Book of Mormon Witnesses

Did anybody besides Joseph Smith see the golden plates?

Yes. The historical record includes over 20 people who testified that they saw and/or handled the gold plates.[1] Latter-day Saint and non-Latter-day Saint scholars recognize that the weight of the historical evidence favors the claim that Joseph must have had some kind of a material object (e.g., metal plates) that he showed people or let others handle, even if not all scholars accept the antiquity of the plates or the existence of angels.[2]

Read more in Seer Stones

Did John Whitmer once say he saw the plates by a "supernatural power?"

Yes. He reportedly used this language once to describe his experience with the plates to Theodore Turley.[18] However, in the same account, he also said, "I handled those plates, there was fine engravings on both sides—I handled them."[19]

Didn't the witnesses say they only handled the plates wrapped in a cloth or locked in a box?

Some of the unofficial witnesses who were not called to view the plates directly, such as Emma Smith and William Smith, said something to this effect,[20] but the official witnesses were consistent about seeing the plates uncovered. (See the chart below.)

Couldn't the witnesses have been hallucinating or on drugs?

No, probably not. There is no evidence to support the theory that any of the witnesses were in a state of altered consciousness due to ingesting entheogens or other chemical substances.[21] Many of the witnesses specifically reported being clear-minded, aware of their surroundings, and under no hallucinogenic influence at the time of the experience.[22]

Did any of the witnesses leave the Church?

Yes. All of the Three Witnesses (Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer, and Martin Harris) were excommunicated from the Church at some point, but Oliver and Martin were rebaptized. Of the Eight Witnesses, John Whitmer was excommunicated from the Church, and Jacob Whitmer and Hiram Page became disaffected (see below).

Church affiliation of the Official Book of Mormon Witnesses

Witness	Day of Death	Church Membership Status at Time of Death	Comments
Oliver Cowdery	March 3, 1850	Rebaptized member	Oliver was excommunicated on April 12, 1838, and rebaptized on November 5, 1848.[23]
David Whitmer	January 25, 1888	Excommunicated	David Whitmer was excommunicated on April 13, 1838, and never returned to the Church.[24]
Martin Harris	July 10, 1875	Rebaptized member	Martin Harris was excommunicated in December 1837 and rebaptized on September 17, 1870.[25]
Christian Whitmer	November 27, 1835	Member	Christian died at the age of thirty-seven and was eulogized in the Church's newspaper as a faithful member.[26]
Jacob Whitmer	April 21, 1856	Disaffected	There are no records of Jacob ever being formally excommunicated. From later sources, it appears he disassociated from the Church when members of his family in Missouri were excommunicated and started the "Whitmerite" faction of Mormonism ("Church of Christ").[27]
Peter Whitmer, Jr.	September 22, 1836	Member	As with his brother Christian, Peter Whitmer, Jr. was eulogized as a faithful member at the time of his death.[28]
John Whitmer	July 11, 1878	Excommunicated	John was excommunicated on March 10, 1838, and never rejoined the Church.[29]
Hiram Page	August 12, 1852	Disaffected	There is no record of Hiram's formal excommunication, but later sources indicate he disassociated himself from the Church in 1838.[30]
Joseph Smith, Sr.	September 14, 1840	Member	Joseph Smith Sr. was the Church patriarch at the time of his death.[31]
Hyrum Smith	June 27, 1844	Member	Hyrum was murdered alongside his brother Joseph in Carthage Jail on June 27, 1844.[32]
Samuel H. Smith	July 30, 1844	Member	Samuel was remembered as a "faithful saint" and Book of Mormon witness in his August 1, 1844 eulogy.[33]

Did any of the witnesses ever recant their testimonies after they left the Church?

No. The 1861 edition of the New American Cyclopædia claimed the witnesses "avowed the falsity of their testimony" after leaving the Church,[34] but there are many historical records that contradict this claim.[35]

An 1841 poem claims Oliver Cowdery "denied" the Book of Mormon,[36] but this claim is contradicted by other sources.[37]

Did Oliver Cowdery publish a renunciation of the Book of Mormon after his excommunication?

No. However, there is a document, considered by historians to be a forgery,[38] titled Defence in a Rehearsal of my Grounds for Separating Myself from the Latter Day Saints, in which Oliver allegedly expressed some skepticism about the inspiration of the Book of Mormon.[39]

Did the witnesses of the Book of Mormon testify to it on their deathbeds?

Yes. Reportedly each of the Three Witnesses[40] and several of the Eight Witnesses[41] bore testimony of the Book of Mormon shortly before their death.[42]

Who wrote the witness statements that appear in the Book of Mormon?

Joseph Smith indicated in his manuscript history that the witnesses collectively "drew up and subscribed" the statements, suggesting collaborative authorship.[43] Some modern scholars think Oliver Cowdery may have been the principle author of the witness testimonies.[44]

Do we have the original signed witness statements?

No. The original manuscript of the witnesses' testimonies no longer exists.[45]

If we don't have the original witness statements, how do we know they actually signed them?

David Whitmer recalled that each of the witnesses either signed their name to the original statement directly or had Oliver Cowdery sign for them.[46]

Additionally, John Whitmer said that he had "no hesitancy" to affirm that the Book of Mormon "is a revelation from God" and "with all confidence" had "signed [his] named to it as such."[47] When Martin Harris was asked if he "put [his] name to that testimony," Martin reportedly answered, "I did."[48]

Did the witnesses ever reaffirm their printed statements?

Yes, many times. Although we do not have records from all the witnesses, there are many first and secondhand accounts where witnesses independently reaffirmed their commitment to their original printed testimonies (see below).

