The Kinderhook Plates

What most Latter-day Saints have been taught in church and believe as truth.

Significant details & problems that most Latter-day Saints are not aware of.

Transcript of the account of the Kinderhook Plates.

History of the Church by Joseph Smith.

Drawings of the Kinderhook Plates that appeared in the Times and Seasons newspaper and in the book History of the Church.

What did the Church teach about the Kinderhook Plates before they were determined to be a hoax?

How do we know that the plate recovered isn’t a forgery of the original Kinderhook Plates?

Responses to these issues by faithful Latter-day Saints and

LDS apologists.

Where’s the Plate Today?

An Apostle’s View.

Ending summary by critics.

Our thoughts.

Links

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What most Latter-day Saints have been taught in church and believe as truth.

Most LDS don’t seem to know anything about the Kinderhook Plates. It takes up eight pages of the book History of the Church by Joseph Smith. If they are at all familiar with it, then they usually believe in one of these two versions:

Version 1

Six small metal plates with strange engravings on them were found by local townspeople in an American Indian burial mound in Kinderhook, Illinois in 1843. An LDS elder was there when they started to excavate the mound, and when they found the plates, he suggested taking them to Joseph Smith to see if he could translate this ancient writing.

Joseph briefly examined the plates and said that the engravings were similar to those on the Book of Mormon plates, and they tell a story about an ancient Jaredite who was a descendant of Ham. Joseph may have intended to do a complete translation of the plates, but was killed some time afterwards. Drawings of the six plates appeared in the LDS Church newspaper The Times and Seasons, along with how they came to be.

“I insert fac-similes of the six brass plates found near Kinderhook... I have translated a portion of them, and find they contain the history of the person with whom they were found.  He was a descendant of Ham, through the loins of Pharaoh, King of Egypt, and that he received his Kingdom from the ruler of heaven and earth.”
Prophet Joseph Smith, Jr., History of the Church, v. 5, p. 372

Many years later, a farmer claimed to have forged the plates as a hoax. The plates were lost during the Civil War. Faithful LDS said that the plates were real, as was Joseph’s brief translation about whom the plates were written about. Faithful LDS attacked the credibility of the man that claimed to have forged the plates, as he didn’t tell his story until many years after the prophet’s death. One of the six plates was later discovered in a museum in Chicago. It is believed to be a forgery of plate #5, so all the original plates are still missing so there is no tangible evidence to contradict Joseph’s claim of what he said the plates were.

Version 2

Similar story except that after one of the plates was found, it was tested and proved to be one of the authentic Kinderhook plates unearthed in 1843. Further testing proved that it was not ancient in origin, but was manufactured in the 1800s in the same manner described by the man who claimed to have made the plates as a hoax.

The faithful say that it was indeed a hoax, but that Joseph never fell for it. The brief translation of the engravings was written by a scribe, and was not really Joseph’s words despite the official recording of the event in the LDS official history book the History of the Church by Joseph Smith.

Reference:

History of the Church by Joseph Smith pages vol. 5, pages. 372-379

Significant details & problems that most Latter-day Saints are not aware of.

At the time of the Civil War the Kinderhook plates were lost. Some time in the 1960's, however, M. Wilford Poulson, who taught at Brigham Young University, found one of the original plates in the Chicago Historical Society Museum, but it was mislabeled as one of the original gold plates of the Book of Mormon. The plate that he found has been identified as plate no. 5 in the Kinderhook Plates facsimiles found in the History of the Church. While Professor Poulson's research led him to believe that the plate was a forgery, in 1962 Welby W. Rides, who was President of the BYU Archaeological Society, hailed the discovery as a vindication of Joseph Smith's work as he believed that Joseph did translate some of the Kinderhook plates as the Church historically taught.

Tests on the plate were performed in 1960, 1966 and 1969. The results of those tests proved inconclusive. The plates could have been made in the 1800s as claimed by the hoaxers or could have been much more ancient as the Church had always claimed.

In 1980, permission was given to use destructive methods to determine the authenticity of the plate. The use of electronic and chemical analysis of the metal plate proved that the plate was not of ancient origin, but was produced in the 1800s in a manner exactly as the hoaxers had claimed. Also, an analysis was done and determined that this could not have been a forgery of the Kinderhook Plates, but was in fact one of the actual plates discovered in Kinderhook in 1843.

Since the plates have been proven to have been manufactured in the 1800s as a hoax, how could the prophet Joseph Smith have translated a portion of these plates and say that they give an account of a descendant of Ham through the loins of Pharaoh, King of Egypt?

The account of the Kinderhook Plates does not come from some ‘anti-Mormon’ book, but is given in the church’s official book History of the Church. The book lists the author as Joseph Smith (although much of the book was actually written by others). The pages detailing the Kinderhook Plates is shown as a first person account by Joseph. The book History of the Church is considered almost scripture, and is studied in Sunday School periodically. Would the true church print a false record of the event in its official history book?

The story of finding the Kinderhook Plates and drawings of the six Kinderhook Plates was also published in the Times and Seasons which was the Church’s official newspaper. Joseph Smith was an editor for the Times and Seasons. He surely would not have allowed the story to be printed if it wasn’t true.

The Church had always maintained that the Kinderhook Plates account, as told in the History of the Church, was true and that the plates were of ancient origin. Even when one of the plates was found and examined, the LDS apologists still said it was a forgery of the original plates, as they could not prove with 100% certainty, unless they did destructive testing.

