In a credibility test for witnesses, the following standards must be met: honesty, ability, number and consistency, conformity of testimony with experience, and coincidence of their testimony with collateral circumstances. The Three and Eight Witnesses fulfill all of these requirements.

This book tells an amazing story about millions of people. Since 1894 the Genealogical Society of Utah (now known as the Family History Department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) has sought to collect genealogical information about people from every nation. Latter-day Saints see this work as a fulfillment of Malachi’s prophecy that the hearts of the children would be turned to their fathers to unify all members of the human family and to prepare the world to meet God. In November 1994, the Church celebrated the Genealogical Society’s centennial. At one level, the Society’s story is the history of an organization. At another level, it is the intersection of numerous individual stories, such as the dedication of Susa Young Gates, the tireless determination of Joseph Fielding Smith, the enthusiasm of Archibald F. Bennett, and the daring of Paul Langheinrich. LDS genealogical research is known all over the world. Parts of its story are familiar to many people, but only a fraction of the whole history is widely known. This book tells that story. It is a history of astounding and sustained efforts that have changed the hearts of millions.

Life in Utah has never been easy. Thin soil and thick politics challenged everyone as Utah grew toward statehood in 1896. Native Americans, Mormon and gentile settlers, federal officials, LDS Church leaders-these Utah men and women all filled crucial roles. This book contains the best articles from BYU Studies on Utah history. Looking back on life in pioneer Utah, this centennial collection includes stories that are deeply rooted in the life of this state.

Joining the Church in 1838 catapulted William Clayton into new activities and associations, took him from England to the United States, and offered him soul-satisfying spiritual experiences. As Joseph Smith’s friend and scribe, Clayton kept extensive journals and was the one who recorded the revelation on plural marriage. He also wrote the first history of the Nauvoo Temple. As a pioneer, Clayton wrote the words to the hymn “Come, Come Ye Saints,” and compiled the Latter-day Saints’ Emigrants’ Guide. He was among Salt Lake City’s original settlers and worked in a variety of religious, economic, and civil activities. Clayton was faithful, but he had his share of human frailties. Even though his wives considered him a good husband—so far as plural marriage allowed—why did some divorce him? William Clayton’s life encompassed nearly all the joys and struggles that could come to a Church member of his day. Yet “no toil nor labor” did he fear. His story, in many respects, echoes the soul-stirring words of his immortal Mormon pioneer anthem.

Skeptics have misused some historical sources as they attempt to reverse the Eight Witnesses’ statements about their physical contact with the Book of Mormon plates. The Eight Witnesses speak of viewing the plates themselves with unobstructed vision. They left 10 specific statements of handling the plates. This article provides an overview of the statements and experiences of the Eight Witnesses and the arguments of their critics, both then and now. Their unequivocal testimonies resist revisionists’ attempts to portray their experience as mere illusion or deception.

Richard Anderson gives an overview of the secular and divine functions of witnesses and refers to the anticipation surrounding the revelatory calling of witnesses to view the plates. He describes the circumstances of their calling, details aspects of their lives, comments on their character traits, and answers several typical questions of skeptics. Anderson emphasizes that these witnesses were true to their testimonies.

Martin Harris, a witness of the validity of the existence of the gold plates, stood firm in his testimony of the Book of Mormon and gave his report to all who would listen.

Fifty years of the non-Mormon life of David Whitmer, one of the witnesses of the Book of Mormon, is discussed and his character explored.

A review of five of the Eight Witnesses who handled the golden plates—the four Whitmer brothers and Hiram Page. The testimony of the five witnesses never failed. “In fellowship or alienation, youth or age, persecution, poverty or affluence, four Whitmer brothers and Hiram Page never altered their plain testimony that they handled the original metal record of the Book of Mormon.”

Specific plans to preach the restored gospel in the west matured during the second conference after Church organization, held late September, 1830. The missionary theme was prominent during the three-day duration of this conference. The official minutes summarize what was probably the first missionary farewell in LDS history: “Singing and prayer in behalf of Brother Oliver Cowdery and Peter Whitmer, Jr., who were previously appointed to go to the Lamanites.” The Ohio labors of Oliver Cowdery, Parley P. Pratt, and their companions doubled the membership of the Church and created a solid nucleus for rapid growth and a secure, if temporary, gathering location. One must assess the impact of these four men in four weeks with a certain awe.

An investigative historical summary of each of the Three Witnesses, Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer, Martin Harris, and the Eight Witnesses. Provides a rebuttal to various arguments against the personal character of the witnesses. This work is reviewed in L.131, R.496, and in S.142.

The character of Martin Harris, one of the Three Witnesses of the Book of Mormon, is examined. The author examines accounts of the associates of Martin Harris in the three decades he lived in Palmyra, New York.

The past year intensified the study of the Prophet’s early life because of the release of two “treasure letters” seeming to illuminate the pre-Book of Mormon period. The questionable letter of Joseph Smith to Josiah Stowell in 1825 has a “clever spirit” guarding a treasure hoard. The questionable 1830 letter from Martin Harris to William W. Phelps claims that Joseph spoke of a salamander and “old spirit” at the hill in 1827, though Joseph’s real experience could be obscured by such a singular secondhand report. Publicity on these documents has stimulated research and reevaluation, some of it asserting a lifelong interest of the Prophet in paranormal discovery of riches. This paper examines the basis of such claims after 1827 and finds them wanting. Editor’s Note: The online version of this article was revised after it became public knowledge that the 1830 Martin Harris letter referred to in the article was a Mark Hofmann forgery.

David Whitmer represents “the last surviving witness” of the Book of Mormon plates. This article presents a number of interviews with Whitmer by various figures who interrogated him at times throughout his life.

Review of Oliver Cowdery’s life and accomplishments in the years following his excommunication until his death. Deals specifically with his reputation among associates.

Oliver Cowdery’s records border on scripture. His supplementary testimonies are of the same eyewitness quality as the Joseph Smith references that have entered the standard works. Much of Cowdery’s thinking and writing was modified and polished to a scriptural level by Joseph Smith.

One of the spectacular events of Latter-day Saint history unfolded as Oliver Cowdery walked into a conference session in progress at Council Bluffs in 1848 and was personally escorted to the stand by his friend Orson Hyde. No one in the group seems to have been more impressed than Reuben Miller, who at the same meeting had made his own public reconciliation with the Church. While Cowdery’s return itself is abundantly attested, no historical source but the Miller account adequately reveals Oliver Cowdery’s public testimony upon his return to the Church.

This article gives an in-depth review of sources regarding Oliver Cowdery’s testimony of the Book of Mormon. Gives details of the translation of the Book of Mormon and the disaffection and rebaptism of Cowdery.

This article says that in addition to Oliver Cowdery’s testimony of the Book of Mormon, his testimony of the restoration of the two priesthoods is of great value. As newly-appointed editor of the Church newspaper he wrote an account in installments of the translation of the Book of Mormon. As a part of this series he told of John the Baptist’s visit to restore the Aaronic priesthood.

This article presents many of the Smiths that were witnesses of the gold plates, including Emma Smith, Lucy Mack Smith, William Smith, Joseph Smith, Sr., Hyrum Smith, and Samuel Harrison Smith.

As a witness of significant events in the rise of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Oliver Cowdery’s importance is superseded only by that of the Prophet Joseph Smith. With the exception of Joseph’s First Vision and the appearances of Moroni, Cowdery participated with the Prophet in the key events of the Restoration. The scope of his experiences include the translation of the Book of Mormon, the restoration of the Priesthood, the organization of the Church, the first extensive missionary work of the Church, and divine manifestations in the Kirtland Temple. The youngest of eight children, Oliver Cowdery was born 3 October 1806 in Wells, Rutland County, Vermont. In 1825 he moved to New York, where he worked successively as a clerk in a general store, as a blacksmith, and as a farmer. In 1828 he entered the teaching profession in Manchester, New York, where he first became acquainted with the religious claims of Joseph Smith. His entry into the mainstream of Mormon history occurred in April 1829 when he traveled to Harmony, Pennsylvania, to meet Joseph Smith, who was engaged in the translation of the Book of Mormon. Cowdery assisted Joseph as a scribe during the translation of the major part of that work, and his name appears in the Book of Mormon as one of the witnesses to the reliability of the claims of Joseph Smith regarding its origin and method of translation.

I am impressed with Hyrum’s life, his attitude, and the love that the Lord has for him. The Lord will always have a special love for those who embrace the right. May God help us to realize that in Hyrum Smith we have a man who is a worthy example.

