Joseph Smith—History

In 1838 Joseph Smith began work on his official history, which was published in the newspaper Times and Seasons in 1842. This history later became part of the six-volume A Comprehensive History of the Church by B. H. Roberts in 1957. Joseph Smith—History, as it is found in the standard works, was extracted from Joseph Smith’s official history and published as part of a missionary tract called the Pearl of Great Price in 1851. The Pearl of Great Price was canonized as scripture in 1880.

Joseph Smith—History 1:1–2

Elder Neil L. Andersen:

“There have always been a few who want to discredit the Church and to destroy faith. Today they use the Internet. Some of the information about the Church, no matter how convincing, is just not true” (“Trial of Your Faith,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2012, 41).

President Dallin H. Oaks:

“Latter-day Saint readers should … be … sophisticated in their evaluation of what they read. …

“Our individual, personal testimonies are based on the witness of the Spirit, not on any combination or accumulation of historical facts. If we are so grounded, no alteration of historical facts can shake our testimonies. Our Heavenly Father gave us powers of reason, and we are expected to use them to the fullest. But he also gave us the Comforter, who he said would lead us into truth and by whose power we may know the truth of all things. That is the ultimate guide for Latter-day Saints who are worthy and willing to rely on it” (“Reading Church History” [address to CES religious educators, Aug. 16, 1985], 7, LDS.org).

Joseph Smith—History 1:3

“[Joseph Smith’s] parents, Lucy Mack and Joseph Smith Sr., were married on 24 January 1796 and settled on a family farm in Tunbridge, Vermont. Joseph and Lucy rented a farm [in Sharon, Vermont] from Solomon Mack, Lucy’s father, in the summer of 1805 and Joseph also taught school in the winter. It was there that their fifth child, Joseph Smith Jr., was born on 23 December 1805. Lucy and Joseph taught their children religious precepts and Lucy especially encouraged the study of the Bible. Joseph Sr. was suspicious of traditional churches but always retained a strong belief in God” (The Pearl of Great Price Student Manual [Church Educational System manual, 2000], 54).

“Joseph Smith grew up on the family farm and was almost exclusively under his family’s influence. … During his formative years, Joseph Smith began to incorporate and manifest qualities that would help him fulfill his foreordained mission.

“… He developed strong family bonds, learned to work hard, to think for himself, to serve others, and to love liberty” (Church History in the Fulness of Times, 2nd ed. [Church Educational System manual, 2003], 15).

“During Joseph Smith’s earliest years, his family moved frequently, looking for fertile soil or some other way to earn a livelihood. … In 1811 the Smiths moved to the small community of West Lebanon, New Hampshire. … Typhoid fever came into West Lebanon. … One by one the Smith children fell ill. …

“Seven-year-old Joseph, Jr., recovered from [typhoid] fever after two weeks but suffered complications that eventually required four surgeries. The most serious complication involved a swelling and infection in the tibia of his left leg. … Joseph was in agony for over two weeks.” Joseph endured an operation to remove the infection from his leg “without being bound or drinking brandy wine to dull his senses” (Church History in the Fulness of Times, 22–23).

“In 1816, Joseph Sr. went to Palmyra, New York, to investigate the report of good land at low cost. Joseph Jr., at the time a boy of ten, remembered that even though he was not yet fully recovered from his leg operation, the teamster engaged to assist the Smiths in their journey made him walk through snow, forty miles per day for several days, during which time he suffered the most excruciating weariness and pain” (The Pearl of Great Price Student Manual, 54).

“Joseph Smith, Sr., the father of a family of ten—eleven by 1821—worked hard for a living. After two years in Palmyra, he accumulated enough money for a down payment on one hundred acres of wooded land in the nearby township of Farmington. During the first year he and his sons cleared thirty acres of heavy timber, prepared the ground for cultivation, and planted wheat. … Young Joseph later recalled that ‘it required the exertions of all that were able to render any assistance for the support of the Family.’ [“History of Joseph Smith By Himself,” 1832 (written in Kirtland, Ohio, between 20 July and 27 Nov. 1832), LDS Historical Department, Salt Lake City, p. 1.] …

“At this time Joseph’s opportunities for schooling were limited. He attributed this to the ‘indigent circumstances’ he was raised under. ‘We were deprived of the benefit of an education. Suffice it to say, I was merely instructed in reading, writing, and the ground rules of arithmetic which constituted my whole literary acquirements’ [“History of Joseph Smith By Himself,” pp. 1–2]” (Church History in the Fulness of Times, 29–30).