Statements of reaffirmation from the eleven witnesses

Name of witness	Date of statement	Statement
Oliver Cowdery	November 9, 1829	"It was a clear, open beautiful day, far from any inhabitants, in a remote field, at the time we saw the record of which it has been spoken, brought and laid before us, by an angel, arrayed in glorious light, [who] ascend [descended I suppose] out of the midst of heaven."[49]
	Ca. Fall–Winter 1830–1831	"Late in the fall a number of them came to visit the Believers. One by the name of Oliver Lowdree [Cowdery], who stated that he had been one who had been an assistant in the translation of the golden Bible, and had also seen the Angel, and had been commissioned by him to go out & bear testimony, that God would destroy this generation."[50]
	Ca. November 1830	"About two weeks since some persons came along here with the book, one of whom pretends to have seen Angels, and assisted in translating the plates. . . . In the neighboring township of Kirtland, we understand that twenty or thirty have been immersed into the new order of things; many of whom had been previously baptised.—The name of the person here, who pretends to have a divine mission, and to have seen and conversed with Angels, is Cowdray."[51]
	July 22, 1833	"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. . .offered eighty dollars reward for any one who would deliver Cowdery or McLellan in Independence. . .I slipped down into the Whitmer's settlement, and. . .I met with David Whitmer and Oliver Cowdery. I said to them, 'brethren I never have seen an open vision in my life. . . 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.'"[52]
	October 21, 1848	"I wrote with my own pen the intire book of Mormon (save a few pages) as it fell from the lips of the prophet as he translated by the gift and power of God, by means of the Urim and Thummim, or as it was called by that book holy interpreters I beheld with my eyes, and handled with my hands the gold plates from which it was translated."[53]
David Whitmer	July 18, 1831	"Mr. Whitlock arose and gave some particulars respecting the book and some reasons why he believed it to be a divine revelation. Spoke some of the Signs of the times then he expounded the Gospel the plainest I thot that I ever heard in my life, which astonished me. D. Whitmer then arose and bore testimony to having seen an Holy angel who had made known the truth of this record to him."[54]
	October 1838	"I enquired seriously of David if it was true that he had seen the angel, according to his testimony as one of the three witnesses of the Book of Mormon. He replied, as sure as there is a god in heaven, he saw the angel according to his testimony in that book."[55]
	January 9, 1872	"Mr Whitmer turned towards Mr. Lefler and said well God Almighty requires at my hand to bear Testimony to the truth of the Book of Mormon It is the pure Gospel of Jesus Christ Translated from the Plates By the gift and Power of God by Joseph Smith it contains the pure Gospel of Christ as he taught it to his Disciples on this Continent I know I tell the truth."[56]
	December 8, 1875	"You have heard that I am a witness to the origin of the Book of Mormon. As you read my testimony given many years ago, so it stands as my own existence; the same as when I gave it, and so shall stand throughout the cycles of eternity."[57]
	December 22, 1877	"Wee walked through A clearing & all Sat on a log it was about 11 A. M. When A Light appeared & it Grew Brighter until an Angle Stood before us and on the appearance of A table Was laid the Plates Urum & Thumin Ball or Director Sword of Laban &c & A voice Declared & Bore record of the truth of the Translation turning the Leaves over & thus the vision ended."[58]
	September 7, 1878	"It was in June 1829, the very last part of the month, and the eight witnesses, I think, the next day. Joseph showed them the plates himself. We (the Three Witnesses) not only saw the plates of the Book of Mormon, but the Brass Plates, the plates containing the record of the wickedness of the people of the world, and many other plates. The fact is, it was just as though Joseph, Oliver and I were sitting right here on a log, when we were overshadowed by a light. It was not like the light of the sun, nor like that of a fire, but more glorious and beautiful. It extended away round us, I cannot tell how far, but in the midst of this light, immediately before us, about as far off as he sits (pointing to John C. Whitmer who was sitting 2 or 3 feet from him) there appeared, as it were, a table, with many records on it, besides the plates of the Book of Mormon; also the sword of Laban, the Directors (i. e. the ball which Lehi had) and the Interpreters. I saw them just as plain as I see this bed (striking his hand upon the bed beside him), and I heard the voice of the Lord as distinctly as I ever heard anything in my life declaring that they (the plates) were translated by the gift and power of God."[59]
	March 1881	"It is recorded in the American Cyclopædia and the Encyclopædia Britannica, that I, David Whitmer, have denied my testimony as one of the three witnesses to the divinity of the Book of Mormon; and that the other two witnesses, Oliver Cowdery and Martin Harris, denied their testimony to that Book. I will say once more to all mankind, that I have never at any time denied that testimony or any part thereof. I also testify to the world, that neither Oliver Cowdery or Martin Harris ever at any time denied their testimony. They both died reaffirming the truth of the divine authenticity of the Book of Mormon. . . . I have never at any time denied that testimony or any part thereof, which has so long since been published with that Book, as one of the three witnesses. Those who know me best, well know that I have always adhered to that testimony. And that no man may be misled or doubt my present views in regard to the same, I do again affirm the truth of all of my statements, as then made and published."[60]
	June 5, 1881	"It was in the latter part of June, 1829. Joseph, Oliver Cowdery and myself were together, and the angel showed them to us. We not only saw the plates of the book of Mormon, but he also showed us the brass plates of the book of Ether and many others. They were shown to us in this way. Joseph and Oliver and I were SITTING ON A LOG when we were overshadowed by a light more glorious than that of the sun. In the midst of this light, but a few feet from us, appeared a table upon which were many golden plates, also the sword of Laban and the directors. I saw them as plain as I see you now, and distinctly heard the voice of the Lord declaiming that the records of the plates of the Book of Mormon were translated by the gift and the power of God."[61]
	April 1887	"In regards to my testimony to the visitation of the angel, who declared to us three witnesses that the Book of Mormon is true, I have this to say: Of course we were in the spirit when we had the view, for no man can behold the face of an angel, except in a spiritual view, but we were in the body also, and everything was as natural to us, as it is at any time. . . . A bright light enveloped us where we were, that filled at noon day, and there in a vision, or in the spirit, we saw and heard just as it is stated in my testimony in the Book of Mormon."[62]
Martin Harris	Ca. March 15, 1831	"Martin Harris, another chief of Mormon imposters, arrived here last Saturday from the bible quarry in New-York. He immediately planted himself in the bar-room of the hotel, where he soon commenced reading and explaining the Mormon hoax, and all the dark passages from Genesis to Revelations. He told all about the gold plates, Angels, Spirits, and Jo Smith.—He had seen and handled them all, by the power of God!"[63]
	Ca. September 1845	"We continued on our journey to Cleveland, Ohio. On this rout we met with many things of interest; we saw Mr. Martin Harris, he bore testimony to the Book of Mormon, said he wrote part of it while Mr. Joseph Smith translated it from the plate of Gold."[64]
	1846	"When we came out of the meeting Martin Harris was beset with a crowd in the street, expecting that he would furnish them with material to war against Mormonism; but when he was asked if Joseph Smith was a true prophet of God, he answered yes; and when asked if the Book of Mormon was true, this was his answer: 'Do you know that is the sun shining on us? Because as sure as you know that, I know that Joseph Smith was a true prophet of God, and that he translated that book by the power of God.'"[65]
	November 23, 1850	"I went to see Martin Haris he was one of the 3 witnesses to the Book of Mormon and said he knew it was true for he saw the plates and knew for himself. . . ."[66]
	Ca. September 15, 1853	"Mr. Harris replied and said—'I was the right-hand man of Joseph Smith, and I know that he was a Prophet of God. I know the Book of Mormon is true.' Then smiting his fist on the table, he said—'And you know that I know that it is true. I know that the plates have been translated by the gift and power of God, for his voice declared it unto us; therefore I know of a surety that the work is true. For,' continued Mr. Harris, 'did I not at one time hold the plates on my knee an hour-and-a-half, whilst in conversation with Joseph, when we went to bury them in the woods, that the enemy might not obtain them? Yes, I did. And as many of the plates as Joseph Smith translated I handled with my hands, plate after plate.['] Then describing their dimensions, he pointed with one of the fingers of his left hand to the back of his right hand and said, 'I should think they were so long, or about eight inches, and about so thick, or about four inches; and each of the plates was thicker than the thickest tin.'"[67]
	Ca. 1869	"I saw the plates; I saw the Angel; I heard the voice of God. I know that the Book of Mormon is true and that Joseph Smith was a true prophet of God, I might as well doubt my own existence as to doubt the divine authenticity of the Book of Mormon or the divine calling of Joseph Smith."[68]
	Ca. August 28, 1870	"Joseph Smith was the first to handle the tables, and Martin Harris, one of the appointed witnesses, the second. Mr. Harris describes the plates as being thin leaves of gold, measuring seven by eight inches, and weighing altogether, from forty to sixty points. . . .He believes in the visitations of angels in bodily form, for he has seen and conversed with them, as he thinks, and is satisfied."[69]
	November 23, 1870	"In reply I will say concerning the plates, I do say that the angel did show to me the plates containing the Book of Mormon. Further, the translation that I carried to Prof. Anthon was copied from these same plates; also, that the Professor did testify to it being a correct translation."[70]
	January 1871	"[N]o man ever heard me in any way deny the truth of the Book of Mormon, the administration of the angel that showed me the plates. . .The Lord has shown me these things by his Spirit—by the administration of holy angels—and confirmed the same with signs following, step by step, as the world has progressed, for the space of fifty-three years."[71]
	1874	"As we sat together under the shade tree, I had a very pleasant interview with Martin: 'Did you see the golden plates? Did you see the angel?' He replied in substance: 'It is not a mere belief, but is a matter of knowledge. I saw the plates and the inscriptions thereon. I saw the angel and he showed them unto me.'"[72]
	July 1875	"The Prophet and Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer and myself went into a little grove to pray, to obtain a promise that we should behold it with our own eyes. That we could testify to the world We prayed two or three times, and at length the angel stood befor Oliver and David, and showed them the plates, But, Behold I had gone myself to pray and in my desperation I asked the Prophet to kneel down with me, and pray for me, that I may see the plates. and we did so and immediately the angel stood before me and said 'look' and when I glanced at him I fell, But I stood on my feet and saw the angel turn the golden leaves over, and I said 'it is enough, my Lord and my God! Then I heard the voice of God say the book is true, and translated correctly. He then turned himself as though he had no more to say; and we made ready to go.'"[73]
Christian Whitmer and Peter Whitmer, Jr.	Ca. 1830–1836	"Among those who have gone home to rest, we mention the names of our two brothers-in-law, Christian and Peter Whitmer, jr. the former died on the 27th of November 1835, and the other the 22nd of September last, in Clay county, Missouri. By many in this church, our brothers were personally known: they were the first to embrace the new covenant, on hearing it, and during a constant scene of persecution and perplexity, to their last moments, maintained its truth—they were both included in the list of the eight witnesses in the book of Mormon, and though they have departed, it is with great satisfaction that we reflect, that they proclaimed to their last moments, the certainty of their former testimony: The testament is in force after the death of the testator. May all who read remember the fact, that the Lord has given men a witness of himself in the last days, and that they, have faithfully declared it till called away."[74]
Jacob Whitmer	Ca. 1830–1856	"My father, Jacob Whitmer, was always faithful and true to his testimony to the Book of Mormon, and confirmed it on his deathbed."[75]
Peter Whitmer, Jr.	December 13, 1831	"...the word of the Lord came unto me by the Prophet Joseph Smith on the tenth month saying Peter thou shalt go with thy Brother Oliver to the Lamanites we started on the same month to the west to the tribe of Bufolow and there we declared the Book of [M]ormon..."[76]
John Whitmer	March 31, 1837	". . .to say that the book of Mormon is a revelation from God, I have no hesitancy; but with all confidence have signed my named to it as such. . . . Therefore I desire to testify to all that will come to the knowledge of this address; that I have most assuredly seen the plates from whence the book of Mormon is translated, and that I have handled these plates, and know of a surety that Joseph Smith, jr. has translated the book of Mormon by the gift and power of God."[77]
	April 5, 1839	"I now say, I handled those plates, there was fine engravings on both sides—I handled them . . . they were shewn to me by a supernatural power."[78]
	March 18, 1861	"I rode into Far West & called upon John Whitmer one of the witnesses to the Book of Mormon. . . . he still testified that the Book of Mormon is true & that Joseph Smith was a prophet of the Lord . . ."[79]
	March 5, 1876	"I desire to do good when it is in my power. I have never heard that any one of the three, or eight witnesses ever denied the testimony that they have borne to the Book as published in the first edition of the Book of Mormon[.] There are only two of the witnesses to that Book now living to wit. David Whitmer one of the three and [myself,] John Whitmer[,] one of the eight[.] Our names have gone forth to all Nations tongues and People as a Divine Revelation from God. And it will bring to pass the designs of God according to the declaration therein contained, &c."[80]
	December 11, 1876	"From what you have written, I conclude you have read the Book of Mormon, together with the testimonies that are thereto attached; in which testimonies you read my name subscribed as one of the Eight witnesses to said Book. That testimony was, is, and will be true henceforth and forever."[81]
	Ca. Winter 1877–1878	"[T]hat record which old Father John Whitmer told me last winter, with tears in his eyes, that he knew as well as he knew he had an existence that Joseph translated the ancient writing which was upon the plates which he 'saw and handled,' and which, as one of the scribes, he helped to copy, as the words fell from Joseph's lips, by supernatural or almighty power."[82]
	Ca. Early 1878	"Mr. John Whitmer delivered the discourse. It will be remembered by a great many readers, that Mr. Whitmer is one of the only two now living that helped (were witnesses) to the translation of the Book of Mormon, or generally known as the Mormon Bible. Mr. Whitmer is considered a truthful, honest and law abiding citizen by this community, and consequently, his appointment [to preach] drew out a large audience. Mr. Whitmer stated that he had often handled the identical golden plates which Mr. Smith received from the angel, he said it was of pure gold, part of the book was sealed up solid, the other part was open and it was this part which was translated, and is termed to-day the Mormon Bible."[83]
	April 1878	"John Whitmer received me as a dear father would receive a son, and answered readily all my questions. I said: I am aware that your name is affixed to the testimony in the Book of Mormon, that you saw the plates? He—It is so, and that testimony is true. I—did you handle the plates with your hands? He—I did so!"[84]
Hiram Page	May 30, 1847	"As to the book of Mormon, it would be doing injustice to myself, and to the work of God of the last days, to say that I could know a thing to be true in 1830, and know the same thing to be false in 1847. To say my mind was so treacherous that I have forgotten what I saw. To say that a man of Joseph's ability, who at that time did not know how to pronounce the word Nephi, could write a book of six hundred pages, as correct as the book of Mormon without supernatural power. And to say that those holy Angels who came and showed themselves to me as I was walking through the field, to confirm me in the work of the Lord of the last days—three of whom came to me afterwards and sang an hymn in their own pure language; yea, it would be treating the God of heaven with contempt, to deny these testimonies, with too many others to mention here."[85]
Hiram Page	Ca. 1830–1852	"I knew my father to be true and faithful to his testimony of the divinity of the Book of Mormon until the very last. Whenever he had an opportunity to bear his testimony to this effect, he would always do so, and seemed to rejoice exceedingly in having been privileged to see the plates and thus become one of the Eight Witnesses."[86]
Hyrum Smith	Ca. August 1838	"For I have not heard but one sermon since we have been in the place and that by Hyrum Smith. As he was moving to Missouri he tarried with us a little while. His discourse was beautiful. We were talking about the Book of Mormon, [of] which he is one of the witnesses. He said he had but two hands and two eyes. He said he had seen the plates with his eyes and handled them with his hands and he saw a breast plate and he told how it was made."[87]
	December 1839	". . .I thank God that I felt a determination to die, rather than deny the things which my eyes had seen, which my hands had handled, and which I had borne testimony to, wherever my lot had been cast; and I can assure my beloved brethren that I was enabled to bear as strong a testimony, when nothing but death presented itself, as ever I did in my life. My confidence in God, was likewise unshaken."[88]
	Ca. June 1843	"We have seen Hiram Smith, a brother of Joseph's and heard him preach, and conversed with him about his religion, its origin and progress; and we heard him declare, in this city in public, that what is recorded about the plates, &c. &c., is God's solemn truth."[89]
	Ca. 1843–1844	"When I was but ten years of age, I heard the testimony of the Patriarch Hyrum Smith, one of the eight witnesses, to the divinity of the Book of Mormon and the appearance of the plates from which it was translated."[90]
	June 26–27, 1844	"Patriarch <Hyrum Smith> read and commented upon extracts from the Book of Mormon, on the imprisonments and deliverance of the servants of God for the gospel’s sake. . . . Both ~~Brothers~~ Joseph & Hyrum bore a faithful testimony to the latter day work, and the coming forth of the Book of Mormon."[91]
Samuel H. Smith	April 1830	"I took the book, and by [Samuel H. Smith's] request looked at the testimony of the witnesses. Said he, 'If you will read this book with a prayerful heart, and ask God to give you a witness, you will know of the truth of this work.' I told him I would do so, and then asked him his name. He said his name was Samuel H. Smith. 'Ah,' said I, 'you are one of the witnesses.' 'Yes,' said he, 'I know the book to be a revelation from God, translated by the gift and power of the Holy Ghost, and that my brother Joseph Smith, jun., is a Prophet, Seer and Revelator.'"[92]
	Ca. Spring 1832	"Elder [Samuel] Smith read the 29th chapter of Isaiah at the first meeting and delineated the circumstances of the coming forth of the Book of Mormon, of which he said he was a witness. He knew his brother Joseph had the plates, for the prophet had shown them to him, and he had handled them and seen the engravings thereon."[93]
	June 1844	"His [Samuel Smith's] labors in the church from first to lats [sic], carrying glad tidings to the eastern cities; and finally his steadfastness as one of the witnesses to the Book of Mormon, and many saintly traits of virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, and charity, shall be given of him hereafter, as a man of God."[94]

