The Hurlbut affidavits

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The Hurlbut affidavits

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Questions

Many of Joseph Smith’s friends and neighbors signed affidavits that accused him and his family of being lazy, indolent, undependable treasure-seekers. Some of them claimed that Joseph had copied the Book of Mormon from a manuscript written by Solomon Spalding.

To see citations to the critical sources for these claims, [[../CriticalSources|click here]]

Answer

1. There are many statements from Joseph's contemporaries attesting to his good character—These people did not sign sworn affidavits, but their accounts are recorded in their journals and histories.
2. It is also important to note that none of these statements regarding Joseph Smith, Jr. was a firsthand account from the Prophet himself, but instead represent second or third-hand accounts. It is interesting that Fawn Brodie and other modern anti-Mormons readily dismiss the affidavits supporting the Spalding theory (which has since been discredited), suggesting the Hurlbut "prompted" those making statements, yet accepts without question the affidavits attesting to the bad character of Joseph Smith and his family.
3. Finally, Hurlbut's motive in collecting the affidavits is a factor. The Hurlbut affidavits were collected by a man who not only had a grudge to settle with the Church, but who had actually been brought before a judge for issuing a death threat against Joseph Smith, Jr. His family had likewise lost a court case brought by the Smiths, and young Joseph's testimony played a significant role in their victory. (This occurred despite the Hurlbuts being more wealthy and prominent in the community than the poverty-stricken Smiths.)

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1. REDIRECTThe Hurlbut affidavits

Smith family character claims and reliability

The following table summarizes the claims made in the Hurlbut affidavits regarding Joseph Smith, his family and his associates.

