A chronology of a life, a movement, and the records they left behind.
1805—1844
162 of 162 eventsDates marked “c.” are approximate
1805–1826
Family & first visions
16 events
New England beginnings, western New York, folk treasure-seeking and seer stones, revivals, and the earliest reported spiritual experiences.
23 Dec 1805
Family & personalMultiple sources
Joseph Smith is born
Joseph Smith is born to Lucy Mack Smith and Joseph Smith Sr.
Sharon, Vermont4 sources
The historical claim
Joseph Smith Jr. was born 23 December 1805 in Sharon, Vermont. Extended-family intellectuals at Dartmouth are historically real but are not Joseph’s immediate household.
Joseph was born in Sharon, Vermont, to Lucy Mack Smith and Joseph Smith Sr. His grandfather Asael Smith and grandmother Mary Duty Smith belong to an earlier New England generation. A different John Smith—Asael’s kinsman, a Yale-trained clergyman and Dartmouth professor who published a Hebrew grammar—is sometimes confused with the later uncle John Smith. Those lives are background to 1805, not events on this Joseph-centered chronology.
Joseph Smith Papers editors · Modern documentary edition Secondary · documentary biography
Places Joseph in a New England family that included Asael Smith and Mary Duty Smith; Dartmouth professor John Smith was a kinsman, not Joseph’s father.
Relationships apply to the stated claim, not to the reliability of an entire source. Multiple accounts may share a common origin.
c. 1811–1813
Migration & settlementMultiple sources
The Smiths live in Lebanon, New Hampshire
Before and during Joseph’s childhood illness, the family lives at Lebanon / West Lebanon, where the leg operation is later performed.
Lebanon, New Hampshire2 sources
The historical claim
Before and during Joseph’s childhood illness, the family lives at Lebanon / West Lebanon, where the leg operation is later performed.
Lucy Mack Smith; Coray scribes · 1844–1845 Primary · later family recollection
Describes the Manchester farm and the family’s economic struggles.
Relationships apply to the stated claim, not to the reliability of an entire source. Multiple accounts may share a common origin.
c. 1819–1825 (debated)
Visions & scriptureCompare accounts
Revivals and George Lane in the Palmyra district
Later narratives place Methodist revival preaching, including George Lane in the Ontario district, near Joseph’s youthful religious crisis. Surviving revival dates do not line up cleanly with a spring 1820 vision.
Palmyra–Manchester, New York3 sources
The historical claim
Did a locally famous revival, including George Lane’s preaching, precede the First Vision in 1820, or do the best-documented revivals belong to the mid-1820s?
Lane’s presence in the region is attested; tying him to a spring 1820 grove experience depends on later narrative, not a contemporary Lane diary entry for that event.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints · 2013/2016 edition Secondary · institutional history
The 1838 history dates the vision to 1820; documented Palmyra-area revival intensity is stronger in 1824–1825. The institutional essay acknowledges variation among accounts.
Lucy Mack Smith; Coray scribes · 1844–1845 Primary · later family recollection
Lucy describes family religious seeking and Presbyterian affiliation without settling the revival chronology.
Relationships apply to the stated claim, not to the reliability of an entire source. Multiple accounts may share a common origin.
Spring 1820 (reported)
Visions & scriptureCompare accounts
The First Vision
Joseph later describes praying in a grove and encountering divine beings. His surviving accounts differ in chronology and detail.
Near Manchester, New York7 sources
The historical claim
Joseph reported a youthful encounter with divine beings. The later standard narrative places it in spring 1820; the surviving accounts do not present every detail identically.
The 1832 account is the earliest surviving narrative, about twelve years after the traditional event date. These are several tellings by the same principal witness, not several independent witnesses to the vision.
Joseph Smith; Frederick G. Williams · c. summer 1832 Primary · retrospective manuscript
Emphasizes forgiveness and seeing the Lord. A scribal age insertion places the experience in his sixteenth year, creating a chronological tension with spring 1820.
Joseph Smith; copied by Warren Parrish · 9–11 November 1835 Primary · retrospective account in journal
Reports two personages and angels, with Joseph about fourteen. Supports the existence of this reported experience, not independent verification of its supernatural content.
Oliver Cowdery (letters copied into 1834–1836 history) · 1834–1835; copied 1835–1836 Primary · published retrospective letter
Cowdery’s 1834–35 narrative emphasizes a revival, a search for which church was right, and a later angelic visitation; it does not match the 1838 two-personage grove account in every particular.
Edinburgh pamphlet that published a First Vision narrative before the 1842 Wentworth letter. Pratt was not an eyewitness; the text reflects what he had learned from Joseph and others.
pp. 3–5 (vision narrative)
Relationships apply to the stated claim, not to the reliability of an entire source. Multiple accounts may share a common origin.
c. 1822
Family & personalCompare accounts
A seer stone from a neighbor’s well
Willard Chase later said Joseph found or took a stone while a well was being dug and used it to see hidden things. Church historians accept that Joseph used seer stones; the Chase affidavit is hostile and late relative to 1822.
Palmyra–Manchester, New York3 sources
The historical claim
Joseph obtained and used a seer stone in the early 1820s. Chase’s well story is one account of how he got a particular stone.
Joseph Smith and clerks · Compiled 1838–1840s Primary · official history compilation
The official history dates Alvin’s death to 19 November 1823.
Relationships apply to the stated claim, not to the reliability of an entire source. Multiple accounts may share a common origin.
c. 1824
Family & personalCompare accounts
Alvin’s grave is opened
Lucy Mack Smith said the family opened Alvin’s grave to refute a rumor that the body had been removed—sometimes linked in hostile talk to necromancy or treasure magic. The rumor and the opening are both historically attested as claims; they do not establish the rumor’s truth.
Manchester, New York2 sources
The historical claim
The Smiths opened Alvin’s grave to answer a rumor. The rumor that they needed the body for magic is an accusation recorded by enemies.
