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Chapter 4, Smith's Golden Book
Tall Tales
The Quote
One Nation under Gods, page 64
Joe Smith . . . . loved hearing, as well as telling, tall-tales about American Indians. According to
Joseph's mother, her son skillfully composed yarns about Native Americans while still just a teen; long
before any golden plates had been found:
Joseph would occasionally give us some of the most amusing recitals which could be imagined. He would describe
the ancient inhabitants of this continent, their dress, mode of traveling, and the animals upon which they rode;
their cities, their buildings, with every particular; their mode of warfare, and also their religious worship.
This he would do with as much ease, seemingly, as if he had spent his whole life with them.24
The Reference
Endnote 24, page 511
24. Lucy Mack Smith, Biographical Sketches of Joseph Smith the Prophet, and His Progenitors for many
Generations [Liverpool: S.W. Richards, 1853), 85, reprinted in Dan Vogel, ed., Early Mormon
Documents [Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 1996], vol. 1, 296.
The Problems
Richard Abanes uses the quote from Lucy Mack Smith to show how Joseph Smith told "yarns" about
Native Americans "long before any golden plates had been found." Unfortunately for Richard Abanes, the chronology
found in Lucy Mack Smith's history tells just the opposite story, and puts this quotation in its proper context.
Lucy says that the angel Moroni told her son (during his first appearance) about the existence of the plates and
informed him where they were buried (see Lavina F. Anderson, ed., Lucy's Book: A Critical Edition of Lucy Mack
Smith's Family Memoir [Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 2001], 335-36). Lucy then states that Joseph (the evening
after he had seen the Nephite record in their place of deposit) told his family all about "the plates" (ibid., 343).
Lucy then informs her audience that, "From this time forth Joseph continued to receive instructions from time to time and every evening we gathered our children together and gave our time up to the discussion of those things which he imparted" (ibid., 344). She then relates that, "In the course of our evening conversations Joseph would give us some of the most amusing recitals which could be imagined. He would describe the ancient inhabitants of this continent, their dress, their manner of traveling, the animals which they rode, the cities that were built by them [and] the structure of their buildings (with every particular), of their mode of warfare, [and] their religious worship-as particularly as though he had spent his life with them" (ibid., 345). Clearly, Joseph Smith told his stories after he learned about, and saw, the golden plates. Indeed, Moroni showed Joseph visions and gave him information regarding the people whose stories were found on the Nephite record (see Times and Seasons, vol. 3, no. 9, 1 March 1842, 707-708) so the Prophet undoubtedly had quite a few stories to tell.
Since Richard Abanes cites a reprint of Lucy Mack Smith's history (and also the recent critical edition of it-see page 494, nt. 24) he could have easily figured this all out by a careful examination of the sources.
Written by Matthew B. Brown
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