Eventually in 1980, the scientists used destructive testing methods on the plate, and proved conclusively that it was not an ancient plate, and was likely manufactured in the 1800s in the manner described by the person that claimed to have made the plates. After that, the church backed off on its claims that the Kinderhook Plates were real. The LDS apologists quickly changed their story and stopped defending that the plates and Joseph’s translation of them were true. Now the LDS apologists say it was all a hoax, and Joseph never fell for it, and someone other than Joseph must have said that the plates tell a story of a descendant of Ham.

References

History of the Church by Joseph Smith

http://www.lightplanet.com/response/kinderhook/kinderhook.htm

Transcript of the account of the Kinderhook Plates.

From ‘History of the Church’ by Joseph Smith pages vol. 5, pages. 372-379

(The portions in blue are not really relevant to the Kinderhook Plates.)

I insert fac-similes of the six brass plates found near Kinderhook,
in Pike county, Illinois, on April 23, by Mr. Robert Wiley and others,
while excavating a large mound. They found a skeleton about six feet from
the surface of the earth, which must have stood nine feet high. The plates
were found on the breast of the skeleton and were covered on both sides
with ancient characters.
 
 I have translated a portion of them, and find they contain the
history of the person with whom they were found. He was a descendant of
Ham, through the loins of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and that he received his
kingdom from the Ruler of heaven and earth.
 
 I quote the following editorial from the Times and Seasons:--
 
 ANCIENT RECORDS.
 
 Circumstances are daily transpiring which give additional testimony
to the authenticity of the Book of Mormon. A few years ago, although
supported by indubitable, unimpeachable testimony, it was looked upon in
the same light by the world in general, and by the religious world in
particular, as the expedition of Columbus to this continent was by the
different courts that he visited, and laid his project before. The
literati looked upon his expedition as wild and visionary, they suspected
very much the integrity of his pretensions, and looked upon him--to say
the least--as a fool, for entertaining such wild and visionary views. The
royal courts aided by geographers, thought it was impossible that another
continent should or could exist; and they were assisted in their views by
the learned clergy, who, to put the matter beyond all doubt, stated that
it was contrary to Scripture; that the apostles preached to all the world,
and that as they did not came to America, it was impossible that there
should be any such place. Thus at variance with the opinions of the great,
in opposition to science and religion, he set sail, and actually came to
America; it was no dream, no fiction; but a solid reality; and however
unphilosophical and infidel the notion might be, men had to believe it;
and it was soon found out that it would agree both with religion and
philosophy.
 
 So when the Book of Mormon first made its appearance among men, it
was looked upon by many as a wild speculation, and that it was dangerous
to the interest and happiness of the religious world. But when it was
found to teach virtue, honesty, integrity, and pure religion, this
objection was laid aside as being untenable.
 
 We were then told that the inhabitants of this continent were and
always had been a rude, barbarous race, uncouth, unlettered, and without
civilization. But when they were told of the various relics that have been
found indicative of civilization, intelligence, and learning,-- when they
were told of the wealth, architecture, and splendor of ancient Mexico,--
when recent developments proved beyond a doubt that there are ancient
ruins in Central America, which, in point of magnificence, beauty,
strength, and architectural design, vie with any of the most splendid
ruins on the Asiatic Continent,--when they could trace the fine
delineations of the sculptor's chisel on the beautiful statue, the
mysterious hieroglyphic, and the unknown character, they began to believe
that a wise, powerful, intelligent, and scientific race had inhabited this
continent; but still it was improbable--nay almost impossible,
notwithstanding the testimony of history to the contrary, that anything
like plates could have been used anciently, particularly among this
people.
 
 The following letter and certificate will perhaps have a tendency to
convince the skeptical that such things have been used and that even the
obnoxious Book of Mormon may be true. And as the people in Columbus' day
were obliged to believe that there was such a place as America, so will
the people in this day be obliged to believe, however reluctantly, that
there may have been such plates as those from which the Book of Mormon was
translated.
 
 Mr. Smith has had those plates, what his opinion concerning them is,
we have not yet ascertained. The gentleman that owns them has taken them
away, or we should have given a fac-simile of the plates and characters in
this number. We are informed however, that he purposes returning with them
for translation, if so, we may be able yet to furnish our readers with it.
 
 It will be seen by the annexed statement of the Quincy Whig, that
there are more dreamers and money-diggers than Joseph Smith in the world;
and the worthy editor is obliged to acknowledge that this circumstance
will go a good way to prove the authenticity of the Book of Mormon
 
 He further states that "if Joseph Smith can decipher the
hieroglyphics on the plates, he will do more towards throwing light on the
early history of this continent than any man living." We think that he has
done that already in translating and publishing the Book of Mormon, and
would advise the gentleman and all interested to read for themselves and
understand. We have no doubt, however, but Mr. Smith will be able to
translate them.
 
 To the editor of the Times and Seasons.
 
 On the 16th of April last, a respectable merchant, by the name of
Robert Wiley, commenced digging in a large mound near this place; he
excavated to the depth of ten feet and came to rock. About that time the
rain began to fall, and he abandoned the work.
 
 On the 23rd, he and quite a number of the citizens, with myself,
repaired to the mound; and after making ample opening, we found plenty of
rock, the most of which appeared as though it had been strongly burned;
and after removing full two feet of said rock, we found plenty of charcoal
and ashes; also human bones that appeared as though they had been burned;
and near the encephalon a bundle was found that consisted of six plates of
brass of a bell shape, each having a hole near the small end, and a ring
through them all, and clasped with two clasps. The rings and clasps
appeared to be iron very much oxydated. The plates appeared first to be
copper, and had the appearance of being covered with characters.
 
