William E. McLellin (1806-1883), late in life (Wikimedia Commons)

The following article by Dan Peterson appeared on Patheos.com on 8 November 2016.

William E. McLellin was chosen as one of the Twelve Apostles in 1835, but was excommunicated from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 1838.  However, he never abandoned his faith in the Book of Mormon, and one of the pillars of his faith rested upon his early, searching interviews with the witnesses to that book.  He was a highly intelligent man (and, it seems, a rather irascible one), and he was very careful and intent upon getting at the truth.  He left a number of statements on his investigations.  This one comes from a previously unpublished manuscript that he wrote between January 1871 and January 1872.  I find it fascinating:

In 1833, when mobbing reigned triumphant in Jackson Co. Mo. I and O. Cowdery fled from our homes, for fear of personal violence on Saturday the 20th day of July.  The mob dispersed, agreeing to meet again on the next Tuesday.  They offered eighty dollars reward for any one who would deliver Cowdery or McLellan in Independence on Tuesday.  On Mond[a]y I slipped down into the Whitmer’s settlement, and there in the lonely woods I met with David Whitmer and Oliver Cowdery.  I said to them, “brethren I have never seen an open vision in my life, but you men say you have, and therefore you positively know.  Now you know that our lives are in danger every hour, if the mob can only only catch us.  Tell me in the fear of God, is that book of Mormon true?  Cowdery looked at me with solemnity depicted in his face, and said, “Brother William, God sent his holy angel to declare the truth of the translation of it to us, and therefore we know.  And though the mob kill us, yet we must die declaring its truth.”  David said, “Oliver has told you the solemn truth, for we could not be deceived.  I most truly declare declare to you its truth!!”  Said I, boys I believe you.  I can see no object for you to tell me false <hood> now, when our lives are endangered.  Eight men testify also to handling that sacred pile of plates, from which Joseph Smith <read off the> translation that heavenly Book.

One circumstance I’ll relate of one of these eight witnesses.  While the mob was raging in Jackson Co. Mo. in 1833 some young men ran down Hiram Page <in the woods> one of the eight <witnesses,> and commenced beating and pounding him with whips and clubs.  He begged, but there was no mercy.  They said he was <a> damned Mormon, and they meant to beat him to death!  But finally one then said to him, if you will deny that damned book, we will let you go.  Said he, how can I deny what I knowto be true?  Then they pounded him again.  When they thought he was about to breathe his last, they said to him, Now what do you think of your God, when he dont save you?  Well said he, I believe in God–Well, said one of the most intelligent among them, I believe the damned fool will stick to it though we kill him.  Let us let him go.  But his life was nearly run out.  He was confined to his bed for a length of time.  So much for a man who knows for himself.  Knowledge is beyond faith or doubt.  It is positive certainty.

I in company with <a> friend, <I> visited one of the eight witnesses <in 1869>–he only one who is now alive, and he bore a very lucid and rational testimony, and gave us many interesting particulars.  He was a young man when he had those testimonies.  He is now <was then> sixty eight years old, and still he is firm in his faith.  Now I would ask what will I do with such a cloud of faithful witnesses, bearing such a rational and yet solemn testimony?  These men while in the prime of life, saw the vision of the angel, and bore their testimony to all people.  And eight men saw the plates, and handled them.  Hence these men all knew the things they declared to be positively true.  And that too while they were young, and now when old they declare the same things.

These paragraphs come from Mitchell K. Schaefer, ed., William E. McLellin’s Lost Manuscript (Salt Lake City: Eborn Books, 2012), 166-167.  The editorial marks (and McLellin’s curious misspelling of his own name) and the occasional omitted word are all faithfully reproduced and double-checked.

The witness whom McLellin visited in 1869 has to have been John Whitmer, who died in 1878.

Guest Author

This article was originally published by Meridian Magazine on 9 August 2016.

After nearly 12 years of restoration construction, the historical Joseph Knight Sr. Ancestral Farmhouse in Nineveh, NY is open for visitors. Originally built in 1815, the Joseph Knight Sr. home has been beautifully restored with authentic artifacts and furnishings complementary to the time period and historical authenticity of rural New York State. Volunteer docents live in accommodations annexed to the home and conduct tours for individuals, families, and tour groups. They are available at 607-693-1266.

Also completed is the Josiah Stowell home in Afton, NY, less than a mile east of the Knight home. Stowell figured prominently in early Church history. In Afton, Joseph Smith and Emma Hale courted, married and honeymooned. Both homes are finished in museum-quality condition. They represent historical centerpieces to the early period of the Restoration of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a history which has largely been neglected to date.

The Joseph Knight Sr. family is remembered as being close friends of the Prophet who furnished support to his translation of the Book of Mormon. They formed the Colesville Branch of approximately 82 members, which was centered at the Knight home, with Hyrum Smith as the first branch president. As millers, Newel Knight and Joseph Knight Jr. constructed as many as eight gristmills to provide flour to starving Saints over six Mormon migrations. The Knight family remained true and loyal to Joseph Smith and Brigham Young when other leaders and members failed to support them.

The “Cradle of the Restoration” represents five early sites of the Church starting in Palmyra with the First Vision of the Father and the Son to Joseph Smith Jr. and the eventual publication of the Book of Mormon. A short distance south is the Peter Witmer Jr. farm at Fayette, NY. Here the Church was officially organized among other events. Approximately two hours further south is the Knight home in the hamlet of Nineveh, formerly called Colesville Township, and the Stowell home in Afton, NY.

The Joseph Knight, Sr. Farm – Location of the Colesville branch the first branch of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Driving south 25 miles down Windsor Road along the picturesque Susquehanna River, where the Melchizedek Priesthood was restored, is the Church’s newly finished historic Priesthood Restoration Site, dedicated September 19, 2015, at Harmony, PA. There are inspirational historical presentations to see in the new visitors’ center, the Isaac and Elizabeth Hale home, the cabin home of Joseph and Emma Smith, where over 70% of the Book of Mormon translation took place with scribe Oliver Cowdery, the sites of the restoration of the Aaronic Priesthood by John the Baptist, and the baptisms of Joseph and Oliver.