Abstract: The story of Joseph Smith retrieving gold plates from a stone box on a hillside in upstate New York and translating them into the foundational text of the Restoration is well known among Latter-day Saints. While countless retellings have examined these events in considerable detail, very few have explored the geological aspects involved in this story. In particular, none have discussed in detail the geological materials that would have been required by the Nephite prophet Moroni ca. ad 421 to construct a sealed container able to protect the gold plates from the elements and from premature discovery for some fourteen centuries. This paper reports the outcomes from a field investigation into what resources would have been available to Moroni in the Palmyra area. It was conducted by the authors in New York state in October 2017.

The Lord has always used two or three witnesses to establish his word, including when he chose the Three Witnesses of the Book of Mormon.

A narrative of the first vision, the coming forth of the Book of Mormon, visits of Moroni and other heavenly messengers assigned to instruct Joseph during the period 1823-1827 are presented using Joseph Smith’s four written histories in conjunction with other accounts written by Lucy Smith, Orson Pratt, Oliver Cowdery, and others. Also provides observations and recollections concerning Joseph Smith during the period of the translation and publication of the Book of Mormon. This work is reviewed in P.301.

This series defends the reality of the natural catastrophes described in 3 Nephi 8-10. It quotes descriptions of more recent hurricanes and earthquakes to show how similar the details are and how accurate the Book of Mormon account is. The account in 3 Nephi 8-10 is so accurate that neither Joseph Smith nor Oliver Cowdery could have had sufficient knowledge of the facts of natural disasters to have invented this description. The first part covers hurricanes.

This series defends the reality of the natural catastrophes described in 3 Nephi 8-10. Quotes descriptions of more recent hurricanes and earthquakes to show how similar the details are and how accurate the Book of Mormon account is. The account in 3 Nephi 8-10 is so accurate that neither Joseph Smith nor Oliver Cowdery could have had sufficient knowledge of the facts of natural disasters to have invented this description. The second part covers earthquakes.

The 2007 BYU Church History Symposium Wilford Woodruff was different from his predecessors and successors in one particular way—he left an incredibly detailed handwritten record, spanning over sixty years, of nearly everything he did and experienced. He is arguably the third most important figure in all of LDS church history after Joseph Smith, who began Mormonism, and Brigham Young, who led the Saints to Utah and supervised the early colonization of the intermountain west. Through his skillful, inspired leadership and direction, Wilford Woodruff helped bring about accommodation and change, leading the Church into the social, cultural, and religious mainstream of American society. This book is a compilation of presentations selected from the annual BYU Church History Symposium hosted by BYU Religious Education to honor Wilford Woodruff, to explore his life and the many roles he filled, and to celebrate the two-hundredth anniversary of his birth. ISBN 978-0-8425-2776-7

This 1996 dissertation demonstrates that the expulsion of the Latter-day Saints from Missouri in 1838-1839 was entirely unwarranted and illegal. Analyzing the history of the seven military episodes of this conflict, especially in terms of the traditional roles of local militias in the United States, Alexander L. Baugh shows that Latter-day Saints as United States citizens had every right to take up arms to defend themselves, particularly when local and state officials failed or refused to intervene in their behalf. While there was wrong-doing especially on the part of some Mormon extremists, this study, contrary to other recent interpretations, places the balance of the responsibility for this antagonism heavily and decisively on the side of the Missourians.

The 2006 BYU Church History Symposium Besides the Prophet, no one was more involved in the key events of the Restoration or mentioned more often in the Doctrine and Covenants than Oliver Cowdery. He was influential in the highest councils of the Church as well as in the councils of his community. While many are familiar with his contributions to the Restoration, few understand his personality and his deep spirituality. This book is a compilation of presentations selected from the annual BYU Church History Symposium hosted by BYU Religious Education and explores the life of Oliver Cowdery and the many roles he filled. This symposium was held to honor him and celebrate the two hundredth anniversary of his birth. ISBN 978-0-8425-2742-2

Discoveries highlights poems that trace Mormon women’s life experiences from creation through childbirth, youth marriage, motherhood, aging, death, and entrance into eternity. The poetry stirs us to remember, to ponder, often to laugh, sometimes to weep, yet always to rejoice.

I…have chosen to see the hand of the Lord not only in our history but also in the discovery of new understandings of His handiwork in the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ in these latter days.

Abstract: In October 1830, Oliver Cowdery, Peter Whitmer Jr., Parley P. Pratt, and Ziba Peterson were the first missionaries sent to travel through the western states to the Indian territory at the far reaches of the United States. Pratt, a former resident of northeastern Ohio, suggested they stop in the Kirtland, Ohio, area and visit his preacher friend, Sidney Rigdon. It was Rigdon who had earlier convinced Pratt that the restoration of the ancient order that included faith in Jesus Christ, repentance, baptism for the remission of sins, and the promise of the gift of the Holy Spirit could be found in Alexander Campbell’s restoration movement. Within a few weeks, the four missionaries baptized Rigdon and more than 100 new converts into Joseph Smith’s restoration movement — many of whom had been members of Campbell’s restoration movement. Although both Alexander Campbell and Joseph Smith called their movements restorations, the foundation upon which each was built was very different.

During my graduate studies I took on the project of obtaining photographic images of each apostle of this dispensation. The task proved difficult, but I found photographic likeness for all but seven members of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. My interest in collecting daguerreotypes has continued since that day, and it has led me to the discovery of what I believe is an original daguerreotype of Oliver Cowdery. One criterion for authenticating an image is to see if the clothing fashions worn in the photo correspond to the person’s age in that time period. Many websites have viewable copies of daguerreotypes. One of the best sites to find photographs of early clothing styles is the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. On the evening of February 6, 2006, I was studying images thought to contain 1840s clothing styles, when daguerreotype 1363 (fig. 1) came up. This original daguerreotype, located at the Library of Congress Archives in Washington, D.C., was entitled “Unidentified man, half-length portrait, with arm resting on table with tablecloth.” There were also more facts about the daguerreotype on the information page. I surmised that the portrait may contain the image of Oliver Cowdery. As I gave more consideration to this newly discovered image over the next few days, I decided to do a preliminary comparison between the image and other likenesses of Oliver Cowdery.

The Frontier Guardian was published in Kanesville, Pottawattamie County, Iowa, from 1849 to 1851. The newspaper was started by Orson Hyde, who used it to maintain contact among the Latter-day Saints and to help keep them focused on their ultimate destination in the West. However, the Guardian’s content reflected the diverse culture of the region. The paper covered local, national, and international news. Information about the westward trek—mostly to the Salt Lake Valley and to the California gold fields—appeared in every issue, and those who traveled west had various religious affiliations. The Guardian is a window into this way station for westward emigration, and the newspaper illuminates the religious, social, economic, and political aspects of this frontier community. The Frontier Guardian connected the Latter-day Saints in Kanesville and recorded their experiences. Including people of all faiths, the newspaper highlights miners, politicians, business owners, and newspaper subscribers, alongside Mormon emigrants, missionaries, and dissidents. Even newlyweds and the deceased emerge from the Guardian’s columns in Black’s annotations, the sum total bringing rich human texture to this period of constant movement. —Jill Mulvay Derr, co-editor of Eliza R. Snow: The Complete Poetry

Published from November 1854 to December 1855, the St. Louis Luminary was started by Apostle Erastus Snow, the Latter-day Saint leader over the region. The newspaper maintained contact among the members, helped emigrating Saints stay focused on their ultimate destination in the West, and played a significant role in the national discussion of polygamy, which had been publicly announced in 1852. Snow’s goal was to produce a paper “devoted to the exposition of the favorable side of Mormonism,” something the “honest inquirer” had longed to read. The newspaper also consisted of a composite of exchanges from other periodicals, and a variety of local businesses—regardless of whether they were owned by Mormons—advertised in it. Furthermore, hundreds of names published in the columns yield a valuable genealogical database. Its forty-two missionary-agents traveled throughout most of the Midwest soliciting subscribers. I believe that this work will benefit readers and researchers alike by helping them explore another Mormon periodical from the mid-ninteenth century. Professor Black has again provided us with a powerful research tool that sheds light on a corner of history which has gone largely neglected. —Fred E. Woods, Professor, Church History and Doctrine, Brigham Young University and author of When the Saints Came Marching In: A History of the Latter-day Saints in St. Louis

The familiar narrative of how Martin Harris mortgaged his farm to pay the printing cost of the first five thousand copies of the Book of Mormon overlooks details that make possible a fuller appreciation of his key role in the restoration of the gospel. Financially and otherwise, Harris was uniquely situated to secure the publisher’s note and relieve the financial tension that imperiled the book’s publication. Details of his family background, land ownership, business enterprises, and generosity are reviewed. Despite his pattern of vacillating in his religious commitments, his loss of 116 pages of translated manuscript, his exposure to public ridicule, and his fracturing marriage, Harris proved willing and able to honor the mortgage agreement and the Lord’s directives to him in Doctrine and Covenants, section 19. He did so at great personal cost when all attempts to recoup the publication costs failed and the shared financial responsibility unexpectedly fell solely on him. The view is expressed that Harris was raised up by the Lord to assist the Prophet Joseph Smith by securing and then personally financing the first publication of the Restoration.

