Joseph Smith was a Glass Looking Treasure Digger

Today, the fact that Joseph Smith was involved in treasure digging is undisputed, yet still hardly common knowledge among members of the church. This is likely due to the historic denials from church leadership on Joseph and any such occult practices. The church has sought to distance itself from the strange magic practices of the Smith family. Facts they now claim were so commonplace that they were harmless, but in fact, even back then the population knew these were not honest practices. The church apologists yearn to dismiss the practices as astrology or gambling today, but does that make them better?

The church denied Joseph was involved and that he used his seer stone for translating the Book of Mormon, and told correlated narratives omitting much of the truth and encouraging artwork supporting the narrative.

Church Denies Joseph’s Involvement

Apostle John A. Widtsoe

"Joseph Smith was not a money digger, nor did he deceive people with peepstone claims. It is almost beyond belief that writers who value their reputations, would reproduce these silly and untrue charges." - LDS Apostle Elder John A. Widtsoe, 1946 | wasmormon.org — “Joseph Smith was not a money digger, nor did he deceive people with peepstone claims. It is almost beyond belief that writers who value their reputations, would reproduce these silly and untrue charges.” – LDS Apostle Elder John A. Widtsoe, 1946

The claims that Joseph Smith had had communication with supernatural beings furnished the foundation for the later tales of Mormon-haters about Joseph’s peepstone activities. Then, by the usual accretions from many lips, the story grew, and was fed and fostered by those in whose hearts was a hate of the work to which Joseph Smith was called by God. All of the Prophet’s history points away from superstition, and towards belief in an unseen world in which God and his associates dwell.
Carefully examined, the charges against the Smith family and Joseph Smith, the boy and young man, fail to be proved. There is no acceptable evidence to support them, only gossip, and deliberate misrepresentation. The Smith family were poor but honest, hard-working, and religious people. Joseph Smith was not a money digger, nor did he deceive people with peepstone claims. It is almost beyond belief that writers who value their reputations, would reproduce these silly and untrue charges. It suggests that they may have set out to destroy “Mormonism,” rather than to detail true history.
The life of Joseph Smith as boy and youth, was normal, and worthy of imitation by all lovers of truth.
Improvement Era August 1946, Evidences and Reconciliations, Elder John A. Widtsoe, LDS Apostle
https://catalog.churchofjesuschrist.org/assets/d7f93caa-9bd1-43db-a8fc-10c5765e12b4/0/0

Apostle Joseph Fielding Smith

Joseph Fielding Smith stated in his 1954, Doctrines of Salvation, in response to accusations that Joseph used a seer stone for translation that “the information is all hearsay, and personally, I do not believe that this stone was used for this purpose”. He was distancing the official Sunday School record of church history away from the truth, and more into a comfortable and acceptable faith-promoting narrative.

"The Seer stone not used in Book of Mormon translation." Joseph Fielding Smith in Doctrines of Salvation | wasmormon.org — “The Seer stone not used in Book of Mormon translation.” Joseph Fielding Smith in Doctrines of Salvation

SEER STONE NOT USED IN BOOK OF MORMON TRANSLATION. We have been taught since the days of the Prophet that the Urim and Thummim were returned with the plates to the angel. We have no record of the Prophet having the Urim and Thummim after the organization of the Church. Statements of translations by the Urim and Thummim after that date are evidently errors. The statement has been made that the Urim and Thummim was on the altar in the Manti Temple when that building was dedicated. The Urim and Thummim so spoken of, however, was the seer stone which was in the possession of the Prophet Joseph Smith in early days. This seer stone is now in the possession of the Church.
While the statement has been made by some writers that the Prophet Joseph Smith used a seer stone part of the time in his translating of the record, and information points to the fact that he did have in his possession such a stone, yet there is no authentic statement in the history of the Church which states that the use of such a stone was made in that translation. The information is all hearsay, and personally, I do not believe that this stone was used for this purpose. The reason I give for this conclusion is found in the statement of the Lord to the Brother of Jared as recorded in Ether 3:22-24.
These stones, the Urim and Thummim which were given to the Brother of Jared, were preserved for this very purpose of translating the record, both of the Jaredites and the Nephites. Then again the Prophet was impressed by Moroni with the fact that these stones were given for that very purpose. It hardly seems reasonable to suppose that the Prophet would substitute something evidently inferior under these circumstances. It may have been so, but it is so easy for a story of this kind to be circulated due to the fact that the Prophet did possess a seer stone, which he may have used for some other purposes.
Doctrines of Salvation by Joseph Fielding Smith, 1954
https://josephsmithfoundation.org/doctrines-of-salvation/

Francis W. Kirkham

Other church leaders and historians would publish statements in books that supported the church’s position that Joseph was not involved in treasure digging. They not only denied it but stated that if he was a treasure digger, then the church couldn’t have been restored and Joseph’s followers must “deny his claimed divine guidance”.