Hostile Palmyra affidavits circulated stories connecting the Smiths with magic and the dead; they are accusations, not proof.
Relationships apply to the stated claim, not to the reliability of an entire source. Multiple accounts may share a common origin.
1824–1827 (reported)
Visions & scriptureMultiple sources
Yearly attempts to obtain the plates
Joseph later said he visited the hill each year, was forbidden to take the plates, and was chastised—including over who might help him, and over treasure-seeking motives.
Manchester, New York3 sources
The historical claim
Joseph later said he visited the hill each year, was forbidden to take the plates, and was chastised—including over who might help him, and over treasure-seeking motives.
These visits are reported event dates; the narratives were written years later.
Joseph Knight Sr. · c. 1835–1847 Primary · later recollection
Knight recalls Joseph being forbidden to take the plates for several years.
Relationships apply to the stated claim, not to the reliability of an entire source. Multiple accounts may share a common origin.
1825
Family & personalCompare accounts
Treasure seeking with Josiah Stowell
Stowell employs Joseph in a search for buried treasure. Joseph’s reputation as a seer is part of the venture.
New York–Pennsylvania border4 sources
The historical claim
Joseph worked with Josiah Stowell looking for treasure. Neighbors described seer-stone and folk-magic practice; the precise rites are better attested as accusations than as a single dated ceremony.
Joseph Knight Sr. · c. 1835–1847 Primary · later recollection
Knight, a sympathetic neighbor, also recalls treasure-seeking work with Stowell.
Relationships apply to the stated claim, not to the reliability of an entire source. Multiple accounts may share a common origin.
c. 1825 (reported)
Family & personalCompare accounts
Samuel Lawrence and a reported viewing
Willard Chase said Joseph and Samuel Lawrence used a seer stone in connection with the plates or treasure. This is a secondhand hostile affidavit, not a statement by Lawrence in his own hand in that compilation.
Manchester, New York2 sources
The historical claim
Chase alleged that Joseph and Samuel Lawrence used a seer stone regarding the plates or treasure.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints · Modern historical essay Secondary · institutional history
Institutional treasure-seeking essay describes this neighborhood culture without adopting every affidavit detail.
Relationships apply to the stated claim, not to the reliability of an entire source. Multiple accounts may share a common origin.
c. 1825 (reported)
Family & personalCompare accounts
Magic circles and treasure rites reported
Affidavits in Mormonism Unvailed describe circles, guardian spirits, and failed treasure digs in the Stowell/Harmony country. Some later polemics add blood sacrifice. These are allegations about folk-magic practice; they are not a single dated ritual with a surviving contemporary permit or diary.
New York–Pennsylvania border3 sources
The historical claim
Neighbors alleged ritual treasure-seeking (circles, guardians, and in some later tellings blood). The fact of digging with Stowell is better attested than any one magical recipe.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints · Modern historical essay Secondary · institutional history
The institutional essay accepts that treasure-seeking occurred and treats magical detail as part of the cultural setting.
Relationships apply to the stated claim, not to the reliability of an entire source. Multiple accounts may share a common origin.
Mar 1826
Law & politicsCompare accounts
The South Bainbridge hearing
Joseph appears before a justice over his treasure-seeking activities. Surviving accounts disagree about the outcome.
South Bainbridge, New York3 sources
The historical claim
A hearing occurred over Joseph’s use of a stone to locate property; its exact judicial disposition is disputed.
The linked institutional essay compares the surviving accounts. This entry summarizes that comparison; separate transcriptions of every account have not yet been added.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints · Modern historical essay Secondary · institutional history
Compares a purported guilty finding, a report of discharge, and Cowdery’s later claim of acquittal. Cowdery did not attend the hearing. None should be silently treated as the uncontested verdict.
Joseph Smith and clerks · Compiled 1838–1840s Primary · official history compilation
Cowdery’s material copied into later history claimed an acquittal; other reports disagree.
Relationships apply to the stated claim, not to the reliability of an entire source. Multiple accounts may share a common origin.
1827–1830
A book & a new church
52 events
Marriage, translation, revelations later printed in the Book of Commandments, publication of the Book of Mormon, and organization of the Church of Christ.
c. 1824–1828 (reported)
Family & personalMultiple sources
Lucy and some children leave Presbyterian worship
Lucy later said that after Alvin’s death and amid conflict with a minister, she and some children stopped attending the Presbyterian church they had joined. Dating is approximate.
Palmyra–Manchester, New York2 sources
The historical claim
Lucy later said that after Alvin’s death and amid conflict with a minister, she and some children stopped attending the Presbyterian church they had joined. Dating is approximate.
Isaac Hale; published by E. D. Howe · Affidavit 1834; published 1834 Primary · affidavit in hostile compilation
Hale locates the couple on his land and discusses terms of residence.
Relationships apply to the stated claim, not to the reliability of an entire source. Multiple accounts may share a common origin.
1828–1830
Migration & settlementMultiple sources
Agreement with Isaac Hale over Harmony property
Joseph and Emma lived on Hale land. Hale’s affidavit discusses residence, a contemplated purchase, and later estrangement. A clean deed narrative is less clear than the fact of residence and conflict.
Harmony, Pennsylvania2 sources
The historical claim
Joseph and Emma lived on Hale land. Hale’s affidavit discusses residence, a contemplated purchase, and later estrangement. A clean deed narrative is less clear than the fact of residence and conflict.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints · Modern historical essay Secondary · institutional history
Family essay locates the Harmony years on the Susquehanna.
Relationships apply to the stated claim, not to the reliability of an entire source. Multiple accounts may share a common origin.
1828 (reported)
Family & personalMultiple sources
Joseph Sr and family contact after the loss
Lucy describes parental anxiety, visits, and a hard winter in Harmony after the infant’s death and the manuscript crisis—including Joseph Sr. and Harris in the Palmyra side of the story.