 It was agreed by the company that I should cleanse the plates.
Accordingly I took them to my house, washed them with soap and water and a
woolen cloth; but, finding them not yet cleansed, I treated them with
dilute sulphuric acid, which made them perfectly clean, on which it
appeared that they were completely covered with hieroglyphics that none as
yet have been able to read.
 
 Wishing that the world might know the hidden things as fast as they
come to light, I was induced to state the facts, hoping that you would
give it an insertion in your excellent paper; for we all feel anxious to
know the true meaning of the plates, and publishing the facts might lead
to the true translation.
 
 They were found, I judged, more than twelve feet below the surface of
the top of the mound. I am, most respectfully, a citizen of Kinderhook, W.
P. HARRIS, M. D.
 
 We, the citizens of Kinderhook, whose names are annexed, do certify
and declare that on the 23rd of April, 1843, while excavating a large
mound in this vicinity, Mr. R. Wiley took from said mound six brass plates
of a bell shape, covered with ancient characters. Said plates were very
much oxydated. The bands and rings on said plates mouldered into dust on a
slight pressure. ROBERT WILEY, W. LONGNECKER, GEO. DECKENSON, FAYETTE
GRUBB, W. FUGATE, W. P. HARRIS, J. R. SHARP, G. W. F. WARD, IRA S. CURTIS,
(From the Quincy Whig.)
 
 SINGULAR DISCOVERY.--MATERIAL FOR ANOTHER MORMON BOOK.
 
 A Mr. J. Roberts of Pike County, called upon us last Monday with a
written description of a discovery which was recently made near
Kinderhook, in that county. We have not room for his communication at
length, and will give so much of a summary of it, as will enable the
reader to form a pretty correct opinion of the discovery made.
 
 It appeared that a young man by the name of Wiley, a resident in
Kinderhook, dreamed three nights in succession, that in a certain mound In
the vicinity, there were treasures concealed. Impressed with the strange
occurrence of dreaming the same dream three nights in succession, he came
to the conclusion to satisfy his mind by digging into the mound. For fear
of being laughed at, if he made others acquainted with his design he went
by himself and labored diligently one day in pursuit of the supposed
treasure, by sinking a hole in the center of a mound.
 
 Finding it quite laborious, he invited others to assist him. A
company of ten or twelve repaired to the mound and assisted in digging out
the shaft commenced by Wiley. After penetrating the mound about eleven
feet, they came to a bed of limestone that had been subjected to the
action of fire. They removed the stones, which were small and easy to
handle, to the depth of two feet more, when they found six brass plates,
secured and fastened together by two iron wires, but which were so decayed
that they readily crumbled to dust upon being handled.
 
 The plates were so completely covered with rust as almost to
obliterate the characters inscribed upon them; but, after undergoing a
chemical process, the inscriptions were brought out plain and distinct.
 
 There were six plates, four inches in length, one inch and
three-quarters wide at the top, and two inches and three-quarters wide at
the bottom, flaring out to points. There are four lines of characters or
hieroglyphics on each. On one side of the plates are parallel lines
running lengthways.
 
 By whom these plates were deposited there must ever remain a secret,
unless some one skilled in deciphering hieroglyphics may be found to
unravel the mystery. Some pretend to say that Smith, the Mormon leader,
has the ability to read them. If he has, he will confer a great favor on
the public by removing the mystery which hangs over them. A person present
when the plates were found remarked that it would go to prove the
authenticity of the Book of Mormon, which it undoubtedly will.
 
 In the place where these plates were deposited were also found human
bones in the last stage of decomposition. There were but few bones found;
and it is believed that it was but the burial-place of a person or family
of distinction in ages long gone by, and that these plates contain the
history of the times, or of a people that existed far, far beyond the
memory of the present race. But we will not conjecture anything about this
wonderful discovery, as it is one which the plates alone can reveal.
 
 The plates above alluded to were exhibited in this city last week,
and are now, we understand, in Nauvoo, subject to the inspection of the
Mormon Prophet. The public curiosity is greatly excited; and if Smith can
decipher the hieroglyphics on the plates, he will do more towards throwing
light on the early history of this continent than any man now living.
 
 
Footnote: 

* It is proper here to call attention to the fact that the genuineness of this discovery of the Kinderhook plates is questioned by some anti-Mormon writers, among them Professor William A. Linn in his late work The Story of Mormonism. In which, after citing the fact that both John Hyde and T. B. H. Stenhouse---both anti-Mormon authors---accept the genuineness of the discovery of the Kinderhook plates, which led the first in his Mormonism to insist that “Smith did have plates of some kind,” in connection with the putting forth of the Book of Mormon; and the second to say of the Kinderhook plates that they were “actually and unquestionably discovered by one Mr. R. Wiley”---he says:

“But the true story of the Kinderhook plates was disclosed by an affidavit made by W. Fugate of Mound Station, Brown county, Illinois, before Jay Brown, justice of the peace, on June 30, 1879. In this he stated that the plates were a humbug, gotten up by Robert Wiley, Bridge Whitton, and myself. Whitton (who was a blacksmith) cut the plates out of some pieces of copper; Wiley and I made the hieroglyphics by making impressions on beeswax and filling them with acid, old iron and lead, and bound them with a piece of hoop iron, covering them completely with the rust. He describes the burial of the plates and their digging up, among the spectators of the latter being two Mormon Elders, Marsh and Sharp. Sharp declared that the Lord had directed them to witness the digging. The plates were borrowed and shown to Smith, and were finally given to one Professor McDowell of St. Louis, for his museum.” (The Story of the Mormons, Linn, p. 87.)