“A careful study of all facts regarding this alleged confession of Joseph Smith in a court of law that he had used a seer stone to find hidden treasure for purposes of fraud, must come to the conclusion that no such record was ever made, and therefore, is not in existence... If any evidence had been in existence that Joseph Smith had used a seer stone for fraud and deception, and especially had he made this confession in a court of law as early as 1826, or four years before the Book of Mormon was printed, and this confession was in a court record, it would have been impossible for him to have organized the restored Church.” - Francis W. Kirkham, LDS Historian
A New Witness For Christ in America (1942), Pages 385-387 | wasmormon.org — “A careful study of all facts regarding this alleged confession of Joseph Smith in a court of law that he had used a seer stone to find hidden treasure for purposes of fraud, must come to the conclusion that no such record was ever made, and therefore, is not in existence… If any evidence had been in existence that Joseph Smith had used a seer stone for fraud and deception, and especially had he made this confession in a court of law as early as 1826, or four years before the Book of Mormon was printed, and this confession was in a court record, it would have been impossible for him to have organized the restored Church.” – Francis W. Kirkham, LDS Historian | A New Witness For Christ in America (1942), Pages 385-387

A careful study of all facts regarding this alleged confession of Joseph Smith in a court of law that he had used a seer stone to find hidden treasure for purposes of fraud, must come to the conclusion that no such record was ever made, and therefore, is not in existence…
If any evidence had been in existence that Joseph Smith had used a seer stone for fraud and deception, and especially had he made this confession in a court of law as early as 1826, or four years before the Book of Mormon was printed, and this confession was in a court record, it would have been impossible for him to have organized the restored Church.
Francis W. Kirkham, A New Witness For Christ In America, vol. 1, pp. 385-87
https://archive.org/details/witnessforchrist0000fran/page/386/mode/2up

“If a court record could be identified, and if it contained a confession by Joseph Smith which revealed him to be a poor, ignorant, deluded, and superstitious person, then it follows that his believers must deny his claimed divine guidance which led them to follow him... How could he be a prophet of God, the leader of the Restored Church, if he had been the superstitious fraud which 'the pages from a book' declared he confessed to be?” - Francis W. Kirkham, LDS Historian
A New Witness For Christ in America (1942), Pages 486-487 | wasmormon.org — “If a court record could be identified, and if it contained a confession by Joseph Smith which revealed him to be a poor, ignorant, deluded, and superstitious person, then it follows that his believers must deny his claimed divine guidance which led them to follow him… How could he be a prophet of God, the leader of the Restored Church, if he had been the superstitious fraud which ‘the pages from a book’ declared he confessed to be?” – Francis W. Kirkham, LDS Historian | A New Witness For Christ in America (1942), Pages 486-487

If a court record could be identified, and if it contained a confession by Joseph Smith which revealed him to be a poor, ignorant, deluded, and superstitious person—unable himself to write a book of any consequence, and whose church could not endure because it attracted only similar persons of low mentality—if such a court record confession could be identified and proved, then it follows that his believers must deny his claimed divine guidance which led them to follow him.
Why was this marvelous opportunity disregarded? Why was not the ignorance, the superstition, and the fraud of Joseph Smith and his early followers disclosed forever by his confessed statements in a court record?
The life activities of Joseph Smith were known to hundreds of persons in his early life, and by thousands and tens of thousands within five to ten years of the time of this alleged confession. How could he be a prophet of God, the leader of the Restored Church to these tens of thousands, if he had been the superstitious fraud which ‘the pages from a book’ declared he confessed to be?
His own record of his activities and the record of many persons who knew his early life–give an opposite account of his activities in Chenango County. Here he worked as a common laborer for Josiah Stowell. For a short time only, he assisted in excavating a mine.
Francis W. Kirkham, A New Witness For Christ In America, vol. 1, pp. 486-87
https://archive.org/details/witnessforchrist0000fran/page/486/mode/2up

Hugh Nibley

In Hugh Nibley’s Myth Makers book, he dramatizes a courtroom where common anti-Mormon arguments are on trial. Nibley represents “The Chairman” acting as judge to rip apart these fake arguments. He carries on in the book as if it were a transcript, but the whole thing is written by him, since the “witnesses” he mentions are long dead in the 1960s. We can infer his position from statements of The Chairman in this book, however. He states that Joseph was not a treasure digger, and that if he was it would be “the most damning evidence in existence against Joseph Smith” and “the most devastating blow to Smith ever delivered.” This book was written before the court records in question were found and it was proven true that Joseph was convicted of “glass-looking” and treasure digging for Josiah Stowell. The court case was rumored from an Anglican Bishop Tuttle, who heard of it from a housemaid, Miss Pearsall.