Expand Table

Were any women called to be official witnesses of the Book of Mormon?

No. However, some women did leave accounts of handling or seeing the plates.[95] (See table below.)

Who were the other "unofficial" witnesses?

These were individuals who reported handling or interacting with the plates in some capacity, or in some cases being shown the plates by an angel (see below).

Unofficial Book of Mormon witnesses

Name of witness	Occupation	Age at time of experience	Relationship to Joseph Smith	Testimony
Emma Smith[BIO]	Scribe, editor, boardinghouse operator, and clothier	24–25	Wife	"The plates often lay on the table without any attempt at concealment, wrapped in a small linen table cloth, which I had given him to fold them in. I once felt of the plates, as they thus lay on the table, tracing their outline and shape. They seemed to be pliable like thick paper, and would rustle with a metallic sound when the edges were moved by the thumb, as one does sometimes thumb the edges of a book."[96]
Lucy Mack Smith[BIO]	Oilcloth painter, nurse, fund-raiser, and author	52	Mother	"I asked her if she saw the plates. She said no, it was not for her to see them, but she hefted and handled them."[97]
Lucy Harris[BIO]	Unknown	35–36	Acquaintance	"Martin's wife had hefted [the plates] and felt them under [a] cover."[98]
William Smith[BIO]	Farmer and newspaper editor	17–18	Brother	"In the winter of 1829 and thirty, the Book of Mormon, which is the translation of part of the plates he obtained, was published. He then showed the plates to my father and my brothers Hyrum and Samuel, who were witnesses to the truth of the book which was translated from them. I was permitted to lift them as they laid in a pillow-case; but not to see them, as it was contrary to the commands he had received. They weighed about sixty pounds according to the best of my judgment."[99]
Katherine Smith Salisbury[BIO]	Seamstress and weaver	14–17	Sister	"When Joseph was bringing the plates home from their hiding place to work on the translation he was followed to his father's very door at one time by some men who were determined to get "Joe Smith's Gold Plates" as they were called. Ever watchful for her brother's safety and hearing an unusual commotion outside Catherine flew to the door and threw it open just as Joseph came rushing up, panting for breath. He thrust a bundle into her arms, and in a gasping voice whispered hoarsely, "Take these quickly and hide them," then he disappeared into darkness. Closing the door Catherine ran hurriedly to the bedroom where she and Sophronia slept. Sophronia threw back the bedding and Catherine put the bundle on the bed, quickly replacing the bedding. Both of them lay down on the bed and pretended sleep. The mob, failing to find Joseph outside, returned to the house to search, but they did not disturb the girls since they appeared to be sleeping."[100]
Catherine Smith Salisbury	Seamstress and weaver	14	Sister	"She told me Joseph allowed her to "heft" the package but not to see the gold plates, as the angel had forbidden him to show them at that period. She said they were very heavy."[101]
Catherine Smith Salisbury	Seamstress and weaver	14–17	Sister	"Catherine Smith Salisbury then told me that while dusting up the room where the Prophet had his study she saw a package on the table containing the gold plates on which was engraved the story of the Book of Mormon. She said she hefted those plates and found them very heavy like gold and also rippled her fingers up the edge of the plates and felt that they were separate metal plates and heard the tinkle of sound that they made."[102]
Josiah Stowell[BIO]	Farmer and sawmill owner	57	Employer, friend, supporter	"...witness saw a corner of it; it resembled a stone of a greenish caste; should judge it to have been about one foot square and six inches thick; he would not let it be seen by any one; the Lord had commanded him not; it was unknown to Smith, that witness saw a corner of the Bible, so called by Smith; told the witness the leaves were of gold; there were written characters on the leaves."[103]
Alvah Beaman[BIO]	Farmer	52	Supporter, friend	"Joseph then took them [the plates] out, and hid them under the old cooper's shop, by taking up a board and digging in the ground and burying them. When they were taken from there, they were put into an old Ontario glass box. Old Mr. Beman [Alvah Moses Beaman] sawed off the ends, making the box the right length to put them in, and when they went in he said he heard them jink, but he was not permitted to see them. He told me so."[104]
Harrison Burgess[BIO]	Unknown	19	Convert, missionary	"The next day while laboring in the field something seemed to whisper to me, 'Do you know the Book of Mormon is true?' My mind became perplexed and darkened, and I was so tormented in spirit that I left my work and retired into the woods. The misery and distress that I there experienced cannot be described. The tempter all the while seemed to say, 'Do you know the Book of Mormon is true?' I remained in this situation about two hours. Finally I resolved to know, by exercising faith similar to that which the brother of Jared possessed, whether I had proclaimed the truth or not, and commenced praying to the God of heaven for a testimony of these things. Suddenly a glorious personage clothed in white stood before me and exhibited to my view the plates from which the Book of Mormon was taken."[105]
Mary Musselman Whitmer[BIO]	Unknown	51	Friend, supporter	"John C. Whitmer, a grandson of the lady in question, testified in the following language: "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.) . . . One evening, when (after having done her usual day's work in the house) she went to the barn to milk 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 unexpressible 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."[106]
Luke Johnson[BIO]	Farmer, teacher, and doctor	ca. 23–28 (?)	Church leader, apostle, missionary	"While there I met Luke Johnson, one of the witnesses to the Book of Mormon. I had a curiosity to talk with him concerning the same. We took a walk down on the river bank. I asked him if the statement he signed about seeing the angel and the plates, was true. If he did see the plates from which the Book of Mormon was printed or translated. He said it was true."[107]

Expand Table

Is the story of Mary Whitmer seeing the angel and the plates credible?

Possibly. There exist multiple accounts given by her family members, but they are secondhand and were recorded decades after the incident.[108]

Did Martin Harris act as a witness for James Strang's "Voree Plates?"

No. Although Martin associated with Strang's movement before returning to the Church and moving to Utah,[109] he never gave his name as a witness for either Strang's "Voree Plates"[110] or the claimed translation of the Brass Plates—The Book of the Law of the Lord.[111]

The Facts

Eleven men published their names as witnesses to the Book of Mormon; three of these men described seeing an angel in a vision, and eight of them described physically handling the plates without seeing a vision.
Some of these men eventually left the Church or were excommunicated and associated with other branches of the Restoration.
None of the eleven witnesses are known to have ever recanted their testimonies.
Other "unofficial" witnesses also described handling the plates or related Book of Mormon artifacts concealed in a box or under a cloth; others also reported seeing an angel.
Some of the witnesses reportedly used language such as "spiritual eyes" or "supernatural power" to describe their experience with the plates.
Some of the witnesses potentially had personal or financial motives for maintaining their testimony
The witnesses generally had a reputation for being honest and sincere, but were also considered superstitious or prone to visionary experiences by some.

