Without Disclosing My True Identity
Lucy Fueled the Fires
As continually reiterated throughout this biography, Joseph never told anyone,
including his family and his friends, the complete real truth. Everything written about him,
by both friend and foe, was based on the subjective opinion of the one writing the account.
What was never reported in contemporary biographies about Joseph was that his own
mother, Lucy Mack Smith, caused more problems that affected Joseph’s true history than
anyone else close to him. She was responsible for all that was said “outside of the family.”
Moroni “commanded [Joseph] to go to [his] father and tell him the vision and
commandments which [he] had received.”^4 If it had been up to Moroni, he would have
commanded Joseph to never tell his mother until the time that the record was brought forth.
But Joseph’s “instruction and learning” wasn’t solely up to Moroni. Joseph needed the
experiences of opposition to further strengthen him and prepare him for what he was about
to face in fulfilling his role.
Lucy Smith was personally and solely responsible for the start of many of the rumors
associated with what some historians have called “Joseph’s Money Digging Years.”^5 If
Joseph’s mother had heeded her son’s counsel to “not mention out of the family” what
Joseph shared with them, many of the rumors that circulated at the time, and the
subsequent persecution they caused, wouldn’t have started, at least until later. In fact, they
wouldn’t have arisen at all until after Joseph had actually received the plates and the Urim
and Thummim on September 22, 1827, and then not until after he published the Book of
Mormon in 1830.
Joseph’s family remained very excited throughout the years that he was being
prepared to receive and begin the translation of the record. The only thing his family knew
about Joseph’s meetings was that he would meet with “someone” on the same day every
year. Of course, with great anticipation, his family would wait upon Joseph’s return each
September 22nd, only to be disappointed when he was not allowed to take the plates and
begin the translation.
As the inventions and imaginations of the mind often do, Joseph’s mother let hers get
the best of her judgment. As mentioned, Joseph told his father first about his visitation with
Moroni and the assignment he received from the “angel.” There were other good reasons for
not telling his mother directly. Lucy was a very prideful woman. If Joseph had gone to his
mother first, thus not allowing his father to tell his mother, Lucy would have had one more
thing by which to judge her husband as incompetent and unworthy to lead their family. In
Joseph’s young mind, he wanted his father to receive the respect he deserved. Moroni,
however, had different reasons for issuing the commandment to tell his father first.
Joseph’s mother would badger her son incessantly about the details of each meeting
and what he had “learned from the Lord” every time he would go off into the woods alone.
Even so, sometimes, in frustration and desperation to get his mother off his back, Joseph
had to make off-hand comments to appease his mother without revealing anything of real
truth to her. From some of these comments, Lucy invented her own conclusions and
understanding of certain events. She imagined, for example, her son going to the place where
the plates were hidden and
uncovering the plates, [putting] forth his hand and [taking] them up, but, as
he was taking them hence, the unhappy thought darted through his mind
that probably there was something else in the box besides the plates, which