I would like to first point out that I believe the Book of Mormon, land of first inheritance was most likely Florida. From there, the Nephites likely migrated to Tennessee, Missouri, Illinois, Ohio and ended up in New York at the one and only Hill Cumorah. This follows the nearly exact historical pattern of the Hopewell Culture which existed from 550 BC to 400 AD, just as the Nephite culture. To me that is a definite HUGE clue!
Hinterlands
The Hinterlands would be described as anywhere outside of the initial areas where Nephites did not initially live. This includes west of the Mississippi in the United States, up to Alaska and down to Central and South America. After 400 AD through migration, intermarriage and the slave trade many Nephites and Lamanites moved all over the Americas. Yes some Nephites existed after the final battles. Some may not have joined the last battle, some may have sailed to Europe and many went west and south into South America.
“Country Southward”
The scriptures say, “And it came to pass that there were ten more who did fall by the sword, with their ten thousand each; yea, even all my people, save it were those twenty and four who were with me, and also a few who had escaped into the south countries, and a few who had deserted over unto the Lamanites. Mormon 6:15.
“And now it came to pass that after the great and tremendous battle at Cumorah, behold, the Nephites who had escaped into the country southward were hunted by the Lamanites until they were all destroyed.” Mormon 8:2
“The question of where the Book of Mormon took place is of great interest to most latter-day saints. Yet confusion has reigned, with over 150 proposed geographies ranging in scale from the entire western hemisphere to that of a small country. Over the past several years the Heartland theory has challenged the Mesoamerica theories as the most widely accepted.
While the Heartland geography model has demonstrated its ability to resolve almost every Book of Mormon textual, prophetic and scientific question regarding its authenticity, questions resulting from temple dedicatory prayers and prophetic utterances regarding Lamanite connections with the peoples of Central America continue to hold some to the Mesoamerican ideas – despite overwhelming evidence in support of the Heartland geography.
Mesoamerica archaeologist Mark Alan Wright(See His Article Here and make up your own mind) made a good-faith attempt to reconcile the two dominant theories in an article wherein he proposed a synthesis between the two models by having the main, or core population of the Nephites centered in Mesoamerica, with some small Nephite migrations resulted in forming a periphery people in the north. Thus, acknowledging Joseph Smith’s revelatory statements, such as Zelph, his letter to Emma and the altar at Adam-ondi-Ahman, that Nephites were in America’s Heartland.
Good Faith Attempt
Building on Brother Wright’s reconciliatory efforts, it became clear that a synthesis of both models could be attained simply by flipping his idea. Instead of the core Nephite lands being in Mesoamerica with a peripheral population migrating into North America, what if it was found that it was reversed? Suddenly everything works!
Join Book of Mormon scholar and best-selling author Rod Meldrum as he lays out a deeper understanding of not only where the Book of Mormon took place, but how the Mesoamerican peoples fit into what happened on in North America between the end of the Nephite civilization and the arrival of the European colonists. The story is absolutely fascinating!” Rod Meldrum
Mormon could not “write the hundredth part” of the events of his people. For this reason we have the record of the Nephites from Mormon’s abridgement, but we don’t have the written record of those who lived in the periphery or “Hinterland.” See Words of Mormon 1:5, Ether 15:33, Isaiah 18:1 “Isaiah 18:1 tells us that the promised land, where the ensign on the mountains would be lifted up, was “beyond the rivers of Ethiopia,” which means beyond the waters of Africa. Nephi knew he would have to sail around Africa.” Moroni’s America Chapter 10 footnote 79 “FOR DECADES, I BELIEVED THE BOOK OF MORMON TOOK PLACE in Central America (specifically, Mesoamerica). I read books and articles written by LDS scholars, visited sites in Mesoamerica, attended lectures, engaged online and in person—let’s say I studied the issue in depth. I know the evidence and can recite the arguments backwards and forwards. But now I’m convinced everything happened in North America.” Moroni’s America Jonathan Neville The Lost City of Zarahemla
Zarahemla-Montrose Iowa
“For the [North] American setting, Section 125:3 is a key to locating Zarahemla. “Let them build up a city unto my name upon the land opposite the city of Nauvoo, and let the name of Zarahemla be named upon it.” Section 125 was the first mention of the name Zarahemla in connection with the Iowa development. Some commentators have argued that this area of Iowa had been called Zarahemla prior to March 1841, the date Joseph received the revelation, but all such references were added retroactively (and after Joseph died) by historians and compilers by way of explanation. With the Iowa Zarahemla as the axis mundi, the American setting has Lehi landing in the Florida panhandle, the Land of Nephi in the mountains of Tennessee, Bountiful in Indiana and Ohio, Zarahemla in Iowa, the Sidon River comprising the river system that includes the Missouri and Ohio Rivers plus the Upper Mississippi, with the West Sea South being the lower Mississippi, the West Sea North being Lake Michigan, the narrow neck being the Niagara Peninsula, and Cumorah in New York, outside of Palmyra—where Joseph Smith found the plates. Essentially, this is the United States from 1838 to 1842, including states and territories.” Moroni’s America page 327 (Emphasis added)
Defining Hinterlands
“Hinterlands is defined here as meaning the unknown area of North and South America that are not within the scope of the writings of the Book of Mormon. In other words, since we believe main events of the Book of Mormon happened in a limited area of North America around the Great Lakes in the east, and Ohio, Indiana, Iowa and Missouri to the west, and south in Tennessee, West Virginia, Georgia, and Florida, all other areas will be discussed as “The Hinterlands”. We propose that Mesoamerica is the Hinterlands along with many other areas of the continent. As Mormon has said, “…I shall take from the plates of Nephi; and I cannot write the hundredth part of the things of my people (Words of Mormon 1:5). There are many people in South and Central America that are Lamanites and part of the Hinterlands.” Jonathan Neville In other words, if the Book of Mormon events took place in Mesoamerica, then every other area would be the “Hinterlands” where other Lamanites may have migrated and lived. If however the events of the Book of Mormon took place in the Heartland of the United States (As we believe they did), then every other area outside of this limited Heartland area would contain migrating Lamanites, including the western United States, Canada, Mexico, and South and Central America. Heartland Core – Where the main Nephite and Lamanite events occurred!Mesoamerican Periphery– Where Nephites and Lamanites migrated to outside of this core! (See map above)
Times and Seasons
“FOR DECADES, LDS SCHOLARS HAVE LABORED TO ESTABLISH and defend a Mesoamerican setting for the Book of Mormon because they believed they were vindicating what Joseph Smith wrote (or approved) in three articles published in the Times and Seasons on 15 September and 1 October 1842. The discovery that it was someone other than Joseph Smith, Wilford Woodruff, or John Taylor who wrote the articles, led to the further discovery that Benjamin Winchester wrote the articles linking the Book of Mormon to Central America, and that William Smith edited and published them. These discoveries raise serious questions about the original premise for both hemispheric and Mesoamerican theories of Book of Mormon geography. Although now discredited, these Times and Seasons articles have influenced generations of Latter-day Saints—members, scholars, and leaders —and have been frequently cited by those who advocate a Mesoamerican setting.” Moroni’s America Chapter 28 by Jonathan Neville In about 900 AD the Mayan civilization collapsed. Archaeologists and scientists explain that the Mayans most likely went north, probably using the Gulf of Mexico and landed in the southern states of the U.S. It then would have been easy for the Mayans to utilize the rivers to travel inland to the Midwest or southeastern parts of the U.S.. We know that one of the largest ancient civilizations of North America is at Cahokia near St. Louis, Missouri. Cahokia is dated at about 1000-1200 AD. Cahokia is not a city that was built by the Heartland Core Nephites, but probably by the Mesoamerican Periphery Mayans.
“Who built the mounds during the Mississippian Culture period? In an interview with a Native American, Wayne May, author and publisher of Ancient American Magazine, asked a Chieftain: “Who built Cahokia?” The Chieftain responded to Wayne: “We did, the Native Americans. But we built it as slaves.” Wayne then asked: “Slaves to who?” The Chieftain replied: “We were slaves to the Snake people who had come up from the south…as a cohesive army. They enslaved us and for the space of 200-300 years they forced us to build these gigantic structures. But then we were finally able to overthrow them and drive them back out of our lands. But by that time we had intermarried with them for 200-300 years. So many of our people ended going back to the southern lands.” The “Snake people” from the south appear to be people that came from Mesoamerica during a time of severe drought in their lands.” Annotated Book of Mormon by David Hocking and Rod Meldrum page 540 (Emphasis added)
Ancient American Magazine LDS Issue 3 by Wayne May
The special LDS editions of the Ancient American contain approx. 39 pages each, covering a wide variety of topics from Native American Traditions, Archeological evidence of the Book of Mormon in North America, and writings from Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon leaving no doubt that America is the “The Promise Land” of the scriptures.
Collapse of Classic Maya
“The Classic Period of Mesoamerican chronology is generally defined as the period from 250 to 900, the last century of which is referred to as the Terminal Classic.[1] The classic Maya collapse is one of the greatest unsolved mysteries in archaeology. Urban centers of the southern lowlands, among them Palenque, Copán, Tikal, Calakmul, went into decline during the 8th and 9th centuries and were abandoned shortly thereafter. Archaeologically, this decline is indicated by the cessation of monumental inscriptions and the reduction of large-scale architectural construction at the primary urban centers of the classic period.”- Wikipedia/Mesoamerican chronology Teotihuacan around 600-800 AD
Lamanites Used as Slaves North America Core – Mesoamerican Periphery
“That the Algonquian, Iroquoian, and many Siouan and Muskogean immigrants were mound builders is readily proven. It may well be doubted whether the mounds were built by the voluntary effort of a free people. Monuments of such magnitude in all ages and in various parts of the world almost without exception representing the handiwork of peoples who labored unwillingly and under compulsion. It would therefore seem evident that either the invading immigrants must have conquered people of a more primitive type whom they found already in possession of the country and reduced them to a state of servitude, or else that they came as imperial colonists, divided into two classes, namely, soldiers and serfs” – Thoburn, J.B., Prehistoric Migrations, Proceedings of the Oklahoma Academy of Science, Vol. 6 [2014], 372-378. As quoted in Annotated Book of Mormon page 540-541.As Rod Meldrum said above, “The question of where the Book of Mormon took place is of great interest to most latter-day saints. Yet confusion has reigned, with over 150 proposed geographies ranging in scale from the entire western hemisphere to that of a small country. Over the past several years the Heartland theory has challenged the Mesoamerica theories as the most widely accepted.”
Wandering over the Plains of the Nephites
Wandering Over the Plains by Ken Corbett
During Zion’s Camp while in Illinois, and Missouri, the prophet Joseph Smith said, “ …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…” This cannot mean that while Joseph was picking up the bones of Nephites in Illinois that he was referring to divine authenticity of a Mesoamerica record. Anthropologist Alice Kehoe, Ph.D., emphasizes that, “from… stale and false notions of ancient Native American history, much has been missed in the archaeological record of the Americas that is only now coming to light.” She argues “that the Mississippian, often called “Mound-Building” Culture, had close trade and communication links with civilizations of Mesoamerica (Mayas, Aztecs, their predecessors and contemporaries) and that this link is readily apparent from the archaeological record.” She also argues “that Trans-Gulf contact between the Mississippi Valley and Mesoamerica was quite likely…leading to clear similarities in the culture, religion, and art of the SECC, Midwest and Mesoamerica.” (Kehoe, Alice, “Wind Jewels and Paddling Gods: The Mississippian Southeast in the Post-Classic Mesoamerican World,” Gulf Coast Archaeology, The Southeastern United States and Mexico, Ed. Nancy Marie White, Gainesville, University of Florida [2005], 260-280.)
Squarely in North America
“Back to Wright’s “hinterlands” approach, the ninety-nine percent of Nephite (and Jaredite) history not accounted for in the text could encompass Mesoamerica. One plausible theory is that the Jaredites who were not killed off in “this north country” (Ether 1:1), meaning the New York area in the American model, expanded into the rest of the hemisphere, including Mesoamerica.The text also mentions Nephites escaping “into the south countries” (Mormon 6:15). Any similarities between the text and various cultural, linguistic, mythological, anthropological and other attributes of Mesoamerica can be accounted for through this application of the hinterlands approach. This explains why Mesoamerican advocates can point to correspondences, but not direct ties, between ancient Mesoamerica and the Book of Mormon. This is a promising area of study that will surely produce results in the future. But for Book of Mormon studies per se—the study of the times, places, and people actually described in the text—the best available evidence places the core narrative of the Book of Mormon squarely in [North] America.” Moroni’s America Jonathan Neville page 352
Heartland: One Cumorah and Last Nephite Battle at Same HillHinterland Mesoamerica: Two Cumorah’s and Last Nephite Battle in Mexico
Art by Val Chadwick Bagley
Understand those who believe in two Cumorah’s see the one in NY as the place where Joseph received the plates, but the one in Mexico is where all the Nephite and Lamanite battles ended. In other words Moroni traveled over 3,000 miles hefting the plates (30-60 pounds), just to bury them near Joseph’s home? Elder Mark E. Petersen said, “As the fighting neared its end, Mormon gathered the remnant of his forces about a hill which they called Cumorah, located in what is now the western part of the state of New York…. When finished with the record, Moroni was to hide it up in that same Hill Cumorah which was their battlefield. It would come forth in modern times as the Book of Mormon, named after Moroni’s father, the historian who compiled it… His people were Americans, too. His words constituted a people-to-people message, ancient Americans speaking to modern Americans.” Mark E. Petersen General Conf. 1978
Elder Peterson also said, “I do not believe that the classrooms or the pulpits of our Church are for laboratory purposes in which to experiment with new doctrines and speculative notions. They are exclusively for the use of those who are willing to convert men and women and boys and girls to the truth. . . . I do not believe we should give credence to the highly speculative theories about Book of Mormon geography. I do not believe that there were two Hill Cumorah’s, one in Central America and the other one up in New York, for the convenience of the Prophet Joseph Smith, so that the poor boy would not have to walk clear to Central America to get the gold plates. I do not believe we can be good Latter-day Saints and question the integrity of Joseph Smith. I do not believe we can be good Latter-day Saints and question the testimony of the eleven witnesses of the Book of Mormon. I do not believe you have a testimony of the truth if you question the accuracy of the translation of the Book of Mormon.” Mark E. Petersen LDS Conference Reports, Sunday afternoon, April 5, 1953
Joseph Fielding Smith said, “It must be conceded that this description fits perfectly the land of Cumorah in New York, as it has been known since the visitation of Moroni to the Prophet Joseph Smith, for the hill is in the proximity of the Great Lakes and also in the land of many rivers and fountains. Moreover, the Prophet Joseph Smith himself is on record, definitely declaring the present hill called Cumorah to be the exact hill spoken of in the Book of Mormon. Further, the fact that all of his associates from the beginning down have spoken of it as the identical hill where Mormon and Moroni hid the records, must carry some weight. It is difficult for a reasonable person to believe that such men as Oliver Cowdery. Brigham Young, Parley P. Pratt, Orson Pratt, David Whitmer, and many others, could speak frequently of the Spot where the Prophet Joseph Smith obtained the plates as the Hill Cumorah, and not be corrected by the Prophet, if that were not the fact. That they did speak of this hill in the days of the Prophet in this definite manner is an established record of history.” Doctrines of Salvation Joseph Fielding Smith Chapter 12
If people take the time and study and research, its very difficult to agree with the two Cumorah theory.
Rivers in North America were the Highways of the Nephites
Jonathan Neville said, “From the perspective of people who used water as boundaries and highways for travel, it would be significant that these lands, [the lands of the Nephites and the Lamanites]—both of them—were “nearly surrounded by water.” The border between them had to be water. In fact, this requirement reinforces the conclusion that the narrow strip of wilderness was a water border.
The land of Nephi is defined by water borders, starting at the northeast with the narrow strip of wilderness. This is the Allegheny down to the Ohio, then south on the lower Mississippi (Sea West) to the Gulf Coast, east to the Atlantic Ocean, and north to one of the river systems flowing out of western New York, such as the Susquehanna River or the Mohawk and Hudson Rivers. This leaves a gap—a small neck—in western New York by the Pennsylvania border in the area of the triple divide, where two continental divides meet. This area is about 80 miles south of the Hill Cumorah and is the location of the headwaters of three rivers that can take a traveler to the Chesapeake Bay, the Gulf of Mexico, or the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
The land of Zarahemla was also nearly surrounded by water. Starting at the gap, or small neck, in western New York and moving southwest, the land is bordered by the Allegheny River, the Ohio River, the upper Mississippi River, and the Missouri River to the wilderness in the northwest. The rivers and lakes of Minnesota and Wisconsin border the north. Moving east are the Great Lakes, all the way back to the gap or small neck.” Moroni’s America page 57
Bark Canoes
“Canoes were developed over the course of thousands of years by the native peoples of North America. The word ‘canoe’ originated from the word ‘kenu’ – meaning dugout. North American Indians are responsible for creating the more well-known version of the canoe – a frame of wooden ribs covered with the lightweight bark of birch trees, and sometimes elm or cedar trees. These boats, which have remained virtually unchanged in design for thousands of years, proved to be ideal for travelling the numerous streams, rivers and lakes of North America. Birch bark was the perfect choice to build canoes because, not only was it lightweight and smooth, but it was also waterproof and resilient. The joints of the canoes were held together by the root of the white pine and then made waterproof by applying hot pine or spruce resin…
Many of the canoes that fur traders used were capable of carrying a crew of up to 12 people and a cargo weighing around 2400 kilograms… At a typical length of 14 ft. and weight of 50 lbs., the canoes were light enough to be portaged, yet could carry a lot of cargo, even in shallow water. Although susceptible to damage from rocks, they are easily repaired.” Bark Canoes Canadian Museum of Civilization.
Young Mormon Travels from Hill Shim to Zarahemla
The map above depicts a possible route that Mormon and his son Mormon may have traveled in a Nephite type canoe. They began in the Cumorah area as we know from scripture they were near the hill Shim. (See Mormon 1:3). We also know the Land of Mormon was named after Mormon (See Mosiah 18:4), and would most generally be located as indicated on the map near the Waters of Mormon, which we have said is very plausible to be near the City Nephi near Chattanooga, Tennessee.
The painting below is depicting Mormon with his son Mormon and his possible other family members in Mormon 1:6-7 that says, “And it came to pass that I, being eleven years old, was carried by my father into the land southward, even to the land of Zarahemla. The whole face of the land had become covered with buildings, and the people were as numerous almost, as it were the sand of the sea.”
Mormon was traveling to Zarahemla as we know that by reading Mormon 6:10 it says, “And it came to pass that the war began to be among them in the borders of Zarahemla, by the waters of Sidon.” That means they would have been near the Mississippi River and Montrose, Iowa where we believe the City of Zarahemla was located. (See D&C 125:3)
Shown in the map and painting as a possible tour of the Land Mormon as he shows his son and family where he grew up, as they may have traveled down the Ohio River near Moundsville, West Virginia. You see the Cave Creek Mound depicted and the crowded village of people. During this journey by canoe it is very likely that young Mormon would have kept a type of journal probably on parchment or papyrus as you imagine in this painting. This way he could recall what to write at age 24 as Ammaron had commanded young Mormon to keep a record.
It also seems likely that Mormon would have brought with him the Sword of Laban and breastplate and others would have their armor, such as head plates, and weapons nearby. They may have even used the Liahona, or other devices for physical and spiritual guidance as well.
This art by Ken Corbett above, seems like a great representation of the Nephites traveling in canoes, as I believe the rivers in North America were the highways of the Nephites. As you read below about this amazing discovery of a canoes in Wisconsin, it brings the lives of the Jaredites and Nephites closer to each of us. I thank my cousin Vicki Darais for sharing this article with me.
A second ancient canoe is found in Wisconsin — this time tracing back to 1000 B.C.
Juliana Kim September 24, 2022
A woman from the Ho-Chunk Nation smiles as she touches the canoe. Wisconsin Historical Society maritime archaeologists recovered a 3,000-year-old dugout canoe from Lake Mendota in Madison, Wis., on Thursday.
Wisconsin Historical Society
Tamara Thomsen was giving a scuba diving lesson in Wisconsin’s Lake Mendota when she noticed a piece of wood peeking out of the sand. Her student didn’t think much of it but Thomsen, who is a maritime archaeologist by trade, knew exactly what it was.
“This is not a joke. I found another dugout canoe,” she texted her boss.
The boat discovered in May was the second artifact Thomsen accidentally stumbled upon within the past year. In November 2021, Thomsen spotted a 1,200-year-old canoe while swimming in the same lake during her day off.
Archaeologists from the Wisconsin Historical Society — where Thomsen works — determined that the most recent find is even older — about 3,000 years old, the group announced on Thursday.
Thomsen said that when the radiocarbon dating results from came back, she wrote “1000 B.C.” on a Post-it note and stared in disbelief.
“It just makes you think about the people that were on this landscape where I live, and to imagine they were here hunting, gathering, fishing” she told NPR.
The canoe is about 14.5 feet long and carved from a single piece of white oak. It is believed to be the oldest canoe discovered in the Great Lakes region by roughly 1,000 years.
The two boats were located about 100 yards apart. Experts said the location and close proximity of the boats suggest that ancient villages may have once existed where Lake Mendota is located and the shoreline may have shifted over time.
Wisconsin Historical Society staff and volunteers remove the canoe from its transport trailer and carry it into
the State Archive Preservation Facility in Madison. Wisconsin Historical Society
The 3,000-year-old canoe is believed to be the earliest direct evidence of water transportation used by native tribes from the Great Lakes region.
Members from the Ho-Chunk Nation and Bad River Tribe joined the Wisconsin Historical Society to recover the canoe last spring.
“The recovery of this canoe built by our ancestors gives further physical proof that Native people have occupied Teejop (Four Lakes) for millennia, that our ancestral lands are here and we had a developed society of transportation, trade and commerce,” Marlon WhiteEagle, the president of Ho-Chunk tribe, said in a statement on Thursday.
Both boats discovered by Thomsen will undergo a two-year preservation process.
“Wisconsin historians recently announced the discovery of at least 11 ancient canoes in a Badger State lake – including one boat that dates back to 2500 BC.
The findings were announced in a press release by the Wisconsin Historical Society on May 23. The canoes were found in Lake Mendota, which is located outside of Madison.
The Wisconsin Historical Society explained that two ancient canoes were found in a cache in the lake in 2021 and 2022. Since then, historians have found at least 11 other ancient canoes, along what they believe was an ancient shoreline that became submerged over time…
The Indigenous peoples of Wisconsin and the wider United States fished, traveled, and traded extensively on inland lakes and streams, and until now we have not had a clear look at the canoes used in the Great Lakes region,” she explained…
Lake Mendota is a hard lake to work in, however, Rosebrough admitted. “There is a limited window of visibility for diving missions, and we are exploring non-destructive remote sensing techniques that might help this summer.”
Archaeologists discovered the ancient canoes in the murky waters of Lake Mendota. (Wisconsin Historical Society)
Radiocarbon dating found that the oldest canoe dates back to 2500 B.C., which would mean it was built around the time Stonehenge was constructed. The canoe was constructed more than 1,700 years before Ancient Rome was first settled and 2,500 years before the birth of Jesus Christ.
All the canoes varied in age, with the youngest one dating back to 1250 AD. The archaeologist explained that the canoes “may have been intentionally cached in the water during the winter months, a standard practice to keep canoes safe from freezing and warping…
Archaeologists conduced carbon dating to determine age of canoes. (Wisconsin Historical Society)
The Great Lakes oftentimes receive more funding for maritime archaeology but smaller bodies of water like Lake Mendota have their own distinct histories and stories to tell us about the people who lived here hundreds and thousands of years ago,” she said. “We are proud to work in partnership with Native Nations in Wisconsin to discover all we can about Tee Waksikhominak and to share these stories now and in the future at the new Wisconsin History Center set to open in early 2027.” Andrea Vacchiano
1,200-Year-Old Ho-Chunk Dugout Canoe Found In Wisconsin Lake
The manner of making their boates” by Theodor de Bry after a John White watercolor from 1590. Native Americans make a dugout canoe with seashell scrapers.
“We have identified the Ho-Chunk as the most likely descendants of the canoe-makers. The Oneida and Potawatomi did not arrive in Wisconsin until much later, and the homelands of the Menominee and Ojibwe were further north. The canoe was made by effigy-builders, and the Ho-Chunk claim direct descent from that population,” said Amy Rosebrough, Staff Archaeologist for the Wisconsin Historical Society, as reported in The Daily Mail.
I received an email a few years ago from a fellow Latter-day Saint and I found it most enjoyable to answer him. If someone is struggling with faith, many times a great part of the problem is struggling by not receiving answers that make sense to us. We have many Apologists in the Church who are trying to help.
I define myself as an Apologist or better a defender of truth about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. As well, those on the Mesoamerican side of Geography, are also Apologists, which is defined as: “a person who defends or supports something (such as a religion, cause, or organization) that is being criticized or attacked by other people.” We just need to know by the Spirit which apologist to believe. Here is the email I received in blue:
“I have been a member of the LDS Church for 42 years having converted in my hometown Liverpool England at age 20 years of age. I have not been active in the Church for a number of years but always had a testimony despite my not being that active. I kept the word of wisdom and would defend the Church from critics.
I have recently had my doubts about the truthfulness of the Church having started to study the history of the Church and the things that have come to light such as Seer Stones, Joseph Smith polygamy, polyandry and the age of some of his wives. I have read articles from ex-members and non-members who are critical of the Church and they make some powerful points however, I look at all points of view and also read and view articles from Fair Mormon and Wayne May. One question I have is related to archaeology. I know that digs and excavations have taken place in Central and South America. Given the plates were buried in Hill Cumorah and that there was a battle conducted in the area why has there not been any digs or finds in that area that would correlate to the Book of Mormon people. I would be grateful if someone could respond.” Many Thanks John …
Below is the response I shared with him.
I received your email from Joseph Smith Foundation, who are my good friends named James Stoddard and the family including Hannah Leah, Isaiah, Ephraim and Mary. James oldest daughter, Hannah leads them very faithfully.. They are very active members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as I am. I work with Rod Meldrum, and Jonathan Neville who are also very active members of the Church. I think the most important people for you to speak with about your questions are as follows:
#1 The Lord
#2 The Scriptures
#3 Your Bishop
#4 Church’s websitechurchofjesuschrist.org
#4 Apologists (Defined as people in good standing with the Church that share very informed opinions and serve as a strong defense for the Church), like us. *Don’t speak with someone who is opposed to your beliefs or Church. *Call on the Lord again and again and you can receive Personal Revelation
Remember all humans including Prophets, Bishops and members, make mistakes. Most of your answers should come from the scriptures and from the spirit of the Lord. You may not always feel you get answers that way, so at times we rely too much on the Church Prophet speaking as a man, or on a website or with an apologist, but we should then always take everything to the Lord for confirmation. Man has opinions and suggestions, but not ultimate answers of truth, as the Lord’s Spirit does testify.
Brigham Young said, “There is nothing that would so soon weaken my hope and discourage me as to see this people in full fellowship with the world and receive no more persecution from them because they are one with them. In such an event, we might bid farewell to the Holy Priesthood with all its blessings, privileges, and aids to exaltations, principalities and powers in the eternities of the Gods. (JD 10:32)” Brigham Young
Since your question is so important to me I want you to know where I am coming from so you can make up your own mind if I speak the truth or not. I want to give you the websites of some Apologists like me and the people above I mentioned that could help you.
I would like you to know the most important thing I learned from your email, is that you are hanging on [Better stated, Enduring to the end], due to your faith in the Savior. You understand that the only way to know the Book of Mormon is true is to read, ponder and pray about it, and if you are sincere, the Spirit will witness of its truthfulness as it has to you and it has to myself. If that book is true, then Joseph Smith is, and was a Prophet of the Lord Jesus Christ. Don’t get caught up in all the chatter about polygamy and seer stones until your faith is so strong that you absolutely know by the Spirit that the Book of Mormon is true. I will give you some ideas to help reduce that clutter as well.
Here is a wonderful article to read from Elder Holland that will explain that things of the Spirit and of the Head are both important, and those things we research and learn are a necessary second witnesses to the truth of the Book of Mormon. See the Article Here: and You Tube Here:
Understand there are many Apologists and most all of us love the Lord and this True Church, but we all have a different interpretation of some very important issues. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is neutral on some positions that we as Apologists are not neutral. For example the Church is neutral on the questions about geography, evolution, and DNA. No apologist can receive revelation about any Doctrine of the Church. We can only share our personal witnesses and beliefs.
There are many complicated issues and the Church tells you many non-doctrinal answers on the Gospel Topic Essays Here. Since the Church is neutral on some of these issues, you will find that very few Apologists are neutral on their personal opinions. We each answer the questions below differently. There are however two main apologist groups.
1-Those who believe the Book of Mormon first events happened in Mesoamerica (Called M2C) which means they believe there are two Hill’s, one in NY where the plates were buried, and one on a hill someplace in Mexico where the final battles of the Book of Mormon happened). 2- Those like myself who believe the events of the Book of Mormon happened in the Heartland of the United States (Called the Heartland Model), we believe the Hill Cumorah in upstate NY is both the place the plates were found, and it is also the same place where the final battles happened for both the Nephites and the Jaredites.) Ether 15:11Mormon 6:6
There are over 50 other theories of where the events began or happened (Baja, South America, Malaysia, New York area, etc), but the above two are the majority of beliefs in the vast majority of the Church.
I am happy to answer where I stand on each subject listed below. It really comes down to this. Is there one Hill Cumorah which many Prophets and Apostles speak about [See Here], or are there two Hill’s as those with many different theories say, there has to be a 2nd Hill in Malaysia, Baja, South America, Mexico, Chile, etc. There is a third theory that is very small called the New York Theory, who believe in one Hill Cumorah but they believe all events happened only in New York around the Great Lakes which we think is too small of an area. I believe the Book of Mormon geography includes the City Zarahemla (D&C 125) which is across the Mississippi River from Nauvoo called Montrose, Iowa, and extends to Hill Cumorah in NY and is the area north of the Ohio River to the south.
Hinterland Theory or Limited Model [LM]
In the early 1900’s the Church and many others believed the entire South America was the land South and where the Lamanites lived, and the entire North America was North and where the Nephites lived, and the narrow Isthmus of Tehuantepec or Panama, between the two Continents was the narrow neck of land. This was called the “Hemispheric Theory” [HM] of the Book of Mormon, which the Mesoamerican Theory people, and the Heartland Theory people, don’t believe any more. Both groups believe in the Hinterland Model of LM. [As shown in the map left. Most all under stand the events of the Book of Mormon could not be held in that large of an area as the entire Western Continent. Both sides agree that Lehi traveled from Jerusalem paralleling the Red Sea and then heading east at Nahom to Oman near Khar Kharfoot, where the first Land Bountiful was. The M2Cer, believes that Lehi traveled east by boat toward India and around the Pacific Ocean to land near Guatemala and spreading out in a Limited area surrounding Mexico near Guatemala. Heartlanders believe Lehi traveled SW from Oman sailing around Africa and landed in the Gulf of Mexico near Tallahassee Florida [Both called Limited Models LM, or Hinterland Hypothesis].
Many Heartlanders are Conservative or believe in the Traditional history of the Church. Many in the M2C camp are more Liberal or Intellectual and believe in the Revisionist history of the Church. I feel many Traditional Mormons would answer questions about sensitive non-doctrinal issues, similar to me as follows:
DNA- We (Heartlanders) believe there is Hebrew DNA in many Native American Indians near the Great Lakes of the Algonquian and Iroquois tribes. Only Asian DNA has been found amongst the people of South, Central and Western America, such as amongst other Western Native Americans of the United States and Alaska. We believe most of those living in the South Pacific Islands are of Israelite blood, (Hagoth or Mixture of Joseph and Judah) We haven’t found Hebrew DNA markers for those in South and Central America. We have found DNA evidence of Natiive Americans in the Great Lakes area with Hebrew Haplogroup X, that is also found in the Jerusalem area. M2C believe the Asian DNA found in Central America is because the Asian population over took any Hebrew DNA that may have existed during the time of Lehi. Evolution: We do not believe a cat could evolve into a dog and we don’t believe an ape can evolve into Man. A poodle may be able to become a a different species of dog, however. We do believe in evolution defined as change or adaptation within a species. Most intellectuals believe we plausibly evolved from and ape. Translation of the Gold Plates: We believe they were translated by the gift and power of God, with Joseph using the breastplate and two clear stones in a silver bow (Like spectacles) attached to the breastplate [see JSH 1:35], that were found in the same hill as the plates. Most M2C followers believe the stone in the hat method of translation. Seer Stones: We believe Joseph had several seer stones that were used as beautiful stones or for faithful things by Joseph, but Joseph did not use the seer stones he found near Palmyra, by putting one or more stones into his hat to translate the the Book of Mormon. If he did use this method, he would be just reading words from a seer stone that someone gave him to be written down so he wouldn’t have “translated” the plates but just would have dictated the words to Oliver. Politics- We are mostly very conservative, love the US Constitution and our Founding Fathers. We believe in the right to bear arms and freedom of speech. Most of us don’t agree with many of the politics of liberal left leanings, and we love the great freedoms that have been given to us as conservatives. We don’t approve of the socialized version of big government. We believe in prayer to choose our best leaders. Polygamy- [better understood as “Celestial Plural Marriage” in the Church]. We believe Joseph Smith and Brigham Young were following the commandments of God just as Abraham and others were instructed. Satan just uses this highly controversial idea to get us to doubt things and creates evil ideas between sides. Only about 3% of the entire church ever practiced polygamy, [Celestial Plural Marriage]. We believe when the Lord commands us, we should listen. Joseph Smith restored an important part of the Gospel. Science- We believe the dinosaurs lived during the Old Testament and were created just before Adam, and were killed during the great world wide flood. We also believe that most rocks you see today were created during the flood which was an event that happened at about 2345 BC. Most Intellectuals believe the dinosaurs are millions of years old and some believe the flood was a regional flood, as Heartlanders believe the flood was universal. Creationism- We believe Adam was the first man on earth and Eve the first woman placed on this earth around 4,000 BC, and the earth is only about 13,000 years old, [Young Earth] but the material of the earth is billions of years old, or eternal, as matter cannot be created but has existed forever. Many intellectuals believe the earth is 4.5 billion [Old Earth] years old as the consensus on google says. Many M2Cer also believe in cave men and men on earth before Adam. We don’t.
Just so you know, many who we call the M2C [Mesoamerican 2 Cumorah] theory, do not believe the way many Traditionalists believe. Those of the M2C theory are just as valiant as Heartlanders are in the Church, and both are trying to help others as we are. We just have different beliefs is some matters that are not doctrinal.
Below are the websites that believe M2C: Also many BYU professors are part of these websites. Some of these websites are listed on the Church website as approved Apologists for the Church. What that means to many on these M2C websites is they are neutral on the questions I answered, which I don’t believe. I believe many in these organizations are against Heartlanders beliefs about geography, translation instruments, age of earth and other non-doctrinal issues. Heartlanders are not neutral on geography, as we believe there is only one Hill Cumorah, and the final battles happened around the Hill Cumorah, and the majority believe Joseph did not use a rock in a hat to translate, but as scripture says, in JSH 1:35, and other places, that Joseph used the breastplate and the spectacles that were in the stone box with the gold plates. Please don’t just take my word for it, read and ponder and pray and the Lord will help you.
Here are several articles I wrote about artifacts found around Hill Cumorah. At my blog, just do a search for any subject and you will find some help. https://bookofmormonevidence.org/many-bones-at-cumorah/ https://bookofmormonevidence.org/history-near-hill-cumorah/
https://bookofmormonevidence.org/cumorah-not-a-clean-hill/
I love truth and it is seldom an easy thing to find, yet finding it, is most enjoyable when we understand it. If we pass this test of life, as the Lord has promised we may have all the things that He has. I know part of the test is how we treat others who disagree with us. No one knows all truth, and we try and work together to ultimately live as the Savior wants, and build up the Kingdom of God on earth. What a wonderful goal to work towards. May the Lord bless you my friends.
Rian Nelson
Below is a video about coming together of two side’s with Rod Meldrum of FIRM Foundation speaking on the same stage at the FIRM Foundation Conference April 20, 2024, with new President of Scripture Central [Book of Mormon Central] Richard Ferguson, about working together to find truth about the Book of Mormon.
There have been many witnesses of the events of the Book of Mormon beginning in the Heartland of the United States, by Prophets, Apostles, and other members of the church. Some were shared at General Conferences, some from church pulpits and some from the ordinary lives of our beloved Pioneers. All statements are important to read and reflect upon and search for the spirit of truth. For myself, knowing the Land of Joseph is indeed the Promised Land of America, is an important part of my testimony of the Book of Mormon. I will share why geography is important to me at the end of this blog.
Truman G. Madsen
“If you live into the next century you will see evidence for the Book of Mormon come forth in droves.” Truman G. Madsen, speaking of what the Prophet Joseph Smith said to a colleague, in the opening statement of the 2005 video, “Journey of Faith.”
F. Michael Watson
“The Church has long maintained, as attested to by references in the writings of General Authorities, that the Hill Cumorah in western New York state is the same as referenced in the Book of Mormon.” F. Michael Watson, Secretary to the First Presidency, in a letter dated October 16, 1990
Anthony W. Ivins
“The passages which I have quoted from the Book of Mormon and the more extended discussion of this subject by Elder B. H. Roberts which was published in The Deseret News of March 3 definitely established the following facts: That the hill Cumorah, and the hill Ramah are identical. That it was around this hill that the armies of both the Jaredites and Nephites fought their great last battles. That it was in this hill that Mormon deposited all of the sacred records which had been entrusted to his care by Ammaron, except the abridgment which he had made from the plates of Nephi, which were delivered into the hands of his son, Moroni. We know positivelythat it was in this hill that Moroni deposited the abridgment made by his father, and his own abridgment of the record of the Jaredites, and that it was from this hill that Joseph Smith obtained possession of them.
Ivins continued. “According to the Book of Mormon, many hundreds of thousands of people fell in battle around this hill and in the immediate vicinity. It was here that two once-powerful nations were exterminated so far as their national existence was concerned. It was here that these nations gathered together for their last great struggles.
All of these incidents to which I have referred, my brethren and sisters, are very closely associated with this particular spot in the state of New York. Therefore I feel, as I said in the beginning of my remarks, that the acquisition of that spot of ground is more than an incident in the history of the Church; it is an epoch—an epoch which in my opinion is fraught with that which may become of greater interest to the Latter-day Saints than that which has already occurred. We know that all of these records, all the sacred records of the Nephite people, were deposited by Mormon in that hill. That incident alone is sufficient to make it the sacred and hallowed spot that it is to us. I thank God that, in a way which seems to have been providential, it has come into the possession of the Church” The Hill Cumorah by President Anthony W. Ivins, Improvement Era, 1928, Vol. Xxxi. June, 1928 No. 8
Russell M. Nelson
Gerald Lund said, “In the fall of 2007, my assignment as a General Authority Seventy was in Salt Lake City, working in the Church Office Building. One day I went down to a small cafeteria in the basement of the Church Administration Building that is reserved for General Authorities. After getting my food, I saw that four of my colleagues in the Seventy were seated at a table for six, just starting to eat. They invited me to join them. We spoke briefly about our various assignments, but soon the talk turned to the current financial crisis. It didn’t take long for our conversation to become quite bleak in tone. One of the brethren had a grandchild who had recently graduated with an MBA but was having no luck in finding employment. Another reported that a grandchild was unsure about wanting to get married and bring children into the world.
About that time, as this cloud of gloom settled over our lunch table, Russell M. Nelson, then Elder Nelson of the Twelve, came into the lunchroom with a tray of food. Seeing that we had a vacant spot at our table, he joined us. He ate quietly for a time as our conversation went right on in that same sense of discouragement. Finally, one of the brethren said, “They’re talking about the possibility of the whole government of the United States failing. Then what shall we do?”
Elder Nelson, who hadn’t said much since sitting down, laid down his fork and looked at us directly. His expression was very sober as he spoke quietly, saying something like this: “Brethren, the Lord chose the United States of America as the place for the Restoration of the gospel in our dispensation. He did that so we would have a base of religious freedom that would sustain the work of the Restoration. Also, the financial affluence and the political stability of the United States makes it possible for our Church to take the gospel to the world. That is a task that is not yet finished. Brethren, the Lord is at the helm. He will not let this work fail.”
That was more than ten years ago, but I still vividly remember two things. First, how sheepish we felt for letting ourselves become so negative. And the second was the lesson taught: God is in control. Why then do we fear? It was a profound teaching moment, and I have reminded myself of that day often when I have found myself growing discouraged and pessimistic”. God is at the helm! by Elder Gerald N. Lund, adapted from “The Second Coming of the Lord” | Oct. 07, 2020See dozens of additional quotes here:
In the Midst of the Lamanites
“No,” said the old Patriarch [Joseph Smith Sr.], his whole being seeming to be alive with animation. “The Lord has told Joseph that when we leave here we will go into the Rocky Mountains, right into the midst of the Lamanites.”
This information filled our hearts with unspeakable joy, for we knew that the Book of Mormon and this gospel had been brought to light more for the remnants of Jacob upon this continent than for the Gentiles.
Father Smith again enjoined upon us profound secrecy in this matter, and I don’t think it was ever uttered by one of Father Huntington’s family.