Our Take

It's been said that extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence, and the claim that an ancient record engraved on metal plates was delivered by an angel to Joseph Smith is an extraordinary claim. While extraordinary spiritual evidence for this claim can come through prayer and the Holy Spirit, the historical evidence is primarily in the form of eyewitness testimonies of those who claim to have seen and handled the plates.

Who were the witnesses? Were they trustworthy? Were they financially or reputationally motivated? Did they all band together to tell a complicated lie? Did they hallucinate, or did they really see an angel? Did they ever recant their testimonies?

While many of the answers to these questions are subjective, the historical record does give us strong evidence that the witnesses believed that they saw and handled tangible metal plates. The record also shows that although many of them left the Church and had bitter feelings towards Joseph, none of the witnesses ever recanted their testimonies, and all of them reaffirmed their testimonies later in life.

Latter-day Saints recognize that the ultimate witness of the Book of Mormon comes from God to our own spirits, but an understanding of the historical data available on those who saw and felt the plates can be a reinforcing part of our own testimonies.

What's Your Take?

Jonathan G.
“The critics will tear down and dismiss the testimonies of these witnesses because they left the church. If the witnesses remained faithful to the church the critics would argue that they benefited and are biased. We should celebrate the fact that we have “unbiased witnesses”.”
George R.
“What an amazing part of history the churches history. It appears to be one of the most well documented beginning of any religion, ever. Its got more provable witnesses than the Bible or Quran.”
Jordan W.
“I’ve never seen the golden plates, but even if I did, it would enhance my testimony of the divine provenance of the Book of Mormon no more than the witness of the Holy Ghost already has. The ancient literary evidence within the text is also just as powerful as any artifact.”
A. W. Smoot
“So many witnesses – hard to ignore. I can't help but ask, if these witnesses serve as strong evidence of the existence of the plates, where did they come from? And where did they go? And who crafted them? And how were they made? So many questions with no simple answer.”
Thomas H.
“It's pretty laughable that anyone would have concerns about the witnesses not each affirming that they signed their names to the original testimony document. Wouldn't they ask to have their names removed? Or wouldn't there be evidence of them having issues with the doc as written?”
Josh
“Great article! In my mind one of the biggest piece of evidence was that none of the witnesses denied their testimony, despite some of them leaving the church (some very bitterly). They had every opportunity and reason to reveal Joseph Smith’s supposed fraud, but they didn’t.”

