Witnesses of the Book of Mormon translation process

I am fascinated by the Book of Mormon translation. Joseph Smith himself gave very few details on the subject, but there are many other accounts that can help us puzzle the pieces together. Some say these accounts are contradictory with respect to some of the details, e.g. which stones he used. Personally, I think it is more a matter of describing different stages of an evolving process rather than contradictions and unreliable accounts, although you will always have some of that too when you have a large variety of first, second and third hand accounts. In this post, I will just quote some of my favorite lesser-known accounts describing the translation process.

When Joseph was translating the Book of Mormon [I] had occasion more than once to go into his immediate presence, and saw him engaged at his work of translation. The mode of procedure consisted in Joseph's placing the Seer Stone in the crown of a hat, then putting his face into the hat, so as to entirely cover his face, resting his elbows upon his knees, and then dictating word after word, while the scribes — Emma, John Whitmer, O. Cowdery, or some other wrote it down

-Michael Morse, Emma's brother-in-law

What I like about this account is the fact that it comes from Emma's brother-in-law, who never became a member of the church or was part of Joseph Smith's "inner circle". Yet, his description is very much in line with other descriptions. It makes the idea of some sort of conspiracy more unlikely (as if it was very likely in the first place...). It also shows that the translation was not happening behind locked doors, which is further emphazised in the next quote.

I cheerfully certify that I was familiar with the manner of Joseph Smith’s translating the Book of Mormon. He translated the most of it at my Father’s house. And I often sat by and saw and heard them translate and write for hours together. Joseph never had a curtain drawn between him and his scribe while he was translating. He would place the director in his hat, and then place his face in his hat, so as to exclude the light.

-Elizabeth Ann Whitmer, David Whitmer's sister, living in her parents house at the time where the second half of the translation was done

Notice "often sat by...for hours". A few accounts from the very first phase of the translation (pre-116 pages loss) talk about a curtain between Joseph Smith and the scribe because the plates were not to be seen. The curtain quickly disappears as these accounts change to the stone(s) in the hat (Urim and Thummim or seer stone). Several of those also affirm that the translation was an open process. When the plates were not used directly any longer, there was no need for a curtain and people other than the scribes could sit by and observe it all.

The tablets or plates were translated by Smith, who used a small oval or kidney-shaped stone, called Urim and Thummim, that seemed endowed with the marvelous power of converting the characters on the plates, when used by Smith, into English, who would then dictate to Cowdery what to write. Frequently one character would make two lines of manuscript, while others made but a word or two words. Mr. Whitmer emphatically asserts, as did Harris and Cowdery, that while Smith was dictating the translation he had no manuscript, notes or other means of knowledge save the seer-stone and the characters as shown on the plates, he being present and cognizant how it was done.

-Chicago tribune 1881, David Whitmer interview

I include this one because many critics try to argue that Joseph Smith had books, notes, maps, etc to help him along during the translation. The more well-known interview with Emma stating that he had no notes or manuscript is dismissed by the same critics because Emma was not honest about the sensitivie topic of polygamy and whatever she says about the Book of Mormon must also be a lie, even though what she says about the Book of Mormon translation in that interview is in line with other accounts. It turns out that Emma is not the only one to claim that Joseph Smith had no other means to help him. Also, there are zero known accounts stating that someone observed Joseph using any book, note or manuscript ever during the translation.

Others may come to different conclusions, but I don't need to read a lot of posts on this blog before I realize that the Book of Mormon is way too complex to make up on the fly or memorize without notes or manuscript.