Joseph Smith—History 1:1–4

President Thomas S. Monson:

“Two [missionaries] called at the home of Mr. Elmer Pollard. … They presented their message and asked if he would join in prayer. He agreed, on the provision that he could offer the prayer.

“The prayer he offered astonished the missionaries. He said, ‘Heavenly Father, bless these two unfortunate, misguided missionaries, that they may return to their homes and not waste their time telling the people of Canada about a message which is so fantastic and about which they know so little.’

“As they arose from their knees, Mr. Pollard asked the missionaries never to return to his home. As they left, he said mockingly to them, ‘You can’t tell me you really believe that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God, anyway!’ and he slammed the door.”

“The two returned to Mr. Pollard’s door. Mr. Pollard answered the knock and angrily said, ‘I thought I told you young men never to return!’

“The junior companion then said, with all the courage he could muster, ‘Mr. Pollard, when we left your door, you said that we didn’t really believe Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. I want to testify to you, Mr. Pollard, that I know Joseph Smith was a prophet of God, that by inspiration he translated the sacred record known as the Book of Mormon, that he did see God the Father and Jesus the Son.’ The missionaries then departed the doorstep.

“[Mr. Pollard later testified:] ‘That evening, sleep would not come. I tossed and turned. Over and over in my mind I heard the words, “Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. I know it. … I know it. … I know it.” I could scarcely wait for morning to come. I telephoned the missionaries. … They returned, and this time my wife, my family, and I joined in the discussion as earnest seekers of truth. As a result, we have all embraced the gospel of Jesus Christ’” (“The Prophet Joseph Smith: Teacher by Example,” 69).

Joseph Smith—History 1:15–17

For more information about Joseph Smith’s four accounts of the First Vision, see Milton V. Backman Jr., “Joseph Smith’s Recitals of the First Vision,” Ensign, Jan. 1985, 8–17. Another helpful article about the different accounts of the First Vision is Richard L. Anderson, “Joseph Smith’s Testimony of the First Vision,” Ensign, April 1996, 10–21.

President Gordon B. Hinckley:

“Our entire case as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints rests on the validity of this glorious First Vision. It was the parting of the curtain to open this, the dispensation of the fulness of times. Nothing on which we base our doctrine, nothing we teach, nothing we live by is of greater importance than this initial declaration. I submit that if Joseph Smith talked with God the Father and His Beloved Son, then all else of which he spoke is true. This is the hinge on which turns the gate that leads to the path of salvation and eternal life” (“What Are People Asking about Us?” Ensign, Nov. 1998, 71).

President Joseph F. Smith:

“The greatest event that has ever occurred in the world, since the resurrection of the Son of God from the tomb and his ascension on high, was the coming of the Father and of the Son to that boy Joseph Smith, to prepare the way for the laying of the foundation of his kingdom—not the kingdom of man—never more to cease nor to be overturned. Having accepted this truth, I find it easy to accept of every other truth that he enunciated and declared during his mission of fourteen years in the world. He never taught a doctrine that was not true. He never practiced a doctrine that he was not commanded to practice. He never advocated error. He was not deceived. He saw; he heard; he did as he was commanded to do; and, therefore, God is responsible for the work accomplished by Joseph Smith—not Joseph Smith. The Lord is responsible for it, and not man” (Gospel Doctrine, 5th ed. [1939], 495–96).

President M. Russell Ballard:

“Either the gospel has been restored or it has not. Either the Savior’s original church and its doctrine were lost or they were not. Either Joseph Smith had that remarkable vision or he did not. The Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ or it is not. Either the fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ was restored to earth through God’s chosen latter-day prophet or it was not.