Harmony, Pennsylvania / Palmyra, New York2 sources
The historical claim
Lucy describes parental anxiety, visits, and a hard winter in Harmony after the infant’s death and the manuscript crisis—including Joseph Sr. and Harris in the Palmyra side of the story.
Joseph Smith and clerks · Compiled 1838–1840s Primary · official history compilation
Official history focuses on Joseph and Harris more than on every family visit.
Relationships apply to the stated claim, not to the reliability of an entire source. Multiple accounts may share a common origin.
Feb 1828
Visions & scriptureCompare accounts
Martin Harris meets Charles Anthon
Both men later acknowledge the consultation. They disagree about whether Anthon authenticated the characters.
New York City3 sources
The historical claim
Did Anthon authenticate the characters Harris brought him?
Agreement on the meeting is distinct from agreement on authentication. The source below reproduces the disagreement in summary; the independent Anthon letters should be consulted in a fuller edition.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints · Modern historical essay Secondary · institutional history
Anthon’s later accounts deny authentication; Harris’s account says Anthon supplied, then tore up, an endorsement. Both attest that a consultation occurred.
Joseph Smith / early church record · July 1828 Primary · revelation manuscript
The July revelation presupposes that the manuscript left Joseph’s control.
Relationships apply to the stated claim, not to the reliability of an entire source. Multiple accounts may share a common origin.
Jun 1828 (reported)
Family & personalCompare accounts
Joseph attends a Methodist class
Isaac Hale and other Harmony sources said Joseph attended a Methodist class around the time of the infant’s death and then withdrew. The episode is used by critics to question exclusive restoration claims; the documentation is local and hostile or later.
Harmony, Pennsylvania2 sources
The historical claim
Joseph associated with a Methodist class in Harmony in 1828. What that implied about his prophetic claims is a later interpretive fight.
Joseph Smith and clerks · Compiled 1838–1840s Primary · official history compilation
Official history places this revelation immediately after the loss.
Relationships apply to the stated claim, not to the reliability of an entire source. Multiple accounts may share a common origin.
Jul 1828–Sep 1828 (reported)
Visions & scriptureMultiple sources
The plates and interpreters are taken and later restored
Joseph later said the plates and interpreters were taken after the loss and restored when he repented. Lucy describes a season without the record and a later recovery.
Harmony, Pennsylvania3 sources
The historical claim
Joseph later said the plates and interpreters were taken after the loss and restored when he repented. Lucy describes a season without the record and a later recovery.
“Regained the plates” in later lists often collapses several weeks of reported events into one heading.
Joseph Smith and clerks · Compiled 1838–1840s Primary · official history compilation
The compiled history affirms the visitation without a precise calendar date.
Relationships apply to the stated claim, not to the reliability of an entire source. Multiple accounts may share a common origin.
c. 1829 (reported decades later)
Visions & scriptureCompare accounts
Mary Elizabeth Rollins later reports seeing the plates
As an adult, Mary Elizabeth Rollins Lightner said that as a child in Palmyra she saw the plates uncovered in a wagon or related setting. The memory is late; it is a testimony, not a contemporary 1829 diary.
Palmyra, New York2 sources
The historical claim
Lightner later testified that she saw the plates in 1829. The claim is late and not part of the 1830 printed witness statements.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints · 2016 edition Secondary · institutional history
Other unofficial “saw the plates” memories exist; they are not the Eight Witnesses document.
Relationships apply to the stated claim, not to the reliability of an entire source. Multiple accounts may share a common origin.
1829–1830 (reported)
Finance & publishingCompare accounts
An attempt to secure Canadian copyright
Later sources say Joseph sent men to Canada to sell or protect copyright. Documentation is thinner than the U.S. copyright filing; treat the trip as reported, not as a surviving Canadian registration.
Kingston / Upper Canada (reported)3 sources
The historical claim
A Canada copyright/sale attempt was later reported. No Canadian registration comparable to the U.S. filing is cited here.
Hostile print treated copyright and money stories as evidence of fraud.
Relationships apply to the stated claim, not to the reliability of an entire source. Multiple accounts may share a common origin.
1829–1830
Finance & publishingMultiple sources
Agreements over Book of Mormon funds
Harris’s mortgage, Grandin’s contract, and later disputes over proceeds are the financial structure of the first edition. D&C 19 presses Harris to pay.
Palmyra, New York3 sources
The historical claim
Harris’s mortgage, Grandin’s contract, and later disputes over proceeds are the financial structure of the first edition. D&C 19 presses Harris to pay.
Lucy Mack Smith; Coray scribes · 1844–1845 Primary · later family recollection
Lucy describes family and Harris negotiations around the printing.
Relationships apply to the stated claim, not to the reliability of an entire source. Multiple accounts may share a common origin.
1829–1830
Finance & publishingMultiple sources
Threats and mockery while the book is printed
Palmyra print ridiculed the “Gold Bible.” Recollections describe threatened mob action and the need to hide unbound sheets. Abner Cole printed extracts in The Reflector.
Palmyra, New York3 sources
The historical claim
Palmyra print ridiculed the “Gold Bible.” Recollections describe threatened mob action and the need to hide unbound sheets. Abner Cole printed extracts in The Reflector.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints · Modern historical essay Secondary · institutional history
Institutional essay on the press run and local opposition.
Relationships apply to the stated claim, not to the reliability of an entire source. Multiple accounts may share a common origin.
Feb–Apr 1829
Visions & scriptureMultiple sources
Revelations, February–April 1829
A cluster of short revelations—later Book of Commandments chapters and D&C 4–9—addresses Joseph Sr., Harris, Cowdery, and translation. They are grouped here rather than each occupying a full era heading.
Harmony, Pennsylvania7 sources
The historical claim
A cluster of short revelations—later Book of Commandments chapters and D&C 4–9—addresses Joseph Sr., Harris, Cowdery, and translation. They are grouped here rather than each occupying a full era heading.