Claimant	Claims	Comments
Parley Chase	Claimed that the members of the Smith family were "lazy, intemperate and worthless men, very much addicted to lying. In this they frequently boasted of their skill." Claimed that "[i]n regard to their Gold Bible speculation, they scarcely ever told two stories alike."	Hugh Nibley notes: "Frequently"? A liar's "skill"...consists in not being recognized as a liar. Skillful liars don't boast about it. For a detailed response, see: Lazy Smiths?
Joseph Capron	Claimed that Joseph used his seer stone to locate "ghosts, infernal spirits, mountains of gold and silver, and many other invaluable treasures deposited in the earth."	Joseph Smith and seer stones Joseph Smith and "magick" Mark Ashurst-McGee, "Moroni as Angel and as Treasure Guardian," FARMS Review 18/1 (2006): 34–100. [{{{url}}} off-site] wiki Larry E. Morris, "'I Should Have an Eye Single to the Glory of God’: Joseph Smith’s Account of the Angel and the Plates (Review of: "From Captain Kidd’s Treasure Ghost to the Angel Moroni: Changing Dramatis Personae in Early Mormonism")," FARMS Review 17/1 (2005): 11–82. off-site
Lemon Copley	Claimed that Joseph told him a story about seeing an old man who claimed to have a monkey in a box. Claimed that the Lord told Joseph that the man was Moroni with the plates, and that if he had "five coppers, he might have got his plates again."	Note that Copley's testimony contradicts that of Peter Ingersoll. Ingersoll claimed that Joseph Smith made up the story of the plates on the spot in order to fool his family. Copley, on the other hand, mentions the name Moroni.
Alva Hale (Son of Isaac Hale)	Claimed that he knew Joseph Smith, Jr. and Martin Harris "to be an impostor, and a liar."	John Stafford, eldest son of William Stafford, would later testify, "[Martin Harris] was an honorable farmer; he was not very religious before the Book of Mormon was published."
Isaac Hale (Father-in-law of Joseph Smith, Jr.)	Claimed that Joseph Smith, Jr's occupation was "seeing" by means of a "stone placed in his hat." Claimed that Joseph "pretended to discover minerals and treasure." Claimed that he was not allowed to look into the box containing the gold plates. Claimed that Joseph said that a "young child" would be the first to view the plates. Claimed that he told Joseph to remove the plates from his house if he couldn't be allowed to view them. Claimed that Joseph told Martin Harris to go into the woods to find the plates on his own. Claimed that Joseph translated the plates by looking in his hat while the plates were in the woods. Claimed that the Book of Mormon was a "silly fabrication."	Joseph Smith and seer stones
Henry Harris	Claimed that the Smith family "labored very little." Claimed that the Smith family primarily "dug for money." Claimed that Joseph Smith, Jr. "pretended to tell fortunes." Claimed that Joseph Smith, Jr. "he had a stone which he used to put in his hat, by means of which he professed to tell people's fortunes." Claimed that Joseph was required to be married in order to obtain the plates. Claimed that Joseph and Martin Harris (and others) "were regarded by the community in which they lived, as a lying and indolent set of men and no confidence could be placed in them." Claimed that "He said it was revealed to him, that no one must see the plates but himself and wife [Emma]."	For a detailed response, see: Lazy Smiths? The claim that the Smith's were lazy and rarely worked it clearly false—their farm and its improvements was worth more than most of their neighbors. Many testified to how diligent a worker Joseph was. Martin Harris was respected and admired greatly—until he became associated with the Book of Mormon. He was otherwise trusted and well-regarded, which is why critics found his participation so baffling. Emma testified she never saw the plates; the claim about her and Joseph seeing them is thus false. Emma and the plates
Nathaniel Lewis (Brother-in-law to Isaac Hale and a Methodist deacon)	Claimed that Joseph Smith, Jr. asked his advice on whether or not he should translate the plates. Claimed that Joseph told him that God commanded him to translate the plates, but that he was "afraid of the people." Claimed that Joseph Smith, Jr. "frequently said to me that I should see the plates at the time appointed." Claimed that Joseph Smith, Jr. said that "he, himself was deceived." Claimed that Joseph Smith, Jr. was "an impostor, hypocrite and liar."	Nibley notes that the claim made by Lewis that Joseph was "afraid of the people" contradicts the claims by other critics that the Book of Mormon was intended to be a "publicity stunt."
Joshua M'Kune	Claimed that Joseph Smith, Jr. and Martin Harris were "artful seducers." Claimed that Joseph Smith, Jr. said that "(Smith's) first-born child was to translate the characters, and hieroglyphics, upon the Plates."	John Stafford, eldest son of William Stafford, would later testify, "[Martin Harris] was an honorable farmer; he was not very religious before the Book of Mormon was published."
Roswell Nichols	Claimed that the Smith family was known for "breach of contracts," and "non-payment of debts." Claimed that Joseph Smith, Sr. was "weak minded," and of "low character."	[needs work]
Barton Stafford	Claimed that Joseph Smith, Sr. was a "drunkard." Claimed that Joseph Smith, Jr. was "addicted to intemperance."	John Stafford, eldest son of William Stafford, was later asked "What was the character of [Joseph] Smith [Jr.], as to his drinking?" Replied Stafford, "It was common then for everybody to drink, and to have drink in the field; one time Joe, while working for some one after he was married, drank too much boiled cider. He came in with his shirt torn." When asked if this meant Joseph had been drunk and fighting, Stafford insisted, "No; he had been scuffling with some of the boys. Never saw him fight; have known him to scuffle...." Thus, while Joseph likely drank (as did everyone, a point which the affidavits gloss over) to describe him as 'addicted to intemperance' is likely a gross exaggeration. John Stafford seems to have remembered this event because it was remarkable and fairly minor—hardly the sign of Joseph being perpetually drunk. The lack of other claims in the affidavits that Joseph Jr. was a drunk is also telling—this would have been widely known and widely claimed in the affidavits if true.
David Stafford	That Joseph Smith, Sr. was a "drunkard," a "liar," and a "gambler." That the "general employment" of the Smith family was "money digging" and "fortune telling." That Oliver Cowdery was a "worthless person" who was "not to be trusted."	John Stafford, William Stafford's eldest son, would later say that Oliver Cowdery "taught school on the Canandaigua road, where the stone school-house now stands...Cowdery was a man of good character."
Joshua Stafford	Claimed that the Smith family became "indolent" after "digging for hidden treasures." Claimed that the Smith family told stories of "ghosts, hob-goblins and caverns."	For a detailed response, see: Lazy Smiths?
G. W. Stoddard	Claimed that Martin Harris was "industrious and enterprising" before he got involved with Mormonism. Claimed that Martin Harris' "moral and religious character" did "not entitle him to respect." Claimed that Martin Harris was known to "abuse his wife, by whipping her, kicking her out of bed and turning her out of doors."	John Stafford, eldest son of William Stafford, would later testify, "[Martin Harris] was an honorable farmer; he was not very religious before the Book of Mormon was published."

