Section 1

JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY

In response to the church historical record being removed by church historian John Whitmer when he left the church, this history of events in the life of Joseph Smith was first printed in the Times and Seasons, March–December 1842.

Owing to the many reports which have been put in circulation by evil-disposed and designing persons in relation to the rise and progress of...

I was at this time in my fifteenth year. My father’s family were proselyted to the Presbyterian faith and four of them joined that church — namely, my mother Lucy, my brothers Hyrum, Samuel Harrison, and my sister Sophronia.

During this time of great excitement, my mind was called up to serious reflection and great uneasiness, but though my feelings were deep and often poignant, still I kept...

In consequence of these things, I often felt condemned for my weakness and imperfections. When on the evening of the above mentioned twenty-first of September, after I had retired to my bed for the night, I betook myself to prayer and supplication to Almighty God for forgiveness of all my sins and follies, and also for a manifestation to me that I might know of my state and standing before him,...

Accordingly as I had been commanded, I went at the end of each year and at each time I found the same messenger there and received instruction and intelligence from him at each of our interviews respecting what the Lord was going to do, and how and in what manner his kingdom was to be conducted in the last days.

As my father’s worldly circumstances were very limited, we were under the necessity of...

During the time that I was thus employed, I was put to board with a Mr. Isaac Hale of that place. ’Twas there that I first saw my wife (his daughter) Emma Hale. On the eighteenth of January, eighteen hundred and twenty-seven, we were married while yet I was employed in the service of Mr. Stowell. Owing to my still continuing to assert that I had seen a vision, persecution still followed me, and...

At length the time arrived for obtaining the plates, the Urim and Thummim, and the breastplate. On the twenty-second day of September, one thousand eight hundred and twenty-seven, having went as usual at the end of another year to the place where they were deposited, the same Heavenly messenger delivered them up to me with this charge: that I should be responsible for them; that if I should let...

The excitement however still continued, and rumor with her thousand tongues was all the time employed in circulating tales about my father’s family and about myself. If I were to relate a thousandth part of them it would fill up volumes. The persecution however became so intolerable that I was under the necessity of leaving Manchester and going with my wife to Susquehanna County in the state of...

Sometime in this month of February, the aforementioned Mr. Martin Harris came to our place, got the characters which I had drawn off the plates, and started with them to the City of New York. For what took place relative to him and the characters, I refer to his own account of the circumstances as he related them to me after his return, which was as follows:

I went to the City of New York and...

Mr. Harris having returned from this tour, he left me and went home to Palmyra, arranged his affairs, and returned again to my house about the twelfth of April, eighteen hundred and twenty-eight, and commenced writing for me while I translated from the plates, which we continued until the fourteenth of June following, by which time he had written one hundred and sixteen pages of manuscript on...

Revelation to Joseph Smith Jr., given July 1828, concerning certain manuscripts on the first part of the Book of Mormon which had been taken from the possession of Martin Harris. [See also Section 2]

The works, and the designs, and the purposes of God cannot be frustrated, neither can they come to naught, for God does not walk in crooked paths, neither does he turn to the right hand nor to the...

I did not, however, go immediately to translating, but went to laboring with my hands upon a small farm which I had purchased of my wife’s father in order to provide for my family. In the month of February, eighteen hundred and twenty-nine, my father came to visit us, at which time I received the following revelation for him:

A revelation to Joseph Smith Sr., given February 1829.

Now behold, a...

The following I applied for, at the request of the aforementioned Martin Harris, and obtained:

Revelation given March 1829.

Behold, I say unto you that as my servant Martin Harris has desired a witness at my hand that you, my servant Joseph Smith Jr., have got the plates of which you have testified and borne record that you have received of me, and now behold, this shall you say unto him: He who...

On the fifth day of April, eighteen hundred and twenty-nine, Oliver Cowdery came to my house, until when I had never seen him. He stated to me that having been teaching school in the neighborhood where my father resided, and my father being one of those who sent to the school, he had went to board for a season at my father’s house. And while there, the family related to him the circumstance of my...

We still continued the work of translation when, in the ensuing month (May, eighteen hundred and twenty-nine), we on a certain day went into the woods to pray and inquire of the Lord respecting baptism for the remission of sins as we found mentioned in the translation of the plates. While we were thus employed praying and calling upon the Lord, a messenger from Heaven descended in a cloud of...

Shortly after commencing to translate, I became acquainted with Mr. Peter Whitmer [Sr.] of Fayette, Seneca County, New York; and also with some of his family. In the beginning of the month of June, his son David Whitmer came to the place where we were residing, and brought with him a two-horse wagon, for the purpose of having us accompany him to his father’s place and there remain until we should...

In this manner did the Lord continue to give us instructions from time to time concerning the duties which now devolved upon us. And among many other things of the kind we obtained of him the following by the spirit of prophecy and revelation, which not only gave us much information, but also pointed out to us the precise day upon which, according to his will and commandment, we should proceed to...

A commandment of God, and not of man, to Martin Harris, given, Manchester, New York, March 1830 by him who is Eternal. [See also Section 4]

I am Alpha and Omega, Christ the Lord, yea, even I am He, the Beginning and the End, the Redeemer of the world, I, having accomplished and finished the will of him whose I am, even the Father, concerning me, having done this that I might subdue all things unto...

While the Book of Mormon was in the hands of the printer, we still continued to bear testimony and give information as far as we had opportunity, and also made known to our brethren that we had received commandment to organize the church, and accordingly we met together for that purpose at the house of the above mentioned Mr. Whitmer (being six in number) on Tuesday the sixth day of April, A.D....

Amongst those who attended our meetings regularly was Newel Knight, son to Joseph Knight. He and I had now many and serious conversations on the important subject of man’s eternal salvation. We had got into the habit of praying much at our meetings and Newel had said that he would try and take up his cross and pray vocally during meeting, but when we again met together he rather excused himself....

On the first day of June 1830, we held our first conference as an organized church. Our numbers were about thirty, besides whom many assembled with us who were either believers or anxious to learn. Having opened by singing and prayer, we partook together of the emblems of the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. We then proceeded to confirm several who had lately been baptized, after which we...