With the openings of the Knight and Stowell homes and the Priesthood Restoration Site, combined with the history of Palmyra and Fayette, NY, visitors now have a more complete picture and expanded appreciation of the early events of the Restoration of the Church, its first members, and the consecration of the Prophet Joseph Smith.

Three families privately own the Knight and Stowell homes: Raphael and Shari Mecham, Steve and Pat Glenn, and Paul and Ann Painter have guided the restoration of the two homes using their own and Knight family organization resources and volunteer help. For information, contact Raphael Mecham at 480-323-5947 or through email: craphaelm@msn.com .

The address of the Joseph Knight home is 1963 East Windsor Road, Nineveh, NY 13813. Visit colesville-restoration.com and josephknightfamily.org. A tour for descendants of Joseph Knight Sr. and the Colesville Branch, is now offered through Mormon Heritage Association for September 12-15, 2016. Contact Patty Steadman, 801-272-5601 or email: info@mormonheritage.com . The tour features all five Restoration sites.

Guest Author

Late one fall evening after Heber and Vilate Kimball had retired to their bed, they were awakened suddenly by an urgent knocking at their door. A neighbor, John Greene, who lived just 100 steps away, stood at the door and bade them come out and behold the scenery in the heavens.”

They did so, and it was a beautiful starlit night, so exceptionally clear and brilliant that Heber said he could “see to pick up a pin.”

As the little group watched, a white smoke formed on the eastern horizon, and slowly began to rise upward. As it did so, it formed itself into a belt spreading across the sky toward the southwest, and it was accompanied by the sound of a rushing mighty wind.

Gradually, that belt flattened out and broadened across into a bow—like a rainbow, becoming transparent with a bluish cast, and stretching from horizon to horizon.

“In this bow an army moved, commencing in the east and marching to the west. They continued marching until they reached the western horizon. They moved in platoons, and walked so close that the rear ranks trod in the steps of their file leaders until the whole bow was literally crowded with soldiers.”

They were dressed in the full battle gear of 19th century soldiers—muskets; bayonets, and were so clear and distinct that Heber and the small group of neighbors could distinguish the features of their faces, and hear the jingle of their equipage as they moved.

Shortly, the entire bow from horizon to horizon was crowded and filled with marching men, the sound of that marching reaching clearly to the ears of the astonished onlookers.

Heber later described the event this way:

“No man could judge of my feelings when I beheld that army of men, as plainly as ever I saw armies of men in the flesh; it seemed as though every [the very] hair of my head was alive.”

“When the front rank of soldiers reached the western horizon a battle ensued.” The noise of the rush of men, and the clash of the arms was distinct and unmistakable. Heber and his friends looked upon this scene for hours, until it gradually disappeared.

Heber’s wife, somewhat afraid, turned to one of the older men in the group and asked, “Father Young, what does all this mean?”

“Why, it’s one of the signs of the coming of the Son of Man,” he replied in a lively and pleased manner.

And indeed it was. The night that Heber and his friends in Mendon, New York saw the vision and Brigham Young and friends saw it in Port Byron, New York was September 22, 1827—the same night that the angel Moroni delivered the plates of the Book of Mormon into the hands of the prophet Joseph Smith. The Book of Mormon is truly the Marvelous Work and a Wonder.

Keith L. Brown

Keith L. Brown is a convert to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, having been born and raised Baptist. He was studying to be a Baptist minister at the time of his conversion to the LDS faith. He was baptized on 10 March 1998 in Reykjavik, Iceland while serving on active duty in the United States Navy in Keflavic, Iceland. He currently serves as the First Assistant to the High Priest Group for the Annapolis, Maryland Ward. He is a 30-year honorably retired United States Navy Veteran.

of-common-sense.site123.me/

This article by R. Scott Lloyd was published on 5 November 2015 in the Deseret News.

Students of Church history are acquainted with the incident when the Prophet Joseph Smith copied some of the characters from the plates from which he translated the Book of Mormon, and a translation of a portion thereof, and allowed scribe Martin Harris to take them to “men of learning” in the east for their inspection.

According to Martin’s own account, one of the scholars who was shown the transcription, Charles Anthon of Columbia College in New York, pronounced the translation correct, more so than any he had ever seen, and wrote a note certifying that the characters were true.

But Martin reported that when told the plates came from an angel, the professor promptly tore up the certificate, denied the possibility of such a manifestation and said Martin should bring the record to him. Martin said part of the plates were sealed, and Anthon replied, “I cannot read a sealed book.”

The response came to be interpreted as a fulfillment of a prophecy in Isaiah 29:11.

There is much more to the story of Martin’s journey to the east with the transcribed characters, according to research by Richard E. Bennett, chairman of Church history and doctrine at Brigham Young University, who was one of the speakers Oct. 24 at the Sidney B. Sperry Symposium. Brother Bennett spoke on Martin’s visit not just to Professor Anthon during that journey, but to Luther Bradish and Samuel Mitchell.

“It was likely Professor Samuel Latham Mitchell, thanks to the recommendation of both Luther Bradish and Charles Anthon himself, who gave the most scholarly corroboration Harris was looking for that winter of 1828,” he said. “Returning home to Palmyra with a story of prophecy fulfilled on the one hand and on the other, the sanctioning of all that Anthon may have said by America’s foremost naturalist [Mitchell], Harris was ready to provide the financial means to publish the Book of Mormon.”

Though many have assumed Martin went east primarily because he wanted scholarly validation of the translation efforts of Joseph, “there may have been other reasons for Harris to seek insights from scholars,” Brother Bennett said. “According to Joseph Smith’s earliest 1832 history, Martin Harris had received his own independent corroborative inspiration even before making the trip as a result of his giving Joseph $50 to move from Manchester, New York, to Harmony, Pennsylvania.”

The Prophet recorded that because of Martin’s faith and righteous deed, the Lord appeared to him in a vision and showed him a marvelous work he was about to do. Thereafter, he came to Harmony and said the Lord had shown him he must go to New York City with some of the characters.