Commentary

Milton V. Backman

Milton V. Backman wrote:

If the belittling statements by men who supposedly were acquainted with the Smith family were correct, and if members of the family had been liars, immoral, and "addicted to vicious habits," Lucy, Hyrum and Samuel would have been unable to retain their membership in the Western Presbyterian Church until 1830. In that era excommunications were frequent in most congregations, including the Presbyterian society of Palmyra. Individuals judged guilty of immorality, profanity, lying, drunkenness, gambling, and other such sins were excommunicated from this society. The reason members of the Smith family were dismissed from the Lord's Supper in the spring of 1830 was not because of any of the above charges but only because they desired to withdraw their membership and had neglected to attend church for a year and a half.

B.H. Roberts

B.H. Roberts contrasts the achievements of the Smith family with the accusations made against them:

Against this large collection of evil report and false interpretation of the character of the Smiths while at Palmyra, prompted as it was by prejudice and collected by malice, the evidence of accomplished fact, and the subsequent lives of the family may be opposed. Take for example the achievements of the family during the few years of their residence in Palmyra. They arrived there penniless, as all admit, with nothing but their bare hands with which to help themselves. Yet in a few years they built two homes in the wilderness; they cleared sixty acres of heavy timber land, and converted it into a tillable farm. In addition to their farming and gardening, they had a sugar orchard of from twelve to fifteen hundred maple trees, from which they gathered the sap and converted it into syrup or sugar. To aid in making the annual payments upon their farm, as well as to help sustain the family until the farm could be made productive, they took an occasional day's work among the neighboring farmers or the Palmyra village folk, sometimes engaged to dig a well, or harvest a field of grain. It is conceded, in the main, that they did all this; and one marvels in the face of it that the charge of laziness and thriftlessness should be made. But the wonder grows when to all this is to be added the stories of the affidavits about the Smith's "money digging" enterprises. "They * * * spent much of their time in digging for money which they pretended was hid in the earth, and to this day large excavations may be seen in the earth not far from their residence, where they used to spend their time digging for hidden treasures." fn Truly if the half of what is told in the affidavits about these exploits, usually carried on at night, is to be believed, then it would be utterly impossible to believe the Smiths to be idle or habitually lazy.

