In September, 1827, after four years of preparation, Joseph Smith went to the Hill Cumorah and finally obtained the gold plates, from which he would translate the Book of Mormon. The four years between his first visit by Moroni until he received the plates were filled with preparation. When he left Cumorah with the plates, he had to be immediately cautious, as there were already people who conspired to take the plates from him.
Did he have gold plates? There are many witnesses who saw them. And there were also many who apparently believed enough to try and take the plates from him by force. The evidence is significant that he did in fact have the plates.
The First Vision and Moroni’s first visits
I have written several posts about the First Vision and Moroni’s first visits to Joseph Smith.1 The First Vision occurred “on the morning of a beautiful, clear day, early in the spring” of 1820.2 Moroni’s first visits to Joseph Smith occurred throughout the evening of September 21, 1823, and into the morning of the next day.3
Between the First Vision and Moroni’s first visit, I am not aware of any other heavenly messenger or visitation. In fact, Joseph recounts that after the First Vision, “I continued to pursue my common vocations in life until the twenty-first of September, one thousand eight hundred and twenty-three, all the time suffering severe persecution at the hands of all classes of men, both religious and irreligious, because I continued to affirm that I had seen a vision.”4
Joseph tells his family of his experiences
The life of a farmer is physically demanding, and so think of the exhaustion of a 17-year-old boy who has been up all night speaking with a heavenly messenger. When he woke in the morning after the first visit from Moroni (September, 1823), and tried to go about his daily labors, he states, “I found my strength so exhausted as to render me entirely unable. My father, who was laboring along with me, discovered something to be wrong with me, and told me to go home. I started with the intention of going to the house; but, in attempting to cross the fence out of the field where we were, my strength entirely failed me, and I fell helpless on the ground, and for a time was quite unconscious of anything.”5 The first thing he remembered upon waking was another visit from Moroni., who then told him to tell his father of the vision and all the commandments he had seen.6 He did, and his father told him that it was of God, and then Joseph went directly to the Hill Cumorah where he got his first glimpse of the plates.7
That evening, the family gathered together, and “Joseph made known to them all that he had communicated to his father in the field, and also of his finding the record, as well as what passed between him and the angel while he was at the place where the plates were deposited. Sitting up late that evening, in order to converse upon these things, together with over-exertion of mind, had much fatigued Joseph.”8 Seeing that fatigue, Alvin suggested that they all go to bed, then get up early to finish their daily work so they could have more time in the evening to hear of Joseph’s experiences.9 Lucy’s account discusses what happened that following evening:
“Accordingly, by sunset the next day, we were all seated, and Joseph commenced telling us the great and glorious things which God had manifested to him; but, before proceeding, he charged us not to mention out of the family that which he was about to say to us, as the world was so wicked that when they came to a knowledge of these things they would try to take our lives; and that when we should obtain the plates, our names would be cast out as evil by all people. Hence the necessity of suppressing these things as much as possible, until the time should come for them to go forth to the world. After giving us this charge, he proceeded to relate further particulars concerning the work which he was appointed to do, and we received them joyfully, never mentioning them except among ourselves, agreeable to the instructions which we had received from him.”10
Joseph’s training included visits from heavenly messengers other than Moroni
Joseph and others recount that he visited the Hill Cumorah every year in September between 1823 and 1827, and during those visits he received instruction from Moroni. It appears from Lucy’s record that Joseph received training and instruction from heavenly messengers in addition to Moroni:
“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.
“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.”11
In 2005, the 200th anniversary of Joseph Smith’s birth was celebrated at the Library of Congress in a conference called “The Worlds of Joseph Smith.”12 At that conference, Elder Dallin H. Oaks made a simple statement that had a profound effect on me:
“In spiritual matters, Joseph Smith had no role models from whom he could learn how to be a prophet and a leader. He had to rely on inexperienced associates. They struggled and learned together, and Joseph was extremely rapid in his acquisition of knowledge and maturity. He unquestionably had unique gifts. As we would say today, he was ‘a quick study.’ He said he was taught by heavenly messengers
and by other revelations from God, and I believe him.”13
“I believe him.” When I was struggling with my own faith, these words by Elder Oaks helped me understand that even as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve, he had to choose to believe. It set me on the course for making my own decision to believe and exercise faith in Christ.