“Perhaps there was as much compliance as there was corroboration involved in Harris’ making the trip to New York in 1828,” Brother Bennett remarked.

The Prophet’s mother, Lucy Mack Smith, recorded that it was agreed that Martin should take the characters to the east “and through the country in every direction,” and on his way should call upon “all who are professional linguists to give them an opportunity of showing their talents in giving a translation of the characters,” Brother Bennett noted.

Until recently, the prevailing notion was that a document now housed in the archives of the Community of Christ in Independence, Missouri, is the actual piece of paper shown by Harris to Anthon and others in New York. Letters recently found from Anthon indicate “it is virtually impossible to argue with certainty” that the transcript in Independence is the only one Anthon saw, Brother Bennett said. Moreover, recent research stemming from the Joseph Smith Papers project and based on handwriting analysis shows that the extant manuscript was likely not written by Joseph in 1828 but by John Whitmer in 1829 “and therefore could not have been the one displayed in New York City,” he added.

Contemporary reports indicate that on his journey, Martin first stopped off at Albany, New York, where he met with Luther Bradish, Brother Bennett said.

Bradish and Martin Harris knew each other in Palmyra. Bradish had become a successful Wall Street lawyer and New York assemblyman and was in a position possibly to assist in the cost of printing the Book of Mormon.

“But there is no indication Bradish pledged any kind of financial support,” he said. “Instead, Bradish likely recommended, since he knew the city so well, that once in New York City, Harris visit with the leading naturalist in the country, Professor Samuel L. Mitchell.”

A brilliant scholar, Mitchell was also a linguist. “Before offering his learned opinion on the written characters which Harris brought with him, Mitchell kindly referred him to his colleague, the young and up-and-coming scholar of linguistics” Charles Anthon, Brother Bennett said.

Anthon, however, though he was accomplished in the classic languages of Greek and Latin, likely knew little about Egyptian, Hebrew or any other Middle Eastern language, Brother Bennett said. “By force of his own brusque personality, he claimed to know more in this area than he really did.”

He said, “After Anthon showed Harris the door, Mitchell welcomed him back and sanctioned what Harris showed him for at least two reasons.”

Mitchell was the country’s leading student of the Rosetta Stone, an ancient stele with writing in three languages that had earlier been discovered and decoded. Thus Mitchell had an intense interest in hieroglyphic writing. And Mitchell had been studying the origins of the American Indians for several years and “had painstakingly developed his own two-races theory of ancient America,” Brother Bennett said. “His interest in the history of the ancient American Indian was therefore at a peak when Harris showed him this transcript.”

Brother Bennett concluded by testifying that “the Lord is continuing to open new things to our understanding, new insights, ‘line upon line, here a little and there a little.’ I believe we will continue to learn more that will corroborate the coming forth, the translation and the divine authenticity of the Book of Mormon, and it’s exciting to be a part of it.”

rscott@deseretnews.com

 R. Scott Lloyd is a reporter and staff writer for the Deseret News, where he is attached full time to the LDS Church News staff, working in that capacity for the 25-plus years he has been with the newspaper.

Guest Author

Latter-day Saints testify that the Bible and the Book of Mormon are the Word of God, and that the Book of Mormon is not intended to supersede the sacred teachings found in the Bible, but rather, the teachings found in the Book of Mormon help to enrich the comprehension of the avid student of the scriptures.

Nevertheless, there still exist several misunderstandings and myths about the Book of Mormon. In her 12 November 2014 LDS Living.com article titled “Debunking 5 Myths about The Book of Mormon,” Danielle Beckstrom carefully analyzes a few of the common misconceptions about the Book of Mormon.

Refuting the Myths about the Book of Mormon

There are people of other faiths who believe that Mormons do not believe in the Bible, because they include the Book of Mormon as part of the scriptures that they use. However, the 8th Article of Faith of The Church of Jesus Christ teaches, “We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God.”

Beckstrom points out in her article that Mormons “not only have The Book of Mormon, we have the Doctrine and Covenants (a book of revelations given to the Prophet Joseph Smith and succeeding prophets), words from modern day prophets, and the Pearl of Great Price (selections of both ancient and modern materials that touch on significant doctrines, many unique to our faith).” Even though Mormons use other sacred writings as part of the foundation of their doctrinal beliefs, they still have a deep abiding reverence for the Holy Bible and reference it frequently in their teachings, as well as their personal study. Beckstrom also points out that the additional scriptures are used to support, enhance, and in many instances “clarify ambiguous doctrines found in the Bible.”

She succinctly answers the question of whether or not Mormons have their own translation of the Bible thusly:

While we fully believe that the Bible contains divine revelation from God, we also understand that it was recorded and later translated by men who make mistakes.  As a result, the Prophet Joseph Smith provided more accurate translations of key verses and chapters in the Bible.  So, though Mormons use the King James Version of the Bible, we have footnotes and appendixes that provide Joseph Smith’s translations.

Another myth about the Book of Mormon is that the book was written by Joseph Smith or Mormon. However, a careful study of the volume reveals that it was not written by one man. The book actually contains the accounts of four separate records which were written by prophets of God living from about 2200 BC to AD 450. One of those ancient prophets, Mormon, compiled the majority of the records, and his son, Moroni, completed the work. Joseph Smith was later called of God to translate the ancient scriptures.

If people believe that myth concerning the authorship of the Book of Mormon, then they are apt to believe that Mormons worship Joseph Smith or Mormon. Mormons, however, do not worship any man. The official name of the Church – The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints – is a testimony to the world that the One whom Latter-day Saints worship and adore is the Lord Jesus Christ, for it is His Church and not the church of any man. The Savior Himself admonished the disciples concerning this matter as recorded in the Book of Mormon in 3 Nephi 27:7-8:

Therefore, whatsoever ye shall do, ye shall do it in my name; therefore ye shall call the church in my name; and ye shall call upon the Father in my name that he will bless the church for my sake. And how be it my church save it be called in my name? For if a church be called in Moses’ name then it be Moses’ church; or if it be called in the name of a man then it be the church of a man; but if it be called in my name then it is my church, if it so be that they are built upon my gospel.

