{"id":43185,"date":"2022-06-25T09:06:06","date_gmt":"2022-06-25T14:06:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.timesandseasons.org\/?p=43185"},"modified":"2022-06-24T23:08:32","modified_gmt":"2022-06-25T04:08:32","slug":"the-smith-family-and-the-first-vision","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/2022\/06\/the-smith-family-and-the-first-vision\/","title":{"rendered":"The Smith Family and the First Vision"},"content":{"rendered":"

One of the more interesting points of contention about the history of the First Vision is how much Joseph Smith\u2019s family knew about the First Vision.\u00a0 During his lifetime, only 4 accounts of the First Vision were published in English \u2013 Orson Pratt\u2019s \u201cA Interesting Account of Several Remarkable Visions\u201d<\/a> in 1840, the official history of the Church<\/a> that began to be published in the Times and Seasons <\/em>\u00a0in 1842, the Wentworth letter<\/a> (also published in the Times and Seasons <\/em>in 1842), and an interview with David Nye White<\/a> that was published in the Pittsburgh Weekly<\/em> in 1843.\u00a0 Other contemporary accounts were recorded in private journals, unpublished histories, or were published in German.\u00a0 The best-known accounts from Joseph Smith\u2019s family were recorded years later and often seem to conflate the First Vision and Moroni\u2019s visit, which has given rise to the thought that he may not have told them much about the First Vision.\u00a0 In a recent interview at From the Desk<\/em><\/a>, however, Kyle Walker discussed some reminiscences from Joseph Smith\u2019s younger sister, Katherine Smith Salisbury<\/a> that indicate that he may have told more to his family than was previously thought.\u00a0 What follows here is a co-post to that interview, with excerpts and some discussion.<\/p>\n

In explaining what the accounts from Katherine say, Walker stated the following:<\/p>\n

Katharine recalled the persecution directed towards the family that was a direct result from Joseph\u00a0telling the Methodist minister\u00a0about his First Vision.<\/p>\n

She even recounted a story about how this especially impacted her sister, Sophronia, who was ostracized from her peers ever afterward, and it ended up impacting her physical and emotional health. That detail is not mentioned in any other source. Katharine also mentions that this Methodist minister shared Joseph\u2019s First Vision story with other ministers in the Palmyra vicinity, which increased persecution for the family.<\/p>\n

Finally, Katharine refers to the First Vision in several sources, and says that Joseph shared with the family that he was visited by a heavenly messenger who told him not to join any of the existing churches.<\/p>\n

While the extent of what Joseph shared with his immediate family appears limited when compared with his published account, he appears to have shared more than just telling his mother that he had learned for himself that Presbyterianism is not of God.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This recently rediscovered information runs counter to conclusions previously stated by Richard Lyman Bushman and Steven Harper that Joseph Smith didn\u2019t tell his family much about the First Vision by indicating that he may have talked about it with his family and his community.<\/p>\n

Granted, Smith family accounts have some problematic aspects to them.\u00a0 As Walker explained:<\/p>\n

The biggest challenge with all Smith family sources is that they are late recollections.\u00a0Lucy Mack Smith\u00a0did not dictate her history until the mid-1840s, some twenty-five years after Joseph\u2019s First Vision. His two siblings\u2019 recollections were not recorded until the 1870\u20131895 time frame.<\/p>\n

Certainly memory is impacted with time, and what is in print can also impact the way family members may have recollected these events. Notwithstanding, many details that Katharine shares are unique from any published account, adding credibility to her recollections.<\/p>\n

Similarly, William recalled details that correspond to some of Joseph Smith\u2019s more obscure accounts of the First Vision, which William would not have had access to during his lifetime.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Given that the accounts were late (sometimes very late) and the people who told them had accessed to some published accounts, they aren\u2019t always the most reliable historical documents.\u00a0 The only potential reference from a family member that was recorded during Joseph Smith\u2019s lifetime that has been identified is a line from a patriarchal blessing given to him by his father, which noted that: \u201cThe Lord thy God has called thee by name out of the heavens: thou hast heard his voice from on high from time to time, even in thy youth.\u201d<\/p>\n

As mentioned above, another problematic aspect of the family accounts is that they often seem to blend the First Vision with the visit of Moroni.\u00a0 As Walker noted: \u201cSome scholars have been dismissive of [William Smith\u2019s] accounts because he conflated Joseph\u2019s First Vision with his initial visitation with Moroni,\u201d though Walker \u201csaw great value in his accounts\u201d.\u00a0 In the original draft of Lucy Mack Smith\u2019s memoir, when she came to the events of the First Vision, she only recorded that:<\/p>\n

One evening we were sitting till quite late conversing upon the subject of the diversity of churches that had risen up in the world and the many thousand opinions in existence as to the truths contained in scripture. Joseph\u00a0who<\/span>\u00a0never said many words upon any subject but always seemed to reflect more deeply than common persons of his age upon everything of a religious nature.<\/p>\n