The loss of Alvin and Joseph’s continued training
Alvin was almost eight years older than Joseph, and until his early death he was perhaps Joseph’s greatest supporter. There is evidence that when Joseph first visited the Hill Cumorah on September 22, 1823 (after his all-night visits from Moroni), Moroni told him to come back to the same place in one year, and that he should bring Alvin with him.14 When Alvin passed away in November, 1823, he gave final messages to each family member, and to Joseph he said, “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.”15
Alvin’s death left the whole family in mourning. And because Alvin had been such a supporter of Joseph, Lucy makes it sounds like they couldn’t bear to hear any more about the record: “Whenever Joseph spoke of the Record, it would immediately bring Alvin to our minds.”16
So what about those “evening conversations” that Lucy described? Did they occur before Alvin passed away, or after, or both? Alvin’s death was only a couple of months after Joseph first visited the Hill Cumorah. Lucy mentions that Joseph was 18 during those conversations, and Joseph would have turned 18 about one month after Alvin’s death. But whatever occurred, or whenever it occurred, it sounds to me like Joseph received training from heavenly messengers much more frequently than just once a year.
Joseph’s visits to the Hill Cumorah
Regarding his visits to the Hill Cumorah, Joseph’s record is fairly simple: “[A]s I had been commanded, I went [to the Hill Cumorah] at the end of each year, and at each time I found the same messenger there [the angel Moroni], and received instruction and intelligence from him at each of our interviews, respecting what the Lord was going to do, and how and in what manner his kingdom was to be conducted in the last days.”17
There are several accounts regarding what happened during Joseph’s visits to the Hill Cumorah. But I will admit that I can’t figure out the timing. For example, as I mentioned in the previous section, Lucy talks about evening conversations when Joseph would tell them of his experiences. When she talks about Joseph’s visit to the Hill Cumorah in 1824, she talks about Joseph being 18. But she talks about that before she discusses Alvin’s death, which happened in 1823. There are some historians who have interpreted Lucy’s account of the visit in 1824 as being a different year. So I can’t figure what happened when, but I nevertheless find the various stories of Joseph’s visits fascinating.
If you are interested in trying to piece this out, I would encourage you to refer to a few different sources: (a) the chronology of major events found on the Joseph Smith Papers website,18 (b) a list of visions and revelations received by Joseph, sorted by date, found on the BYU Studies website,19 (c) a book called “Opening the Heavens,” which “strives to bring together all the known contemporaneous documents relevant to the key events of the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ that were accompanied by divine manifestations.”20 Another fascinating article describing Joseph’s preparation to obtain the plates was written by Steven C. Harper, called, “The Probation of a Teenage Seer: Joseph Smith’s Early Experiences with Moroni.”21 (In fact, Professor Harper writes a significantly better and more articulate account of Joseph’s preparation than my meager attempt in this post, so if you’re actually reading this, just stop now and go to Professor Harper’s article and read that instead).
Joseph’s first visit to Cumorah
I have written about the first visit in a prior post.22 I love Oliver Cowdery’s description of Joseph’s thoughts as he approached Cumorah, and how he struggled to try and stay focused on what the angel had told him. This short walk from Joseph’s home to the Hill Cumorah, and Joseph’s struggling attempt to stay focused, fills me with hope that if God can work with Joseph and his weaknesses, maybe He can also work with me.