The full name of the volume of scripture – The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ –  also attests to the fact that Latter-day Saints worship God, the Eternal Father, and His Son, Jesus Christ.

There are also those who purport that the language of The Book of Mormon is historically inaccurate. In her article “Debunking 5 Myths about The Book of Mormon,” Beckstrom shares what she has learned about the language of the Book of Mormon:

The symbolism, sentence-structure, and language of The Book of Mormon is far removed from the writing style of early 19th century America.  In fact, BYU professor of Islamic Studies and Arabic Daniel C. Peterson states that “rigorous statistical analysis strongly indicates that neither Joseph Smith nor any of his known associates composed the English text of the Book of Mormon. In fact, research suggests that the book was written by numerous distinct authors” (“Mounting Evidence for the Book of Mormon”).  The fact that many of the names or words in The Book of Mormon are unlike those of biblical accounts actually enhances The Book of Mormon’s historical accuracy because many of the accounts from The Book of Mormon were written at a time and place far removed from those of the Bible.  Besides, historic evidence supporting the accuracy of these names still exists.  For example, the names Sariah and Nephi have been found in ancient Jewish documents dating from the time and place where these Book of Mormon figures lived.

The Prophet Mormon in the Book of Mormon as recorded in Mormon 9:32-34 wrote:

And now, behold, we have written this record according to our knowledge, in the characters which are called among us the reformed Egyptian, being handed down and altered by us, according to our manner of speech. And if our plates had been sufficiently large we should have written in Hebrew; but the Hebrew hath been altered by us also; and if we could have written in Hebrew, behold, ye would have had no imperfection in our record. But the Lord knoweth the things which we have written, and also that none other people knoweth our language; and because that none other people knoweth our language, therefore he hath prepared means for the interpretation thereof.

One other myth surrounding the Book of Mormon is that Native American DNA proves that The Book of Mormon can’t be true. Numerous scholars support the land bridge migration theory that basically implies that Native Americans migrated over a land bridge connecting Siberia and Alaska. This theory, they proclaim, disproves The Book of Mormon account that some Native American ancestors crossed over the Atlantic to America.

Beckstrom concludes her article by emphatically stating:

The Book of Mormon does not contradict the land bridge migration theory. The Book of Mormon never claims that the people it describes were either the only or even the predominant inhabitants of America.  In fact, “clues in its text hint at the presence of other groups” (“Book of Mormon and DNA Studies“).  The Book of Mormon only provides an account of one group among many throughout history who have discovered and migrated to the American continents.

Although there continue to be many myths circulating about the Book of Mormon, it continues to stand as an ensign to the world that it is as its name proclaims – Another Testament of Jesus Christ.

Keith L. Brown

Keith L. Brown is a convert to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, having been born and raised Baptist. He was studying to be a Baptist minister at the time of his conversion to the LDS faith. He was baptized on 10 March 1998 in Reykjavik, Iceland while serving on active duty in the United States Navy in Keflavic, Iceland. He currently serves as the First Assistant to the High Priest Group for the Annapolis, Maryland Ward. He is a 30-year honorably retired United States Navy Veteran.

of-common-sense.site123.me/

Tolstoy, Mormonism, and the “American Religion”

Leo Tolstoy wrote in his diary, “God is that infinite All of which man knows himself to be a finite part.”

The late Elder David B. Haight, serving as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in his message titled “He Is Not Here. He Is Risen,” shared the account of a conversation in 1892 between Count Leo Tolstoy and Andrew D. White who was the United States Foreign Minister to Russia at that time.

In the course of that conversation, Tolstoy said to White, “I wish you would tell me about your American religion.” White replied that there is no state church in America and that each person is free to practice the religion of his choosing. Tolstoy, becoming somewhat annoyed, replied, “I know all of this, but I want to know about the American religion. … The church to which I refer originated in America and is commonly known as the Mormon Church. What can you tell me of the teachings of the Mormons?” White then admitted that he knew very little about the Mormons or their faith.

Tolstoy, displeased with the ambassador’s response, then said:

Dr. White, I am greatly surprised and disappointed that a man of your great learning and position should be so ignorant on this important subject. Their principles teach the people not only of heaven and its attendant glories, but how to live so that their social and economic relations with each other are placed on a sound basis. If the people follow the teachings of this church, nothing can stop their progress—it will be limitless.

There have been great movements started in the past but they have died or been modified before they reached maturity. If Mormonism is able to endure, unmodified, until it reaches the third and fourth generation, it is destined to become the greatest power the world has ever known.

A Special Gift from a Prophet’s Daughter

Leo Tolstoy will long be remembered as a great novelist, short story writer, and dramatist, but perhaps what should be remembered most about this literary genius whom Russians consider to be of the same caliber as Shakespeare in world literature, is the fact that he was a thinker. In his middle-age years after facing a devastating life crisis, he became engrossed in reading, thinking about, and writing about the pressing ethical, social, and religious issues of his day, with particular concentration on religious issues. It is said that in his quest to find answers to religious and moral questions, he penned some 7,000 letters in his lifetime.

Leland A. Fetzer, in his article titled “Tolstoy and Mormonism” wrote the following about Tolstoy:

One of the characteristics of Tolstoy’s thoughts in his later years, when he was convinced that his mission lay in the moral conversion of mankind, was a profound commitment to religious belief. Tolstoy was convinced, quite simply, that to live was to believe. He accepted the existence of God, and, indeed, without the surety of God’s presence, he says, he would have shot himself in the birch woods on his estate or hanged himself in his study; the existence of God justified his own existence. What is more, he believed that God is accessible to all men of all social classes and all races and the celebration of His presence might take many forms.

In his quest for religious truth he became acquainted with Mormonism. His first mention of the subject can be found in his diary when he was a young writer known only to Russian readers, as he was traveling in Western Europe in 1857. He wrote again on the subject in an essay published near the end of life in 1901.