Martin Harris: Uncompromising Witness of the Book of Mormon reveals the compelling story of a man who had seen angels and knew Joseph Smith was a prophet but who nevertheless struggled to keep his faith in the prophetic calling of Joseph Smith and the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ. His is a story of fascination with worldly honors, flirtations with apostasy, and pride that nearly cost him the joy of his later years in the West. It is the biography of a witness who clung tenaciously to his testimony of the Book of Mormon. Well-known historians Susan Black and Larry Porter have written a landmark biography of Martin Harris, one of the most important figures in early Church history. Joseph Smith relied on his generosity and goodwill to publish the Book of Mormon, of which he was one of the Three Witnesses. But Latter-day Saints in the twenty-first century know relatively little about him, especially the decades he spent away from the Restoration—until now. This biography deserves a place on the bookshelves of historians and other interested Church members. Strongly recommend. Reid L. Neilson Assistant Church Historian and Recorder The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints This deeply researched book examines the life of one of Joseph Smith’s closest associates in the Church’s early years. It tells us more about signifi­cant episodes, such as the printing of the Book of Mormon, than anyone has ever known. Most important, it helps us reassess the character of Martin Harris, a key contributor to the Restoration. Harris emerges as a man of substance and judgment, a fitting witness to the angel and the plates. The book explains how he fell away and then returned but at no time backed away from his testimony. Richard Lyman Bushman Author, Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling As one of the earliest believers in Joseph Smith’s spiritual claims, Martin Harris figured prominently in the early events of the Restoration. He observed firsthand many of the sacred scenes associated with the coming forth of the Book of Mormon, assisted in its translation, was one of the book’s Three Witnesses, financed its publication, and was one of the first converts baptized into the Church of Christ. Authors Susan Easton Black and Larry C. Porter have produced an insightful, informative, well-­documented biography of Martin Harris’s lifelong religious sojourn—a life characterized by integrity, faith, and generosity, but most of all, testimony. This is solid, down-to-earth biographical history at its best. Alexander L. Baugh Professor, Church History and Doctrine, BYU

Martin Harris, one of the Three Witnesses of the Book of Mormon, was the only witness to join the Saints in Utah. This journey was commenced only after missionaries passed through Kirtland for decades and attempted to convince Harris to make the journey to the Salt Lake Valley. Although each missionary over the course of decades was unsuccessful in his attempts to convince the impoverished, lonely Harris to go to Utah, each was spiritually renewed through the ever-present testimony of the witness of the Book of Mormon and “custodian” of the Kirtland Temple. This is the testimony Harris spread even as he traveled to Utah after a former acquaintance of his finally convinced him to make the trip at the age of eighty-seven. Finally in Utah, Harris enjoyed again the blessings of the church and continued to pronounce, even until he died, his powerful testimony of the Book of Mormon.

A history of David Whitmer written for his descendants, but also includes a history of Joseph Smith, the coming forth of the Book of Mormon, and the apostasy of the “Mormon Church” Also provides a historical sketch of Solomon Spaulding, calling attention to the fact that David Whitmer never denied his testimony of the Book of Mormon.

The 2013 BYU Church History Symposium This volume is a collection of essays by prominent LDS scholars–including keynote speakers Richard Bushman and David Holland–that discuss the interest in the ancient world shared by Joseph Smith and the early Latter-day Saints. Topics include Joseph Smith’s fascination with the ancient Americas, his interaction with the Bible, his study of Hebrew and Greek, his reading of Jewish and Christian apocryphal writings, and his work with the Book of Abraham in the context of nineteenth-century Egyptology. Together, these essays demonstrate that Joseph Smith’s interests in antiquity played an important role in his prophetic development as he sought to recover ancient scripture, restore the ancient Church, and bring the Latter-day Saints into fellowship with the sacred past. ISBN 978‐0‐8425‐2966‐2

A non-Mormon scholar states that the Spaulding theory is false and that Joseph Smith is not a fraud, arguing that the Book of Mormon witnesses who left the Church would have exposed the Book of Mormon story if it truly were fraudulent.

Provides a letter from E. C. Brand calling attention to David Whitmer’s testimony of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. Includes Whitmer’s condemnation of Joseph Smith’s activities following 1830.

Don Bradley puts forward compelling evidence of the sincerity of Joseph Smith, focusing on his practice of polygamy.

response to Royle, J. C. “Faith and Credulity” Earnest Worker 1 (December 1883): n.p. Asserts that the witnesses of the Book of Mormon were only carrying out a “cunning trick arranged for them by Joseph Smith”

This page contains a picture of copies of the Book of Mormon and a very short paragraph on a page of a Book of Mormon owned by Hyrum and Joseph Smith with signatures to their testimony.

A letter describing a conversation between E. C. Briggs and David Whitmer. David Whitmer spoke of the vision of the angel and the gold plates, the process of translation, and of an attempt by Orson Pratt to purchase the final manuscript for printing.

An exhibition of the gold plates would not convert nonbelievers to the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. Few people would have access to, or would be able to read the plates. The testimonies of the witnesses were never revoked.

Argues that it would be useless to show the Book of Mormon plates to the public, for a display of the gold plates would not build faith in Jesus Christ. The Lord has already sent a multitude of witnesses to testify of the Book of Mormon.

Mapping Mormonism brings together contributions from sixty experts in the fields of geography, history, Mormon history, and economics to produce the most monumental work of its kind. More than an atlas, this book also includes hundreds of timelines and charts, along with carefully researched descriptions, that track the Mormon movement from its humble beginnings to its worldwide expansion. A work of this magnitude rarely comes along. Mapping Mormonism’s first edition proved to be a landmark reference work in Mormon studies; now it is further improved and updated with the latest information in this second edition. This work covers the early Restoration, the settlement of the West, and the expanding Church, giving particular emphasis to recent developments in the modern Church throughout all regions of the world. Of all the books on Church history, Mapping Mormonism may be the single most effective work to date at giving an expansive vision of the rise of the LDS Church⿿a vision as vibrant as those who have led the way in building Zion. In 2012, Mapping Mormonism won the Mormon History Association Best Book Award and the Cartography and Geographic Information Society Best Atlas Award.

Sets forth the places where the Book of Mormon was translated, beginning in Harmony, Pennsylvania, to its completion in the home of Peter Whitmer, Sr. The role of Martin Harris and the lost 116 manuscript pages are also discussed.

This volume presents the second series of papers from the Archive of Restoration Culture seminar on Joseph Smith and his times at the Joseph Fielding Smith Institute for Latter-day Saint History. The Archive of Restoration Culture was founded on the belief that Joseph Smith and the Restoration cannot be appreciated without an understanding of his environment. Advanced undergraduate and graduate students from several disciplines were drawn by the opportunity to examine Joseph Smith from the viewpoint of their disciplines, often in comparative perspective. This volume continues with the research papers written by the seminar participants in the years 2000 to 2002. Investigations range widely, covering varied topics arranged into the broad themes “Interpreting Sacred Texts,” “Cosmologies and Theologies,” “Temple and Ritual,” and “People and Places.” The nineteen papers in this volume show great imagination in the students’ innovative approaches to Joseph Smith’s character, his works, and his history.

