Joseph Smith's Pre-1830 Education

< Back to Hard Questions

about this topic

Joseph Smith's Pre-1830 Education

87 Primary Sources

A black and white illustration of a young Joseph Smith studying his bible by candlelight with the caption 'Joseph Reading the Bible,' by LA Ramsey, from the book 'From Ploughboy to Prophet,' 1912. — An illustration by L.A. Ramsey from the book 'From Ploughboy to Prophet,' 1912.

Did Joseph Smith[BIO] really only have a third-grade education?

Yes, probably. It's hard to compare early nineteenth-century educational grade levels to modern grade levels. Joseph was mostly homeschooled and seemed to have a good grasp of reading, a little bit of writing, and some basic arithmetic.[1]

Does this lack of education show that he couldn’t have written the Book of Mormon himself?

Yes, it does support that idea. Emma Smith said that Joseph could "neither write nor dictate a coherent and well-worded letter" at the time Joseph translated the Book of Mormon.[2] The earliest documented writing samples from Joseph are in 1831,[3] one year after the Book of Mormon was published.[4] By then he seems to have learned to write reasonably well.

Related Question

Did Joseph Smith own a talisman inscribed with symbols of the Roman God Jupiter?

But didn’t Mark Twain have a similar level of education?

Not really. Mark Twain[BIO] had obtained a fifth-grade education before he had to leave school.[5] After that, he worked in the publishing industry as a printer’s apprentice and typesetter.[6] He also didn’t write his first book until 1869,[7] when he was 34 years old and had been writing for many years.[8] Joseph worked as a farmer and manual laborer,[9] and he began translating the Book of Mormon when he was 23 years old.[10]

What about Abraham Lincoln?

Yes, Abraham Lincoln[BIO] did have a similar level of education. Lincoln attended a grade school sporadically until he was 15 years old, but he estimated his formal schooling "did not amount to one year."[11] He credits his education to studying self-education reader booklets with his older sister Sarah.[12] Unlike Joseph Smith, he never published a book, but Lincoln did obtain his law license by the age of 25 and wrote many speeches in his lifetime.[13]

Didn’t Joseph have many educated family and friends around him while growing up?

Yes, his grandmother Lydia Gates[BIO] was a school teacher,[14] and his father, Joseph Smith Sr.,[BIO] was also schoolteacher for a time.[15] Oliver Cowdery[BIO] was also a school teacher.[16] They all had a basic education, but none of them had any experience in theology or writing books.

Didn't Joseph have a relative named John Smith who was a professor at Dartmouth College?

No, probably not. Dr. John Smith,[BIO] was erroneously recorded as being Joseph Smith Jr.'s first cousin thrice removed[17] though he was actually from a different, unrelated Smith family line.[18] Dr. John Smith's father's name was Joseph Smith, and his mother's name was Sarah Sawyer[19], who was understandably confused with a different Joseph Smith who was married to Elizabeth Palmer, both of which were cousins of Asael Smith and Mary Duty,[20] Joseph Smith Jr.'s grandparents.

Dr. John Smith received his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in the arts from Dartmouth , received an honorary doctorate in divinity from Brown, and was a professor of ancient languages at Dartmouth as well as a pastor for the college church.[21] He died in 1809 when Joseph Smith was three years old.[22] There is no record of any involvement between Dr. John Smith and Joseph's family.

Did Joseph's brother Hyrum go to Dartmouth College?

No, not really. Hyrum Smith[BIO] went to a grammar school for children when he was around 11 years old called Moor's Charity School.[23] Eleazar Wheelock[BIO] started the Moor's Charity School to teach Native American children.[24] Wheelock later founded Dartmouth College.[25] While Moor's Charity school was moved to Dartmouth's campus, it was not part of the College, and served as "sort of a feeder school for Dartmouth."[26] Dartmouth does not claim Hyrum Smith ever attended, so it would be inaccurate to say that Hyrum went to Dartmouth.[27]

The Facts

Joseph had no formal education before 1830 and was reported to have basic reading skills, but he was unable to write.
There are no writing samples that exist of Joseph Smith before 1831.
Hyrum Smith attended Moors Indian Charity School, not Dartmouth College.
Joseph had friends and family that had basic levels of education, enough to teach grade school.
Reverend John Smith, who taught ancient languages at Dartmouth, was not related to Joseph Smith, and he died when Joseph was three years old.
Joseph probably had a similar level of education to Abraham Lincoln but was much less educated than Mark Twain.

Our Take

Like a lot of things in Church history, there are different narratives about Joseph Smith and his education. Was Joseph educated enough to make up the Book of Mormon? Were his family or friends?

The historical record indicates Joseph received very little education. He had basic reading skills, poor writing skills, and basic arithmetic.

However, some of his friends and family were educated enough to teach grade school, but none of Joseph's family or friends were scholars.

There are many different theories about how the Book of Mormon came to be, but Joseph Smith's poor education makes him an unlikely candidate for authorship. The simplest explanation is that the Book of Mormon came by revelation, but accepting this requires study and faith.

What's Your Take?