There were no missionaries in Russia during Tolstoy’s lifetime, however, according to Emily Schmuhl, reporting for Mormon Times, Tolstoy had a copy of the Book of Mormon in the library at his estate, Yasnaya Polyana. How did he obtain this precious volume? Frederick and Nataliya Felt, who at that time were attending the Laurel Ward of the Silver Spring Stake in Washington, D.C. set out to find an answer to that question after being told about the Book of Mormon in Tolstoy’s library by a Russian member. They went to Yasnaya Polyana, now a Tolstoy museum located four hours south of Moscow, to learn more about the book. Nataliya had a vested interest because she was born in Moscow, Russia, and has knowledge of the language and the country’s rich literary history. In a Deseret News article dated 22 June 2010, she commented, “I knew and respected Tolstoy’s works before I joined (the church),” Nataliya said. “I was really happy to know such a talented writer took an interest in the church.”

The Deseret News article continues:

A librarian at the museum searched her records and photocopied a catalog reference to the Book of Mormon. “It identified the exact cabinet, shelf and volume number,” Frederick said.

More importantly, the reference indicated that the book was a gift given to Tolstoy by Susa Young Gates, daughter of Brigham Young, women’s rights advocate and a writer once referred to by R. Paul Cracroft as “the most versatile and prolific LDS writer ever to take up the pen in defense of her religion.”

“It was surprisingly heavy,” Frederick said. He identified the copy as an 1881 Second Electrotype Edition published in Liverpool, England.

Gates’ inscription simply read: “Count Leo Tolstoy, from Susa Young Gates. Salt Lake City, Utah.”

He noted that other than the inscription, there were no other notes on any of the pages.

The curator helped the Felts consult Tolstoy’s diary where they found an entry mentioning that he had received the book from Gates and had “read the book.”

It is not clear however, if Tolstoy read the Book in its entirety or only in part.

Susan McCloud, in her 21 September 2014 Deseret News article “Leo Tolstoy’s view of Mormons as teaching ‘The American Religion’” commented:

Tolstoy believed that worship of God and our approach to God can be varied, but that God is there — and accessible to all men of all classes and conditions. He was curious, and sought for religious truths wherever he went, with whatever group or nationality of people he encountered. Rejecting organized religion himself, he was known for his support of and concern for those who did strive to practice their religion — especially for religious minorities who were struggling or suffering persecution.

Thus, his keen interest in Mormonism. Brigham Young’s daughter had been enthralled by an article that she had read in the June 1887 issue of Century, which was a leading magazine of that time. Prior to writing Tolstoy, he had spoken in an interview of the U.S. government’s measures to crush polygamy, and according to Leland A. Fetzer’s article “Tolstoy and Mormonism,” she was amazed and wrote Tolstoy that “extensive as your reading and knowledge is, it should still reach so far, and compass so seemingly small a factor in the world’s present history.”

She sent him a copy of the Book of Mormon along with her letter which told of the history of Mormons from their point of view. Susa sent a total of three letters to Tolstoy which were answered by his daughter, Tatyana, as was his custom in responding to correspondence. According to Fetzer’s article, Tolstoy referred to the “beautiful letter of the American woman” in his journal.

Although he found the letters to be intriguing, according to the 21 September 2014 Deseret News article “Leo Tolstoy’s view of Mormons as teaching ‘The American Religion,” “When he read the book Susa sent on Joseph Smith he found what he called deception in it, as he did in all organized religion.”

Leo Tolstoy: A Man of Deep Thought and Reasoning

When Tolstoy met with Andrew D. White in March of 1894, and the discussion turned to the subject of Mormonism, White recalled the following as published in McClure’s Magazine (April 1901) and quoted in “Tolstoy and Mormonism”:

He thought two thirds of their religion deception, but said that on the whole he preferred a religion which professed to have dug its sacred books out of the earth to one that pretended that they were let down from heaven … he spoke of the good reputation of the Mormons for chastity, and asked me to explain the hold of their religion upon women.

Thomas J. Yates, once a student at Cornell University, also shared his account of the meetings between Tolstoy and White which was published by the Improvement Era in February 1939. It is also reported that upon returning home, White secured a set of LDS Church works for the Cornell University library.

Count Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy was a thinker. And though he abhorred organized religion, he maintained a determined interest in Mormonism, and considered it to be a religion that would flourish and influence the world as no other religion ever had before. Of all the religious sects in America, Leo Tolstoy considered Mormonism to be the “American Religion.”

Keith L. Brown

Keith L. Brown is a convert to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, having been born and raised Baptist. He was studying to be a Baptist minister at the time of his conversion to the LDS faith. He was baptized on 10 March 1998 in Reykjavik, Iceland while serving on active duty in the United States Navy in Keflavic, Iceland. He currently serves as the First Assistant to the High Priest Group for the Annapolis, Maryland Ward. He is a 30-year honorably retired United States Navy Veteran.

of-common-sense.site123.me/

1830 First Edition of the Book of Mormon – How Rare a Possession

Among the rare artifacts that have been recovered from early Church history is an original 1830 first edition of the Book of Mormon. Although the edition is not considered the rarest LDS publication, it is in fact a treasured commodity to be had by serious collectors as it marks the beginning of the Lord’s true Church in this dispensation. Only five thousand copies of the first Book of Mormon were printed, and each sold for the cost of 75 cents. Today it is estimated that only a few hundred copies remain in any condition, and a majority of those are not complete copies. It is interesting to note that in 1998, Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft, purchased an 1830 first edition copy of the Book of Mormon.

Two back-to-back pages, which became referred to as “References to the Book of Mormon,” were placed inside copies of the first copies of the 1830 edition of the Book of Mormon to be used as a navigation tool – an index – by missionaries as they used the Book of Mormon to teach the gospel. The pages were not attached which made it easy for them to be lost or destroyed. Together with the pages from the 1830 first edition, these have become some of the rarest and most expensive printed pages in the history of The Church of Jesus Christ.