The history of Nauvoo shows that we located in Nauvoo in 1839 and left it in 1846.
See Sources here: The Young Woman’s Journal, II, (December, 1890), pp. 124-125; (February, 1891), pp. 225-226; (April, 1891), pp. 314-315; (May, 1891), p. 366; (July, 1891), pp. 466-468; IV (March, 1893), pp. 274-275; (April, 1893) pp. 320-321; (June, 1893), pp. 424-425; Hyrum L. Andrus and Helen Mae Andrus, comps., They Knew the Prophet [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1974], 63
A Veritable Swamp
“When President Young visited the proposed sites, he requested that his teamster conduct the party to the lowest place in the valley, a veritable swamp infested with marsh-grass and cattails. Pointing out the marsh to the brethren, he explained that the [St. George] Temple must be built at that place, because the Nephites had previously dedicated that very site for the erection of a Temple, but had been unable to bring their hopes to a full fruition.” McGavin, E. Cecil, 1935, Mormonism and Masonry, Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret News Press, p. 156
This Spot was Dedicated by the Nephites
Another account by David Henry Cannon Jr., a witness to the event, says:
By Al Round
To the South, they finally stopped. ‘But, Brother Young,’ protested the men, ‘this land is boggy . . . There is no place to build a foundation. We will make a foundation, said President Young. Later on while plowing and scraping where the foundation was to be, my horse’s leg broke through the ground into a spring of water. The brethren then wanted to move the foundation line twelve feet to the south, so that the spring of water would be on the outside of the Temple. Not so,’ replied President Young, ‘We will wall it up and leave it here for some future use. But we cannot move the foundation. This spot was dedicated by the Nephites. They could not build it (the Temple), but we can and will build it for them.’ To this day the water from that very spring is running through a drain properly built for it.” Heinerman, Joseph, 1986, Temple Manifestations, Salt Lake City Utah: Joseph Lyon and Associates, Inc. dba Magazine Printing and Publishing, pp. 60-
Prophet Moroni Stood and Dedicated this Piece of Land
Once, Brigham Young, accompanied by Warren S. Snow, went to where they would build the Manti Temple. Warren S. Snow said:
Native American – Minerva Teichert and the Manti Temple
“We two were alone: President Young took me to the spot where the Temple was to stand; we went to the southeast corner, and President Young said: ‘Here is the spot where the Prophet Moroni stood and dedicated this piece of land for a Temple site, and that is the reason why the location is made here, and we can’t move it from this spot; and if you and I are the only good persons that come here at high noon today, we will dedicate this ground.’ A Source Book, Provo, UT: FARMS; Whitney, Orson F., 1974, Life of Heber C. Kimball, Salt Lake City, Utah: Bookcraft, p. 477; Cheesman, Paul R., 1978, The World of the Book of Mormon, Horizon Publishers, Bountiful, Utah, p. 25; Heinerman, Joseph, 1986, Temple Manifestations, Salt Lake City, Utah: Joseph Lyon and Associates, Inc. dba Magazine Printing and Publishing, p. 101
Gadianton Robbers
Upon one occasion President Brigham Young was in the Tabernacle at St. George and was speaking on the spirit world. He stated that it was not far from us and if the veil could be taken from our eyes there wouldn’t be either a man, woman or child who would dare go out of “this tabernacle as the spirits of the Gadianton robbers were so thick out there. This is where they lived in these mountains,” said he.” Crowther, Duane S., 1967, Life Everlasting, Bookcraft, SLC, UT, p. 165, as quoted from N. B. Lundwall, Temples of the Most High, p. 89.
“Of course, the significance of this statement makes sense only in light of the land of Zarahemla being in the United States [D&C 125]. The Nephites wouldn’t have gone all the way from Mexico into the United States to hunt the Gadianton Robbers, nor would the Gadiantons have gone into the United States to hide from Nephites in Mexico. It is clear that since the Gadianton Robbers were hiding out in Utah in the St. George region, the Land of Zarahemla must have been in the United States as well. The “mountains” mentioned in the following scriptures, therefore, are the Rocky Mountains of the United States.” Some references used from Joseph Smith Foundation Website
A Nephite or a Jaredite?
EXPERIENCE OF ZEKE JOHNSON, son of Joel Hills Johnson, born in 1869. (Recorded in the JOHNSON BULLEITN, September 1973)
Zeke Johnson son of Joel Hills Johnson (Picture from J Gregory Barron)
“I have been requested to relate an experience I had in 1908-9 in San Juan Co. I was just making a home in Blanding and the whole country there was covered with trees and sagebrush. I was working hard to clear the ground to plant a few acres of corn. We had five acres cleared and stared to plant corn. My little boy, Roy, about 7 or 8 years old was there to help me plant the corn. I’d plow around the place, then he would plant the furrow with corn, then I’d cover it and plow again. While I was plowing on that piece of ground, I discovered there were ancient houses there, that is the remains of them.
As I was plowing around I noticed that my plow had turned out the skeleton of a small child, the skull and backbone, but most of the bones of course were decayed and gone. Part of the skeleton was there, so I stopped immediately as my plow had passes it a little. I turned and looked back against the bar of the plow between the needles. As I was looking at that little skeleton that I had plowed out and wondering, all of a sudden, to my surprise, I saw the bones begin to wiggle and they began to change position and to take different color and within a minute there lay a beautiful little skeleton. It was a perfect little skeleton.
Then I saw the inner parts of the natural body coming in the entrails, etc. I saw the flesh coming on, and I saw the skin come on the body when the inner parts of the body were complete. A beautiful head of hair adorned the top of the head, and in about a half minute after the hair was on the head, it had a beautiful crystal decoration in the hair. It was combed beautifully and parted on one side. In about half a minute after the hair was on the head, the child raised up on her feet. She was lying a little on her left side with her back toward me. Because of this I wasn’t able to discern the sex of the child, but as she raised, a beautiful robe came down over her left shoulder and I saw it must be a girl.
She looked at me and I looked at her, and for a quarter of a minute we just looked at each other smiling. Then in my ambition to get hold of her, I said, ‘Oh you beautiful child.’ I reached out as if I would embrace her and she disappeared. That was all I saw, and I just stood there and wondered and thought for a few minutes… Now, I couldn’t tell that story to anyone, because it was so mysterious to me and such. Why should I have such a miraculous experience? I couldn’t feature a human being in such a condition as to accidentally plow that little body out and see it come alive. A body of a child about 5 to 7 years old, I’d say. I just couldn’t tell that story to anyone until finally, one day I met a dear friend of mine, Stake Patriarch, Wayne II. Redd of Blanding. He stopped me on the street, and said, ‘Zeke, you have had an experience on this mesa you won’t tell, and I want you to tell me.’ Well, I told it to him. Then he had me tell it to other friends and since then I’ve told it in 4 temples in the United States, and many meeting houses, many socials, Fast meetings, and at Conference time.
I wondered and worried about it for years as to why I was allowed to see it, a common man like me – uneducated as I was. Why was I, just a common man, allowed to see such a marvelous manifestation of God’s powers? One day as I was walking along with my hoe on my shoulder, going to hoe some corn, something said, ‘Stop under the shade of the tree for a few minutes and rest.’ This just came to me and I thought I would, so I stopped there and this was given to me:
Jaredites Land. Brooke Malia Mann
It was an answer to my prayers. I prayed incessantly for an answer as to why I was privileged to see that resurrection. Then I was told why. When the child was buried there, it was either in time of war with the different tribes, or it was wintertime when the ground was frozen, and they had no tools to dig deep graves. If it were during time of war they couldn’t possibly take time to dig a deep grave. They just planted the little body as they could under the circumstances. Then it was done, the sorrowing Mother knew that it was such a little shallow grave that in her sorrow she cried out to the little group present, ‘That little shallow grave, the first beast that comes along will smell her body, and will dig her up and scatter her to the four winds. Her bones will be scattered all over these flats.’
There just happened to be a man present holding the Priesthood. (A Nephite or a Jaredite, I don’t know which, because they both had been in this country.) This man said, ‘Sister, calm your sorrows. Whenever that little body is disturbed or uncovered, the Lord will call her up and she will live.’ Since that time I have taken great comfort, great cheer, consolation, and satisfaction with praise in my heart and soul, until I haven’t the words to express it, that it was I that uncovered that little body.
Thank you for listening to me. I just can’t tell this without crying.” Zeke Johnson, son of Joel Hills Johnson
Why Geography Matters by Rian Nelson
“If we in the church cannot even decide among ourselves where the Book of Mormon happened, how confusing is that to our youth and adults? Many anti-Mormons love the idea that we don’t even know where our sacred scriptures happened. There are over 100 theories of where the Book of Mormon happened, including, Baja, Chile, Malaysia, Honduras, Peru, etc. My feelings on all geographical theories about the Book of Mormon must include the following -The Hill Cumorah in NY is the hill where Joseph Smith received the plates from Moroni, and it is also the place of the last battles of the Nephites (Cumorah) and of the Jaredites (Ramah). I also believe the letter of Joseph Smith to his wife Emma in 1834 Illinois where he said “The whole of our journey, in the midst of so large a company of social honest men and sincere men, wandering over the plains of the Nephites, recounting [p. 57] occasionaly 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 56-7 (spelling not corrected), is a true statement. Any other specific locations of the Book of Mormon cities and places are not fully known.
Large Map
Any other geography that doesn’t include these preceding important details isn’t a viable interpretation in my opinion. No scholar, computer or archaeology tells me this, I just feel it is true by personal revelation.
I also believe the Promised Land spoken of in the Book of Mormon is indeed the United States of America and its Constitution was written under the Savior Jesus Christ’s direction. D&C 101:80. Also knowing that Adam lived in Missouri and the New Jerusalem will be in Missouri, tells me the importance of “this Land” of the United States as the cradle of civilization and is critical as the headquarters of the Church, the land where the Gospel goes forth from, the place where the “Marvelous Work and Wonder” takes place, and the “Land of Joseph” of Egypt spoken of by prophets, is indeed the United States of America. I also believe there is a great possibility that D&C 125:3 is the Lord designating the area west of Nauvoo, Illinois as the ancient place of Zarahemla. I also feel the Prophet Joseph Smith had a vision about the warrior Zelph who was killed during one of the many last and great battles between the Nephites and Lamanites, near Valley City, Illinois. This information makes me conclude that indeed the Book of Mormon events happened in the heartland of the United States of America.
I believe there are great Lamanites all over North, South and Central America today and in other countries, but they are not necessarily the ones spoken of in the Book of Mormon time frame. The Book of Mormon only contains a fraction of the history of the Promised Land Lehites. But I believe that small fraction of Book of Mormon history speaks about Lehi, and Nephi, and Alma, and Mormon as they lived and fought in these United States.
I spent over 40 years looking and studying the Mesoamerican theory and other many theories, and found them very lacking. Like I mentioned, I will have an open mind if and until the church acknowledges the specific location. I will follow the 15 chosen Prophets and Seers.
I know the Brethren of the Church take a neutral position on the geography of the Book of Mormon. For you and me to take a neutral stand is not required. The Lord told us to read and study, and in the promise to Moroni, He said we may know the truth of ALL things, and I feel that would include knowing the location of the Book of Mormon events. I believe knowledge of the Spirit and of the head, are both important in learning truth. As Elder Holland in 2017 said, “truth borne by the Holy Spirit comes with, in effect, two manifestations, two witnesses if you will—the force of fact as well as the force of feeling.”
Previously posted by Rian Nelson on Facebook Sept 22, 2019
By the Nephites fruits, we shall know them. In other words, by the millions and millions of mounds and artifacts of life in North America from 600 BC to 400 AD, has been left the fruits or artifacts of the labors of the great Lamanite and Nephite people. To say evidence doesn’t exist is to deny the obvious. To have to be shown the evidence of the Nephites path you would have to be blind. This article will just focus on artifacts in Tennessee, Ohio and several other states and any one item on it’s own could help the honest in heart find physical and spiritual and actual secondary evidences of the Book of Mormon. Of course one would have to find room in their heart to believe the Book of Mormon did happen in North America, which I do. (Your contrary opinions are welcome).
If the Book of Mormon is true, then this world is full of evidence of it’s existence both temporally and spiritually. If the Nephites were a real people [And They Are] in a real time and place, there is found evidence of their existence. If Zarahemla was a city near Nauvoo, we will find evidence of its existence. If metal and copper are mentioned in the Book of Mormon, we will find its evidence in the ground. If Joseph Smith is a Prophet born and raised in the United States and he talks of “this country” or “this land” he is speaking of the USA. If the Land of Tennessee is the place of the Nephites, proof of habitation will exist.
Who is Greatly Disturbed in Their Faith?
If you haven’t found physical evidence of the Book of Mormon in North America, you haven’t looked hard enough in my opinion. The Book of Mormon is true by the Spirit and I also believe the Lord has left physical evidences of that fact. Moroni said we may know the truth of all things, didn’t he?
I know for a fact and believe the Lord is in control of our nation and as long as we stay close to Him we will be blessed. I also trust His words as many in our Church today are deceived in many ways. Joseph Fielding Smith said, “Because of this theory, some members of the Church have become confused and greatly disturbed in their faith in the Book of Mormon.” Doctrines of Salvation Joseph Fielding Smith Chapter 12 [Which Theory is being referred to?]
I also love the quote, “For it came to pass that they did deceive many with their flattering words, who were in the church, and did cause them to commit many sins” Mosiah 26:6
This is a great warning to us all. “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
I feel strongly the above quote I have highlighted in red is speaking to we members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I also believe we are still under condemnation at Scripture says, “And they [We Members] shall remain under this condemnation until they repent and remember the new covenant, even the Book of Mormon and the former commandments which I have given them, not only to say, but to do according to that which I have written.” D&C 84:57
These warnings are written to myself as to each of us, and I strive daily to repent and forgive all. I love all people whatever they feel about the geography of the Book of Mormon. I am sure they are great people and love the Lord as much as I do, but we can’t both be right. We all however, can live with the Lord again regardless.
My belief in the Heartland Theory of the Book of Mormon has greatly strengthened my overall testimony, and it may do the same for yours. If it is not important to you, I certainly understand. I report, your decide!
Zelph of Zarahemla
TENNESSEE ARCHAEOLOGY
The Old Stone Fort was built during the Middle Woodland Period, 1,500-2,000 years ago. Native Americans used this area continuously for about 500 years, eventually leaving it abandoned. By the time European settlers arrived, it was unclear of what the area had been used for which resulted in it being misnamed as a fort. In 1966, the state of Tennessee purchased 400 acres of the Chumbley estate as the core of what is now Old Stone Fort State Archaeological Park. Source
A diagram of placement of mounds, works and stone box burials at the Old Town Archaeological Site in Williamson, Tennessee. Based on a map found in “The antiquities of Tennessee and the adjacent states, and the state of aboriginal society in the scale of civilization represented by them” by Thruston, Gates Phillips
Editors note: These Tennesseans need to know that their land is very possibly the land of the Nephites after Lehi’s escape from his brothers Laman and Lemuel. It is the Land where Alma was converted by Abinadi and the land near the Waters of Mormon. With Chattanooga as the City Nephi it is very likely the city of Amulon is where Franklin Tennessee is today and the city of Helam near the Pinson Mounds Park just south of Jackson, Tennessee. Both of these places show some amazing archaeology dating from 100 BC to 200 AD which is the appropriate time for of the exitance of these Book of Mormon People.
Amulon and HelamPurchase over 200 Book of Mormon in North America Maps here
In early 1875, Joseph Henry, the first Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, wrote to a number of Tennessee citizens asking for assistance in collecting specimens for the United States National Museum. A fire in January of 1865 had destroyed significant portions of the museum’s early collections (DesRochers 2012), and the approach of the United States Centennial — to be celebrated in concert with the first major world fair and exposition held in the country — required acquisition of new materials. Among those individuals Henry contacted was Dr. William Martin Clark, a physician and resident of Franklin, Tennessee and later the editor-in-chief of the Nashville Banner (Clayton 1880).
Clark began his efforts on behalf of the Smithsonian in May of 1875 with the excavation of an earthen mound on the farm of Dr. William Reid, near Franklin. From there, Clark shifted his efforts to the nearby Glass property, of which he wrote: There is a fine group here, and four of them are in a line from north to south, a large one in the centre [sic], flanked on the south by two small ones, and on the north by another, evidently intended to have been a large one, but from some interruption was never finished. This last was not more than three feet high, though seventy-five feet in diameter. It had been cultivated a great number of years, but distinctly showed its proportions. Being in cultivation at the time of my visit, I did not examine it. The two smaller ones were about six feet high and twenty in diameter, while the largest was twenty feet high and four hundred feet in circumference. They did not stand in a perfect circle, the largest mound forming the lowest part of the concavity (W.M. Clark, “Antiquities of Tennessee,” MS 2407, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution, Page 10).
In his account, Clark mentions four mounds (identified herein for reference as Clark-A, Clark-B, Clark-C, and Clark-D): Clark-A stood ca. 6 m in height and 40 m in diameter and most closely matches Mound 2 at the Glass Mounds; Clark-B and C were located to the south and each measured ca. 2 m in height and 6 m in diameter; and Clark-D, situated to the north, measured ca. 1 m in height and 23 m in diameter. The surviving Glass Mounds Mound 1 may be either Clark-B or Clark-C, although the information provided by Clark is insufficient to determine which. Neither of the two surviving mounds at the Glass Mounds site match the dimensions of Clark-D. Clark excavated two trenches into the largest mound at the site (Clark-A; Glass Mounds 2), beginning on opposite faces and meeting in the center.
Copper Facemask
Within the mound he encountered a layer of ashes and burned earth five feet below the summit, with similar sequences recurring every five feet until the base of the mound. Clark records that the mound was constructed on top of a four-foot deep deposit of burned earth, ashes, and charcoal, from which he recovered “the only relics” from the excavation (W.M. Clark, “Antiquities of Tennessee,” MS 2407, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution, Page 11).
Those materials consisted of a copper earspool and hammered copper face plate (Figure 2) (National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution [NMNH] A19987-0 and A19986).
No skeletal remains were present within the basal mound deposit, suggesting that these artifacts represent either a cache of ritual objects, or perhaps were associated with a cremation or completely degraded grave.
The mask in particular fired Clark’s imagination, leaving him to ponder: Could it speak, what tales it could tell of the red men. [Lamanites & Nephites] No doubt it has witnessed many a torture of captives and heard them shriek, as their hearts were torn from their living bodies and thrown upon the fire to appease the vengeance of their captors. Now how low it has fallen! A small fragment of copper handed down from an antiquity far beyond our conceptions, only a slight token of the mythical nations (W.M. Clark, “Antiquities of Tennessee,” MS 2407, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution, Page 12). TENNESSEE ARCHAEOLOGY Volume 10 Fall 2020 Number 2 The Tennessee Division of Archaeology and Middle Tennessee State University
Buried in the Stone box, the Interpreters, Spectacles & Breastplate, Not Brown Seer Stone and a Hat.
The natural and aboriginal history of Tennessee: up to the first settlements therein by the white people, in the year 1768
BY JOHN HAYWOOD, OF THE COUTNTY OF DAVIDSON, THE STATE OF TENNESSEE. NASHVILLE: PRINTED BY GEORGE WILSON, 1823. Page 341-349
First we will speak of the coins of the aborigines found in the neighboring countries, and then of metallic instruments and utensils also found there.
First. On the farm of Mr. Edward Payne, near Lexington [KY], were found two ancient coins ; one was of gold, and sold for hundreds of dollars : the other was of brass. Each had a head reversed, and both were inscribed with characters not understood, but said to resemble Hebrew. The date of the gold coin was probably 1214, and the date of the brass piece 1009. A few miles below Mr. Payne, a gold piece “Was found, on the plantation of Mr. Chambers, who says it was sold at Lexington for 13 dollars. It was inscribed in unknown characters; and, as Mr. Chambers thinks, was unlike any coin he had ever seen. He says, that a small piece of copper was found on his farm at the same time. The date 1214 could not relate to the “hegira.” [Muhammad’s departure from Mecca to Medina in AD 622]. If it related to the Christian era, it must have come from some of the modern kingdoms of Europe, which had adopted the use of the Arabic numerals. It is not known that the Persians ever used them. The most that can be made of the fact, is, a probability that these coins came to the country before the discovery of America by Columbus; for between 1214 and 1492, the time of his discovery, were 178 years, and before the Spaniards could have circulated it, many more years intervened prior to their intercourse with the nations on the continent. So that it must have circulated nearly 300 years, before it could have come hither from them, and by that time would have been worn out.
The “Nephite Coin” (as depicted in several treasure books) was found 15′ below the surface in Salt Lake City and is actually a ‘Pice’ issued in British India in Bengal by the mint in Calcutta in 1831. Made of copper. How this came to rest in Salt Lake could be an interesting story.
At Circleville [Ohio] a copper coin was taken from the central mound, from beneath the roots of a hickory growing on the mound, seven or eight inches in circumference. It has no resemblance in its devices to any British or other coins to which it hath been compared. A hickory six to eight inches in circumference, might have grown up long since the French settlements were on the Ohio and its waters.
On the plantation of Colonel William Sheppard, in the county of Orange, on the river Enoe; 6 miles above Hillsborough in North Carolina, and near the remains of a town which had been deserted in very remote times, was picked up, about the year 1803 or 1804, a round piece of copper about the size of an American eagle. On both sides was a short line of letters, with parallel lines increasing in length till past the center, whence they decreased in length to the bottom, accommodating themselves to the rounded shape of the copper. It was neatly executed. The letters were of some unknown alphabet. This copper was dropped again on the same plantation, where probably it now is. It was about the thickness of the coins called coppers. Similar pieces were sometimes given by the Spanish friars to their proselyted Indians.
Gold and silver ornaments have been found in many of the tumuli in Ohio. Silver very well plated, has been found in several of the mounds : copper in many: pipe bowls of copper, hammered, and not welded together, but lapped over, have been found in them. A bracelet of copper was found in a stone mound at Chillicothe. It resembles the links of a common chain, the ends passed by each other, but were not welded together. Ornaments of silver and copper have not been found north of Newark [OH The location of the Newark Earthworks of 100 BC to 100 AD]. Below that place, vast numbers have been found. North of that place are no wells perforated in the rocks. Arrow heads of copper, some of them five or six inches in length, circular medals of copper, several inches in diameter, very thin, and much injured by time, have been found in the tumuli of Ohio. Iron has been found in some instances oxidized.
Sword, Skeletons and Mirrors
Out of a mound near the circle of the large fort at Circleville [OH], was found the elk- horn handle of a small sword or long knife. Around the end where the blade had been inserted, was a ferule of silver; no iron was found, but an oxide remained. Also, charcoal and wood ashes in which those articles lay, which were surrounded by several bricks very well burnt.A skeleton appeared to have been burnt in a large and very hot fire, which had almost consumed the bones of the deceased. The skeleton was deposited a little to the south of the centre of the tumulus. And 20 feet to the north of it, was another. There was also a large mirror, three feet in length, one and a half in breadth, and one inch and a half thick. It was of “isinglass.” [mica or a similar material in thin transparent sheets]. Also a plate of iron, which had become an oxyde ; but before it was disturbed by the spade, resembled a plate of iron. This skeleton had been burned like the former and lay in charcoal and a considerable quantity of wood ashes.
Gold and Silver
An ornament of very pure gold was discovered, a few years since, in Ross County Ohio, near Chillicothe, lying in the palm of a skeleton’s hand, in a small mound. [Arch. Am. 176].
Not long since, a silver cup was taken from a mound at Marietta, on the Ohio. It is in the possession of Mr. Hill, of St. Clair county, Illinois. It is in the form of an inverted cone, measuring three and a half inches across at top, two and a half at bottom, and four inches in height. It is of pure silver, and so skillfully wrought, that no traces of the plating hammer are discernible. The bottom, which is circular, has been separately forged, accurately fitted to the sides, or barrel, and soldered on.
In the 1920s thirty-one Roman-style lead artifacts some with Dinosaurs carved on them were excavated near Tucson, AZ
The line of attachment is plainly discernible. Its interior surface has been gilt, or washed, with a bright, yellow, untarnishable metal, which is undoubtedly gold ; but that gilding is impaired in some places. It was found in a mound at Marietta, half a mile east of those remarkable fortifications on the Muskingum. The mound is situated in woody plane, with a gentle declivity towards the river, and a small stream washes its base. During the autumnal rains, or the melting of the snow in the spring, it runs with the velocity of a current. Thus it has gradually washed away the earth, and laid open the mound for a considerable space, and in this situation the cup was discovered. It was then in a bruised or shapeless mass, and foul from adhering clay ; but being taken to a silversmith, was put into the shape it now presents, which was probably the shape it originally had. Its value by weight is about fifteen dollars. It bears no device or ornamental work of any kind, being a perfectly plain and heavy piece of workmanship. If it be not of European fabrication, the inference is inevitable, that some nation preceding the savages was formerly here, of far greater advancement in the arts of civilization than they ever possessed. But for fear of mistake, let us bear in mind that the French settled in Canada as early as the year 1608, and soon afterwards carried on trade extensively with all the Indians who lived on the waters of the Ohio.
Copper, Marble and Amulets
Copper instruments and ornaments have also been found. In 1813 was found in a mound a piece of copper incrusted with “erugo” [mildew, plant rust], half an inch thick It consists of thin plates of copper rolled up, encircling each other. It was about three inches in length, and one fourth of an inch in thickness. The plates were remarkably pure and fine. In the same mound a beautiful piece of marble was taken up in the year 1814. It was undoubtedly made and used for an ornament, being perforated with loopholes for fastening, which must have been bored by some hard instrument. The marble piece is about five or six inches in length, flat on one side, oval on the other, having an increasing width in the middle, the ends are apparently cut, and with some hard implement used for the purpose. The marble is of a dark dun colour, but the veins of the stones are very distinct. The magicians of India are provided with many articles against witchcraft, which they distribute amongst those who consult them. There are certain enchanted beads, very thin plates of copper, on which extraordinary figures are engraved, with inexplicable words and unknown characters. Amulets also, of various kinds, all which are worn by the Hindoos to serve as talismans, and to preserve them from every species of incantation. No other circum-stance at present recollected, can account in the least degree for the plates of copper above mentioned.
Verdigrease (patina), Helmet, Scull bone which lay under the plate of copper
In one of the tumuli on Grave Creek [WV], below Wheeling, near to the Ohio, were found, about 20 years since, sixty copper beads, made of a coarse “wire, hammered out, and not drawn and cut off at unequal lengths. They were soldered together in an awkward manner, the centre of some of them uniting with the edges of others. They were incrusted with “verdigrease” [A green patina or crust of copper sulfate or copper chloride formed on copper, brass, and bronze exposed to air or seawater for long periods of time], but the inside of them was pure copper.
This painting by Ken Corbett, represents Mormon with his son, Mormon traveling south on the Ohio River heading towards the Land Zarahemla in Illinois and Missouri. Near Grave Creek Mound in West Virginia, you can visualize in Mormon 1:6-7 it saying, “And it came to pass that I, being eleven years old, was carried by my father into the land southward, even to the land of Zarahemla. The whole face of the land had become covered with buildings, and the people were as numerous almost, as it were the sand of the sea.” Young Mormon is pointing to the Grave Creek mound and all the buildings around.
Shield Boss, Belts, Buckler, Scabbard, Sword, Iron and 500 year old trees.
In an ancient mound of the streets of Marietta, in the margin of the plane near the fortifications, amongst other things, in 1819 were discovered three large circular bosses [A shield boss, or umbo, is a round, convex or conical piece of material at the centre of a shield], or ornaments, for sword belts, or a buckler composed of copper, oval, and with a thick plate of silver. The front is slightly convex with a depression like a cap in the centre. The measure, two inches and a quarter across the face of each. On the back side, opposite the depressed portion, is a copper rivet or nail, around which are two separate plates, by which they were fastened to the leather. Two small pieces of the leather were found lying between the holes of one of the bosses. They resemble the skin of an old mummy. The plates of copper are nearly reduced to rust. Around the rivet of one of them is a quantity of flax or hemp in a tolerable state of preservation. Near the side of the human body was a plate of silver, the upper part of a sword scabbard, six inches long, two wide, weighing one ounce. Three longitudinal ridges were on it, which perhaps corresponded with the edges or ridges of the sword. It had been fastened to the scabbard by three or four rivets, the holes of which yet remain in the silver.
Two or three pieces of a copper tube were also found, filled with rust. These compose the lower end of the scabbard, near the point of the sword. There is no sign of the sword itself, except this appearance of rust. Near the feet was a piece of copper weighing three ounces. It seemed by the shape to have been used for a plumb or for ornament. Near one of the ends is a circular crease or groove for lying a thread. It is round, two inches and a half in length, one in diameter at the centre, and half an inch at each end. It is composed of small pieces of native copper pounded together; and in the cracks between the pieces, are several pieces of silver, one nearly of the size of a fourpenny piece or half a “disme” [ an American silver coin with a face value of five cents.] This copper ornament was covered with a coat of green rust, and is considerably corroded. A piece of red ochre or paint, and a piece of iron ore, which has the appearance of having been partly vitrified or melted, were also found. The trees upon the mound, as evidenced by the annulars, were between 400 and 500 years of age, and on the ground beside them were other trees, in a state of decay that appeared to have fallen from dotage.
Bear Teeth, Mica, Copper Beads, Human Bones
Mica Hopewell Hand Ohio History Connection
From the ancient works where Circleville [OH] now stands, and from the mound there, were taken a few scattered human bones, a branch of a deer’s horn and a piece of earthenware containing muscle shells. At the distance of 500 feet from this pyramid, in the direction of north eight east, there is another. Nine feet high, of a circular figure, nearly flat on the top. In it were found some human skeletons, and a hand full of copper beads, which had been strung on a cravat of lint. There is another mound at the intersection of Third and Main streets; whatever it contained was deposited a small distance below a stratum of loam which is common to the town. The first artificial layer was gravel, considerably raised in the middle; the next, composed of large pebbles, was convex and of a uniform thickness ; the last consisted of loam and soil. The strata were entire, and must have been formed after the deposits in the tumulus were completed. Amongst other articles were these : A bone ornamented with several carved lines ; the sculpture representation of the head or beak of a rapacious bird, perhaps an eagle ; a quantity of isinglass ; a small oval piece of sheet copper with two perforations ; a large oval piece of some metal with longitudinal grooves or ridges ; a number of beads of bone or shell; the teeth of a carnivorous animal, probably those of a bear; seven large marine shells, belonging perhaps to the genus buccinum, cut in such a manner as to serve for domestic utensils, and nearly converted into a state of chalk; several copper articles, each consisting of two sets of circular concave and convex plates. The. interior one of each sort connected with the other by a hollow axis, around which had been wound some lint. Other articles have been found there, consisting of pure copper, human bones of different sizes, sometimes enclosed in rude stone coffins, but oftener lying blended with the earth, surrounded by a portion of ashes and charcoal.
Iron and steel utensils and ornaments have also been found. There was dug up from the central mound at Circleville, a fragment of some culinary vessel. It was evidently of cast iron, and showed the marks of the mould. It was covered on the lower side with the black, smut contracted over the fire. It was found among ashes, and large pieces of charcoal.
Iron and Ivory Bracelets
In the large cemetery of Augusta were found four iron bracelets on the left arm of a female skeleton. They are formed with a loop at one extremity, and extend in an oval shape to a knob at the other end, “which hitches into the loop. The elongated central part of the oval is the thickest, from which it gradually tapers to the clasp. These bracelets are much corroded, and the loops destroyed; but even their present state of preservation can only be accounted for by the fortunate circumstance, that the alluvial soil of the burying ground was free from mineral acids. There are in this state some ancient ivory bracelets from Indostan, which exactly resemble in shape those iron ones. It is a well-known fact, that the dress and ornaments of the Hindoos have continued unchanged from the earliest periods of history.
Copper Bracelet
Iron Knives and Swords
The aborigines had some very well manufactured swords and knives of iron, and possibly of steel. A few years ago, near Blacksburg in Virginia, 80 miles from Marietta, was found about the half of a steel bow, which when entire would have measured five or six feet.
Stone Wall and Furnaces
On the main branch of Paint creek in Ohio, near some very ancient works, and on the inside of a wall on the side of an elevated hill 300 feet high, which wall is of stone, around the brow of the hill there appears to have been a row of furnaces or smiths’ shops, where the cinders now lie many feet in depth. The remains are four or five feet in depth even now in many places. Source
This wall of staked rocks goes for miles just east of the Palmyra Temple. The similar wall can be found at Jerusalem, NY. Read the article below.
Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site consists of a restored town from the 18th and 19th centuries, as well as ruins of an ancient blast furnace.
There is an overwhelming amount of artifacts and archaeological evidence that a primitive people like the Nephites, lived in North America at the same timeline as the Book of Mormon. 500 BC to 400 AD. The Hopewell Culture fits that timeline, and the Adena Culture of 1500 BC to 300 AD also fits the Jaredite timeline.
I recently was sent this article written in 1973 by Elder Christensen from my good friend David Hocking, Editor of “The Annotated Edition of the Book of Mormon” I had read it a few years ago, and it made me recall the research that David Hocking, Rod Meldrum, Jonathan Neville and I have done over the many years.
As many of you may know, the Heartland Reseach Group with John Lefgren, and Mike & Betty LaFontaine just completed a historic meeting in Washington DC. They and over 100 invited guests met with the Tunisian Ambassador, and her delegation. It was a fantastic meeting as I have heard from Rod Meldrum, Russ Barlow, Hayden and Jackson Paul, Boyd Tuttle, 3 representatives from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, A leading historian of the Smithsonian Museum, Philip Beal and Yuri Sanada a professional filmmaker and crew member of the Phoenicia.
Inspired by this long history of friendship between America and Tunisia, Association Didon de Carthage’s president, Eryj Ben Sassi Trimech, and Heartland Research Group’s president, John Lefgren and Board Member Betty “Red Ant” LaFontaine, have signed a cooperation document for their organizations in Washington, DC, on February 15th, 2024, an important step to solidifying their partnership and to promote cultural and social exchanges between their countries. Tunisia and America will mutually benefit from entrepreneurship to empower and provide a more sustainable way of life for communities in need. See PDF Brochure below for details.
This map shows the route of Philip Beale in 2009. As you can see the ‘Phoenicia’ came within 3-400 miles of Florida. Rod Meldrum encouraged Captain Beale to land in Florida as Rod followed very closely their voyage. Capt. Beale said, “No I set out to prove the trading route of Herodotus in 600 BC to circumnavigate Africa.” Rod feels this route from Oman is the route Lehi took in 589 BC and landed near Tallahassee, FL.
I created a 4-page brochure for the attendees that you can see a PDF here:
Article by Dr. and Sister Ross T. Christensen of Brigham Young University. Dr. Christensen is a professor of archaeology and anthropology; his wife is a graduate student in archaeology, 1973.
“Two possible routes of the voyage of Mulek and his followers to the New World “promised land” of the Book of Mormon have been proposed by Dr. and Sister Ross T. Christensen of Brigham Young University. Dr. Christensen is a professor of archaeology and anthropology; his wife is a graduate student in archaeology.
The Book of Mormon does not specify whether the Mulekites made their voyage to the Americas in the sixth century B.C. westward across the Atlantic Ocean or eastward across the Pacific. But since that history clearly indicates that they landed on the east coast of the “land northward,” the Christensen’s suggest that the Mulekites may have followed the Atlantic route.
While the Christensen’s believe Mulek traveled this more direct route across the Atlantic, they have also considered the route around Africa and across the South Atlantic as another possibility.
A study of Atlantic Ocean currents together with other substantive information supports the feasibility of two possible routes that these early voyagers might have taken, according to the Christensen’s. One is a Mediterranean and North Atlantic route; the other is around Africa, then across the South Atlantic.
The sixth century before Christ was a time of extraordinary activity in exploration, trade, and colonization in the Mediterranean world and beyond. And the destruction of Jerusalem and the flight of Mulek and his people and others who were oppressed only accelerated a disposition to emigrate. Israelite colonies are believed to have existed at Cyprus, Crete, Libya, Jerba, and Carthage at the time of Jerusalem’s fall, some of them having been established, according to tradition, during the reigns of David and Solomon. Also dating from the period of David and Solomon was a tradition of Israelite commerce with the Phoenicians.
One hypothesis suggests that at least part of the colony that settled in America with Mulek was Phoenician, because the river Sidon, mentioned in the Book of Mormon, bears the name of the principal city of ancient Phoenicia, Sidon. Aided by Phoenician mariners and Hebrew colonists across the Mediterranean, Mulek’s group could have reached the Atlantic Ocean by traveling the length of the Mediterranean Sea. Once out on the Atlantic, Mulek would have entered into a powerful ocean current that sweeps southwestward from Spain and Portugal along the west coast of Africa, then veers westward across the Atlantic, continuing in an arc through the West Indies.
While the Christensen’s believe Mulek traveled this more direct route across the Atlantic, they have also considered the route around Africa and across the South Atlantic as another possibility.
A powerful ocean stream originates in the Indian Ocean in the vicinity of Madagascar, sweeps southward around the Cape of Good Hope, veers westward across the South Atlantic to a point on the north of the eastern tip of Brazil, and continues northward off the coast of South America until it merges with the current flowing across the North Atlantic. Thus, if a vessel were to embark on the Red Sea and hold course close to the eastern shore of Africa until it reached the vicinity of Madagascar, it could follow the currents to the West Indies and the Gulf of Mexico.
Although twice as far as the Mediterranean route, this second possibility warrants consideration. It has been discovered that under orders of the Egyptian monarch Neccho II, Phoenician sailors in about 600 B.C. voyaged around the entire continent of Africa, and this was 2100 years before the same feat was accomplished by Vasco de Gama in 1498.
Another accomplishment about the time of the Mulekite voyage was an actual crossing of the Atlantic to America by Phoenician mariners who set sail in the Red Sea, taking the route around the Cape of Good Hope and across the South Atlantic to what is now Brazil. An ancient Phoenician inscription found at Paraiba, Brazil, sets the crossing between 534 and 531 B.C.” https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/1973/09/discovery/possible-routes-suggested-for-muleks-voyage?lang=eng
Understanding the Mulek Route
The two routes from the Old World to America that Brother and Sister Christensen speak about above, are very similar to the two routes we believe line up very well, one with the route of Lehi from Oman to Florida, and one from Israel or Tunisia to Florida that Mulek may have taken. We believe it very likely that Mulek didn’t stop in the Gulf of Mexico, but tacked up the Mississippi River to the stopping point at the Des Moines river rapids near Keokuk, Iowa.
We believe this landing near Zarahemla spoken of in D&C 125, is across from Nauvoo, IL, as Joseph’s revelation stated, “Let them build up a city unto my name upon the land opposite the city of Nauvoo, and let the name of Zarahemla be named upon it.” The Book of Mormon says, [Mulekites] “were brought by the hand of the Lord across the great waters, into the land where Mosiah discovered them; and they had dwelt there from that time forth.” Omni 1:16,
This land of Zarahemla which is all along the Mississippi River from the Head of Sidon [Confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi River] to the Great Lakes is where the Mulekites lived and where Mosiah joined them in about 300 BC. The Mulekites had “dwelt there [near Nauvoo] from that time forth”.
Our good friend Wayne May believes the Mulekites came the St Lawrence Seaway Route, which is a possibility as well. However, going that route according to Capt Beale would be very unlikely as traveling north from Gibraltar he said is “a no go” as the map shows below that crossing through the Gulf Stream and other currents is not feasible.
St Lawrence Route to Zarahemla?
If you take the St Lawrence you would have to avoid or fight the Niagara Falls, and then the end of the water route would have to be near Detroit, MI where the Mulekites would have to travel by land to the next river, or travel all the way to Zarahemla by Land. The other option for the St Lawrence would be for the Mulekites to travel the great lakes up Lake Huron and back down the Lake Michigan to land only. They would then need to travel down the Illinois River which connects to the Mississippi River, and land near the Des Moines Rapids in Iowa from the north. These two scenarios make it unlikely that [Mulekites] “had dwelt there from that time forth.” Omni 1:16. The Mulekites may have had to dwell neat Detroit, or Indiana, etc as there were no connecting waterways.
Also we read in Heleman 6:10, “Now the land south was called Lehi, and the land north was called Mulek, which was after the son of Zedekiah; for the Lord did bring Mulek into the land north, and Lehi into the land south.” Whether the Mulekites came from the St Lawrence or from the Mississippi, both voyages they would be “north” of where Lehi landed in Florida. See map below.
Capt. Beale’s voyage from Tunisia to Florida in 2020. It could have easily continued up the Mississippi River to Zarahemla.
Captain Philip Beale British Navy Captain and Adventurer
Maritime adventurer Philip Beale has led a life of exploration, searching for answers to some of the great mysteries of ancient civilizations. His adventures began when he was chosen for Operation Drake, sailing the brigantine Eye of the Wind from Fiji to Papua New Guinea. Later, Philip joined the Royal Navy as an officer, and after leaving the Navy, he then led a successful career in finances. Years later, in Indonesia, Philip commissioned construction of a replica vessel depicted at the Borobudur stupa. He then navigated the Borobudur Ship Expedition across the Indian Ocean sailing far as Ghana in the West coast of Africa. The Borobudur Ship is now on display in its own dedicated at Museum at the Borobudur Temple in Indonesia. His next big project was the Phoenician Ship Expeditions.