Logan
“Joseph Smith’s lack of an education doesn’t prove in and of itself that the book is true, but it creates a compelling argument that one should try reading it and pray to find out for themselves.”
Kenton
“Being homeschooled myself, it's clear that Joseph's education was on the farm, in the home, and in the scriptures. He could read, but his writing and his ability to put words into English seemed to frustrate him until he had gained a deeper education. He was smart, not a scholar.”

Read More Difficult Questions

87 Primary Sources

Footnotes

BIOJoseph Smith, Jr.
Joseph Smith (1805–1844) organized The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Born in Sharon, Vermont, he began to experience visions of deity and angels at a young age. One vision featured the Angel Moroni, who revealed the location of gold plates with an account of ancient Americans. He translated this record and published it as The Book of Mormon. He continued to receive revelations throughout his life which serve as the foundation for the Church's doctrine today. He led the Latter-day Saints across the country from New York to Illinois. In 1844, he was martyred while awaiting trial in Carthage, Illinois.
BIOMark Twain (Samuel L. Clemens)
Samuel L. Clemens (1835–1910) was an American novelist and humorist who wrote under the pen name "Mark Twain."
BIOAbraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) was the 16th president of the United States. He served as a state representative from 1834 to 1842 and as a representative in the U.S. House from 1847 to 1849. He won the 1860 election for the presidency against Democratic opponent Stephen A. Douglas. He led the nation through the Civil War and abolished slavery. In 1865, he was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth.
BIOLydia Gates Mack
Lydia Gates Mack (1732-1818) was born in East Haddam, Middlesex County, Connecticut. She was Lucy Mack Smith's mother and Joseph Smith's grandmother. She worked as a schoolteacher.
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.
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.
BIOJohn Smith
John Smith (1752-1809) was a Dartmouth University professor of classics and taught Ancient Languages. He received his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in the arts from Dartmouth, and received an honorary Doctorate of Divinity from Brown, though he never studied there. He was also the librarian of the college, and served as a pastor in the school's congregation for 30 years. John Smith was once though to be a distant relative of Joseph Smith, however they are not related.
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.
BIOEleazar Wheelock
Eleazar Wheelock (1711-1779) was a Congregational Minister and the founder of Dartmouth College and Moore's Indian Charity School.
[1]↩︎
In 1832, Joseph Smith dictated a simple biography where he said he was taught the "christian religion" and that he received a basic education.
Later, in 1840 and 1859, Orson Pratt described Joseph Smith's education as rudimentary.
[2]↩︎
In 1879 "The Last Testimony of Sister Emma" was published which included questions to Emma about Joseph's education. She said:
Joseph Smith . . . could neither write nor dictate a coherent and well-worded letter; let alone dictate a book like the Book of Mormon. And, though I was an active participant in the scenes that transpired, and was present during the translation of the plates, and had cognizance of things as they transpired, it is marvelous to me, “a marvel and a wonder,” as much so as to any one else.
- Emma Hale Smith on JS as being a poor at dictation and writing.
[3]↩︎
The first writing sample we have from Joseph Smith seems to be from an 1831 letter he wrote to his brother, Hyrum Smith.
- Letter from JS to HS, with spelling mistakes.
[4]↩︎
Joseph Smith, Jr., published the Book of Mormon in 1830.
- William McLellin: Joseph published the BOM in 1830.
[5]↩︎
According to his autobiography, Mark Twain said his time at an "ordinary western common school" until he was 13 years old was "all the ~~education—if~~ schooling—if playing hookey & getting licked for it may be called by that name."
He later had to leave school when his father died.
- Charles Dudley Warner's notes from autobiography of Samuel Clemens concerning his education.
- TMTH&M says MT(SC) was educated until the fifth grade.
[6]↩︎
Twain worked as an apprentice from age 11 until age 17. He did not consider himself literate until later in his life but gained experience through learning his trade.
- Biography of Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain).
- TMTH&M says MT(SC) was educated until the fifth grade.
[7]↩︎
Mark Twain's first book was a travel book, The Innocents Abroad.
- TMTH&M summarizes the publication of Mark Twain's first book.
[8]↩︎
J. W. Leonard described Twain's literary experience that he obtained from printing and editing, "He began in 1848 as a worker at the printing trade, becoming an expert compositor for several years."
[9]↩︎
Joseph Smith Jr. worked on the farm his family rented as well as laboring for others.
- LMS highlights JS's farm labors.
- JS worked as a day laborer.
[10]↩︎
Joseph Smith began translating the Book of Mormon in 1829. He had obtained the plates at age 21 in 1827.
[11]↩︎
Although Lincoln attended Crawford's school for around a term, he did not have much formal education.
- Historian David Herbert Donald says that Abraham Lincoln had less than one year of schooling by age fifteen.
[12]↩︎
Lincoln learned to write and read through booklets like Dilworth's Spelling along with his sister Sarah. Through using this and other booklets, Lincoln began to become literate despite his poor education.