Individuals who claimed to have assisted Joseph Smith, Sr. in digging operations

Claimant	Claims	Comments
Willard Chase	Claimed that he discovered Joseph Smith's seer stone. Claimed that the seer stone rightfully belonged to Chase. Claimed that Joseph Smith, Sr. told him that Joseph Jr. was required to wear certain clothes and perform certain actions in order to obtain the plates. Claimed that Joseph Smith, Sr. told him that the angel Moroni appeared in the form of a toad.	Joseph Smith and seer stones Joseph Smith and "magick" Mark Ashurst-McGee, "Moroni as Angel and as Treasure Guardian," FARMS Review 18/1 (2006): 34–100. [{{{url}}} off-site] wiki Larry E. Morris, "'I Should Have an Eye Single to the Glory of God’: Joseph Smith’s Account of the Angel and the Plates (Review of: "From Captain Kidd’s Treasure Ghost to the Angel Moroni: Changing Dramatis Personae in Early Mormonism")," FARMS Review 17/1 (2005): 11–82. off-site
Peter Ingersoll	Claimed that the Smith family's general employment was "digging for money." Claimed that Joseph Smith, Sr. taught him to use a divining rod. Claimed that Joseph Smith, Sr. and Alvin Smith used a stone in a hat to see things. Claimed that Joseph Smith, Sr. said that there had been a book found in a hollow tree in Canada that described the "first settlement of this country before it was discovered by Columbus." Claimed that Joseph Smith, Jr. admitted to his father-in-law that he only pretended to be able to see things in the stone. Claimed that Joseph Smith, Jr. fooled his family into thinking that a frock full of sand was the "Gold Bible." Claimed that Joseph told his family that nobody could see the "Gold Bible" and live. Claimed that Joseph made up the story of the gold plates on the spot, after which he is supposed to have said, "I have got the damned fools fixed, and will carry out the fun." Claimed that Joseph told him that "he had no such book, and believed there never was any such book." Claimed that Joseph Smith, Sr., was engaged in "divination."	On the threat that no one could see the "gold bible" and live, see: Viewing gold plates would result in death Ingersoll is discredited on his claim that Joseph made the story of the "gold bible" up on the spot as a way to have "fun" with his family. Joseph was telling various people about his Moroni visits well before recovering the plates (see for example various Knight family recollections). Note also that the name "Moroni" appears in the claim made by Lemon Copley. It is very difficult to believe that Joseph would have privately confided to Ingersoll that the plates didn't exist, when he told everyone else that they did. Joseph Smith and seer stones Joseph Smith and "magick" Joseph Smith, Sr., and "divination" Mark Ashurst-McGee, "Moroni as Angel and as Treasure Guardian," FARMS Review 18/1 (2006): 34–100. [{{{url}}} off-site] wiki Larry E. Morris, "'I Should Have an Eye Single to the Glory of God’: Joseph Smith’s Account of the Angel and the Plates (Review of: "From Captain Kidd’s Treasure Ghost to the Angel Moroni: Changing Dramatis Personae in Early Mormonism")," FARMS Review 17/1 (2005): 11–82. off-site
C.R. Stafford (nephew of William, below)	Claimed that "Jo Smith, the prophet, told my uncle, William Stafford, he wanted a fat, black sheep. He said he wanted to cut its throat and make it walk in a circle three times around and it would prevent a pot of money from leaving."	This is hearsay; it provides no additional evidence than the original claim, see below.
William Stafford (uncle to C.R., above)	Claimed that the family of Joseph Smith, Sr. devoted a "great part of their time" to "digging for money." Claimed that he was told that Joseph Smith, Jr. could see "large caves" in "nearly all the hills in this part of New York." Claimed that Joseph could see "spirits" guarding great treasures. Claimed that Joseph Smith, Sr. told him that treasure could "sink" into the ground. Claimed that Joseph Smith, Sr. took one of his sheep on the pretense of using it to search for money by cutting its throat. Claimed that Joseph promised to show him the gold plates.	Stafford's claim that Joseph promised to show him the gold plates directly contradicts Peter Ingersoll's claim that Joseph said that nobody could see the gold plates and live. Stafford's oldest son John would later say "I have heard that sotry [about the black sheep] but don't think my father was there at the time they say Smith got the sheep. I don't know anything about it....They never stole one [a sheep], I am sure; they may have got one sometime....I don't think it [the story of the sheep] is true. I would have heard more about it, that is true." For a detailed response, see: Lazy Smiths? Mark Ashurst-McGee, "Moroni as Angel and as Treasure Guardian," FARMS Review 18/1 (2006): 34–100. [{{{url}}} off-site] wiki Larry E. Morris, "'I Should Have an Eye Single to the Glory of God’: Joseph Smith’s Account of the Angel and the Plates (Review of: "From Captain Kidd’s Treasure Ghost to the Angel Moroni: Changing Dramatis Personae in Early Mormonism")," FARMS Review 17/1 (2005): 11–82. off-site

Commentary

Statement of Charles Anthon regarding the characters copied from the gold plates

Claimant	Claims	Comments
Charles Anthon	Claimed that he did not pronounce the characters shown to him by Martin Harris to be "reformed Egyptian." Claimed that no translation of the characters had been shown to him. Claimed that he told Martin Harris that he was the subject of a hoax. Claimed that he declined to write his opinion down. Claimed that the characters resembled something copied from the "Mexican calendar."	The problem with Anthon's remarks is that whatever he told Martin Harris encouraged Martin, who returned convinced that Joseph could translate and that the plates were authentic. Martin's willingness to risk his money and good name in Joseph's project argues against Anthon's later categorical denials.