What Does Philip Beale Think?
As you see below, I asked Philip a question about the best route of a 600 BC ship to America. Either from Gibraltar northwest to the St Lawrence Seaway or from Gibraltar southwest to the Gulf of Mexico and up the Mississippi River. His answer is a big reason why I believe the Mulekites landed in Zarahemla by way of the Mississippi River, and not through the St Lawrence. See Omni 1:16 which says, “And they [Mulekites] journeyed in the wilderness and were brought by the hand of the Lord across the great waters, into the land where Mosiah discovered them; and they had dwelt there from that time forth.”
If the Mulekites had been “there from that time forth”, That is where they landed. If they used the St Lawrence Seaway they could not have landed directly at Montrose, IA without stopping and by foot traveling many miles to find another river to then get to Montrose. If they used the Mississippi River, they would have traveled by ship all the way to the Des Moines Rapids without stopping.
This is just my opinion, as my good friend Wayne May feels they came through the St Lawrence. Neither of us know for sure, but I feel mine makes more sense to me.
Below is my email from Rian Nelson to Philip Beale
“So even though the northern route to the St Lawrence seems shorter travel that way would be because of the winds? How many days would it take in your ship for you to travel from Tunisia to the Mouth of the St Lawrence River? How many days from the Mouth of the St Lawrence to Nauvoo, Illinois? Also understanding the Great Lakes could have been higher in 600 BC how hard would it be to cross the Great Lakes going west to Lake Michigan and then to the Mississippi River and down to Nauvoo?
How many days would it take in your ship for you to travel from Tunisia to the Mouth of the Mississippi River? How many days also from the Mouth of the Mississippi to Nauvoo, Illinois? How many days was your actual 2020 expedition from Tunisia to Florida?
There is of course the Des Moines Rapids by Keokuk, Iowa on the Mississippi. If Mulek traveled up the Mississippi from the Gulf of Mexico to those rapids, would it have been possible that the rapids could have been higher in 600 BC to have crossed the rapids a few more miles to land near Nauvoo?”
Thanks so much for your help, Rian Nelson
Email from Philip Beale to Rian Nelson Jan 4, 2022
“Hi Rian,
Thanks for your email the other day and sorry for my delayed response.
I think in general the so-called Northern route is a non-starter for an historical/maritime point of view because as you will see from the attached chart (below), the currents and winds (which have been the same for thousands of years) go against the norther route. Unless the Phoenicians invented the internal combustion engine or sailed to meet the Vikings first in Norway, it just does not make sense.
This is the chart Captain Beale sent me in his email.
However, the southern route is just like a conveyer belt all the way to the Caribbean from the Med. For the rivers we would have to look at the distances involved but I think at best you would be looking at 10 miles per day through rowing.
Happy to do a bit more work on this but I thought I would send this to get started.”
Regards Philip
Study The Maps
Rian says, “I believe if you study the maps below, they will be an important key to your understanding the voyage of the Mulekites. I have used Captain Beale as my guide to understand sailing of a 600 BC Phoenician ship. He has traveled 30,000 miles and is very educated in this travel.”
Captain Beale said to me, “traveling up the Mississippi River could easily have been done with a technique called “tacking.”
Beating to windward on a series of port and starboard tacks, tacking between each at points 1, 2, and 3. Wikipedia
“Tacking or coming about is a sailing maneuver by which a sailing craft (sailing vessel, ice boat, or land yacht), whose next destination is into the wind, turns its bow toward and through the wind so that the direction from which the wind blows changes from one side of the boat to the other, allowing progress in the desired direction. Sailing vessels are unable to sail higher than a certain angle towards the wind, so “beating to windward” in a zig-zag fashion with a series of tacking maneuvers, allows a vessel to sail towards a destination that is closer to the wind that the vessel can sail directly.
A sailing craft, whose course is downwind, jibes (or “wears” if square-rigged) by having the apparent wind cross the stern from one tack to the other. High-performance sailing craft may tack, rather than jibe, downwind, when the apparent wind is well forward.” Wikipedia
Here is my projected voyage of the Mulekites and of Lehi.
See my maps about the many voyages to the Promised land. I sincerely believe the Jaredites came from Babel through to Persian Gulf on the first set of barges and ended up in China or Japan with the second set of barges traveling 344 days as Ether says, to the Northwest coast of America near Seattle. See my blog here: https://bookofmormonevidence.org/jaredites-2-sets-of-barges-pacific-landing/
If you want more details on any voyage. Don’t just dismiss these theories, study and ask questions. Firm Foundation Expo Facebook post Feb 10, 2024 Rian Nelson riannelson@aol.com or 801-931-9031
This is a picture from Philip Beal of his voyage from Tunisia to Ft Lauderdale Florida. ending in April 2020.
I feel the Des Moines River Rapids are a significant story in Nephite, Mulekite and LDS History. The Nephites and Lamanites had several battles in the Mississippi River [Sidon] near these rapids, and then the Mulekites voyage being stopped by those rapids on their journey from Israel, on the Atlantic Ocean and up the Mississippi to Zarahemla, and finally there was an ability to cross the Mississippi River from Nauvoo to the other side at Montrose, IA [City of Zarahemla]
To me a huge witness is that the River Sidon or Mississippi River, was not only navigable for the Nephites in about 74 BC, the Mulekites in about 586 BC, and also for Joseph Smith in 1841. An amazing coincidence at the same location.
If the Mississippi River is the River Sidon as mentioned in the Book of Mormon, [which I believe it is], how could the battles in Alma 2 and Alma 43-44 speak about how easily the Nephites and Lamanites could cross that huge Mississippi River on foot? Did the disposing of dead bodies add to the swallow nature of the River Sidon at certain places?
Did you know that during Joseph Smith’s time, the Mississippi River was crossed on horseback by Joseph, and could be crossed by walking across in some parts? The Des Moines River Rapids just south of Nauvoo was an obstacle where ships could not navigate that area until the Army Corp of Engineers cut a path so boats could then navigate the river.
I believe it was at the Des Moines rapids, that stopped the Mulekites from traveling further up to Nauvoo, on the Mississippi River from the Gulf of Mexico. As it says in Omni 1:16, “And they [Mulekites] journeyed in the wilderness, and were brought by the hand of the Lord across the great waters, into the land where Mosiah discovered them; and they had dwelt there from that time forth. It seems that very place at the Des Moines Rapids, the Mulekites would have to had stopped, and then on foot [or portage] walked just north of there to Nauvoo and Montrose, Iowa, where they were found by Mosiah in about 300 BC. Detailed blog here: https://bookofmormonevidence.org/suggested-routes-of-the-mulekites/
Making the Mississippi River Navigable
“Various attempts to make the river navigable started in 1837 when a channel was blasted through the rapids by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers team led by Robert E. Lee. A canal around the rapids was built in 1877. It is now obliterated by Lock and Dam No. 19.” Wikepedia
Open your Annotated Book of Mormon to page 293, or open your regular Book of Mormon to Alma 43. As you read you can follow the action from the map below. The Mississippi River is the River Sidon and the action takes place just north of the current city of St. Louis, MO.
Cast their Dead into the River Sidon
20 And it came to pass that Moroni caused that the work of death should cease again among the people. And he took the weapons of war from the Lamanites; and after they had entered into a covenant with him of peace they were suffered to depart into the wilderness.
21 Now the number of their dead was not numbered because of the greatness of the number; yea, the number of their dead was exceedingly great, both on the Nephites and on the Lamanites.
22 And it came to pass that they did cast their dead into the waters of Sidon, and they have gone forth and are buried in the depths of the sea. “Alma 44:20-22
The information below is from Jonathan Neville’s best selling book, “Moroni’s America”
“[Alma] Chapter 43 resumes the account of the wars between the Nephites and the Lamanites. The Nephites gathered their armies in the land of Jershon, while the Lamanites came into the land of Antionum. All the leaders of the Lamanites were Amlicites (Amalekites) and Zoramites.
Captain Moroni met the Lamanites “in the borders of Jershon” (Alma 43:18), but when the Lamanites saw that the Nephites were better armed and protected with breastplates and arm-shields and thick clothing, their leaders “departed out of the land of Antionum into the wilderness, and took their journey round about in the wilderness, away by the head of the river Sidon, that they might come into the land of Manti and take possession of the land” (Alma 43:25). [The Head of River Sidon is most likely the confluence of the Mississippi River and the Ohio River]
From the Lamanite perspective, this made sense. Moroni had fortified the land of Jershon, and presumably the sea, or mighty river, it bordered. The Lamanites could do an end run around Jershon, past the productive (bountiful) farmland into the wilderness north, and then cross the Sidon to reach Manti.
The confrontation between Moroni and the Lamanites is another battle in and near the river. Moroni “found by his spies which course the Lamanites were to take” (Alma 43:30).
31 Therefore, he divided his army and brought a part over into the valley, and concealed them on the east, and on the south of the hill Riplah; [See #5, in map above]
32 And the remainder he concealed in the west valley, on the west of the river Sidon, and so down into the borders of the land Manti. [See #4, in map above].
33 And thus having placed his army according to his desire, he was prepared to meet them.
34 And it came to pass that the Lamanites came up on the north of the hill, where a part of the army of Moroni was concealed.[See #4 on the map above].
35 And as the Lamanites had passed the hill Riplah, and came into the valley, and began to cross the river Sidon, the army which was concealed on the south of the hill, which was led by a man whose name was Lehi, and he led his army forth and encircled the Lamanites about on the east in their rear.
36 And it came to pass that the Lamanites, when they saw the Nephites coming upon them in their rear, turned them about and began to contend with the army of Lehi.
“Moroni Fortifies the Land of the Nephites” [See Alma 50] by Clark Kelley Price.
The Nephites were better armed and protected, so “the Lamanites became frightened because of the great destruction among them even until they began to flee towards the river Sidon… and they were driven by Lehi into the waters of Sidonand Lehi retained his armies upon the bank of the river Sidon that they should not cross” (Alma 43:39-40).
Moroni had stationed the rest of his army “in the valley on the other side of the river Sidon” (Alma 43:41). When his men began to “fall upon” the Lamanites and to slay them, “the Lamanites did flee again before them towards the land of Manti and they were met again by the armies of Moroni” (Alma 43:41-2).
All of this was taking place near the “head of Sidon,” because that is where the Lamanites planned to attack.
The passage describes a river that is a significant barrier, with a hill and bank on the east side and a large valley on the west side. Armies can cross it(at least at some times of the year), but it is a significant barrier. This cannot be “headwaters” as some commentators have proposed. [It is a confluence where the Mississippi meets the Ohio]
Another requirement: there must be a way out of the valley toward the land of Manti.
One place that fits this description nicely is where the Missouri River meets the Mississippi. [Another possible Head of Sidon with the confluence of the Missouri and the Mississippi]. On the east bank, there are hills. The west bank is a wide valley, with access to the north and west toward what would have been the land of Manti.
At this point, the Lamanites were surrounded. Moroni offered a truce, but Zerahemnah, the Lamanite leader, refused to enter a covenant of peace. Moroni resumed the battle until “Zerahemnah, when he saw that they were all about to be destroyed, cried mightily unto Moroni, promising that he would covenant and also his people with them, if they would spare the remainder of their lives, that they would never come to war against them” (Alma 44:19).
As before with the Amlicites, “they did cast their dead into the waters of Sidon and they have gone forth and are buried in the depths of the sea” (Alma 44:22).” Moroni’s America by Jonathan Neville page 169-173
Crossable Mississippi River for the Nephites and Joseph Smith
Rodney Meldrum says, “The Des Moines Rapids between Nauvoo, Illinois on the east and Montrose (Zarahemla) and Keokuk, Iowa on the west was formed by a hard natural limestone shelf that extended across an 11 mile stretch of the Mississippi river. It severely limited Steamboat traffic through the early 19th century. Prior to the building of locks and dams that have raised water levels 18-20 feet, it was the first location upstream from the Gulf of Mexico where the Mississippi river could be crossed… on foot. Historical records state that these rapids had an average depth of only 2.4 feet*, with most of the crossing being more shallow, especially during late summer, fall and dry seasons…
*”The Mississippi in its natural state widens from 2,500 feet (760 m) to 4,500 feet (1,400 m) in width at Nauvoo as it drops 22 feet (6.7 m) over 11 miles (18 km) over shallow limestone rocks to the confluence with Des Moines. According to records its mean depth through the rapids was 2.4 feet (0.73 m) and “much less” in many places.” Wikipedia
Why is this important? This would have been one of the most strategic locations in North America due to this crossing of a significant barrier to travel, the Mississippi River. Trade would also occur here bringing goods and people together from across the continent.
This location would also be of strategic importance in securing against foreign invasion. An ancient army would of necessity be faced with either swimming or rowing their men across to launch an attack, which in the case of the Book of Mormon could mean many thousands of men awaiting portage. The element of surprise in battle would be lost if a week were required to ferry men across the river. This major river crossing would, then, be a critical strategic location either to defend of to conquer, by allowing or restricting access to either side. Exploring the Book of Mormon in America’s Heartland by Rod Meldrum pg. 80-81
CROSSING THE MISSISSIPPI ON HORSEBACK
On August 8, 1842, a Warrant was served by Governor Carlin for the arrest of Joseph Smith and Porter Rockwell who had been charged with the near fatal shooting of Gov. Lilburn Boggs. Joseph and Porter went into hiding, knowing their innocence and that this was just another attempt to thwart the work of the Lord.
From Dean C. Jesse’s The Papers of Joseph Smith, in the Illinois journal we read from the entry Aug. 11th, “It is very evident that the whole business is but another evidence of the effects of prejudice, and that it proceeds from a persecuting spirit, the parties having signified their determination to have Joseph taken to Missouri whether by legal or illegal means.” The journal continued, “12 August 1842 – Friday – This AM it appears still more evident that the whole course of Proceedings of Gov. Carlin and others is illegal”
A stratagem was conceived to trick the Sheriff and his Deputies. The journal states,” Accordingly Joseph’s new horse which he rides, (which he named Joe Duncan after the unsupportive former Governor of Illinois) was got ready and Wm. Walker proceeded to cross the river in sight of a number of Persons. One chief design in this procedure was to draw the attention of the Sheriffs and public, away from all idea that Joseph was on the Nauvoo side of the river.”
The next day, “A report came over the river that there is a several small companies of men in Montrose, Nashville, Keokuk, etc., in search of Joseph. They saw his horse go down the river yesterday and was confident he was on that side.” The Mississippi River was shallow enough on this late summer day to ride a horse across it at this location.”Exploring the Book of Mormon in America’s Heartland by Rod Meldrum pg 80-81
More about Zarahemla D&C 125
“I have a Patriarchal blessing hanging in a frame in my room, which was pronounced upon my head by the prophet and patriarch, Hyrum Smith, in the fall of 1844[1843?], which is worth more than gold to me – Gold is no name for it. The predictions are being literally fulfilled every day. I know if I prove faithful it will all come to pass. 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.
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.” Autobiography of Edward Phillips (1813-1896)
Firm Foundation supports Mark E. Petersen’s quote here. “I do not believe that the classrooms or the pulpits of our Church are for laboratory purposes in which to experiment with new doctrines and speculative notions. They are exclusively for the use of those who are willing to convert men and women and boys and girls to the truth. . . . I do not believe we should give credence to the highly speculative theories about Book of Mormon geography. I do not believe that there were two Hill Cumorahs, one in Central America and the other one up in New York, for the convenience of the Prophet Joseph Smith, so that the poor boy would not have to walk clear to Central America to get the gold plates. I do not believe we can be good Latter-day Saints and question the integrity of Joseph Smith. I do not believe we can be good Latter-day Saints and question the testimony of the eleven witnesses of the Book of Mormon. I do not believe you have a testimony of the truth if you question the accuracy of the translation of the Book of Mormon.” Mark E. Petersen LDS Conference Reports, Sunday afternoon, April 5, 1953
We support Heartland Research with the same belief as Firm Foundation, that there is a one and only Hill Cumorah in New York, and we also believe Joseph Smith’s revelation in D&C 125, showing the very city of Zarahemla in the Book of Mormon was indeed near Nauvoo in Montrose, Iowa.
In our friends Heartland Research blog below, you will find credible and plausible signs of ancient archaeology in Jerusalem and in Montrose Iowa. Of course all things are done in a desire to discover truths of the Bible and Book of Mormon. Both groups also love and support the many years of research done by Wayne May.
Since few in the world have ever looked specifically for evidence in the Heartland for ancient evidence of the Book of Mormon city of Zarahemla, Heartland Research continues to explore with passion and desire to help others understand physical evidence of the Book of Mormon. The Heartland Research team all have a spiritual witness that the Book of Mormon is true, and they move forward on words from an Apostle, Jeffrey R. Holland who said, ”
“…Truly rock-ribbed faith and uncompromised conviction comes with its most complete power when it engages our head as well as our heart… Truth borne by the Holy Spirit comes with, in effect, two manifestations, two witnesses if you will—the force of fact as well as the force of feeling… I believe God intends us to find and use the evidence He has given—reasons, if you will—which affirm the truthfulness of His work… Evidence is still evidence even if it is not immediately observable… “My testimony to you tonight is that the gospel is infallibly true and that a variety of infallible proofs supporting that assertion will continue to come until Jesus descends as the ultimate infallible truth of all. Our testimonies aren’t dependent on evidence—we still need that spiritual confirmation in the heart of which we have spoken—but not to seek for and not to acknowledge intellectual, documentable support for our belief when it is available is to needlessly limit an otherwise incomparably strong theological position and deny us a unique, persuasive vocabulary in the latter-day arena of religious investigation and sectarian debate. Thus armed with so much evidence of the kind we have celebrated here tonight, we ought to be more assertive than we sometimes are in defending our testimony of truth… Farrer [English cleric Austin Farrer] said: “Though argument does not create conviction, lack of it destroys belief. What seems to be proved may not be embraced; but what no one shows the ability to defend is quickly abandoned. Rational argument does not create belief, but it maintains a climate in which belief may flourish.”… May our Father in Heaven bless us and an ever-larger cadre of young scholars around the Church to do more and more to discover and delineate and declare the reasons for the hope that is in us, that like those converted Lamanites, we may with bold conviction hold up to a world that desperately needs it “the greatness of the evidences which [we have] received,” especially of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon, the keystone of our religion. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.” The Greatness of the Evidence By Elder Jeffrey R. Holland August 16, 2017
“Individual members are encouraged to independently strive to receive their own spiritual confirmation of the truthfulness of Church doctrine. Moreover, the Church exhorts all people to approach the gospel not only intellectually but with the intellect and the spirit, a process in which reason and faith work together.” LDS Newsroom http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/approaching-mormon-doctrine
Ash and Soot in Zarahemla.
The Old Testament states that Nebuchadnezzar II, the King of Babylon, burned the Temple of Jerusalem when he conquered Jerusalem in 586 BC. The time of the burning of the First Temple and the destruction of Jerusalem corresponds to the history of the Phoenicia Ship Replica that is now in Zarahemla.
In Jerusalem scientists are searching for destruction layers and burnt materials from 2,600 years ago, when the Babylonians took the Jews into captivity. During this time Prince Mulek escaped from Jerusalem to Zarahemla.
Due to religious and political sensitivities, archaeological excavations of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem are limited to surface surveys. There is, however, an active search for evidence from a dig near the First Temple. This dig has gone down forty feet and in recent years archaeologists have found ash that is 2,600 years old from the Babylonian burning of the First Temple. These reports are on the internet and can be found at the website of The Times of Israel.
Most of what we know about Zarahemla today comes from an ancient record that more than ten million people accept as the Word of God. Our analysis of Alma Chapter 2 confirms that Zarahemla is located in Montrose, Iowa, on the west bank of the Mississippi River. Click here and look at this video for our report.
In our search for Zarahemla, we have already spent considerable effort on four expeditions. SENSYS is one of the world’s most experienced and advanced companies for magnetometers and electromagnetic surveys. Three years ago, we scanned 200 acres using the best equipment from SENSYS to identify magnetic signatures of soils and rocks that were altered thousands of years ago by ancient fires. The magnetometer detected hundreds of firepits within a 200-acre area. We concluded from these initial results that Zarahemla’s population 2,000 years ago was greater than today’s population in the same area.
We are now interested in confirming Zarahemla’s location by using a new approach for the discovery of ash and soot from the city’s burning.
We read from 3 Nephi Chapter 9: 2 Wo, wo, wo unto this people; wo unto the inhabitants of the whole earth except they shall repent; for the devil laugheth, and his angels rejoice, because of the slain of the fair sons and daughters of my people; and it is because of their iniquity and abominations that they are fallen! 3 Behold, that great city Zarahemla have I burned with fire, and the inhabitants thereof.
According to scripture, at the time of Christ’s death ancient America’s largest city was destroyed by fire.
The burning of Zarahemla two thousand years ago caused tons of ash and soot some of which would have floated and collected in pools of water on layers of clay.
After the burning, ash and soot would have gathered in pools in low areas with clay being the holding layer in core samples.
At the time of Christ’s death, Zarahemla burned. During the Nephite evacuation of AD 320, the city likely burned. These burnings of the city produced soot and ash. Surface water from rain and melting snow concentrated the carbon-based materials into pools.
We want to begin a concerted effort to find the locations for these materials in the ground of Zarahemla. We believe that the discovery can be accomplished through an analysis of terrain features and the drilling of cores. We think that we will need to drill down five feet and more. We expect that the layers of ash and soot will be found on top of a layer of clay that would have held the collected ash and soot.
Again Elder Jeffrey R. Holland said,“but not to seek for and not to acknowledge intellectual, documentable support for our belief when it is available is to needlessly limit an otherwise incomparably strong theological position…”
“If you live into the next century you will see evidence for the Book of Mormon come forth in droves.” Truman G. Madsen, speaking of what the Prophet Joseph Smith said to a colleague, in the opening statement of the 2005 video, “Journey of Faith.”
I know the Book of Mormon is the word of God based on personal revelation. I have felt the truth of this book by the Spirit of God many times. With that firm witness I also realize that many secondary things associated with the Book of Mormon are also true.
For example, where was the record buried and what other two items were buried with the plates? What type of material are the plates made of, who buried them, is their evidence of of the land they were written in, was Mormon’s cave nearby, who saw the plates in addition to Joseph, how were the plates translated, how would the (Interpreters), Urim and Thummim be described, where is the “North Country” and of course where is Zarahemla, along with many other secondary questions. As Moroni said, “he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost. And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.Moroni 10:4-5
Two Main Topics-
Western Heartland (Zarahemla) Eastern Heartland (North Country)
This blog will first address the location about the “North Country” spoken of several times in the Book of Mormon and how that north country is very much associated with the Jaredites and Nephites both, as the final battles for both happened in this “North Country”, but the beginnings of the Nephites began near Florida and the beginning of the Jaredites near Washington State, with them both joining at different times in the north country.
In addition to the north country as an eastern area of the Heartland of north America, I will show you the significance of Zarahemla in the far west area of the Heartland. These locations are great bookends to describe the entirety of that east-west, 900 or so miles of the space we call the Heartland of North America.
The record of Ether describes and connects very well the West and the East heartland area in scripture. In Ether (Jaredites), along with the Words of Omni (Nephites) in several significant places they describe each other, as Mormon abridged the plates for us to know the significance of the entire map.
You will learn below, how connected the Nephites and Jaredites are to this east-west area of the Heartlands. I also believe is it most likely the Jaredites landed near Seattle, Washington, as the Jaredites then spread all over North and South America, with the posterity of the Brother of Jared moving to the eastern Heartland using the Columbia, Missouri, Mississippi, and Ohio Rivers. Other descendants of the Jaredites most likely traveled into Canada, eastern United States and Central and South America. See details here:
Truly there were remnants of the Jaredites all over North and South America when the Nephites landed in Florida. The posterity of the Brother of Jared’s people were destroyed at hill Ramah. “And it came to pass that the army of Coriantumr did pitch their tents by the hill Ramah; and it was that same hill where my father Mormon did hide up the records unto the Lord, which were sacred.” The remainder of ancient Jaredites (2200 – 600 BC), remained in the Americas, many years before the coming of the Nephites, Olmecs, Mayans, Vikings, Columbus, and the Pilgrims in 1620 AD.
By Small Means
I believe that in the Book of Mormon text itself (a small means), that Moroni told us what land the plates were buried in (The North Country), and his son Mormon told us where the People of Zarahemla located, North of the Land of First Inheritance which was in Florida. This information seems to have been hiding in plain sightall the time. See also my friend Sam’s additional information below titled, Cumorah truth, right in front of our eyes.
“But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty.” 1 Corinthians 1:27
“And there was also written upon them a new writing, which was plain to be read, which did give us understanding concerning the ways of the Lord; and it was written and changed from time to time, according to the faith and diligence which we gave unto it. And thus we see that by small means the Lord can bring about great things.” 1 Nephi 16:29
North Country = Cumorah Area
“And now I, Moroni, proceed to give an account of those ancient inhabitants who were destroyed by the hand of the Lord upon the face of this north country. And I take mine account from the twenty and four plates which were found by the people of Limhi, which is called the Book of Ether.” Ether 1:1-2
Cumorah truth, right in front of our eyes.
As Joseph and Oliver said, “This history was written and deposited, not far from Joseph’s home” near Palmyra, New York. Letter IV
I have a great friend named Sam Dunaway who keeps in touch with me often. He loves the Lord, the Book of Mormon and fully embraces the many truths of the Heartland research. He sent me this quote from Mormon 8.
3 And my father also was killed by them, and I even remainalone to write the sad tale of the destruction of my people. But behold, they are gone, and I fulfil the commandment of my father. And whether they will slay me, I know not.
4 Therefore I will write and hide up the records in the earth; and whither I go it mattereth not.
5 Behold, my father hath made this record, and he hath written the intent thereof. And behold, I would write it also if I had room upon the plates, but I have not; and ore I have none, for I am alone. My father hath been slain in battle, and all my kinsfolk, and I have not friends nor whither to go; and how long the Lord will suffer that I may live I know not.” Mormon 8:3-5
Sam really opened my eyes to what he said about it. After quoting the scripture above Sam explained. “Moroni was specifically speaking of the plates which his father had given him. He did not migrate north to bury the plates or he would have said that he had a place to go He was already there. “I have not friends nor wither to go.”
This also indicates that the many records from which Mormon abridged the plates were left hidden in the Hill Cumorah, where he had moved them because Moroni had no one to help him relocate them…
Ether 1:1-2 says, “And now I, Moroni, proceed to give an account of those ancient inhabitants who were destroyed by the hand of the Lord upon the face of this north country. And I take mine account from the twenty and four plates which were found by the people of Limhi, which is called the Book of Ether.” Ether: 1:1-2
“Primary proof of the location of the Nephites had been right in front of us in the Book of Mormon all along.
“And I, Moroni, will not deny the Christ; wherefore, I wander whithersoever I can for the safety of mine own life.” Moroni 1:3
Webster Dictionarysays, Wander- “to move about without a fixed course, aim or goal. Moroni did not migrate northward to bury the plates. He was already living in the north area.” Sam Dunaway
Clarifying Sam’s Point
Sam wrote me again in order to clarify his point as I quote him below:
“From Moroni 1:1 to Moroni 10:2, Moroni makes it clear that he completed his abridgement and is finishing his writings, then sealing or hiding up the records which were in his possession.
Mormon 5:12 and Mormon 8:4 tell of the direction to, and hiding up of the records. Moroni knew exactly where the Lord had directed him to bury the plates. Yet he makes no mention of a need to travel to that area or place.
His father spoke of being directed to go to the hill Shim (See map below), where all the records were hidden, and in Mormon 6:6 notes the relocation of those records to Cumorah for safe keeping, except the plates which he gave to Moroni.
Surely, Moroni would have noted any travel to a distant location in conjunction with burying the plates as directed. However, in Moroni 1:3, he states he is wandering for the safety of his own life, not for the purpose of traveling to bury the records in his possession. This indicates he was in the area and being cautious until his writing was completed.
Furthermore, Moroni writes that after burying the plates, it doesn’t matter where he goes. Mormon 8:4
He was prepared. He was already living in the area of the hill, Cumorah, where he was directed to bury the plates.This is the only plausible explanation of those things which he wrote.”
In Moroni 8:2, Sam also mentioned, “Moroni was in a north Country land area.”
Is says, “And now it came to pass that after the great and tremendous battle at Cumorah, behold, the Nephites who had escaped into the country southward were hunted by the Lamanites, until they were all destroyed.” Mormon 8:2
Sam Dunaway (Parenthesis, bold and color added)
I believe Sam makes a lot of sense to me. I appreciate his added witness to my own.
Where is the North Country?
See the map below to help determine where the North County is. In my opinion the Land of Bountiful is Northern Indiana and Ohio up to almost the Hill Cumorah.
“And the Nephites and the armies of Moronihah were driven even into the land of Bountiful; And there they did fortify against the Lamanites, from the west sea, even unto the east; it being a day’s journey for a Nephite, on the line which they had fortified and stationed their armies to defend their north country.“
Editor note: If Moroni had no ore and was alone, why would he go searching for more ore clear across the over 3,500 miles to or from Mesoamerica? He has already told us that he has stopped writing, so he was not going to find ore and why would he travel thousands of miles (Apx 3,500 Miles NY to Mexico) carrying heavy plates and trying to keep hidden amongst his enemies, that he would have met along that long distance journey. If Moroni stays near where he buried the record, and he was alone, why would he make life more dangerous by trying to hide amongst his enemy as he traveled that great distance? People far from Cumorah probably knew that the battle was ended and all were killed. Wouldn’t it be easier for Moroni to hide right there where the final battle was finished, where no one would have believed he remained alive? That land near the hill Cumorah was called Land Desolation, as no one wanted to be there as it represented death and destruction, not necessarily desolate in reference to there being no trees or animals in that land.
Written and Deposited not Far from That Place by Jonathan Neville
“He [Moroni] then proceeded and gave a general account of the promises made to the fathers, and also gave a history of the aborigenes of this country, and said they were literal descendants of Abraham. He represented them as once being an enlightened and intelligent people, possessing a correct knowledge of the gospel, and the plan of restoration and redemption. He said this history was written and deposited not far from that place,and that it was our brother’s privilege, if obedient to the commandments of the Lord, to obtain and translate the same by the means of the Urim and Thummim, which were deposited for that purpose with the record.” Excerpt from Letter IV
“There was a time when Church members still believed what Moroni first told Joseph Smith when he “gave a history of the aborigenes of this country” and said “this history was written and deposited” not far from Joseph’s home near Palmyra, New York.
For example, Lucy Mack Smith told people it was a record of the Indians.
From Lucy Mack Smith’s History, 1844-5. [p. [8], bk. 12]
“I will now return to the time when the Elders set out for Missouri the reader will recollect that Hyrum Smith my oldest son was directed to go by the way of Detroit. I thought this would be a good opportunity for me to visit the family of my My Brother Stephen Mack Who had been dead some 4 or 5 years this being 1831 and my brother died in 1826— Hyrum was very anxious to have me accompany him And as my niece was about returning home I this was another inducement for me to undertake the journey I accordingly set off in the month of June our company consisted Hyram Smith Brother Moredock [John Murdock] Lyman Wight Brother Corril [John Corrill] Almira Mack my Niece and myself—
When we went on board the boat we held a consultation to Determine whether it was best to say much concerning the gospel at first it was concluded that we should be entirely still as to religion but finally Hyrum said that Mother might say what she was disposed to and if a difficulty arose the Elders should assist her out of it
We had not been long on board when as I was setting one day at the door of the cabin very much engaged reading the Book of Mormon a lady accosted me thus. What book have you madam you seem very much engaged. The Book of Mormon I replied— The Book of Mormon said she what work is that? I then gave her a brief history of the coming forth of the work. She seemed highly delighted. I said that it was a record of the Indians. Is it possible she exclaimed why My Husband is a Missionary out now among the Indians and I am going to, how I do wish that I could get a book to carry him”
“And the Lord warned Omer in a dream that he should depart out of the land; wherefore Omer departed out of the land with his family, and traveled many days, and came over and passed by the hill of Shim, and came over by the place where the Nephites were destroyed, and from thence eastward, and came to a place which was called Ablom, by the seashore, and there he pitched his tent, and also his sons and his daughters, and all his household, save it were Jared and his family.” Ether 9:3
It is very likely that Omer traveled to the Atlantic Ocean or maybe just to the east side of Lake Ontario, which lake is large enough to be called a sea and have a seashore.
Land Bountiful
Notice below the Land Bountiful runs from Buffalo, NY and Irving, NY then south to Kill Buck and Salamanca, NY. In the green below that is the Land Southward which is at the Allegheny River and south in the Land of Lehi-Nephi, as seen in the map above.
The yellow and off-yellow areas below, are the Land Northward or the “Land North” or the “North Country.” notice the amazing possible location of the 1-day for a Nephite and 1-day and a half for a Nephite to cross from the Land Bountiful to the Land Southward or the Land of the original inheritance, which would be south of the Allegheny River.
Where is the “land northward” as spoken in Omni 1:22? Here is more fantastic information even though you may be overloaded by now. I give you as much as I can to aid you in your personal research.
“It also spake a few words concerning his fathers. And his first parents came out from the tower, at the time the Lord confounded the language of the people; and the severity of the Lord fell upon them according to his judgments, which are just; and their bones lay scattered in the land northward.” Omni 1:22
So again the writings of a Nephite Prophet (Omni) combine with Mormon’s abridgement to bring together the Jaredite record and a “land northward” near Ramah/Cumorah.
Route of Coriantumr?
My great friend and “professor of the heartland” in my opinion, Wayne May feels it is likely that the Mulekites would have picked up Coriantumr who was injured near Cumorah, on their journey west at the St Lawrence Seaway and through the Great Lakes.
It is possible that Coriantumr could have walked injured or after healing a bit, from Cumorah to Lake Ontario 30 miles north (See Map Below) to meet the Mulekites. The Mulekites could have found Coriantumr on that huge Lake Ontario somewhere I guess. But, this is not that likely in my opinion. The Book of Mormon says nothing about Coriantumr riding in a ship with the Mulekites as he goes with them to Zarahemla. It says, “And Coriantumr was discovered by the people of Zarahemla; and he dwelt with them for the space of nine moons.” Omni 1:21
As you see in the map below, you can read Option One in a Yellow Box and Option 2 in the Green Box and decide on your own. Either way Coriantumr could have healed and traveled either direction for the Mulekites to pick him up. Also don’t forget the record of the Jaredites was originally written by the Prophet Ether and even though we don’t hear in the Book of Mormon about his whereabouts, I believe Ether helped Coriantumr heal and get into a canoe to travel directly down the Genesee River to the Allegheny River which continues as the Ohio River, right to the Land of Zarahemla in Illinois or Indiana, which is the heart of the Heartland.
(I believe Coriantumr once able to physically move after his wounds, would naturally head toward a close river like the Genesee or the Ganargua and get in a canoe to finish healing up, as he traveled toward where the Mulekites were, not to a body of water where the Mulekites could have picked him up.) Ganargua River was later used to assist in the Erie Canal construction. These rivers are near Palmyra and Rochester. From the Genesee River, Coriantumr could have connected to the Allegheny and Ohio Rivers and was picked up somewhere in the Land Zarahemla Ohio or Mississippi River, which would be bordering Indiana and Illinois, where the Mulekites would have lived since the day they landed. As it says the Mulekites, “were brought by the hand of the Lord across the great waters, into the land where Mosiah discovered them; and they had dwelt there from that time forth.” Omni 1:16.
It would be easy to spot a man in a boat from a river and not amongst the huge Lake Ontario. As my friend Wayne says, We report, you decide. I would love your feedback either way.
Did Ether Remain with Coriantumr?
I don’t think Ether stayed to help or see if Coriantumr lived or died, based on the scriptures below. In that case for Coriantumr to travel to Lake Ontario (Option One above) and be found or to the Genesee River (Option Two above) to travel to be found, Ether was probably not with him.
Remember the Lord said, “And Coriantumr was discovered by the people of Zarahemla; and he dwelt with them for the space of nine moons.” Omni 1:21 That means Ether was not with Coriantumr and either died or was translated, because we hear in the scriptures that Coriantumr would be the last of the Jaredites. (Just the Brother of Jared descendants were utterly destroyed, as they were the ones who made the covenant with the Lord). I believe many other descendants of the Jaredites still remained in all of North and South America who had not made a covenant with the Lord).
“And the Lord spake unto Ether, and said unto him: Go forth. And he went forth, and beheld that the words of the Lord had all been fulfilled; and he finished his record; (and the hundredth part I have not written) and he hid them in a manner that the people of Limhi did find them.
Now the last words which are written by Ether are these: Whether the Lord will that I be translated, or that I suffer the will of the Lord in the flesh, it mattereth not, if it so be that I am saved in the kingdom of God. Amen.” Ether 15:33-34
“And after being many days in the wilderness they arrived in the land of Zarahemla, and joined Mosiah’s people, and became his subjects.
And it came to pass that Mosiah received them with joy; and he also received their records, and also the records which had been found by the people of Limhi.” Mosiah 22:13-14
“These Stones, Fastened to a Breastplate” by Anne Marie Oborn Purchase here.
In conclusion, (finally), you can now see the amazing connection of the Jaredite record and the Large Plates of Nephi. They truly witness of each other as we know that Mormon was so inspired to hide away both records to be translated by Joseph Smith. Remember the other extraordinary connection between the Jaredites, Nephites and Joseph Smith was, that the Lord touched 16 stones for the Brother of Jared, and another two He touched to be sealed with the Gold Plates that Moroni sealed up at hill Cumorah so Joseph could use these two stones and the breastplate to translate. Joseph did not use a stone in a hat to translate. See Ether 3:23-24 and Ether 4:5. Amazing isn’t it? Scriptures that witness to the proper translation here: JSH 1:35,52,62,75*; Mosiah 28:13, 20; Ether 3:22-23; 4:5; Alma 37:21, 24-25. Over 100 pages of detail in the book above.
Receive Personal Revelation
“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. (Brigham Young, Des. News, June 18, 1871, p. 308) (See Revelation 2:17 and D&C 130:11)
I don’t expect a seer stone in this life, but one day perhaps. As the Lord wants us all to find truth with His guidance. I have found many truths about the geography of the Book of Mormon and the proper translation, which the church has not spoken about or may never speak about. That doesn’t mean I can’t know, or I shouldn’t try to find, “all the truth I can.”
“It’s My Truth”
We each believe based on our own bias, study and research. We also learn from personal revelation or until we understand more from God or the Spirit. I will understand certain things as my definition of truth different from you, and it isn’t a matter of who is correct, but who’s personal feelings are correct for them, at the time of their ability to receive and understand. I don’t believe in todays fad saying of, “It’s my own truth.” My own truth could mean its true to me, but not revealed truth from God. Revealed truth from the Lord is true, no matter what anyone thinks is “their truth.”
You can’t push your feelings about truth on others, as it is personal to you. We each must learn revealed truth by the Spirit. I agree truth is only one way, meaning truth is truth and only God and Christ know all truth. We cant change truth, just understand it more and more. We have different ways of receiving and understanding it completely, or in bits and pieces. That’s why we are taught line upon line until more knowledge or possibly perfect knowledge is achieved in a certain thing.
The Heartland Research Group headed by John Lefgren PhD, and Mike and Betty Lafontaine, have been doing research near Nauvoo and Montrose, Iowa for several years now looking for evidence of the City of Zarahemla. Heartland Research has found evidence for ancient fires pits using magnetometry, and with Lidar imaging have found many mounds and other promising information pertaining to several possible locations, that could be termed as a temple site or mound area in Iowa.
We base our plausible evidence of the real City of Zarahemla of the Book of Mormon in many statements of saints and a revelation from Joseph Smith in D&C 125. There are many quotes and evidences below also detailing with plausibility that the Heartland of the United States was the setting for the Book of Mormon events.
Bill, your Relative who knew Joseph Smith-Faithful Question
Let me ask you a question. If you have a great great… grandfather (Let’s call him Bill), who lived during the time of Joseph Smith, and Bill personally knew and loved Joseph as a true prophet of God, wouldn’t that be exciting to explore the relationship of Bill and Joseph? Maybe some of you already have that relative. As you research and find out about the close relationship that Bill has with Joseph and the other Apostles, and Bill’s testimony of these men, wouldn’t you be so pleased to find out all you could know about their relationship? (I know some of your relatives maybe didn’t like Joseph but we are not talking about those relatives).
What if you found out Bill was present with Wilford Woodruff in Nauvoo when he told Bill, as Wilford pointed out a spot on the opposite side of the Mississippi River about a mile and a half above Montrose, IA, and said “there would be a city and a temple built there and the place would be called Zarahemla.“
Would you believe Bill? Of course you would, as you had studied and found out Bill was a good active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and had prayed about it. What if it was Bill’s witness after Joseph had passed away, that he saw the countenance of Brigham Young as “it appeared that Joseph had returned and was speaking to the people?” Bill said, 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.” You want to and probably would believe Bill after prayer correct? Let’s say you prayed earnestly about that fact, and you received a personal witness that you indeed know that Bill believed Wilford Woodruff and Bill was present at the talk by Brigham Young and Bill knew that Brigham was to be the next Prophet. Is that even possible? Of course it is.
