Description

This paper is part of my larger argument that distinctive Mormon ideas were made available to Joseph Smith in books and other material he came in contact with. I argue that Joseph Sr. played a significant role in the process. Book of Mormon father-son speeches—Lehi to Jacob and Alma to Corianton—match ideas found in sources Joseph Sr. was likely in contact with before moving to New York, mainly in the writings of Henry Alline and Ethan Allen. I argue that fathers passing wisdom to sons thus acts as a metaphor. Dartmouth professor, John Smith (no relation to Joseph) taught a number of Mormon ideas as well, as did his student Solomon Spalding, whose cousin was a prominent resident of Sharon. That cousin’s son attended Dartmouth while Hyrum attended the charity school.

Though Joseph Jr. was the chosen seer to implement Mormonism, I’ll argue that Joseph Sr. was the most likely to encounter the ideas I discuss in this paper, lending support to Abner Cole’s claim that Mormonism, “corresponded precisely with revelations made to, and predictions made by the elder Smith a number of years before.”

133. Joseph Smith Sr. and the Creation of Mormonism