Read More Difficult Questions

252 Primary Sources

Footnotes

BIOOliver Cowdery
Oliver Cowdery (1806–1850) was a scribe for the Book of Mormon and served as one of the Book of Mormon's Three Witnesses. In 1838, he was excommunicated from the church for a number of reasons, including encouraging lawsuits against the Church and defaming Joseph Smith by accusing him of adultery. He returned to the faith near the end of his life and never denied his testimony of the Book of Mormon's veracity.
BIODavid Whitmer
David Whitmer (1805–1888) was an early Latter-day Saint convert, leader, and one of the Three Witnesses of the Book of Mormon. Whitmer and his family supported Joseph Smith in the translation of the Book of Mormon and the founding of the Church of Christ in 1830. Whitmer held various leadership positions in the Church until his excommunication in 1838. After his excommunication, Whitmer continued to live in Missouri and associated with various Latter-day Saint splinter groups, including one he started himself. In 1887 he published An Address to All Believers in Christ, by a Witness to the Divine Authenticity of the Book of Mormon, detailing his religious convictions and personal history.
BIOMartin Harris
Martin Harris (1783–1875) was an early Latter-day Saint leader. He married his first cousin Lucy Harris, on March 27, 1808, in Palmyra. Harris served in War of 1812 in the New York Militia. His contributions to Church history include serving Joseph Smith as a scribe from April to June 1828. He was one of the Three Witnesses of the Book of Mormon and was baptized on April 6, 1830. He was excommunicated in December 1837 and subsequently became a member of the high council of James J. Strang's Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Harris later joined William C. McLellin's movement in 1847. He migrated to Salt Lake Valley in 1870, where he was rebaptized.
BIOChristian Whitmer
Christian Whitmer (January 18, 1798–November 27, 1835) was an early Latter-day Saint and one of the Eight Witnesses of the Book of Mormon. A shoemaker by trade, Christian served a number of leadership roles in the early Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints before his death in Clay County, Missouri, in 1835.
BIOJacob Whitmer
Jacob Whitmer (January 27, 1800–April 21, 1856) was an early Latter-day Saint and one of the Eight Witnesses of the Book of Mormon. A shoemaker and farmer, Jacob served as an elder in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Missouri. He became disaffected from the Church in 1838. He died near Richmond, Missouri in 1856.
BIOPeter Whitmer, Jr.
Peter Whitmer, Jr. (1809–1836) was the sixth child and fifth son of Peter Whitmer, Sr., and Mary Musselman. He was one of the Eight Witnesses of the Book of Mormon. He was also one of the official six members who first joined the Church of Christ on April 6, 1830. Shortly thereafter, he would serve a special mission to preach to the Native Americans alongside Oliver Cowdery, Parley P. Pratt, and Ziba Peterson.
BIOJohn Whitmer
John Whitmer (1802–1878) was an early convert and leader in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Church's first historian and recorder, and one of the Eight Witnesses of the Book of Mormon. Brother to David Whitmer, one of the Three Witnesses of the Book of Mormon and another early prominent Church leader, John served as a scribe and recorder for Joseph Smith and held influential leadership roles in the Church in Missouri. Whitmer was excommunicated from the Church in 1838 and lived in Missouri until his death in 1878.
BIOHiram Page
Hiram Page (1800–1852) was born in Vermont and married into the Whitmer family in 1825. He was one of the Eight Witnesses of the gold plates in June 1829 and was baptized in 1830. That same year, Page claimed to receive revelations for the Church through a seer stone, but denounced these alleged revelations in response to a revelation from Joseph Smith. Page helped found the city of Far West in 1836 and eventually left the Church in 1838.
BIOJoseph Smith, Sr.
Joseph Smith, Sr. (1771–1840) was born in Topsfield, Essex County, Massachussetts, to Asael Smith and Mary Duty. He married Lucy Mack Smith in 1796. He was the father of Joseph Smith, Jr. He was one of the eight witnesses of the Book of Mormon and served as the first Patriarch of the Church. He died in Nauvoo, Illinois.
BIOHyrum Smith
Hyrum Smith (1800–1844) was born in Tunbridge, Vermont. He was the older brother of Joseph Smith, who organized the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and served as the Church's second patriarch. He was one of the Eight Witnesses to the Book of Mormon. In 1837, he became Second Counselor in the First Presidency, and the following year, he was imprisoned alongside Joseph Smith in Liberty Jail. Hyrum Smith became the Church's new patriarch in 1841 after the death of his father, Joseph Smith, Sr., in Nauvoo. Hyrum also served as a member of the City Council, the Nauvoo Legion, and the Council of Fifty. He was martyred along with Joseph Smith in Carthage Jail in 1844.
BIOSamuel Harrison Smith
Samuel Harrison Smith (1808–1844) was a younger brother of Joseph Smith. He was one of the Eight Witnesses to the plates of the Book of Mormon. On May 25, 1829, he became the third person baptized as a Latter-Day Saint.
BIOEmma Hale Smith
Emma Hale Smith (1804–1879) was an early leader in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Born in Harmony, Pennsylvania, Emma received a boarding school education in Boston, Massachusetts. She met Joseph Smith in Harmony, Pennsylvania while he was working as a manual laborer and, occasionally, as a treasure-hunter. They married and she followed Joseph Smith throughout his life. Emma served as the first Relief Society President and navigated Joseph Smith's implementation of plural marriage with mixed responses: either supporting or opposing it at various times in her life. After Joseph's death, Emma married Lewis C. Bidamon, a non-Mormon resident of Nauvoo. Later in life, she affiliated with the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, later called Community of Christ, where her son Joseph III became president.
BIOLucy Mack Smith
Lucy Mack Smith (1775–1856) was the mother of Joseph Smith, Jr. Born and raised in New Hampshire, she married Joseph Smith, Sr. in 1796. A faithful Presbyterian and a committed Seeker, Smith believed her son's claims to visions. She stayed with the Latter-day Saints throughout her life until Nauvoo, when age prohibited her from traveling with the Saints to the Intermountain West. She composed and dictated the most thorough history of Joseph Smith's early life, which became The History of Joseph Smith By His Mother, transcribed by scribe Martha Coray.
BIOLucy Harris
Lucy Harris (May 1, 1792–Summer 1836) was born in Swift's Landing, Ontario County, New York to Rufus Harris and Lucy Hill. She associated with the Quakers (Society of Friends). She married her cousin Martin Harris, who would later be one of the Three Witnesses, on March 27, 1808. She was one of the five people to whom Martin Harris was granted permission by Joseph Smith to show 116 pages of the Book of Mormon translation. She separated from Martin sometime after June 1830 and died in the summer of 1836 in Palmyra, New York.
BIOWilliam Smith
William Smith (1811–1893) was a brother of Joseph Smith and served as one of the original members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. William became the Church's patriarch following Hyrum Smith's death in 1844. William was excommunicated when he publicly accused Brigham Young of covertly practicing polygamy.
BIOKatharine Smith Salisbury
Katharine Smith Salisbury (1813–1900) was a sister to Joseph Smith and the seventh surviving child of Joseph Smith, Sr. and Lucy Mack. Later in her life, she recollected Joseph bringing the gold plates to the family home in Manchester, New York, in September 1827. She also provided a detailed recollection of the visits of the Angel Moroni to her brother. She was baptized as a member of the Church in June 1830 by David Whitmer. She married Wilkins Jenkins Salisbury on June 8, 1831. Her husband would later be exommunicated by the Kirtland High Council in 1836. She did not join the main body of Saints who moved west after the death of Joseph Smith. Based on her 1830 baptism, she was received as a member of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in 1870.
BIOJosiah Stowell
Josiah Stowell (1770–1844) was born and raised a member of the Presbyterian Church. In 1825, he hired Joseph Smith to dig for Spanish silver in Harmony, Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania. He was a witness to Joseph Smith's court proceedings in South Bainbridge in 1826 and 1830. He was present at the Smith home when Joseph Smith arrived with the gold plates in 1829. He would later be baptized a member of the Church ca. 1830.
BIOAlvah Beaman
Alvah Moses Beaman (or Beman) (1775–1837), was born in New Marlboro, Massachusetts. He worked as a farmer and moved to New York in 1799. Having befriended Joseph Smith in Palmyra, Alvah assisted him in hiding the plates from thieves while he translated the Book of Mormon. He joined the church, moved to Kirtland, and was president of the elders' quorum from 1836 until his death.
BIOHarrison Burgess
Harrison Burgess (September 3, 1814–February 10, 1883) was an early Latter-day Saint convert. He participated in Zion's Camp and was ordained as a Seventy in 1834–35. He settled in Utah where he died in 1883.
BIOMary Musselman Whitmer
Mary Musselman Whitmer (August 27, 1778–January 1856) was an early Latter-day Saint convert and mother of Book of Mormon witnesses David, Christian, Jacob, John Whitmer, and Peter, Jr. Mary was born in Germany and immigrated to Pennsylvania, where she married Peter Whitmer, Sr. Mary migrated to Kirtland, Ohio, and then Missouri, where she died at Richmond in 1856.
BIOLuke Johnson
Luke Johnson (November 3, 1807–December 8, 1861) was an early Latter-day Saint and a member of the original Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, ordained in 1835. Johnson was excommunicated from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1838 and rebaptized in 1846. He emigrated to Utah in 1847, where he died in 1861.
[1]↩︎
In a 2012 of the Journal of Mormon History, Gale Yancey Anderson summarized the extant sources pertaining to the experiences of the Three and Eight Witnesses.
In 2019, historian Larry E. Morris published summary reports of those who were reported to have handled or seen the golden plates between the years 1827–1829.
[2]↩︎
For example, non-Latter-day Saint scholar Sonia Hazard acknowledges that "descriptions of the plates by Smith and other witnesses share details that suggest that they were seeing and touching ordinary material things with a consistent set of characteristics." She theorizes that Joseph had a set of printing plates that he and other early Latter-day Saints recontextualized into believing were Nephite plates.
Ann Taves, another non-Latter-day Saint scholar, believes Joseph Smith "materialized" the plates, meaning he created a set of physical objects he showed others that were then turned into a sacred relic through collective religious imagination.
Even skeptical biographers of Joseph Smith, such as Fawn Brodie and Dan Vogel, have written on the likelihood that Joseph used physical objects to convince his followers.
Brodie wrote, for example, how "it is difficult to reconcile [the explanation that Joseph tricked people with mesmorism or hypnosis] with the fact that these witnesses, and later Emma and William Smith, emphasized the size, weight, and metallic texture of the plates. Perhaps Joseph built some kind of makeshift deception."
Vogel likewise acknowledged "the existence of the Book of Mormon plates themselves as an objective artifact which Joseph allowed his family and friends and even critics to handle while it was covered with a cloth or concealed in a box."
[3]↩︎
The testimonies of these 11 men appeared in the 1830 first edition of the Book of Mormon.
Both the Book of Mormon and an early revelation given to Joseph Smith indicate the Three Witnesses specifically were divinely appointed and called to their roles as witnesses.
[4]↩︎
Martin paid the $3000 (about $96,000 in 2023) needed to published the Book of Mormon. On January 16, 1830, he entered an agreement with Joseph Smith that gave him permission to sell copies of the Book of Mormon to recuperate his payment.
[5]↩︎
Three of the Eight Witnesses were his father and brothers: Joseph Smith Sr., Hyrum Smith, and Samuel H. Smith.
- Printed Eight Witnesses statement in 1830 edition of the Book of Mormon.
[6]↩︎
In several of these accounts, the mob confronted the witness and threatened violence if they did not renounce their testimony of the Book of Mormon.
[7]↩︎
