph Smith by the spirit of prophecy and revelation, that he described the work that Joseph Smith would do, that he named him by name, and declared that “he shall be like unto me” (2 Nephi 3:15).

Viewing the life of Joseph of Egypt as a type foretelling the destiny of his tribe in the last days as it centers in the experiences of Joseph Smith, the following parallels are suggested:

1. Because they have forsaken the true way, the older brothers (that is, the Christian churches) have lost the spiritual birthright. The great evidence of this is that the Lord no longer speaks to them.

2. The birthright is then given to the youthful Joseph (Joseph Smith and the tribe of Joseph). Evidencing this, the Lord speaks freely to both. The world has never known a more prolific prophet, one who has recorded more revelation, than the prophet Joseph Smith. The tribe of Joseph, as identified by revelation and found within the restored church, are a people familiar with the spirit of revelation.

3. Joseph (both Prophet and tribe) have been clothed in the same coat or robes of authority that Jacob gave his “most loved” son. Thus they go forth seeking others of the family of Israel to clothe in “robes of righteousness” (D&C 109:76) and to endow with “power from on high” (D&C 38:32).

4. The name Joseph is itself a prophecy of events of the last days. The etymology of the name is usually given as “the Lord addeth” or “increaser.” Though appropriate, such renderings have veiled a richer meaning. In the Bible account wherein Rachel names her infant son Joseph the Hebrew text reads Asaph, which means “he who gathers,” “he who causes to return,” or perhaps most appropriately “God gathereth” (Genesis 30:24; see also the footnote to the LDS edition). No more appropriate name could be given to the prophet of the restoration or to the tribe destined to do the work of the gathering than the name of their ancient father who gathered his family in Egypt.

5. Like their ancient father, Joseph Smith and the tribe of Joseph have had their destiny revealed to them. The dream of the “sheaves in the field,” or Joseph’s dream of earthly dominion, is matched by the promise given to Joseph of the latter days wherein the Lord has said, “I hold forth and deign to give unto you greater riches, even a land of promise, a land flowing with milk and honey, upon which there shall be no curse when the Lord cometh; And I will give it unto you for the land of your inheritance, if you seek it with all your hearts” (D&C 38:18-19). Joseph’s dream of heavenly dominion, that of the sun, the moon, and the stars, finds fulfillment only in the sealing powers of the priesthood. Jacob interpreted Joseph’s dream as having reference to himself (the sun), Rachel (the moon), and Joseph’s brothers (the stars) bowing down to Joseph (Genesis 37:10). The unanswerable difficulty that this presented to Bible interpreters is that Rachel had died many years before, while giving birth to Benjamin. The context of promises associated with the sealing power and the assurance given Joseph Smith that the keys and authority he held would never be taken from him in this life or “in the world to come” (D&C 90:3) give meaning to Jacob’s interpretation. The promise of the continuation of the family and eternal dominions are granted alike to the faithful of all ages.

6. Joseph Smith in his youthful innocence also shared his visionary promises with his “Christian” brothers, only to be severely rebuked. He recounts: “Some few days after I had this vision, I happened to be in company with one of the Methodist preachers, who was very active in the before mentioned religious excitement; and, conversing with him on the subject of religion, I took occasion to give him an account of the vision which I had had. I was greatly surprised at his behavior; he treated my communication not only lightly, but with great contempt, saying it was all of the devil, that there were no such things as visions or revelations in these days; that all such things had ceased with the apostles, and that there would never be any more of them.” (JS-H 1:21.) The Joseph Smith story itself appears to be a type or pattern, the individual experiences of Joseph Smith being but representative of the composite experience of the body of the Church. The rejection in this instance of Joseph’s vision typifies the greater rejection by the churches of the world of the testimony of Joseph Smith and the principle of revelation.

7. The thought that Joseph had some promised destiny that was not theirs caused Joseph’s brothers anciently to “hate him yet the more.” Again our story contains the type or pattern: “I soon found,” Joseph Smith said, “that my telling the story had excited a great deal of prejudice against me among professors of religion, and was the cause of great persecution, which continued to increase; and though I was an obscure boy, only between fourteen and fifteen years of age, and my circumstances in life such as to make a boy of no consequence in the world, yet men of high standing would take notice sufficient to excite the public mind against me, and create a bitter persecution; and this was common among all the sects-all united to persecute me” (JS-H 1:22). The popular Jewish author Elie Wiesel in writing of the life of Joseph of Egypt observed: “He aroused hate or love, fear or admiration. Never indifference. Some sought him out, while others avoided him, but nobody failed to notice him. Nobody failed to take stand for or against him.” (Wiesel, Elie. Messengers of God, Biblical Portraits and Legends. New York: Random House, 1976., p. 129.) How striking it is that the testimony of both Josephs evoked such reaction! Surely such announcements from obscure boys should have been passed off as youthful prattle, resulting in amusement or perhaps sympathy, but not a murderous hatred. It is truth that kindles the wrath of hell today as it did anciently. Had the Spirit of the Lord found place in the hearts of Joseph’s brothers either anciently or in modern times it would have caused rejoicing at the prospect of a divinely appointed leader. Had the brothers disbelieved the prophecies, they certainly had no cause for concern. Their very bitterness in both instances evidenced the truth of the testimony borne. Joseph’s brothers were often quarrelsome, envious, and resentful. One matter alone seems to have united them: that of persecuting their younger brother. Such is the type, and so we find Joseph Smith declaring of his “Christian” brothers, “all united to persecute me,” this being but the pattern of a quarrelsome world of churches that can agree upon nothing but to oppose Mormonism.