Martin Harris said that Mormonism was false and that he could "make money out of it?"

Claimant	Claims	Comments
Abigail Harris	Claimed that Martin Harris said regarding Mormonism: "What if it is a lie; if you will let me alone I will make money out of it!"	Abigail embellishes her version of what she heard by implying that Martin Harris "admitted" that Mormonism was a lie.
Lucy Harris (Wife of Martin Harris)	Claimed that Martin Harris said the Mormonism was false, and that "if you would let me alone, I could make money by it." Claimed that Martin Harris "has whipped, kicked, and turned me out of the house." Claimed that Martin Harris was having an affair with a neighbor's wife.	Despite the fact that Lucy Harris makes no mention of the lost 116 pages of manuscript from the Book of Mormon, Fawn Brodie in her book No Man Knows My History: The Life of Joseph Smith actually concludes that Harris beat his wife in order to get her to divulge what she had done with the lost 116 pages of manuscript.

Commentary

• Lucy and Abigail Harris are the only two individuals who claimed that Martin Harris was hoping to make money from Mormonism. It is interesting to note the similarity between the testimony for both women. It is more interesting however, to note how Abigail Harris has added the phrase "What if it is a lie," while Martin's wife, Lucy, did not. If Martin actually believed that Mormonism was a lie, why would his wife Lucy not have mentioned this?

Joseph Smith claimed that he was "as good as Jesus Christ?"

Claimant	Claims	Comments
Levi Lewis	Claimed that Joseph Smith, Jr. and Martin Harris said that "adultery was no crime." Claimed that he "knows Smith to be a liar." Claimed that he heard Joseph Smith say that he "was as good as Jesus Christ." Claimed that Joseph Smith, Jr. told him "[w]ith regard to the plates, Smith said God had deceived him."	Martin Harris would later be charged with slander for accusing a woman (Eliza Winters) of having a "bastard child." He was acquitted of this charge, but it is inconsistent with Lewis' claim for Martin to suffer jail and risk slander charges over an issue which he regards as "no crime." The story is implausible. Joseph repeatedly testified (as did others) that he had the plates, and that others and seen them. That Lewis claims otherwise is likewise implausible. Joseph's early private letters reveal him to be humble and painfully aware of his dependence on God. The claim about him being "as good as Jesus Christ" is inconsistent with this private, contemporary evidence. Gregory L. Smith, A review of Nauvoo Polygamy:...but we called it celestial marriage by George D. Smith. FARMS Review, Vol. 20, Issue 2. (Detailed book review)
Sophia Lewis	Claimed that Joseph Smith, Jr. said that he "was as good as Jesus Christ." Claimed that Joseph Smith, Jr. said that "the Book of Plates could not be opened under penalty of death by any other person but his (Smith's) first-born, which was to be a male."	On the threat that no one could see the gold plates and live, see: Viewing gold plates would result in death
Hezekiah M'Kune	Claimed that Joseph Smith said "he was nearly equal to Jesus Christ."	Joseph's early private letters reveal him to be humble and painfully aware of his dependence on God. The claim about him being "as good as Jesus Christ" is inconsistent with this private, contemporary evidence. Gregory L. Smith, A review of Nauvoo Polygamy:...but we called it celestial marriage by George D. Smith. FARMS Review, Vol. 20, Issue 2. (Detailed book review)

Commentary

• Hezekiah M'Kune, Levi Lewis and Sophia Lewis went together to make their depositions before the justice. Their testimonies bear a remarkable similarity and contain the unique claim that Joseph claimed to be "as good as Jesus Christ." This claim is not related by any other individuals who knew the Prophet, suggesting that these three individuals planned and coordinated their story before giving their depositions.

Spalding manuscript claims and reliability

Hurlbut's affidavits regarding the Spalding manuscript consist of interviews with family and associates of Solomon Spalding.