This<\/span>\u00a0After we ceased conversation he went to bed <and was pondering in his mind which of the churches were the true one>\u00a0an<\/span>\u00a0but he had not laid there long till <he saw> a bright <light> entered<\/span>\u00a0the room where he lay he looked up and saw an angel of the Lord\u00a0stood<\/span>\u00a0<standing> by him The angel spoke I perceive that you are enquiring in your mind which is the true church there is not a true church on Earth No not one\u00a0Nor<\/span>\u00a0<and> has not been since Peter took the Keys <of the Melchesidec priesthood after the order of God> into the Kingdom of Heaven The churches that are now upon the Earth are all man made churches\u00a0Joseph there is a record for you and you must get it one day get it<\/span>\u00a0There is a record for you and Joseph\u00a0when you have learned to keep the commandments of God<\/span>\u00a0but you cannot get it untill you learn to keep the commandments of God <For it is not to get gain> But it is [p.336]to bring forth that light and intelligence which has been long lost in the Earth.[1]<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Later drafts and the 1853 published version insert Joseph Smith\u2019s account from the official history that was published in the Times and Seasons<\/em> in 1842, stating that \u201cthe following extract from his history\u00a0(Times<\/u>\u00a0&<\/u>\u00a0Seasons<\/u>) will show, more clearly than I can\u00a0express, the state of his feelings and the result of his\u00a0reflections.\u201d[2]<\/a>\u00a0 It\u2019s not entirely clear whether this was inserted by the compilers and editors of the memoir or if it was done at Lucy Smith\u2019s request.\u00a0 Acting on the belief that it was her choice, however, Kyle Walker suggested that she chose to use a published version rather than recording her own account because \u201cI think it was because she knew so little about the details of his First Vision. I agree with Steven Harper and other scholars who indicate that Joseph was reluctant to talk about all the details of his First Vision during the years 1820\u20131830, because he initially saw it as a private, personal experience,\u201d while the events of the coming forth of the Book of Mormon \u201ccame to dominate their memories of this time period.\u201d So, it seems that while they may have known more than we previously assumed, they still were likely limited on what they had been told.<\/p>\n

That being said, Kyle Walker did explain why he thinks that Joseph Smith\u2019s family knew at least some about the First Vision:<\/p>\n

The children had copies of their Mother\u2019s history. Yet many of the items they share in their recollections do not follow the 1842 history. Some of the details that Katharine mentions about both the First Vision and Moroni\u2019s visits are not found in any other source.<\/p>\n

Similarly, what William Smith relates about his brother\u2019s First Vision are found in lesser-known accounts, which he did not have access to during his life.<\/p>\n

So, I conclude that this information came from Joseph Smith directly either during William\u2019s youth, or afterward when he heard his brother recount details of his First Vision in Kirtland or Nauvoo.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Also, unlike William, Katherine did clearly differentiate between the First Vision and the visits from an angel that led Joseph Smith to the golden plates, describing the \u201cexperience of the Lord appearing unto him, and of his seeing both the Father and the Son\u201d before talking about the coming forth of the Book of Mormon when talking about it in 1894.[3]<\/a><\/p>\n

Knowing about these accounts from Katherine Smith Salisbury does add to our understanding of Joseph Smith\u2019s First Vision and what he may have said to his family about it.\u00a0 For more reading from the interview, follow the link here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Footnotes:<\/strong><\/p>\n

[1]<\/a> Lucy Mack Smith, Lucy\u2019s Book: A Critical Edition of Lucy Mack Smith\u2019s Family Memoir<\/em>, ed. Lavina Fielding Anderson (Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 2001), 335-336, http:\/\/signaturebookslibrary.org\/lucys-book-03\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n

[2]<\/a> “Lucy Mack Smith, History, 1845,” p. 73, The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed June 24, 2022, https:\/\/www.josephsmithpapers.org\/paper-summary\/lucy-mack-smith-history-1845\/80<\/a><\/p>\n

[3]<\/a> Oscar Case Reminiscence, cited in Kyle Walker, \u201cSmith Family Recollections of Joseph Smith\u2019s First Vision,\u201d Journal of Mormon History <\/em>(2021) 47 (2): 1-22.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

One of the more interesting points of contention about the history of the First Vision is how much Joseph Smith\u2019s family knew about the First Vision.\u00a0 During his lifetime, only 4 accounts of the First Vision were published in English \u2013 Orson Pratt\u2019s \u201cA Interesting Account of Several Remarkable Visions\u201d in 1840, the official history of the Church that began to be published in the Times and Seasons \u00a0in 1842, the Wentworth letter (also published in the Times and Seasons in 1842), and an interview with David Nye White that was published in the Pittsburgh Weekly in 1843.\u00a0 Other contemporary accounts were recorded in private journals, unpublished histories, or were published in German.\u00a0 The best-known accounts from Joseph Smith\u2019s family were recorded years later and often seem to conflate the First Vision and Moroni\u2019s visit, which has given rise to the thought that he may not have told them much about the First Vision.\u00a0 In a recent interview at From the Desk, however, Kyle Walker discussed some reminiscences from Joseph Smith\u2019s younger sister, Katherine Smith Salisbury that indicate that he may have told more to his family than was previously thought.\u00a0 What follows here is a co-post to that interview, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10397,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[17,2890,2910],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-43185","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-church-history","category-from-the-desk","category-joseph-smith"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43185","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10397"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=43185"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43185\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":43186,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43185\/revisions\/43186"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43185"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=43185"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=43185"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}