This compilation of groundbreaking Book of Mormon articles is selected from over fifty years of LDS scholarship published by BYU Studies. This volume features articles on various believers and nonbelievers, including William E. McLellan, Mark Twain, B. H. Roberts, and Minerva Teichert. Contents “William E. McLellan’s Testimony of the Book of Mormon” Larry C. Porter “‘The Testimony of Men’: William E. McLellin and the Book of Mormon Witnesses” Mitchell K. Schaefer “The Gentle Blasphemer: Mark Twain, Holy Scripture, and the Book of Mormon” Richard H. Cracroft “B. H. Roberts and the Book of Mormon” Truman G. Madsen “Minerva Teichert: Scriptorian and Artist” Marian Ashby Johnson “Minerva Teichert: A Passion for the Book of Mormon” John W. Welch and Doris R. Dant

This ebook contains a variety of articles from BYU Studies on aspects of modern scripture. It begins with a series of four articles by the Joseph Smith Papers editors who were involved in publishing the Book of Commandments and Revelations, which contains the earliest version of several of Joseph Smith’s revelations. Robert J. Woodford, Robin S. Jensen, Steven C. Harper, and Grant Underwood discuss the history of the BCR, its provenance, and some of the most relevant features of this unique document, one of the most significant finds in LDS Church history in recent years. In other articles, Scott H. Faulring examines the 1829 “Articles of the Church of Christ”; Robert J. Matthews discusses text of Joseph Smith’s Inspired Version of the Bible; Thomas Sherry recounts Matthews’s work with the RLDS Church in gaining access to original documents involved in Joseph’s Bible translation; James R. Harris examines changes in the book of Moses and their implications; Hugh Nibley offers an introduction to studying the book of Abraham; Robert J. Matthews discusses the 1979 and 1981 editions of the Standard Works; and Lyndon W. Cook explores a 1902 textual change in the fourth Article of Faith. Contents “The Voice of the Prophet” Steven C. Walker “Introducing A Book of Commandments and Revelations, a Major New Documentary ‘Discovery’” Robert J. Woodford “From Manuscript to Printed Page: An Analysis of the History of the Book of Commandments and Revelations” Robin S. Jensen “Historical Headnotes and the Index of Contents in the Book of Commandments and Revelations” Steven C. Harper “Revelation, Text, and Revision: Insight from the Book of Commandments and Revelations” Grant Underwood “More Than an Index: The First Reference Guide to the Doctrine and Covenants as a Window into Early Mormonism” Grant Underwood “A Study of the Text of Joseph Smith’s Inspired Version of the Bible” Robert J. Matthews “Robert J. Matthews and the RLDS Church’s Inspired Version of the Bible” Thomas E. Sherry Changes in the Book of Moses and Their Implications upon a Concept of Revelation” James R. Harris “Prolegomena to Any Study of the Book of Abraham” Hugh Nibley “The New Publications of the Standard Works—1979, 1981” Robert J. Matthews “Note on the Articles of Faith” Lyndon W. Cook”

This compilation of groundbreaking Book of Mormon articles is selected from over fifty years of LDS scholarship published by BYU Studies. This volume features articles on Moroni’s visits, the Anthon transcript, the original Book of Mormon manuscript, the Dogberry Papers, copyright law in 1830, and more. Contents “A Survey of Pre-1830 Historical Sources Relating to the Book of Mormon” David A. Palmer “Where Were the Moroni Visits?” Russell R. Rich “The Anthon Transcript: People, Primary Sources, and Problems” Stanley B. Kimball “The Colesville Branch and the Coming Forth of the Book of Mormon” Larry C. Porter “The Original Book of Mormon Manuscript” Dean C. Jessee “The Dogberry Papers and the Book of Mormon” Russell R. Rich “Copyright Laws and the 1830 Book of Mormon” Nathaniel Hinckley Wadsworth “‘Securing’ the Prophet’s Copyright in the Book of Mormon: Historical and Legal Context for the So-called Canadian Copyright Revelation” Stephen Kent Ehat “‘Entered At Stationers’ Hall’: The British Copyright Registrations for the Book of Mormon in 1841 and the Doctrine and Covenants in 1845” Edward L. Carter “The Coming Forth of the Book of Mormon in the Twentieth Century” Noel B. Reynolds

This compilation of groundbreaking articles about Joseph Smith’s doctrinal teachings is selected from over fifty years of LDS scholarship published by BYU Studies. This volume features articles on the law of adoption, Mormon perceptions of death, the preexistence, the King Follett Discourse, corporeality, and more. Contents “Doctrinal Development of the Church during the Nauvoo Sojourn, 1839–46” T. Edgar Lyon “An Epistle of the Twelve, March 1842” Josh E. Probert “Some Significant Texts of Joseph Smith’s Inspired Version of the Bible” Robert J. Matthews “The Law of Adoption: One Phase of the Development of the Mormon Concept of Salvation, 1830–1900” Gordon Irving “To Overcome the ‘Last Enemy’: Early Mormon Perceptions of Death” M. Guy Bishop “‘Saved or Damned’: Tracing a Persistent Protestantism in Early Mormon Thought” Grant Underwood “The Development of the Doctrine of Preexistence, 1830–1844” Charles R. Harrell “The Doctrinal Impact of the King Follett Discourse” Van Hale “Examining Six Key Concepts in Joseph Smith’s Understanding of Genesis 1:1” Kevin L. Barney “Are Christians Mormon? Reassessing Joseph Smith’s Theology in His Bicentennial” David Paulsen

This compilation of articles and book reviews on Mormon polygamy is selected from over fifty years of LDS scholarship published by BYU Studies. This volume features articles on the Church’s legal confrontation with government over polygamy, various aspects of plural marriage in St. George, the perspectives of two prominent Mormon plural wives (Eliza R. Snow and Emmeline B. Wells), and several reviews of books addressing various aspects of polygamy. Contents “Letters on Mormon Polygamy and Progeny: Eliza R. Snow and Martin Luther Holbrook, 1866–1869” Jill Mulvay Derr and Matthew J. Grow “A Strange Encounter: The English Courts and Mormon Polygamy” Kenneth L. Cannon II “Emmeline B. Wells: ‘Am I Not a Woman and a Sister?’” Carol Cornwall Madsen “The Legislative Antipolygamy Campaign” Richard D. Poll “The Mormon Disfranchisements of 1882 to 1892” Joseph H. Groberg “The Judicial Campaign against Polygamy and the Enduring Legal Questions” Edwin Brown Firmage “Probing the High Prevalence of Polygyny in St. George, 1861–1880: An Introduction” Davis Bitton, Val Lambson, Lowell C. Bennion, and Kathryn M. Daynes “Demographic Limits of Nineteenth-Century Mormon Polygyny” Davis Bitton and Val Lambson “Mapping the Extent of Plural Marriage in St. George, 1861–1880” Lowell C. Bennion “Striving to Live the Principle in Utah’s First Temple City: A Snapshot of Polygamy in St. George, Utah, in June 1880” Kathryn M. Daynes “Plural Marriage in St. George: A Summary and an Invitation” Davis Bitton, Val Lambson, Lowell C. Bennion, and Kathryn M. Daynes Review of Elizabeth Wood Kane, Twelve Mormon Homes Visited in Successions on a Journey Through Utah to Arizona Reviewed by Eugene E. Campbell Review of Jessie L. Embry, Mormon Polygamous Families: Life in the Principle Reviewed by Kahlile Mehr Review of Larry M. Logue, A Sermon in the Desert: Belief and Behavior in Early St. George, Utah Reviewed by Armand L. Mauss Review of Richard S. Van Wagoner, Mormon Polygamy: A History, 2d ed. Reviewed by Thomas G. Alexander Review of Jennifer Moulton Hansen, Letters of Catharine Cottam Romney, Plural Wife; Maria S. Ellsworth, Mormon Odyssey: The Story of Ida Hunt Udall, Plural Wife; and Stan Larson, Prisoner for Polygamy: The Memoirs and Letters of Rudger Clawson at the Utah Territorial Penitentiary, 1884–87 Reviewed by Kathryn M. Daynes Review of Joan Smyth Iversen, The Antipolygamy Controversy in U.S. Women’s Movements, 1880–1925: A Debate on the American Home Reviewed by Jed L. Woodworth Review of Norman R. Bowen, A Gentile Account of Life in Utah’s Dixie, 1872–73: Elizabeth Kane’s St. George Journal Reviewed by Carol Cornwall Madsen Review of Sarah Barringer Gordon, The Mormon Question: Polygamy and Constitutional Conflict in Nineteenth-Century America Reviewed by Nathan B. Oman and Reviewed by Terryl L. Givens Review of Kathryn M. Daynes, More Wives Than One: Transformation of the Mormon Marriage System, 1840–1910 Reviewed by Sarah Barringer Gordon Review of Brian C. Hales, Modern Polygamy and Mormon Fundamentalism: The Generations after the Manifesto Reviewed by J. Michael Hunter Review of B. Carmon Hardy, Doing the Works of Abraham: Mormon Polygamy, Its Origin, Practice, and Demise Reviewed by Kathryn M. Daynes Review of George D. Smith, Nauvoo Polygamy: “. . . but we called it celestial marriage” Reviewed by Thomas G. Alexander

Twenty-three landmark speeches by Church and University leaders about the religious and academic nature of education in Zion and BYU. These speeches have charted and refined the singular course of LDS higher education. Everyone will want to be familiar with these valuable statements about academic learning in a spiritual atmosphere by some of our greatest educators, including karl G. Maeser, David O. McKay, Hugh B. Brown, Dallin H. Oaks, Rex E. Lee, Jeffrey R. Holland, Boyd K. Packer, Neal A. Maxwell, Gordon B. Hinckley, and Spencer W. Kimball.

