"Charged with watchfulness" - Joseph Smith protects the golden plates from mob incursions | Ep. 198
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 9 ก.พ. 2025
- In this episode, David talks about a few different attempts that were made to find and take the golden plates after Joseph had brought them home.
Video transcript: saintsunscript...
- “‘All My Endeavors to Preserve Them’: Protecting the Plates in Palmyra, 22 September-December 1827,” by Andrew H. Hedges, BYU Studies: bit.ly/3KPtXz5
- “A True Treasure Chest,” by Heidi Bennett, via the Church’s website: bit.ly/3n3d0sI
- Recommended reading:
“The Revised and Enhanced History of Joseph Smith by His Mother,” by Lucy Mack Smith, edited by Proctor & Proctor
“Obtaining and Protecting the Plates,” by H. Dean Garrett, in “Joseph: Exploring the Life and Ministry of the Prophet” (chapter 7), edited by Susan E. Black & Andrew Skinner
- Chapter 3 of “Rough Stone Rolling,” by Richard Bushman
- Chapters 1 & 2 of “From Darkness unto Light,” by Michael H. MacKay & Gerrit J. Dirkmaat
- “United by Faith: The Joseph Sr. and Lucy Mack Smith Family,” edited by Kyle R. Walker
Notes:
- Who were the people trying to find the plates? We get some clues from M. Harris, who said, "[the] money-diggers claimed that they had as much right to the plates as Joseph had, as they were in company together. They claimed that Joseph had been [a] traitor, and had appropriated to himself that which belonged to them. For this reason Joseph was afraid of them, and continued concealing the plates.” Willard Chase, Sally Chase, Samuel Lawrence, and others were likely involved (see Alvah Beaman note below).
“Early Mormon Documents,” edited by Dan Vogel, 2:307. See also EMD 5:103 (and pg. 107 for copy)
- Joseph Knight said that while the plates were under the hearth, Samuel Lawrence and Alvah Beaman visited Joseph, hoping to bargain for a share of the plates. When Joseph refused, Beaman consulted his divining rods, which indicated that the plates were buried under the hearth. Knight was probably mistaken, though, as Lucy Mack Smith & Mary Noble (Alvah’s daughter) reported that Alvah helped Joseph bury the plates under the hearth (see note below). M. Harris also recalled that Alvah helped fit a second box to the dimensions of the plates (the Ontario glass-box), see EMD 2:307. Since Knight’s short account is challenged and isn’t corroborated anywhere else that I’ve seen, I’ve left it out of this video.
Source: bit.ly/3L6xTNm
- Mary Noble, daughter of Alvah Beaman, 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 Smith to find the records[.] my father 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[.]"
“Mary A. Noble Autobiography, circa 1834-1836,” in EMD 3:308-309
- Caroline Rockwell Smith (sister to Porter Rockwell) recalled in the 1880s, “Catherine Smith, sister of the prophet, showed me in their house a chest with lock where the plates were kept, but they feared they would be stolen, and then she took up four bricks in the hearth and said they had been buried there.”
“Caroline Rockwell Smith Statement, 25 March 1885,” in EMD 2:200
- M. Harris: “When he [Joseph] arrived at home, he handed the plates in at the window, and they were received from him by his mother. They were then hidden under the hearth in his father’s house. But the wall being partly down, it was feared that certain ones, who were trying to get possession of the plates, would get under the house and dig them out. Joseph then took them 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 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 …. After they had been concealed under the floor of the cooper’s shop for a short time, Joseph was warned to remove them. He said he was warned by an angel. He took them out and hid them up in the chamber of the cooper’s shop among the flags. That night some one came, took up the floor, and dug up the earth, and would have found the plates had they not been removed.” (Notice that Martin’s cooper-shop account slightly differs from that of Lucy Smith)
EMD. 2:306-307
- Orson Pratt reported that on Joseph’s way to Harmony with the plates, his wagon was searched twice by different officers, who failed to discover the plates. I didn’t find any other early sources that mention this, but my search was far from comprehensive.
EMD 1:158
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Love the 'seer' vs 'seer' part of this story. You were good, Sally, real good. But as long as Joseph's around, you'll always be second-best, see.
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lol perfect comment
So, I just happened upon your channel and am amazed and will be using these episodes or clips with my Seminary class. Incredibly well done moves along quickly and gives great information and visual of how things happened! Thank you for all the time and effort you put into this series!! Very well done!!
Nice video David! You have no idea of how much these videos actually help me.
you do a great work
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Only true fans will know.
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Sometimes the eggs just need to be reminded they're being watched... 😂
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Epic!
these videos are so awesome! thanks
Glad you like them!
thanks for the video, love it
😂😂😂Loved the Monty Python reference.
Excellent as always!
Glad you think so! 😁
Keep them coming!
You got it!
Sheriff Eli Bruce spent 2 years in jail because of The Morgan Affair. Joseph Smith Sr was jailed over a petty debt, a few $$. The two spoke and Bruce said JS Sr described a book his son was translating that would be the wonder of the world.
Wondering if these plates were fake why on the very first night he just didn't laugh and show them he didn't have anything, instead of trying to escape or hide and every other time he just didn't let people in to look around and find nothing. There was something. What was it if it wasn't the plates?
If the family members were to view the plates they may have been turned into pillars of salt.😂
No worries..the plates never existed IMO
Breast plates. There was no breast plate.
We all now know a seer stone found in a well was used.
Smith we are told never mentioned a breast plate.
Emma clearly states Smith stuck his face in a hat looking at the stone.
Well made video, but Just so you know, those insisting to see the plates were Joseph's fellow treasure seekers. Joseph claimed to have actually found treasure, and his fellow treasure seekers wanted a share - kind of makes sense doesn't it?
its important to remember that the book of Mormon prophets took great care of these plates, Nephi even killed someone to obtain them. Joseph had to go back to their repository every year for 4 years before he was allowed to take them and was charged to protect them at all costs, he fought off attackers and hid and rehid them multiple times.......and then he just looked in his hat instead..... makes sense right!
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Wow! This is so interesting! Thanks for the enlightening videos! I sure do appreciate all the hard work you guys put in to educating the world! Much love! 😁🥲🤠😎
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We're so glad that you find the videos enlightening! 😊🥰🤩🙌 🐱🐾💓💘🔮🍀💚🤍🤎