“if this court record is authentic it is the most damning evidence in existence against Joseph Smith... Now bear in mind that the is the key witness to the existence of the Bainbridge court record, and that that record is the most devastating blow to Smith ever delivered” - Hugh Nibley, LDS Historian
The Myth Makers (1961) Page 142 | wasmormon.org — “if this court record is authentic it is the most damning evidence in existence against Joseph Smith… Now bear in mind that the is the key witness to the existence of the Bainbridge court record, and that that record is the most devastating blow to Smith ever delivered” – Hugh Nibley, LDS Historian | The Myth Makers (1961) Page 142

Chariman: The authenticity of the record still rests entirely on the confidential testimony of Miss Pearsall to the Bishop. And who was Miss Pearsall? A zealous old main, apparently “A woman helper in our mission,” who lived right in the Tuttle home and would do anything to assist her superior. The picture I get is that of a gossipy old house-keeper. Now, Bishop Tuttle, if this court record is authentic it is the most damning evidence in existence against Joseph Smith… Now bear in mind that the is the key witness to the existence of the Bainbridge court record, and that that record is the most devastating blow to Smith ever delivered, yet in the final summary of his life’s experiences he never mentions the story of the cour record… In the end, we have only Miss Pearsall’s word, through Tuttle, that that document, the court record, ever existed, while the pages supposedly torn from it disappeared promptly after their publication in Utah, though completely in possession and control of the non-Mormons. No wonder Bishop Tuttle thought twice and dropped the whole business.
Hugh Nibley, The Myth Makers, 1961. Page 142.
https://archive.org/details/mythmakers00nibl/page/142/mode/2up

Ironically, Nibly spins myths about those who spoke against Joseph Smith in this Myth Makers book. He does state that if the court record, which was when Joseph was on trial for his treasure digging with Josiah Stowell, exists then it is a devastating blow and damning evidence of Joseph Smith. Later this record is found and Joseph was in fact on trial for glass looking. Even the church has admitted to the fact that Joseph was involved in treasure digging and was convicted of conceit. So what should we think of Kirkham’s and Nibley’s conclusions?

Joseph Smith conducted at least 18 treasure digs between 1822-1827, and in 1826 was put on trial for his treasure digs funded by Josiah Stowell. This case was brought by Stowell’s nephew, Peter Bridgeman, after watching Joseph Smith’s methods in being the “seer” of the money digging party… This trial record is important for many reasons, but illustrates that not only was Joseph Smith charging these men to look for treasures that he would never find, but that he was able to get these people to believe he had a divine power, just as we would see with the Book of Mormon and the creation of the church as a whole…
Apologists have since claimed that Nibley’s statement wasn’t about the trial itself as Nibley seems to make clear in his quite, but that a guilty verdict would be the “most damning evidence in existence against Joseph Smith.” This, however, is still a problem for Hugh Nibley as a docket entry in 1826 outlines the case against Joseph Smith and ends with the following statement: “And therefore the court find the defendant guilty.” You can read this on the Joseph Smith Papers, and can see that not only did the trial happen, but that a guilty verdict handed down…
After this trial it appears that Joseph Smith stopped the treasure digs almost entirely, with just a few possible digs occurring afterwards. This makes sense given that Joseph Smith now understood the trouble this illegal practice could get him in, and his own father told him at the 1826 trial that “both he and his son were mortified that this wonderful power which God had so miraculously given him should be used only in search of filthy lucre… he said his constant prayer to his Heavenly Father was to manifest His will concerning this marvelous power. He trusted that the Son of Righteousness would someday illumine the heart of the boy, and enable him to see His will concerning him.”
https://www.ldsdiscussions.com/treasure-digging

Admitting Joseph Involved in Treasure Digging

Renowned LDS Historian, Richard Bushman concedes that Joseph Smith (and family) were looking for treasure. He has also said that the current narrative of church history is not true or sustainable. He argues that this was “part of a culture found virtually everywhere,” “something like reading astrological charts today—a little goofy but harmless,” “too commonplace to be scandalous,” “too common in the nineteenth century for it to invalidate Joseph Smith,” because, he states “folk traditions and religion blend.”

