Joseph Smith's Jupiter Talisman

60 Primary Sources

Date
Summary
1654

WR associates Jupiter with religious men.

1659

William Lilly comments on the relationship between Jupiter and attributes of those born under its planetary sign.

1794

RB associates Jupiter with religious people.

1801

FB describes the JT's properties.

1801

FB comments on J's power.

1801

JT associates Jupiter with Johpiel/intelligence.

1812

Aaron Willey described how folk-magic and superstition captivated the human mind.

1823

SM associates J with Eloim.

1823

PB identifies astrology as the "grand office" to magic, suggestive of Jupiter shaping magical practice supposedly similar to Joseph Smith.

1825

R describes how JT might be worn.

Dec 8, 1833

E.D. Howe connects the gold plates with lunar positioning.

1834

Alva Hale says that Joseph told him his seer stone was a gift from God.

1834

Henry Harris comments on Joseph's "fortune-telling" connected with God.

Oct 7, 1835

Oliver Cowdery says JS used the Urim and Thummim for Newel K. Whitney's patriarchal blessing.

Feb 3, 1836 - Feb 5, 1836

Sylvester Smith reports that Joseph studied Hebrew.

1839

J. Mitchell and John Dickie present a 16th century example of "magical" stones being used in a religious context in England.

May 4, 1843

Judge ES swears EDPY married JS on May 4, 1843, a Thursday (frequently associated with Jupiter).

Sep 28, 1843

WR reports JS being identified as Baurak Ale.

1844

John Taylor recounts the martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum Smith on June 27, 1844.

Jun 5, 1844

Thomas C. Sharp lambasts Joseph just before the martyrdom.

Jun 11, 1844

TS calls for violent vengeance on "Infernal Devils" of Nauvoo.

Jun 19, 1844

Thomas C. Sharp talks about exterminating the "wicked and abominable Mormon leaders."

Jun 30, 1844

The NNE asserts JS and HS killed by a mob for their religion.

Jun 30, 1844

Public Ledger reprints portions of the Nauvoo Neighbor Extra's report of the Martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum Smith.

Jun 30, 1844

The NYDH reprints the NN extra calling JS and HS martyrs.

Jul 3, 1844

QW, an Illinois neswpaper, reports that JS was killed in a rescue attempt.

Jul 12, 1844

Spirit of Democracy, an Ohio newspaper, reports Joseph trying to escape Carthage.

Jul 19, 1844

Public Ledger says of the killing of Joseph and Hyrum Smith is a "grosser act of treachery was never committed."

Aug 2, 1844

Liverpool Mercury refers to the killing of Joseph and Hyrum Smith as an "assassination."

Aug 3, 1844

New York Herald reprint describes Joseph and Hyrum Smith as martyrs.

Aug 3, 1844

Thomas Ford calls Joseph and Hyrum's death assassinations and considers it a disgrace.

Aug 15, 1844

William Clayton told not to give James W. Woods anything related to Joseph's business.

Aug 23, 1844

Wilford Woodruff discusses Joseph's belongings held by Emma Hale Smith.

Aug 20, 1845

BT, a Finnish newspaper, reports an Unknown Mormon tried to break into Carthage Jail, sparking the conflict.

Mar 17, 1846

Joseph Heywood says Emma Hale Smith kept some items (could include the Jupiter Talisman).

Dec 1, 1852

Jedediah Morgan Grant reports that Joseph fired on the mob after seeing Hyrum Smith die.

Dec 1, 1852

W. M. Daniels recalls that Joseph probably tried to escape to save the others in the room.

1856

Thomas Ford state that Joseph and Hyrum were under his sworn protection and surrendered as prisoners.

1856

GAS records JS speaking of going like a lamb to the slaughter, under the protection of TF.

Aug 23, 1856

John Taylor reports that John M. Bernhisel was told by Joseph that he went "as a lamb to the slaughter."

Aug 16, 1873

Orson Pratt explains how Joseph was called a Hebrew name.

May 10, 1885

James W. Woods offers summary of Joseph's belongings.

1887

David Whitmer recalls Joseph receiving revelation from God through the seer stone.

Dec 31, 1892

KA comments on J's nature and the face of Jupiter as "a face of handsome shape and form, loving to ramble, to be merry and sportive."

1894

AP associates J with "Levitical order."

1897

MS associates Baurak Ale with Jupiter.

Sep 4, 1902

HDM met a man showing him a "piece of metal" JS had with him when killed.

Sep 6, 1902

JHS comments on "medal" resembling JT.

Oct 17, 1903

DEN reprints a report by FMA about visiting Nauvoo, being shown Jupiter talisman.

Jun 28, 1937

Improvement Era publishes Richard L. Evans's article on Charles Bidamon artifacts.

Jul 21, 1937

DN reports on the Church obtaining JS's documents from WCW.

1938

WG (Royal Numismatic Society) identifies JT.

Jun 19, 1953

WCW describes talisman acquired from CB.

Apr 20, 1974

Reed C. Durham offers brief physical description and provenance for the Jupiter Talisman.

1989

Scharffs interviews Durham about JT.

1999

AM identifies Jupiter with Thursday, which DMQ connects to JS's plural marriages.

2000

WJH believes that JS likely owned the talisman.

2013

Job mentions Elihu, son of Barachel, JS pseudonym Baurak Ale.

2015

Religious Studies Center 2015 publication on JS interest in ancient languages, artifacts.

Feb 2022

Justin Griffin's documentary theorizes that John Taylor is the one who shot Joseph.