Joseph Smith and his father board with Isaac Hale's family while working for Josiah Stowell. This is where Joseph meets his future wife, Emma Hale (Isaac's daughter).
Joseph obtains $50 from Martin Harris and hires a man to move him and Emma to her parents' home in Harmony, Pennsylvania. They move to Harmony while transporting the plates hidden in a barrel of beans.
From December 1827-February 1828. Joseph begins limited translation of the plates with the scribal assistance of his wife Emma and her brother Reuben Hale.
Martin Harris arrives in Harmony as he and Joseph had previously planned. Joseph gives Martin a transcription of some of the characters from the plates. Martin takes these to Palmyra, Albany, New York City, and Philadelphia and visits with Dr. Samuel L. Mitchill (vice president of Rutgers Medical School in NYC), Professor Charles Anthon at Columbia College, and others regarding the characters and their translation.
Martin Harris returns from to New York to Harmony and begins to scribe for Joseph as he translates the book of Lehi.
The translation of the book of Lehi is completed, resulting in at least 116 pages of translated text.
Joseph and Emma's first child, Alvin, was born but died shortly thereafter.
The manuscript pages of the book of Lehi were borrowed and then lost—or carelessly allowed to be stolen—by Martin Harris.
Joseph remains with Emma for two weeks after the death of their child. With Emma's insistence Joseph leaves for his father's farm in Manchester, New York. Martin Harris is called to the farm and confronted about the manuscript of Lehi. Martin confirms Joseph's deepest fears that the manuscript is lost.
Joseph returns to Harmony. The interpreters and the plates are taken from Joseph by the angel. The Urim and Thummim are returned to him briefly in order for Joseph to receive the Lord's chastisement in D&C 3 (see Background to D&C 3). Portions of D&C 10 may also have been received around this time. Moroni promises Joseph that if he will repent and humble himself the Urim and Thummim will be returned to him on September 22 of that year.
Joseph again receives the Urim and Thummim from Moroni.
Joseph's father, Joseph Smith, Sr. visits him in Harmony. Joseph receives D&C 4 for his father (see Background to D&C 4). His parents return to Manchester, NY. Oliver Cowdery, who is boarding with the Joseph Smith Sr. family in Manchester as a school teacher, begins to hear from various sources hearsay about Joseph's remarkable spiritual experiences. Intrigued, he inquires of Joseph Sr. concerning the truth of these experiences. Joseph Sr. eventually lays out the details before Oliver who is delighted by what he hears. Oliver inquires of the Lord, receives a heavenly manifestation, and subsequently is inspired to assist Joseph in the Lord's work (see Background to D&C 6).
Emma acts briefly as scribe and a few pages are translated. Martin Harris visits Joseph in Harmony "seemingly for the prime purpose of being permitted to see the plates. According to other testimonies Martin had not seen the plates during the time he was writing for the Prophet, and he wanted to know of their existence" (Wayne C. Gunnell, "Martin Harris—Witness and Benefactor to the Book of Mormon," (master's thesis, Brigham Young University, 1955), 29-30). This visit precipitates the receipt of D&C 5 on behalf of Martin Harris (see Background to D&C 5). In this revelation Joseph is told to translate "a few more pages" and then to "stop for a season" (D&C 5:30).
Oliver Cowdery arrives in Harmony with Joseph's brother Samuel Smith. Joseph tells Oliver much about his own history (see Background to D&C 6).
Oliver records, "On Monday the 6th, I assisted [Joseph] in arranging some business of a temporal nature" ("Letter I," Messenger and Advocate, October 1834, 14).
Oliver records, "On Monday the 6th, I assisted [Joseph] in arranging some business of a temporal nature" ("Letter I," Messenger and Advocate, October 1834, 14).
Oliver begins writing as scribe to Joseph Smith and will remain so for the vast majority of the remaining Book of Mormon translation. They begin translating at or near Mosiah 1 (where Joseph and Martin Harris had left off) and the translation process accelerates rapidly from this point.
The translation progresses steadily until they come to the account of the Savior's resurrected ministry in 3 Nephi.
Joseph and Oliver are given the keys of the Aaronic Priesthood on this day and baptize one another. Oliver Cowdery reported the event that precipitated their ordinations and baptisms, "After writing the account given of the Savior's ministry to the remnant of the seed of Jacob, upon this continent," he and Joseph went and "called upon [the Lord] in a fervent manner, aside from the abodes of men" ("Letter I," Messenger and Advocate, October 1834, 15). Joseph Smith said, "We ... went into the woods to pray and inquire of the Lord respecting baptism for the remission of sins, that we found mentioned in the translation of the plates. While we were thus employed, praying and calling upon the Lord, a messenger from heaven descended in a cloud of light, and having laid his hands upon us, he ordained us, saying: [see D&C 13] (Joseph Smith—History 1:68).
As they near the end of translating Mormon's abridgment and Moroni's additions (Mosiah-Moroni), Joseph and Oliver wonder if they are to translate the book of Lehi again. Doctrine and Covenants section 10 was likely dictated in its final form during this time (see Background to D&C 10).
Oliver baptizes Samuel Smith and the translation continues. Hyrum Smith visits a few days later. Joseph inquires of the Lord on behalf of his older brother Hyrum and he receives D&C 11 (see Background to D&C 11).
Joseph and Oliver go to Colesville, New York to obtain more provisions to translate but, obtaining none, return to Harmony. Ultimately Joseph Knight arrives in Harmony and provides them with writing paper (foolscap) and other provisions for translating. He visits them several times during the month of May and becomes "very anxious to know his duty as to this work" (History of the Church, 1:48). Upon inquiring of the Lord in behalf of Father Knight, Joseph receives D&C 12 in his behalf (see Background to D&C 12).
It is likely that Peter, James, and John restored the Keys of the Kingdom and the Apostleship at this time to Joseph and Oliver.
It is during this time that Joseph receives a commandment to ask David Whitmer to bring he and Oliver down to his (David's) father's house in Fayette, New York. Through a series of miraculous events David Whitmer speedily arrives in Harmony and is convinced of Joseph's divine inspiration (see Accounts).
Joseph and Oliver move with David Whitmer from Harmony to Fayette, Seneca County, New York, to the home of Peter Whitmer (David's father).
Joseph returns to Harmony to be with Emma. He also makes periodic trips to Palmyra and Fayette in connection with the publication of the Book of Mormon.
Abner Cole (alias Obediah Dogberry), in his Palmyra Reflector, January 2, 13, 22, prints several extracts of the Book of Mormon from sheets he stole at Grandin's printing office (where his own newspaper was printed). Because of this Joseph returns to Palmyra from Harmony to assert his copyright privileges in order to stop this unauthorized publishing of sections of the Book of Mormon.
Moses 1 came in the midst of Joseph being persecuted heavily in Colesville, NY. After fleeing to Harmony, this revelation was received.
Joseph receives D&C 24 & 26 during intense persecution (see Background to D&C 24, 26). He also receives D&C 25 on behalf of his wife Emma, who had suffered much persecution along with her husband (see Background to D&C 25).
Joseph and Emma, Newel and Lydia Knight, and John Whitmer desire to partake of the sacrament. As he goes to procure wine for the service Joseph is met by a heavenly messenger and receives D&C 27 (see Background to D&C 27).
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