“The truth really is not any more complicated than that. Either these things happened just as I have testified or they did not. As a latter-day Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ, my testimony, and the testimony of millions of faithful members of the Church the world over, is that what I have told you this morning is true. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been restored to the earth through Joseph Smith and is administered today by a living prophet. These things I know!” (“Restored Truth,” Ensign,Nov. 1994, 67–68).

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland:

“It is the plain and very sobering truth that before great moments, certainly before great spiritual moments, there can come adversity, opposition, and darkness. Life has some of those moments for us, and occasionally they come just as we are approaching an important decision or a significant step in our life.

“… [There is also] opposition that so often comes after enlightened decisions have been made, after moments of revelation and conviction have given us a peace and an assurance we thought we would never lose. …

“… I believe that in our own individual ways, God takes us to the grove or the mountain or the temple and there shows us the wonder of what his plan is for us. We may not see it as fully as Moses or Nephi or the brother of Jared did, but we see as much as we need to see in order to know the Lord’s will for us and to know that he loves us beyond mortal comprehension. I also believe that the adversary and his pinched, calculating little minions try to oppose such experiences and then try to darken them after the fact. …

“Fighting through darkness and despair and pleading for the light is what opened this dispensation. It is what keeps it going, and it is what will keep you going. …

“I acknowledge the reality of opposition and adversity, but I bear witness of the God of Glory, of the redeeming Son of God, of light and hope and a bright future. I promise you that God lives and loves you, each one of you, and that he has set bounds and limits to the opposing powers of darkness. I testify that Jesus is the Christ, the victor over death and hell and the fallen one who schemes there” (“Cast Not Away Therefore Your Confidence” [Brigham Young University devotional, Mar. 2, 1999], 1, 2, 6–7, speeches.byu.edu).

Joseph Smith—History 1:21–23

President Gordon B. Hinckley:

About a conversation he had with a young man in London, England:

“He said, ‘I’ve got to talk with someone. I’m all alone. …’

“And I said, ‘What’s your problem?’

“And he said, ‘When I joined the Church a little less than a year ago, my father told me to get out of his home and never come back. And I’ve never been back.’

“He continued, ‘A few months later the cricket club of which I was a member read me off its list, barring me from membership with the boys with whom I had grown up and with whom I had been so close and friendly.’

“Then he said, ‘Last month my boss fired me because I was a member of this church, and I have been unable to get another job. …

“‘And last night the girl with whom I have gone for a year and a half said she would never marry me because I’m a Mormon.’”

“I said, ‘If this has cost you so much, why don’t you leave the Church and go back to your father’s home and to your cricket club and to the job that meant so much to you and to the girl you think you love?’

“He said nothing for what seemed to be a long time. Then, putting his head down in his hands, he sobbed and sobbed. Finally, he looked up through his tears and said, ‘I couldn’t do that. I know this is true, and if it were to cost me my life, I could never give it up’” (“The Loneliness of Leadership” [Brigham Young University devotional address, Nov. 4, 1969], 3, speeches.byu.edu).

Joseph Smith—History 1:28

Elder Neil L. Andersen:

“[We can] humbly petition the Lord: ‘Father, what wouldst Thou have me do?’ The answers come. We feel the changes we need to make. The Lord tells us in our mind and in our heart” (“Repent … That I May Heal You,” Ensign or Liahona,Nov. 2009, 41).

Joseph Smith—History 1:33

Elder John H. Groberg visited a remote island named Tafahi, which had only 18 homes and no electricity or running water. He wrote:

“At the last home, a strange thought occurred to me, ‘Why don’t you test the prophecy that the name of Joseph Smith should be known for good and evil throughout the world?’ I don’t know why the thought came, but it did.”

He asked the family living in this home if they had ever heard of the president of the United States. They responded, “Who’s he?” and “Where’s the United States?” Elder Groberg reported:

“I tried to explain where it was, but they couldn’t understand. They asked how big an island it was. I replied that it was a very big island, thousands of miles away with millions of people living on it. I told them that many people there had never even seen the ocean and that many people didn’t know one another. They couldn’t comprehend that.”

He then asked them about the leaders of Russia and France, but they could not answer his questions.