An account published in 1910 in the Deseret Evening News told how Oliver's reputation was challenged while practicing law because of his testimony of the Book of Mormon.
However, this report is late, thirdhand, and anonymously sourced.
[8]↩︎
Newspaperman Jonathan Hadley, writing in 1829, spoke of Martin Harris as "an honest and industrious farmer of this town (Palmyra)."
Writing to E. D. Howe in 1831, W. W. Phelps described Martin as "honest, and sincerely declares upon his soul's salvation that the book is true." Howe himself acknowledged that "Before his acquaintance with the Smith family, [Harris] was considered an honest, industrious citizen, by his neighbors."
Pomeroy Tucker, another skeptic, remember Martin having a "character of honesty which had always been conceded to him" by his neighbors in Palmyra; as did skeptic Orsamus Turner, saying Harris was "the owner of a good farm, and an honest worthy citizen."
John Whitmer, too, was considered "a truthful, honest and law abiding citizen by this community," as was his brother David, who was praised by residents of Richmond, Missouri, as "a man of the highest integrity, and of undoubted truth and veracity."
Critics like Alexander Campbell who questioned the witnesses' honesty and sincerity never met them, and instead relied on second or thirdhand sources to assess their characters.
[9]↩︎
This was, for example, how skeptics such as E. D. Howe, Orsamus Turner, Pomeroy Tucker, and Stephen S. Harding portrayed Martin Harris as a way to reconcile what they thought were contradictions in his character (honest and sincere on the one hand, but able to believe something like golden plates and angels on the other).
Howe, for example, wrote how "before his acquaintance with the Smith family, [Martin] was considered an honest, industrious citizen, by his neighbors," but that he was also "naturally of a very visionary turn of mind on the subject of religion, holding one sentiment but a short time."
[10]↩︎
Sources that report Martin using this exact phrase or similar language (such as "vision" or "trance") include Stephen Burnett, Pomeroy Tucker, Anthony Metcalfe, Warren Parrish, and John Gilbert, each of whom was either disaffected from the Church or avowedly skeptical of Joseph Smith's claims of having golden plates.
[11]↩︎
John A. Clark, relying on an unnamed thirdhand source, claimed Martin once said, "Why I did not see [the plates] as I do that pencil-case, yet I saw them with the eye of faith."
- John A. Clark reports how a "gentleman in Palmyra" was informed by Martin Harris that he saw the plates "with the eye of faith."
[12]↩︎
For example, David Whitmer is reported to have emphasized in some interviews that he beheld the plates with his "natural eyes." In a letter to Anthony Metcalf he said:
In regards to my testimony to the visitation of the angel, who declared to us three witnesses that the Book of Mormon is true, I have this to say: Of course we were in the spirit when we had the view, for no man can behold the face of an angel, except in a spiritual view, but we were in the body also, and everything was as natural to us, as it is at any time.
[13]↩︎
Several accounts portray Martin as pointing to nearby objects or holding up his hands to make his rhetorical point about the tangible nature of his experience. William Waddoups, for instance, recalled speaking to Martin, who told him:
“Young man, I had the privilege of being with the Prophet Joseph Smith, and with these eyes of mine,” pointing to his eyes, “I saw the angel of the Lord, and I saw the plates and the Urim and Thummim and the sword of Laban, and with these ears,” pointing to his ears, “I heard the voice of the angel, and with these hands,” holding out his hands, “I handled the plates containing the record of the Book of Mormon, and I assisted the Prophet in the translation thereof. I bear witness that this testimony is true.”
One of the more amusing accounts comes from Comfort Elizabeth Godfrey Flinders, who told about once as a girl asking Martin with a group of boys, "Did you really see the plates?" to which he replied:
"Can you see that chopping block?" (upon which some of the boys were sitting). "Yes," replied the boys. "Well, just as plain as you see that chopping block, I saw the plates and sooner than I would deny it I would lay my head upon that chopping block and let you chop it off."
[14]↩︎
Christian writers from a variety of theological backgrounds used "spiritual eyes" to describe things like the visions of Abraham, Balaam, Elisha, John the Revelator, and the Apostles on the Mount of Transfiguration and with the resurrected Jesus. Others also wrote about how angels, spirits, and heavenly phenomena could only be seen with "spiritual eyes."
[15]↩︎
Orson Pratt expounded on the nature of "spiritual eyes" and "spiritual sight," writing that this was the sight needed to behold spiritual or heavenly beings and objects.
Brigham Young and Heber C. Kimball both used this terminology to describe their visionary experiences, the latter adding that he saw spirits "with what we call the spiritual eyes, but what is in reality the natural eye."
Joseph Smith's revelation/translation of Moses 1 of the Book of Moses describes Moses seeing God in vision with "spiritual" eyes, as opposed to "natural" sight.
[16]↩︎
For example, a religious magazine in 1850 posited, "Well, now, let me ask,—Have you a mind? Let me see your mind. How will you convince me, that you have any mind, unless you show it to me? O, yes, you will exclaim, you will show your mind to one who has mental eyes to see it. MIND can be seen only by mind. True. And so we say of spirit. Spirits can be seen only by spiritual eyes, as external objects can be discerned only by external sight."
- 19th century magazine discusses the nature of spirits and having "spiritual eyes."
[17]↩︎
John A. Clark dedicated twelve chapters to the "Mormon Delusion" in his 1840 book Gleanings by the Way. He wrote about Martin Harris:
No matter where he went, he saw visions and supernatural appearances all around him. He told a gentleman in Palmyra, after one of his excursions to Pennsylvania, while the translation of the Book of Mormon was going on, that on the way he met the Lord Jesus Christ, who walked along by the side of him in the shape of a deer for two or three miles, talking with him as familiarly as one man talks with another. With a knowledge of the facts that have now been stated, the existence of the Book of Mormon can well be accounted for, and also the success of this imposture.
Clark did not disclose his source for this anecdote.
- John A. Clark alleges Martin Harris once claimed he saw Jesus as a deer.
[18]↩︎
Whitmer's reported exchange with Turley was preserved in Joseph Smith's manuscript history, which records the former saying how "they [the plates] were shewn to me by a supernatural power."
- John Whitmer informs Theodore Turley that the plates was shown to him "by a supernatural power" and that he handled the plates and "there was fine engravings on both sides."
[19]↩︎
Whitmer's reported remarks in full read:
Whitmer replied “I now say, I handled those plates, there was fine engravings on both sides— I handled them,” and he described how they were hung, and “they were shewn to me by a supernatural power” he acknowledged all— Turley asked him “why the translation is not now true,” he said “I cannot read it, and I do not know whether it is true or not”— Whitmer testified all this in the presence of Eight Men—
This was not the only instance or context in which Whitmer used this language. Myron H. Bond recalled:
John Whitmer told me last winter, with tears in his eyes, that he knew as well as he knew he had an existence that Joseph translated the ancient writing which was upon the plates which he "saw and handled," and which, as one of the scribes, he helped to copy, as the words fell from Joseph's lips, by supernatural or almighty power.
- Turley recounts Whitmer saying he handled plates with "supernatural power."
- Myron H. Bond recollects that John Whitmer "saw and handled" the plates.
[20]↩︎
Emma, for instance, once describe how "the plates often lay on the table without any attempt at concealment, wrapped in a small linen table cloth, which I had given him to fold them in. I once felt of the plates, as they thus lay on the table, tracing their outline and shape."
William Smith too recalled, "I was permitted to lift them as they laid in a pillow-case; but not to see them, as it was contrary to the commands he had received. They weighed about sixty pounds according to the best of my judgment."
Alvah Beaman also once reportedly told Martin Harris that he helped Joseph make a box to conceal the plates. As Martin recalled, "Old Mr. Beman [Alvah Moses Beaman] sawed off the ends, making the box the right length to put them in, and when they went in he said he heard them jink, but he was not permitted to see them. He told me so."
[21]↩︎
A 2019 paper posited as a "working hypothesis" that Joseph Smith and other early Latter-day Saint consumed entheogens to produce the visionary culture of the early Church.
This hypothesis has been critiqued due to lack of any direct evidence for the claim Joseph Smith or other early Latter-day Saints ever used entheogens or other psychedelics.
- Beckstead et al. hypothesize that Joseph and other early LDS produced visions through entheogens.
- Brian C. Hales reviews and critiques the entheogen theory for the source of Joseph's visions.
[22]↩︎
For example, Oliver Cowdery wrote in 1829 that he and the other witnesses saw the plates and the angels on "a clear, open beautiful day." Martin Harris reportedly said the same, recalling that the vision was "in the brightness of day" or "in open day."
David Whitmer likewise maintained, "I was not under any hallucination, nor was I deceived! I saw with these eyes and I heard with these ears! I know whereof I speak!"
[23]↩︎
The minutes survive detailing both Oliver's excommunication for apostasy in April of 1838 and his rebaptism in November of 1848.
- High Council in Zion (Missouri) excommunicates Oliver Cowdery.
- Pottawattamie High Council minutes mentions Oliver Cowdery's rebaptism.
[24]↩︎
Whitmer was excommunicated by the High Council in Zion (Missouri) for apostasy.
- David Whitmer is excommunicated by the Missouri High Council.
[25]↩︎
There are no extant records for Martin's formal excommunication, but a letter from John Smith indicates he was "cut off" with a group of dissenters in December 1837.
- John Smith reports to George A. Smith that Martin Harris was "cut off" from the Church in December 1837 in Kirtland.
- Wilford Woodruff records Martin Harris's rebaptism.
[26]↩︎
Oliver Cowdery wrote Christian's eulogy for the Messenger and Advocate, lauding him as one of "the first to embrace the new covenant, on hearing it, and during a constant scene of persecution and perplexity, to their last moments, maintained its truth."
- Cowdery reports that Christian Whitmer and Peter Whitmer Jr. maintained their testimonies of the BOM.
[27]↩︎
Andrew Jenson, who was an assistant Church historian, reported Jacob's disaffection in his series on the Eight Witnesses published in the 1880s.
- Jenson says Whitmer says his father Jacob testified of BOM on deathbed.
[28]↩︎
Peter's eulogy appeared in the same obituary as his brother Christian's. The two were said by Oliver Cowdery to be "included in the list of the eight witnesses in the book of Mormon, and though they have departed, it is with great satisfaction that we reflect, that they proclaimed to their last moments, the certainty of their former testimony."
- Cowdery reports that Christian Whitmer and Peter Whitmer Jr. maintained their testimonies of the BOM.
[29]↩︎
Minute records indicate John was excommunicated for apostasy around the same time as Oliver Cowdery and his brother David Whitmer.
- Missouri High Council excommunicates John Whitmer.
[30]↩︎
Details about Hiram's disaffection come from assistant Church historian Andrew Jenson's later biographical sketch published in the 1880s.
- Biographical entry for Hiram Page in Andrew Jenson's biographical encyclopedia mentions his disaffection in 1838.
[31]↩︎
A month after his death Joseph Sr. was eulogized in the Times and Seasons as "the dearly beloved, and much lamented father in Israel. . . a Patriarch in the church of Latter Day Saints."
- Funeral elegy for Joseph Smith Sr. identifies him as still faithful at time of death.
[32]↩︎
Hyrum reportedly bore testimony of the Book of Mormon shortly before his death:
Joseph & Hyrum bore a faithful testimony to the latter day work, and the coming forth of the Book of Mormon, and prophesied of the final triumph of the Gospel over all the earth, exhorting the brethren present to dilijence faithfulness and persevering diligence in proclaiming the gospel, building up the Temple, & performing all the duties connected with our holy religion.
- Manuscript History of the Church reports that Hyrum Smith bore testimony of the BOM before the martyrdom.