Lucy’s account of the visit in September, 1824
As previously mentioned, I don’t know whether this account occurred in 1824, but regardless of whether the date is accurate, it provides some fascinating detail:
“On the twenty-second of September, 1824, Joseph again visited the place where he found the plates the year previous; and supposing at this time that the only thing required, in order to possess them until the time for their translation, was to be able to keep the commandments of God—and he firmly believed he could keep every commandment which had been given him—he fully expected to carry them home with him. Therefore, having arrived at the place, and uncovering the plates, he put forth his hand and took them up, but, as he was taking them hence, the unhappy thought darted through his mind that probably there was something else in the box besides the plates, which would be of some pecuniary advantage to him. So, in the moment of excitement, he laid them down very carefully, for the purpose of covering the box, lest some one might happen to pass that way and get whatever there might be remaining in it. After covering it, he turned round to take the Record again, but behold it was gone, and where, he knew not, neither did he know the means by which it had been taken from him.
“At this, as a natural consequence, he was much alarmed. He kneeled down and asked the Lord why the Record had been taken from him; upon which the angel of the Lord appeared to him, and told him that he had not done as he had been commanded, for in a former revelation he had been commanded not to lay the plates down, or put them for a moment out of his hands, until he got into the house and deposited them in a chest or trunk, having a good lock and key, and, contrary to this, he had laid them down with the view of securing some fancied or imaginary treasure that remained.
“In the moment of excitement, Joseph was overcome by the powers of darkness, and forgot the injunction that was laid upon him.
“Having some further conversation with the angel, on this occasion, Joseph was permitted to raise the stone again, when he beheld the plates as he had done before. He immediately reached forth his hand to take them, but instead of getting them, as he anticipated, he was hurled back upon the ground with great violence. When he recovered, the angel was gone, and he arose and returned to the house, weeping for grief and disappointment.
“As he was aware that we would expect him to bring the plates home with him, he was greatly troubled, fearing that we might doubt his having seen them. As soon as he entered the house, my husband asked if he had obtained the plates. The answer was, ‘No, father, I could not get them.’
“His father then said, ‘Did you see them?’
“‘Yes,’ replied Joseph, ‘I saw them, but could not take them.’
“‘I would have taken them,’ rejoined his father, with much earnestness, ‘if I had been in your place.’
“‘Why,’ returned Joseph, in quite a subdued tone, ‘you do not know what you say. I could not get them, for the angel of the Lord would not let me.’
“Joseph then related the circumstance in full, which gave us much uneasiness, as we were afraid that he might utterly fail of obtaining the Record through some neglect on his part. We, therefore, doubled our diligence in prayer and supplication to God, in order that he might be more fully instructed in his duty, and be preserved from all the wiles and machinations of him ‘who lieth in wait to deceive.'”23
This story shows that Joseph struggled to have a mind single to the glory of God. Missing Alvin, not only for his love and emotional support, but for his financial contributions to the family, I believe that we can assume that Joseph’s motives were primarily to help his family. But even with pure motives, Joseph had been told that he could not obtain the plates with any pecuniary motive.
Assuming this event took place after Alvin’s death, this shows that despite the death of Alvin and the family’s grief, they remained supportive of Joseph. They believed him, and they worked with him to help him prepare for the day when he could obtain the plates.
Joseph’s “chastisement” from Moroni before receiving the plates
As with several other details from Lucy’s book, I struggle to place this experience in the chronology, and I frankly can’t tell whether it was before or after Joseph and Emma were married in January, 1827. But I love the account, as it shows that the Lord did everything possible to make sure Joseph was prepared to receive the plates:
“[M]y husband had occasion to send [Joseph] to Manchester on business. As he set off early in the day we expected him home at most by six o’clock in the evening, but when six o’clock came he did not arrive. We always had a peculiar anxiety about him whenever he was absent, for it seemed as though something was always taking place to jeopardize his life. But to return. He did not get home till the night was far spent. On coming in he threw himself into a chair, apparently much exhausted. My husband did not observe his appearance and immediately exclaimed, ‘Joseph, why are you so late? has anything happened to you? we have been much distressed about you these three hours.’ As Joseph made no answer he continued his interrogations, until, finally, I said, ‘Now, father, let him rest a moment—don’t trouble him now—you see he is home safe and he is very tired, so pray wait a little.’