I can hear the non-believers say, “I don’t believe Bill”, or “he was lying”, or “Joseph didn’t mean it was a Book of Mormon city”, or “I still believe Zarahemla was somewhere in Mesoamerica.” What is the difference between you believing Bill and others not believing him? Is it because you are related to Bill and you are biased. Or is it because you have prayed about it and studied it out and you thought it was very important to know, and you believed what Moroni told you and that you could “know the truth of all things?”
Why do many people in the Church today not want to believe Bill, or Edward Phillips, or D&C 125? Why is their heart so hard? Why is it that you believe so strongly in Bill and Joseph and others in the church don’t? It’s probably because you want to believe, and you pray in faith to believe and others may only think of their bias that Zarahemla was in Mexico or some other place. You see, to believe it takes faith, study, and prayer. This is what I believe, that the Zarahemla of the Book of Mormon was indeed across the river near Montrose, Iowa. It is a part of my testimony and I don’t have a relative named Bill, but through faith I really believe this.
Now you know The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has not spoken on whether the Zarahemla of D&C 125 means it was a city in the Book of Mormon, but some of the General Authorities and many members believe personally that eastern Iowa, Missouri and Illinois, are possible places of the ancient Land of Zarahemla. In other words knowing this is not church doctrine but it is true all the same. Is it that important you know the answer? Maybe. To me it is very important as I look for additional evidences of the Book of Mormon not just my witness of the spirit, but as Elder Holland said, “Truth borne by the Holy Spirit comes with, in effect, two manifestations, two witnesses if you will—the force of fact as well as the force of feeling.” In the same talk Elder Holland said, “but not to seek for and not to acknowledge intellectual, documentable support for our belief when it is available is to needlessly limit an otherwise incomparably strong theological position and deny us a unique, persuasive vocabulary in the latter-day arena of religious investigation and sectarian debate.” The Greatness of the Evidence By Elder Jeffrey R. Holland August 16, 2017
Half-Breed Land Iowa
“The Lee County Half-Breed Tract, designated as 120 on the map.
Map of the w:Half-Breed Tract in Iowa, a reservation designated for individuals of mixed American Indian and European descent. This reservation was designated in an 1824 treaty between the Sac and the Fox Indian tribes and the United States government.
Lee County, Iowa and the “Half Breed Tract” historic detail, from an Iowa 1905 census map. [Left] A Half-Breed Tract was located in Lee County, Iowa. An 1824 treaty between the Sauk people, the Fox tribe, and the United States set aside a reservation for mixed-blood people related to the tribes. Lying between the Mississippi, and Des Moines rivers and below an eastward extension of the Sullivan Line (The old Indian boundary surveyed out by John C. Sullivan in 1816—at approximately 40.60° N.), the Tract occupied an area of approximately 119,000 acres (480 km2). Under the original treaty, the half-breed people had the right to occupy the soil, but individuals could not buy or sell the land.[4]
In 1834 Congress repealed the rule. Immediately afterward, claim jumpers claimed much of the land. The government gave away mixed-blood peoples’ claims to the land, effectively ending the provisions of the Half-Breed Tract by 1841.[5][6]
Mormon leader Joseph Smith, Jr. purchased parts of the Half-Breed Tract, probably in 1837, from a land speculation company. Deeds to most of the land were faulty and could not be held. This left the church with only about 1,000 acres (4.0 km2), including a town called Commerce in Illinois. The Mormons moved to this Illinois site from Far West, Missouri, to escape the Missouri Executive Order 44 issued by Missouri Governor Lilburn Boggs.[7]” Wikipedia
Map Showing Accession of Territory from Indians” from the original instructions for the Census of Iowa for the Year 1905, Published: 1905-1906, Des Moines, Iowa, Bernard Murphy, State Printer; Under the authority of chapter 8, acts of the 30th general assembly, page iii
I believe the Book of Mormon Zarahemla is near Montrose, Iowa, just as I believe there is only one Hill Cumorah in upstate New York. Mike and Betty LaFontaine believe the land in Montrose is sacred land of their previous Native American ancestor. Thus, Heartland Research Group not only continues exploring the area for the City of Zarahemla, but also seek land in the area that in history was called Half-Breed land.
Letter below from Betty LaFontaine Nov 15, 2023 to HRG and friends.
“Since we (HRG) have been asked about purchasing the 9.4 acres which literally has been gifted to us for our use. I have pondered and asked in Prayer of what we may do. I have been researching the “Half Breed Tract lands” I came upon this explanation and or article!
I believe HRG may have yet another, “Big piece of history once again!” I will continue this research further.
This land we acquired was given to us for a reason, the Spirits of the Natives who walked the land 9.4 acres and much much more in the area where we believe Zarahemla to be is a Sacred land, where we have a 600 BC replica ship Phoenicia!
A ship like it may have brought the ancestors of these people “from the east” to this area of the Heartland.
Here yet another connection!
This particular piece like I said was gifted to us by a great man. Mike and I connected with this man that day we met and had lunch together. We love the work we are doing and love all of your hard work in this project.
Let us continue working together and always strive to be good stewards.
Thank you, We Love you guys 😊Betty aka “Red Ant”& Mike
Read an amazing article below about the Half-Breed Land
Below is a revelation, not a statement, not an idea, not conjecture, a revelation. If the Lord planned the name Zarahemla as just another name and not one in the Book of Mormon, the Lord may have called it in D&C 125 the New Zarahemla, signifying a different location as in the city of the New Jerusalem.
D&C 125:3-4
“Revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet, at Nauvoo, Illinois, March 1841, concerning the Saints in the territory of Iowa.” (Heading of D&C 125)
“Let them build up a city unto my name upon the land opposite the city of Nauvoo, and let the name of Zarahemla be named upon it.
And let all those who come from the east, and the west, and the north, and the south, that have desires to dwell therein, take up their inheritance in the same, as well as in the city of Nashville, or in the city of Nauvoo, and in all the stakes which I have appointed, saith the Lord.” D&C 125:3-4
Half-Breed Land in Eastern Iowa
Zarahemla According to Neville
“When Joseph Smith purchased the land for Nauvoo, he actually purchased far more land across the river in Iowa, as this map (left) from the Joseph Smith papers shows. If this area–designated in the 1800s as the “half-breed tract”–was the location of the ancient city of Zarahemla, the location could explain why the people were wealthy and why they had problems with pride, etc. (Of course, every human society has problems of pride, envy, etc.
However, Alma focuses particularly on this when he’s in the city of Zarahemla.) People ask if there is archaeological evidence for a city in this area. There is archaeological evidence of settlements along the river, north and south of this site, that date to Book of Mormon times, but nothing that can be identified as the city of Zarahemla, per se.The city of Zarahemla and its inhabitants were burned (3 Nephi 8:8). Later, the city was built again (4 Nephi 1:8) but the city is not mentioned afterward. It could have been destroyed again, of course. The river could have flooded the city, deposited sand over it, or any number of other possibilities.”
Neville continues, “For now, I note that it’s a location that seems to fit the text nicely. Another consideration is that D&C 125 hints at this site as the location of ancient Zarahemla. Another interesting aspect of Alma 5 is the mention of sheep, shepherds, and wolves. There must have been sheep in the city of Zarahemla. We’ve already stipulated that, because the Nephites “strictly” observed the Law of Moses, but Alma emphasizes the point is repeated here.
v. 37: ye that have professed to have known the ways of righteousness nevertheless have gone astray, as sheep having no shepherd, v. 38: ye are not the sheep of the good shepherd. v. 39: And now if ye are not the sheep of the good shepherd, of what fold are ye? v. 59: For what shepherd is there among you having many sheep doth not watch over them, that the wolves enter not and devour his flock? v. 60: if you will hearken unto his voice he will bring you into his fold, and ye are his sheep; and he commandeth you that ye suffer no ravenous wolf to enter among you, that ye may not be destroyed.
These metaphors would be ineffective if the people living in Zarahemla did not have sheep. In verse 59, Alma abandons the metaphorical use and speaks directly to actual shepherds. Some species of sheep that are indigenous to North America have survived to the present day, including the Bighorn and Dall. Anciently, their populations were in the millions. Although confined mainly to the western US, Canada, and northern Mexico. Wolves are indigenous to North America and were ubiquitous throughout North America before the Europeans arrived. They were part of Native American Indian legends and mythology. Their devastating impact on domesticated animals led to federal government programs to eradicate wolves from grazing areas. See this article.
Because Alma discussed wolves in this sense, I think it’s possible that whatever domesticated sheep the Nephites had–whether related to the other indigenous North American species or species Lehi brought with him–were killed off after the destruction of the Nephite society. The situation could be similar to that of horses, where recent research has shown the traditional explanation for horses–that the Spanish brought them all–is not consistent with the actual records.” Source: 2016 Gospel Doctrine Resource by Jonathan Neville
The most exciting news in many years, is the 600 BC replica ‘Phoenicia’ is being re-assembled on the banks of the Mississippi River near Montrose, Iowa. Heartland Research purchased the original Philip Beale, ‘Phoenicia’ which sailed over 30,000 nautical miles from the Old world to America in 2009 and another voyage in 2020.
Since Philip Beale was unable to sell the ship whole, he wanted it preserved, so he had it cut up and loaded on two large containers in Florida and sent one back to England, and just a few months later, before Philip sent the 2nd container to England, Heartland Purchased purchased the entire contents of those two large containers from Philip. Quickly they set up the current warehouse in Montrose, Iowa and began re-build that 600 BC replica.
About a year later the 2nd container that was sent to England was sent to Heartland Research in Iowa. The first container has already been restored and the second container of the ship is just beginning to be rebuilt as of Nov 2023. Come join us as volunteers to help restore this wonderful ship. Donate Here
Across the river from Nauvoo, Illinois is where the ‘Phoenicia’ is being re-built today. The Heartland Research Group also owns significant land in Montrose Iowa as you can see below with the red arrow. More to Come
Mike and Betty LaFontaine awarding Captain Philip Beale with a hand made drum constructed by Mike and Painted by Betty, after the Captains last voyage on the ‘Phoenicia’ in 2020.
“For my people, the Dine’ oral tradition says that we came to this land from the East direction, at first light as the sun rises we give thanks for all we have in the east direction. Our homes face the east direction, we believe to have come here from the east by The Holy People.
When I first learned of the Phoenicia and its beginning and how it sailed here to North America she fascinated me, especially learning of replication of a 600 BC ship. The timeline of The Book of Mormon and the stories of my people coming to this sacred land America. I believe The Phoenicia is a special ship, I believe she has a Spirit of discovery and a mission. In 2019 she came to the shore of Ft Lauderdale, I boarded her and instantly felt her Spirit, I thought of how it was very possible a ship like her came to North America carrying my Ancestors of The Book of Mormon! She had a rough couple of years and even made it through a bad Tropical storm, and had some damage. Mike and I drove to Ft Lauderdale in December 2021 to see her. As I walked around and touched her worn wood I instantly felt a strong presence, she lives! She has a story to tell, others need to see her, touch her and hear her story.
Her figurehead a horse head on the bow of the ship was damaged but still made her beautiful presence known. She lives and must live on were my thoughts, when we visited her that day in the shipyard in Ft Lauderdale, Florida. She will need love and care to bring her back to where she will continue her story. Philip Beale sailed her to America to tell a story without really knowing our story and the time era of 600 BC and what that means to us. May we continue her story here in America” Red Ant
600 BC Phoenicia Expedition Ship with Horse-Head Prows
“The Heartland Research Group is a grassroots, boots-on-the-ground organization that believes that the historical narrative of the Book of Mormon took place in the Heartland of North America. The HRG is active in archaeological research and in the acquisition, restoration and display of ancient American artifacts. The HRG is currently preparing an ancient ship replica called the “Phoenicia” for display. The ships construction design is patterned after a shipwreck dating to 600 BC. The Phoenicia ship made modern voyages, first around Africa and then also from the Middle East to Florida in 2019 – proving that voyages around Africa or from Sidon to North America were feasible anciently.” Heartland Research Group
We invite you to support our efforts financially so we can complete these worthy goals! See their website here: phoenicia.rocks
“I was one of the forty-six preachers that Brother Woodruff speaks of in his “Leaves of My Journal.” The forty-six were baptized except one, that was Phillip Holdt. Brother Woodruff baptized me at Hill Farm where he baptized six hundred. He told me not long ago, that less had apostatized out of that lot than any other of the same number in the church.” Edward Phillips
“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.” Edward Phillips. More from his autobiography below.
Sheep in ancient North America, Validate a Zarahemla site is possible in Iowa
No Sheep, Goats, Bullocks, Rams, Doves, Wheat, or Barley in Mesoamerica during the time of the Nephites. They couldn’t practice the Law of Moses unless they lived in North America.
Hugh Nibley said, “If my insistent harping on central Asia annoys you, let me remind you again that the book of Ether gives us no choice. It never lets us forget that what the Jaredite kings did was a conscious imitation and unbroken continuation of the ways of “the ancients,” of “them of old” on the other side of the water. This, incidentally, is another indication that we are not to regard the Jaredite migration as taking place immediately after the flood, for the fall of the tower saw the destruction of an ancient and established order. The Jaredites left their homeland driving great herds of cattle before them in the immemorial Asiatic manner, and even if they had never been nomads before, they certainly lived the life of the steppes during those many years before they set sail (Ether 3:3), and when they embarked, they crammed all they could of their beasts into their small boats, “flocks and herds” and other beasts (Ether 6:4), and upon reaching the New World continued to cultivate “all manner of cattle, of oxen, and cows, and of sheep” just as their ancestors had in the old country (Ether 9:18). Now you know, how the Nephites could have had sheep in North America brought to this land by the Jaredites. The Nephites could continue practicing the Law of Moses in the land of The New Jerusalem.” (2 Nephi 25:24 Mosiah 2:3) Hugh Nibley from Lehi in the Desert; The Great Open Spaces
3 Essential Truths about Nephite Observance of the Law of Moses By Amberli Nelson
“First Truth: Not only did the Nephites “strictly” keep the law of Moses (as indicated in 37 verses in the Book of Mormon (see Alma 30:3, Mosiah 13:29-30, Jarom 1:5), but they did so with delight as it was seen by them as both a collection of types of Christ and a means of coming unto Him. Occasionally even the Lamanites were known to “strictly” observe the law (Hel. 13:1). Second: In “observing to keep the commandments of the Lord in all things, according to the Law of Moses” (2 Ne. 5:10), the Nephites would have necessarily observed all the feasts or “holy days” given to Moses by Jehovah. These are recorded in Exodus and Leviticus and are known as “holy convocations” or “rehearsals” and they typify the life and mission of Jesus Christ in profoundly beautiful ways. Third: It was absolutely essential for these Jewish Lehites to be brought to a land that would provide an abundance of all the plants and animals required to keep the Law of Moses, with its concomitant Holy Days or festivals. Based on the latest archeological findings, it can now be irrefutably shown that the Heartland of North America is the only location in the Western Hemisphere where all ten of the essential items were found anciently including; lambs, oxen, goats, doves, barley, wheat, grapes, and altars made of stacked, unhewn stones. These aforementioned items have not been found in the archaeological record of the pre-Columbian peoples of Mesoamerica.” Amberli Nelson MBA Hebrew/Jewish Symbology Expert
Mesoamerican Theories of Zarahemla
Mesoamerica “Book of Mormon Lands” tour promoter Dr. John L. Lund, released a historically incorrect and misleading article in a newsletter and paid advertisement eblast (http://ldsliving.com/e/2012/db02_29_2012.html ) published Feb. 29, 2012. Lund’s piece, Joseph Smith Identified Zarahemla as Being in Guatemala, proclaims that an article appearing in the Times and Seasons on October 1, 1842 in Nauvoo, Illinois was emphatically “written by Joseph Smith.” Read more here:
“In March 1841, a revelation known as Section 125, gave a name and location of a city. While the Lord had previously named Adam – ondi – Ahman and the New Jerusalem as being in the state of Missouri, perhaps this revelation has named yet another city in ancient America. The Lord said to Joseph: “Let them build up a city unto my name upon the land opposite the city of Nauvoo, and let the name of Zarahemla be named upon it”. We first learned of the name Zarahemla in the Book of Mormon. However, very early in Church History documents, the name Zarahemla was disassociated with the revelation. Writers of the history of this period began to attribute the naming of Zarahemla to other persons who were contemporary with the Prophet Joseph or even to the Prophet himself rather than to the Lord and they made it appear that the word Zarahemla was used pre-1841 when the Lord actually gave the revelation to Joseph. We have learned from historic and current Church History publications the following clarifications about the naming of Zarahemla.”
1. Joseph Smith DID NOT use the word Zarahemla in 1839. (Joseph Smith Papers, Journals, vol. 1, p. 336)
Thus, we have learned, that any use of the name Zarahemla prior to March 1841 is not correct and was inserted in historical accounts after 1841. Surely, further investigation is warranted as to why the Lord used such a name in the revelation.
Again do you remember Bill? Read study and pray and you will know the truth.
Autobiography of Edward Phillips (1813-1896)
Edward Phillips (1813-1896)
This sketch was written by Sylvia Phillips, then a fourteen year old granddaughter of Edward Phillips, as he dictated it to her in the year 1889. Italicized portions are apparently Phillips’ corrections/additions. Typescript in hands of family.
Edward Phillips, son of William and Mary Phillips, born in Oxenhall Parrish [Parish], Glouscestershire [Gloucestershire], England, April 2, 1813. He was christened April 3, 1813.
When [I was] six months old my father moved to Leigh, Worcestershire, Upper Sandlin, and there rented a farm of one hundred acres for three years. From there moved to Black House, Creadley, Herefordshire, and rented a farm of seventy-five acres for four years then returning to Upper Sandlin and rented that farm again for three years. From there he moved to Creadley and rented another farm. While working there he was taken sick and died at Longley Groen [Green], Suckley, Worcestershire, November 29, 1825, at the age of sixty-two. He married Mary Ann Pressdee in Worcestershire, being about ten years her senior. She was the mother of eleven children. From that time I employed myself farming and learning blacksmithing. I joined the society called the “United Brethern” whose president and leader was Thomas Kington. Everything worked well with us until within a year of the time Brother Wilford Woodruff arrived in our neighborhood. It seemed to me that we had come to a precipice and could not go any farther until Brother Wilford Woodruff placed a bridge over that precipice and we went on with glad hearts rejoicing. I went to hear him preach at Ridgeway Crossing on or about March 15, 1840. A day or two following I went to Hill’s Farm to hear him speak. When I started my good old mother said, “Edward, I should think you will not come back without being baptized.” I obeyed this council. I was the only male member of my father’s family who received the gospel. My sister Susan followed suite.I was one of the forty-six preachers that Brother Woodruff speaks of in his “Leaves of My Journal.” The forty-six were baptized except one, that was Phillip Holdt.Brother Woodruff baptized me at Hill Farm where he baptized six hundred. He told me not long ago, that less had apostatized out of that lot than any other of the same number in the church.
I[n] a few days after I was baptized, I was ordained a priest and put in charge of two branches, Ashfield and Crocutt, with George Brooks as my addistant [assistant]. This was near Sherrage, Leigh, Worcestershire. In the fall of that year, I was ordained an elder at the conference, under the hands of Brother Woodruff, and was sent to preach the gospel with Elder John Gaily to the Forest of Deane and Glouscestershire [Gloucestershire]. There I had the privilege of visiting my father’s family. We traveled and preached nearly a year and many were brout [brought] into the church under our administration. My mother embraced the gospel about this time under the hands of Brother Woodruff at a place called Moorings Cross, Maythen Parrish [Parish], Herfordshire [Herefordshire], 1841.
I left my home to emigrate to America. I went to Gloucester and in company with one hundred saints went to Bristol and boarded the “Carolina” for America. We set sail for Quebec, August 8th, 1841. We had a tedious voyage of eight weeks and three days, but landed safely. Thomas Richardson was our President. We set sail for Quebec, from Quebec we went to Montreal by steamer, and from Montreal through the lock to Kinston and then we sailed along Lake Ontario to Lewiston. We had a fine view of the city of Toronto. From Lewiston we boarded the train (which was drawn by mules) from Niagara Falls.
The next day we boarded the train for Buffalo and arrived at that place after dark. We put up at the Farmer’s Exchange for a week because of sickness. We then boarded the Chespeake [Chesapeake] for where now stands the great city of Chicago. We hired a man there to take us to Nauvoo with a team which contract he filled. We arrives [arrived] at Nauvoo in the latter part of October, 1841, on Saturday. On Sunday, I was anxious to see the Prophet. I attended meeting there and saw him for the first time. I did not need an introduction for I knew him the moment I saw him. He preached the gospel of salvation to us that morning which caused my heart to rejoice. Next day, Monday, I went to work in quarrying rock for the temple, (that was my first days work in America) near the upper Stone House on the Mississippi River. I continued to work on the temple and the Nauvoo House, most of the winter. I boarded with an old friend by the name of Jenkins, a shoemaker. There I fell in love with my present wife, who had preceeded [preceded] me a few weeks to America. On the 2nd of August of the next year, being one year from the time I left home, we were married by Heber C. Kimball near Camp Creek in Hancock County. She bore me fifteen children, nine of whom are still living, three of whom were born in Illinois, and the two first, a boy and a girl, died there. We were driven from their graves at the point of a bayonet, which was very grievous to us. I had some land and made me a nice home near where they were buried. I was working in the field near the house when the news came that the Prophet and his brother were killed at Carthage Jail.This made me shed bitter tears for I felt they were two good friends and I knew Joseph was a true prophet of God. He had said that he would go and die for the people. I was under arms in Nauvoo when he gave himself up to die for the people. He discharged us and told us to go home and he would go and die for us. We would gladly have gone and stood between him and death, but he would not let us. I was ready and willing to go. We were quartered at the tithing yard and slept in the Nauvoo Exposition Building. We went one day for foliage for our horses, and met Gen. Joseph Smith with his staff in the street. He cheered us and said, “Well done, boys.” We had been out inspecting the ground where we expected to meet our enemies. Word came to our Captain one night that the pickett guard was driven in and we were ordered out in the dead of night to go and meet the mob. I was determined to go and assist, so I borrowed a horse from a boy who did not like to go himself. Nevertheless this proved to be a false alarm and I went back disappointed. The prophet said he would go and die for us. He did and was butchered in cold blood. I was not there when he was killed, but I went later and took my wife with me to show her the well, curb, and the window where he jumped out when he was shot.
I have a Patriarchal blessing hanging in a frame in my room, which was pronounced upon my head by the prophet and patriarch, Hyrum Smith, in the fall of 1844[1843?], which is worth more than gold to me – Gold is no name for it. The predictions are being literally fulfilled every day. I know if I prove faithful it will all come to pass. 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.
Brigham Young appeared to be Joseph Smith
I was present at the meeting when this took place (Read about that meeting below with the *) 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. Source Here and Here
2018 Scanned Sites in Montrose, Iowa Area – More than 220 Acres.
*Is there evidence for the transfiguration of Brigham Young?
James F. Stoddard IV and Aaron R. Halsell
“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 missions1 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.”2 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.3
Sidney Rigdon
Opinions differ,4 either Sidney Rigdon, former First Counselor in the First Presidency,5 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.6
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.”7 One eyewitness later remembered, “it appeared that Joseph had returned and was speaking to the people.”8 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”.9 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.10James F. Stoddard IV and Aaron R. Halsell
Here are other evidences to pray about as you decide where the Book of Mormon Events happened. I believe the events happened right here in the USA.
Zelph of Zarahemla
Zelph a Man of God by Ken Corbett
“Before breaking camp the morning of June 3, the Prophet Joseph Smith, accompanied by several of the men, went to observe a large mound which was located approximately one mile below the Phillip’s Ferry crossing. It was of unusual size and lay within the proximity of a number of smaller mounds. Heber C. Kimball and Wilford Woodruff recorded in their journals that the mound was one hundred feet high and three hundred feet above the level of the river. The height of the mound enabled the men to look over the tops of the trees and view the surrounding area. At the crest of the mound, human bones were strewn around the base of what appeared to be a three-tiered altar. Heber C. Kimball wrote that the arrangement of the stones resembled the ancient order or altars..
Zelph in vision by Ken Corbett
The men were curious about the area, the mounds, and particularly about the scattered bones. As they began to descend the mound, Joseph Smith suddenly stopped, pointed to the ground, and said, “Brethren, dig in there.” When the earth had been removed to the depth of one or two feet, the men found the skeleton of a large man. Journal accounts state that, “the bones were all there and in a good state of preservation.” Buried in the backbone, between the ribs of the man was a stone arrowhead which Milton Holmes took. Examining the skeleton more closely, it was noted that one of the thigh bones had been previously broken and knitted together. The thigh bones and the arrowhead were taken back to camp and placed in Wilford Woodruff’s wagon. The skeleton was unusually large . It was estimated to be over eight feet tall.” James L. Bradley, Zion’s Camp 1834: Prelude to the Civil War (Salt Lake City: Publishers Press, 1990), p. 207.
Letter to Emma by Ken Corbett
“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 of the Lord, picking up their skulls & their bones, as a proof of its divine authenticity… During our travels we visited several of the mounds which had been thrown up by the ancient inhabitants of this country-Nephites, Lamanites, etc.” Joseph Smith Papers Letter to Emma Smith, 4 June 1834 Page 56
“On the top of the mound were stones which presented the appearance of three altars having been erected one above the other, according to the ancient order; and the remains of bones were strewn over the surface of the ground. The brethren procured a shovel and a hoe, and removing the earth to the depth of about one foot, discovered the skeleton of a man, almost entire, and between his ribs the stone point of a Lamanitish 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 visions of the past being opened to my understanding by the Spirit of the Almighty, I discovered that the person whose skeleton was before us was a white Lamanite, a large, thick-set man, and a man of God. His name was Zelph. He was a warrior and chieftain under the great prophet Onandagus, who was known from the Hill Cumorah, or eastern sea to the Rocky mountains. The curse was taken from Zelph, or, at least, in part-one of his thigh bones 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 the last great struggle of the Lamanites and Nephites.” Joseph Smith Papers History, 1838–1856, volume A-1 [23 December 1805–30 August 1834], Page 483
Book of Mormon City Manti
“The camp passed through Huntsville, in Randolph County, which has been appointed as one of the stakes of Zion, and is the ancient site of the City of Manti…” Millennial Star, vol. 16, p. 296 “September 25, 1838. We passed through Huntsville, Co, seat of Randolph Co, Pop. 450, and three miles further we bought 32 bu. of corn off one of the brethren who resides in this place. There are several of the brethren round about here and this is the ancient site of the City of Manti, which is spoken of in the Book of Mormon and this is appointed one of the Stakes of Zion, and it is in Randolph County, Missouri, three miles west of the county seat.” Journal of Samuel D. Tyler, filed in Church Historian’s Office. Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation 3: 239 History of Joseph Smith page 296
“We came through Huntsville, the county seat of Randolph county . . . A mile and a half west of Huntsville we crossed the east branch of Chariton (River), and one and a half miles west of the river we found Ira Ames and some other brethren near the place where the city of Manti is to be built, and encamped for the night on Dark creek, six miles from Huntsville. Traveled this day seventeen miles. Distance from Kirtland, seven hundred and fifty-five miles.” Joseph Smith Documentary History of the Church, 3:10:144:1
Joseph Smith accompanied several Church members in exploring the area around Lyman Wight’s northern Missouri home. In his journal, A. Jenson wrote: “The [Kirtland] camp passed through Huntsville, in Randolph County, which has been appointed as one of the stakes of Zion, and is the ancient site of the City of Manti.” A. Jenson, Historical Record, Book 1, p. 601Millennial Star 16:296
Indians that now Inhabit this Country
“In this important and interesting book the history of ancient America is unfolded, from its first settlement by a colony that came from the Tower of Babel at the confusion of languages to the beginning of the fifth century of the Christian era. We are informed by these records that America in ancient times has been inhabited by two distinct races of people. The first were called Jaredites and came directly from the Tower of Babel. The second race came directly from the city of Jerusalem about six hundred years before Christ. They were principally Israelites of the descendants of Joseph. The Jaredites were destroyed about the time that the Israelites came from Jerusalem, who succeeded them in the inheritance of the country. The principal nation of the second race fell in battle towards the close of the fourth century. The remnant are the Indians that now inhabit this country…” Wentworth Letter reprinted in Ensign July 2002
Joseph said that “the Book of Mormon is a record of the forefathers of our western tribes of Indians . . . By it we learn that our western tribes of Indians are descendants from that Joseph that was sold into Egypt, and that the land of America is a promised land unto them.” Joseph Smith’s Letter to The American Revivalist Feb 2, 1833 (Quoted in Dean C. Jessee, The Personal Writings of Joseph Smith (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1984), p. 273)
“He told me of a sacred record which was written on plates of gold, I saw in the vision the place where they were deposited, he said the Indians were the literal descendants of Abraham…” Joseph Smith Journal, November 9, 1835; The Joseph Smith Papers: Journals Volume 1:1832-1839 (Salt Lake City: Church Historian’s Press, 2008), 88-89.
“Wherefore, it is an abridgment of the record of the people of Nephi, and also of the Lamanites—Written to the Lamanites, who are a remnant of the house of Israel;” BofM Title Page
“You shall go unto the Lamanites and preach my gospel unto them;… and no man knoweth where the city Zion shall be built, but it shall be given hereafter. Behold, I say unto you that it shall be on the borders by the Lamanites. D&C 28:8-9
The Lamanites that were first taught the gospel, as Parley Pratt says were the Native American Indians of the United States. There were two tribes of the Iroquois, Wyandot, and Cattaraugus, and two from the Algonquian, the Delaware or Leni Lape, and the Shawnee.
“Once the red men were many; they occupied the country from sea to sea — from the rising to the setting sun; the whole land . . . Thousands of moons ago, when the red men’s forefathers dwelt in peace and possessed this whole land the Great Spirit talked with them, and revealed His law and His will and much knowledge to their wise men and prophets. This they wrote in a Book . . . written on plates of gold and handed down from father to son for many ages and generations. It was then that the people prospered and were strong and mighty; they cultivated the earth, built buildings and cities and abounded in all good things, as the pale faces now do . . . 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 . . . Thus ended our first Indian mission, in which we had preached the Gospel in its fullness and distributed the record of their forefathers among three viz.: the Cattaraugus Indians, near Buffalo, N.Y., the Wyandots, of Ohio and the Delawares, west of Missouri.”Autobiography of Parley P. Pratt, pp. 56-6; Documentary History of the Church Vol 1: Footnotes 183:2-18
“Thus ended our first Indian mission, in which we had preached the Gospel in its fullness and distributed the record of their forefathers among three tribes… west of Missouri.” Autobiography of Parley P. Pratt, p 56-61
“Now, to my story again. Besides the Delawares, Shawnees, Kickapoos, Wyandots, Pottowattomies, Senecas, Osages, Choctaws, Cherokees, Kaskaskias, Kansas, &c. &c. which our nation and the missionaries are domesticating as they are gathered, upon the southern limits of the land of Israel, the Pawnees, the Sioux, the Rickarees, the Mandans, the Nespersees, the Blackfeet, the Sacs, the Foxes, and many other tribes, rove and hunt from prairie to prairie, from river to river, from hill to hill, and from mountain to mountain, and live, and are blessed before the face of heaven daily as well as their contemporary whites; and, perhaps I may add, are as justifiable before God, as any people on the globe, called heathens. No church bell from its elevated steeple, rings “Go to meeting; it is Sunday,” while a dozen lesser ones, for stages and Steam boats, peal a ding dong “for parties of pleasure, as a holiday,” among these rude sons of the west.—And it is a difficult matter to make one soul of them believe the Great Spirit ever said, “Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy,” while they know, that the majority of the white nation, use it for a holiday. No politicians boast of freedom and equal rights, while thousands are imprisoned for debt, or are in bondage: No; when the tribes are at peace, the Indian is free; his land is free; his game is free; his time is free, and all is free.” LETTER NO. II. From WW Phelps to Oliver Cowdery Liberty, Mo. Nov. 6, 1834
“I accordingly went down, and met Keokuk, Kis-Ku-Kosh, Appenoose, and about one hundred chiefs and braves of those tribes (Sac, Fox), with their families.” … and instructed them in many things which the Lord had revealed unto me concerning their fathers, and the promises that were made concerning them in the Book of Mormon.” Joseph Smith Papers; History, 1838–1856, volume C-1 Addenda page 10-11
Joseph Knew where the Book of Mormon took Place
“From this time forth, Joseph continued to receive instructions from the Lord, and we continued to get the children together every evening, for the purpose of listening while he gave us a relation of the same. I presume our family presented an aspect as singular as any that ever lived upon the face of the earth–all seated in a circle, father, mother, sons, and daughters, and giving the most profound attention to a boy, eighteen years of age, who had never read the Bible through in his life: he seemed much less inclined to the perusal of books than any of the rest of our children, but far more given to meditation and deep study… During our evening conversations, Joseph would occasionally give us some of the most amusing recitals that could be imagined. He would describe the ancient inhabitants of this continent, their dress, mode of traveling, and the animals upon which they rode, their cities, their buildings, with every particular; their mode of warfare; and also their religious worship. This he would do with as much ease, seemingly, as if he had spent his whole life with them.” Lucy Mack Smith, History, 1844–1845 Book 4 Joseph Smith Papers
The United States is the Land of the Book of Mormon
“The United States is the promised land foretold in the Book of Mormon—a place where divine guidance directed inspired men to create the conditions necessary for the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ.” Elder L. Tom promised Ensign Dec. 2012
“The Lord gave a divine promise to the ancient inhabitants of this favored country (the United States): ‘Behold, this is a choice land, and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall be free from bondage, and from captivity, and from all other nations under heaven, if they will but serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ” (Ether 2:12).
“Our Heavenly Father inspired the leaders of…the United States of America, that they might together, under His direction, having been raised up by God for the purpose, establish the Constitution of this country and…Bill of Rights, that by the year of our Lord 1805 [there would be] a climate where our Heavenly Father could send into this period of mortality a choice spirit who would be known as Joseph Smith, Jr.” Teachings of Thomas S. Monson by Thomas S. Monson2011 (Ordained an Apostle, 1963; ordained President of the Church, 2008)
President Monson believes the United States is the Promised Land of the Book of Mormon. Why do Mesoamericanists believe the entire continent of the Americas is the Promised land? You mean Greenland, Guatemala, and the Northwest Territories are the Promised Lands? I love all of God’s children in the entire world and God loves us all the same, but seriously? If a person from Greenland comes to the United States legally as a citizen that person can also live in the Promised Land, correct? I’m sure Greenland has much beauty on its own, but it is not the Promised Land, is it? I am not belittling other lands. I’m just making a factual statement. Why is the United States and Israel the two Promised Lands? Because Christ said so. See 3 Nephi 20:22,29 Rian Nelson
Gadianton Robbers
“Upon one occasion President Brigham Young was in the Tabernacle at St. George and was speaking on the spirit world. He stated that it was not far from us and if the veil could be taken from our eyes there wouldn’t be either a man, woman or child who would dare go out of “this tabernacle as the spirits of the Gadianton robbers were so thick out there. This is where they lived in these mountains,” said he.” Crowther, Duane S., 1967, Life Everlasting, Bookcraft, SLC, UT, p. 165, as quoted from N. B. Lundwall, Temples of the Most High, p. 89.
“Of course, the significance of this statement makes sense only in light of the land of Zarahemla being in the United States. The Nephites wouldn’t have gone all the way from Mexico into the United States to hunt the Gadianton Robbers, nor would the Gadiantons have gone into the United States to hide from Nephites in Mexico. It is clear that since the Gadianton Robbers were hiding out in Utah in the St. George region, the Land of Zarahemla must have been in the United States as well. The “mountains” mentioned in the following scriptures, therefore, are the Rocky Mountains of the United States.” Josephsmithacademy.org
Joseph Smith’s Historically Verifiable Written Statements
“Nearly all those familiar with the early statements by the Prophet touching on potential Book of Mormon lands know that he clearly indicated them to be in North America. This is evident in the historically verified accounts wherein he declared revelation such as in the Wentworth Letter, the American Revivalist Account, the Zelph Accounts and Joseph’s handwritten letter to Emma while on Zion’s camp. In addition, the prophet revealed a Nephite altar at Adam-ondi-Ahman, mentioned the land of Manti was near Huntsville, Missouri, and revealed that this land was “the borders of the Lamanites” (see D&C 54:8). Furthermore he received revelation from the Lord for the location of Zarahemla (see D&C 125:3) and New Jerusalem (see D&C 84:1-6) which Christ Himself declared to be on Book of Mormon lands (3 Nephi 20:22), both of which are absolutely located in North America. These accounts and their indications are not speculation based, but historically documented.” By Rod Meldrum
In the past 5 or 6 years most of you have heard about the DNA studies that show the finding of Native American DNA around the Great Lakes matching the DNA of Hebrews near Israel, Turkey, and other areas. The links to these articles are at the very end of this blog. The connection between the Native Americans and the Jew has also been discussed at length here and in the Annotated Book of Mormon. The Book of Mormon itself talks about this connection in D&C 19:26-27 which says, “And again, I command thee that thou shalt not covet thine own property, but impart it freely to the printing of the Book of Mormon, which contains the truth and works of God. Which is my word to the Gentile, that soon it may go to the Jew, of whom the Lamanites are a remnant that they may believe the gospel, and look not for a Messiah to come who has already come.”
The Cherokee are an important connection between the Old World and the New World. More information on my blog here
Greg Matsen interviews Rod Meldrum about DNA and Geography in a 90 minute video below titled, “Lamanite & Nephite DNA, Heartland or Mesoamerica?“
Greg Matsen said, “Rod Meldrum is one of the original “Heartlanders.” Rod talks about starting his research into DNA, the Hopewell tribes, as well as the battle between the “Heartland” model and the Mesoamerican model. What does the DNA show? What of the mounds? Does the Hopewell civilization match the Book of Mormon dates?”
Greg Matsen Video Here https://youtu.be/XPE453bnGgA?si=CJNgvFhxIfktzgXk
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Rod Meldrum Briefly shares information below called Rediscovering the Book of Mormon Remnant through DNA Free 180 page Download Click here: Or Read Below: [pdf-embedder url=”https://bookofmormonevidence.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Rediscovering-BofM-Remnant-through-DNA-by-Rod-L.-Meldrum-2009.pdf” title=”Rediscovering BofM Remnant through DNA – by Rod L. Meldrum 2009″]
Rediscovering the Book of Mormon Remnant through DNA Read Introduction: “From the earliest days of the restoration of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints there has been tremendous interest in where the events described in the Book of Mormon actually took place. On what land did this epic saga transpire, and who are the actual descendants of the peoples identified in the Book of Mormon?
There have been books, papers, news statements and internet sites claiming that DNA findings refute the historicity of the Book of Mormon, negating it as an actual historical record. What is the background of these statements? Can the evidence support the claim that DNA proves the Book of Mormon false?
Over the past ten years much has been speculated about these questions, especially in light of scientific findings involving human DNA testing. Recent research has been conducted on Native American DNA studies potentially related to the Book of Mormon that may lend support to its claims. The research herein refutes the claim that DNA analysis proves the Book of Mormon false, and it explores genetic (DNA) evidence that may actually support the claims of the Book of Mormon.
Scriptures will always be Demonstrated True
My position as the author of this work is that when there is an inferred conflict between scientific theories and scriptural truths, the scriptures will always be demonstrated true, and the theories of men, put forward through science, will eventually conform to the truths of the gospel, not the other way around.
Of course error can be made in the interpretation of scripture; however when they (the Scriptures) are clear and supported by prophetic or revelatory understanding, and if they cannot be reconciled with the current theories of science, then it should be understood that eventually the scientific theories will be altered to comply with God’s truth, even if that means waiting until the next life. The theories (beliefs) of men that don’t harmonize with the truths (facts) of God are in error and are subject to alteration. Theories should be altered by facts, which should also be a foundational understanding of science. God’s facts are not subject to alteration by the theories of men in order to reconcile them. As Latter-day Saints, we believe in all truth from whatever source it springs. Therefore, it is important not to simply brush aside scientific findings of truth. Empirical, experiment based scientific findings of truth are occasionally at odds with proposed theories that attempt to explain them. It is important to differentiate between scientific observation, which is data derived by experiment or empirical work, and theories which are philosophies and beliefs that attempt to explain the observations. Theories that have reached a certain level of consensus have too often resulted in scientific paradigms and dogma that obscure and eclipse the empirical facts.
Truth is Truth in Whatever Sphere it is Found
Rod Meldrum
The Book of Mormon is an Historical Record.
“Having a testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and knowing it is true, leaves little doubt that the Book of Mormon is an historical record. Its words are a foundational pillar upon which much of the gospel rests. Its truths are fundamental to our belief in the prophet Joseph Smith and the commencement of the restoration of the gospel. It is not possible that the Book of Mormon could be spiritually true and historically false.” Rod Meldrum 2023
Source: Annotated Book of Mormon by Hocking and Meldrum
Joseph Smith’s Historically Verifiable Written Statements
“Nearly all those familiar with the early statements by the Prophet touching on potential Book of Mormon lands know that he clearly indicated them to be in North America. This is evident in the historically verified accounts wherein he declared revelation such as in the Wentworth Letter, the American Revivalist Account, the Zelph Account and here, Joseph’s handwritten letter to Emma(See June 3, 1834) while on Zion’s camp. In addition, the prophet revealed a Nephite altar at Adam-ondi-Ahman, mentioned the land of Manti was near Huntsville, Missouri, and revealed that this land was “the borders of the Lamanites” (see D&C 54:8). Furthermore he received revelation from the Lord for the location of Zarahemla (see D&C 125:3) and New Jerusalem (see D&C 84:1-6) which Christ Himself declared to be on Book of Mormon lands (3 Nephi 20:22), both of which are absolutely located in North America. These accounts and their indications are not speculation based, but historically documented fact.