Of this presentation of the matter it is only necessary to say that it is a little singular that Mr. Fugate alone out of the three said to be in collusion in perpetrating the fraud should disclose it, and that he should wait from 1843 to 1879---a period of thirty-six years—before doing so, when he and those said to be associated with him had such an excellent opportunity to expose the vain pretensions of the Prophet—if Fugate’s tale be true---during his life time. For while the statement in the text of the Prophet’s journal to the effect that the find was genuine, and that he had translated some of the characters and learned certain historical facts concerning the person with whose remains the plates were found, may not have been known at the time to the alleged conspiritors to deceive him still it is quite apparent that the editor of the Times and Seasons---John Taylor, the close personal friend of the Prophet---took the find seriously, and expressed implicit confidence in his editorial that the Prophet could give a translation of the plates. And this attitude the Church, continued to maintain; for in The Prophet, (a Mormon weekly periodical, published in New York) of the 15^th of February, 1845, there was published a fac-simile of the Kinderhook plates, together with the Times and Seasons editorial and all the above matter of the text. How easy to have covered Joseph Smith and his followers with ridicule by proclaiming the hoax as soon as they accepted the Kinderhook plates as genuine! Why was it not done? The fact that Fugate’s story was not told until thirty-six years after the event, and that he alone of all those who were connected with the event gives that version of it, is rather strong evidence that his story is the hoax, not the discovery of the plates, nor the engravings upon them.

“The plates,” says Professor Linn, “were finally given to one ‘Professor’ McDowell of St. Louis, for his museum.” This on the authority of Wyl’s Mormon Portraits, (p. 207). And Professor Linn in a note adds: “The secretary of the Missouri Historical Society writes me that McDowell’s museum disappeared some time ago, most of its contents being lost or stolen, and the fate of the Kinderhook plates cannot be ascertained.” (Story of the Mormons, p. 87 and footnote.)

The significance of the Footnote

Notice how in the footnote, the credibility of the man, that claimed he made the plates as a hoax, is attacked (see underlined portion). The Church said Mr. Fugate shouldn’t be believed because he made the claim some 36 years after the event happened. They say this because the Church, at the time, believed the Kinderhook Plates to be real ancient plates and that Joseph translated them correctly.

Reference: http://www.boap.org/LDS/History/History_of_the_Church/Vol_V

History of the Church by Joseph Smith.

The following is from page 372 of History of the Church, vol 5. by Joseph Smith.

Notice to the left that it clearly says “Comment of the Prophet on the Kinderhook Plates”.

There really is no reason to doubt that Joseph made those comments on the Kinderhook Plates.

To view the complete pages in History of the Church by Joseph Smith that discuss the Kinderhook Plates (1978 ed.): (Pages may take a moment to load)

Pages 372-379: http://www.mormonthink.com/hc372to379.htm

Drawings of the Kinderhook Plates that appeared in the Times and Seasons newspaper and in the book History of the Church.

The plate boxed in red was the one that was found and exists today.

What did the Church teach about the Kinderhook Plates before they were determined to be a hoax?

Aside from the accounts given in the History of the Church by Joseph Smith and the original article and drawings published in the Times & Seasons newspaper, other evidence exists of the Church’s acceptance of the Kinderhook Plates, as well as Joseph’s translation, as genuine.

Broadside published in 1843 by Church leaders

The Nauvoo Neighbor press published a broadside with facsimiles of the plates on June 24, 1843. This is two months and a day after they were "found" on April 26, 1843:

A faith-promoting poster printed by John Taylor and Wilford Woodruff heralding supposed archaeological evidence in favor of the Book of Mormon. Nauvoo, Illinois, 1843. More information on this poster is available here.

A close-up of the text:

http://www.sidneyrigdon.com/dbroadhu/IL/kndrfac2.jpg

Note that it mentions that a translation of the plates, as well as facsimiles of them, will be published in Times and Seasons as soon as Joseph Smith has finished translating them.

Note also, that the publishers are "Taylor and Woodruff," Apostles at the time and later the 3rd and 4th presidents of the Church.

Reference:

http://www.sidneyrigdon.com/dbroadhu/IL/kndrfacs.jpg

The LDS magazine Improvement Era

In an 1904 issue of Improvement Era the following was written:

"Certain bell-shaped plates are said to have been discovered in a mound, in the vicinity of Kinderhook, Pike county, Illinois, by Robert Wiley, in 1843, and taken to Joseph Smith. Now, I wish to ask: 1. Were these plates translated by Joseph Smith? 2. If so, what were their contents? 3. Where are they? 4. Are they considered of any value in confirming the Book of Mormon? 5. Is there anything about them in any of the Church works?

"1 and 2. Near Kinderhook, in Pike county, Illinois-between fifty and sixty miles south and east of Nauvoo-on April 23, 1843, a Mr. Robert Wiley, while excavating a large mound, took from said mound six brass plates of bell shape, fastened by a ring passing through the small end, and fastened with two clasps, and covered with ancient characters. Human bones together with charcoal and ashes were found in the mound, in connection with the plates which evidently had been buried with the person whose bones were discovered. The plates were submitted to the Prophet, and speaking of them in his journal, under date of May 1, 1843, he says: "I have translated a portion of them, and find they contain the history of the person with whom they were found. He was a descendant of Ham, through the loins of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and that he received his kingdom from the Ruler of heaven and earth."

"3. The plates were later placed in a museum in St. Louis, known as McDowell's, which was afterwards destroyed by fire, and the plates were lost.