1833 Book of Commandments – First Record of Printed Revelations

In July 1833, the early Church was to publish the first collection of printed revelations in a book titled “Book of Commandments.” The press and the thousands of pages waiting to be folded and cut was located on the upper floor of the home of William W. Phelps. The publication was abruptly disrupted on 20 July 1833 when a mob broke in, chased Phelps’ wife and children out, and destroyed the press. The printed pages were dumped into the street with the intent of the mob to destroy them.

In an act of courage, 15-year-old Mary Elizabeth Rollins and her 13-year-old sister Caroline grabbed up as many sheets as they could hold and ran. They were discovered and chased by the mob, but were never found. The pages that they were able to salvage were hand cut and bound into 15 incomplete copies of the Book of Commandments with covers made out of leather, goat hair, and even wood. In 2001, a rare complete copy of the Book of Commandments was sold at auction at Christie’s in New York for the hefty price of $391,000 – the most money ever paid for a nineteenth century American book.

The destruction of the Book of Commandments did not thwart the work of the Lord from progressing, nor His Word from going forth. The Brethren immediately began work on compiling another Book of Commandments. However, after deliberating that the book contained more than just commandments, it was agreed that the new book should be titled “Doctrine and Covenants,” and in an 1835 conference, the Doctrine and Covenants was accepted as scripture.

Kirtland and Early Mormon Currency

In 1836, the first attempts of producing Mormon currency took place in Kirtland, Ohio when the young growing Church decided to establish a bank. The Ohio legislature denied their charter, and so they created the Kirtland Safety Society Anti-Banking Company. The currency that was distributed, known as Kirtland Safety Society Notes, were signed by Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon.

Coins were also made and used as currency. In 1846, while camped in Iowa Territory, Peter Haws created a brass coin which became known as “Do Your Duty” Coin which was used by members of The Church of Jesus Christ throughout Pottawattamie County. According to the LDS Living.com article dated 8 August 2014, “He embossed one side with a beehive and the slogan “Do Your Duty.” On the other side, he embossed hands clasped together with the motto “Union Is Strength.””

In 1848, after the Saints had settled in the Great Salt Lake Valley, President Brigham Young directed the Brethren to establish a mint for the production of gold coins. The production of the coins began in 1849. The LDS Living.com article describes the coins as follows:

Like all 1849 gold Mormon coins, the ten dollar denomination features an open eye and a crown surrounded by the words “Holiness to the Lord.” The reverse side of the coin shows two hands clasped. “Pure Gold” and “Ten Dollars” is written around the hands.

Unfortunately, the life of the gold coins was short-lived because of their rejection in non-Mormon territories due to their substandard weight. Some banks did accept them at a 25 percent discount, but most were melted.

1842 Book of Mormon – Last Edition Published Under Direction of Joseph Smith

The 1842 edition of the Book of Mormon has become the scarcest of all copies of the Book of Mormon as it was the last edition that was published under the direction of the Prophet, Joseph Smith, in Nauvoo, Illinois. Joseph’s father had passed away before the volume was complete, and so it is the only volume that credits him without the usual suffix of “Junior.”

The Legacy of the Early Church

The Saints lived under constant persecution, and were often attacked and forced to flee for their lives to find solace in unexplored territories. Oftentimes they took flight with nothing more than the clothes on their backs, and their children at their side. Many valuable and meaningful journals and documents had to be left behind, and in time were completely lost or destroyed. With such precious losses, a part of their legacy was also lost. Nevertheless, they continued to press forward by faith. We can be thankful that with the discovery of rare artifacts from early Church history, a large part of that legacy can be reclaimed. We can also be thankful that in spite of the opposition, the work of the Lord continues to roll forth. The Prophet Joseph Smith declared:

The Standard of Truth has been erected; no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing; persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame, but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done.

Keith L. Brown

Keith L. Brown is a convert to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, having been born and raised Baptist. He was studying to be a Baptist minister at the time of his conversion to the LDS faith. He was baptized on 10 March 1998 in Reykjavik, Iceland while serving on active duty in the United States Navy in Keflavic, Iceland. He currently serves as the First Assistant to the High Priest Group for the Annapolis, Maryland Ward. He is a 30-year honorably retired United States Navy Veteran.

of-common-sense.site123.me/

Mary became acquainted with Joseph Smith through introduction by her son David Whitmer. Joseph experienced strong persecution while translating the Book of Mormon, and the Whitmer family boarded Joseph, his wife Emma, and his scribe Oliver Cowdery.  Caring for the boarders as well as her large family became quite a burden for Mary.

During this time frame, Joseph, Oliver, and Mary’s sons discussed being shown the Gold Plates. Five of Mary’s sons became official witnesses of the Book of Mormon. They saw the actual golden plates.

The following account by Mary’s grandson John C. Whitmer in 1878 is Mary’s account to her sons and grandchildren about an experience she had one day, while the work of the translation was commencing.

I have heard my grandmother (Mary Musselman Whitmer) say on several occasions that she was shown the plates of the Book of Mormon by a holy angel, whom she always called Brother Nephi. (She undoubtedly refers to Moroni, the angel who had the plates in charge.)

It was at the time, she said, when the translation was going on at the house of the elder Peter Whitmer, her husband. Joseph Smith with his wife and Oliver Cowdery, whom David Whitmer a short time previous had brought up from Harmony, Pennsylvania, were all boarding with the Whitmers, and my grandmother in having so many extra persons to care for, besides her own large household, was often overloaded with work to such an extent that she felt it to be quite a burden.

One evening, when (after having done her usual day’s work in the house) she went to the barn to milk the cows, she met a stranger carrying something on his back that looked like a knapsack. At first she was a little afraid of him, but when he spoke to her in a kind, friendly tone and began to explain to her the nature of the work which was going on in her house, she was filled with inexpressible joy and satisfaction. He then untied his knapsack and showed her a bundle of plates, which in size and appearance corresponded with the description subsequently given by the witnesses to the Book of Mormon. This strange person turned the leaves of the book of plates over, leaf after leaf, and also showed her the engravings upon them; after which he told her to be patient and faithful in bearing her burden a little longer, promising that if she would do so, she should be blessed; and her reward would be sure, if she proved faithful to the end. The personage then suddenly vanished with the plates, and where he went, she could not tell.