This compilation of groundbreaking articles about the handcart migration is selected from over fifty years of LDS scholarship published by BYU Studies. This volume features articles on the Martin company at the Sweetwater; Francis Webster’s testimony regarding the Martin company; weather, disaster and responsibility; and reviews of books about the handcart migration. Contents “Francis Webster: The Unique Story of One Handcart Pioneer’s Faith and Sacrifice” Chad M. Orton “Weather, Disaster, and Responsibility: An Essay on the Willie and Martin Handcart Story” Howard A. Christy “The Martin Handcart Company at the Sweetwater: Another Look” Chad M. Orton Review of LeRoy R. Hafen and Ann W. Hafen, Handcarts to Zion Reviewed by S. Lyman Tyler Review of Gary Duane Long, The Journey of the James G. Willie Handcart Company Reviewed by Howard A. Christy Review of Allen C. Christenson, Before Zion: An Account of the Seventh Handcart Company Reviewed by Paul D. Lyman

This compilation of groundbreaking articles about Joseph Smith is selected from over fifty years of LDS scholarship published by BYU Studies. This volume features articles on Kirtland, the chronology of the Ohio revelations, the Book of Commandments and Revelations, the United Firm, the Kirtland Temple, Mormon political involvement in Ohio, and more. Contents “Kirtland: A Perspective on Time and Place” Robert L. Layton “From Manuscript to Printed Page: An Analysis of the History of the Book of Commandments and Revelations” Robin Scott Jensen “Joseph Smith and the United Firm: The Growth and Decline of the Church’s First Master Plan of Business and Finance, Ohio and Missouri, 1832–1834” Max H Parkin “Newel and Lydia Bailey Knight’s Kirtland Love Story and Historic Wedding” William G. Hartley “Joseph Smith’s Performance of Marriages in Ohio” M. Scott Bradshaw “An Introduction to the Kirtland Flats Ashery” Benjamin C. Pykles “Sweet Counsel and Seas of Tribulation: The Religious Life of the Women in Kirtland” Linda King Newell and Valeen Tippetts Avery “The Appearance of Elijah and Moses in the Kirtland Temple and the Jewish Passover” Stephen D. Ricks “The Apostle Peter and the Kirtland Temple” Lyndon Cook “Joseph Smith and the 1834 D. P. Hurlbut Case” David W. Grua “Mormon Political Involvement in Ohio” Max H Parkin “The Waning of Mormon Kirtland” Davis Bitton

This compilation of groundbreaking articles about Joseph Smith is selected from over fifty years of LDS scholarship published by BYU Studies. This volume features articles on young Joseph Smith’s leg surgery, the historical setting and early accounts of the First Vision, friends’ and family members’ recollections of Joseph’s early religious experiences, Joseph’s 1826 trial, and more. Contents “Joseph Smith’s Boyhood Operation: An 1813 Surgical Success” LeRoy S. Wirthlin “Awakenings in the Burned-over District: New Light on the Historical Setting of the First Vision” Milton V. Backman Jr. “The Earliest Documented Accounts of Joseph Smith’s First Vision” Dean C. Jessee “Katharine Smith Salisbury’s Recollections of Joseph’s Meetings with Moroni” Kyle R. Walker “The Colesville Branch and the Coming Forth of the Book of Mormon” Larry C. Porter “Joseph Knight’s Recollection of Early Mormon History” Dean C. Jessee “Joseph Smith and the Manchester (New York) Library” Robert Paul “Money-Digging Folklore and the Beginnings of Mormonism: An Interpretive Suggestion” Marvin S. Hill “Joseph Smith’s 1826 Trial: The Legal Setting” Gordon A. Madsen

This compilation of groundbreaking articles about Joseph Smith’s famous King Follett Discourse is selected from over fifty years of LDS scholarship published by BYU Studies. This volume features articles examining the King Follett Discourse and its doctrinal impact, including an amalgamated text of Joseph’s greatest sermon. Contents: “The King Follett Discourse: Joseph Smith’s Greatest Sermon in Historical Perspective” Donald Q. Cannon “The King Follett Discourse: A Newly Amalgamated Text” Stan Larson “The Doctrinal Impact of the King Follett Discourse” Van Hale “Examining Six Key Concepts in Joseph Smith’s Understanding of Genesis 1:1” Kevin L. Barney

This compilation of articles on the Latter-day Saint experience in Kirtland and Nauvoo is selected from over fifty years of LDS scholarship published by BYU Studies. This volume features articles on the temples in these two cities, including heavenly manifestations in the Kirtland Temple, temple doctrines developed in Nauvoo, artworks in the Nauvoo Temple celestial room, and the lawsuit over ownership of the Kirtland Temple.

This compilation of articles on the art and architecture is selected from over fifty years of LDS scholarship published by BYU Studies. This volume features articles on early Mormon architects and architecture, artwork in the Nauvoo Temple, Minerva Teichert’s Manti Temple murals, symbolism in the Salt Lake Temple, and the art and architecture of the Hawai‘i Temple.

Proceedings of the March 2001 symposium of the Joseph Fielding Smith Institute for Latter-day Saint History at Brigham Young University. This symposium was geared to a diverse audience of scholars, family historians, and students interested in how one writes about a life and more specifically the life of a Latter-day Saint.

This compilation of groundbreaking articles about the Martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum Smith is selected from over fifty years of LDS scholarship published by BYU Studies. This volume features articles on Joseph’s meeting with John C. Calhoun Jr., a crime scene analysis of the Carthage Jail, the Joseph/Hyrum funeral sermon, mobocracy, the Martyrdom itself, and the aftermath of this tragic event. Contents “John C. Calhoun Jr. Meets the Prophet Joseph Smith Shortly before the Departure for Carthage” Brian Q. Cannon “The Martyrdom of Joseph Smith and His Brother Hyrum by Dan Jones introduced and translated” Ronald D. Dennis “Physical Evidence at Carthage Jail and What It Reveals about the Assassination of Joseph and Hyrum Smith” Joseph L. Lyon and David W. Lyon “The Joseph/Hyrum Smith Funeral Sermon” Richard S. Van Wagoner and Steven C. Walker “Life in Nauvoo, June 1844: Vilate Kimball’s Martyrdom Letters” Ronald K. Esplin “‘It Seems That All Nature Mourns’: Sally Randall’s Response to the Murder of Joseph and Hyrum Smith” Steven C. Harper and Jordan Watkins “A Little Known Account of the Murders of Joseph and Hyrum Smith” Jan Shipps “The Lynching of an American Prophet” Warren A. Jennings “Mobocracy and the Rule of Law: American Press Reaction to the Murder of Joseph Smith” Paul Ellsworth “Nauvoo’s Whistling and Whittling Brigade” Thurmon Dean Moody “‘Will the Murderers Be Hung?’ Albert Brown’s 1844 Letter and the Martyrdom of Joseph Smith” Timothy Merrill Review of Dallin H. Oaks and Marvin S. Hill, Carthage Conspiracy: The Trial of the Accused Assassins of Joseph Smith Reviewed by Klaus J. Hansen

Beginning in 1870, Utah women from both polygamist and monogamist marriages attempted to establish their primacy as the standard-bearer of woman’s rights in the territory. Some sought support from leaders within the territory while others looked to those in the national arena. Ultimately, the activities of Mormon women helped to secure woman suffrage for Utah in 1870. Although it was the New Movement women who helped advance the women’s rights dialogue in the territory and establish a relationship between Utah’s women and eastern suffragists, their efforts prepared the way for an alliance between Mormon women and national suffragists. Many historians have overlooked the role of Mormon women in securing woman suffrage. Because Mormon women neither publicly drafted petitions nor held public demonstrations to seek the vote, many historians have concluded that they were not politically active until after they were enfranchised and then only in response to attempts to disfranchise them. However, the reaction of Mormon women to their enfranchisement and their readiness to assume an active political role in their communities suggest a different conclusion: that they were politicized prior to enfranchisement and their activities contributed to their own enfranchisement. Nineteenth-century woman suffragists in Utah left a legacy of activism, commitment and achievement.