"4. The event would go very far towards confirming the idea that in very ancient times, there was intercourse between the eastern and western hemispheres; and the statement of the prophet would mean that the remains were Egyptian. The fair implication, also, from the prophet's words is that this descendant of the Pharaohs possessed a kingdom in the new world; and this circumstance may account for the evidence of a dash of Egyptian civilization in our American antiquities.

"5. The whole account of the finding of the plates, together with the testimony of eight witnesses, besides Mr. Wiley, who were acquainted with the finding of the relics, as also the statement from the prophet's history, is found in the Millennial Star, vol. 21: pp. 40-44." (Improvement Era. Vol. VII. March 1904. No. 5.)

B.H. Roberts

Famed General Authority and Assistant Church Historian B.H. Roberts believed the Kinderhook Plates to be genuine. Here he is attacking the credibility of the man that claimed to have forged the plates:

"Of this presentation of the matter it is only necessary to say that it is a little singular that Mr. Fugate alone out of the three said to be in collusion in perpetrating the fraud should disclose it, and that he should wait from 1843 to 1879-a period of thirty-six years-before doing so, when he and those said to be associated with him had such an excellent opportunity to expose the vain pretensions of the Prophet-if Fugate's tale be true? For while the statement in the text of the Prophet's Journal to the effect that the find was genuine, and that he had translated some of the characters and learned certain historical facts concerning the person with whose remains the plates were found, may not have been known at the time to the alleged conspiritors to deceive him, still the editor of the Times and Seasons-John Taylor, the close personal friend of the Prophet-took the find seriously, and expressed at once explicit confidence in an editorial in the Times and Seasons, of May 1st, 1843, that the Prophet could give a translation of the plates. And this attitude the Church, continued to maintain; for in The Prophet, (a Mormon weekly periodical, published in New York) of the 15th of February, 1845, there was published a fac-simile of the Kinderhook plates, together with the Times and Seasons editorial and all the above matter of the text. How easy to have covered Joseph Smith and his followers with ridicule by proclaiming the hoax as soon as they accepted the Kinderhook plates as genuine! Why was it not done? The fact that Fugate's story was not told until thirty-six years after the event, and that he alone of all those who were connected with the event gives that version of it, is rather strong evidence that his story is the hoax, not the discovery of the plates, nor the engravings upon them." (New Witnesses for God, p. 63)

Comprehensive History of The Church

According to the official Church publication, The Comprehensive History of The Church, B.H. Robert, Joseph Smith is quoted as saying:

“I have seen 6 brass plates which were found in Adams County by some persons who were digging in a mound. They found a skeleton about 6 feet from the surface of the earth which was 9 foot high. The plates were on the breast of the skeleton. This diagram shows the size of the plates being drawn on the edge of one of them. They are covered with ancient characters of language containing from 30 to 40 on each side of the plates. Prest J. has translated a portion and says they contain the history of the person with whom they were found and he was a descendant of Ham through the loins of Pharoah king of Egypt, and that he received his kingdom from the ruler of heaven and earth. – Comprehensive History of The Church, Vol. 5, pages 374-276, B.H. Roberts, May 1, 1843, The Prophet Joseph Smith as transcribed by William Clayton, Joseph Smith's principal and unquestionably trusted scribe.

Joseph Smith--Seeker after Truth, Apostle John Widtsoe

"May 1. Translates a portion of certain brass plates discovered at Kinderhook, Iowa." (John A. Widtsoe, Joseph Smith--Seeker after Truth, Prophet of God, p. 366)

BYU Archaeological Society

Welby W. Ricks, who was president of the BYU Archaeological Society, wrote the following in 1962:

"A recent rediscovery of one of the Kinderhook plates which was examined by Joseph Smith, Jun., reaffirms his prophetic calling and reveals the false statements made by one of the finders....

"The plates are now back in their original category of genuine.... Joseph Smith, Jun., stands as a true prophet and translator of ancient records by divine means and all the world is invited to investigate the truth which has sprung out of the earth not only of the Kinderhook plates, but of the Book of Mormon as well." (The Kinderhook Plates)

The Times and Seasons

Aside from the original article (shown above), the LDS Church newspaper Times and Seasons also ran other subsequent articles on the Kinderhook Plates:

“The brass plates had characters or hieroglyphics on them which nobody was able to read. The bones found in the mound might have belonged to, "a person, or a family of distinction, in ages long gone by, and that these plates contain the history of the times, or of a people, that existed far - far beyond the memory of the present race." (Times and Seasons, vol. 4, page 187.)

"Why does the circumstance of the plates recently found in a mound in Pike county, III., by Mr. Wiley, together with ethnology and a thousand other things, go to prove the Book of Mormon true? - Answer. Because it is true!" (Times and Seasons, Vol. 5, page 406)

"We learn there was a Mormon present when the plates were found, who it is said, leaped for joy at the discovery, and remarked that it would go to prove the authenticity of the Book of Mormon--which it undoubtedly will. " (Times and Seasons, Vol.4, p.187)

A similar quote in History of the Church: "A person present when the plates were found remarked that it would go to prove the authenticity of the Book of Mormon, which it undoubtedly will." (History of the Church, Vol. 5, p.378)

The Ensign

“Six plates having the appearance of Brass have lately been dug out of a mound by a gentleman in Pike Co. Illinois. They are small and filled with engravings in Egyptian language and contain the genealogy of one of the ancient Jaredites back to Ham the son of Noah. His bones were found in the same vase (made of Cement). Part of the bones were 15 ft. underground. ... A large number of Citizens have seen them and compared the characters with those on the Egyptian papyrus which is now in this city. – Apostle Parley Pratt, May 7, 1843, (reprinted in The Ensign, August 1981, page 73).