W. W. Phelps, printer; revelations attributed to Joseph Smith · 1833 Primary · first printed compilation of revelations
1833 Book of Commandments printed these as sequential chapters.
Relationships apply to the stated claim, not to the reliability of an entire source. Multiple accounts may share a common origin.
Apr–Jun 1829
Visions & scriptureCompare accounts
Cowdery joins the translation work
Oliver Cowdery serves as the principal scribe during the main period of Book of Mormon dictation.
Harmony / Fayette4 sources
The historical claim
Oliver Cowdery serves as the principal scribe during the main period of Book of Mormon dictation.
Accounts differ in terminology and apparatus. “Urim and Thummim” can refer to more than one instrument in later usage; this should not be simplified into a binary contradiction.
Reported statements compiled in hostile and later sources · 1830s reports; printed 1834 and later Primary / reported speech · contested transmission
Later hostile compilations and some reported Harris remarks distinguish seeing with “spiritual eyes” from ordinary sight. The printed testimony does not use that phrase.
Relationships apply to the stated claim, not to the reliability of an entire source. Multiple accounts may share a common origin.
Jun 1829 (reported)
Visions & scriptureMultiple sources
The Eight Witnesses
A separate collective testimony describes seeing and handling the plates.
Near Palmyra, New York3 sources
The historical claim
A separate collective testimony describes seeing and handling the plates.
The emphasis on handling differs from the Three Witnesses’ angelic scene. The statements concern separate reported experiences, so that difference is not itself a contradiction.
Joseph Smith / early church record · c. March 1830 Primary · revelation manuscript
The March 1830 revelation to Harris commands him not to covet his property and to pay the printer.
Relationships apply to the stated claim, not to the reliability of an entire source. Multiple accounts may share a common origin.
1830s (reported)
Visions & scriptureCompare accounts
Harris and “spiritual eyes”
Hostile compilations and some later reports quote Martin Harris distinguishing spiritual from natural sight in connection with the plates or the Three Witnesses. Harris also repeatedly affirmed his testimony. The phrase is a flashpoint, not a signed 1829 deposition.
Palmyra / Kirtland / later locales3 sources
The historical claim
Whether Harris’s experience was ordinary sight, visionary sight, or both is argued from later quotations. The 1830 testimony is a different genre of document.
Relationships apply to the stated claim, not to the reliability of an entire source. Multiple accounts may share a common origin.
1830–1834
Law & politicsMultiple sources
Willard Chase and neighborhood accusations
Chase, a Methodist neighbor and mason, becomes a principal affidavit-giver against the Smiths—treasure-seeking, the stone, and later an 1830s print war. Some later lists mention an altercation; the durable record is the affidavit literature.
Palmyra–Manchester, New York3 sources
The historical claim
Chase, a Methodist neighbor and mason, becomes a principal affidavit-giver against the Smiths—treasure-seeking, the stone, and later an 1830s print war. Some later lists mention an altercation; the durable record is the affidavit literature.
Joseph Smith and clerks · Compiled 1838–1840s Primary · official history compilation
The compiled history dates the book’s issuance to March 1830.
Relationships apply to the stated claim, not to the reliability of an entire source. Multiple accounts may share a common origin.
c. Apr 1830
Organization & ordinancesMultiple sources
Articles and Covenants of the church [D&C 20]
Governing articles on faith, baptism, offices, and record-keeping are adopted with the new church—Book of Commandments chapter 24 in 1833, D&C 20 today.
Western New York3 sources
The historical claim
Governing articles on faith, baptism, offices, and record-keeping are adopted with the new church—Book of Commandments chapter 24 in 1833, D&C 20 today.
Joseph Smith / early church record · April 1830 Primary · revelation manuscript
April 1830 charges to early elders.
Relationships apply to the stated claim, not to the reliability of an entire source. Multiple accounts may share a common origin.
Apr 1830 (reported)
Visions & scriptureCompare accounts
Newel Knight’s “exorcism”
Joseph and others later described Knight writhing under an evil influence and then recovering after Joseph’s rebuke—the first miracle story in many church histories. Hostile neighbors treated it as frenzy or fraud.
Colesville, New York2 sources
The historical claim
A dramatic episode involving Newel Knight occurred and was remembered as casting out a devil. Naturalistic and fraudulent explanations were offered immediately by outsiders.
Joseph Smith and clerks · Compiled 1838–1840s Primary · official history compilation
The official history locates the meeting at the Whitmer home in Fayette.
Relationships apply to the stated claim, not to the reliability of an entire source. Multiple accounts may share a common origin.
6 Apr 1830 (reported)
Organization & ordinancesMultiple sources
Joseph Sr and Martin Harris are baptized
Later histories say Joseph Smith Sr. and Martin Harris were baptized the day the church was organized, amid emotion at the Whitmer home or nearby waters.
Fayette, New York3 sources
The historical claim
Later histories say Joseph Smith Sr. and Martin Harris were baptized the day the church was organized, amid emotion at the Whitmer home or nearby waters.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints · Modern historical essay Secondary · institutional history
Institutional JST essay places Moses 1 at the start of the revision.
Relationships apply to the stated claim, not to the reliability of an entire source. Multiple accounts may share a common origin.
Jun–Jul 1830
Law & politicsMultiple sources
Colesville baptisms, arrests, and trials
After baptisms in Colesville, Joseph is arrested, tried in South Bainbridge and Colesville, and discharged. Hyrum is also drawn into the legal harassment. These are among the first court cases after organization.
Colesville / Chenango County, New York3 sources
The historical claim
After baptisms in Colesville, Joseph is arrested, tried in South Bainbridge and Colesville, and discharged. Hyrum is also drawn into the legal harassment. These are among the first court cases after organization.
