Although the documents leave some things to conjecture, they uncover evidence enough to render Oliver Cowdery's 1835 claim that Smith had been "honorably acquitted" indefensible. Ultimately, however, conclusions about innocence or guilt are not as enlightening to historians as descriptions from reliable witnesses who have recounted Smith's early methods of operation as a treasure seer. As Dale Morgan concluded:

From the point of view of Mormon history, it is immaterial what the finding of the court was on the technical charge of being 'a disorderly person and an imposter'; what is important is the evidence adduced, and its bearing on the life of Joseph Smith before he announced his claim to be a prophet of God.