The Nauvoo Neighbor

"The contents of the plates, together with a Fac-simile of the same, will be published in the 'Times and Seasons,' as soon as the translation is completed." -- The Nauvoo Neighbor, in June, 1843.

The Quincy Whig

“By whom these plates were deposited there, must ever remain a secret, unless some one skilled in deciphering hieroglyphics, may be found to unravel the mystery. Some pretend to say, that Smith the Mormon leader, has the ability to read them. If he has, he will confer a great favor on the public by removing the mystery which hangs over them. We learn there was a Mormon present when the plates were found, who it is said, leaped for joy at the discovery, and remarked that it would go to prove the authenticity of the Book of Mormon ... There were but few bones found in the mound; and it is believed, that it was but the burial place of a small number, perhaps of a person, or family of distinction, in ages long gone by ...” The plates above alluded to, were exhibited in this city [Quincy] last week, and are now, we understand, in Nauvoo, subject to the inspection of the Mormon Prophet. The public curiosity is greatly excited, and if Smith can decipher the hieroglyphics on the plates, he will do more towards throwing light on the early history of this continent, than any man now living. -- The Quincy Whig 6, May 3, 1843). Also printed in the Times and Seasons 4, May 1,1843 pp. 186-87, Nauvoo, Illinois.

Overland Monthly

“Charlotte Haven said that when Joshua Moore "…showed them to Joseph, the latter said that the figures or writing on them was similar to that in which the Book of Mormon was written, and if Mr. Moore could leave them, he thought that by the help of revelation he would be able to translate them." (Overland Monthly, Dec. 1890, page 630)

Warsaw Signal

“If Joseph Smith had not been murdered in June, 1844, it is very possible he might have published a complete "translation" of these bogus plates. Just a month before his death, it was reported that he was "busy in translating them. The new work which Jo. is about to issue as a translation of these plates will be nothing more nor less than a sequel to the Book of Mormon..." (Warsaw Signal, May 22, 1844)

There are other writings of apostles, LDS historians, LDS authors, etc. that believed the Kinderhook Plates were genuine and wrote about them. Here’s a sample of one LDS writing:

Commentary on the Book of Mormon

George Reynolds and Janne M. Sjodahl wrote:

"But, on the other hand, we have the fact before us, that the skeleton of the Pharaoh, found in Kinderhook, Illinois, referred to previously, was dug out of a large mound. After penetrating about eleven feet the workers came to a bed of limestone that had been subjected to the action of fire. They removed the stones, which were small and easy to handle, to the depth of two feet more, when they found the skeleton. This was evidently a burial chamber, as with the bones, which appeared to have been burned, was found plenty of charcoal and ashes. From this fact it is evident that some of the mounds are of very ancient date, as it is not supposable that this man would be the only one of his race and nation to be buried in this manner. We also suggest that this colony of Egyptians may have originated the style of architecture in this country in which so many find resemblances to the Egyptian, and which is specially characterized by the erection of vast truncated pyramids." (George Reynolds and Janne M. Sjodahl, Commentary on the Book of Mormon, edited and arranged by Philip C. Reynolds, 7 vols., 6:, p.232. Published in 1961.)

Critic’s point: Even if you don’t believe that Joseph was fooled by the Kinderhook Plates in 1843, the LDS Church itself was fooled for the next one hundred and thirty years. The Kimball article [Ensign, Aug. 1981, 66-74] mentioned the Church's response each time the issue of the plates came up, but it failed to recognize that each response up to 1981 was the same, that the plates were genuine.

Reference: http://www.mrm.org/topics/joseph-smith/fooling-prophet-kinderhook-plates

How do we know that the plate recovered isn’t a forgery of the original Kinderhook Plates?

Both the critics of the Church and faithful LDS apologists now both agree that the plate currently in possession of the Chicago Historical Society is one of the original plates found in Kinderhook in 1843. This is no longer in dispute. The analysis and conclusions are verified in the August 1981 Issue of the LDS magazine The Ensign.

http://www.lightplanet.com/response/kinderhook/kinderhook.htm

As a result of the tests disproving the plates as ancient records, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints finally had to come to terms with this controversial chapter of its history. The following statements were made in 1981:

"As a result of these tests, we concluded that the plate... is not of ancient origin....the plate was etched with acid; and as Paul Cheesman and other scholars have pointed out, ancient inhabitants would probably have engraved the plates rather than etched them with acid. Secondly, we concluded that the plate was made from a true brass alloy (copper and zinc) typical of the mid-nineteenth century: whereas the 'brass' of ancient times was actually bronze, an alloy of copper and tin." -- The Ensign, August 1981, pp. 66-70.

Responses to these issues by faithful Latter-day Saints and LDS apologists.

The position that was supported by LDS members and apologists for 130 years.

The Church and the LDS apologists have defended the authenticity of the Kinderhook Plates and Joseph’s translations of them since the time of their discovery until 1980. As stated earlier, here’s a quote from Welby W. Ricks, President of BYU Archaeological Society:

“A recent rediscovery of one of the Kinderhook plates which was examined by Joseph Smith, Jun., reaffirms his prophetic calling and reveals the false statements made by one of the finders....
“The plates are now back in their original category of genuine....  Joseph Smith, Jun., stands as a true prophet and translator of ancient records by divine means and all the world is invited to investigate the truth which has sprung out of the earth not only of the Kinderhook plates, but of the Book of Mormon as well.”

-    Welby W. Ricks, President of BYU Archaeological Society, quoted in Kinderhook Plates

The position that is now being supported by LDS apologists since the plate was scientifically determined to be a hoax.