Claimant	Claims
Artemas Cunningham	Claimed to have "partially examined" the "Mormon Bible." Claimed that Spalding's manuscript was called "Manuscript Found." Claimed "to remember the name of Nephi" as the "principal hero."
Nahum Howard	Claimed to have "lately read the Book of Mormon." Claimed that it was the same as Spalding wrote, "except the religious part."'
Henry Lake	Claimed to have recently "commenced reading [The Book of Mormon] aloud." Claimed that Spalding's work frequently used the words "it came to pass."
John Miller	Claimed to have "recently examined the Book of Mormon." Claimed that the Book of Mormon was "mixed up with scripture and other religious matter, which I did not meet with in the "Manuscript Found." Claimed that "Nephi, Lehi, Moroni" were the "principal names" in Spalding's book.
Oliver Smith	Claimed that "Nephi and Lehi were by [Spalding] represented as leading characters." Claimed that Spalding included "no religious matter" in his book. Claimed that "I obtained the book [of Mormon], and on reading it, found much of it the same as Spalding had written."
John Spalding (Brother of Solomon Spalding)	Claimed to have "recently read the Book of Mormon." Claimed that Spalding's book was entitled The Manuscript Found. Claimed that the book attempted to show that the American Indians are the descendents of the Jews. Claimed that the leaders of the group were called "Nephi" and "Lehi." Claimed that the book described two nations called the "Nephites" and the "Lamanites." Claimed that the people described in Spalding's book buried their dead in large mounds. Claimed that many sentences in Spalding's book began with "it came to pass."
Martha Spalding (wife of Solomon Spalding)	Claimed that she had "read the Book of Mormon." Claimed that the Book of Mormon was based upon Spalding's story. Claimed that "the names of Nephi and Lehi are yet fresh in my memory, as being the principal heroes of his tale." Claimed that Spalding's characters separated into two nations, "one of which was called Lamanites and the other Nephites." Claimed that Spalding's tale told of the dead "being buried in large heaps was the cause of the numerous mounds in the country." Claimed that Spalding's manuscript used the words "it came to pass."
Aaron Wright	Claimed that the Book of Mormon following the Spalding story, "excepting the religious matter." Claimed that "the names more especially are the same without any alteration."

Commentary

• Most of the Spalding-related affidavits make very similar claims, such as the repeated statements that "Nephi" and "Lehi" figured prominently in Spalding's story and that the person making the claim had "recently" read the Book of Mormon and recognized it as being similar to Spalding's work. The recovered Spalding manuscript, however, bears no resemblance to any of these claims. For this reason, critics who support the Spalding theory have assumed the existence of a second Spalding manuscript, despite absolutely no evidence to support this.
• The Spalding theory requires that Sidney Rigdon secretly meet Joseph Smith before the organization of the Church, and provide him with the Book of Mormon manuscript. John Stafford, oldest son of William Stafford was asked about this:

Q — If young Joseph — Smith , Jr. — was as illiterate as you say, Doctor, how do you account for the Book of Mormon?

A — "Well, I can't; except that Sidney Rigdon was connected with them."

Q — Was Rigdon ever around there before the Book of Mormon was published?

A — "No; not as we could ever find out. Sidney Rigdon was never there, that Hurlbut, or Howe, or Tucker could find out."

Q — Well; you have been looking out for the facts a long time, have you not, Doctor?

A — "Yes; I have been thinking and hearing about it for the last fifty years, and lived right among all their old neighbors there more of the time."

Q — And no one has ever been able to trace the acquaintance of Rigdon and Smith, until after the Book of Mormon was published, and Rigdon proselyted by Parley P. — Pratt, in Ohio?

A — "Not that I know of.""

— John Stafford, cited in William H. Kelly, "The Hill Cumorah, and the Book of Mormon," Saints' Herald 28 (1 June 1881): 167.

See also:

• Matthew Roper, "The Mythical "Manuscript Found" (Review of: Who Really Wrote the Book of Mormon? The Spalding Enigma)," FARMS Review 17/2 (2005): 7–140. off-site

Notes

Further reading and additional sources responding to these claims