“The fact was I had learned to be a little cautious about matters with regard to Joseph, for I was accustomed to see him look as he did on that occasion and I could not easily mistake the cause thereof.
“[P]resently he smiled and said in a calm tone, ‘I have taken the severest chastisement that I have ever had in my life.’
“My husband, supposing that it was from some of the neighbors, was quite angry and observed, ‘I would like to know what business anybody has to find fault with you!’
“‘Stop, father, stop,’ said Joseph, ‘it was the angel of the Lord. As I passed by the hill of Cumorah, where the plates are, the angel met me and said that I had not been engaged enough in the work of the Lord; that the time had come for the record to be brought forth; and that I must be up and doing and set myself about the things which God had commanded me to do. But, father, give yourself no uneasiness concerning the reprimand which I have received, for I now know the course that I am to pursue, so all will be well.’
“It was also made known to him at this interview that he should make another effort to obtain the plates, on the twenty-second of the following September, but this he did not mention to us at that time.”24
As I discussed in a prior post, the historical record supports the idea that at the time of each visit to Cumorah, Joseph expected to obtain the plates.25 Joseph Knight, a trusted friend and supporter of Joseph who lived in Colesville, wrote that in September, 1826, he took a trip to Rochester for business, and while he was there he went to Palmyra to visit Joseph. According to Joseph Knight, “He [Joseph Smith] had talked with me and told me the conversation he had with the personage which told him if he would do right according to the will of God he mite obtain [the plates] the 22nt Day of Septemer Next and if not he never would have them.”26
Perhaps those two accounts tell the same experience. Could it be that Joseph’s “chastisement” from Moroni was the same conversation in which he was told that if he was not ready to obtain the plates in September, 1827, he would never receive them? Historians and scholars could likely say whether the timelines match up, but I can’t figure it out.
Joseph obtains the plates
And so it was that in September, 1827, after years of preparation, Joseph obtained the plates. A significant event that was part of his preparation was his marriage to Emma in January, 1827.27 When Joseph went to the Hill Cumorah the September after their marriage, Joseph took Emma with him. Joseph Knight and Josiah Stowell were also present at the Smith family home that September, 1827.
Lucy writes, “On the twentieth of September [1827], Mr. Knight and his friend [Josiah Stowell] came to see how we were managing matters with Stoddard and Co., and they tarried with us until the twenty-second. On the night of the twenty-first I sat up very late, as my work rather pressed upon my hands. I did not retire until after twelve o’clock at night. About twelve o’clock Joseph came to me and asked me if I had a chest with a lock and key. I knew in an instant what he wanted it for, and not having one I was greatly alarmed, as I thought it might be a matter of considerable moment. But Joseph, discovering my anxiety, said, ‘Never mind, I can do very well for the present without it—be calm—all is right.’