The Kinderhook Plates was a hoax but Joseph never fell for it.

Article from August 1981 Issue of the Ensign

http://www.lightplanet.com/response/kinderhook/kinderhook.htm

Critic’s response.

Why wasn’t this ever the church’s position before scientists proved the plates were fake? If the Kinderhook Plates were really just a hoax, then why didn’t the church ever say that in the first 130 years since the KP were unearthed? It’s clear from the evidence above that the Church leaders believed the KP were real and that Joseph translated a portion of them. Why did it take finding evidence that proved the KP were fake to have the church change their mind on their authenticity? The church only seems to change their beliefs (like the limited geography theory of the Book of Mormon, The Book of Abraham, location of Hill Cumorah, American Indians are the principle ancestors of the Lamanites, etc.) when contradictory evidence disproves their recorded history. This seems inconsistent with a church run by modern-day prophets with modern revelation.

A comment on the article from the Ensign:

First, Stanley Kimball makes this statement: "These accounts have generated much controversy for more than a hundred years since the martyrdom of Joseph Smith, the question being twofold: (1) are the Kinderhook plates authentic? and (2) did Joseph Smith attempt to translate them?"

Good questions. Kimball sets out to try and answer them.

He first establishes that the plates are in fact NOT authentic through various testing methods. Good, science at work. Thank you.

He then tries to establish that Joseph Smith never attempted to translate them. Honestly, this appeared to me to be a lot of hand waving and basically just saying that we're interpreting the documented account incorrectly - that it doesn't actually mean what it says.

And then it says "Since coming to public awareness in 1920, this plate has undergone a number of tests. For example, in 1953 it was examined by two engravers who made an affidavit stating that “to the best of our knowledge this Plate was engraved with a pointed instrument and not etched with acid”—a conclusion which contradicted the letters claiming the plates to be a hoax, and which therefore fueled the hopes of those who wanted the plates to be proven genuine."

"Fueled the hopes of those who wanted the plates to be proven genuine."

Why, may we ask, would anyone hope they were proven genuine IF JOSEPH NEVER ATTEMPTED TO TRANSLATE THEM?

The double standard was blatantly obvious to us. If testing showed the plates were of ancient origin, the Church’s answer to the second question would have been the exact opposite: That Joseph DID attempt to translate the plates. They would have agreed entirely with the documented accounts! Kimball tried to treat these as two separate questions, each with their own independent answer, but that isn't the case.

There is no way that Kimball or anyone else would have taken the position that Joseph did NOT try to translate the plates had testing shown the plates were of ancient origin.

Faithful LDS member response #2.

Joseph never translated the Kinderhook Plates. The account that is recorded in the History of the Church was recorded by one of Joseph’s scribes, William Clayton. Mr. Clayton may have just recorded what he thought the prophet or some others had said. No one can prove conclusively that Joseph made those statements. Mr. Clayton assumed the 1st person position in writing this portion of the History of the Church and this was not written by Joseph Smith.

Critic’s response.

Who else would have been able to make these grand claims? Why would a scribe think this Indian was a descendant of Ham through the loins of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and that he received his kingdom from the ruler of heaven & earth. Why not a descendant of Noah or Abraham? This seems way too unusual and too specific to be made by anyone other than the Prophet Joseph Smith. Also, Joseph’s scribe William Clayton, was a trusted, official scribe for the church and was noted for being a stickler for details and accuracy and not in the habit of making stuff up and attributing it to Joseph.

Why would Joseph Smith, an editor of the Times and Seasons, allow the article with pictures of the plates be published if it wasn’t true? Even hardcore LDS admit that Joseph must have known the article was published and did not dispute it. The LDS book History of the Church makes it very clear that Joseph translated a portion of the Kinderhook Plates.

From: http://www.irr.org/mit/kinderhook-plates.html

How plausible is this argument raised by some LDS writers? Was it unusual for accounts recorded by Joseph’s scribes to be entered as Joseph’s own words? Who was William Clayton? Was he in a position to accurately know and record Joseph’s words?  Was Clayton considered a reliable scribe and a dependable person?  Are there other entries in his journals that are accepted without question as the words of Joseph Smith?

Clayton: Intimate Confidante of Joseph Smith

From his conversion to the Mormon Church at age 23 in Preston, England in 1837, to his death in Salt Lake City, Utah in 1879, William Clayton is described as “never swerving in his belief in the church and its leaders” by George D. Smith, editor of An Intimate Chronicle: The Journals of William Clayton (p. xvii).  In his fifty-page introduction to Clayton’s life and journals, George D. Smith includes descriptions of Clayton from close associates and family members who uniformly remember him as a serious, meticulous and dependable person. His daughter spoke of him as “methodical, always sitting in his own armchair, having a certain place at the table … his person was clean and tidy; his hands small and dimpled” (p. liii).  G.D. Smith writes:

Long after his death, Clayton was remembered as “the soul of punctuality”; his daughter remembering his “love for order, which he believed was the first law of heaven … he would not carry a watch that was not accurate” (p. xvi).

Mormon leaders recognized Clayton’s gifts and abilities early on, for after being a member of the LDS Church for less than six months he was named second counselor to the president of the British Mission (p. xvi), and later became the first branch president of Manchester (BYU Studies, 27:1, p. 47).

At Clayton’s death, Joseph F. Smith, who would become the sixth President of the LDS Church, noted Clayton’s achievements:

He was a friend and companion of the Prophet Joseph Smith, and it is to his pen to a very great extent that we are indebted for the history of the Church … during his acquaintance with him and the time he acted for him as his private secretary, in the days of Nauvoo (p. lx).

