Joseph Smith's Pre-1830 Education

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.

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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 a first cousin thrice removed of Joseph Smith, Jr.
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.
- ES on JS as being a poor at dictation and writing.
[3]↩︎
The first 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 MT'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 DHD 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]↩︎
John Smith wrote some theological works centering around the concept of free will, but his work while at Dartmouth seems to have focused mostly on ancient languages.
- The RDOCS gives biographical and academic details of John S.
[18]↩︎
The Rutgers Database of Classical Scholars notes that John Smith died in Hanover, NH, in April 1809.
Joseph Smith was born in December 1805.
- The RDOCS gives biographical and academic details of John S.
[19]↩︎
Hyrum Smith went to Moor's Charity School in 1811 and would have received a higher quality education than Joseph with respect to reading and writing.
- Lucy Mack Smith describes Hyrum Smith's education.
[20]↩︎
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.
[21]↩︎
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 benefit from this connection.
- An exhibit summarized by DCL recounts the history of Moor's Charity school.
[22]↩︎
When Wheelock started Dartmouth, Moor's Charity School relocated to be near Dartmouth 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.