Joseph Smith and clerks · Compiled 1838–1840s Primary · official history compilation
The compiled history places D&C 25 in Harmony in July 1830.
Relationships apply to the stated claim, not to the reliability of an entire source. Multiple accounts may share a common origin.
c. Aug 1830
Visions & scriptureCompare accounts
Revelation on sacrament and keys [D&C 27]
A revelation on the sacrament, wine, and future messianic banquet. Later expanded text mentions Peter, James, John and other keys—an important source for priesthood-restoration chronology, and a reason the date of those restorations remains debated.
Harmony, Pennsylvania2 sources
The historical claim
D&C 27 is a dated 1830 revelation. Some priesthood-restoration details in later printings may reflect expansion after 1830.
Joseph Smith and clerks · Compiled 1838–1840s Primary · official history compilation
Narrates Page’s stone, the September 1830 conference, and the rebuke in D&C 28.
Relationships apply to the stated claim, not to the reliability of an entire source. Multiple accounts may share a common origin.
Sep 1830
Visions & scriptureMultiple sources
Revelation, September 1830 [D&C 29]
A millenarian revelation on the gathering, resurrection, and the end of the world, given around the September conference that also disciplined Hiram Page.
Fayette, New York2 sources
The historical claim
A millenarian revelation on the gathering, resurrection, and the end of the world, given around the September conference that also disciplined Hiram Page.
Joseph Smith and clerks · Compiled 1838–1840s Primary · official history compilation
The official history names Cowdery, Pratt, Peterson, and Whitmer as missionaries.
Relationships apply to the stated claim, not to the reliability of an entire source. Multiple accounts may share a common origin.
Oct–Nov 1830
Migration & settlementMultiple sources
Missionaries reach Kirtland, Ohio
Cowdery, Pratt, and companions preach in the Western Reserve; Sidney Rigdon and many Campbellites are baptized, creating the Ohio church that Joseph will soon lead in person.
Kirtland, Ohio3 sources
The historical claim
Cowdery, Pratt, and companions preach in the Western Reserve; Sidney Rigdon and many Campbellites are baptized, creating the Ohio church that Joseph will soon lead in person.
Joseph Smith and clerks · Compiled 1838–1840s Primary · official history compilation
Official history treats the Ohio conversions as the unexpected fruit of the western mission.
Relationships apply to the stated claim, not to the reliability of an entire source. Multiple accounts may share a common origin.
Oct 1830
Visions & scriptureCompare accounts
Peter Bauder interviews Joseph Smith
Itinerant minister Peter Bauder interviews Joseph in October 1830 and later prints a short account of Joseph’s claims. It is an important early outsider interview, not a friendly history.
Canandaigua / Manchester area, New York2 sources
The historical claim
Itinerant minister Peter Bauder interviews Joseph in October 1830 and later prints a short account of Joseph’s claims. It is an important early outsider interview, not a friendly history.
Use Bauder as a source for what Joseph was saying in 1830, not as a full transcript of every later doctrine.
Joseph Smith and clerks · Compiled 1838–1840s Primary · official history compilation
The compiled history treats the Ohio removal as a direct response to these revelations.
Relationships apply to the stated claim, not to the reliability of an entire source. Multiple accounts may share a common origin.
1831–1837
Kirtland & the gathering
50 events
New scripture and institutions develop alongside the struggle to establish Zion in Missouri.
c. Mid-1830s
Plural marriageCompare accounts
The Fanny Alger relationship
Later accounts describe a plural marriage; earlier allegations characterize the relationship differently. Its precise date is uncertain.
Kirtland, Ohio4 sources
The historical claim
Was the relationship a plural marriage, as later witnesses described it, or an illicit relationship, as opponents alleged?
No contemporary marriage record is supplied here. Later recollections cannot establish an exact wedding date. An allegation and proof of an allegation must be kept separate.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints · Modern historical essay Secondary · institutional history
Surveys early allegations and much later marriage descriptions, including Mosiah Hancock’s 1896 account. Fanny left no detailed firsthand account in this collection.
Local Ohio print was already discussing the new movement when the Smiths arrived.
Relationships apply to the stated claim, not to the reliability of an entire source. Multiple accounts may share a common origin.
Feb–Mar 1831
Visions & scriptureCompare accounts
Spiritual excesses and “false spirits” in Kirtland
Before and after Joseph’s arrival, some Ohio converts enacted visions, trances, and strange physical worship. Joseph and later revelations condemn part of this as false spirits. Newspapers mocked it; believers disagreed about which manifestations were genuine.
Kirtland, Ohio3 sources
The historical claim
Unusual spiritual phenomena occurred in early Kirtland. Participants, Joseph, and the newspapers did not agree which were from God.
Joseph Smith / early church record · 9 May 1831 Primary · revelation manuscript
A 9 May 1831 revelation instructs elders how to discern spirits that are not of God.
Relationships apply to the stated claim, not to the reliability of an entire source. Multiple accounts may share a common origin.
Feb 1831 (reported)
Visions & scriptureCompare accounts
Elsa Johnson’s arm is healed
Ezra and Elsa Johnson of Hiram later said Joseph healed Elsa’s lame arm shortly after arriving in Ohio—an early public healing story. Skeptics attributed it to excitement.
Kirtland / Hiram, Ohio2 sources
The historical claim
The Johnsons and church historians report a sudden healing of Elsa’s arm. Medical and newspaper sources do not corroborate a diagnosis or a clinical follow-up.
Local papers treated Mormon healings as fanaticism.
Relationships apply to the stated claim, not to the reliability of an entire source. Multiple accounts may share a common origin.
4 Feb 1831
Organization & ordinancesMultiple sources
Revelation appointing a bishop [D&C 41]
A revelation commands the church to gather to Ohio in order, names Edward Partridge a bishop, and warns against those who receive the law but do not obey it.
Kirtland, Ohio2 sources
The historical claim
A revelation commands the church to gather to Ohio in order, names Edward Partridge a bishop, and warns against those who receive the law but do not obey it.