[33]↩︎
The eulogy was composed by John Taylor and appeared in the Times and Seasons shortly after Samuel's death. It read in part:
His labors in the church from first to lats [sic], carrying glad tidings to the eastern cities; and finally his steadfastness as one of the witnesses to the Book of Mormon, and many saintly traits of virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, and charity, shall be given of him hereafter, as a man of God.
- Taylor writes Smith remained a BOM witness until his death.
[34]↩︎
The New American Cyclopædia of 1861 made this claim, which was repeated in the 1883 ninth edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica.
- George Ripley and Charles A. Dana write that the witnesses denied their testimony after leaving the Church.
- The Encyclopædia Britannica claims the witnesses denied their testimony later in life.
[35]↩︎
The witnesses continued to affirm their testimony even after their excommunications. David Whitmer even directly refuted the claim made in the New American Cyclopædia and in the Encyclopædia Britannica that he or the other witnesses denied their testimony:
It is recorded in the American Cyclopædia and the Encyclopædia Britannica, that I, David Whitmer, have denied my testimony as one of the three witnesses to the divinity of the Book of Mormon; and that the other two witnesses, Oliver Cowdery and Martin Harris, denied their testimony to that Book. I will say once more to all mankind, that I have never at any time denied that testimony or any part thereof. I also testify to the world, that neither Oliver Cowdery or Martin Harris ever at any time denied their testimony. They both died reaffirming the truth of the divine authenticity of the Book of Mormon.
[36]↩︎
In 1841 Joel H. Johnson published a poem in the Times and Seasons that includes these lines:
Or prove that Christ was not the Lord Because that Peter cursed and swore? Or Book of Mormon not his word Because denied, by Oliver? Or prove, that Joseph Smith is false Because apostates say tis so?
- Joel H. Johnson poetically says Oliver Cowdery "denied" the Book of Mormon.
[37]↩︎
There is no other available information regarding the context of the poem or where its author got his information for the claim that Oliver "denied" the Book of Mormon.
Oliver Cowdery repeatedly affirmed his testimony before and after the publication of this poem.
- Cowdery reaffirms his testimony at council meeting; saw and handled the plates.
- William McLellin recalls Oliver Cowdery reaffirming testimony in the Book of Mormon while threatened by mob violence.
[38]↩︎
Both LDS and non-LDS scholars generally agree this source is most likely a forgery. Richard L. Anderson, in an 1987 article, wrote, "Before the microfilm-photocopy era, which has made in-depth local history possible, the 1906 pamphlet was often accepted as legitimate, even by LDS historians. Now, however, with modern methods of verification, the pseudo-Cowdery Defence fails every specific test that a genealogist or historian can set up."
Jerald and Sandra Tanner, vocal critics of the Church, also concluded that the document is most likely a forgery, writing, "After carefully examining the evidence, we have come to the conclusion that the 'Defence' is probably a spurious work, written sometime after 1887-i.e., after David Whitmer's pamphlet appeared. Until an original copy or a contemporary reference to it is found, we must regard it as spurious."
[39]↩︎
At one point in the document, Oliver purportedly writes:
Still, although favored of God as a chosen witness to bear testimony to the divine authority of the Book of Mormon, and honored of the Lord in being permitted, without money and without price, to serve as scribe during the translation of the Book of Mormon, I have some times had seasons of skepticism, in which I did seriously wonder whether the Prophet and I were men in our sober senses when he would be translating from plates through "the Urim and Thummim" and the plates not be in sight at all.
- Alleged statement from Oliver Cowdery expressing skepticism at the inspiration of the BOM.
[40]↩︎
There are multiple accounts of Oliver, Martin, and David reaffirming their testimony of the Book of Mormon on their deathbeds.
[41]↩︎
There are extant records indicating John and Jacob Whitmer and Hiram Page affirmed their testimonies on their deathbed. Hyrum Smith also reportedly bore testimony of the Book of Mormon while imprisoned in Carthage Jail.
[42]↩︎
There are multiple accounts of Martin Harris's and David Whitmer's final statements, but each one in some manner describes the two as bearing testimony of the Book of Mormon.
Oliver Cowdery was likewise said by several sources to have born his testimony on his deathbed, as did, reportedly, John and Jacob Whitmer and Hiram Page.
Hyrum Smith reportedly bore testimony of the Book of Mormon while imprisoned in Carthage Jail.
[43]↩︎
Just before reproducing the Witnesses' testimonies, Joseph Smith recorded in his 1838–39 history:
Having thus through the mercy of God, obtained these glorious manifestations, it now remained for these three individuals to fulfil the commandment which they had received, viz: to bear record of these things; in order to accomplish which, they drew up and subscribed the following document.
- Joseph Smith 1838 History describing the experience of the Three Witnesses.
[44]↩︎
The editors at the Joseph Smith Papers note, "Cowdery likely was the author of the [witnesses'] statement, given his writing abilities and similarities between the document and Cowdery’s 1829 correspondence to JS and Hyrum Smith."
- Joseph Smith Papers indicates Oliver Cowdery may have been the author of the Three Witnesses statement.
[45]↩︎
The earliest surviving copies of the Three and Eight Witnesses statements are found in the Printer's Manuscript of the Book of Mormon, copied by Oliver Cowdery.
- Three Witnesses Testimony statement in the Book of Mormon Printer's Manuscript.
- The Eight Witnesses's manuscript testimony.
[46]↩︎
In an 1878 interview with Joseph F. Smith and Orson Pratt, Whitmer recalled that "each [of the witnesses] signed his own name" to the original statement. When asked why the copy in Whitmer's possession (the Printer's Manuscript) was in the handwriting of Oliver Cowdery, Whitmer replied, "I don't know, I suppose Oliver copied them, but this <I know> is an exact copy."
However, James H. Moyle recorded Whitmer as once informing him that "the witnesses did ~~Dav~~ not sign the original manuscript though were present and ordered Oliver Cowdery to sign for them." Moyle or Whitmer may have confused the "original manuscript" (the first dictated manuscript on which the witnesses' testimony presumably original appeared) with the printer's manuscript in Oliver's handwriting in Whitmer's possession at the time of the visit.
[47]↩︎
Whitmer gave this statement in the Church's newspaper in 1836. His statement in full reads:
It may not be amiss in this place, to give a statement to the world concerning the work of the Lord, as I have been a member of this church of Latter Day Saints from its beginning; to say that the book of Mormon is a revelation from God, I have no hesitancy; but with all confidence have signed my named to it as such; and I hope, that my patrons will indulge me in speaking freely on this subject, as I am about leaving the editorial department—Therefore I desire to testify to all that will come to the knowledge of this address; that I have most assuredly seen the plates from whence the book of Mormon is translated, and that I have handled these plates, and know of a surety that Joseph Smith, jr. has translated the book of Mormon by the gift and power of God, and in this thing the wisdom of the wise most assuredly has perished: therefore, know ye, O ye inhabitants of the earth, wherever this address may come, that I have in this thing freed my garments of your blood, whether you believe or disbelieve the statements of your unworthy friend and well-wisher."
- Whitmer testifies of having handled the plates.
[48]↩︎
Charles Derry, an elder in the RLDS Church, recalled hearing Martin say this in an 1846 meeting.
- Charles Derry recalls hearing Martin Harris say he "put his name" to the witness statement in the BOM.
[49]↩︎
Oliver wrote this in a letter to Cornelius C. Blatchly that was published on December 10, 1829, just months after the Three Witnesses' experience of seeing the plates.
- Oliver Cowdery, in a letter to C. C. Blatchley, reports that the plates were "laid before" the witnesses by an angel.
[50]↩︎
This secondhand report was recorded by a Shaker named Ashbel Kitchell, who met with and interviewed Cowdery in Ohio.
- Ashbel Kitchell records conversation with Oliver Cowdery, who claimed to have seen an angel.
[51]↩︎
This secondhand report comes from the Painesville Telegraph, a newspaper out of Painesville, Ohio, near Kirtland. The paper was reporting on Oliver Cowdery's and other Latter-day Saint missionaries' preaching in the area.
- Painesville (Ohio) Telegraph reports that Oliver Cowdery claims he has seen angels.
[52]↩︎
This incident was recorded by William E. McLellin in 1871.
- William McLellin recalls Oliver Cowdery reaffirming testimony in the Book of Mormon while threatened by mob violence.
[53]↩︎
Oliver made this statement at the time of his rebaptism into the Church in 1848. It was recorded by Reuben Miller in his journal and later published in the Millennial Star in 1859.
- Cowdery reaffirms his testimony at council meeting; saw and handled the plates.
[54]↩︎
This account comes from William McLellin's contemporary journal. McLellin joined the Church and was a lifelong defender of the Book of Mormon, even after his disaffection.
- William McLellin records in journal hearing David Whitmer bear testimony that he saw an angel.
[55]↩︎
This account was preserved by Thomas B. Marsh and published in 1857.
- Thomas Marsh recounts asking hearing David Whitmer and Oliver Cowdery reaffirm their testimonies in the Book of Mormonr.
[56]↩︎
This conversation was reported by Henry Moon in a letter to Joseph F. Smith dated March 7, 1872. John Lefler, Moon's travelling companion, was not a Latter-day Saint at the time of this incident.
- Henry Moon recounts his interview with David Whitmer, who reaffirmed his testimony to Moon and John Lefler.
[57]↩︎
David wrote this in an 1875 letter to James N. Seymour.
- David Whitmer tells James Seymour in a letter that he reaffirms his printed testimony.
[58]↩︎
This account was recorded by Edward Stevenson, who interviewed David in late 1877.
- Edward Stevenson records meeting with David Whitmer, who reaffirmed his testimony of the Book of Mormon.
[59]↩︎
David gave this account of his experience in a lengthy interview with Joseph F. Smith and Orson Pratt in September 1878.
- Orson Pratt and Joseph F. Smith interview David Whitmer about his experience as a Book of Mormon witness.
[60]↩︎
David issued this public statement in 1881. It was reprinted in 1887 in his book An Address to All Believers in Christ.
- David Whitmer refutes public claims that he recanted his published testimony of the Book of Mormon.
[61]↩︎
David gave this account in an interview with the Kansas City Journal in 1881.
- Kansas City Journal interviews David Whitmer, who reaffirms his testimony of the Book of Mormon.
[62]↩︎
David wrote this in an 1887 letter to Anthony Metcalf.
- David Whitmer affirms his testimony of the angels and plates in a letter to Anthony Metcalf.
[63]↩︎
This report was made in the Painesville Telegraph by E. D. Howe, who was commenting on Latter-day Saint missionary work around Painesville and Kirtland, Ohio.
- E. D. Howe reports that Martin Harris was said to have handled the plates "by the power of God."
[64]↩︎
This report comes from Jeremiah Cooper in a letter to Ebenezer Robinson.
- Jeremiah Cooper reports hearing Martin Harris bear testimony of the BOM.
[65]↩︎
This account comes from the recollection of George Mantle, who later in life recalled experiencing this as a young man.
- George Mantle summarized that Martin Harris testified that Joseph translated by the power of God.
[66]↩︎
This short description comes from James W. Bay, who met and interviewed Martin in 1850.
- James W. Bay records meeting with Martin Harris; says Harris bore testimony of the BOM.
[67]↩︎
David B. Dille recorded this conversation with Martin in September 1853. It was subsequently published in 1859 in the Millennial Star.
- Harris affirms his testimony that he handled the plates.
[68]↩︎
This account comes from William Homer's lengthy 1926 recollection of meeting Martin in Kirtland on his way home from a mission in 1869.
- William Harrison Homer recounts his experience meeting Martin Harris who testified to him of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon.
[69]↩︎
This was reported in the Daily Iowa State Register in August 1870, which recorded Martin's preaching in the area.