LDS scholars who have studied Clayton’s life have noted his “meticulous detail that was the hallmark of his writing” (p. xx), and also that,

Beginning early in 1842, William Clayton found himself involved in nearly every important activity of Nauvoo, but especially the private concerns of the prophet. For two and a half years, until Joseph’s death in 1844, they were in each other’s company almost daily.

[James B.] Allen [who wrote a biography of Clayton], explains that Clayton was not only Smith’s trusted employee and associate but also his personal friend and confidante. He wrote letters for the prophet, recorded his revelations, ran his errands, and helped prepare the official history of the church (pp. xxii-xxiii).

There would appear to be nothing or no one to detract from Clayton’s ability to accurately record the words of Joseph Smith, and every reason to believe he did so accurately and reliably.

Therefore, one can understand why the leaders of the LDS Church when compiling an authoritative history of the life of Joseph Smith and the Church, would accept without question the accuracy of Clayton’s journal entry for May 1, 1843 that stated:

I have seen 6 brass plates which were found in Adams County . . . President Joseph has translated a portion and says they contain the history of the person with whom they were found & he was a descendant of Ham through the loins of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and that he received his kingdom from the ruler of heaven & earth (Intimate Chronicle, p. 100, emphasis added).

As LDS leaders constructed a history of Joseph’s life with words recorded by him and others, it would have been easy to justify modifying Clayton’s May 1, 1843 entry so it read as follows when incorporated into the History of the Church:

I insert fac-similes of the six brass plates found near Kinderhook, in Pike County, Illinois, on April 23, by Mr. Robert Wiley and other, while excavating a large mound. They found a skeleton about six feet from the surface of the earth, which must have stood nine feet high. The plates were found on the breast of the skeleton and were covered on both sides with ancient characters.

I have translated a portion of them, and find they contain the history of the person with whom they were found. He was a descendant of Ham, through the loins of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and that he received his kingdom from the Ruler of heaven and earth (History of the Church, vol. 5, p. 372) 

If one does not accept Clayton’s journal entry at face value, about the only alternative is to imply that Clayton did not hear Smith make these statements, but instead was willing and capable of inserting speculative and unsubstantiated ideas and falsely attributing them to Joseph Smith.  While this can be granted as a possibility, it certainly seems improbable and highly implausible given what we know of Clayton’s life and character and the high level of confidence placed in him by Joseph Smith and subsequent LDS leaders and scholars.

Corroborating Evidence

Equally important in assessing the accuracy of Clayton’s journal entry is the existence of corroborating historical evidence related to Clayton, Joseph Smith and the Kinderhook Plates. For example:

• The Mormons  published facsimiles of the plates in a broadside titled "Discovery of the Brass Plates," published at Nauvoo, Illinois, 24 June 1843.  This broadside stated in part:

The contents of the Plates, together with a Fac-Simile of the same, will be published in the "Times & Seasons," as soon as the translation is completed (LDS Archives – reproduced in Stanley B. Kimball, "Kinderhook Plates Brought to Joseph Smith Appear to be a Nineteenth-Century Hoax," Ensign 11 [August 1981]:72). 

• Joseph Smith hired Clayton specifically to record what he did and said, and “beginning in early 1842, William Clayton found himself involved in nearly every important activity of Nauvoo, but especially the private concerns of the prophet. For two and a half years, until Joseph’s death in 1844, they were in each other’s company almost daily” (Intimate Chronicle: The Journals of William Clayton, George D. Smith, ed., pp. xxii-xxiii). 
  
• Clayton was with Joseph Smith on the day he records Joseph rendering his verdict on the plates (Intimate Chronicle, p. 100). 
  
• Church Historian George A. Smith affirmed in 1858 that there was an accurate system in place so that the recorded history would be “strictly correct.”  The historians and clerks engaged in the work were “eye and ear witnesses of nearly all the transactions recorded in this history, most of which were reported as they transpired, and, where they were not personally present, they have had access to those who were” (Edward Ashment, unpublished article on file, Institute for Religious Research, Appendix A, p. 2) 
  
• The history of Joseph Smith that contains the Kinderhook Plate statement was approved by Brigham Young, who himself was at Joseph Smith’s house and saw the plates there.   Young even includes a sketch of one of the plates he saw at Joseph’s house in his diary (Ashment, p. 2).

Thus, numerous historical sources indicate Clayton’s May 1, 1843 journal entry is accurate, and that Joseph considered the Kinderhook Plates ancient artifacts and began a translation of them. This historical evidence, coupled with a complete lack of any evidence to the contrary, was sufficiently convincing that for over 130 years no Mormon seems to have questioned or contested the authenticity of these bell-shaped brass plates.

LDS writer Stanley B. Kimball summarized the extent of LDS acceptance of the Plates as follows:

Over the decades, through the pages of the Times and Seasons, the Nauvoo Neighbor, The Prophet, missionary pamphlets, the Millennial Star, the Desert News, the University Archaeological Newsletter, the Improvement Era,  [in]  BYU Symposia  [and in Visitors’ Centers, and]  in books and unpublished reports, LDS scholars and laymen (and at least two RLDS writers) have affirmed and striven to prove the story of the Kinderhook plate incident and tried to make them vouch for the authenticity of the Book of Mormon and to defend Joseph’s alleged translation of them (Stanley B. Kimball, “New Light on the Old Kinderhook Plates Problem,” based on a paper read at the 16^th annual Mormon History Meeting, Ricks College, May 1-3, 1981, p. 3).