8. It is of interest that the promise of future destiny was given to Joseph of Egypt when he was seventeen years of age (Genesis 37:2). Similarly, it was when Joseph Smith was seventeen that Moroni appeared to him and unfolded the great destiny that was his and many passages of scripture promising the restoration of Israel in the last days (JS-H 1:33-41).

9. As Joseph’s brothers anciently found it impossible to speak “peaceably unto him,” so we of the last days can anticipate an endless parade of anti-Mormon literature.

10. Such emotions as noted above constituted the setting in which Joseph of old was sent as a special messenger of his father to his brothers, and such is the setting in which Joseph Smith and his followers are sent as messengers to all the world in the name of the Father.

11. Joseph Smith, like his ancient prototype, obediently responded to the call, knowing full well of his brothers’ bitterness toward him. 12. Joseph’s brothers, seeing him coming, plotted to betray him. So we find Joseph Smith martyred by those in whom he should have been able to trust, a mob that had in its number leaders of the Christian churches and some who had once been his brothers in the faith of the restored gospel.

13. As Potiphar’s wife accused Joseph of her own sins that she might have him cast into prison, so Joseph Smith was accused of the crimes of his enemies who had him cast into prison.

14. “The keeper of the prison” anciently “committed to Joseph’s hand all the prisoners that were in the prison” (Genesis 39:22). And so were “committed to Joseph’s hand all the prisoners” in the spirit world. As he stands at the head of this dispensation of the gospel on earth, so he stands at its head in the spirit prison.

15. As Joseph was sold into Egypt, so Joseph (the Church in the last days) was forced into the bondage of a desert, where it was assumed that it would perish. As this happened to Joseph when he was seventeen, so it happened to the Church in 1847, or in its seventeenth year.

16. As Joseph interpreted the dreams of those in prison anciently, so Joseph Smith by the power of that same spirit has been able to interpret revelations given to others (the Bible, the papyrus of Abraham, and so on) in our day. Anciently Joseph was granted the title or name Zaphnath-paaneah, “revealer of that which is hidden,” as today Joseph Smith is testified of in all the world as a prophet, seer, and revelator. And as Joseph of Egypt prophesied good to one and evil to another, so Joseph Smith has promised blessings to the obedient and sorrow to those rejecting the message of the restored gospel.

17. To the hungry, Pharaoh, lord of Egypt, said, “Go unto Joseph” (Genesis 41:55). As Joseph was the only source of bread to a starving world, so Joseph Smith, to whom the truths and authority of salvation have been revealed, becomes the only source of the bread of life to a world perishing for want of the truth.

18. As Joseph of Egypt was lifted up and sustained by a foreign power, thus enabling him to restore his family, so Joseph of the last days has been lifted up by a great Gentile nation and granted the power to again restore Israel.

19. Joseph’s brothers, the ten tribes, will yet come to him (the Church) seeking the bread of everlasting life (D&C 133:26-32). As Joseph of old was a temporal savior to Israel, Joseph (the Church or the tribes of Joseph) will now be recognized as the source of salvation by gathering Israel, who will bow the knee and acknowledge their younger brother.

20. As Joseph opened his arms and granted his wealth to his family anciently, so will Joseph of the last days receive his brothers as once again the family of Israel will be united.

21. As the whole nation of Egypt was blessed anciently because of Joseph, so the United States and all nations of the earth will be blessed because of the labors of the latter-day Joseph.

22. As Joseph saved his family anciently, so Joseph of the last days will be a savior to Israel (D&C 86:11). As the Lord said to Jacob who was nearly blind, “Joseph shall put his hand upon thine eyes” (Genesis 46:4), so he has said to Israel of the last days: “For his word ye shall receive, as if from mine own mouth, in all patience and faith. For by doing these things the gates of hell shall not prevail against you; yea, and the Lord God will disperse the powers of darkness from before you, and cause the heavens to shake for your good, and his name’s glory.” (D&C 21:5-6.) By Bruce Satterfield B.S. in Archaeology; M.S. in Archaeology; M.A. in Ancient Near Eastern Studies; Ph.D Quoting Joseph Smith McConkie

January 14, 2024