Joseph Smith / early church record (section attribution) · 20 July 1831 Primary text · modern canonical edition
The July 1831 revelation sets the stage for their settlement.
Relationships apply to the stated claim, not to the reliability of an entire source. Multiple accounts may share a common origin.
Jul 1831
Finance & publishingMultiple sources
Phelps and the Missouri gathering in print
W. W. Phelps, soon the church printer in Independence, reports and promotes the revealed gathering. His papers are both sources and actors in the Missouri story.
Independence, Missouri2 sources
The historical claim
W. W. Phelps, soon the church printer in Independence, reports and promotes the revealed gathering. His papers are both sources and actors in the Missouri story.
Joseph Smith and clerks · Compiled 1838–1840s Primary · official history compilation
Official history dates the preface revelation to the November 1831 conferences.
Relationships apply to the stated claim, not to the reliability of an entire source. Multiple accounts may share a common origin.
8–11 Nov 1831
Organization & ordinancesMultiple sources
November 1831 conferences and priesthood minutes
Hiram/Kirtland conferences decide to publish the revelations, assign the preface (D&C 1), and record minutes that later inform D&C 107’s priesthood order. This is a governance event, not the 1835 literary completion of D&C 107.
Hiram, Ohio3 sources
The historical claim
Hiram/Kirtland conferences decide to publish the revelations, assign the preface (D&C 1), and record minutes that later inform D&C 107’s priesthood order. This is a governance event, not the 1835 literary completion of D&C 107.
Joseph Smith; recorded by Frederick G. Williams · 8 March 1832; copied before 1 April 1832 Primary · near-contemporary administrative note
This first-person note in Revelation Book 2 records that Joseph Smith selected and ordained Jesse Gause and Sidney Rigdon as counselors in the presidency of the high priesthood on 8 March 1832. It is a near-contemporary record copied within weeks of the event, unlike the later official history already linked.
Revelation Book 2, pp. 10–11; JSP, Documents 2:201–204
Relationships apply to the stated claim, not to the reliability of an entire source. Multiple accounts may share a common origin.
24 Mar 1832
Conflict & violenceMultiple sources
Joseph is tarred and feathered at Hiram
A mob pulls Joseph from the Johnson home, tars and feathers him, and tries to pour acid in his mouth. Sidney Rigdon is also beaten. Infant Joseph Murdock Smith dies days later, often linked by the family to exposure that night.
Hiram, Ohio3 sources
The historical claim
A mob pulls Joseph from the Johnson home, tars and feathers him, and tries to pour acid in his mouth. Sidney Rigdon is also beaten. Infant Joseph Murdock Smith dies days later, often linked by the family to exposure that night.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints · Modern historical essay Secondary · institutional history
Institutional violence essay is the narrative backdrop.
Relationships apply to the stated claim, not to the reliability of an entire source. Multiple accounts may share a common origin.
1834
Finance & publishingMultiple sources
Mormonism Unvailed is published
Eber D. Howe publishes affidavits from Palmyra, Harmony, and Ohio—Isaac Hale, Willard Chase, and others—creating the first large hostile sourcebook. It is indispensable as a collection of accusations and also a work of exposure with a thesis of fraud.
Painesville, Ohio4 sources
The historical claim
Eber D. Howe publishes affidavits from Palmyra, Harmony, and Ohio—Isaac Hale, Willard Chase, and others—creating the first large hostile sourcebook. It is indispensable as a collection of accusations and also a work of exposure with a thesis of fraud.
Use Howe for what neighbors swore, not as a neutral verdict. Several affidavits are contemporaneous to 1833–1834, not to 1820.
Howe’s Painesville Telegraph had already been a vehicle for anti-Mormon news.
Relationships apply to the stated claim, not to the reliability of an entire source. Multiple accounts may share a common origin.
1834–1835
Organization & ordinancesMultiple sources
School of the Elders
A more public “school of the elders” in Kirtland and Missouri continues doctrinal instruction after the 1833 School of the Prophets. The Lectures on Faith are associated with this instruction.
Kirtland, Ohio2 sources
The historical claim
A more public “school of the elders” in Kirtland and Missouri continues doctrinal instruction after the 1833 School of the Prophets. The Lectures on Faith are associated with this instruction.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints · Modern historical essay Secondary · institutional history
Institutional School of the Prophets essay is the related earlier body.
Relationships apply to the stated claim, not to the reliability of an entire source. Multiple accounts may share a common origin.
1834–1835
Organization & ordinancesCompare accounts
Cowdery publishes an angelic priesthood narrative
Oliver Cowdery’s Messenger and Advocate letters are among the first widely read accounts of angelic restoration of priesthood. They postdate 1829 by five to six years.
Kirtland, Ohio3 sources
The historical claim
The first detailed public narrative of angelic priesthood restoration is mid-1830s, not a surviving 1829 diary.
Joseph Smith and clerks · Compiled 1838–1840s Primary · official history compilation
Records the 17 February 1834 organization of the Kirtland high council.
Relationships apply to the stated claim, not to the reliability of an entire source. Multiple accounts may share a common origin.
23 Apr 1834
Organization & ordinancesMultiple sources
The United Firm is reorganized [D&C 104]
A revelation dissolves and reorganizes the United Firm (sometimes called United Order in later speech), assigning stewardships after Kirtland–Missouri financial strain.
Kirtland, Ohio2 sources
The historical claim
A revelation dissolves and reorganizes the United Firm (sometimes called United Order in later speech), assigning stewardships after Kirtland–Missouri financial strain.
Joseph Smith and clerks · Compiled 1838–1840s Primary · official history compilation
The compiled history is the main narrative of Zion’s Camp.
Relationships apply to the stated claim, not to the reliability of an entire source. Multiple accounts may share a common origin.