From that moment my grandmother was enabled to perform her household duties with comparative ease, and she felt no more inclination to murmur because her lot was hard. I knew my grandmother to be a good, noble and truthful woman, and I have not the least doubt of her statement in regard to seeing the plates being strictly true. She was a strong believer in the Book of Mormon until the day of her death.

References:

Historical Record,” Vol. 7, p. 621

LDS Biographical Encyclopedia, Andrew Jenson, Vol. 1, p.283

B. H. Roberts, New Witnesses for God, Vol.2, p.125

Deseret News, 27 Nov. 1878, p. 674.

Delisa Hargrove

I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I have moved 64 times and have not tired of experiencing this beautiful earth! I love the people, languages, histories/anthropologies, & especially religious cultures of the world. My life long passion is the study & searching out of religious symbolism, specifically related to ancient & modern temples. My husband Anthony and I love our bulldog Stig, adventures, traveling, movies, motorcycling, and time with friends and family.

Tamer Washburn was a daughter of Jesse and Susannah Tompkins Washburn. She was born July 4^th, 1805, at Mt Pleasant, Westchester County, New York. When she was 19 years old, Tamer married Abraham Washburn (whose grandfather was her father’s brother) on March 16, 1824, at Mt. Pleasant, New York. In their early married life, they moved to Sing Sing, where Abraham went into the shoe-making and tanning business.

Mormon Missionaries

When Parley P. Pratt came to New York with the gospel message, Abraham Washburn was converted immediately; the message was so plain and beautiful that he believed everybody could readily be converted. Abraham took Brother Pratt home with him to explain the wonderful message to his wife. Brother Pratt told her that the Lord and His Son had visited, in person, the boy Joseph Smith, and later sent heavenly messengers who had restored the Priesthood, both Aaronic and Melchizedek, and that the Lord was giving the boy Prophet continued revelations, revealing the gospel of Jesus Christ in its fulness. He said that the Angel Moroni had delivered the history of the ancient inhabitants of this continent, written on gold plates, to the Prophet, and he had by the power of God, translated them, and that the book was now published and was called The Book of Mormon.

This was too much for this dear lady, who was a staunch Methodist, yet retaining many ideas of the Quaker faith in which she had been reared. She was infuriated at what she had just heard; it was impossible for God to give new revelations to man; all such things had ceased with the death of the ancient Prophets and Apostles. This man was surely an imposter teaching false doctrine. Her righteous indignation arose and she turned on Brother Pratt and poured out the venom of her wrath in no gentle tones. Her husband tried in vain to soothe her. He, however, knew that the message was true and in a short time was baptized. He tried gently, at every opportunity to convert his dear wife, but it seemed, for some time, that his efforts were useless.

One evening, while he was attending an evening meeting, Abraham received a message to come home quickly: his wife was in a terrible nervous condition on account of his being at a Mormon meeting. As he was leaving, Brother Pratt said, “Be of good cheer, Brother Washburn, for in a very short time your wife will be a member of the Church.” It was but a few weeks until she asked Brother Pratt to baptize her.

She learned to love Brother Pratt and the gospel of Jesus Christ. Her home was ever after a home for the Mormon missionaries.

As time passed, both Parley and Orson Pratt made their home with the Washburns while doing Missionary work in New York. On one occasion, Orson Pratt brought his wife. She wore, as was the custom in those days, a lace cap with bows of ribbon and small artificial flowers on the side of her cap. Tamer had not yet sufficiently recovered from her Quaker notions to be able to tolerate these ‘excessive’ practices, so she asked Sister Pratt to please remove the trimmings from her cap while she remained her guest.  Sister Pratt complied with the request to please Sister Washburn. In after years, Tamer laughed as she related the story wondering how she could have been so narrow minded because she herself wore just such little lace caps to the end of her days and enjoyed having them handsomely decorated.

Abraham was a prosperous business man and he gave Tamer a regular allowance of 75 dollars a month. She was saving, and deposited a part of her allowance each month in the bank. Once, Orson Pratt was going to England on a mission; he arrived in New York with no money to pay his traveling expenses. Tamer gave him enough money from her savings account to pay his passage to England.

A Blessing and Promise from the Prophet Joseph Smith

After joining the body of the Church at Nauvoo, Brother Washburn was a member of the Nauvoo Legion. They were friends of the Prophet, Joseph Smith. The Prophet Joseph Smith visited with Tamer and her folks many times. On one occasion when the Smiths and others were at their home at an evening social, the Prophet arose to his feet and said, “Sister Washburn, there is a special blessing from the Lord to you, and the Lord says that you’re just as sure of your Celestial crown as though you already had it on your head.” The sisters assembled said to the Prophet, “This is enough to make us jealous.” And then the Prophet said, “This blessing is for Mother Washburn above the rest, because she is a free giver. She could always give and never regret.”  Her salvation in the Celestial Kingdom was assured on account of her liberality.

Mormon Polygamy and Victory Over Herself

They came from Winter Quarters to Salt Lake City early in 1848 with the Richards Company. Tamer drove three yoke of wild steers across the trackless desert. Shortly after their arrival in the valley, Abraham married Flora Clorinda Gleason Johnson.

Tamer was a social person, and usually very optimistic, yet she was capable of very intense feelings. Flora’s daughter Lorena related, “Tamer told me how hard it was to live in plural marriage, and for a long time she was unkind to my mother although she loved mother. She prayed often for strength, and God finally gave her victory over herself. After that, plural marriage ceased to be a trial, and my mother became one of her best earthly friends.”

Such is a few of the trials and only a few that she with others passed through because they believed that God lived and had a Soul and Body like unto that of Man whom He had created and because they believed that He had the right and privilege to converse with the men He had created and that He did make known His mind and will and they believed it and would not deny it and troubles were multiplied upon them.

Delisa Hargrove

I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I have moved 64 times and have not tired of experiencing this beautiful earth! I love the people, languages, histories/anthropologies, & especially religious cultures of the world. My life long passion is the study & searching out of religious symbolism, specifically related to ancient & modern temples. My husband Anthony and I love our bulldog Stig, adventures, traveling, movies, motorcycling, and time with friends and family.