Mesoamerican theorists are thereby forced to claim that the Prophet Joseph Smith reneged on these early revelations after being introduced to a New York Times best-selling travel book by John Lloyd Stevens called “Incidents of Travels in Central America, Chiapas and Yucatan.” They feel that Joseph learned more about Book of Mormon geography from this travelogue than from his angelic visitations by Moroni, other ancient prophets, or his translation of the sacred text itself.” Rod Meldrum
THE BOOK OF MORMON IN NORTH AMERICA
“If we in the church cannot even decide among ourselves where the Book of Mormon happened, how confusing is that to our youth and adults? Many anti-Mormons love the idea that we don’t even know where our sacred scriptures happened. There are over 100 theories of where the Book of Mormon happened, including, Baja, Chile, Malaysia, Honduras, Peru, etc. My feelings on all geographical theories about the Book of Mormon must include the following -The Hill Cumorah in NY is the hill where Joseph Smith received the plates from Moroni, and it is also the place of the last battles of the Nephites (Cumorah) and of the Jaredites (Ramah). I also believe the letter of Joseph Smith to his wife Emma in 1834 Illinois where he said “The whole of our journey, in the midst of so large a company of social honest men and sincere men, wandering over the plains of the Nephites, recounting [p. 57] occasionaly 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 56-7 (spelling not corrected), is a true statement while Joseph was crossing Ohio, Indiana and Illinois. Any other specific locations of the Book of Mormon cities and places are unknown.
Any other geography that doesn’t include these preceding important details isn’t a viable interpretation in my opinion. No scholar, computer or archaeology tells me this, I just feel it is true.
I also believe the Promised Land spoken of in the Book of Mormon is indeed the United States of America and its Constitution was written under the Savior Jesus Christ’s direction. D&C 101:80. Also knowing that Adam lived in Missouri and the New Jerusalem will be in Missouri, tells me the importance of “this Land” of the United States as the cradle of civilization and is critical as the headquarters of the Church, the land where the Gospel goes forth from, the place where the “Marvelous Work and Wonder” takes place, and the “Land of Joseph” of Egypt spoken of by prophets, is indeed the United States of America. I also believe there is a great possibility that D&C 125:3 is the Lord designating the area west of Nauvoo, Illinois as the ancient place of Zarahemla. I also feel the Prophet Joseph Smith had a vision about the warrior Zelph who was killed during one of the many last and great battles between the Nephites and Lamanites, near Valley City, Illinois. This information makes me conclude that indeed the Book of Mormon events happened in the heartland of the United States of America.
I believe there are great Lamanites all over North, South and Central America today and in other countries, but they are not necessarily the ones spoken of in the Book of Mormon time frame. The Book of Mormon only contains a fraction of the history of the Promised Land Lehites. But I believe that small fraction of Book of Mormon history speaks about Lehi, and Nephi, and Alma, and Mormon as they lived and fought in these United States.
I spent over 40 years looking and studying the Mesoamerican theory and other many theories, and found them very lacking. Like I mentioned, I will have an open mind until the church acknowledges the specific location. I will follow the 15 chosen Prophets and Seers.
I know the Brethren of the Church take a neutral position on the geography of the Book of Mormon. For you and me to take a neutral stand is not required. The Lord told us to read and study, and in the promise to Moroni, He said we may know the truth of ALL things, and I feel that would include knowing the location of the Book of Mormon events. I believe knowledge of the Spirit and of the head, are both important in learning truth. As Elder Holland in 2018 said, “truth borne by the Holy Spirit comes with, in effect, two manifestations, two witnesses if you will—the force of fact as well as the force of feeling.”Rian Nelson
You will love and understand Divine Documents I share, as solid secondary evidence to the location of the Book of Mormon events. Divine to me doesn’t mean revelatory, but in my opinion it is near revelatory as I believe Joseph Smith KNEW where the Book of Mormon events happened, here in the heartland of the United States of America.
Joseph Fielding Smith
With the belief that Cumorah is in Ontario, County New York, now you can begin to research the appropriate documents supporting this idea. Pres Joseph Fielding Smith in Doctrines of Salvation, Chapter 12 “A Voice from Cumorah Witnesses of Book of Mormon” said the following:
“This modernistic theory of necessity, in order to be consistent, must place the waters of Ripliancum and the Hill Cumorah some place within the restricted territory of Central America, notwithstanding the teachings of the Church to the contrary for upwards of 100 years. Because of this theory some members of the Church have become confused and greatly disturbed in their faith in the Book of Mormon. It is for this reason that evidence is here presented to show that it is not only possible that these places could be located as the Church has held during the past century, but that in very deed such is the case.
It is known that the Hill Cumorah where the Nephites were destroyed is the hill where the Jaredites were also destroyed. This hill was known to the Jaredites as Ramah. It was approximately near to the waters of Ripliancum, which the Book of Ether says, “by interpretation, is large, or to exceed all.” Mormon adds: “And it came to pass that we did march forth to the land of Cumorah, and we did pitch our tents round about the hill Cumorah; and it was in a land of many waters, rivers, and fountains; and here we had hope to gain advantage over the Lamanites.”
Elder Mark E. Petersen
“I do not believe that there were two Hill Cumorahs, one in Central America and the other one up in New York, for the convenience of the Prophet Joseph Smith, so that the poor boy would not have to walk clear to Central America to get the gold plates.” Elder Mark E. Petersen, General Conference Address, April 1953
Letter to Emma-On the banks of the Mississippi, June 4th. 1834
My Dear Companion, I now embrace a few moments to dictate a few words that you may know how it is with us up to this date. We arrived this morning on the banks of the Mississippi, and were detained from crossing the river, as there was no boat that we could cross in, but expect a new one to be put into the river this evening, so that we are in hopes, to be able to cross tomorrow, and proceed on our journey…
Now is the time for the Church abroad to come to Zion. It is our prayer day and night that God will open the heart of the Churches to pour in men and means to assist us, for the redemption and upbuilding of Zion. We want the Elders in Kirtland to use every exertion to influence the Church to come speedily to our relief…
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 occasionaly 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, and gazing upon a country the fertility, the splendour and the goodness so indescribable, all serves to pass away time unnoticed, and in short were it not at every now and then our thoughts linger with inexpressible anxiety for our wives and our children our kindred according to the flesh who are entwined around our hearts; And also our brethren and friends; our whole journey would be as a dream, and this would be the happiest period of all our lives. We learn this journey how to travel, and we look with pleasing anticipation for the time to come, when we shall retrace our steps, and take this journey again in the enjoyment and embrace of that society we so much love, which society can only cause us to have any desire or lingering thoughts of that which is below…
Wandering over the Plains of the Nephites by Ken Corbett
Tell Father Smith and all the family, and brother Oliver to be comforted and look forward to the day when the trials and tribulations of this life will be at an end, and we all enjoy the fruits of our labour if we hold out faithful to the end which I pray may be the happy lot of us all.
From your’s in the bonds of affliction.
JS, Letter, Pike County, IL, to Emma Smith, Kirtland, OH, 4 June 1834; in JS Letterbook 2, pp. 56–59 To read Online this letter in the Joseph Smith Papers, CLICK HERE
Letter VII by Oliver Cowdery July 1835
…At about one mile west rises another ridge of less height, running parallel with the former, leaving a beautiful vale between. The soil is of the first quality for the country, and under a state of cultivation, which gives a prospect at once imposing, when one reflects on the fact, that here, between these hills, the entire power and national strength of both the Jaredites and Nephites were destroyed.
By turning to the 529th and 530th pages of the Book of Mormon, you will read Mormon’s account of the last great struggle of his people, as they were encamped round this hill Cumorah. (It is printed Camorah, which is an error.) In this valley fell the remaining strength and pride of a once powerful people, the Nephites….
Zelph-On the Banks of the Illinois River June 1-3, 1834
Joseph Smith told the brethren at Zion’s Camp about Zelph, and many of them wrote in their journals. Wilford Woodruff, Levi Hancock, George A. Smith, Heber C. Kimball, Reuben McBride, and Moses Martin all wrote about this event. Is seems Wilford Woodruff compiled the information and put it in History of the Church Volume 2 page 79-80
Zelph, a man of God, by Ken Corbett
“During our travels we visited several of the mounds which had been thrown up by the ancient inhabitants of this country—Nephites, Lamanites, etc., and this morning I went up on a high mound, near the river, accompanied by the brethren. 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 altars having been erected one above the other, according to the ancient order; and the remains of bones were strewn over the surface of the ground. The brethren procured a shovel and a hoe, and removing the earth to the depth of about one foot, discovered the skeleton of a man, almost entire, and between his ribs the stone point of a Lamanitish 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 visions of the past being opened to my understanding by the Spirit of the Almighty, I discovered that the person whose skeleton was before us was a white Lamanite, a large, thick-set man, and a man of God. His name was Zelph. He was a warrior and chieftain under the great prophet Onandagus, who was known from the Hill Cumorah, or eastern sea to the Rocky mountains. The curse was taken from Zelph, or, at least, in part—one of his thigh bones 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 the last great struggle of the Lamanites and Nephites.” (1)
Zelph in Vision, by Ken Corbett
“I brought the thigh bone to Missouri. I desired to bury it in the Temple Block in Jackson County; but not having this privilege, I buried it in Clay County, Missouri, near the house owned by Col. Arthur and occupied by Lyman Wight. The arrowhead referred to is now in the possession of President Joseph F. Smith, Salt Lake City, Utah.”
“The Prophet Joseph called upon Brother Brigham, myself and others, saying, “Brethren, come, go along with me, and I will show you something,” He led us a short distance to a place where were the ruins of three altars built of stone, one above the other, and one standing a little back of the other, like unto the pulpits in the Kirtland Temple, representing the order of three grades of Priesthood; “There,” said Joseph, “is the place where Adam offered up sacrifice after he was cast out of the garden.” The altar stood at the highest point of the bluff. I went and examined the place several times while I remained there.”
“While on our way we felt anxious to know who the person was who had been killed by that arrow. It was made known to Joseph that he had been an officer who fell in battle, in the last destruction among the Lamanites, and his name was Zelph. This caused us to rejoice much, to think that God was so mindful of us as to show these things to His servant. Brother Joseph had enquired of the Lord and it was made known to him in a vision.” (3)
Joseph Smith Papers Letterbook 2; History of the Church Volume 2: pp.79-80
Wilford Woodruff Journal Page 41.
Life of Heber C. Kimball, by Orson F. Whitney page 209.
To read Online in the Joseph Smith Papers CLICK HERE
Revelation through Joseph Smith the Prophet, at Nauvoo, Illinois, March 1841
“Let them build up a city unto my name upon the land opposite the city of Nauvoo, and let the name of Zarahemla be named upon it.” D&C 125:3
An epistle from Joseph Smith the Prophet at Nauvoo, Illinois, September 6, 1842.
“And again, what do we hear? Glad tidings from Cumorah! Moroni, an angel from heaven, declaring the fulfilment of the prophets—the book to be revealed. A voice of the Lord in the wilderness of Fayette, Seneca county, declaring the three witnesses to bear record of the book! The voice of Michael on the banks of the Susquehanna, detecting the devil when he appeared as an angel of light! The voice of Peter, James, and John in the wilderness between Harmony, Susquehanna county, and Colesville, Broome county, on the Susquehanna river, declaring themselves as possessing the keys of the kingdom, and of the dispensation of the fulness of times!” D&C 128:20
Manti- Huntsville, Randolph County MO
“The camp passed through Huntsville, in Randolph County, which has been appointed as one of the stakes of Zion, and is the ancient site of the City of Manti…” Millennial Star, vol. 16, p. 296
“September 25, 1838. We passed through Huntsville, Co, seat of Randolph Co, Pop. 450, and three miles further we bought 32 bu. of corn off one of the brethren who resides in this place. There are several of the brethren round about here and this is the ancient site of the City of Manti, which is spoken of in the Book of Mormon and this is appointed one of the Stakes of Zion, and it is in Randolph County, Missouri, three miles west of the county seat.” Journal of Samuel D. Tyler, filed in Church Historian’s Office. Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation 3: 239History of Joseph Smith page 296
“We came through Huntsville, the county seat of Randolph county . . . A mile and a half west of Huntsville we crossed the east branch of Chariton (River), and one and a half miles west of the river we found Ira Ames and some other brethren near the place where the city of Manti is to be built, and encamped for the night on Dark creek, six miles from Huntsville. Traveled this day seventeen miles. Distance from Kirtland, seven hundred and fifty-five miles.” Joseph Smith Documentary History of the Church, 3:10:144:1
Joseph Smith accompanied several Church members in exploring the area around Lyman Wight’s northern Missouri home. In his journal, A. Jenson wrote: “The [Kirtland] camp passed through Huntsville, in Randolph County, which has been appointed as one of the stakes of Zion, and is the ancient site of the City of Manti.” A. Jenson, Historical Record, Book 1, p. 601Millennial Star 16:296
What Else Did Joseph Smith Say?
“In this important and interesting book the history of ancient America is unfolded, from its first settlement by a colony that came from the Tower of Babel at the confusion of languages to the beginning of the fifth century of the Christian era. We are informed by these records that America in ancient times has been inhabited by two distinct races of people. The first were called Jaredites and came directly from the Tower of Babel. The second race came directly from the city of Jerusalem about six hundred years before Christ. They were principally Israelites of the descendants of Joseph. The Jaredites were destroyed about the time that the Israelites came from Jerusalem, who succeeded them in the inheritance of the country. The principal nation of the second race fell in battle towards the close of the fourth century. The remnant are the Indians that now inhabit this country…” Wentworth Letter reprinted in Ensign July 2002
“Joseph said that “the Book of Mormon is a record of the forefathers of our western tribes of Indians . . . By it we learn that our western tribes of Indians are descendants from that Joseph that was sold into Egypt, and that the land of America is a promised land unto them.” Joseph Smith’s Letter to The American Revivalist Feb 2, 1833 (Quoted in Dean C. Jessee, The Personal Writings of Joseph Smith (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1984), p. 273)
“He told me of a sacred record which was written on plates of gold, I saw in the vision the place where they were deposited, he said the Indians were the literal descendants of Abraham…” Joseph Smith Journal, November 9, 1835; The Joseph Smith Papers: Journals Volume 1:1832-1839 (Salt Lake City: Church Historian’s Press, 2008), 88-89.
“From this time forth, Joseph continued to receive instructions from the Lord, and we continued to get the children together every evening, for the purpose of listening while he gave us a relation of the same. I presume our family presented an aspect as singular as any that ever lived upon the face of the earth–all seated in a circle, father, mother, sons, and daughters, and giving the most profound attention to a boy, eighteen years of age, who had never read the Bible through in his life: he seemed much less inclined to the perusal of books than any of the rest of our children, but far more given to meditation and deep study… During our evening conversations, Joseph would occasionally give us some of the most amusing recitals that could be imagined. He would describe the ancient inhabitants of this continent, their dress, mode of traveling, and the animals upon which they rode, their cities, their buildings, with every particular; their mode of warfare; and also their religious worship. This he would do with as much ease, seemingly, as if he had spent his whole life with them.” Lucy Mack Smith, History, 1844–1845 Book 4 Joseph Smith Papers
Art by Val Chadwick Bagley
Visit the Links below for information from The Joseph Smith Papers Links below and from Annotated Book of Mormon by David Hocking and Rod Meldrum page 555
A Non-LDS Navy Captains Expertise; Mulek- Up the Mississippi or through the St Lawrence?
With newly understood information from English Ship Captain Philip Beale, he has sailed 30,000 nautical miles that may indicate a very likely voyage of the Mulekites of the Book of Mormon traveling from the Old World to America using the southern route to the Gulf of Mexico and up the Mississippi River to Iowa.
Mike and Betty LaFontaine, c0-owners of the Phoenicia Museum with John Lefgren, meet Captain Philip Beale after his successful voyage from Tunisia to Florida in 2020.
The Phoenicia Voyages by Captain Philip Beale and Team are an ideal test of the veracity of the Book of Mormon accounts. Beale’s voyages of 2009 from Oman to Florida and a later voyage in 2020 from Tunisia to Florida, show not only that the materials and technology of 600 B.C. allowed construction of ocean-going vessels for both Lehi’s group and the Mulekites, but that both groups could have crossed the Atlantic and landed in North America, coming from the east.
As you see in the map below, you will see the Phoenicia Ship Expedition route in 2009 that demonstrated unequivocally that Lehi’s voyage could have left the Arabian Peninsula and sailed around Africa to Florida, rather than attempting to cross the earth’s largest ocean, the Pacific at its widest point, as proposed by many Mesoamerican theorists. The Phoenicia Expedition supports our vision, that Lehi’s Voyage to America was very possible.
A second Phoenicia voyage below, also shows a path from Israel to Florida that Philip Beale took in his voyage of 2020, to show the very possible voyage of the Mulekites to America.
Possible Mulekite Voyage up the St Lawrence River
Possible Mulekite Voyage up the St Lawrence River or to Zarahemla on the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers?
Our friend and colleague Wayne May believes the Mulekites may have traveled from Jerusalem to the St Lawrence River and landed near Detroit, MI and continued to the Mississippi River to Montrose Iowa. He feels it is likely that the Mulekites could have picked up Coriantumr near Cumorah on their journey west through the Great Lakes. I believe this is possible, but I lean more towards the theory that Jonathan Neville lays out from his article online, which you can read more about below. One thing that is wonderful with those of us who believe in the Heartland Model, is we have room to disagree and persuade and find additional information. None of us knows the exact details of most of Book of Mormon Geography. However we have a common belief that there is only one Hill Cumorah in New York, and that Joseph Smith knew the Nephites were in Illinois, Indiana and Ohio based on his letter to Emma and his vision of Zelph. We also feel strongly that D&C 125 tells us the very plausible location of Zarahemla (Montrose, IA) in the Book of Mormon.
In Helaman we read, “And it came to pass that they became exceedingly rich, both the Lamanites and the Nephites; and they did have an exceeding plenty of gold, and of silver, and of all manner of precious metals, both in the land south and in the land north.
Editor’s Note: (I believe this scripture could mean, Nephi had these metals near Tennessee in the Land Lehi-Nephi, and he had much copper in northern Michigan as well).
“Now the land south was called Lehi, and the land north was called Mulek, which was after the son of Zedekiah; for the Lord did bring Mulek into the land north, and Lehi into the land south.” Helaman 6:9-10
Editor’s Note: (Wayne feels strongly this scripture above is indication that Mulek came through the St Lawrence Seaway as that is north of where Lehi landed which is in Florida which is south as the scripture says.
Wayne is correct about Lehi landing to the south, and when Lehi escaped from his brothers up the Chattahoochee River from FL to TN the Nephites still remained south of Mulek as they lived near Chattanooga, TN. Mosiah in about 323 BC left Chattanooga TN (likely using the Tennessee River which travels west and then north to the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers). Mosiah found the Mulekites in the north near Montrose, IA where they had been ever since they landed, as Omni 1:16 says. I believe Mulek ended up in the north near Montrose, and this makes the scripture true as well. I believe Mulek came to the Gulf of Mexico and up the Mississippi River never stopping until he was north of where Lehi landed.
Wayne feels it is likely that the Mulekites would have picked up Coriantumr who was injured near Cumorah, on their journey west through the Great Lakes. Coriantumr walking injured to Lake Ontario 30 miles to meet the Mulekites and then having to find Coriantumr on the huge lake somewhere, is not that likely in my opinion. I believe Coriantumr once able to physically move after his wounds, would naturally head toward a close river like the Genesee or the Ganargua and get in a canoe to finish healing up as he traveled toward where the Mulekites were. Ganargua was later used to assisting in the Erie Canal construction) These rivers are near Palmyra and Rochester. From the Genesee River, Coriantumr could have connected to the Allegheny and Ohio Rivers and was picked up somewhere in the Land Zarahemla Ohio or Mississippi River, which would be bordering Indiana and Illinois, where the Mulekites would have lived since the day they landed. It would be easy to spot a man in a bot from these rivers and not amongst the huge Lake Ontario. As my friend Wayne says, We report, you decide. I would love your feedback either way.
The Phoenicia is a traditionally-built replica of a Phoenician merchant vessel, based on a 600 BC design.
According to Greek geographer and historian, Strabo, the Phoenicians traded and settled along the East Atlantic coast, prompting our English friend Philip Beale’s belief in the likelihood that the Phoenicians would have attempted to sail West to America in the hope of discovering more lands.
Beale commissioned the building of the Phoenicia ship in about 2006. It was traditionally built in Syria and its design was based on the wreckage of the Jules Vernes 7, discovered in the Mediterranean in the early 1990’s. The Phoenicia is believed to be the only replica of its kind in the world.
Wreck Jules Vernes 7. The Marseille History Museum presents over 3500 m² the history of one of the oldest cities in France, Marseille: Greek, Roman, medieval, Middle Ages,…: 2600 years of history.
In Dec 2021, I sent the following email to Captain Beale:
Hi Philip: I need your professional opinion as a navigator and ship Captain.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of a 600 BC ship to sail to Nauvoo, Illinois, USA.
We have two suggested paths and I would like a short answer of which pathway to Illinois would be most likely and why.
1. From Tunisia across the Atlantic similar to the path you took in 2020. Instead of landing on the East Coast of Florida the ship would continue around Miami and travel up the Mississippi River and stop in Illinois USA and Nauvoo?
2. Or from Tunisia going through Gibraltar, then heading north and entering the St Lawrence Seaway following the Great Lakes through Lake Ontario Lake, Erie through Lake Michigan then taking the Mississippi River south to Nauvoo Illinois?
I am just looking for a basic decision based on the information you have now, with a most likely scenario.
Thanks for your suggestion.
Captain Beale Route to Floriida
Captain Beale answered me with an email that said the following.
Hi Rian,
It is fairly straight forward I think.. the southern route is by far the easiest because of the prevailing winds and currents.
If you look at the Gulf stream that was first identified by Benjamin Franklin… from the Med. to the Caribbean is a simple conveyer belt.(See Map Below)
The winds and current are pretty much in synch most of the year and in the north north Atlantic the prevailing winds are West to East.. so very difficult for the Phoenicians to have gone the northern route.” Hope that helps. Philip Beale
Additional Philip Beale Email
“Thanks for your email the other day and sorry for my delayed response.
I think in general the so called Northern route is a non-starter for an historical/maritime point of view because as you will see from the attached chart, the currents and winds (which have been the same for thousands of years) go against the northern route. Unless the Phoenicians invented the internal combustion engine or sailed to meet the Vikings first in Norway, it just does not make sense.
However the southern route is just like a conveyer belt all the way to the Caribbean from the Med. For the rivers we would have to look at the distances involved but I think at best you would be looking at 10 miles per day through rowing.
Happy to do a bit more work on this but I thought I would send this to get started.”
Regards Captain Philip Beale
Read at the bottom of the page about Capt. Beale’s voyage called the Phoenicia Expedition – Tunisia to Florida 2020
Below is evidence of a possible Mulekite Landing at Nauvoo Illinois from Moroni’s America.
“ALTHOUGH SHORT, THE BOOK OF OMNI CONTAINS critical geographical information that illuminates the rest of the book. Omni was the next-to-the-last book that Joseph translated. He and Oliver had moved from Harmony, Pennsylvania, to the Peter Whitmer farm in New York. They were days away from the manifestations to the Three Witnesses and the Eight Witnesses. It was the culmination of a difficult but thrilling process. People recorded that when Joseph and Oliver came downstairs after working on the translation, they glowed. Oliver began working as scribe in Harmony, Pennsylvania, in April 1829 with what is now Mosiah 1. Historical documents suggest that Mosiah 1 was originally the third chapter of Mosiah; the first two chapters, and everything leading up to that, were part of the manuscript that Martin Harris lost. We don’t know how much of what is contained in Omni was also contained in that lost manuscript, but it is remarkable how this brief book ties together several loose threads from the nearly 500 pages that follow it—and preceded it in the translation process.” Jonathan Neville
Below is from Moroni’s America by Jonathan Neville page 99-106Omni 1:15-19 At first, Mosiah and his people could not communicate with the people of Zarahemla with language because “their language had become corrupted and they had brought not records with them.” As Mosiah soon found out, the people of Zarahemla—their ancestors, actually—came out from Jerusalem. Because Mosiah’s ancestors, too, came out from Jerusalem, it may seem surprising that the two groups could not communicate. Scholars debate about how long it takes for languages to change, but another possibility is that the Mulekites—the common name for the people of Zarahemla—were brought to the New World by Phoenician sailors.(108) Perhaps the Mulekites adopted the Phoenician language or mixed it with their own. The use of Phoenician names such as Sidon and Isabel is further evidence of the Phoenician influence. (109) Once he learned Mosiah’s language, Zarahemla himself “gave a genealogy of his fathers, according to his memory.” Unfortunately, we don’t have that record. But it was presumably from Zarahemla that Mosiah learned about how Zarahemla’s ancestors “came out from Jerusalem at the time that Zedekiah, king of Judah, was carried away captive into Babylon.” Mulek was the son of Zedekiah who escaped captivity; hence the term Mulekites, which is actually not found in the scriptures. Mulek and his companions “journeyed in the wilderness and were brought by the hand of the Lord across the great waters into the land where Mosiah discovered them and they had dwelt there from that time forth.” This verse tells us the Mulekites “journeyed in the wilderness” but doesn’t reveal how long they journeyed or how far they went.
They left Jerusalem, where Mulek’s brothers had been killed (2 Kings 25:7) and his father blinded before being taken captive, and reached a port. Most likely, they went to Egypt, since that is where his sisters and others found refuge (Jeremiah 43:6-7). From Egypt, the Phoenicians would have transported Mulek and his group west through the Mediterranean, passing the Iberian Peninsula and across the Atlantic to the New World. They likely followed a route similar to that of Columbus and other explorers who left from the Mediterranean. A key point here is that they were led by the Lord “into the land where Mosiah discovered them and they had dwelt there from that time forth.” How would they have reached Iowa directly? And why would they have remained there for hundreds of years?
There is a good reason why the Mulekites would have stopped in Iowa, across from Nauvoo. It is the first place up the Mississippi river from the Gulf Coast that, historically, was impassable for large ships, due to the Des Moines rapids located just south of there. Even in the 1840s, riverboats had to stop at the rapids, unload cargo, and then be dragged over the rapids before progressing north. (Now, a series of dams and locks makes the river navigable for barges and other large ships.) Lewis and Clark noted the rapids on their 1814 map. In 1837, Robert E. Lee made a map showing the rapids by Fort Des Moines, where Montrose, Iowa, is today. Picture left shows another key point. The Mulekites could have easily sailed up the river without encountering the Nephites or the Lamanites, who were several hundred miles east. Furthermore, the Mulekites would have sailed right past other civilizations that likely existed in the area, descendants of Jaredites or other groups who had come to the continent. The Zarahemla location in Iowa, across from Nauvoo, is ideal from several perspectives. First, being on the river provides plentiful water and facilitates commerce. Second, it is upriver from the Des Moines rapids, which provide a defensive barrier against river-borne invaders from the south. Third, the area has productive agricultural land. Ultimately, of course, it’s where the Lord led them.
This geography helps clarify why the Nephites never encountered Zarahemla until Mosiah was prompted to flee from the land of Nephi. In our day, we might think people would explore freely, but anciently, the wilderness was dangerous. There were wild beasts, unpredictable weather, the potential of getting lost, sicknesses, and no way to communicate over long distances. You were on your own in the wilderness. By contrast, there was safety in numbers and community. Farms provided food. Why risk leaving a safe, productive and favorable location? It required great faith for Lehi and his family to leave Jerusalem, let alone cross the ocean (which is why Nephi faced such resistance from his brothers). In the new world, it required great faith for Nephi to flee from his brothers into the wilderness. Mosiah exercised great faith to leave the land of Nephi. The prominence of Zarahemla—it is by far the most-often mentioned place in the Book of Mormon, the capital of the Nephites—shows it was wise for the people of Zarahemla to stay put. Omni 1:20-22
And it came to pass in the days of Mosiah there was a large stone brought unto him with engravings on it and he did interpret the engravings by the gift and power of God. And they gave an account of one Coriantumr and the slain of his people. And Coriantumr was discovered by the people of Zarahemla; and he dwelt with them for the space of nine moons. It also spake a few words concerning his fathers. And his first parents came out from the tower at the time the Lord confounded the language of the people and the severity of the Lord fell upon them according to his judgments which are just and their bones lay scattered in the land northward. The sequence of events shows that Zarahemla had not mentioned Coriantumr or the Jaredites to Mosiah before the stone was brought forth. The parenthetical—“And Coriantumr was discovered by the people of Zarahemla; and he dwelt with them for the space of nine moons”—is ambiguous. The information could have been taken from the engravings, or perhaps the bringing of the stone prompted Zarahemla to tell Mosiah that his people had discovered Coriantumr. The text doesn’t say when Coriantumr lived. It could have been during Zarahemla’s lifetime or much earlier. (110) Either way, there is no indication that the people of Zarahemla had themselves discovered any Jaredite remains. Everything Mosiah learned about the Jaredites at this point came from his translation of the engravings on the stone.
This is important because it corroborates Amaleki’s statement that the Lord led the Mulekites to the land where they settled and they never left that land. If they went directly to Iowa, then they never visited the land where the Jaredites lived and were ultimately destroyed—i.e., Cumorah. The printed text does not retain the capitalization found in the printer’s manuscript on the assumption that capitalization was random. The printer’s manuscript capitalizes the word “Northward” here, suggesting it may be a proper noun. Some instances in the printer’s manuscript capitalize northward, while others do not. [NOTE: The account in Omni is straightforward, but some commentators have confused it with what happened when King Limhi sent a search party of 43 men who inadvertently discovered the Jaredites and their record in Mosiah 8:7-12. I will address that in the Mosiah chapter.] What about Coriantumr? How did the people of Zarahemla discover him if they didn’t discover the land where the Jaredites were destroyed? And where did the stone come from?
Ether, the final Jaredite prophet, had told Coriantumr that if he didn’t repent, “he should only live to see the fulfilling of the prophecies which had been spoken concerning another people receiving the land for their inheritance and Coriantumr should receive a burial by them and every soul should be destroyed save it were Coriantumr.” Ether 13:21. Just a few verses previously, Ether had also prophesied about the New Jerusalem. 2 For behold, they [the Jaredites] rejected all the words of Ether; for he truly told them of all things, from the beginning of man; and that after the waters had receded from off the face of this land it became a choice land above all other lands, a chosen land of the Lord; wherefore the Lord would have that all men should serve him who dwell upon the face thereof; 3 And that it was the place of the New Jerusalem, which should come down out of heaven, and the holy sanctuary of the Lord. 4 Behold, Ether saw the days of Christ, and he spake concerning a New Jerusalem upon this land. (Ether 13:2-4)
Chiasmus Geography
As the sole survivor of the final battle, living all by himself in Cumorah (Ether having either died or declined to join him), Coriantumr surely would have remembered Ether’s prophecies. Ether correctly prophesied that Coriantumr would be the sole survivor; wouldn’t Coriantumr therefore believe that the New Jerusalem would come? Ether had referred to it coming to “this land” which was “a chosen land,” just as he told Coriantumr that “another people” would receive “the land for their inheritance.” Coriantumr could reasonably conclude that the site of the New Jerusalem would be where he would meet the new people who were to receive the land for their inheritance. From D&C 84:1-5, we know the New Jerusalem will be “in the western boundaries of the State of Missouri.” How would Coriantumr get there from Cumorah? One route would be to travel south on the Allegheny River to the Ohio River, then south and west to the Mississippi River on his way to the Missouri River, which leads directly to the New Jerusalem.
Along the way, probably while on the Mississippi, he was apparently found by the people of Zarahemla, who took him in for nine months before he died. As for the stone, I think Coriantumr carved it during those nine months he lived with the people of Zarahemla. There is no indication in Omni that Coriantumr communicated with the people. They would have had completely different languages. Unlike the situation with Mosiah, who at least shared a common Israelite ancestry and culture with the people of Zarahemla, nothing about Coriantumr’s Jaredite culture would be familiar. The people of Zarahemla did not keep records and apparently had no writing system, since Zarahemla recounted his genealogy by memory. Coriantumr, having seen another of Ether’s prophecies fulfilled—that he would see another people receive the land for their inheritance—would have wanted to leave a record of his people and his own life. Engraving a stone would probably be the only method available to do so. (Even if he knew Ether kept a record, Coriantumr would have no way of knowing what became of Ether’s plates.) Coriantumr knew the people of Zarahemla wouldn’t understand his engravings, but figured that eventually, someone would decipher it. His hopes were realized when Mosiah arrived.
NOTES [108] John Sorenson wrote, “It is very likely that non-Jews were in the crew of the vessel that brought Zedekiah’s son Mulek to the New World (see Omni 1:15-16). A purely Israelite crew recruited in the Palestine homeland would have been possible during some periods, but at the time Mulek’s party left, all the Mediterranean ports of the kingdom of Judah were in Babylonian hands. Most likely the crew of the ship (there could have been more than one, of course) were ‘Phoenician,’ itself a historical category that was by no means homogenous.” John L. Sorenson, “When Lehi’s Party Arrived in the Land, Did They Find Others,” Journal of Book of Mormon Studies, Vol. 1 Fall 1992 (Provo, Utah, FARMS),
13. [109] Hugh Nibley noted that Sidon is the name of the Phoenician harbor in what is now Lebanon. The city still bears that name. Of course, the name also appears in the Old Testament as part of a border description (Genesis 10:19). Isabel, the harlot Alma chastised his son Corianton for visiting in Alma 39:3, is also “the name of the Patroness of Harlots in the religion of the Phoenicians.” Nibley, “The Book of Mormon: Forty Years After,” in The Prophetic Book of Mormon (Deseret Book/FARMS 1992) available online at http://bit.ly/Moroni59.
Siron is another possible Phoenician influence. The Book of Mormon Onomasticon notes, “Given the possibility of Phoenician influence on the Mulekites who first settled the land around ZARAHEMLA,[1] this GN [given name] may be identical to the biblically attested Phoenician name for Mount Hermon, namely, śiryôn (Deuteronomy 3:9 and Psalms 29:6), Sirion in KJV (JH, JAT).[2]. Notice also the similar biblical word siryôn which in Jeremiah 46:4 and 51:3 is a type of body armor (JH). http://bit.ly/Moroni60 [110] Estimates for the final battle of the Jaredites range from 580 B.C. to 400 B.C. (Sorenson, An Ancient American Setting, p. 119) or as late as 200 B.C. (Gardner, Traditions of the Fathers, p. 391). This question is addressed in the Mosiah and Ether chapters.
Phoenicia Expedition – Tunisia to Florida 2020 Evidence of a possible Mulekite Landing at Nauvoo Illinois
What is the 2020 Phoenician Expedition?
The Phoenicia is a traditionally-built replica of a Phoenician merchant vessel, based on a 600 BC design.
According to Greek geographer and historian, Strabo, the Phoenicians traded and settled along the East Atlantic coast, prompting Philip Beale’s belief in the likelihood that the Phoenicians would have attempted to sail West in the hope of discovering more lands.
Beale commissioned the building of the Phoenicia ship 12 years ago. It was traditionally built in Syria and its design was based on the wreckage of the Jules Vernes 7, discovered in the Mediterranean in the early 1990’s. The Phoenicia is believed to be the only replica of its kind in the world.
Tunisia to Florida Sept 25 to Feb 4, 2020 on a replica Phoenician Ship
This voyage (From Tunisia began the 28th of Sept 2019 and Landed in Ft Lauderdale FL on Feb 4, 2020), has proved it possible for the ancient Mulekites to have traveled from Tunisia (Ancient Capital of the Phoenicians), all the way to Florida where we feel the Mulekites traveled up the Mississippi (Sidon) River, and were forced to stop at the DeMoines River rapids near Nauvoo, IL. For an explanation see my blog article here called, Mulekites- Where did they Land in America? Heartlanders Robust and Civil Disagreement
Watch below for the Phoenicia Expedition Connection with the Book of Mormon
I believe the Mulekites traveled the same path as the Phoenician Expedition has just made. Philip Beale a British sailor and ship will arrive in Ft Lauderdale Florida from Tunisia on Tuesday Feb 4th. It has been a voyage of about 4 months since Boyd Tuttle left with the ship. It is very probable that the Mulekites traveled into the Gulf of Mexico near New Orleans and traveled up the Mississippi (Sidon) River and stopped near Nauvoo.
I also believe the Phoenicians are related to the Cherokee Indians and many others you may be surprised about. See my blog here titled, Cherokee/Phoenician DNA Connection
Handmade drum by Mike LaFontaine with Rem Man song painted by Betty LaFontaine
Left, Handmade drum from Mike and Betty to Philip Beale, Captain of Phoenicia 2020
(Quote from my blog above). The Phoenicians’ name in their own Semitic language translates as “Canaanite,” a reflection of their origins in the East Mediterranean. James Adair, who wrote the first book about American Indians in 1775, suggested this ethnonym (national identity) appears in the name of the Kanawha River and as the name of a now-extinct Indian tribe in Kentucky and West Virginia. Phoenicians are probably also the source of haplogroup X in the New World, and they are implicated in the mystery of the Melungeon people, with court cases mentioning them by name. See DNA Blog called, Lamanites are Descendants of the Jews.
Read the article below written by the ship crew and learn about there just finished voyage and how you may be able to help them in their desire for donations:
A goal of the Heartland Group including Mike and Betty LaFontaine, and John Lefgren was to purchase the Phoenicia Ship and dock it across the river from Nauvoo, IL at Montrose IA. They have succeeded with the purchase from Philip Beale, and they are now rebuilding it. You can assist them in volunteering or donating by visiting them here: phoenicia.rocks They are also building a large Museum all about the Phoenicia.
Claims have been made that the Sidon River of the Book of Mormon could not have been the Mississippi River as proposed by the Heartland Model geography. These claims have rested primarily on certain assumptions about what is indicated by the Book of Mormon text itself. It is critical to examine all the facts before an understanding can be reached.
Below are the major criticisms of the Heartland Model’s proposal of the Mississippi River being the ancient River Sidon of the Book of Mormon:
1. The index in the Book of Mormon states that the Sidon River flowed north to a sea, but the Mississippi River flows south to the Gulf of Mexico and therefore could not have been the Sidon River of the Book of Mormon.
2. The Sidon River could be crossed on foot but the Mississippi River is much to wide and deep to do so.
Nauvoo Temple from the Mississippi River (Sidon)
3. The Sidon River had banks upon which wars took place and no such banks exist on the Mississippi River.
Did the Sidon River flow north?
Q: Is it correct that the Book of Mormon index indicates the Sidon River flows north to a sea?
A: No. In the LDS index in the Book of Mormon “used to” state that the Sidon River is the “most prominent river in Nephite territory, runs north to sea“. That has changed.
Significant Change Made in New Book of Mormon Index Regarding River Sidon (March 2013)
Church leadership recently changed (March 2013) the description of the River Sidon in the Book of Mormon Index to reflect what is scripturally demonstrable. It now states simply, “Sidon, River – most prominent river in Nephite territory” removing the speculative assumption that it “runs north to a sea” (see official Church website NEW definition of the River Sidon HERE). That the river empties into a sea is not in question ( see Alma 3:3, 44:22 ), which indicates that the cause of the removal of the claimed direction of flow of the river from the index is the result of having no scripturally explicit text so indicating. Nowhere does the text of the Book of Mormon definitively state the direction of flow of the Sidon River, therefore it was simply deduced from alternative sources of information. Church leadership has now rectified this situation. There is no textual demand for the River Sidon to have been a north flowing river as now acknowledged officially by the Church.
The previous index was written in 1981, and the study helps are not considered holy writ, as evidenced by the 2007 correcting of the introduction page of The Book of Mormon to indicate the Lamanites are “among” the ancestry of the American Indians, rather than the “principal‘” ancestors of them. Church curriculum noticed the inaccuracy and corrected it. They have done so again in this instance.
Which Direction Did the Sidon River flow?
What we know scripturally is that the river ran primarily either north or south as it had east and west sides or banks. Alma 2:15, 2:17, 6:7, 16:7,43:53 and 49:16 specify an east bank, and Alma 8:3, 43:27, 43:32, 43:53 indicates a west bank. There is no mention of north or south banks. Even so, rivers often make significant changes in direction over short stretches as they wind around geographic obstacles. One should not assume the River Sidon, or any lengthy natural river, would run exclusively in exactly one direction.
Was the River Sidon Suitable for Shipping?
Yes: The Book of Mormon indicates that the shipping of lumber was being accomplished using the river (see BoM Helaman 3:10), potentially indicating a navigable river (a river without natural barriers to boat travel such as falls, etc).
The proposed river in this geography model, the Mississippi River in America’s Heartland, fits beautifully into these criterion.
What is the “Head” of a river?