“Next,” he said, “I asked about some sports figures, some movie stars, famous business people, about the Depression, the Korean War, and other things. …

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

“Immediately their faces lit up. Everyone looked at me, and the father said, ‘Don’t talk to us about that false prophet! Not in our home! We know all about him. Our minister has told us!’ I could hardly believe what I was hearing. The scripture … sounded in my mind that Joseph’s name ‘should be had for good and evil among all nations’ (JS—H 1:33). To me this was a direct fulfillment of prophecy.

“I am convinced that you could hardly get a place more remote, more out of touch with modern civilization, than the little island of Tafahi. The people there knew nothing of the great leaders of the day—political, economic, or otherwise—but they knew the name Joseph Smith. In this case they knew it for ill, at least to begin with. I spent the next few days explaining more of the mission of the Prophet Joseph Smith, and before we left, a few of them knew his name for good” (In the Eye of the Storm [1993], 104–6).

Joseph Smith—History 1:55–58

Lucy Mack Smith:

“We were pleased with his choice and not only consented to his marrying her, but requested him to bring her home with him and live with us” (Lucy Mack Smith, History of Joseph Smith by His Mother, ed. Preston Nibley [1958], 93).

Joseph Smith—History 1:56

Lucy Mack Smith reported that before Alvin Smith died, he spoke the following words to his younger brother Joseph:

“I want you to be a good boy, and do everything that lies in your power to obtain the Record. Be faithful in receiving instruction, and in keeping every commandment that is given you. Your brother Alvin must leave you; but remember the example which he has set for you; and set the same example for the children that are younger than yourself, and always be kind to father and mother” (Lucy Mack Smith, History of Joseph Smith by His Mother, ed. Preston Nibley [1958], 87).

Joseph Smith—History 1:56

Since the early days of the Restoration, critics have attacked Joseph Smith’s character because he was employed as a youth to dig for money. Critics labeled his efforts as “money-digging” or “treasure-seeking” in an effort to blot his character. Joseph Smith grew up in a time and culture in which treasure-seeking or digging for buried gold and silver was common and accepted. In his history, Joseph Smith explains that he and his family were hired to dig for silver (see Joseph Smith—History 1:56).

Joseph Smith—History 1:59–62

Elder Neal A. Maxwell:

“Many who read the Book of Mormon understandably desire to know more about its coming forth, including the actual process of translation. This was certainly so with faithful and loyal Hyrum Smith. Upon inquiring, Hyrum was told by the Prophet Joseph that ‘it was not intended to tell the world all the particulars of the coming forth of the Book of Mormon’ and that ‘it was not expedient for him to relate these things’ (History of the Church, 1:220). Thus what we do know about the actual coming forth of the Book of Mormon is adequate, but it is not comprehensive. …

“Whatever the details of the process, it required Joseph’s intense, personal efforts along with the aid of the revelatory instruments. The process may have varied as Joseph’s capabilities grew, involving the Urim and Thummim but perhaps with less reliance upon such instrumentalities in the Prophet’s later work of translation. Elder Orson Pratt of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said Joseph Smith told him that he used the Urim and Thummim when he was inexperienced at translation but that later he did not need it, which was the case in Joseph’s translation of many verses of the Bible (see Latter-day Saints’ Millennial Star, 11 Aug. 1874, 498–99). …

“Why do we not have more disclosure concerning the process of translation of the Book of Mormon? Perhaps the full process was not disclosed because we would not be ready to understand it, even if given. Perhaps, too, the Lord wanted to leave the Book of Mormon in the realm of faith, though it is drenched with intrinsic evidence. After all, Christ instructed Mormon, who was reviewing the Savior’s own teachings among the Nephites, not to record all of them on the plates because ‘I will try the faith of my people’ (3 Ne. 26:11). Perhaps the details of translation are withheld also because we are intended to immerse ourselves in the substance of the book rather than becoming unduly concerned with the process by which we received it” (“By the Gift and Power of God,” Ensign, Jan. 1997, 39, 41).