Jun 1834
Visions & scriptureCompare accounts
The “Zelph” incident
During Zion’s Camp in Illinois, Joseph identifies a burial as a “white Lamanite” named Zelph, a warrior under a prophet Onandagus—according to camp journals. The reports differ in wording; archaeology does not confirm the identification.
Pike County, Illinois2 sources
The historical claim
Camp diarists recorded that Joseph identified a mound burial as Zelph. The historical claim is that he said it—not that the identification is independently verifiable.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints · Modern historical essay Secondary · institutional history
Institutional Zion’s Camp essay may mention curious incidents only in passing; the journals are primary.
Relationships apply to the stated claim, not to the reliability of an entire source. Multiple accounts may share a common origin.
Jun–Jul 1834
Finance & publishingCompare accounts
Accusations of misusing Zion’s Camp funds
After the camp disbanded, some participants accused leaders of mishandling money and property. Church courts and later histories treat this as murmuring; the complaints are part of the 1834 record.
Missouri / Kirtland3 sources
The historical claim
Some camp members alleged misuse of funds. Surviving sources are partisan on both sides.
Published with the 1835 Doctrine and Covenants; authorship debated · 1835 Primary · published theological lectures
The 1835 volume included the Lectures on Faith and the revelations.
Relationships apply to the stated claim, not to the reliability of an entire source. Multiple accounts may share a common origin.
1835
Visions & scriptureCompare accounts
Lectures on Faith are published
Seven theological lectures appear at the front of the 1835 Doctrine and Covenants. They were later removed from the canon (1921). Authorship (Sidney Rigdon vs. Joseph vs. joint) is debated.
Kirtland, Ohio2 sources
The historical claim
Seven theological lectures appear at the front of the 1835 Doctrine and Covenants. They were later removed from the canon (1921). Authorship (Sidney Rigdon vs. Joseph vs. joint) is debated.
The lectures are historical Kirtland theology. Their later de-canonization is a twentieth-century church-history fact, not an 1835 event.
Joseph Smith Jr., chairman; Thomas Burdick, clerk · 31 March 1836; copied circa 5 April 1836 Primary · contemporary priesthood license
This contemporary church record certifies that Elijah Able had been ordained an elder and was authorized to preach, with the license issued under Joseph Smith’s chairmanship. It directly supports Able’s priesthood ordination during Joseph Smith’s lifetime; it does not itself document his later December 1836 ordination as a Seventy.
Kirtland Elders’ Certificates, p. 61
Relationships apply to the stated claim, not to the reliability of an entire source. Multiple accounts may share a common origin.
27 Mar 1836
Organization & ordinancesMultiple sources
The Kirtland Temple is dedicated
A dedicatory prayer asks for the temple’s acceptance and blessings on the gathered community.
Kirtland, Ohio3 sources
The historical claim
A dedicatory prayer asks for the temple’s acceptance and blessings on the gathered community.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints · Modern historical essay Secondary · institutional history
Later dissent in Kirtland is closely tied to the society’s collapse.
Relationships apply to the stated claim, not to the reliability of an entire source. Multiple accounts may share a common origin.
1837
Finance & publishingCompare accounts
The Safety Society fails
The institution collapses amid local weaknesses and a wider financial crisis, intensifying dissent.
Kirtland, Ohio4 sources
The historical claim
The institution collapses amid local weaknesses and a wider financial crisis, intensifying dissent.
The collapse is not the main disputed point. The weight given to leadership decisions, speculation, external pressure, and the wider panic varies between interpretations.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints · Modern historical essay Secondary · institutional history
Confirms the failure and the prosecution and fines for issuing notes without authorization. It presents several contributing causes rather than one explanation.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints · Modern historical essay Secondary · institutional history
Institutional printing essay focuses on 1830; the 1837 text is a separate editorial event.
Relationships apply to the stated claim, not to the reliability of an entire source. Multiple accounts may share a common origin.
1837
Organization & ordinancesMultiple sources
Apostasy and dissent in Kirtland
After the Safety Society’s failure, leading elders dissent; some try to replace Joseph; lawsuits and threats multiply. The crisis, not only the later Missouri war, drives the January 1838 departure.
Kirtland, Ohio3 sources
The historical claim
After the Safety Society’s failure, leading elders dissent; some try to replace Joseph; lawsuits and threats multiply. The crisis, not only the later Missouri war, drives the January 1838 departure.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints · Modern historical essay Secondary · institutional history
Institutional essay on the order’s language and later rescission.
Relationships apply to the stated claim, not to the reliability of an entire source. Multiple accounts may share a common origin.
30 Oct 1838
Conflict & violenceMultiple sources
The Hawn’s Mill massacre
An armed force attacks the settlement and kills seventeen Latter-day Saints, including children.
Hawn’s Mill, Missouri4 sources
The historical claim
An armed force attacks the settlement and kills seventeen Latter-day Saints, including children.
The massacre followed Boggs’s order, but sequence alone does not prove the attackers knew of it. The linked history explicitly discusses that uncertainty.
Joseph Young; sworn before C. M. Woods, Adams County Circuit Court · 4 June 1839 Sworn eyewitness affidavit (manuscript transcript)
Young witnessed the 30 October 1838 attack and its immediate aftermath, directly supporting the armed assault, deaths, and killing of children. Recorded about seven months after the event, his affidavit counts “18 or 19” killed and mortally wounded rather than the event card’s seventeen; some named-perpetrator details are explicitly secondhand.
Vault MSS 791, pp. 3–6
Relationships apply to the stated claim, not to the reliability of an entire source. Multiple accounts may share a common origin.
31 Oct 1838
Law & politicsMultiple sources
Joseph is taken into custody
The confrontation at Far West ends in the arrest of Joseph and other leaders.