This compilation of groundbreaking articles about succession in the presidency after Joseph Smith’s death is selected from over fifty years of LDS scholarship published by BYU Studies. This volume features articles on succession in Church leadership, the passing of the mantle from Joseph to Brigham, two years of hostility and distrust after the Martyrdom, a declaration of the Twelve regarding Apostolic succession, and a review of a book on the subject. Contents “The Mormon Succession Crisis of 1844” D. Michael Quinn “Joseph, Brigham and the Twelve: A Succession of Continuity” Ronald K. Esplin “‘I Roll the Burthen and Responsibility of Leading This Church Off from My Shoulders on to Yours’: The 1844/1845 Declaration of the Quorum of the Twelve Regarding Apostolic Succession” Alexander L. Baugh and Richard Neitzel Holzapfel “The Mantle of the Prophet Joseph Passes to Brother Brigham: A Collective Spiritual Witness” Lynne W. Jorgensen “From Assassination to Expulsion: Two Years of Distrust, Hostility, and Violence” Marshall Hamilton Review of Reed C. Durham Jr. and Steven H. Heath, Succession in the Church Reviewed by Duane E. Jeffrey

The Archive of Restoration Culture was founded on the belief that Joseph Smith and the Restoration cannot be appreciated without an understanding of his environment. Student-scholars began working on the Archive project in 1997 and were followed during the next two years by other teams of advanced undergraduates and graduate students. The papers in the volume are the fruits of their labors. They show how far afield Joseph Smith’s thoughts ranged, and how many of his contemporaries were wrestling with similar issues—the role of Israel, the nature of priesthood, the quest for the visionary. The nineteen articles collected in this book are divided into the following categories: priesthood and Church government, visionary leaders in the age of Joseph Smith, distinctive doctrines of the Restoration in historical context, and the cultural background of the Restoration. Joseph Smith becomes both more recognizable and more unusual when placed against this background.

As part of the Smith Institute’s women’s initiative, eight advanced students were invited to BYU in summer 2003 to research women’s history in the twentieth century. The eight papers in this volume are the fruits of their labors. The papers show the actions and reactions of faithful women affected by change in the Church, such as international growth and the institution of the correlation program, and by change in American culture, such as the social revolutions of the late twentieth century. While there were a number of great and important women to study, the scholars wanted also to consider the lives of the unsung. This volume reflects the scholars’ search for the generalities that create a master narrative of LDS women’s experience in the twentieth century interwoven with the individual stories, the poignant quotations, and the experiences of individual women.

In March 2002, the Smith Institute hosted top Latter-day Saint historians at the Telling the Story of Mormon History symposium. This symposium was designed to explore the ways in which Mormon history is presented and the range of purposes it serves. Elder Bruce C. Hafen opened the conference with a keynote address explaining some of the challenges he faced when writing his biography of Elder Neal A. Maxwell, The Story of a Disciple’s Life.

This compilation of articles on the temple doctrines and ordinances is selected from over fifty years of LDS scholarship published by BYU Studies and from the Encyclopedia of Mormonism. This volume features articles on Nauvoo temple doctrines, the law of adoption, the 1877 commencement of endowments and sealings for the dead, prayer circles, and temple elements in ancient religious communities. Contents “Doctrine and the Temple in Nauvoo” by Larry C. Porter and Milton V. Backman Jr. “The Practice of Rebaptism at Nauvoo” by D. Michael Quinn “The Law of Adoption: One Phase of the Development of the Mormon Concept of Salvation, 1830–1900” by Gordon Irving “Believing Adoption” by Samuel M. Brown “‘Line upon Line, Precept upon Precept’: Reflections on the 1877 Commencement of the Performance of Endowments and Sealings of the Dead” by Richard E. Bennett “‘Which Is the Wisest Course?’: The Transformation in Mormon Temple Consciousness, 1870–1898” by Richard E. Bennett “Latter-day Saint Prayer Circles” by D. Michael Quinn “Temple Worship and a Possible Reference to a Prayer Circle in Psalm 24” by Donald W. Parry “Clothed Upon: A Unique Aspect of Christian Antiquity” by Blake T. Ostler “Temple Elements in Ancient Religious Communities” by Brent J. Schmidt “Meanings and Functions of Temples” by Hugh W. Nibley “Latter-Day Saint Temple Worship and Activity” by Immo Luschin “Temple Recommend” by Robert A. Tucker “Temple President and Matron” by David H. Yarn Jr. and Marilyn S. Yarn “Administration of Temples” by Robert L. Simpson “Salvation of the Dead” by Elma Fugal “Family History, Genealogy” by David H. Pratt “Temple Ordinances” by Allen Claire Rozsa “Baptism for the Dead: LDS Practice” by H. David Burton “Baptism for the Dead: Ancient Sources” by Krister Stendahl “Washings and Anointings” by Donald W. Parry “Endowment” by Alma P. Burton “Prayer Circle” by George S. Tate “Garments” by Evelyn T. Marshall “Sealing Power” by David H. Yarn Jr. “Temple Sealings” by Paul V. Hyer “Eternal Marriage” by James T. Duke “Patriarchal Order of the Priesthood” by Lynn A. McKinlay “Born in the Covenant” by Ralph L. Cottrell Jr. “Holy of Holies” by Lyle Cahoon “Altar” by Bruce H. Porter “LDS Temple Dedications” by D. Arthur Haycock “Hosanna Shout” by Lael J. Woodbury “Temples through the Ages” by Stephen D. Ricks “History of LDS Temples from 1831 to 1990” by Richard O. Cowan “Kirtland Temple” by Keith W. Perkins “Nauvoo Temple” by Don F. Colvin “Salt Lake Temple” by Marion Duff Hanks “Endowment Houses” by Lamar C. Berrett “Freemasonry and the Temple” by Kenneth W. Godfrey

Offers an explanation why eight of the eleven witnesses were members of two families.

Speaks concerning Martin Harris’s visit with Professor Anthon and David Whitmer as one of the witnesses of the gold plates.

Chronicles the experiences of the Book of Mormon witnesses and reviews their tenacious testimonies.

Professional transcriber LaJean Carruth assesses the history and reliability of the Journal of Discourses.

Two individuals report that David Whitmer possessed a strong, personal testimony of the Book of Mormon gold plates.

The Lord has always used witnesses in the establishment of his word. In the latter days he raised Joseph Smith, Oliver Cowdery, and Sidney Rigdon to testify of him. In addition to these witnesses he sent the Book of Mormon to testify of him.

Brent F. Ashworth announces that he has acquired a 110-year-old letter written by Martin Harris concerning his testimony of the Book of Mormon. The complete text is contained in the article. (Editor’s note: this letter has since been shown to be a forgery.)

Samuel Smith was the first missionary with copies of the completed Book of Mormon. He gave one copy to Rev. John P. Greene, who was converted, and he passed it on to the Young family, many of whom were also converted. It was also given to Heber C. Kimball.

David Whitmer saw the gold plates and withstood persecution for his beliefs. Whitmer later testified to a reporter that he saw the plates and heard the angel that brought them.

A story of a man who sought out the Three Witnesses and heard their testimony of the Book of Mormon.

Abstract: Prior to U.S. involvement in WWII, the First Presidency asked Hugh B. Brown to initiate and serve as coordinator of a program that would reinforce the spiritual welfare of the increasing number of Latter-day Saint men entering the military. Brown initially answered the challenge by organizing religious services at training camps along the West Coast because of the large number of Church-member men training there. However, following Pearl Harbor, he expanded the program to 65 training camps in many parts of the country. He also created USO-type facilities in Salt Lake City and San Diego, distributed pocket-size scriptures, wrote faith-strengthening articles, and answered requests for spiritual support from Latter-day Saint servicemen. In 1943, Brown’s program enlarged with the addition of assistant coordinators and became part of the newly formed Servicemen’s Committee chaired by Elder Harold B. Lee. In 1944, Brown was recalled as the British Mission president and left 13 assistants to manage his program through the conclusion of the war. Interviews with veterans who experienced Brown’s program suggest that the pocket-size copies of the Book of Mormon carried everywhere, even in battle, may have been Brown’s most significant contribution to their war-time spiritual maintenance. It is the army’s job to armor-plate with steel. I have found the kind of armor-plating that is stronger than any metal…What finer gift could a man receive than the armor of the gospel of Jesus Christ? Such a man is prepared to live and be prepared to die.
.