- Newspaper report of a public discourse by Martin Harris, who is reported to have publicly reaffirmed his testimony in the Book of Mormon.
[70]↩︎
Martin wrote this testimony in an 1870 letter.
- Martin Harris reaffirms his testimony as a BoM witness; says an angel showed him the plates.
[71]↩︎
Martin gave this testimony in an 1871 letter.
- Martin Harris reaffirms his testimony of the BoM; says an angel showed him the plates.
[72]↩︎
This account comes from Latter-day Saint Robert Aveson's recollection published in the Deseret News in 1927.
- Robert Aveson recounts hearing Martin Harris bear testimony of the Book of Mormon.
[73]↩︎
Martin gave this account in an interview with a Latter-day Saint named Ole Jensen in 1875.
- Martin Harris is reported to have told Ole A. Jensen that he saw the plates and the angel; voice of God told him that the translation was true.
[74]↩︎
There appears to be no known firsthand comments from Christian Whitmer reaffirming his printed testimony of the Book of Mormon. This eulogy by Oliver Cowdery is one of the only known contemporary sources indicating Whitmer's continued faithfulness.
- Cowdery reports that Christian Whitmer and Peter Whitmer Jr. maintained their testimonies of the BOM.
[75]↩︎
This comment from Jacob's son, John C. Whitmer, is one of the few sources known pertaining to Jacob's views on the Book of Mormon besides his printed testimony.
- John C. Whitmer relates that various Eight Witnesses reaffirmed their testimonies in the BOM.
[76]↩︎
Peter recorded this in his personal journal in an entry dated December 13, 1831.
- Peter Whitmer, Jr. records that Joseph Smith received a revelation and that Peter preached from the Book of Mormon.
[77]↩︎
John published this testimony in the Church's newspaper the Messenger and Advocate in March 1836.
- Whitmer testifies of having handled the plates.
[78]↩︎
This account comes from Theodore Turley and was preserved by Thomas Bullock in Joseph Smith's manuscript history. Although it is not clear what Whitmer meant by saying he was shown the plates by a "supernatural power," this account is clear that Whitmer handled the plates and saw the engravings on them.
- John Whitmer informs Theodore Turley that the plates was shown to him "by a supernatural power" and that he handled the plates and "there was fine engravings on both sides."
[79]↩︎
This report comes from Jacob Gates, who recorded his interaction with Whitmer in his journal.
- Jacob Gates records in personal journal conversation with John Whitmer, who affirmed his testimony of the BOM.
[80]↩︎
Whitmer made this statement in an 1876 letter.
- Whitmer says he never heard any other witnesses recant their testimonies.
[81]↩︎
Whitmer made this statement in a letter to RLDS Church leader Heman C. Smith in 1876.
- Whitmer reaffirms his printed testimony.
[82]↩︎
Myron Bond recorded this secondhand description of Whitmer's testimony in an 1878 letter.
- Myron H. Bond recollects that John Whitmer "saw and handled" the plates.
[83]↩︎
This summary of a discourse delivered by John Whitmer in early 1878 was reported by I. C. Funn in a Missouri newspaper called the Sentinel and republished in the Saints' Herald.
- Whitmer affirms testimony of BOM plates in public.
[84]↩︎
This conversation was recorded published in the Deseret News just one month after Whitmer's death.
- Poulson reports John Whitmer's final testimony of the BoM.
[85]↩︎
Hiram Page made this comment in an 1847 letter to William Delong.
- Page reaffirms his testimony; defends BOM.
[86]↩︎
This account was given by Hiram's son Philander Page in September 1888.
- Philander Page reports that he heard his father and other witnesses affirm their faith in the BOM.
[87]↩︎
This account comes from Sally Bradford Parker, who recorded Hyrum's preaching in an 1838 letter.
- Sally Bradford Parker recounts Joseph and Lucy Mack Smith bearing testimony of handling the plates.
[88]↩︎
This firsthand testimony from Hyrum was published in 1839 in the Times and Seasons.
- Smith reaffirms his testimony after enduring persecution.
[89]↩︎
This report comes from J. B. Newhall, who visited Nauvoo and published his experience in the Salem Advertizer and Argus (and subsequently republished in the Times and Seasons).
- Newhall reports hearing Hyrum publicly testify of the Book of Mormon.
[90]↩︎
This account comes from Latter-day Saint leader Angus M. Cannon, who was born in 1834.
- Angus Cannon recalls hearing Hyrum and Joseph Smith bear testimony of the BOM when we was a child.
[91]↩︎
This account of the martyrdom was composed by Thomas Bullock a decade after the event and most likely drew from details provided by witnesses at Carthage (such as John Taylor and Willard Richards).
- Manuscript History of the Church reports that Hyrum Smith bore testimony of the BOM before the martyrdom.
[92]↩︎
This conversation was recorded in Phineas Young's (Brigham Young's brother) account of his conversion by Samuel Smith.
- Young reports that Samuel Smith affirms he is one of the BOM witnesses; calls it a revelation and translation.
[93]↩︎
This account comes from Latter-day Saint leader Daniel Tyler, whose family was converted by Samuel and Orson Hyde.
- Daniel Tyler recalls hearing Samuel Harrison Smith bear his testimony of the BoM.
[94]↩︎
This eulogy for Samuel by John Taylor was published in the Times and Seasons in August 1844.
- Taylor writes Smith remained a BOM witness until his death.
[95]↩︎
Scholars Daniel C. Peterson, Amy Easton-Flake, and Rachel Cope have reviewed the evidence for the women who reported handling or seeing the plates.
- Daniel C. Peterson suggests historical bias is what prevented any women from being official BOM witnesses.
- Amy Easton-Flake and Rachel Cope discuss some of the women who handled or saw the BOM plates or assisted in the coming forth of the BOM.
[96]↩︎
Emma reported this in an interview with her son Joseph Smith III in 1879.
- Interview with Emma; says she felt the plates.
[97]↩︎
In an 1838 letter, Sally Bradford Parker reported hearing Lucy tell her that she handled the plates.
Lucy also recorded in her memoir how she handled the Urim and Thummim in addition to the plates.
- Sally Bradford Parker recounts Joseph and Lucy Mack Smith bearing testimony of handling the plates.
- Lucy Mack Smith recalls handling the Urim and Thummim under a silk handkerchief.
[98]↩︎
Edward Stevenson recorded this detail in an interview with Martin Harris in 1870. In that same interview, Martin described also handling the plates under a cover like his wife Lucy, suggesting that this took place in late 1827 or early 1828.
- Martin Harris gives account of his experience as a BoM witness and affirms his wife hefted the plates.
[99]↩︎
William retold this experience in his 1883 account. One year later, William said in a public discourse:
When the plates were brought in they were wrapped up in a tow frock. My father then put them into a pillow case. Father said, "What, Joseph, can we not see them?" "No. I was disobedient the first time, but I intend to be faithful this time; for I was forbidden to show them until they are translated, but you can feel them." We handled them and could tell what they were. They were not quite as large as this Bible. Could tell whether they were round or square. Could raise the leaves this way (raising a few leaves of the Bible before him). One could easily tell that they were not a stone, hewn out to deceive, or even a block of wood. Being a mixture of gold and copper, they were much heavier than stone, and very much heavier than wood.
- William Smith reports handling the gold plates as they were wrapped in a pillow-case.
- Smith says the plates were heavier than wood and stone.
[100]↩︎
This account comes from Mary Salisbury Hancock, Catherine's granddaughter.
- Hancock recalls how Joseph's sisters hid the plates.
[101]↩︎
Catherine's grandson, Hebert Salisbury, made this statement in 1945.
- Herbert Salisbury recalls his grandmother Catherine Smith telling him she hefted the plates.
[102]↩︎
Herbert Salisbury reported this in an 1954 interview.
- Herbert Salisbury recalls his grandmother Catherine telling him she handled the plates.
[103]↩︎
This description comes from an 1832 report of Josiah Stowell's courtroom testimony. An 1843 letter from Martha Campbell to Joseph Smith appears to corroborate this report:
. . . if I under stood him wright he [Josiah Stowell] was the firs person that took the Plates out of your hands the mor<n>ing you brough[t] them in & he observed blessed is he that seeth & believeeth & more blessed is he that believeeth without seeing & says he has seen & believeed he seems anxious to get there to renew his covenant with the Lord . . .
- Josiah Stowell reports having caught a glimpse of the plates.
- Campbell mentions that Stowell handled the plates in letter to Joseph.
[104]↩︎
Martin Harris recounted this in an 1859 interview. Alvah's daughter, Mary Noble, likewise recalled:
. . . as soon as it was noised around that there was a golden Bible found (for that was what it was called at that time) the minds of the people became so excited and it arose at such a pitch that a mob collected together to search the house of Father Joseph Smith to find the records my father [Alvah Beaman] was there at the time and assisted in concealing the plates in a box in a secluded place where no one could find them although he did not see them . . .
- Harris says Beaman heard the plates klink.
- Noble's reminiscence of mob trying to steal the plates.
[105]↩︎
Burgess recounted this experience in a later reminiscence.
- Harrison Burgess records his vision of an angel showing him the BOM plates.
- Harrison Burgess recounts seeing and angel that showed him the BOM plates.
[106]↩︎
This account of Mary's experience comes from her grandson John.
- John C. Whitmer recalls experience of his grandmother, Mary Musselman Whitmer, seeing the plates.
[107]↩︎
This account was published in John D. Lee's posthumous Mormonism Unveiled. There are several unanswered questions raised by this account, such as when Johnson had this experience and what exactly was said in the printed testimony mentioned in this version of events. There are no known copies of this document.
However, this story appears to have some corroboration from Brigham Young, who may have been referring to Johnson in an 1859 speech in which he said:
One of the Quorum of the Twelve—a young man full of faith and good works, prayed, and the vision of his mind was opened, and the angel of God came and laid the plates before him, and he saw and handled them, and saw the angel, and conversed with him as he would with one of his friends; but after all this, he was left to doubt, and plunged into apostacy, and has continued to contend against this work.
- John D. Lee recounts conversation with Luke Johnson, claims Johnsons was a "witness" of the BOM and signed a statement saying he say an angel and the plates.
- Brigham refers to a member of the original Q12 who had a vision of the BOM plates and later apostatized.
[108]↩︎
Mary's son David and grandson John C. both gave similar, but not identical, accounts of the incident involving Mary and the angel.
[109]↩︎
Martin associated with James J. Strang's church in the mid-1840s, even serving a mission in England where he mainly focused on bearing testimony of the Book of Mormon.
- Susan Easton Black and Larry C. Porter discuss Martin Harris's association with Strangite Mormonism in the 1840s.
- Robin Scott Jensen reviews Martin Harris's Strangite mission in England.
[110]↩︎
The men who acted as witnesses for Strang's Voree Plates were Aaron Smith, Jirah B. Wheelan, J. M. Van Nostrand, and Edward Whitcomb.
- Strangite witnesses to the discovery of the Voree Plates describe their discovery.
[111]↩︎
The men whose names appear as witnesses in the Book of the Law of the Lord are Samuel Graham, Samuel P. Bacon, Warren Post, Phineas Wright, Albert N. Hosmer, Ebenezer Page, and Jehiel Savage.
- James J. Strang's 1851 edition of the Book of the Law of the Lord identifying the witnesses to the Brass Plates.

Name of witness	Occupation(s)	Age at time of seeing the plates (years)	Relationship to Joseph Smith
Oliver Cowdery[BIO]	Clerk, teacher, justice of the peace, lawyer, and newspaper editor	23	Friend, supporter, scribe
David Whitmer[BIO]	Farmer and livery keeper	24	Friend, supporter
Martin Harris[BIO]	Farmer	46	Friend, supporter, scribe, financial benefactor
Christian Whitmer[BIO]	Shoemaker	31	Friend, supporter
Jacob Whitmer[BIO]	Shoemaker and farmer	29	Friend, supporter
Peter Whitmer, Jr.[BIO]	Tailor	20	Friend, supporter
John Whitmer[BIO]	Farmer, stock raiser, and newspaper editor	27	Friend, supporter, scribe
Hiram Page[BIO]	Physician and farmer	29	Friend, supporter
Joseph Smith, Sr.[BIO]	Cooper, farmer, teacher, and merchant	58	Father
Hyrum Smith[BIO]	Farmer, and cooper	29	Brother
Samuel H. Smith[BIO]	Farmer, logger, scribe, builder, and tavern operator	21	Brother