Far West, Missouri3 sources
The historical claim
The confrontation at Far West ends in the arrest of Joseph and other leaders.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints · 2016 edition Secondary · institutional history
The LDS essay acknowledges that the surviving papyrus fragments do not translate as the Book of Abraham. It discusses missing-papyrus and revelatory-catalyst explanations.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints · Modern historical essay Secondary · institutional history
Joseph had become a Mason two months earlier; historians debate dependence.
Relationships apply to the stated claim, not to the reliability of an entire source. Multiple accounts may share a common origin.
6 May 1842
Law & politicsMultiple sources
Attempted assassination of Governor Boggs
Former Missouri governor Lilburn W. Boggs is shot at his home and survives. In July he swears that Joseph Smith was an accessory before the fact, triggering an extradition fight. The shooting is documented; Joseph’s involvement is alleged, not proven.
Independence, Missouri2 sources
The historical claim
Former Missouri governor Lilburn W. Boggs is shot at his home and survives. In July he swears that Joseph Smith was an accessory before the fact, triggering an extradition fight. The shooting is documented; Joseph’s involvement is alleged, not proven.
Boggs swears he was shot on 6 May 1842 with intent to kill and that he believes Joseph Smith was an accessory. This is the accusing affidavit, not independent proof of Joseph’s guilt.
Joseph Smith · 22 May 1842 Primary · contemporary published letter
Written sixteen days after the 6 May shooting and published in the Wasp, this is Joseph Smith’s contemporary response to reports connecting him to Boggs. Smith denies both predicting Boggs’s violent death and involvement in the attack, while speculating that a political opponent was responsible. The denial documents Smith’s position but does not independently disprove Boggs’s later allegation.
Page [2]; JSP, Documents 10:89–92
Relationships apply to the stated claim, not to the reliability of an entire source. Multiple accounts may share a common origin.
19 May 1842
Law & politicsMultiple sources
Joseph becomes mayor
Joseph adds Nauvoo’s mayoralty to his religious responsibilities.
Nauvoo, Illinois3 sources
The historical claim
Joseph adds Nauvoo’s mayoralty to his religious responsibilities.
Joseph Smith; Joseph Kingsbury copy · 12 July 1843; contemporary copy Primary · revelation manuscript
The July 1843 text is a later written form of teachings already in practice.
Relationships apply to the stated claim, not to the reliability of an entire source. Multiple accounts may share a common origin.
Apr–May 1843
Visions & scriptureCompare accounts
The Kinderhook plates are examined
Purported ancient plates attract Joseph’s attention. Later evidence establishes that they were manufactured as a hoax.
Nauvoo / Kinderhook, Illinois3 sources
The historical claim
Joseph examined the plates; they were not genuinely ancient.
A surviving contemporary comment about their contents is not a complete translation. Neither a completed translation nor a conscious exposure of the hoax should be assumed.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints · Modern historical essay Secondary · institutional history
Later confession and testing contradict the plates’ alleged antiquity. The essay discusses William Clayton’s contemporary report of Joseph’s comment on their contents.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints · 2016 edition Secondary · institutional history
Describes confidential marriages and public denials, explaining the language through a distinction between authorized plural marriage and “spiritual wifery.” Readers can assess that explanation against the record.
Joseph Smith, with William W. Phelps; printed by John Taylor · circa 26 January–7 February 1844; printed February 1844 Primary · contemporary presidential campaign pamphlet
Smith’s campaign pamphlet directly documents the platform associated with his 1844 presidential candidacy: stronger federal power to protect constitutional rights against mobs and a proposal to end slavery through compensated emancipation funded by public-land sales. It is firsthand evidence of the published platform, not evidence that its proposals were implemented or broadly accepted.
12-page first edition; especially pp. 7–10; JSP Historical Introduction
Relationships apply to the stated claim, not to the reliability of an entire source. Multiple accounts may share a common origin.
Mar 1844
Law & politicsMultiple sources
The Council of Fifty is organized
A political council considers governance, religious liberty, and settlements beyond U.S. jurisdiction.
Nauvoo, Illinois3 sources
The historical claim
A political council considers governance, religious liberty, and settlements beyond U.S. jurisdiction.
William Clayton · c. 7 April 1844 Primary · contemporary record
Records the same occasion with a fuller opening about wind, audibility, and the bereaved. The variation shows different note-taking, not a contradiction about whether the sermon occurred.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints · Modern historical essay Secondary · institutional history
Identifies multiple note-takers and the absence of a complete verbatim record. Shared themes are better established than every sentence of later reconstructions.
Sylvester Emmons, editor; William Law and associates, publishers · 7 June 1844 Primary · contemporary newspaper (digital recomposed replica)
The issue itself directly supports the claim that Nauvoo dissenters published criticism on 7 June 1844 of plural marriage, recent theological teachings, and the concentration of religious, civic, and military authority. It is firsthand evidence of what the publishers alleged and advocated, not independent proof that every accusation in the newspaper was true.
vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 1–4; especially the masthead, ‘Preamble, Resolutions, and Affidavits,’ and ‘Introductory’
Relationships apply to the stated claim, not to the reliability of an entire source. Multiple accounts may share a common origin.
10 Jun 1844
Law & politicsCompare accounts
The Expositor press is destroyed
Following city council action, Joseph orders the press suppressed and destroyed.
Nauvoo, Illinois5 sources
The historical claim
The press was destroyed by municipal order. The council’s claim of lawful nuisance abatement was disputed.
The destruction is well documented; legal justification is a separate question. This is historical description, not advice about current law.
Joseph Smith; contemporary clerk’s copy · 10 June 1844; copy c. 25 June Primary · contemporary record
The order expressly directs destruction of the press, scattering of the type, and burning the printed material. The order’s existence does not settle its legality.
Order on recto; marshal’s return on verso SupportsNauvoo Expositor
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints · Modern historical essay Secondary · institutional history
Reports the council decision and destruction, while discussing the council’s nuisance rationale and Ford’s demand that Joseph face a riot charge.