My father’s name was Edmund Durfee, he was born in Rhode Island on the 3rd October 1788 of Dutch decent [SIC]. My mother’s name was Magdalena “Lana” Pickle and she was born 6 June 1788. Her father and mother were from Holland. I was born 6 March 1813 in Lennox, Madison County, New York and lived there until I was about nine years old when we moved to Amboy, Oswego County. Father bought some land, built him a house, made a small farm, and worked at his trade that was mostly carpenter and millwright. We lived there until the first of June 1830, father bought more land. There were lots of maple trees. Then father wanted to go West so he sold his sugar bush and farm and started for the south of Ohio. We went through Camden Village to the canal, went on the canal to Buffalo, we went to Briggles (Ruggles) in Huron County.

Mormon Missionary Introduces The Book of Mormon

Father bought land and went to work to make a home, and the next winter in 1830 we heard about the Mormons and the “Gold Bible.” The next spring Solomon Hancock came preaching about Joseph Smith and said that the Angel Moroni had revealed them to Joseph Smith. Solomon Hancock joined in with us, the Methodists and Campbellites, and he would preach in our meetinghouse. We would go to hear him and many were astonished at his message for it was so much different from what had been reported.

This was sometime in April 1831, and my father Edmond Durfee was baptized about the middle of May and my mother and sister, Martha and brother, Edmund were baptized about the first of June by Solomon Hancock.

Edmond served a Mormon Mission to Chautauqua, Genesee, New York in December 1831-February 1832.

Gathering with the Saints in KirtlanD

My father gathered some of his carpenter tools, seed grain, farming tools and in a company with others, he started for Kirtland, Ohio, on the first of February 1832 to build a place for all his family to go. He came home in the fall of 1832, sold his farm and all his possessions and we started for Kirtland, Ohio on the first of May 1833. The Lord had said “He would keep a strong hold” for five years in Kirtland. We bought us a farm, built us some houses and prepared to live.

A great many things transpired about this time that I haven’t time to write and some that I can’t place them. Land came up and sold for a large sum of money and they had a great land speculation, and many left the Church of the Latter-day Saints.

Missourian Mob Violence Against the Mormons

In the Spring of 1837, my father sold his farm and all his possessions and started for Caldwell County, Missouri, where we stayed that summer and fall, and lived on what they called “Log Creek” six miles from Far West. I was there when they killed David Patten, when they took a lot of prisoners and the Saints had to lay down their lives to their enemies.

The mob gathered and killed many and drove all the Mormons from Adam-ondi-Ahman to Far West. Not being satisfied, the whole state with the Governor at their head gathered by the thousands to drive them from Far West. They wanted Joseph Smith & Sidney Rigdon, our leaders and the Twelve, and all they could get and put them in prison. Some were bailed out and others had to stay and take up with such a fare as they could get and be fed on human flesh, but Joseph told them “not to eat it,” for the spirit of the Lord told him that it was human. Thus we were plundered, smitten and driven from our homes, our lives were threatened and we were ill-treated on every side by our enemies. Enemies to the truths of heaven came along, one to five hundred right to our houses and nobody around but women and little children. Took our men prisoners without any cause, only because they were Mormons and believed in the truths of the Gospel. They wanted to know if we had any guns, pistols or ammunition or butcher knives and such things.

No one can tell, only those that passed through it and was an eye witness to it can describe the feeling of the Saints and what they passed through.

In 1839, we crossed over to Quincy, went up the river to a place called Lima, Hancock county, Illinois. There we built us a house and bought a small place and fixed to live here a short time. But the devil wasn’t dead yet. In a short time there was some that would go to Lima and get drunk and come back swearing and tearing enough to frighten men, let alone women and children.

Mobbers Murdered Edmond in Cold Blood in Lima, Illinois

The gentiles and the mobocrats threatened us and told around how they would kill and drive them (the Mormons). They did kill and drive us from Lima, and shot my father Edmund Durfee and killed him instantly on 19 November 1845. He who had never done them any harm in his life, but on the contrary, had always taught them good principles of truth and uprightness and greatness and morality and industries all the days of his life.

But before this, they drove the Saints out of Father Morley’s Settlement and turned their sick ones out. Drove them all out to live or die. Rolled my brother, Nephi, up in a bed and threw it outdoors when he was sick. Went to the oat stack and got two bundles of oats and put a brand of fire in them and threw them on top of the house and said they would be back next morning. Father was trying to move some place and they came back and shot all their guns and ran them all off, and plundered and made a fire, burned houses, furniture, clothing, yarn looms, cloth, carpenter tools. The iron from the tools they picked and filled a barrel. Everything all around burned to ashes, and the mob went from house to house driving them out, sick or well, it made no difference, till they burned every house in the town that was Mormons.

The men from Nauvoo got their teams and started for Lima and traveled all night and day to get the families that had been burned out doors. My husband was one that traveled all night and got cold, took a chill and was ill for a long time. The mob said that they could come back and gather their crops. They were nearly done, so decided to stay over Sunday. When it got dark the mob came back and built a fire close by the barns. The Mormons thought they meant to burn their houses and rushed out. The mob stood back in the timber and as the men got between them, they shot off about a dozen guns, my father was the only one killed.

The mob built a fire in different places, one in the corn crib and the shucks was on and dry rail and dry shucks and it burned a little and went out, so you see, they couldn’t go any further than the Lord let them. This was the fall of 1845.

B.H. Roberts wrote of Edmond, “Mr. Durfee was one of the most industrious, inoffensive and good men that could be found.” This description was published in the ‘History of the Church’ by B.H. Roberts, on page 2024.

Delisa Hargrove

I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I have moved 64 times and have not tired of experiencing this beautiful earth! I love the people, languages, histories/anthropologies, & especially religious cultures of the world. My life long passion is the study & searching out of religious symbolism, specifically related to ancient & modern temples. My husband Anthony and I love our bulldog Stig, adventures, traveling, movies, motorcycling, and time with friends and family.