“Shortly after this Joseph’s wife passed through the room with her bonnet and riding dress, and in a few minutes they left together, taking Mr. Knight’s horse and wagon. I spent the night in prayer and supplication to God, for the anxiety of my mind would not permit me to sleep. At the usual hour I commenced preparing breakfast. My heart fluttered at every footstep, as I now expected Joseph and Emma momentarily and feared lest Joseph might meet with another disappointment.”28
Lucy writes that she “trembled so with fear lest all might be lost in consequence of some failure in keeping the commandments of God,” and so when Joseph returned, she “was under the necessity of leaving the room in order to conceal my feelings. Joseph saw this and said, ‘Do not be uneasy, mother, all is right.'”29 Joseph then asked where he could obtain a chest with a lock. Lucy “told him to go to a certain cabinet-maker, who had made some furniture for my oldest daughter, and tell him that we would pay him for making a chest as we did for the other work which he had done for us, namely, one-half in cash and the other in produce.”30
Joseph Knight was in the home, and he writes that in the morning, “We all came into the house for breakfast, but nothing was said about where Joseph and Emma had been. After breakfast, Joseph called me into the other room and he set his foot on the bed and leaned his head on his hand and says, ‘Well I am disappointed.’ Well, I said, ‘I am sorry.’ He said, ‘I am greatly disappointed. It is ten times better than I expected.’ Then he went on to tell the length and width and thickness of the plates and said they appear to be gold but he seemed to think more of the glasses or the urim and thummim than he did of the plates. For, said he, ‘I can see anything. They are marvelous.'”31
Rather than bring the plates home with him, Joseph hid the plates about three miles from the Smith home. “Finding an old birch log much decayed, excepting the bark, which was in a measure sound, he took his pocket knife and cut the bark with some care, then turned it back and made a hole of sufficient size to receive the plates, and, laying them in the cavity thus formed, he replaced the bark; after which he laid across the log, in several places, some old stuff that happened to lay near, in order to conceal as much as possible the place in which they were deposited.”32
After he came home, the Smith family heard that there were some men who had determined to get the plates from Joseph. I find it fascinating that nobody believed that he had plates, and yet every effort was made to obtain them from him. Lucy recounts much more to this story, but it is an eventful tale in which Joseph Sr. went in search of the men, heard their plans, and reported back to Joseph. Concerned for the safety of the plates, Joseph went to retrieve them:
“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.”33
When Joseph got home, they sent his brother Carlos to get a chest from Hyrum. When Hyrum came back with the chest, “Joseph locked up the Record, then threw himself upon the bed and after resting a little, so that he could converse freely, he arose and went into the kitchen, where he related his recent adventure to his father, Mr. Knight, and Mr. Stoal, besides many others who had by this time collected, with the view of hearing something in regard to the strange circumstance which had taken place. He showed them his thumb, saying, ‘I must stop talking, father, and get you to put my thumb in place, for it is very painful.’
“I will here mention that my husband, Mr. Knight, and Mr. Stoal went in pursuit of those villains who had attempted Joseph’s life, but were not able to find them.
“When Joseph first got the plates, the angel of the Lord stood by and said: ‘Now you have got the Record into your own hands, and you are but a man, therefore you will have to be watchful and faithful to your trust, or you will be overpowered by wicked men; for they will lay every plan and scheme that is possible to get it away from you, and if you do not take heed continually, they will succeed. While it was in my hands, I could keep it, and no man had power to take it away! but now I give it up to you. Beware, and look well to your ways, and you shall have power to retain it, until the time for it to be translated.'”34
The Lord led Joseph along
In a revelation given to Joseph in 1832, the Lord said, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, ye are little children, and ye have not as yet understood how great blessings the Father hath in his own hands and prepared for you; And ye cannot bear all things now; nevertheless, be of good cheer, for I will lead you along.”35 By then, Joseph had received years of training. He understood what it meant to be led along.
Joseph was 14 at the time of the First Vision. I hear a lot of people talk about God calling a 14-year-old prophet. But I see it differently. It was years before Joseph took on that role, and he received significant training. When he obtained the plates in September, 1827, he was 21 years old. There was much more for him to learn before he was prepared to organize the Lord’s Church. Joseph said that he was taught by heavenly messengers, and I believe him.