Alma 22:29 indicates that the head of the Sidon River was in the north as it states “the Nephites had taken possession of all the northern parts of the land bordering on the wilderness, at the head of the river Sidon, …” This is completely congruent with the proposed geography outlined in the Heartland Model that were done by Rod Meldrum. If the place of first landing was the Gulf Coast of North America and the proposed location for Zarahemla (according to the Heartland Model) is across the Mississippi River from Nauvoo, IL (named by the Lord “Zarahemla” D&C 125:3) then certainly the ‘head’ was in the northern parts of the land.
The Book of Mormon textual references to the River Sidon works very well in this geography, once a more complete understanding of what the ‘head’ of the river Sidon might mean. As regarding the Sidon River there is a very simple explanation that lies in the definition of ‘head’ of a river.
In Noah Webster’s 1828 dictionary, the reference dictionary in Joseph Smiths time, the word ‘head’ as relating to a river is defined thus.
While this is one definition, there is also another equally valid definition relating to rivers which is less well known but very important to a more complete understanding.
1. A flowing together; a meeting of two or more currents of a fluid.
Again in this same dictionary the word ‘confluence’ is defined as follows:
CONFLUENCE, n. [L., to flow. See Flow.] http://1828.mshaffer.com/d/search/word,confluence
1. A flowing together; the meeting or junction of two or more streams of water, or other fluid; also, the place of meeting; as the confluence of the Tigris and the Frat, or of the Ohio and Mississippi.
So the ‘head’ of the Sidon river of the Book of Mormon has two possible definitions, one at the commencement of a stream or river and one which is defined as the location where two branches or tributaries of a river meet, or their confluence. Which definition did the Book of Mormon authors and translator mean and is there a scriptural basis for the idea of the ‘head’ of a river being a junction of two or more rivers? In the Old Testament in Genesis 2:10 it states, “And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads.” (see also PoGP Moses 3:10 reference note b) There is a reference note b at ‘parted’ in the LDS King James Version of the Bible which reads “HEB (Hebrew) – divided into four heads (branches)” clearly indicating that the ‘heads’ of each of these four rivers were at the junction of two or more rivers.
A second scriptural basis for understanding that the word “head” could designate a “junction” can be had from several passages wherein attempts are made to cut off or “head” something (an army or flocks) at a certain junction. Such occurrences can be found in Alma 17:32,46:32, 50:33-34, 51:29-30, and Hel. 1:28-30.
Therefore, there is scriptural evidence to support the use of ‘head’ of a river as where two or more rivers join, making this a perfectly legitimate choice among alternative definitions. This also provides further insight into Alma 56:24-25 which reads, “They durst not pass by us with their whole army, neither durst they with a part, lest they should not be sufficiently strong and they should fall. Neither durst they march down against the city of Zarahemla; neither durst they cross the head of Sidon, over to the city of Nephihah.” It is understandable that the Lamanite army would be afraid to battle the Nephite army, or go against the Nephite capital city Zarahemla, but why would crossing a river at its “head” or source (presumably a stream) cause such dread? The simple answer could be that the “head” was a junction of two rivers, thereby making it a fearfully difficult and dangerous point to attempt a crossing.
We can only speculate as to which of the two definitions were meant by the Book of Mormon authors. But it appears that each definition is valid. This being the case, it cannot be said with confidence that the river Sidon flowed north. It could have been flowing in either direction. Therefore, the Mississippi River, based on this criterion, is a valid alternative to be considered to be the Book of Mormon’s “River Sidon.”
Was the Sidon River a large or small river?
There are several indicators of the size of the River Sidon of the Book of Mormon. First it is the only river named in the Book of Mormon and it is mentioned in 28 verses. It was the primary river (system) within their lands. It was large enough to accommodate “shipping” (Hel. 3:10) and for its “head” to be something to worry about (Alma 56:24-25). Furthermore, it is interesting that both the Nephites and the Lamanites used as a military stratagem attempts to trap each other’s armies in the river crossing (Alma 2:26-27, 2:34-35, 16:6, 43:30-41). This strongly suggests that the river must have been very large, with only a limited number of locations in which the river could be crossed. Had it been a small river, it could have been crossed anywhere along its path, yet the Nephites knew precisely where the Lamanites would be obliged to cross, and therefore made preparations to attack them as they attempted to cross the river. This indicates that the river was too large to cross except at certain points. All of these strongly indicate that the River Sidon of the Book of Mormon was a very large and powerful river system with only a limited number of crossings and which presented a formidable deterrent to travel.
What Geographical indicators exist in the Book of Mormon?
Manti is southward from Gideon and Zarahemla. Gideon was located just across the river Sidon within a few hours travel from Zarahemla (Alma 6:7–8) and was much closer to Zarahemla than was Manti. It follows then that the general direction from Zarahemla to Manti was “southward,” the same as it was from “Gideon southward, away to the land of Manti” (Alma 17:1).
Manti was near the “head of the river Sidon” (Alma 22:27, 43:22). By using the first definition (the principle source of a stream), if Manti was where the Sidon river began, and it flowed past Zarahemla to the north (Manti was south of Zarahemla), then it stands to reason that the river flowed northward. However, if the second or “confluence” definition is used, Manti would have been at a junction of two rivers, which means that the river flowed past Zarahemla and then on down to the junction (head) at Manti, which would thereby indicate a southerly flow from Zarahemla (a main branch of the river) down to the confluence.
According to Alma 31:3 the land of Antionum was east of the land of Zarahemla and Jershon was to the north of Antionum, all of which were north of the land of Manti which was to the south (Alma 16:6). In Alma chapter 43 the Lamanites were in the land of Antionum preparing to attack the Nephites who were in the land of Jershon to the north. The Lamanites determine not to fight the Nephites and turn away to the south toward the land of Manti. Alma 43:32 records that the Nephite army under Moroni went “down into the borders of the land Manti” from their previous position in the land of Jershon and south towards the hill Riplah. If the Lamanites began in Antionum to the north, and they were traveling south as indicated, and they also went ‘down‘ in elevation while doing so, then any river in that location would of necessity have to be flowing southward toward Manti. Rivers flow ‘down’ in elevation, which clearly indicates that the Sidon River must have been flowing to the south.
To reiterate, the Lamanites withdrew from the Nephite cities around Jershon. Jershon was located on the east side their lands, by a sea (thought to be Lake Michigan, see Alma 27:22), which was also north of the land of Antionum (Alma 31:3). This indicates that they left from Jershon (Alma 43:18) in the north and began traveling south through Antionum. Then they “took their journey round about in the wilderness, away by the head of the river Sidon, that they might come into the land of Manti” (Alma 43:22) which was south and ‘down.’
Jershon
The head of the river Sidon, and also the south border of the land of Manti, were integral parts of the borderline that separated the Nephites and the Lamanites (Alma 22).
The land of Manti was:
a) located by the head of the river Sidon (Alma 22:27);
b) southward from the land of Gideon (Alma 17:1);
c) near the south wilderness which was on the east side of the river Sidon when coming from the city of Zarahemla (Alma 16:7); and
d) on the west side of the river Sidon when approaching from the wilderness to the east (Alma 43:32).
The land of Manti fits well in the area northwest of the confluence or “head” of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers at what is now St. Louis. Using the confluence definition could then explain the seemingly nonsensical placing of Manti on BOTH sides of the Sidon in the references above. Assuming that the Book of Mormon’s River Sidon references the entire Mississippi River System with all of its tributaries, reference C could be referring to their travels from Zarahemla, on the west of the Mississippi river (eastern branch of Sidon), west toward Manti, which was east of the Missouri River (the western branch of the Sidon), and on to the Missouri river from the east. Reference D would refer to crossing the Sidon (Mississippi river branch) from the east into the land of Manti.
Thus it would have been located between two branches of the ancient river Sidon, explaining how Manti could have been considered to have been paradoxically on both sides of the Sidon. This is especially intriguing when considering that the city of Manti (not necessarily the Land of Manti), as apparently claimed by The Prophet Joseph while on the Kirtland Camp and as recorded in the Millennial Star, vol. 16, p296 and the Journal of Samuel D. Tyler, Sept. 25, 1838, filed in the Church Historians office, may well have been near present-day Huntsville, MO . Huntsville is northwest of St. Louis, near Moberly, MO.
Both are branches of the Mississippi river system that was the primary system used by the Hopewell mound building civilization that flourished in the correct archaeological time frame to be the Nephites and most likely designated by them the Sidon River (system). This same civilization built their cities and fortifications in the same manner outlined by Moroni in the Book of Mormon. These same ancient people had DNA lineages (haplogroup X) that are associated with the Druze population in the Levant area (Israel) and the majority of Jewish populations around the world, including the Ashkenazi, Sephardic, Libyan, Tunisian, Moroccan, Iranian and Iraqi Jews (see disk 3 of the 5 DVD Series titled Book of Mormon Evidence or read the book Re-Discovering the Book of Mormon Remnant Through DNA by this author, available at our BOOKSTORE ). The descendants of these people are the very tribes that Joseph Smith sent the first missionaries “unto the Lamanites” (See D&C 28:8-9, 30:5-6, 32:2-3) These very tribes today harbor these same Jewish genetic markers.
Could the Mississippi River be crossed on foot, and are its banks sufficient to allow battles to be held on them?
Remember that the Mississippi today is much wider and deeper than it was in the days before dams, locks and levies, making it still a large river, but much more shallow. In fact, the river at Nauvoo was actually shallow enough to cross on foot! This area was called the Des Moines rapids and riverboats had to off-load their cargo to pass these rapids prior to the building of locks/dams across the river. The Des Moines Rapids are known historically to have been less than 2.4 feet deep, making this the first location upstream from the Gulf of Mexico where the mighty Mississippi could be crossed on foot! Certainly this would make this area a strategic location for any ancient civilization, as access to both sides of the river was easily attainable. This location also had broad river banks from seasonal floods that would subsequently return back into its channel that would allow mighty battles to be fought literally on the banks of the river as stated in the Book of Mormon. It is interesting to note that the bluff north of Nauvoo, IL is litered with ancient burial mounds, some 80 or more in extent. That this was the site of ancient battles of the Hopewell mound builders is unquestionable. Zelph, the “white Lamanite” warrior, was buried in a mound little more than an hour away to the southeast, along the Illinois River.
Watch the video clip about the strategic importance of this location in ancient North America by clicking on the VIDEO GALLERY and watching clip called “Zarahemla near Nauvoo?”
A navigable river suitable for shipping of goods?
The Book of Mormon also indicates that shipping of lumber was being accomplished potentially indicating a navigable river or a river without natural barriers to boat (canoe?) travel such as falls.
“10 And it came to pass as timber was exceedingly scarce in the land northward, they did send forth much by the way of shipping.” (Hel 3:10)
It is interesting to note that during construction of the Nauvoo Temple the wooden beams from which the temple structure was built had to be brought down the Mississippi river from Wisconsin to the North. The Mississippi River as the Sidon River in this proposed geography model fits beautifully into both of these criterions. How navigable are the proposed rivers in Mesoamerica, such as the Grijalva River in Guatemala, for shipping? How could there have been a lack of timber in a dense tropical rain forest / jungle as is the case for proposed sites in Mesoamerica? The text requires that upriver from where they were building their homes and cities (the entire area being the “land northward“) there were forests with abundant wood. Their cities downriver were lacking trees, thus creating the need for importing timber to build their homes. Where in Mesoamerica does such an arrangement exist? Do any of the proposed rivers in Mesoamerican theories provide evidence of lands devoid of timber downriver from a heavily forested area…on the same river?
Art by Val Chadwick Bagley
We also know that the Sidon river emptied into a ‘sea’ as indicated by Alma 3:3 and 44:22, which as discussed a Rod meldrum DVD presentation, could mean any large body of water (fresh or salt…i.e. “Sea of Galilee” is a small freshwater lake, while the Dead Sea is a small salt water lake, and yet the Mediterranean Sea is a large salt water ocean). Again this fits with this proposed geography. It should be clear that any body of water could have been called a ‘sea’ by those coming from the Middle East. This includes the Great Lakes, which are orders of magnitude larger than their Middle Eastern counterparts.
To recap: The Sidon River in the Book of Mormon flowed past Zarahemla southward and “down” toward Manti which was at the head or confluence. From this description, Sidon would have flowed in a southerly direction. The “headwaters” could refer to the confluence of the present-day Missouri and Mississippi rivers (or another ancient tributary of the present day Mississippi). When you see how this fits beautifully into the geography as proposed by the Heartland Model, it is both logical and powerful evidence in support of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon and its possible location in the Heartland of the Promised Land of America.
For more information please see disk #5 of the 5 DVD series, Book of Mormon Evidence by Rod L. Meldrum available by emailing Rian Nelson
“Where did the idea that the Book of Mormon occurred in central America originate? What historical evidence from Joseph Smith exists to support the many Mesoamerica theories speculating about its geography? Where did the Book of Mormon history really take place and what did the Prophet, Joseph Smith, know about it, if anything? BYU law school graduate, former JAG attorney and author Jonathan Neville has conducted one of the most important, monumental and history clarifying research on these subjects. His research has culminated in one of the most important books on the Book of Mormon that has been written, a book that will finally lay to rest speculation about where to complete our search for the evidence of the reality of the Book of Mormon, a book that reveals new research that is destined to become… THE SMOKING GUN OF BOOK OF MORMON GEOGRAPHY… The book is called “The Lost City of Zarahemla” – Rod Meldrum
Our two friends, Stephen Reed from Mesa, AZ and Jonathan Neville have answered where this convoluted theory of having a Hill Cumorah in NY and one somewhere in Mexico came from. Obviously JF Smith new what was correct and here are many, many other quotes from Prophets and Apostles that conclude there is only one Hill Cumorah in NY. List Here
Why do you think Joseph Fielding Smith this?
Art by Val Chadwick Bagley
“…This modernistic theory of necessity, in order to be consistent, must place the waters of Ripliancum and the Hill Cumorah some place within the restricted territory of Central America, notwithstanding the teachings of the Church to the contrary for upwards of 100 years. Because of this theory [M2C] some members of the Church have become confused and greatly disturbed in their faith in the Book of Mormon. It is for this reason that evidence is here presented to show that it is not only possible that these places could be located as the Church has held during the past century, but that in very deed such is the case… It is known that the Hill Cumorah where the Nephites were destroyed is the hill where the Jaredites were also destroyed. This hill was known to the Jaredites as Ramah. It was approximately near to the waters of Ripliancum, which the Book of Ether says, “by interpretation, is large, or to exceed all…
It must be conceded that this description fits perfectly the land of Cumorah in New York, as it has been known since the visitation of Moroni to the Prophet Joseph Smith, for the hill is in the proximity of the Great Lakes and also in the land of many rivers and fountains. Moreover, the Prophet Joseph Smith himself is on record, definitely declaring the present hill called Cumorah to be the exact hill spoken of in the Book of Mormon. Further, the fact that all of his associates from the beginning down have spoken of it as the identical hill where Mormon and Moroni hid the records, must carry some weight. It is difficult for a reasonable person to believe that such men as Oliver Cowdery. Brigham Young, Parley P. Pratt, Orson Pratt, David Whitmer, and many others, could speak frequently of the Spot where the Prophet Joseph Smith obtained the plates as the Hill Cumorah, and not be corrected by the Prophet, if that were not the fact. That they did speak of this hill in the days of the Prophet in this definite manner is an established record of history.” Doctrines of Salvation Joseph Fielding Smith Chapter 12
Apologetics
It is VERY sad that some many good faithful apologetic members are so adamant about there being two Cumorah’s, as many won’t let it go. Places like Book of Mormon Central, FAIR LDS, Meridian Magazine, and Interpreter Foundation, won’t even allow discussion about the Heartland Theory on their websites. That is silly. I feel the person who is willing to debate and shine a light on possibilities usually has a stronger case of truth. I sure don’t know everything and I am sure these others have great information on many church questions, but when it comes to the geography, I can’t believe much of what they say. I was in their camp for over 40 years and now it makes no sense at all to me. To each his own however. I am believing we all love the Book of Mormon truth, and that is most important. But I ask, Why won’t they discuss it openly with us?
“Benjamin Winchester was a prolific early Mormon author and a zealous missionary for many years. He was a close friend of Joseph Smith’s. He went on Zion’s Camp when he was only 16 years old, along with his father. He was present when the original Quorum of the Twelve were called and ordained. He went on missions and vigorously defended the Church. He started his own newspaper in Philadelphia, the Gospel Reflector, and he moved to Nauvoo in 1841 to work at the Times and Seasons.
However, he resisted authority. He eventually turned against the Church.
A month before he died at Carthage, Joseph Smith said that Winchester had a rotten heart and would “injure the Church as much as he could.”
Few members of the Church today have ever heard of Benjamin Winchester. Even fewer know of Joseph’s prophecy about him.
Because that’s the case, how could Joseph’s prophecy be fulfilled?
My research into Church history led me to conclude that Joseph’s prophecy about Winchester was fulfilled by the development of the Mesoamerican/two-Cumorahs theory (M2C).” Jonathan NevilleRead more here:
As an Analyst for an International Bank for the past eleven years, Steve has a penchant for solving problems. He doesn’t accept the current dogma by Book of Mormon Scholars, despite their advanced degrees, claiming that the Prophet Joseph Smith learned the geography of The Book of Mormon from a travel book with pictures, published in 1842 by John Lloyd Stephens. (A travel book with pictures? Seriously? Is that the best analysis you’ve got?) Then Book of Mormon geography miraculously turned into a restricted Mesoamerica setting with the original Hill Cumorah, not in New York, but located somewhere in Central America. With extra time available by working from home during the 2020 Pandemic and while lounging on his sofa using an iPad and an Internet search engine, Steve learned the true origin of the Mesoamerica Two-Cumorah Geography theory for The Book of Mormon.
It’s simple. And it’s all online. All of it! You don’t need a library of scholarly books to understand it. In this simple analytical 40-minute presentation, Steve will cover an 80-year time period starting with the death of the Prophet Joseph Smith in 1844, who had nothing to do with the Two-Cumorah Theory for The Book of Mormon and ending in 1924. You will be shown how the Two-Cumorah idea was actually a solution for a previously flawed geography model which placed The Book of Mormon in Central and in South America. Watch this presentation. You will learn who actually created the Two-Cumorah Theory for The Book of Mormon. It may surprise you. You will also be able to access the same online documents Steve found, while lounging on your own sofa. It’s that easy. No scholars required. After completing a two-year mission in Venezuela, Steve returned to BYU and graduated with a degree in Business Management and Finance. He currently resides in Mesa, Arizona. Stephen would like to thank in advance, Jonathan Neville, for his kind encouragement and support. Brother Neville stated in an email: “You’ve done some great original research people need to know about.
The RLDS History Preceding M2C by Stephen Reed
“The history leading up to the Limited Geography Theory is intertwined with the history of The Reorganized Church.
In 1894, The RLDS Church created a “Committee on American Archaeology” which published a 184-Page Report with hemispheric maps in defense of The Book of Mormon. It can be found on line here with its maps:
This Church with its believers in The Book of Mormon, falsely assumed The Book of Mormon occurred in both North, Central and South America. This was contrary to the teachings of The Prophet Joseph Smith and the Prophet Ether both who indicated the Center Place of Zion is The New Jerusalem located near Independence, Missouri.
Central America was falsely assumed to be the “narrow neck” of land. Both the lands of Zarahemla and Nephi were placed in South America, the north flowing Rio Magdalena in Colombia as the River Sidon, but with Cumorah correctly located in New York.
These maps were official RLDS doctrine, published and given to members of the RLDS Church, which caused confusion – The Land of Nephi and the land of Zarahemla were too far from Cumorah in New York.
This was noted in published RLDS documents, today found online. Members wrote complaining that King Limhi’s rescue party of 43 men could have not traveled as far as upstate New York, located the Prophet Ether’s 24 gold plates near the Hill Ramah (Cumorah), then returned again all the way to the Land of Nephi in South America without again encountering the nearby Land of Zarahemla, also in South America.
Also, it made no sense to RLDS members that the last Jaredite King, the injured Coriantumr, traveled to South America to encounter the people of Mulek, to live with them for only “nine moons.” Stephen Reed. See his complete article here: https://bookofmormonevidence.org/origin-of-m2c/
Neville’s Smoking Gun of Book of Mormon Geography
“What no one noticed before now was a number of similarities between the Mesoamerican articles and the known writings of one Benjamin Winchester. Words, phrases, and concepts were common to both sets of documents–and unique to Winchester.
Winchester, in fact, was the Smoking Gun of Mesoamerican theory.
This realization led to further inquiry. Who exactly was Benjamin Winchester? Why did he write these articles? How did he get them published in the Times and Seasons? What did Joseph Smith think of them?
Benjamin Winchester
Although he is mostly forgotten now, Benjamin Winchester was well known in the early days of the Church. He had been the youngest adult (age 16) on Zion’s Camp in 1834. He had been ordained an Elder and a Seventy by the age of 20. He had been present when the original members of the Quorum of the Twelve were chosen and ordained. Along with them, he had received a blessing and a promise that he “shall push many people to Zion.” In fulfillment of that blessing, he became a zealous missionary–successful enough that the Times and Seasons published an account of his missionary work in its very first issue in 1839.
Winchester settled down in Philadelphia, where he became the Branch President Presiding Elder (equivalent to today’s Bishop). Frustrated with the anti-Mormon opposition and the inadequate success of the missionary work, he started his own newspaper, called The Gospel Reflector, to promulgate his ideas about Church doctrine and the Book of Mormon, he developed a “new course of argument” that he believed would persuade the world to read the Book of Mormon and join the Church. A thrilling book by John L. Stephens, titled Incidents of Travel in Central America, Chiapas and Yucatan, was riveting readers with descriptions of an expedition that uncovered mysterious, long-lost civilizations. Accompanied by detailed illustrations of exotic ruins, the book became a national best seller. Winchester had previously sought to popularize the Book of Mormon by linking it to other books about archaeology, but the Stephens book was more sensational.
The Legacy
The conspiracy fomented by Benjamin Winchester and William Smith is not merely an interesting and previously unknown aspect of Church history. George J. Adams, a close associate of Joseph’s, wrote that shortly before their martyrdom, “Joseph and Hyrum said that Winchester was rotten at heart, would apostatize, and injure the church as much as he could.” But as noted at the outset, Winchester has been largely forgotten. Few people other than serious students of Church history have ever heard of him. Has Joseph’s prophecy been fulfilled? Has Winchester injured the church?
The answer comes back to Winchester’s three Mesoamerican articles in the Times and Seasons. Certainly they have had a major influence on the Church through Mesoamerican Book of Mormon theories ever since.
For 173 years, faithful Mormons have been searching in Mesoamerica for evidences of the Book of Mormon. Scientific expeditions have been conducted. Books have been published, films produced, tours undertaken, and artwork and photos created and displayed, not only in chapels and temples but in the pages of the Book of Mormon itself. And yet, after all this time, energy and expense, not a single piece of evidence of the Book of Mormon civilizations has been discovered in Mesoamerica. At best, scholars find parallels and similarities. They’ve made an honest and sincere–but terribly costly–mistake.
All because of one Benjamin Winchester.” Jonathan Neville; Complete article below.
I just discovered some new information about Benjamin Winchester that helped me understand the nature of his heart. Here is a Letter below from Sybella McMinn Armstrong, 1 May 1843 about Benjamin Winchester [No spelling or edits were made below. Bold and Color added]
It is with feelings of no ordinry nature that I adress the following lines to you— but a strong sense of duty to my-self and the causse of Christ alone prompts me, I appeal to you because you— your-self have felt the sting of Slander, and know how sha[r]per then a Serpents tooth it is— I appeal to you Sir because I know and believe you to be a Man endowed with a Strong sense of Justice! and that you have a disposition to administer the same to the wronged and oppressed! You may think strange that woman as I am I should appeal to You in this matter, I seek redress at the hands of the Chu[r]ch first because tis my dhutry [duty] so to do— others Counsel when direct[ed] it by the Chu[r]chs— When I uniteted myself with the Chu[r]ch of latter day Sa[in]ts God kn[o]ws so far as the world was concernd I parted with my Charctar— I was willing to have my name cast out as evil— and endure all manner of reproaches for the sake and cause of my Master— [p. [1]]
and suffer the loss of Family and Fr[ie]nds rather than not obey the Gospel of Christ! Yes sooner would I suffer my right Hand sevrd [severed] from my body then I would deny that God has spoken in these last dans [days]— I can endure all maner of scorn and disisern [derision?] from the world and Rejoice in it! but to have my Charactar stabbed in the dark and mutilated by a villain! in the Gard [garb?] of Righte[ou]sness is more than I can put down and truely bear! I seek not for vengence I ask it not— but in the name of the Lord I ask for Justice, for the deepest wrongs inflicted without the slightest provction [provocation]— but to be plain Benjamin Winchesterhas basicly Sla[n]dered my Charctar in Phila time oft and again, this I bore not satisfied with this he goes to New York and repprted me as being a str[u]mpet and that I was a wom[a]n of so notrietry but a Christin that I was kno[w]n to all the Captans on the Ohio and Missippie Rivers, nor is this all he represnted us as getting our livi[n]g by plucking the Public! Now Sir when he was brought to an acc[o]unt for these things did he deny it [p. [2]] https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/letter-from-sybella-mcminn-armstrong-1-may-1843/2
no! but with the most embar[ra]ssing affr[on]tery said he had been told so— but did he tell it for hear-say no! but took Go[o]d care to tell it as matter of fact— could he give his authors no but called on Mrs— Newton to say I had acted imprudntly with Brother [Orson] Hyde— and also my going on a visit to Jerseythat I b[e]haved verry imprud[ent]ly with him ther, I appeal to Brother Hyde for the propriety of my connduct— with him at all times and in all places, Brother Joseph you have staid at our Home You kn[o]w what we are and how I with the rest of my family conducted ourselves— my natural disposition is Gay and lively, I am ever cheerful— I am Happy myself and try to make others so— at times pe[r]haps I say and do my litrlre [literal?] things from the impu[l]se of the mom[e]nt— that were I to take a second though[t] I would not do Levity is my lasting sin! Please submit this to the Corim [Quorum] of the Twelve— and my God dirrect you in adminstrg [administering] Justice to the oppressed
Sybbella, Armstrong. May 1st1843against B. Wincheter
<take his Licence from him. says Joseph> [p. [4]]
Young Benjamin Winchester at age 16 was one of the youngest to be on Zion’s Camp with the Prophet Joseph Smith. He was a hard working a faithful young man and loved the church very much. It is very sad on what happened to Benjamin.
This letter above along with the statement above by George J. Adams saying ,“Joseph and Hyrum said that Winchester was rotten at heart, would apostatize, and injure the church as much as he could”, are telling signs of why Benjamin was excommunicated and his Elder’s license was removed from him as told to the church in the in the Times and Seasons newspaper. Wow how embarrassing.
More Neville
Jonathan Neville wrote, “Last Thursday, Feb 16, the Joseph Smith Papers released new content, including documents from January through March 1843.
Those who have read my books The Lost City of Zarahemla and Brought to Light will be interested to see the full letter from Peter Hess to Hyrum Smith, Joseph, and the Twelve regarding Benjamin Winchester. Here’s an excerpt from the postscript on page 4:
“Brother Joseph i would here mention that Elder Winchester Prophecied before Elder Adams that the church would go down and you Know when a man phopecies [sic] in his own name he will use every means to see it accomplishd [sic].”
Zelph’s Mound or Russell Naples Mound #8- Illinois
“The Naples Mound 8 (also Naples-Russel Mound 8 or Illinois Archaeological Survey #PK 335) is a Havana Hopewell culture mound site located in Pike County, Illinois three miles east of the city of Griggsville. The mound was given the name Naples Mound #8 in 1882. The mound was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.
First Recorded Visits by Local Settlers
Illinois was made a state in 1818 and white settlers came in and opened some of the burial mounds in the former Native American lands. Judge John G. Henderson of Winchester, Illinois, was impressed by beautifully carved stone smoking pipes a friend showed him which were obtained from burial mounds in Naples, Illinois. Accordingly, he and a Mr. Merrill, in 1876, did some excavations and documentation of some of the Naples mounds in which were found a raccoon and a turtle pipe, copper axes, and human skeletal remains. Henderson also mapped the location of fifteen mounds near Naples, including Naples Mound #8. A map he made shows Naples Mound #8 as being a mile south of Valley City, Illinois and across the Illinois River from Naples, Illinois
Being impressed with mound #8, Henderson illustrated an Eagle pipe unearthed from the mound about 40 years earlier by a Daniel Burn, John W. Windsor and others. In describing Naples Mound #8 Henderson states, “On the right bank of the Illinois river about 300 yards below [south of] Griggsville Landing, rises a lofty bluff fully 300 feet above the level of the river. On the summit is a beautiful, oval mound, 150 long, 92 feet wide in the middle, and 25 or 30 feet high. … within a radius of 5 miles from Naples there are a least fifty mounds, very few of which have ever been opened”. After Henderson wrote an article describing the Naples mounds and the relics found in them, the Smithsonian Institution, in December 1879 began a thorough exploration of them, furnishing six laborers to help with the excavations.[9] Afterwards, Henderson authored the article describing the results in the Smithsonian Annual Report.[10]
Rediscovery of the Mound
Naples Mound ca 1880
The mound was forgotten after 1882 and no records of visits have been found until 1974. Due to the Central Illinois Expressway bridge being planned across the Illinois River, the river bluffs were again visited by archaeologists. A team of graduate students from Northwestern University led by Archaeology Professor Jane E. Buikstra combed the bluffs of the Illinois River a mile South of Valley City, Illinois mapping burial mounds. They located an extraordinarily large mound and were excited to inform local historian, Warren Winston, about it. James Bradley, a Mormon Historian from Utah, who had been searching for Zelph Mound for 25 years, visited Warren Winston the day after Professor Buikstra’s visit and the connection was made.
The Zelph Mound, was re-identified using historic journals, historic landmarks and mound surveys. The archaeological name Naples Mound #8, which archaeologist Henderson had given it over ninety years earlier, was changed by Professor Buikstra in 1974 to Naples-Russell Mound #8 (RN8). The name “Russell” was added due to the mound being on private land owned by a Mr. Roy Russell. Shortly after that event, in 1975, Buikstra applied to have the mound placed on the National Register of Historic Places. Seven years later, in 1988, The State of Illinois purchased 280 acres of Illinois River frontage land, including the mound.” Source
Zelph Mound or Russell Naples #8 near Valley City, Illinois
“A Hopewell culture mound site is located in Pike County, Illinois three miles east of the city of Griggsville. The mound today is known as Naples-Russell Mound #8, or Zelph Mound. Dated 62 AD to 128 AD.” Thomas E. Emerson, PhD. Principal Investigator, Survey Director, and State of Illinois Archaeologist. GPS 39.693399, -90.648772 It is part of the Havana Culture of the Hopewell.
Leaders Witness of Zelph and where he was buried
“The visions 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 thick set man, and a man of God. His name was Zelph. He was a warrior and Chieftain under the great prophet 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 thigh bones 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.” (Joseph Smith Papers Letterbook 2)
“Zelph a Man of God” by Ken Corbett. See the three level altar and the Prophet Onandagus? The Illinois River is in the distant with Lamanites on their boats.
A scientific excavation of this mound was carried out in 1990 by The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, in cooperation with the Center for American Archaeology at Kampsville, Illinois. The dig was funded by the Illinois Department of Transportation and supervised by archaeologist, Ken Farnsworth. The artifacts found during the excavation confirmed the mound to be a Hopewell burial mound, dating from 100 B.C. to 300 A.D. The artifacts are now located in the Illinois State Museum.
Adam-Ondi-Ahman
From the volume titled History of the Church Volume 2: pp.79-80, we read about an ancient altar of the Nephites found on top of Zelph Mound. In LDS Church History we also hear about a similar ancient altar found near Adam-Ondi-Ahman in Missouri. In Orson F. Whiney, Life of Heber C. Kimball, page 209, we read; “The Prophet Joseph called upon Brother Brigham, myself and others, saying, “Brethren, come, go along with me, and I will show you something,” He led us a short distance to a place where were the ruins of three altars built of stone, one above the other, and one standing a little back of the other, like unto the pulpits in the Kirtland Temple, representing the order of three grades of Priesthood; “There,” said Joseph, “is the place where Adam offered up sacrifice after he was cast out of the garden.” The altar stood at the highest point of the bluff. I went and examined the place several times while I remained there.”
In another account of the History of Church 3:35 it says, “we arrived at Colonel Lyman Wight’s home. He lives at the foot of Tower Hill (a name I gave the place in consequence of the remains of an old Nephite altar or tower that stood there), where we camped for the Sabbath.”
Today’s Adam-Ondi-Ahman is just a little over 200 miles from the location of Zelph Mound in Illinois, both of which fit within the geography of the Heartland Model of The Land of Zarahemla.
Land Zarahemla and Land Bountiful were likely divided by the Wabash and Tippecanoe Rivers
Remarkably, items discovered in the Zelph Mound area fit precisely within the parameters of the Book of Mormon historical chronology. (100 B.C. to 300 A.D.) This general collection of evidence points to a strong possible North American Book of Mormon geographic location.
According to Wilford Woodruff, “I brought the thigh bone to Missouri. I desired to bury it in the Temple Block in Jackson County; but not having this privilege, I buried it in Clay County, Missouri, near the house owned by Col. Arthur and occupied by Lyman Wight. The arrowhead referred to is now in the possession of President Joseph F. Smith, Salt Lake City, Utah.” Wilford Woodruff Journal Page 41.
Background: Wilford Woodruff shows oversized thigh bone of Zelph he carried in his wagon during Zion’s Camp March. Art by Ken Corbett See Joseph’s Letter to Emma June 4, 1834
“While on our way we felt anxious to know who the person was who had been killed by that arrow. It was made known to Joseph that he had been an officer who fell in battle, in the last destruction among the Lamanites, and his name was Zelph. This caused us to rejoice much, to think that God was so mindful of us as to show these things to His servant. Brother Joseph had enquired of the Lord and it was made known to him in a vision.” Life of Heber C. Kimball, by Orson F. Whitney
Zelph in Vision by Ken Corbett. Joseph hold’s large arrowhead the Church still has in its possession today. Scene at the same Zelph’s Mound 1400 years later.
Zelph was a warrior, a chieftain, an officer, a man of God, a thick set man, and a white Lamanite who had the curse removed from him. He fought for the Nephites in one of the last battles between the Nephites and Lamanites, and served under the Prophet Onandagus, who was known from Hill Cumorah to the Rocky Mountains. (See History of the Church 2:79-80) Joseph Smith Papers Link Here:
We will consider a possible scenario of where Zelph may fit into the history of the Book of Mormon, by using information from journals, scriptures and other quotes. (This is only speculation with our belief of Heartland Geography)
1. Zelph fought for the Nephites and died in one of the last battles with the Lamanites. This battle would have had to be in the Land of Zarahemla, near present day Valley City, Illinois as this is where Zelph was buried.
2. The beginning battle of the last battles between the Nephites and Lamanites began in Zarahemla near the Sidon River in 322 AD (Mormon 1:10). The last battle in the Land of Zarahemla was probably in 328 AD near the borders of the west sea. (Possibly Lake Michigan or Lake Erie. Mormon 2:6)
3. According to Joseph Fielding Smith, “In the Book of Mormon story the Lamanites were constantly crowding the Nephites back towards the north and east. If the battles in which Zelph took part were fought in the country traversed by the Zion’s Camp, then we have every reason to believe from what is written in the Book of Mormon, that the Nephites were forced farther and farther to the north and east until they found themselves in the land of Ripliancum, which both Ether and Mormon declare to us was the land of Ramah or Cumorah, a land of “many waters,” which “by interpretation, is large, or to exceed all.” This being true, what would be more natural then that Moroni, like his father Mormon, would deposit the plates in the land where the battles came to an end and the Nephites were destroyed? [The Mesoamerican Theory claims the final battles of the Nephites was somewhere in Mexico]. Joseph Fielding Smith “continues, This Moroni says he did, and from all the evidence in the Book of Mormon, augmented by the testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith, these final battles took place in the territory known as the United States and in the neighborhood of the Great Lakes and hills of Western New York. And here Moroni found the resting place for the sacred instruments which had been committed to his care.” Joseph Fielding Smith. Doctrines of Salvation. There is not a greater confirmation from an Apostle than this.
4. In 327 AD, Mormon was now 16 years old and chosen to be the Nephite leader. (Mormon 2:1) In Mormon’s first battle, his army was afraid and headed toward the north countries to the city of Angola, which was probably still in the land of Zarahemla. Zelph may have been a contemporary of Mormon while together in the Land of Zarahemla.
The possible conclusion of where Zelph may fit into the historicity of the Book of Mormon is either, Zelph may have died in 322 AD before Mormon became the Nephite leader or, Zelph may have died in 327 AD in Mormon’s first battle against the Lamanites in the City of Angola before the Nephites went even farther north and east toward Cumorah. Of course, Zelph doesn’t necessarily have to have died where he was buried. His body may have been moved to a higher hill in the area out of respect.
Wilford Woodruff’s Warning to Historians
Joseph Smith’s account of the history of Zelph was recorded by Wilford Woodruff in the Documentary History of the Church. The following is President Woodruff’s testimony regarding the truthfulness of that history, particularly the events that transpired during Zion’s Camp: “I am now called to preside over the only Temple there is on the earth, built for the salvation of the living and the dead. There are but a few of us living who were in Zion’s Camp. I will here say that God has inspired me to keep a journal and write the history of this Church, and I warn the future historians to give credence to my history; for my testimony is true, and the truth of its record will be manifest in the world to come. All the words of the Lord will be fulfilled upon the nations, which are written in this book. Wilford Woodruff, His Life and Labors, Matthias F. Cowley
The name of Onandagus mentioned by Joseph, sounds very similar to Onondaga, one of the five Indian nations that comprised the Haudenosaunee or Iroquois Confederacy, located in New York. Haudenosaunee means “the people of the long house”. This confederacy assisted the United States in forming a similar government as the Iroquois. The tribe of Onondaga are native peoples of New York and are known to have built houses of timber. (Alma 19:17-18; 26:28-29). The Onondaga are also the leading tribe, or “fire keepers” of this current confederacy. Another people of the Haudenosaunee are the Oneida, which is strikingly similar to the Book of Mormon place name “Onidah”. (Alma 32:4; 47:5) It is also likely no coincidence that the Lamanite title of deity, “Great Spirit” is a native North American appellation. (Alma 18:4-5)
ONEIDA in the Book of Mormon
HILL ONIDAH ALMA 32:4; 47:5 ONIHAH 3 Nep 9:7 BURIED WEAPONS Alma 24:19
Author L. Taylor Hansen wrote intriguingly of a site in New York State: “On the authority of some older inhabitants of Onondaga, it is stated that on a ledge of rocks, about a mile south of Jamesville, (Near Syracuse and Oneida Castle) is a place which used to be pointed out by the Indians as a spot where the Great Spirit once came down and sat and gave good advice to the chiefs of Onondagas. That there are the prints of his hands and his feet, left in the rocks, still to be seen. In the former years the Onondagas used annually to offer, at this place, tobacco and pipes, and to burn tobacco and herbs as a sacrifice to the Great Spirit, to conciliate his favor and which was a means of preventing diseases.”
“Blood sacrifice was forbidden and replaced by the use of tobacco, today an important element in all traditional Native American ceremonies. Among many eastern tribes, East Star Man is regarded as the son of the Great Spirit, the Creator.” Wayne May, Christ in North America.
In 1927, Janne M. Sjödahl a Swedish immigrant and convert to the LDS church, wrote a book on one of the founding works in the area of Book of Mormon studies. In his book he said; “The Onondagas: These have special interest… It appears from this, that this warrior, Zelph, was an Onondaga, as well as a “white” Lamanite, and that the Onondagas (of New York), consequently must be of Lamanite lineage. It also appears that at least some of the mounds in the Ohio Valley were erected by the descendants of Lehi”J.M. Sjodahl, An Introduction to the Study of the Book of Mormon.
Perhaps the name Zelph is a masculine version of the Hebrew “zalaphah”, meaning “Raging Heat” – a fitting name for a zealous warrior. (Brown – Driver – Briggs – Gesenius Hebrew – Aramaic Lexicon, 2152, pg 273)
Zelph of Zarahemla
Joseph Smith Wrote, “On the banks of the Mississippi, June 4th. 1834. My Dear Companion, I now embrace a few moments to dictate a few words that you may know how it is with us up to this date. We arrived this morning on the banks of the Mississippi, and were detained from crossing the river, as there was no boat that we could cross in, but expect a new one to be put into the river this evening, so that we are in hopes, to be able to cross tomorrow, and proceed on our journey. A tolerable degree of union has prevailed among the brethren or camp up to the present moment, and we are all in better circumstances of health apparently than when we started from Kirtland… The whole of our journey, in the midst of so large a company of social honest men and sincere men, wandering over the plains of the Nephites, recounting occasionaly 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…Signed, Joseph Smith Jr.”Joseph to Emma, 6.4.1834. Retained copy in handwriting of James Mulholland, Joseph Smith Letterbook 2, pp. 56–58, LDS Church Archives
In this personal love letter to Emma, Joseph says Zion’s Camp traveled on the same plains as those Nephites of the Book of Mormon. Joseph also explains these “once beloved people of the Lord” built these mounds. These are the same lands as the Hopewell Mound Builder Civilization that thrived in the heartland of the United States from 100 BC to 300 AD according to archeologists and scientists.