A purported denial of Mormonism, allegedly made by Oliver Cowdery in 1839. Likely a spurious account that denies Mormonism, and questions the truth of the Book of Mormon and the translation process. See Anderson, Richard Lloyd. “Oliver Cowdery’s Testimony” Ensign 17 (April 1987): 23-25.

WE have frequently been solicited to publish, in pamphlet form, the following letters of OLIVER COWDERY, addressed to W. W. PHELPS. We at last avail ourselves of the opportunity to do so, being fully assured that they will be read with great interest by the Saints generally; while from the peculiar work on which they treat, togEther with the spirit of truthfulness in which they are written, not forgetting their style as compositions, we have no doubt but that many of the honest-hearted may, by their perusal, be led to a further examination of those principles, the origin of which is therein set forth. It will be understood that Brother PHELPS wrote answers to these letters which generally contained some questions upon the subject treated of, accounting for the style in which they are written.

Seven letters (ca. 1839) containing testimony concerning Cowdery’s scribal work for Joseph Smith during the translation of the Book of Mormon and other items of historical interest. Joseph’s own narrative includes an account of the place and manner in which the records were deposited, the box that held the plates, his attempts to take the plates without authorization from the angel, and the angel’s warning.

A letter written to W. W. Phelps from Norton, Medina County, Ohio, Sabbath evening, September 7, 1834. Cowdery writes of his irst meeting with the prophet and his immediate work began as scribe for Joseph Smith for the translation of the Book of Mormon. Then he writes of the manifestation of the angel to give the Aaronic Priesthood.

Oliver Cowdery, in a letter to W. W. Phelps, describes how the plates were buried and how Joseph received them.

A reprint from the Deseret News, this article contains a report of a special conference held at Council Bluffs concerning Oliver Cowdery’s return to the Church. Quotes Cowdery’s testimony of the Book of Mormon from that conference. Includes a report by D. B. Dille who visited Martin Harris and tells of that visit.

This article discusses A. Hiatt Verrill’s work, Old Civilizations of the New World, which reproduces an “inscription found at Sahhuayacu, Peru” that closely approximates “the script of the Anthon Transcript.” The author argues that the Mayan people did not progress from pictographs to a linear script, but possessed a linear, semicursive script from its early history.

Abstract: We do not have the Book of Mormon metal plates available to us. We cannot heft them, examine the engravings, or handle the leaves of that ancient record as did the Three Witnesses, the Eight Witnesses, and the many other witnesses to both the existence and nature of the plates. In such a situation, what more can we learn about the physical nature of the plates without their being present for our inspection? Building on available knowledge, this article estimates the total surface area of the plates using two independent approaches and finds that the likely surface area was probably between 30 and 86 square feet, or roughly 15% of the surface area of the paper on which the English version of the Book of Mormon is now printed.

From living in a dugout called the Castle of Spiders to eating so many weeds their skin took on a green cast to losing four children in just a few weeks to diphtheria, nearly everything imaginable happened to the Mormon settlers of Utah Territory. Here are the details of the lives of the common people⿿what they ate, wore, lived in, and celebrated, how they worshipped, and why they endured. Here are the details of the lives of the common people, those who traveled in the dust of the leaders. What they ate, wore, lived in, and celebrated. How they worshiped. Why they endured. This volume begins with Marlin K. Jensen’s eulogy of the uncommonly heroic common Saint. Twenty-one renowned historians then apply nearly every type of source and method imaginable to capture pioneer life’s ordinary rhythms and cycles. In Nearly Everything Imaginable, you’ll find hundreds of vignettes from Utah’s early settlers, including these: Old and young would gather for dancing; everybody came early and left about the midnight hour. The bedrooms opening from the hall were generally filled with babies snugly tucked away, while the mothers enjoyed the dance. The huge fireplaces at either end of the hall were piled high with dry cedar fagots, the flames from which leaped and danced up the chimneys. Candles held in place by three nails driven into wooden brackets were ranged high along the walls. Tickets were paid for in any kind of produce that the fiddlers could be induced to accept. Usually a couple of two-bushel sacks could be seen near the door, into which the dancers deposited their contributions. Father made a plow out of a big forked stock and we boys held it in place while our father pulled it. The stock plow was made of quaking aspen. He fastened it to himself by a strap. We plowed two and a half acres that way, and planted wheat. I always remembered that picture of my father doing the work of a horse.

Hymns by Eliza R. Snow—such as “O My Father,” “Behold the Great Redeemer Die,” and “How Great the Wisdom and the Love”—evoke powerful religious imagery. In her hymns and in her hundreds of other poems, Snow captured nineteenth-century Mormonism, where revelation and history intersected and Latter-day Saints labored for the meeting of heaven and earth they named Zion. Snow’s poems convey many sublime truths about the human condition. As Zion’s honored spokeswoman, no public event in the Mormon community from the 1840s to the 1880s was complete without a contribution from her. “Through [Snow’s poems] the names of many of the actors in the drama of Mormonism, will be handed down to posterity,” wrote Emmeline B. Wells. Intelligent, well-read, and articulate, Snow also had an understanding of the scriptures. Through her position in the inner circles of church leadership, her poetry, and her gifts as a spokeswoman, she became one of the most influential and best-known women in Mormon history. As a result, this collection is as much biographical, historical, and theological as literary.

In 1939 when Hitler’s armies marched into Poland, the LDS missionaries marched out of Germany and eventually out of continental Europe, leaving a strong and thriving Church in eastern Germany. Through personal interviews with East German Saints, this volume documents the moving personal faith of those Saints who survived World War II and rebuilt Zion during the communist years.

This book examines Joseph Smith’s oral recitation of the Book of Mormon in the context of the prominance and importance of orality in nineteenth-century America. “The focus of this study is the oral per­for­mance techniques that Smith used to dictate the Book of Mormon, with specific attention to the methods of preaching in Smith’s contemporary sermon culture. Thus, the central issues revolve around the methods of oral composition, rather than narrative content.” [Author]

David Whitmer showed his copy of the Book of Mormon manuscript to Orson Pratt and Joseph F. Smith, who noticed that the signatures of the 11 witnesses were in Oliver Cowdery’s handwriting. The author concludes therefore that this is the printer’s manuscript, and that the original manuscript was placed into the cornerstone of the Nauvoo House.

Our lesson today is the testimony of three men that the prophecy of the coming forth and translation of the Book of Mormon had been fulfilled. When Moroni finished the record of the Nephites he closed with the prophetic words which formed our last lesson; we here have a solemn statement of the manner of their accomplishment. It appears, from this testimony, that these three witnesses saw the sacred plates and the engravings thereon, that an angel of God, who is generally understood to be Moroni himself, came down from heaven and showed them to the witnesses; also, that the voice of the Lord declared unto them that the engravings had been translated by the gift and power of God, and that He commanded them to bear record of these things. (Doc. and Cov., Sec. 17.) And to be obedient to that commandment they send this testimony forth to all the world, that all men may know what great things God had done and was now doing for His children on this earth. It is worthy of especial note that though these witnesses all left the Church, and for a time entertained very bitter feelings towards the Prophet Joseph Smith, yet they never denied this testimony nor faltered in their allegiance to the Book of Mormon; though often strongly urged by apostates and unbelievers to do so. But their unvarying reply was that they had seen and heard the angel and that their testimony, as printed,, was true in every particular.