References
- To see the First Vision posts, click on the “First Vision” category: https://discoverfaithinchrist.com/category/the-first-vision/. The posts about Moroni’s visits to Joseph Smith are under the “Book of Mormon” category: https://discoverfaithinchrist.com/category/book-of-mormon/. ↩︎
- Joseph Smith-History 1:14. ↩︎
- Joseph Smith-History 1:29. ↩︎
- Joseph Smith-History 1:27. ↩︎
- Joseph Smith-History 1:48. ↩︎
- Joseph Smith-History 1:49. ↩︎
- “Joseph’s First Visit to Cumorah,” https://discoverfaithinchrist.com/josephs-first-visit-to-cumorah/. ↩︎
- Lucy Mack Smith, “The History of Joseph Smith by His Mother,” Zion’s Camp Books, Kindle Edition, Chapter 18. ↩︎
- Smith, “The History of Joseph Smith by His Mother,” Chapter 18. ↩︎
- Smith, “The History of Joseph Smith by His Mother,” Chapter 18. ↩︎
- Smith, “The History of Joseph Smith by His Mother,” Chapter 18. ↩︎
- John W. Welch, “The Worlds of Joseph Smith: A Bicentennial Conference at the Library of Congress,” Brigham Young University Press, 2006. ↩︎
- Dallin H. Oaks, “Joseph Smith in a Personal World,” in Welch, “The Worlds of Joseph Smith,” 159. ↩︎
- “The Legacy of Alvin Smith,” https://discoverfaithinchrist.com/the-legacy-of-alvin-smith/. ↩︎
- “The Legacy of Alvin Smith,” https://discoverfaithinchrist.com/the-legacy-of-alvin-smith/. ↩︎
- “The Legacy of Alvin Smith,” https://discoverfaithinchrist.com/the-legacy-of-alvin-smith/ ↩︎
- Joseph Smith-History 1:54. ↩︎
- “Events,” Joseph Smith Papers, https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/reference/events#1823 (you can click on each year, then review the sources for the events that happened in each year). ↩︎
- “Visions and Revelations,” https://jschronology.byustudies.byu.edu/event-type/visions-and-revelations (this lists each date and includes information and sources of each vision and revelation). ↩︎
- John W. Welch, “Opening the Heavens: Accounts of Divine Manifestations, 1820–1844 (Second Edition),” Brigham Young University Press, Provo, Utah, 2007. This book can be downloaded as a pdf or read for free on the BYU Studies website: https://byustudies.byu.edu/online-book/opening-the-heavens-accounts-of-divine-manifestations-second-edition/. ↩︎
- Steven C. Harper, “The Probation of a Teenage Seer: Joseph Smith’s Early Experiences with Moroni,” in The Coming Forth of the Book of Mormon: A Marvelous Work and a Wonder, edited by Dennis L. Largey, Andrew H. Hedges, John Hilton III, and Kerry Hull (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center; Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2015), 23–42, https://rsc.byu.edu/coming-forth-book-mormon/probation-teenage-seer-joseph-smiths-early-experiences-moroni. ↩︎
- “Joseph’s First Visit to Cumorah,” https://discoverfaithinchrist.com/josephs-first-visit-to-cumorah/. ↩︎
- Smith, “The History of Joseph Smith by His Mother,” Chapter 18. ↩︎
- Smith, “The History of Joseph Smith by His Mother,” Chapter 21. ↩︎
- “Joseph Smith’s Visits to Cumorah: An Introduction,” https://discoverfaithinchrist.com/joseph-smiths-visits-to-cumorah-an-introduction/. ↩︎
- Dean C. Jessee, ed., “Joseph Knight’s Recollection of Early Mormon History,” BYU Studies 17, no. 1 (Fall 1976), 33 (original spelling), https://byustudies.byu.edu/article/joseph-knights-recollection-of-early-mormon-history/. ↩︎
- “The Marriage of Joseph and Emma,” https://discoverfaithinchrist.com/the-marriage-of-joseph-and-emma/. ↩︎
- Smith, “The History of Joseph Smith by His Mother,” Chapter 22. ↩︎
- Smith, “The History of Joseph Smith by His Mother,” Chapter 22. ↩︎
- Smith, “The History of Joseph Smith by His Mother,” Chapter 22. ↩︎
- Jesse, “Joseph Knight’s Recollection of Early Mormon History,” 33. I corrected the spelling and writing of this paragraph. It is very hard to read with the original spelling and grammar. ↩︎
- Smith, “The History of Joseph Smith by His Mother,” Chapter 22. ↩︎
- Smith, “The History of Joseph Smith by His Mother,” Chapter 22. ↩︎
- Smith, “The History of Joseph Smith by His Mother,” Chapter 22. ↩︎
- Doctrine and Covenants 78:17-18. ↩︎