What better description from Joseph Smith than “the plains of the Nephites” when speaking about the heartland of North America. Imagine rolling hills, vast prairies, rivers, lakes, streams, majestic meadows, areas of wilderness, pastures, flatlands and timberland, just as spoken of in places of scripture. “…And it came to pass that when they had come to the city of Nephihah, they did pitch their tents in the plains of Nephihah, which is near the city of Nephihah.” Alma 62:18 (see D&C 117:8, Ether 14:15). It seems very unlikely that you would confuse these plains with the jungles of South and Central America.
“Better equipped than most of the Zion’s camp recruits, Wilford (Woodruff) owned his team, wagon, and personal armaments. Appointed a teamster, he had charge of sixteen horses. Like the others, he furnished his own arms, but unlike some with antiquated weapons, he carried a rifle, sword, dirk, and pistol. Joseph asked for the sword, and Wilford made him a gift of it.” Thomas G Alexander; Woodruff Autobiography page 41. Joseph Smith carried the sword shown in the “letter” painting above, during Zion’s Camp and later as Lieutenant General of the Nauvoo Legion. On his way to Carthage to become a martyr, the Prophet gave this sword to his friend, bishop, and bodyguard, Joseph Bates Noble.
Zion’s Camp brethren said they picked up the bones of ancient Nephites on the plains. From the mound they visited just a day or so earlier, they brought with them some bones of Zelph in their wagon. “Some of his bones were brought into the Camp and the thigh bone which was broken was put into my wagon and I carried it to Missouri.” Wilford Woodruff’s Journal, ed. Scott G. Kenney, 1:10.
“We took the leg and thigh bones and carried them along with us to Clay County. All four appeared sound.” Heber C. Kimball, Times and Seasons, 6:788.
“…We came to the bones of an extraordinary large person or human being, the thigh bones being 2 inches longer from one Socket to the other than of the Prophet who is upwards of 6 feete high which would have constuted some 8 or 9 feete high.” MosesMartin Diary, LDS Church Archives, spelling not corrected).
Eldred G. Smith said, “As we look into the record, we find that after the first visit to the Hill Cumorah, Joseph told the story of the history of the early American inhabitants to his family. His mother wrote: “From this time forth, Joseph continued to receive instructions from the Lord, and we continued to get the children together every evening for the purpose of listening while he gave us a relation of the same. I presume our family presented an aspect as singular as any that ever lived upon the face of the earth—all seated in a circle, father, mother, sons and daughters, and giving the most profound attention to a boy, eighteen years of age.” This sounds like the first family home evening of this dispensation.
Then she continued to say: “We were now confirmed in the opinion that God was about to bring to light something upon which we could stay our minds, or that would give us a more perfect knowledge of the plan of salvation and the redemption of the human family. This caused us greatly to rejoice, the sweetest union and happiness pervaded our house, and tranquility reigned in our midst. During our evening conversations, Joseph would occasionally give us some of the most amusing recitals that could be imagined. He would describe the ancient inhabitants of this continent, their dress, mode of traveling, and the animals upon which they rode; their cities, their buildings, with every particular; their mode of warfare; and also their religious worship. This he would do with as much ease, seemingly, as if he had spent his whole life among them.” Lucy Mack Smith, History of Joseph Smith by His Mother, pp. 82-83. This was before he received the plates. He must have received this by revelation, for he knew the whole story of the content of the record that is now the Book of Mormon. He had had five long visits with Moroni, and his mother says he received many revelations.” Eldred G. Smith, Conference Report, October 1967, pp. 82-84
Orson F. Whitney said, “From the time Father Bosley located near Avon, he found and plowed up axes and irons, and had sufficient to make his mill irons, and had always abundance of iron on hand without purchasing. In the towns of Bloomfield, Victor, Manchester, and in the regions round about, there were hills upon the tops of which were entrenchments and fortifications, and in them were human bones, axes, tomahawks, points of arrows, beads and pipes, which were frequently found; and it was a common occurrence in the country to plow up axes, which I have done many times myself.
I have visited the fortifications on the tops of those hills frequently, and the one near Bloomfield I have crossed hundreds of times, which is on the bluff of Honeyoye River, at the outlet of Honeyoye Lake.
In that region there are many small deep lakes, and in some of them the bottom has never been found. Fish abound in them. The hill Cumorah is a high hill for that country, and had the appearance of a fortification or entrenchment around it. In the State of New York, probably there are hundreds of these fortifications which are now visible, and I have seen them in many other parts of the United States. Readers of the Book of Mormon will remember that in this very region, according to that sacred record, the final battles were fought between the Nephites and Lamanites. At the hill Cumorah, the Nephites made their last stand prior to their utter extermination, A. D., 385. Thus was Heber preaching the Gospel to the Gentiles, above the graves of the ancients of Israel,whose records with the fullness of that Gospel, and the relics of their prowess and civilization, were now whispering from the dust.” Life of Heber C. Kimball by Orson F. Whitney Mounds at Cumorah
Walking over the Plains of the Nephites by Ken CorbettAuthentic photo copy JS, Letter, [Pike Co., IL], to Emma Smith, Kirtland Township, Geauga Co., OH, 4 June 1834. Retained copy, [between ca. June and ca. Oct. 1839], in JS Letterbook 2, pp. 56–59; handwriting of James Mulholland; JS Collection, CHL. For more complete source information, see the source note for JS Letterbook 2. Page 56-58
I share with you John Lefgren and Mike and Betty LaFontaine’s Heartland Group Newsletter along with many pictures and videos from Firm Foundation. Heartland Research does an excellent work finding witnesses of the Book of Mormon. I sincerely believe their team of amazing researchers are confirming the truth of the Book of Mormon each day, and I so appreciate their hard work.
At our last Conference in Salt Lake, Mike and Betty Spoke and so did our Phoenicia Captain Philip Beale. Be sure and watch their new videos by clicking on the logo above.
This blog is full of PDF’s, Video’s, Pictures, and Highlights all about the Phoenicia Voyages and the people behind the scenes of both the 2008, and the 2019 voyages. There is plausible evidence that these very voyages made the route of Mulek and Lehi very possible. We share, you research and decide for yourself.
Phoenicia Ship Expedition by Rod Meldrum
“In 2009, The Phoenicia Ship Expedition has now demonstrated unequivocally that Lehi’s voyage could have left the Arabian Peninsula and sailed around Africa to the Americas rather than attempting to cross the earth’s largest ocean at its widest point, as proposed by Mesoamerican theorists.
In 2020 this same Phoenicia Ship Expedition has also demonstrated that Zedikiah’s son, Mulek escaped the Babylonians and could have left the area of Jerusalem on a Phoenician 600 BC style ship which sailed to the new world and continued near Florida and up the Mississippi (Sidon) River and landing in present day Montrose, Iowa across the river from Nauvoo, Illinois. This one replica 600 BC ship has proven two very important voyages testified about in the Book of Mormon, that were accomplished. This Phoenician Ship has sailed over 40,000 nautical miles in the past 10 years or so, and the Heartland Group now owns this amazing ship. We are looking for funding or donations to save the Phoenicia and rebuild it and display it near Joseph Smith’s amazing city of Nauvoo…
Some have claimed, incorrectly, that there is a scriptural requirement for a west coast landing. However, nowhere in the Book of Mormon does it state that they sailed east in their ship or that they landed on the west coast of the promised land. This assumption is unfortunately based on a false report that Joseph Smith claimed that Lehi “…landed on the continent of South America in Chile, thirty degrees South Latitude” and has been thoroughly refuted by Church scholars (See Robert J. Matthews article on the subject).
This account has been shown to have been written in the handwriting of Frederick G. Williams in the margins of the Bernhisel Manuscript. It was a false report that was then promulgated time and again by faulty research, claiming that Joseph was its author. That this claim, thought to be made by Joseph Smith, has been shown through historical documentation to have been falsely attributed, is further evidence for the need of solid historical documentation for all claims regarding the mind of the prophet.” Rod Meldrum His Article Continued Here
This is one of the best interviews by John Lefgren. Feel his passion, knowledge, and the strength of his testimony about the importance of these Phoenicia Voyages. You will come away touched by his amazing spirit.
ZARAHEMLA AND PHOENICIA TOGETHER IN LEE COUNTY IOWA
“In the last year, we worked more than 3,000 hours on the restoration of the PHOENICIA ship replica. In the coming year we intend to put at least 6,000 hours on the project.
Some have complained that the PHOENICIA has replaced our interest in finding the ancient city Zarahemla. This is not true. After all, Zarahemla is an ancient Phoenician word. The people of Mulek after the burning of the First Temple in the Bible came to America. These people 2,600 years ago founded the city of Zarahemla on the west banks of the Mississippi River in Lee County Iowa.
The restoration of the PHOENICIA and the discovery of Zarahemla go hand in hand, just like the Pilgrim Fathers and Plymouth Rock. Our Phoenicia Workshop is only a few hundred feet from the location of the Temple of Zarahemla. When you come to the PHOENICIA you are in Zarahemla.
We have already invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in our search for Zarahemla. We have more details from large scientific scans and LiDAR imaging.
Click below to see a 38-page report we wrote two years ago showing the results from 223 acres of scanning. This report is just the beginning of what will come out of the ground.
We have the world’s highest resolution LiDAR scans for more than 10,000 acres coming out of the ground of the City of Zarahemla. Several experts have already looked at these scans. They have identified exact locations for pieces of a defensive wall that is as long as ten miles. We have already looked in the ground at the soil layers to determine whether or not they were placed there by people from earlier civilizations.
All these efforts require careful examination and lots of money. We will continue in our efforts to move the research forward.
We welcome your participation. We need your talents and resources as we push this work along. This research depends on your goodwill and donations. We pray for the blessings of God in all that we do.
Please help us as we discover together the truth coming across the Atlantic and out of the ground of the Heartland.” By John Lefgren
Visit the Phoenician Ship Museum website at phoenicia.rocks Help us to rebuild the replica Phoenician Ship and build The Phoenician Ship Museum. Video subtitled in English and Portuguese.
Yuri and Vera Sonada on the Phoenicia in the Atlantic
“Moroni fortifies the lands of the Nephites” by Clark Kelley Price. Follow Alma 50 as you view this amazing painting.
Hidden in the Heartland
Our good friends Kels and Stephanie Goodman of “Hidden in the Heartland”, did this wonderful early video about Philip Beale and his amazing Voyage in 2008. This is the replica 600 BC Phoenicia’s voyage from Oman to replicate the voyage to circumnavigate Africa on a trade route done by Herodotus in his 500 BC actual voyage. This 2008 voyage clearly showed that Lehi could easily have sailed on an ancient 600 BC ship from Oman to Florida right here in America. We believe Lehi landed around Apalachicola, FL in 589 BC according to the Book of Mormon. See blog about Apalachicola Florida landing here.
To read about his second voyage on the Phoenicia which proved Mulek’s voyage was possible see my blog here:
Travel Bureau –Association Didon de Carthage
Eryj Ben Sassi shares this video as it presents one of the most important partners of the Phoenician Ship Museum, The Association Didon de Carthage, from Tunisia.
“The Lord gave a divine promise to the ancient inhabitants of this favored country (the United States): ‘Behold, this is a choice land, and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall be free from bondage, and from captivity, and from all other nations under heaven, if they will but serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ” (Ether 2:12).
“Our Heavenly Father inspired the leaders of…the United States of America, that they might together, under His direction, having been raised up by God for the purpose, establish the Constitution of this country and…Bill of Rights, that by the year of our Lord 1805 [there would be] a climate where our Heavenly Father could send into this period of mortality a choice spirit who would be known as Joseph Smith, Jr.” Teachings of Thomas S. Monson by Thomas S. Monson2011 (Ordained an Apostle, 1963; ordained President of the Church, 2008)
My Questing Spirit
“I admire men and women who have developed the questing spirit, who are unafraid of new ideas as stepping stones to progress. We should, of course, respect the opinions of others, but we should also be unafraid to dissent – if we are informed. Thoughts and expressions compete in the marketplace of thought, and in that competition truth emerges triumphant. Only error fears freedom of expression.”
“And while all members should respect, support, and heed the teachings of the authorities of the church, no one should accept a statement and base his or her testimony upon it, no matter who makes it, until he or she has, under mature examination, found it to be true and worthwhile; then one’s logical deductions may be confirmed by the spirit of revelation to his or her spirit, because real conversion must come from within.” – Apostle Hugh B. Brown, “A Final Testimony,” from An Abundant Life, 1999
My questing spirit says, the Book of Mormon events began in the heartland of the United States of America. There is only one Hill Cumorah and it is in Ontario, New York, Dinosaurs lived during the time of Adam. Concerning evolution, a dog cannot ever become a cat, Socialism and Communism are evil, and Joseph used the spectacles and breastplate found with the gold plates to translate as scripture says, “these stones, fastened to a breastplate” JSH 1:35, Joseph Smith never used a stone in a hat to translate. I urge you to seek for your own personal revelation on these and any other subjects you seek answers to. The doctrine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is true, and I know this is the Lord’s only true church, and the Book of Mormon is the word of God.
Joseph Smith’s Historically Verifiable Written Statements
“Nearly all those familiar with the early statements by the Prophet touching on potential Book of Mormon lands know that he clearly indicated them to be in North America. This is evident in the historically verified accounts wherein he declared revelation such as in the Wentworth Letter, the American Revivalist Account, the Zelph Accounts and Joseph’s handwritten letter to Emma while on Zion’s camp. In addition, the prophet revealed a Nephite altar at Adam-ondi-Ahman, mentioned the land of Manti was near Huntsville, Missouri, and revealed that this land was “the borders of the Lamanites” (see D&C 54:8). Furthermore he received revelation from the Lord for the location of Zarahemla (see D&C 125:3) and New Jerusalem (see D&C 84:1-6) which Christ Himself declared to be on Book of Mormon lands (3 Nephi 20:22), both of which are absolutely located in North America. These accounts and their indications are not speculation based, but historically documented.” By Rod Meldrum
Faithful Question
Let me ask you a question. If you have a great great… grandfather (Let’s call him Bill), who lived during the time of Joseph Smith, and Bill personally knew and loved Joseph as a true prophet of God, wouldn’t that be exciting to explore the relationship of Bill and Joseph? Maybe some of you already have that relative. As you researched and find out about the close relationship that Bill has with Joseph and the other Apostles, and Bill’s testimony of these men, wouldn’t you be so pleased to find out all you could know about their relationship? (I know some of your relatives maybe didn’t like Joseph but we are not talking about those relatives).
What if you found out Bill was present with Wilford Woodruff in Nauvoo when he told Bill, as Wilford pointed out a spot to on the opposite side of the Mississippi River about a mile and a half above Montrose, IA, and said “there would be a city and a temple built there and the place would be called Zarahemla.” Would you believe Bill? Of course you would, as you had studied and found out Bill was a good active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and had prayed about it. What if it was Bill’s witness after Joseph had passed away, that he saw the countenance of Brigham Young as “it appeared that Joseph had returned and was speaking to the people?” Bill said, 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.” You want want to and probably would believe Bill after prayer correct? Let’s say you prayed earnestly about that fact, and you received a personal witness that you indeed know that Bill believed Wilford Woodruff and Bill was present at the talk by Brigham Young and Bill knew that Brigham was to be the next Prophet. Is that even possible? Of course it is. I can hear the non-believers say, “I don’t believe Bill”, or “he was lying”, or “Joseph didn’t mean it was a Book of Mormon city”, or “I still believe Zarahemla was somewhere in Mesoamerica.” What is the difference between you believing Bill and others not believing him? Is it because you are related to Bill and you are biased. Or is it because you have prayed about it and studied it out and you thought it was very important to know, and you believed what Moroni told you and that you could “know the truth of all things?”
Why do many people in the Church today not want to believe Bill, or Edward Phillips, or D&C 125? Why is their heart so hard? Why is it that you believe so strongly in Bill and Joseph and others in the church don’t? It’s probably because you want to believe, and you pray in faith to believe and others may only think of their bias that Zarahemla was in Mexico or some other place. You see, to believe it takes faith, study, and prayer. This is what I believe, that the Zarahemla of the Book of Mormon was indeed across the river near Montrose, Iowa. It is a part of my testimony and I don’t have a relative named Bill, but through faith I really believe this.
Now you know The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has not spoken on whether the Zarahemla of D&C 125 means it was a city in the Book of Mormon, but some of the General Authorities and many members believe personally that Iowa is the place of the ancient Zarahemla. In other words knowing this is not church doctrine but it is true all the same. Is it that important you know the answer? Maybe. To me it is very important as I look for additional evidences of the Book of Mormon not just my witness of the spirit, but as Elder Holland said, “Truth borne by the Holy Spirit comes with, in effect, two manifestations, two witnesses if you will—the force of fact as well as the force of feeling.” In the same talk Elder Holland said, “but not to seek for and not to acknowledge intellectual, documentable support for our belief when it is available is to needlessly limit an otherwise incomparably strong theological position and deny us a unique, persuasive vocabulary in the latter-day arena of religious investigation and sectarian debate.” The Greatness of the Evidence By Elder Jeffrey R. Holland August 16, 2017
I believe the Book of Mormon Zarahemla is near Montrose, Iowa, just as I believe there is only one Hill Cumorah in upstate New York.
City Opposite of Nauvoo
Below is a revelation, not a statement, not an idea, not conjecture, a revelation. If the Lord planned the name Zarahemla as just another name and not one in the Book of Mormon, the Lord may have called it in D&C 125 the New Zarahemla, signifying a different location as in the city of the New Jerusalem.
D&C 125:3-4
“Revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet, at Nauvoo, Illinois, March 1841, concerning the Saints in the territory of Iowa.” (Heading of D&C 125)
“Let them build up a city unto my name upon the land opposite the city of Nauvoo, and let the name of Zarahemla be named upon it.
And let all those who come from the east, and the west, and the north, and the south, that have desires to dwell therein, take up their inheritance in the same, as well as in the city of Nashville, or in the city of Nauvoo, and in all the stakes which I have appointed, saith the Lord.” D&C 125:3-4
Zarahemla According to Neville
“When Joseph Smith purchased the land for Nauvoo, he actually purchased far more land across the river in Iowa, as this map (left) from the Joseph Smith papers shows. If this area–designated in the 1800s as the “half-breed tract”–was the location of the ancient city of Zarahemla, the location could explain why the people were wealthy and why they had problems with pride, etc. (Of course, every human society has problems of pride, envy, etc.
However, Alma focuses particularly on this when he’s in the city of Zarahemla.) People ask if there is archaeological evidence for a city in this area. There is archaeological evidence of settlements along the river, north and south of this site, that date to Book of Mormon times, but nothing that can be identified as the city of Zarahemla, per se. The city of Zarahemla and its inhabitants were burned (3 Nephi 8:8). Later, the city was built again (4 Nephi 1:8) but the city is not mentioned afterward. It could have been destroyed again, of course. The river could have flooded the city, deposited sand over it, or any number of other possibilities.”
[The Heartland Research Group headed by Wayne May, John Lefgren PhD, and Kevin Price PhD, has been doing research near Nauvoo and Montrose, Iowa for several years now looking for evidence of Zarahemla. They have found evidence for ancient fires pits in the area and a possible location of a temple mound. See their website here: https://zarahemla.site/]
Neville continues, “For now, I note that it’s a location that seems to fit the text nicely. Another consideration is that D&C 125 hints at this site as the location of ancient Zarahemla. Another interesting aspect of Alma 5 is the mention of sheep, shepherds, and wolves. There must have been sheep in the city of Zarahemla. We’ve already stipulated that, because the Nephites “strictly” observed the Law of Moses, but Alma emphasizes the point is repeated here.
v. 37: ye that have professed to have known the ways of righteousness nevertheless have gone astray, as sheep having no shepherd, v. 38: ye are not the sheep of the good shepherd. v. 39: And now if ye are not the sheep of the good shepherd, of what fold are ye? v. 59: For what shepherd is there among you having many sheep doth not watch over them, that the wolves enter not and devour his flock? v. 60: if you will hearken unto his voice he will bring you into his fold, and ye are his sheep; and he commandeth you that ye suffer no ravenous wolf to enter among you, that ye may not be destroyed.
These metaphors would be ineffective if the people living in Zarahemla did not have sheep. In verse 59, Alma abandons the metaphorical use and speaks directly to actual shepherds. Some species of sheep that are indigenous to North America have survived to the present day, including the Bighorn and Dall. Anciently, their populations were in the millions. Although confined mainly to the western US, Canada, and northern Mexico. Wolves are indigenous to North America and were ubiquitous throughout North America before the Europeans arrived. They were part of Native American Indian legends and mythology. Their devastating impact on domesticated animals led to federal government programs to eradicate wolves from grazing areas. See this article.
Because Alma discussed wolves in this sense, I think it’s possible that whatever domesticated sheep the Nephites had–whether related to the other indigenous North American species or species Lehi brought with him–were killed off after the destruction of the Nephite society. The situation could be similar to that of horses, where recent research has shown the traditional explanation for horses–that the Spanish brought them all–is not consistent with the actual records. See excellent article on horses:https://byustudies.byu.edu/system/files/pdfs/54_3JohnsonHard.pdf.”
Source: 2016 Gospel Doctrine Resource by Jonathan Neville
Law of Moses
No Sheep, Goats, Bullocks, Rams, Doves, Wheat, or Barley in Mesoamerica during the time of the Nephites. They couldn’t practice the Law of Moses unless they lived in North America.
“If my insistent harping on central Asia annoys you, let me remind you again that the book of Ether gives us no choice. It never lets us forget that what the Jaredite kings did was a conscious imitation and unbroken continuation of the ways of “the ancients,” of “them of old” on the other side of the water. This, incidentally, is another indication that we are not to regard the Jaredite migration as taking place immediately after the flood, for the fall of the tower saw the destruction of an ancient and established order. The Jaredites left their homeland driving great herds of cattle before them in the immemorial Asiatic manner, and even if they had never been nomads before, they certainly lived the life of the steppes during those many years before they set sail (Ether 3:3), and when they embarked, they crammed all they could of their beasts into their small boats, “flocks and herds” and other beasts (Ether 6:4), and upon reaching the New World continued to cultivate “all manner of cattle, of oxen, and cows, and of sheep” just as their ancestors had in the old country (Ether 9:18). Now you know, how the Nephites could have had sheep in North America brought to this land by the Jaredites. The Nephites could continue practicing the Law of Moses in the land of The New Jerusalem.” (2 Nephi 25:24 Mosiah 2:3) Hugh Nibley from Lehi in the Desert; The Great Open Spaces
3 Essential Truths about Nephite Observance of the Law of Moses
By Kendra Burton
“First Truth: Not only did the Nephites “strictly” keep the law of Moses (as indicated in 37 verses in the Book of Mormon (see Alma 30:3, Mosiah 13:29-30, Jarom 1:5), but they did so with delight as it was seen by them as both a collection of types of Christ and a means of coming unto Him. Occasionally even the Lamanites were known to “strictly” observe the law (Hel. 13:1). Second: In “observing to keep the commandments of the Lord in all things, according to the Law of Moses” (2 Ne. 5:10), the Nephites would have necessarily observed all the feasts or “holy days” given to Moses by Jehovah. These are recorded in Exodus and Leviticus and are known as “holy convocations” or “rehearsals” and they typify the life and mission of Jesus Christ in profoundly beautiful ways. Third: It was absolutely essential for these Jewish Lehites to be brought to a land that would provide an abundance of all the plants and animals required to keep the Law of Moses, with its concomitant Holy Days or festivals. Based on the latest archeological findings, it can now be irrefutably shown that the Heartland of North America is the only location in the Western Hemisphere where all ten of the essential items were found anciently including; lambs, oxen, goats, doves, barley, wheat, grapes, and altars made of stacked, unhewn stones. These aforementioned items have not been found in the archaeological record of the pre-Columbian peoples of Mesoamerica.” Amberli Nelson MBA Hebrew/Jewish Symbology Expert
Edward Phillips- Saint and Witness of Zarahemla
“I was one of the forty-six preachers that Brother Woodruff speaks of in his “Leaves of My Journal.” The forty-six were baptized except one, that was Phillip Holdt. Brother Woodruff baptized me at Hill Farm where he baptized six hundred. He told me not long ago, that less had apostatized out of that lot than any other of the same number in the church.” Edward Phillips
“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.” Edward Phillips. More from his autobiography below.
Mesoamerican Theories of Zarahemla
Mesoamerica “Book of Mormon Lands” tour promoter Dr. John L. Lund, released a historically incorrect and misleading article in a newsletter and paid advertisement eblast (http://ldsliving.com/e/2012/db02_29_2012.html ) published Feb. 29, 2012. Lund’s piece, Joseph Smith Identified Zarahemla as Being in Guatemala, proclaims that an article appearing in the Times and Seasons on October 1, 1842 in Nauvoo, Illinois was emphatically “written by Joseph Smith.” Read more here:
In March 1841, a revelation known as Section 125, gave a name and location of a city. While the Lord had previously named Adam – ondi – Ahman and the New Jerusalem as being in the state of Missouri, perhaps this revelation has named yet another city in ancient America. The Lord said to Joseph: “Let them build up a city unto my name upon the land opposite the city of Nauvoo, and let the name of Zarahemla be named upon it”. We first learned of the name Zarahemla in the Book of Mormon. However, very early in Church History documents, the name Zarahemla was disassociated with the revelation. Writers of the history of this period began to attribute the naming of Zarahemla to other persons who were contemporary with the Prophet Joseph or even to the Prophet himself rather than to the Lord and they made it appear that the word Zarahemla was used pre-1841 when the Lord actually gave the revelation to Joseph. We have learned from historic and current Church History publications the following clarifications about the naming of Zarahemla:
1. Joseph Smith DID NOT use the word Zarahemla in 1839. (Joseph Smith Papers, Journals, vol. 1, p. 336)
Thus, we have learned, that any use of the name Zarahemla prior to March 1841 is not correct and was inserted in historical accounts after 1841. Surely, further investigation is warranted as to why the Lord used such a name in the revelation.
Again do you remember Bill? Read study and pray and you will know the truth.
Autobiography of Edward Phillips (1813-1896)
This sketch was written by Sylvia Phillips, then a fourteen year old granddaughter of Edward Phillips, as he dictated it to her in the year 1889. Italicized portions are apparently Phillips’ corrections/additions. Typescript in hands of family.
Edward Phillips, son of William and Mary Phillips, born in Oxenhall Parrish [Parish], Glouscestershire [Gloucestershire], England, April 2, 1813. He was christened April 3, 1813.
When [I was] six months old my father moved to Leigh, Worcestershire, Upper Sandlin, and there rented a farm of one hundred acres for three years. From there moved to Black House, Creadley, Herefordshire, and rented a farm of seventy-five acres for four years then returning to Upper Sandlin and rented that farm again for three years. From there he moved to Creadley and rented another farm. While working there he was taken sick and died at Longley Groen [Green], Suckley, Worcestershire, November 29, 1825, at the age of sixty-two. He married Mary Ann Pressdee in Worcestershire, being about ten years her senior. She was the mother of eleven children. From that time I employed myself farming and learning blacksmithing. I joined the society called the “United Brethern” whose president and leader was Thomas Kington. Everything worked well with us until within a year of the time Brother Wilford Woodruff arrived in our neighborhood. It seemed to me that we had come to a precipice and could not go any farther until Brother Wilford Woodruff placed a bridge over that precipice and we went on with glad hearts rejoicing. I went to hear him preach at Ridgeway Crossing on or about March 15, 1840. A day or two following I went to Hill’s Farm to hear him speak. When I started my good old mother said, “Edward, I should think you will not come back without being baptized.” I obeyed this council. I was the only male member of my father’s family who received the gospel. My sister Susan followed suite.I was one of the forty-six preachers that Brother Woodruff speaks of in his “Leaves of My Journal.” The forty-six were baptized except one, that was Phillip Holdt.Brother Woodruff baptized me at Hill Farm where he baptized six hundred. He told me not long ago, that less had apostatized out of that lot than any other of the same number in the church.
I[n] a few days after I was baptized, I was ordained a priest and put in charge of two branches, Ashfield and Crocutt, with George Brooks as my addistant [assistant]. This was near Sherrage, Leigh, Worcestershire. In the fall of that year, I was ordained an elder at the conference, under the hands of Brother Woodruff, and was sent to preach the gospel with Elder John Gaily to the Forest of Deane and Glouscestershire [Gloucestershire]. There I had the privilege of visiting my father’s family. We traveled and preached nearly a year and many were brout [brought] into the church under our administration. My mother embraced the gospel about this time under the hands of Brother Woodruff at a place called Moorings Cross, Maythen Parrish [Parish], Herfordshire [Herefordshire], 1841.
I left my home to emigrate to America. I went to Gloucester and in company with one hundred saints went to Bristol and boarded the “Carolina” for America. We set sail for Quebec, August 8th, 1841. We had a tedious voyage of eight weeks and three days, but landed safely. Thomas Richardson was our President. We set sail for Quebec, from Quebec we went to Montreal by steamer, and from Montreal through the lock to Kinston and then we sailed along Lake Ontario to Lewiston. We had a fine view of the city of Toronto. From Lewiston we boarded the train (which was drawn by mules) from Niagara Falls.
The next day we boarded the train for Buffalo and arrived at that place after dark. We put up at the Farmer’s Exchange for a week because of sickness. We then boarded the Chespeake [Chesapeake] for where now stands the great city of Chicago. We hired a man there to take us to Nauvoo with a team which contract he filled. We arrives [arrived] at Nauvoo in the latter part of October, 1841, on Saturday. On Sunday, I was anxious to see the Prophet. I attended meeting there and saw him for the first time. I did not need an introduction for I knew him the moment I saw him. He preached the gospel of salvation to us that morning which caused my heart to rejoice. Next day, Monday, I went to work in quarrying rock for the temple, (that was my first days work in America) near the upper Stone House on the Mississippi River. I continued to work on the temple and the Nauvoo House, most of the winter. I boarded with an old friend by the name of Jenkins, a shoemaker. There I fell in love with my present wife, who had preceeded [preceded] me a few weeks to America. On the 2nd of August of the next year, being one year from the time I left home, we were married by Heber C. Kimball near Camp Creek in Hancock County. She bore me fifteen children, nine of whom are still living, three of whom were born in Illinois, and the two first, a boy and a girl, died there. We were driven from their graves at the point of a bayonet, which was very grievous to us. I had some land and made me a nice home near where they were buried. I was working in the field near the house when the news came that the Prophet and his brother were killed at Carthage Jail.This made me shed bitter tears for I felt they were two good friends and I knew Joseph was a true prophet of God. He had said that he would go and die for the people. I was under arms in Nauvoo when he gave himself up to die for the people. He discharged us and told us to go home and he would go and die for us. We would gladly have gone and stood between him and death, but he would not let us. I was ready and willing to go. We were quartered at the tithing yard and slept in the Nauvoo Exposition Building. We went one day for foliage for our horses, and met Gen. Joseph Smith with his staff in the street. He cheered us and said, “Well done, boys.” We had been out inspecting the ground where we expected to meet our enemies. Word came to our Captain one night that the pickett guard was driven in and we were ordered out in the dead of night to go and meet the mob. I was determined to go and assist, so I borrowed a horse from a boy who did not like to go himself. Nevertheless this proved to be a false alarm and I went back disappointed. The prophet said he would go and die for us. He did and was butchered in cold blood. I was not there when he was killed, but I went later and took my wife with me to show her the well, curb, and the window where he jumped out when he was shot.
I have a Patriarchal blessing hanging in a frame in my room, which was pronounced upon my head by the prophet and patriarch, Hyrum Smith, in the fall of 1844[1843?], which is worth more than gold to me – Gold is no name for it. The predictions are being literally fulfilled every day. I know if I prove faithful it will all come to pass. 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 (Read about that meeting below with the *) 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. Source Here and Here
Art by Ken Corbett and Rian Nelson
*Is there evidence for the transfiguration of Brigham Young?
James F. Stoddard IV and Aaron R. Halsell
“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 missions1 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.”2 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.3
Sidney Rigdon
Opinions differ,4 either Sidney Rigdon, former First Counselor in the First Presidency,5 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.6
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.”7 One eyewitness later remembered, “it appeared that Joseph had returned and was speaking to the people.”8 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”.9 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.10James F. Stoddard IV and Aaron R. Halsell
Here are other evidences to pray about as you decide where the Book of Mormon Events happened. I believe the events happened right here in the USA.
Nephitish Altar
“…The remains of an old Nephite altar’” read from the sign at Adam-Ondi-Ahman
“George W. Robinson, a scribe of Joseph Smith who was with him at the time, writes: “We next kept [traveling] up the river mostly in the timber for ten miles, until we came to Colonel Lyman Wright’s who lives at the foot of Tower Hill. A name appropriated by President Smith in consequence of the remains of an old Nephitish Altar and Tower where we camped for the Sabbath.” (Scott H. Faulring ed., An American Prophet’s Record: The Diaries and Journals of Joseph Smith, SLC: Signature Books, 1989, p. 184.) 1838 Joseph Smith, Jr. History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 3:34-35 Quoted in Step by Step through the Book of Mormon by Alan C. Miner
“So what did Robinson mean when he said they discovered the remains of a “Nephtish” structure? It is important to note that the early Latter-day Saints clearly believed that the native North American tribes were descendants of the earlier Nephite-Lamanite civilization. With this belief, Robinson probably used the word “Nephitish” to indicate that the structure or altar was built by, or originated with, the North American Indians. He may have also used “Nephitish” to mean that the altar was of ancient origin. Therefore, what Robinson was attempting to describe were the remains of what appeared to be a sacred altar structure erected by early Native Americans.” (Alexander L. Baugh, “Joseph Smith in Northern Missouri,” in Joseph Smith, the Prophet and Seer, ed. Richard Neitzel Holzapfel and Kent P. Jackson (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University; Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2010), 291–346.) See article here about other Altars
Hopewellian Stone Tower
“We have been to Adam-Ondi-Ahman, and there are large stones scattered around on top of Tower Hill that are the remains of a structures, so it was apparently a Hopewellian stone tower or altar as indicated by Joseph. In connection with this, George W. Robinson in 1838 also wrote: “President Smith and myself . . . returned to the camp in Robinson’s Grove . We next scouted west in order to obtain some game to supply our necessities but found or killed none. We [found] some ancient antiquities about one mile west of the camp, which consisted of stone mounds , apparently laid up in square piles, though somewhat decayed and obliterated by the almost continual rains. Undoubtedly these were made to seclude some valuable treasures deposited by the aborigines of this land.” Faulring, Scott H. ed., 1989, An American Prophet’s Record: The Diaries and Journals of Joseph Smith, Salt Lake City, Utah: Signature Books, p. 185, spelling corrected
Zelph of Zarahemla
Zelph a Man of God by Ken Corbett
“Before breaking camp the morning of June 3, the Prophet Joseph Smith, accompanied by several of the men, went to observe a large mound which was located approximately one mile below the Phillip’s Ferry crossing. It was of unusual size and lay within the proximity of a number of smaller mounds. Heber C. Kimball and Wilford Woodruff recorded in their journals that the mound was one hundred feet high and three hundred feet above the level of the river. The height of the mound enabled the men to look over the tops of the trees and view the surrounding area. At the crest of the mound, human bones were strewn around the base of what appeared to be a three-tiered altar. Heber C. Kimball wrote that the arrangement of the stones resembled the ancient order or altars..
Zelph in vision by Ken Corbett
The men were curious about the area, the mounds, and particularly about the scattered bones. As they began to descend the mound, Joseph Smith suddenly stopped, pointed to the ground, and said, “Brethren, dig in there.” When the earth had been removed to the depth of one or two feet, the men found the skeleton of a large man. Journal accounts state that, “the bones were all there and in a good state of preservation.” Buried in the backbone, between the ribs of the man was a stone arrowhead which Milton Holmes took. Examining the skeleton more closely, it was noted that one of the thigh bones had been previously broken and knitted together. The thigh bones and the arrowhead were taken back to camp and placed in Wilford Woodruff’s wagon. The skeleton was unusually large . It was estimated to be over eight feet tall.” James L. Bradley, Zion’s Camp 1834: Prelude to the Civil War (Salt Lake City: Publishers Press, 1990), p. 207.
Letter to Emma by Ken Corbett
“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 of the Lord, picking up their skulls & their bones, as a proof of its divine authenticity… During our travels we visited several of the mounds which had been thrown up by the ancient inhabitants of this country-Nephites, Lamanites, etc.” Joseph Smith Papers Letter to Emma Smith, 4 June 1834 Page 56
“On the top of the mound were stones which presented the appearance of three altars having been erected one above the other, according to the ancient order; and the remains of bones were strewn over the surface of the ground. The brethren procured a shovel and a hoe, and removing the earth to the depth of about one foot, discovered the skeleton of a man, almost entire, and between his ribs the stone point of a Lamanitish 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 visions of the past being opened to my understanding by the Spirit of the Almighty, I discovered that the person whose skeleton was before us was a white Lamanite, a large, thick-set man, and a man of God. His name was Zelph. He was a warrior and chieftain under the great prophet Onandagus, who was known from the Hill Cumorah, or eastern sea to the Rocky mountains. The curse was taken from Zelph, or, at least, in part-one of his thigh bones 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 the last great struggle of the Lamanites and Nephites.” Joseph Smith Papers History, 1838–1856, volume A-1 [23 December 1805–30 August 1834], Page 483
Book of Mormon City Manti
“The camp passed through Huntsville, in Randolph County, which has been appointed as one of the stakes of Zion, and is the ancient site of the City of Manti…” Millennial Star, vol. 16, p. 296 “September 25, 1838. We passed through Huntsville, Co, seat of Randolph Co, Pop. 450, and three miles further we bought 32 bu. of corn off one of the brethren who resides in this place. There are several of the brethren round about here and this is the ancient site of the City of Manti, which is spoken of in the Book of Mormon and this is appointed one of the Stakes of Zion, and it is in Randolph County, Missouri, three miles west of the county seat.” Journal of Samuel D. Tyler, filed in Church Historian’s Office. Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation 3: 239 History of Joseph Smith page 296
“We came through Huntsville, the county seat of Randolph county . . . A mile and a half west of Huntsville we crossed the east branch of Chariton (River), and one and a half miles west of the river we found Ira Ames and some other brethren near the place where the city of Manti is to be built, and encamped for the night on Dark creek, six miles from Huntsville. Traveled this day seventeen miles. Distance from Kirtland, seven hundred and fifty-five miles.” Joseph Smith Documentary History of the Church, 3:10:144:1
Joseph Smith accompanied several Church members in exploring the area around Lyman Wight’s northern Missouri home. In his journal, A. Jenson wrote: “The [Kirtland] camp passed through Huntsville, in Randolph County, which has been appointed as one of the stakes of Zion, and is the ancient site of the City of Manti.” A. Jenson, Historical Record, Book 1, p. 601Millennial Star 16:296
Indians that now Inhabit this Country
“In this important and interesting book the history of ancient America is unfolded, from its first settlement by a colony that came from the Tower of Babel at the confusion of languages to the beginning of the fifth century of the Christian era. We are informed by these records that America in ancient times has been inhabited by two distinct races of people. The first were called Jaredites and came directly from the Tower of Babel. The second race came directly from the city of Jerusalem about six hundred years before Christ. They were principally Israelites of the descendants of Joseph. The Jaredites were destroyed about the time that the Israelites came from Jerusalem, who succeeded them in the inheritance of the country. The principal nation of the second race fell in battle towards the close of the fourth century. The remnant are the Indians that now inhabit this country…” Wentworth Letter reprinted in Ensign July 2002
Joseph said that “the Book of Mormon is a record of the forefathers of our western tribes of Indians . . . By it we learn that our western tribes of Indians are descendants from that Joseph that was sold into Egypt, and that the land of America is a promised land unto them.” Joseph Smith’s Letter to The American Revivalist Feb 2, 1833 (Quoted in Dean C. Jessee, The Personal Writings of Joseph Smith (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1984), p. 273)
“He told me of a sacred record which was written on plates of gold, I saw in the vision the place where they were deposited, he said the Indians were the literal descendants of Abraham…” Joseph Smith Journal, November 9, 1835; The Joseph Smith Papers: Journals Volume 1:1832-1839 (Salt Lake City: Church Historian’s Press, 2008), 88-89.
“Wherefore, it is an abridgment of the record of the people of Nephi, and also of the Lamanites—Written to the Lamanites, who are a remnant of the house of Israel;” BofM Title Page
“You shall go unto the Lamanites and preach my gospel unto them;… and no man knoweth where the city Zion shall be built, but it shall be given hereafter. Behold, I say unto you that it shall be on the borders by the Lamanites. D&C 28:8-9
The Lamanites that were first taught the gospel, as Parley Pratt says were the Native American Indians of the United States. There were two tribes of the Iroquois, Wyandot, and Cattaraugus, and two from the Algonquian, the Delaware or Leni Lape, and the Shawnee.