- David Herbert Donald describes 19th-century education for Abraham Lincoln.
[13]↩︎
Lincoln penned his own speeches and studied to become a lawyer on his own.
[14]↩︎
Lydia Gates was reportedly a school teacher in the public school system and believed strongly in educating youth.
- Lydia Gates Mack, mother of Lucy Mack Smith, taught school and was an accomplished woman.
- Joseph Smith went to school and was not as ignorant as some portrayed him.
[15]↩︎
Joseph Smith Sr. held several jobs, one of which was being a schoolteacher
- Kyle Walker, in a PhD thesis, discusses Joseph Smith Sr. working as a school teacher.
- LS describes how her husband taught school during the winter-time.
[16]↩︎
Oliver Cowdery worked as a school teacher in Manchester, New York, for all youth in the community.
- Lucy Mack says that Oliver Cowdery taught school at the district school when the Smith family arrived in Harmony.
[17]↩︎
Richard K. Behrens, citing information from a Dartmouth Alumni magazine shows the connection between Asael Smith and his wife Mary Duty and a Joseph Smith and Elizabeth Palmer who lived in the same town as the parents of Dr. John Smith.
George T. Chapman, who recorded the life sketches of the Dartmouth Alumni, mentioned in his preface some of the challenges faced in compiling the record and noted that some inaccuracies might persist in the record.
Dr. John Smith's widow left a life sketch that identified his mother as Sarah Sawyer, meaning his father was a different Joseph Smith that was not related to Asael Smith.
[18]↩︎
According to Dr. John Smith's wife, Susan Mason Smith's memoir of his life, Dr. John Smith's mother was a Sawyer. There is a separate Joseph Smith from Rowley Massachussets who was married to a Sarah Sawyer who is the actual father of Dr. John Smith. This line of Smiths does not appear to be directly related to Joseph Smith, Jr. in any meaningful way.
- Byfield Parish Church record of the christening of John Smith, son of Joseph Smith, in 1751.
- Susan Smith recalls Reverend John Smith's mother was a Sawyer.
[19]↩︎
The Town of Rowley recorded John Smith as the son of Joseph and Sarah, not Joseph and Elizabeth.
- Susan Smith recalls Reverend John Smith's mother was a Sawyer.
- Town of Rowley records show John Smith as son of Joseph and Sarah.
[20]↩︎
Richard K. Behrens shows the relationship of Asael Smith to Joseph Smith through Robert Smith and of Mary Duty to Elizabeth Palmer through Francis Palmer - this relationship was cited as coming from the Sketches of Almuni of Dartmouth College.
When compiling the Sketches of the Alumni of Dartmouth College, G. T. Chapman notes how the project changed hands and may contain innacuracies. It appears that the wrong Joseph Smith, the one married to Elizabeth Palmer, was the one identified in Dr. John Smith's alumni sketch, which is understandable considering how common the name was. This mistake appears to have been repeated by later scholars and researchers.
- Richard K. Behrens connects Joseph Smith Jr.'s paternal grandparents to the Joseph Smith and Elisabeth Palmer who were mistakenly identified as the parents of Reverend John Smith in a Dartmouth Alumni Sketch.
- George Thomas Chapman explains the limitations of the Sketches of Dartmouth alumni, and that some inaccuracies are to be expected.
[21]↩︎
John Smith wrote some theological works centering around the concept of free will (Arminianism), but his work while at Dartmouth seems to have focused mostly on ancient languages.
- The RDOCS gives biographical and academic details of John S.
[22]↩︎
The Rutgers Database of Classical Scholars notes that John Smith died in Hanover, NH, in April 1809.
Joseph Smith was born on December 23rd, 1805.
- The RDOCS gives biographical and academic details of John S.
[23]↩︎
Lucy Mack Smith recalled that Hyrum went to Moor's Charity School sometime near when their family moved to Lebanon, New Hampshire. She doesn't give a precise date for when he started, but they did move to Lebanon sometime after William Smith's birth on March 13th of 1811.
- Lucy Mack Smith describes Hyrum Smith's education.
[24]↩︎
Moor's Charity School was founded in 1754 to teach Native American children English and Christianity so they could become Christian ministers. It was initially located in Lebanon, Connecticut, but later moved to Hanover, New Hampshire.
- An exhibit summarized by DCL recounts the history of Moor's Charity school.
[25]↩︎
While the school began as a feeder school for Dartmouth College (founded in 1769) and the charity school and Dartmouth had a common founder, it seems that Hyrum did not end up attending Darthmouth College itself.
- An exhibit summarized by DCL recounts the history of Moor's Charity school.
[26]↩︎
When Wheelock started Dartmouth, Moor's Charity School relocated to Dartmouth's campus and remained separate but somewhat affiliated:
Moor’s, relocated to Hanover, New Hampshire, continued on as a sort of feeder school for Dartmouth, educating both Indian and English students who were not prepared to take on College level studies.
- An exhibit summarized by DCL recounts the history of Moor's Charity school.
[27]↩︎
A Dartmouth Alumni Magazine Article that was focused on members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who had attended Dartmouth makes a mention of Hyrum Smith and that he was "destined for Dartmouth" but ultimately went westward with his family instead.
- A Dartmouth Alumni Magazine article recalls that Hyrum Smith was "destined for Dartmouth," but went west before attending.