Elder Neal A. Maxwell:

“The Prophet Joseph alone knew the full process, and he was deliberately reluctant to describe details. We take passing notice of the words of David Whitmer, Joseph Knight, and Martin Harris, who were observers, not translators. David Whitmer indicated that as the Prophet used the divine instrumentalities provided to help him, ‘the hieroglyphics would appear, and also the translation in the English language … in bright luminous letters.’ Then Joseph would read the words to Oliver (quoted in James H. Hart, “About the Book of Mormon,” Deseret Evening News,25 Mar. 1884, 2). Martin Harris related of the seer stone: ‘Sentences would appear and were read by the Prophet and written by Martin’ (quoted in Edward Stevenson, “One of the Three Witnesses: Incidents in the Life of Martin Harris,” Latter-day Saints’ Millennial Star, 6 Feb. 1882, 86–87). Joseph Knight made similar observations (see Dean Jessee, “Joseph Knight’s Recollection of Early Mormon History,” BYU Studies 17 [Autumn 1976]: 35).

“Oliver Cowdery is reported to have testified in court that the Urim and Thummim enabled Joseph ‘to read in English, the reformed Egyptian characters, which were engraved on the plates’ (“Mormonites,” Evangelical Magazine and Gospel Advocate, 9 Apr. 1831). If these reports are accurate, they suggest a process indicative of God’s having given Joseph ‘sight and power to translate’ (D&C 3:12).

“If by means of these divine instrumentalities the Prophet was seeing ancient words rendered in English and then dictating, he was not necessarily and constantly scrutinizing the characters on the plates—the usual translation process of going back and forth between pondering an ancient text and providing a modern rendering.

“The revelatory process apparently did not require the Prophet to become expert in the ancient language. …

“Whatever the details of the process, it required Joseph’s intense, personal efforts along with the aid of the revelatory instruments. The process may have varied as Joseph’s capabilities grew, involving the Urim and Thummim but perhaps with less reliance upon such instrumentalities in the Prophet’s later work of translation. Elder Orson Pratt of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said Joseph Smith told him that he used the Urim and Thummim when he was inexperienced at translation but that later he did not need it, which was the case in Joseph’s translation of many verses of the Bible (see Latter-day Saints’ Millennial Star, 11 Aug. 1874, 498–99)” (“By the Gift and Power of God,” Ensign, Jan. 1997, 39).

Joseph Smith—History 1:60

Lucy Mack Smith:

“Joseph, on coming to them, took them from their secret place, and, wrapping them in his linen frock, placed them under his arm and started for home.

“After proceeding a short distance, he thought it would be more safe to leave the road and go through the woods. Traveling some distance after he left the road, he came to a large windfall, and as he was jumping over a log, a man sprang up from behind it and gave him a heavy blow with a gun. Joseph turned around and knocked him down, then ran at the top of his speed. About half a mile farther he was attacked again in the same manner as before; he knocked this man down in like manner as the former and ran on again; and before he reached home he was assaulted the third time. In striking the last one, he dislocated his thumb, which, however, he did not notice until he came within sight of the house, when he threw himself down in the corner of the fence in order to recover his breath. As soon as he was able, he arose and came to the house. He was still altogether speechless from fright and the fatigue of running” (in Lucy Mack Smith, History of Joseph Smith by His Mother, ed. Preston Nibley [1958], 108).

Elder D. Todd Christofferson:

“Be wise with what the Lord gives you. It is a trust. …

“Rather than drifting into carelessness, may your life be one of increasing exactness in obedience. I hope you will think and feel and dress and act in ways that show reverence and respect for sacred things, sacred places, sacred occasions” (“A Sense of the Sacred” [Church Educational System fireside for young adults, Nov. 7, 2004], 9, 10; speeches.byu.edu).

Joseph Smith—History 1:63–65

Martin Harris visited at least three men who had reputations as able linguists. In Albany, New York, he talked with Luther Bradish, a diplomat, statesman, world traveler, and student of languages. In New York City he visited Dr. Samuel Mitchell, vice president of Rutgers Medical College. He also visited a man who knew several languages including Hebrew and Babylonian. This was Professor Charles Anthon of Columbia College in New York City, who was among the leading classical scholars of his day. At the time of Martin Harris’s visit, Charles Anthon was adjunct professor of Greek and Latin. He knew French, German, Greek, and Latin and was familiar, if books in his library are evidence, with the latest discoveries pertaining to the Egyptian language, including the early work of Champollion.