“Once the red men were many; they occupied the country from sea to sea — from the rising to the setting sun; the whole land . . . Thousands of moons ago, when the red men’s forefathers dwelt in peace and possessed this whole land the Great Spirit talked with them, and revealed His law and His will and much knowledge to their wise men and prophets. This they wrote in a Book . . . written on plates of gold and handed down from father to son for many ages and generations. It was then that the people prospered and were strong and mighty; they cultivated the earth, built buildings and cities and abounded in all good things, as the pale faces now do . . . 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 . . . Thus ended our first Indian mission, in which we had preached the Gospel in its fullness and distributed the record of their forefathers among three viz.: the Cattaraugus Indians, near Buffalo, N.Y., the Wyandots, of Ohio and the Delawares, west of Missouri.”Autobiography of Parley P. Pratt, pp. 56-6; Documentary History of the Church Vol 1: Footnotes 183:2-18
“Thus ended our first Indian mission, in which we had preached the Gospel in its fullness and distributed the record of their forefathers among three tribes… west of Missouri.” Autobiography of Parley P. Pratt, p 56-61
“Now, to my story again. Besides the Delawares, Shawnees, Kickapoos, Wyandots, Pottowattomies, Senecas, Osages, Choctaws, Cherokees, Kaskaskias, Kansas, &c. &c. which our nation and the missionaries are domesticating as they are gathered, upon the southern limits of the land of Israel, the Pawnees, the Sioux, the Rickarees, the Mandans, the Nespersees, the Blackfeet, the Sacs, the Foxes, and many other tribes, rove and hunt from prairie to prairie, from river to river, from hill to hill, and from mountain to mountain, and live, and are blessed before the face of heaven daily as well as their contemporary whites; and, perhaps I may add, are as justifiable before God, as any people on the globe, called heathens. No church bell from its elevated steeple, rings “Go to meeting; it is Sunday,” while a dozen lesser ones, for stages and Steam boats, peal a ding dong “for parties of pleasure, as a holiday,” among these rude sons of the west.—And it is a difficult matter to make one soul of them believe the Great Spirit ever said, “Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy,” while they know, that the majority of the white nation, use it for a holiday. No politicians boast of freedom and equal rights, while thousands are imprisoned for debt, or are in bondage: No; when the tribes are at peace, the Indian is free; his land is free; his game is free; his time is free, and all is free.” LETTER NO. II. From WW Phelps to Oliver Cowdery Liberty, Mo. Nov. 6, 1834
“I accordingly went down, and met Keokuk, Kis-Ku-Kosh, Appenoose, and about one hundred chiefs and braves of those tribes (Sac, Fox), with their families.” … and instructed them in many things which the Lord had revealed unto me concerning their fathers, and the promises that were made concerning them in the Book of Mormon.” Joseph Smith Papers; History, 1838–1856, volume C-1 Addenda page 10-11
Joseph Knew where the Book of Mormon took Place
“From this time forth, Joseph continued to receive instructions from the Lord, and we continued to get the children together every evening, for the purpose of listening while he gave us a relation of the same. I presume our family presented an aspect as singular as any that ever lived upon the face of the earth–all seated in a circle, father, mother, sons, and daughters, and giving the most profound attention to a boy, eighteen years of age, who had never read the Bible through in his life: he seemed much less inclined to the perusal of books than any of the rest of our children, but far more given to meditation and deep study… During our evening conversations, Joseph would occasionally give us some of the most amusing recitals that could be imagined. He would describe the ancient inhabitants of this continent, their dress, mode of traveling, and the animals upon which they rode, their cities, their buildings, with every particular; their mode of warfare; and also their religious worship. This he would do with as much ease, seemingly, as if he had spent his whole life with them.” Lucy Mack Smith, History, 1844–1845 Book 4 Joseph Smith Papers
One Cumorah
“I do not believe that the classrooms or the pulpits of our Church are for laboratory purposes in which to experiment with new doctrines and speculative notions. They are exclusively for the use of those who are willing to convert men and women and boys and girls to the truth. . . . I do not believe we should give credence to the highly speculative theories about Book of Mormon geography. I do not believe that there were two Hill Cumorahs, one in Central America and the other one up in New York, for the convenience of the Prophet Joseph Smith, so that the poor boy would not have to walk clear to Central America to get the gold plates. I do not believe we can be good Latter-day Saints and question the integrity of Joseph Smith. I do not believe we can be good Latter-day Saints and question the testimony of the eleven witnesses of the Book of Mormon. I do not believe you have a testimony of the truth if you question the accuracy of the translation of the Book of Mormon.” Mark E. Petersen LDS Conference Reports, Sunday afternoon, April 5, 1953
“…This modernistic theory of necessity, in order to be consistent, must place the waters of Ripliancum and the Hill Cumorah some place within the restricted territory of Central America, notwithstanding the teachings of the Church to the contrary for upwards of 100 years. Because of this theory some members of the Church have become confused and greatly disturbed in their faith in the Book of Mormon. It is for this reason that evidence is here presented to show that it is not only possible that these places could be located as the Church has held during the past century, but that in very deed such is the case… It is known that the Hill Cumorah where the Nephites were destroyed is the hill where the Jaredites were also destroyed. This hill was known to the Jaredites as Ramah. It was approximately near to the waters of Ripliancum, which the Book of Ether says, “by interpretation, is large, or to exceed all…
It must be conceded that this description fits perfectly the land of Cumorah in New York, as it has been known since the visitation of Moroni to the Prophet Joseph Smith, for the hill is in the proximity of the Great Lakes and also in the land of many rivers and fountains. Moreover, the Prophet Joseph Smith himself is on record, definitely declaring the present hill called Cumorah to be the exact hill spoken of in the Book of Mormon. Further, the fact that all of his associates from the beginning down have spoken of it as the identical hill where Mormon and Moroni hid the records, must carry some weight. It is difficult for a reasonable person to believe that such men as Oliver Cowdery. Brigham Young, Parley P. Pratt, Orson Pratt, David Whitmer, and many others, could speak frequently of the Spot where the Prophet Joseph Smith obtained the plates as the Hill Cumorah, and not be corrected by the Prophet, if that were not the fact. That they did speak of this hill in the days of the Prophet in this definite manner is an established record of history.” Doctrines of Salvation Joseph Fielding Smith Chapter 12
The United States is the Land of the Book of Mormon
“The United States is the promised land foretold in the Book of Mormon—a place where divine guidance directed inspired men to create the conditions necessary for the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ.” Elder L. Tom promised Ensign Dec. 2012
“The Lord gave a divine promise to the ancient inhabitants of this favored country (the United States): ‘Behold, this is a choice land, and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall be free from bondage, and from captivity, and from all other nations under heaven, if they will but serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ” (Ether 2:12).
“Our Heavenly Father inspired the leaders of…the United States of America, that they might together, under His direction, having been raised up by God for the purpose, establish the Constitution of this country and…Bill of Rights, that by the year of our Lord 1805 [there would be] a climate where our Heavenly Father could send into this period of mortality a choice spirit who would be known as Joseph Smith, Jr.” Teachings of Thomas S. Monson by Thomas S. Monson2011 (Ordained an Apostle, 1963; ordained President of the Church, 2008)
President Monson believes the United States is the Promised Land of the Book of Mormon. Why do Mesoamericanists believe the entire continent of the Americas is the Promised land? You mean Greenland, Guatemala, and the Northwest Territories are the Promised Lands? I love all of God’s children in the entire world and God loves us all the same, but seriously? If a person from Greenland comes to the United States legally as a citizen that person can also live in the Promised Land, correct? I’m sure Greenland has much beauty on its own, but it is not the Promised Land, is it? I am not belittling other lands. I’m just making a factual statement. Why is the United States and Israel the two Promised Lands? Because Christ said so. See 3 Nephi 20:22,29 Rian Nelson
Gadianton Robbers
“Upon one occasion President Brigham Young was in the Tabernacle at St. George and was speaking on the spirit world. He stated that it was not far from us and if the veil could be taken from our eyes there wouldn’t be either a man, woman or child who would dare go out of “this tabernacle as the spirits of the Gadianton robbers were so thick out there. This is where they lived in these mountains,” said he.” Crowther, Duane S., 1967, Life Everlasting, Bookcraft, SLC, UT, p. 165, as quoted from N. B. Lundwall, Temples of the Most High, p. 89.
“Of course, the significance of this statement makes sense only in light of the land of Zarahemla being in the United States. The Nephites wouldn’t have gone all the way from Mexico into the United States to hunt the Gadianton Robbers, nor would the Gadiantons have gone into the United States to hide from Nephites in Mexico. It is clear that since the Gadianton Robbers were hiding out in Utah in the St. George region, the Land of Zarahemla must have been in the United States as well. The “mountains” mentioned in the following scriptures, therefore, are the Rocky Mountains of the United States.” Josephsmithacademy.org
The understanding of who the Lamanites are, and where they lived, has been a topic of interest for many years in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I was taught in the 1970’s what is called the “Hemispheric Model” about the Book of Mormon. (Map Left)Meaning, that generally speaking all of the Lamanites lived in South America and all the Nephites lived in North America and the “Narrow Neck of Land” was Central America. That has now become obsolete to most people in the Church, whether they believe in a Mesoamerican, a Heartland, a Baja theory, or any other theory about Book of Mormon Events.The consensus opinion of both Heartlanders and Mesoamericanists is, the Book of Mormon had to be contained into a smaller geographical area of about 7-900 miles east to west and 4-600 miles north to south. That means either the Nephites lived in the Heartland of North America from about Zarahemla (Montrose, IA) to the Hill Cumorah near Palmyra NY (800 to 850 miles across the Land Zarahemla and Bountiful) and from about Mackinaw City, Michigan in the north to the Cincinnati, OH on the Ohio River (500-550 miles through the Land of Zarahemla and Bountiful)The reason is, that the distances required to make that old Hemispheric Model a reality has created an almost consensus opinion that it just doesn’t make sense anymore. A “Limited Geography Model” or today what is called (Hinterland Model) is now the consensus.Either the Lehites sailed southwest from Oman and around Africa and they landed in North America near Florida to begin civilization, or they sailed southeast towards the tip of India and through the islands of Malaysia and the Philippines continuing east on the huge Pacific ocean and then landing on the west coast near Chile or Central America. My mariner friend, British Naval Captain Philip Beal from England, estimated this voyage time in a sailing vessel across the Pacific to be 14 to 18 months.
Heartlanders believe after landing near Tallahassee, Florida, the Nephites escaped from Laman and Lemuel north possibly on the Chattahoochee River that goes all the way through Unicoi Gap, GA into Tennessee, then on the Tennessee River north to Missouri, and traveling east across what Joseph Smith called “Plains of the Nephites, (JS Papers) Indiana, Illinois, and Ohio and ended at NY Cumorah. (This is the same pattern as the Ancient Hopewell Culture who historically traveled that same route and direction from 550 BC to 400 AD). Our friend Philip Beale estimates the time to accomplish this route in a sailing ship to be 4 to 6 months. Philip has proven that on two different voyages, one in 2009 and the other in 2020 in a replica Phoenicia sailing ship. (see blog)This is a far better common sense length of time. Philip said, “The sailing ship could make the 18 month voyage, from Oman to the west coast of Chile, but is would be empty with no surviving passengers.”
Map left is today’s (2022) Mesoamerican Map called a “Fantasy Map” that the CES and all of BYU uses it as the authentic placement map of the Book of Mormon Cities. Map right is today’s (2022) Heartland Map which shows the correct north directions without having to turn the map. Yes Zarahemla is still south or southwest of Cumorah. The red line is the Ohio/Allegheny Rivers, which was the narrow strip of wilderness that separated the Nephites and the Lamanites. The narrow neck of land (Ether 10:20) was actually a Jaredite landmark and it is the Niagara Peninsula.
Mesoamericanists believe the Nephites traveled from Honduras to Guatemala, to Chiapas, Oaxaca to Mexico City and Cumorah may be west of Tampico. But as you can see by the map above, today’s (2022) Mesoamerican’s have had to turn their 1917 map 90 degrees north so that the proper directions are where “north” actually means “north” because on the 1917 map “north” really meant “west” as you can see below.
M2C means Mesoamerican 2-Cumorah Theory! Map by L.E. Hills 1917
In April 1917, an RLDS scholar of the Book of Mormon (named L.E. Hills) published a map that depicted M2C. (Mesoamerica 2 Cumorah Theory)
Scriptures Explain the Correct Theory
I believe the best evidence of who the Book of Mormon Lamanites are, comes from the Lord in D&C 32:2-3: “And that which I have appointed unto him is that he [Parley P. Pratt] shall go with my servants, Oliver Cowdery and Peter Whitmer, Jun., into the wilderness among the Lamanites. And Ziba Peterson also shall go with them; and I myself will go with them and be in their midst; and I am their advocate with the Father, and nothing shall prevail against them.” These first missionaries to the Lamanites first visited the Cattaraugus Indians in Buffalo NY, then the Wyandot Indians in Sandusky, OH, and finally the Shawnee and Delaware Indians in MO. It seems that we know from the Lord that these Native American Tribes are Lamanites. See Church Article Here! We will discuss this in more detail below.
Many dedicatory prayers by Prophets at Temples in South and Central America have mentioned that the people have, “the blood of Father Lehi”, or Prophets refer to “Lehi’s blood” or “Lehi’s descendants,” or even the “Lamanites,” how should we understand these terms? Who are the Lamanites? To help answer this question let’s first discuss an issue called “the Hinterlands.”
Mormon could not “write the hundredth part” of the events of his people. For this reason we have the record of the Nephites from Mormon’s abridgement, but we don’t have the written record of those who lived in the periphery or “Hinterland.” See Words of Mormon 1:5, Ether 15:33, Isaiah 18:1
You Choose Which Limited Geography Makes Sense
Defining Hinterlands
The Hinterland Hypothesis (DVD) Heartland Core – Mesoamerican Periphery $19.95
“Hinterlands is defined here as meaning the unknown area of North and South America that are not within the scope of the writings of the Book of Mormon. In other words, since we believe main events of the Book of Mormon happened in a limited area of North America around the Great Lakes in the east, and Ohio, Indiana, Iowa and Missouri to the west, and south in Tennessee, West Virginia, Georgia, and Florida, all other areas will be discussed as “The Hinterlands”. We propose that Mesoamerica is the Hinterlands along with many other areas of the continent. As Mormon has said, “…I shall take from the plates of Nephi; and I cannot write the hundredth part of the things of my people (Words of Mormon 1:5). There are many people in South and Central America that are Lamanites and part of the Hinterlands.” Jonathan Neville
Enlarge
In other words, if the Book of Mormon events took place in Mesoamerica, then every other area would be the “Hinterlands” where other Lamanites may have migrated and lived. If however the events of the Book of Mormon took place in the Heartland of the United States (As we believe they did), then every other area outside of this limited Heartland area would contain migrating Lamanites, including the western United States, Canada, Mexico, and South and Central America. Heartland Core – Where the main Nephite and Lamanite events occurred! Mesoamerican Periphery – Where Nephites and Lamanites migrated to outside of this core! (See map to the right)
Confusion about Cumorah, “Lamanites,” and the prophets by JONATHAN NEVILLE
Click for source
“For several months, people have asked how the statements of prophets and apostles regarding Lamanites in Latin America and the Pacific fit with the North American setting. I’ve addressed the question several times, but not as thoroughly as I suppose I should, so here are my thoughts on the topic. A basic criticism of the North American setting (Moroni’s America or the Heartland model) is that in temple dedicatory prayers and other comments, modern prophets and apostles have said Lamanites live throughout the Americas, from at least Cardston, Alberta, to São Paulo, Brazil. Some people think I’ve ignored these statements. I haven’t ignored them; I just don’t think they tell us anything about Book of Mormon geography.
It’s difficult to understand the rationale of this criticism in the first place. It appears to rely on the premise that Lehi’s descendants were isolated and never interacted with other indigenous people in the Western Hemisphere.
For example, when President Hinckley’s 1983 temple dedicatory prayer said the Saints in Mexico “have in their veins the blood of Father Lehi,” the premise would mean that Mexico must be where the Book of Mormon took place. But such a premise contradicts the statements themselves, which, as I noted, identify Lamanites throughout the hemisphere. (Someone could argue that the narrative took place throughout the hemisphere such that Lehi’s descendants were restricted to one hemisphere, but I don’t think anyone makes that argument any longer, at least not from Alberta to southern Brazil).
Whether the Book of Mormon narrative took place in New York, Tennessee, Illinois, Baja, Mexico, Guatemala, Panama or Chile, people from all those areas interacted with one another over the thousands of years they shared the continent.
In other words, generalized statements of the prophets and apostles about the Lamanites tell us nothing about Book of Mormon geography except that it took place in the Western Hemisphere (but one could dispute even that). They certainly don’t contradict the North American setting or establish a justification for a non-New York Hill Cumorah.
I think the entire New World narrative of the Book of Mormon took place in North America,meaning from Florida to Canada and from the Atlantic to the Midwest (as far west as Missouri and Iowa). By the authors’ own admission, the narrative is merely a brief sketch; it covers less than 1% of the history of the Nephites and even less of the history of the Lamanites. Since before Lehi arrived, people throughout the Americas traded and intermarried. Lehi’s little colony grew to a large civilization in part by absorbing indigenous people (as well as the people of Zarahemla). After the Nephites were annihilated around 385 A.D., the Lamanites continued to live on the land, but their history is lost to us. We must resort to anthropology and archaeology, which indicate ongoing interaction throughout the Americas before and after 385 A.D.
With this background, how could “the blood of Father Lehi” not be found throughout the Americas?
There is no problem harmonizing the New York Cumorah with the statements of prophets and apostles regarding Lamanites or descendants of Lehi throughout the Americas (and in the Pacific). (See my addtional blog here: https://www.bofm.blog/the-hinterlands-lamanites-in-the-americas/
That said, there is an ongoing controversy about DNA. Critics ask how “Lamanite blood” can be found in people whose DNA shows they are overwhelmingly Asian in origin. It’s a valid question about definitions.
When prophets refer to “Lehi’s blood” or “Lehi’s descendants,” or even the “Lamanites,” are they referring to people whose DNA contains markers showing Israelite origin? If so, then the indigenous people of Latin America don’t qualify (unless we want to say Asians are Israelites, which broadens the term beyond usefulness). But if the prophets are referring to links in heredity, however tenuous, then the indigenous people of Latin America cannot be disqualified. Such links cannot be disproven because you can be descended from a person even if you don’t possess DNA markers that link you to that person. (The problems with the DNA criticism are discussed in the notes below.*)
To be sure, we would expect to find the highest concentration of relevant DNA markers in the areas where Lehi’s descendants lived in the highest concentrations; i.e., in the northeastern U.S. (and the Midwestern areas where they were forced to move). After all, the Lord designated the tribes in New York, Ohio, and Missouri as Lamanites when he sent Oliver Cowdery and others on a mission to these tribes (D&C 28, 30, 32). Joseph Smith told these tribes the Book of Mormon was their history.
That expectation seems to be borne out when we consider the X haplogroup.** The X haplogroup is the only non-Asian haplogroup found among indigenous Native Americans.
As the map depicts, the highest concentrations of X haplogroup in the world are in the Middle East and in the Northeastern U.S. and Canada. This isn’t “proof” of Lehi’s DNA for the reasons I mention in the notes, but it does correspond to our expectations of a genetic link between indigenous people in these two areas–expectations raised by Joseph Smith and the Lord Himself in the Doctrine and Covenants. Based on those expectations, the X haplogroup works as a proxy for Lehi’s ancestry.
In 1981, the Church added an introduction to the Book of Mormon that reads “After thousands of years, all were destroyed except the Lamanites, and they are the principal ancestors of the American Indians.” That introduction was changed in 2007 to read “After thousands of years, all were destroyed except the Lamanites, and they are among the ancestors of the American Indians.” This is how the introduction reads today.
As used in these sentences, who are the “American Indians?”
I’ve seen all kinds of semantic gyrations about this term, but a typical dictionary will provide an explanation similar to this one: “Usage Note: In principle, American Indian can apply to all native peoples throughout the Americas except the Eskimo, Aleut, and Inuit, but in practice it is generally restricted to the peoples of the United States and Canada. For native peoples in the rest of the hemisphere, usage generally favors Indian by itself or, less frequently, the contractions Amerindian or Amerind.”
If we look at the map, it is apparent that although the X haplogroup is concentrated in the Northeast, it spreads through much, but not all, of the American Indians in the United States and Canada. Therefore the 2007 change to the Introduction makes sense; i.e., the Lamanites may not be the principal ancestors of the American Indians, but they are among those ancestors–especially for those American Indians living in the Northeast.
But the X haplogroup does not appear among the indigenous people in Latin America.
From the New York Cumorah perspective, the prophets’ identification of Lamanites throughout the hemisphere works not because of DNA, but because of the assumption that over the centuries, trade and intermarriage would have distributed the “blood of Lehi” widely, albeit in concentrations too dilute to detect with DNA. [Here is a great article from National Geographic.]
From the non-New York Cumorah perspective, however, it’s a different problem. Advocates of these theories must assume that the areas where we would expect to find the most evidence of Middle-Eastern DNA (Mesoamerica, Chile, Peru, Baja, etc.) actually have so little it is undetectable. Meanwhile, indigenous people living in the Northeastern U.S.–the area they claim cannot be the setting for the Book of Mormon–have the highest concentration of X haplotype in the world outside of the Middle-East.
IOW, if we support what the prophets have said about the Lamanites, then the North American setting is the best explanation for the various statements about Lamanites throughout the hemisphere.
There is another little-known aspect of this Lamanite question. In the Wentworth letter, Joseph Smith wrote “The principal nation of the second race [the Nephites] fell in battle towards the close of the fourth century. The remnant are the Indians that now inhabit this country.”
Plenty of ink has been spilled parsing this statement. Although Joseph was writing from Nauvoo, Illinois, to Mr. Wentworth of Chicago, Illinois, Mesoamerican advocates have claimed that the term “this country” actually refers to the entire hemisphere. I leave it to the reader to decide whether that’s a plausible interpretation of what Joseph intended or what Mr. Wentworth would understand.
More significant is what Joseph deleted when he wrote those sentences.
The Wentworth letter was largely based on a missionary pamphlet written by Orson Pratt. Joseph (and/or his assistants) edited the pamphlet by changing details in some areas and by deleting large sections in others.
The first sentence of the two I quoted is identical to the one in Orson Pratt’s pamphlet. But Joseph’s second sentence–“The remnant are the Indians that now inhabit this country”–replaces 2,700 words of Orson Pratt’s speculation about Lehi’s descendants inhabiting all of North and South America. I view this significant editing as a specific repudiation of Pratt’s hemispheric model, but it is only apparent when we look at how Joseph edited Pratt’s pamphlet.
There is a “Mormon Chess” element of this discussion as people position their pieces (quotations) to defend their queens (theories). In many cases, there is a perception of conflict among the authorities (e.g., a New York Cumorah is inconsistent with a Guatemalan City of Nephi). These conflicts lead people to seek a hierarchy of authority; e.g., a Rook is worth more than a Knight which is worth more than a pawn, so the scriptures are worth more than a conference talk which is worth more than a dedicatory prayer.
You can see how such an approach quickly descends into chaos and confusion.
In my view, it is more valuable to harmonize the various statements of the prophets whenever possible and to clarify issues by isolating them for analysis. The Cumorah question is independent of the Lamanite and scope of geography questions, so I’ll look at it next.
Cumorah
Lately I’ve focused on the question of Cumorah because, in my view, it is the keystone of Book of Mormon geography. (In this post, I’m not indulging the dodge of the two-Cumorahs theory. When I say Cumorah, I mean the Cumorah of Mormon 6:6; i.e., the hill where Mormon hid the repository and where the final battles of the Nephites and Jaredites occurred.)
I don’t think there is any conflict among statements by Church authorities about Cumorah. Cumorah is the one unambiguous pin in the map we’ve been given, and I think it’s way past time that all Latter-day Saints agree that Cumorah is in New York, for all the reasons I’ve given in my blogs, books, and presentations.
Others disagree. They claim Cumorah is in southern Mexico, Baja, Panama, Chile, and places in Africa and Asia.
This is why I frame the Cumorah issue as a choice between two positions:
Either Cumorah is in New York, or it is elsewhere.
The corollary: if it’s not in New York, I don’t think it really matters where it is, because in that case we are talking about a non-literal text; i.e., a parable at best.
I say this because the New York Cumorah has been a constant since before the text was translated through General Conference talks by prophets and apostles at least through the 1970s. Letter VII is explicit and unambiguous, and it has been republished multiple times.
So how, people ask, can anyone think Cumorah is not in New York?
The only reason–the only reason–is because they think the New York Cumorah conflicts with their preferred theories about Book of Mormon geography.
Here is the basic argument. Let’s say you believe the Book of Mormon events took place in Baja, or Chile, or Central America (including Mesoamerica). You find all kinds of correspondences that you think corroborate your interpretation of the text. You develop an abstract map and superimpose it on the actual geography, or the hypothetical ancient geography of your choice. You decide where Cumorah must be, based on your theory and interpretation of the text.
But you conclude that New York doesn’t fit. What then?
You write (or think) something along the lines of the famous quotation by John Sorenson: “There remain Latter-day Saints who insist that the final destruction of the Nephites took place in New York, but any such idea is manifestly absurd.”
[For those new to this topic, Brother Sorenson was a long-time BYU professor whose book, Mormon’s Codex, was widely praised by LDS scholars and educators as his “magnum opus.” The quotation is a direct repudiation of the prophets and apostles who have spoken on this issue, and yet everyone who promotes a non-New York Cumorah embraces the Sorenson position.]
To support the non-New York Cumorah theories, LDS scholars and educators have sought to obscure the issue by conflating it with the question of the “Lamanites.”
The Lamanites
As noted at the outset, several prophets and apostles have made statements about the Lamanites, including sometimes in temple dedicatory prayers. There are good lists at FairMormon. The 19th Century is here. The 20th Century ishere. The 21st Century ishere. (Notice, that list includes no statements about Cumorah.)
These statements have been cited to criticize the North American setting, including the New York Cumorah. I’ve already explained why I don’t think that argument works, and why these statements actually are more consistent with a New York Cumorah than any non-New York Cumorah. But it’s useful to take a closer look at the temple dedicatory prayers that are so frequently cited.
Generally, the views expressed in these statements reflect a hemispheric concept of Lamanite people; i.e., the “descendants of Lehi” are identified as residing in the land around Cardston, Alberta, (Heber J. Grant’s dedication of the Cardston temple in 1923) all the way south to Sao Paulo, Brazil (President Kimball’s dedication of the Sao Paulo temple in 1978).
The prototype for temple dedicatory prayers is D&C 109, the dedication of the Kirtland temple. Verses 65-66 refer to the “remnants of Jacob” this way: “65 And cause that the remnants of Jacob, who have been cursed and smitten because of their transgression, be converted from their wild and savage condition to the fulness of the everlasting gospel; 66 That they may lay down their weapons of bloodshed, and cease their rebellions.” In context, this terminology refers to the American Indians in the United States, a discussion we can have if anyone doesn’t see that.
In my database of temple dedicatory prayers, I note that the term Lamanites has not been used since 1978. The most specific identification of Lamanites was in the 1975 Mesa Arizona rededicatory prayer: “Thou didst acknowledge the role of the Lamanite, especially in this temple, and numerous of the sons and daughters of Lehi have found in these sacred precincts peace, knowledge and solace to their souls.“
The term Lehi has been used more recently and more frequently, but an interesting trend has developed that coincides with the changes to the Introduction to the Book of Mormon.
First, look at the 1983 Mexico City temple dedication: “Bless Thy saints in this great land and those from other lands who will use this temple. Most have in their veins the blood of Father Lehi. Thou hast kept Thine ancient promise. Many thousands “that walked in darkness have seen a great light.””
The 1986 Lima Peru temple prayer includes this passage: “We are particularly mindful this day of the sons and daughters of Lehi. They have known so much of suffering and sorrow in their many generations. They have walked in darkness and in servitude. Now Thou hast touched them by the light of the everlasting gospel. The shackles of darkness are falling from their eyes as they embrace the truths of Thy great work. Surely father Lehi has wept with sorrow over his posterity. Surely he weeps today with gladness, for in this holy house there will be exercised the fullness of the priesthood to the blessing, not only of those of this and future generations, but also to the blessing of those of previous generations.”
The 2000 Tuxtla Gutierrez Mexico Temple: “We invoke Thy blessings upon this nation of Mexico where so many of the sons and daughters of Father Lehi dwell.“
The 2002 Snowflake Arizona temple: “We are grateful that this Thy house will be available to the sons and daughters of Lehi who live nearby. Let the scales of darkness fall from their eyes and bring a fulfillment of the ancient promises made concerning them. May this house become a hallowed sanctuary for many of these, our brothers and sisters.”
After 2002, I can’t find any examples of a dedicatory prayer specifically stating where Lehi’s descendants live. This includes temples throughout Latin America, including the rededications of the Mexico City temple in 2008 and 2015.
Now, notice the timing of the Introduction:
It was added to the text in 1981, when it said the Lamanites “are the principal ancestors of the American Indians.”
It was changed in 2007 to read the Lamanites “are among the ancestors of the American Indians.”
I’m not saying the change in the Introduction drove the changes in the temple dedicatory prayers. It may be an example of coincidence and not causation. But it could also be a shift in understanding that appears in both the Introduction and the temple dedicatory prayers.
That said, I note that dedications of temples in Mexico, Peru, Argentina, Honduras, Brazil, and Guatemala include this sentence: “We thank Thee for the sacred record of Lehi, Nephi and Jacob, Alma and Mosiah, Benjamin and Mormon, and of Moroni.”
The 2011 dedication of the Quetzaltenango Guatemala temple included these sentences: “Thou kind and gracious Father, our hearts are filled with gratitude for Thy remembrance of the sons and daughters of Lehi. Thou hast heard their cries and seen their tears. Thou hast accepted their righteous sacrifices.” The 2013 dedicatory prayer of the Tegucigalpa Honduras Temple included these: “Our hearts are filled with gratitude for Thy blessing of the sons and daughters of Lehi. Thou hast heard their cries and seen their tears. Thou hast accepted their righteous sacrifices.”
These sentences could be interpreted to imply Lamanites live in Guatemala and Honduras, but they could also be of more general application, like the expression of gratitude for the Book of Mormon that immediately follows in both prayers.
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Hinterlands
In 2013, there was a brilliant article and presentation titled “Heartland as Hinterland: The Mesoamerican Core and North American Periphery of Book of Mormon Geography.” It was an attempt to explain Joseph Smith’s statements about the Nephites in North America by attributing them to Nephites who had escaped to the north. In my view, the article introduced a valuable concept, but got the geography and evidence backward; i.e., the core of Book of Mormon geography is in North America, while Mesoamerica is the periphery. I have a chapter about this in the Second Edition of The Lost City of Zarahemla (picture right) so I won’t repeat the discussion here, but if you read the article, I’d like to point out a few key points.
First, the premise relies on the anonymous 1842 articles in the Times and Seasons. I’ve offered considerable evidence that Joseph Smith had nothing to do with these articles, but instead they reflected the views of Benjamin Winchester, William Smith, John E. Page, and others. In fact, the article quotes John E. Page for authority.
Second, notice that the article includes a section on Cumorah that never even mentions Letter VII. It’s as if Letter VII didn’t exist, which is what you’ll see in all the publications by Mesoamerican proponents. Nor does it refer to the repository in the New York hill that Joseph and Oliver visited, even though it quotes Mormon 6:6.
Third, the article contains a claim that the term “plains of the Nephites,” which Joseph used to describe the Midwestern states he crossed during Zion’s Camp, “are never mentioned in the Book of Mormon.” Yet the article acknowledges “there are multiple plains attested to in the text.” The argument is summarized here: “Plains in the text of the Book of Mormon are always attached to a specific city. Those in Joseph’s letter to Emma are not.” Think about that one.
I mention this article here because it is the best one I know of that seeks to justify the Mesoamerican setting in the light of Joseph’s own statements about North America. Because it omits key facts such as Letter VII, it succeeds for Mesoamerican proponents who seek to confirm their biases. But it is also important because it addresses a key point in relation to the statements of the prophets about Lamanites throughout the hemisphere.
The last section of the article has this heading: “Evidence for Mesoamerican/North American Interaction.” It includes this observation:
“In 2003 a study was done that compared the DNA of the Ohio Hopewell with fifty indigenous populations from both North and Central America, and they found Central American and even South American markers. This, of course, demonstrates that the interaction between the two regions involved more than just the trading of goods and ideas. For the genetic markers to be so prevalent it is likely that there was a significant amount of procreation, more than is likely than from the occasional Mesoamerican merchant passing through town.”
There is increasing acceptance of the idea that Mayans migrated northward when much of their core civilization collapsed around 800-900 A.D. A month ago I was in Paducah, Kentucky, where a placard pointed out that the Mississippian culture, “around 700 years ago, exhibit a series of parallel, if not diffused cultural traits originating from Mesoamerica.” Later, these groups returned to their homeland in Central America, taking with them the heredity that the prophets have mentioned.
In conclusion, I think the statements by the prophets and apostles about the Hill Cumorah being in New York, starting with 1835 Letter VII and continuing through General Conference in the 1970s, are conclusive and should be accepted by all LDS. The objections to that position–that the New York hill doesn’t match the text and/or is too far from some other preferred setting–are unpersuasive because they are not supported by facts and they use circular reasoning to confirm the predetermined conclusions about the other preferred settings.
I also think the statements by the prophets and apostles about the identity and location of the Lamanites fall into two camps. Joseph Smith was specific when he identified the Lamanites as the American Indians living in the United States. He never identified any other group as Lamanites. However, some of his contemporaries, and several later prophets and apostles, have identified groups throughout the Western Hemisphere and even in the Pacific islands as Lamanites (or descendants of Lehi).
I don’t think these two camps conflict. Joseph (and the Lord, in the D&C) were specific because they were identifying people who had the highest concentration of Lehi’s blood. Others were more generalized because they were identifying people who have, or may have, more attenuated heredity linked to Lehi, even though it doesn’t show up in their DNA.
The generalized Lamanite statements have no bearing on the New York Cumorah issue one way or the other, because a New York Cumorah can coexist with a wide dispersal of Lehi’s posterity.
However, I think Joseph Smith’s specific statements about the Lamanites fully corroborate his statements on the North American setting generally and the New York Cumorah specifically.
NOTES:
* The first response to criticism based on DNA is that we don’t know what DNA Lehi’s group brought with them. To write the famous Wentworth letter, Joseph Smith edited an earlier pamphlet by Orson Pratt. Orson had written, “The second race came directly from the city of Jerusalem, about six-hundred years before Christ, being Israelites, principally the descendants of Joseph.” Joseph Smith changed that to read “The second race came directly from the city of Jerusalem, about six hundred years before Christ. They were principally Israelites, of the descendants of Joseph.” This is a significant change. Joseph Smith is telling us that Lehi’s group were not all Israelites. And we don’t even know what DNA markers the Israelite portion had.
The second response is that DNA only preserves limited markers; it’s not a complete genealogy.
** There is controversy about the X2 haplotype that is beyond the scope of this post, but if anyone’s interested, we can discuss it in another post. The controversy involves the split between different groups with distinctive X2 haplotype attributes. The prevailing view, based on mutation rates derived from evolutionary theory and the millions of years it has taken to evolve, holds that the X2 in the Americas split off 10,000 years or more before the present time. This would mean Lehi’s group was too recent so the ancient American people must have descended from another unknown group that had the X2 haplotype. The alternative view, based on mutation rates derived from observation, concludes that the X2 haplotype split off from the Middle-Eastern group around 600 B.C.
Good Faith Attempt
In other words, if the Book of Mormon events took place in Mesoamerica, then every other area would be the “Hinterlands” where other Lamanites may have migrated and lived. If however the events of the Book of Mormon took place in the Heartland of the United States (As we believe they did), then every other area outside of this limited Heartland area would contain migrating Lamanites, including the western United States, Canada, Mexico, and South and Central America. Heartland Core – Where the main Nephite and Lamanite events occurred! Mesoamerican Periphery – Where Nephites and Lamanites migrated to outside of this core! (See map above)
DNA- We (Heartlanders) believe there is Hebrew DNA in many Native American Indians near the Great Lakes of the Algonquian and Iroquois tribes. Only Asian DNA has been found amongst the people of South, Central and Western America, such as amongst other Western Native Americans of the United States and Alaska. We believe most of those living in the South Pacific Islands are of Israelite blood, (Hagoth or Mixture of Joseph and Judah) We haven’t found Hebrew DNA markers for those in South and Central America. We have found DNA evidence of Natiive Americans in the Great Lakes area with Hebrew Haplogroup X, that is also found in the Jerusalem area. M2C believe the Asian DNA found in Central America is because the Asian population over took any Hebrew DNA that may have existed during the time of Lehi.
Ivins continued. “According to the Book of Mormon, 
This information filled our hearts with unspeakable joy, for we knew that the Book of Mormon and this gospel had been brought to light more for the remnants of Jacob upon this continent than for the Gentiles.
A diagram of placement of mounds, works and stone box burials at the Old Town Archaeological Site in Williamson, Tennessee. Based on a map found in “The antiquities of Tennessee and the adjacent states, and the state of aboriginal society in the scale of civilization represented by them” by Thruston, Gates Phillips
Maritime adventurer Philip Beale has led a life of exploration, searching for answers to some of the great mysteries of ancient civilizations. His adventures began when he was chosen for Operation Drake, sailing the brigantine Eye of the Wind from Fiji to Papua New Guinea. Later, Philip joined the Royal Navy as an officer, and after leaving the Navy, he then led a successful career in finances. Years later, in Indonesia, Philip commissioned construction of a replica vessel depicted at the Borobudur stupa. He then navigated the Borobudur Ship Expedition across the Indian Ocean sailing far as Ghana in the West coast of Africa. The Borobudur Ship is now on display in its own dedicated at Museum at the Borobudur Temple in Indonesia. His next big project was the Phoenician Ship Expeditions.
Joseph said that “the Book of Mormon is a record of the forefathers of our western tribes of Indians . . . 
My Dear Companion, I now embrace a few moments to dictate a few words that you may know how it is with us up to this date. We arrived this morning on the banks of the Mississippi, and were detained from crossing the river, as there was no boat that we could cross in, but expect a new one to be put into the river this evening, so that we are in hopes, to be able to cross tomorrow, and proceed on our journey…
…At about one mile west rises another ridge of less height, running parallel with the former, leaving a beautiful vale between. The soil is of the first quality for the country, and under a state of cultivation, which gives a prospect at once imposing, when one reflects on the fact, that here, between these hills, the entire power and national strength of both the Jaredites and Nephites were destroyed.
“Let them build up a city unto my name upon the land opposite the city of Nauvoo, and let the name of Zarahemla be named upon it.” 
“Joseph said that “the Book of Mormon is a record of the forefathers of our western tribes of Indians . . . By it we learn that our western tribes of Indians are descendants from that Joseph that was sold into Egypt, and that the land of America is a promised land unto them.” Joseph Smith’s Letter to The American Revivalist Feb 2, 1833 (Quoted in Dean C. Jessee, The Personal Writings of Joseph Smith (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1984), p. 273)
There is a good reason why the Mulekites would have stopped in Iowa, across from Nauvoo. It is the first place up the Mississippi river from the Gulf Coast that, historically, was impassable for large ships, due to the Des Moines rapids located just south of there. Even in the 1840s, riverboats had to stop at the rapids, unload cargo, and then be dragged over the rapids before progressing north. (Now, a series of dams and locks makes the river navigable for barges and other large ships.) Lewis and Clark noted the rapids on their 1814 map. In 1837, Robert E. Lee made a map showing the rapids by Fort Des Moines, where Montrose, Iowa, is today. 
Picture left shows another key point. The Mulekites could have easily sailed up the river without encountering the Nephites or the Lamanites, who were several hundred miles east. Furthermore, the Mulekites would have sailed right past other civilizations that likely existed in the area, descendants of Jaredites or other groups who had come to the continent. The Zarahemla location in Iowa, across from Nauvoo, is ideal from several perspectives. First, being on the river provides plentiful water and facilitates commerce. Second, it is upriver from the Des Moines rapids, which provide a defensive barrier against river-borne invaders from the south. Third, the area has productive agricultural land. Ultimately, of course, it’s where the Lord led them.
See Stephen’s Presentation – “The Two-Cumorah Solution for a Flawed Book of Mormon Geography Model: 1844 – 1924”
“The history leading up to the Limited Geography Theory is intertwined with the history of The Reorganized Church.
“What no one noticed before now was a number of similarities between the Mesoamerican articles and the known writings of one Benjamin Winchester. Words, phrases, and concepts were common to both sets of documents–and unique to Winchester.
Heartlanders believe after landing near Tallahassee, Florida, the Nephites escaped from Laman and Lemuel north possibly on the Chattahoochee River that goes all the way through Unicoi Gap, GA into Tennessee, then on the Tennessee River north to Missouri, and traveling east across what Joseph Smith called “Plains of the Nephites, (JS Papers) Indiana, Illinois, and Ohio and ended at NY Cumorah. (This is the same pattern as the Ancient Hopewell Culture who historically traveled that same route and direction from 550 BC to 400 AD). Our friend Philip Beale estimates the time to accomplish this route in a sailing ship to be 4 to 6 months. Philip has proven that on two different voyages, one in 2009 and the other in 2020 in a replica Phoenicia sailing ship. 
Lately I’ve focused on the question of Cumorah because, in my view, it is the keystone of Book of Mormon geography. (In this post, I’m not indulging the dodge of the two-Cumorahs theory. When I say Cumorah, I mean the Cumorah of Mormon 6:6; i.e., the hill where Mormon hid the repository and where the final battles of the Nephites and Jaredites occurred.)
For a FREE download of Rod’s 170 page book titled, “Book of Mormon Remnant through DNA”, visit our 