As stated in the last lesson, four years were to pass away from the time Joseph first saw the plates, before they were to be entrusted to him. In other words, Joseph waited until he was nearly twenty-two years old before he received the precious charge. It would perhaps enter the minds of some, that Joseph having received all these manifestations and knowing what his mission was to be, would not have felt inclined to continue the labors of every-day life; but such was not the case. He well knew that the routine of daily toil was all necessary in its place, and he further knew that he must remain humble, or he would fail in fulfilling the purposes of God. Accordingly, Joseph continued working on his father’s farm for nearly two years after the events related in the last lesson, when he received the offer of employment elsewhere. Accepting this offer, Joseph went to his new place of labor in Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania, where he entered the employ of a man named Josiah Stoal. While laboring there, Joseph boarded at the house of Isaac Hale, who had a daughter named Emma, a very worthy young woman, whom Joseph learned to love sincerely. She returned the affection, and her father was asked to give his consent to their marriage. At first he hesitated, for he knew that Joseph was poor, but finally, in January of the year 1827, his consent was given, and Joseph and Emma were married on the 18th of that month. They left Pennsylvania and traveled northward to the house of Joseph’s parents. He went to work on the farm, in order to obtain means for the support of his family. Nothing of an extraordinary character occurred during the following summer, and at length the 22nd day of September came—the day when the records were to be delivered into Joseph’s hands. During the four years that he had been waiting, he had visited the hill on each anniversary of the angel’s appearance, and there met Moroni and received necessary instruction from him, and hence he was well prepared for the charge about to be conferred upon him. On the morning of that day Joseph again visited the hill Cumorah, and was told by the angel to lift the records out of the box. As he did so he was filled with inexpressible joy, for he knew that the plates thus entrusted to him were of a most precious character. TogEther with the plates was the Urim and Thummim, which was to be used by Joseph in translating the records, and this instrument was fastened to a large breastplate of pure gold. The plates were of gold, and were fastened with rings along one edge, thus presenting the appearance of a book. (As these records have been described in a former lesson, see No. 42, it is not considered necessary to repeat the description here.) Joseph was told by the angel that he alone would be held responsible for the plates, and that the only way he could resist the efforts which would be made to take them from him, would be by remaining faithful to his trust and to the commandments of God. But if he was unfaithful, and by his carelessness permitted the plates to be lost, the displeasure of God should come upon him, and he should be destroyed. Even on the journey toward his home, with the precious records in his charge, Joseph experienced the power of the Evil One, for unknown men under the influence of Satan attacked him three different times, and it was only by the assistance of God that he was enabled to withstand them and keep the records. At length, in a bruised and weary condition he reached his home.

The Prophet Joseph was busily engaged in the translation of the Book of Mormon records during the years 1828 and 1829. In this work he was assisted by his wife, Emma Smith, Oliver Cowdery, and Martin Harris, who at various times acted in the capacity of scribe. The Prophet was given some trouble by Martin Harris, who received reluctant permission to take a portion of the manuscript and show it to his relatives. It fell into the hands of the enemies of the work, necessitating the translation of a corresponding portion of the “smaller plates,” as a substitute for the lost manuscript. As a result of Martin’s carelessness, the instruments of translation were taken away from the the Prophet for a time. The work of translation was interrupted occasionally by Joseph’s financial condition, which rendered it necessary for him to labor for the support of himself and wife. These financial difficulties were partially overcome by the generosity of Mr. Joseph Knight Sen., of Colesville, Broome County, New York, who, out of pure kindness of heart and regard for the Prophet, furnished provisions on a number of occasions. David Whitmer also rendered some assistance, inviting Joseph and Oliver to go to his father’s house at Fayette, where they remained until the translation of the Book of Mormon was completed. Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer, and Martin Harris received a partial reward for their faithful labors, by being permitted to act as the three chosen witnesses to the divinity of the work. While the translation was in progress, many persons visited the Prophet and his companions, propounding many questions, some for the purpose of learning the truth, but many with the intention of injuring these faithful men. But the power of God was made manifest in the wisdom with which these questions were answered, and the work went on apace. At length the translation was completed, and arrangements were made for the publication. Mr. Egbert Grandin, a printer of Palmyra, Wayne County, New York, issued five thousand copies of the Book of Mormon in the early spring of 1830, charging three thousand dollars for the work. In order to retain the control of all future publications of the book, Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery secured the copyright. And thus one of the most precious records ever issued was published to the world. It has since been translated into fully twelve foreign languages.

The article discusses research concerning a document known as the “Caractors” and its relationship to the “Book of Mormon” and the gold plates associated with the “Book of Mormon,” and its significance to the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS). It discusses the testimony of possible gold plates witness David Whitmer, the interpretative research of historian George Q. Cannon, and whether the document was the same as the document taken to scholar Charles Anthon from LDS convert Martin Harris.

The BYU 2012 Church History Symposium This book is a compilation of presentations from a BYU Church History Symposium. It features more than twenty messages about the life of Joseph F. Smith, including chapters by Elder M. Russell Ballard and Joseph Fielding McConkie. Elder Ballard, great-grandson of Joseph F. Smith, describes how the Lord prepared President Smith to lead the Church. Several scholars, historians, educators, and researchers highlight aspects of President Smith’s life, including his boyhood and adolescence, his family and personal relationships, his doctrinal contributions, Church government, and initiatives taken during his presidency in education, building construction, building the Laie Temple, creating the seminary program, and public outreach. ISBN 978-0-8425-2747-4

The testimonies of the Three Witnesses were strengthened by their spiritual experiences with Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon. Oliver Cowdery, Martin Harris, and David Whitmer never denied their testimonies.

For this study Duffy analyzed fifty academic texts written in the last twenty-five years about the Book of Mormon’s production and “published outside the Mormon world.” His purpose was to discover what these scholars are saying about its provenance. He organized these writings under the following six rhetorical strategies: open deprecation, disclaiming the truth question, naturalistic explanations, implicit skepticism, distancing devices, and factual language. He then asks if, in the world of academics, LDS scholars can “credibly voice orthodox perspectives” of the Book of Mormon and states that he believes they can if they are not “openly advocating for it.”

Isaiah saw the great work of the Book of Mormon and prophesied concerning Martin Harris’s visit with Professor Anthon (Isaiah 29:11-12). The article contains Martin Harris’s account of this visit. Edward Stevenson wrote that Martin Harris saw his visit as a fullillment to Isaiah’s prophecy. Metallic sheets discovered in Iran buried in the palace of Darius verify the statements made by Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon about metal records.

Minerva Teichert was an avid letter writer. She carried on a vigorous correspondence, especially with her daughter, Laurie, who kept the letters her mother sent to her. Laurie Teichert Eastwood has edited and introduced these letters, published in an attractive 244-page hard bound volume produced by BYU Studies. The letters contain the artist’s thoughts on her mural projects, dealings with agents, family activities, ranch chores, personal concerns, church work, political feelings, rural town life, and many other fascinating subjects. Anyone interested in an artistic woman’s view of rural existence will not want to miss the rare opportunity to obtain a copy of this important publication.

More than a century after Latter-day Saints trekked across the Mormon Trail, Church members continue to celebrate this pioneer experience as an identity-defining touchstone of their American-born religion. Latter-day Saints commemorate their pioneer past in folklore, art, museums, and monuments, as well as with annual plays, pageants, and parades throughout the West.

Joseph and Hyrum Smith exemplified leadership as they worked together in organizing and operating the Church, teaching, speaking, and building temples and towns. As leaders, they held firm to their convictions, roused the hearts and minds of men and women in varied walks of life, and left legacies sufficient to stamp them as two of the most remarkable and influential men of the nineteenth century. The stories and examples of their shared leadership illustrate how they honored agency, exerted righteous influence, grew through adversity, forged bonds of obligation and love, governed conflict, and organized through councils. Their examples in this book can help us transform our personal perspective of leadership, lead with an eternal focus, heal and bless others through our leadership, learn and grow by asking authentic questions, share leadership in the home, and lead in the governmental arena. By incorporating these principles in our lives, we can foster more satisfying relationships in our homes, our Church service, and our professional lives. The book concludes with a call for each of us to carry on their legacy, which transcends time and place. Their lives and teachings are filled with lessons and skills we can easily apply today. ISBN 978-0-8425-2754-5

This study investigates Brigham Young and his fellow apostles in the 1830s as they gradually became an effective quorum and moved toward eventual ascendancy. It examines the all-encompassing religious framework from which Brigham Young acted and uses it to shed light on both the complex issues confronting early Mormons and on his emergence as a leader. Young, as president of the Quorum of the Twelve, succeeded in unifying the group and molding it into the effective leadership cadre that received increasing responsibility for general church business. Brigham Young believed his abilities were a gift from God and that his leadership was successful because God was with him and his people. He saw himself as a rough and unpolished instrument with the grit to do his best and the faith to leave the rest to God. Young was certain that in the long run the kingdom would triumph and, as he liked to say, no power from earth or hell could prevent it.