“The treasure-seeking stories of Joseph Smith’s youth have done more than cast a shadow on his character. They supply a secular explanation for his extraordinary religious claims... The response of Mormon historians in the 1970s was to deny almost everything... Not only the Smiths but also many of their neighbors were looking for treasure in Palmyra in the 1820s. It may not have been the most uplifting activity, and some scoffed, but it was something like reading astrological charts today—a little goofy but harmless. The only harm came when someone tried to deceive others to get gain. That was why Joseph Smith was put on trial.” - Richard Bushman, LDS Historian | wasmormon.org — “The treasure-seeking stories of Joseph Smith’s youth have done more than cast a shadow on his character. They supply a secular explanation for his extraordinary religious claims… The response of Mormon historians in the 1970s was to deny almost everything… Not only the Smiths but also many of their neighbors were looking for treasure in Palmyra in the 1820s. It may not have been the most uplifting activity, and some scoffed, but it was something like reading astrological charts today—a little goofy but harmless. The only harm came when someone tried to deceive others to get gain. That was why Joseph Smith was put on trial.” – Richard Bushman, LDS Historian

The treasure-seeking stories of Joseph Smith’s youth have done more than cast a shadow on his character. They supply a secular explanation for his extraordinary religious claims. As early as 1831, the Palmyra newspaper editor Abner Cole speculated that the guardian spirits of Joseph’s treasure seeking had transmuted in his imagination into the angel Moroni and that the buried treasure was transformed into the gold plates. Joseph changed his treasure quest into a religious mission for a single purpose; both pursuits were forms of his effort to gain financial security for his impoverished family. When treasure seeking failed him, he tried religion. …
The response of Mormon historians in the 1970s was to deny almost everything. Beyond the Josiah Stowell incident, they argued, all the money-digging stories were fabrications of Joseph Smith’s enemies…
Not only the Smiths but also many of their neighbors were looking for treasure in Palmyra in the 1820s. They were ashamed enough to try to cover it up, and the enlightened elements in the village scoffed at these folk traditions, but there was substantial evidence that in the farmhouses people were wondering how to invoke magical forces to lead them to treasure. The Smiths may have been subscribing to folk religion, but in this they were part of a culture found virtually everywhere among Yankees of their generation. It may not have been the most uplifting activity, and some scoffed, but it was something like reading astrological charts today—a little goofy but harmless. The only harm came when someone tried to deceive others to get gain. That was why Joseph Smith was put on trial. Was he trying to hoodwink the Stowells? When Josiah Stowell said he believed in Joseph, the sting was removed.
Scholars still argue whether Joseph Smith was convicted of glass looking in 1826, but the point is moot. Church scholars now acknowledge that he had a seer stone and did look for lost objects as a young man… It was too commonplace to be scandalous. Magic and Christianity did not seem at odds with one another. The combination was altogether too common in the nineteenth century for it to invalidate Joseph Smith’s more conventional religious claims. In Mormonism and for many Christians, folk traditions and religion blend. To call the two incongruous seems more like a matter of religious taste than a necessary conclusion.
No one denies that magic was there, especially in the mid-1820s. Smith never repudiated folk traditions; he continued to use the seer stone until late in life and used it in the translation process. It certainly had an influence on his outlook, but it was peripheral—not central…
I occasionally hear of people who are still offended by a prophet who dealt in treasure seeking, but very few… Even highly orthodox Latter-day Saints are not offended by treasure seeking and seer stones.
Richard Lyman Bushman, Joseph Smith and Money Digging
https://rsc.byu.edu/sites/default/files/pub_content/pdf/Joseph_Smith_and_Money_Digging.pdf

“Scholars still argue whether Joseph Smith was convicted of glass looking in 1826, but the point is moot. Church scholars now acknowledge that he had a seer stone and did look for lost objects as a young man... No one denies that magic was there, especially in the mid-1820s. Smith never repudiated folk traditions; he continued to use the seer stone until late in life and used it in the translation process.” - Richard Bushman, LDS Historian | wasmormon.org — “Scholars still argue whether Joseph Smith was convicted of glass looking in 1826, but the point is moot. Church scholars now acknowledge that he had a seer stone and did look for lost objects as a young man… No one denies that magic was there, especially in the mid-1820s. Smith never repudiated folk traditions; he continued to use the seer stone until late in life and used it in the translation process.” – Richard Bushman, LDS Historian

Informed people do not dispute the fact that Joseph Smith searched for buried treasure. The disagreement is about what it means.
Steven C. Harper, Was Joseph Smith a Money Digger? BYU Studies, Vol. 62, No. 4 (2023)
https://archive.bookofmormoncentral.org/sites/default/files/archive-files/pdf/harper/2024-04-17/byus_62.4_steven_c._harper_was_joseph_smith_a_money_digger_2023_37-55.pdf

As a young man during the 1820s, Joseph Smith, like others in his day, used a seer stone to look for lost objects and buried treasure.* As Joseph grew to understand his prophetic calling, he learned that he could use this stone for the higher purpose of translating scripture.*
Footnote 1: According to Martin Harris, an angel commanded Joseph Smith to stop these activities, which he did by 1826. (See Bushman, Joseph Smith and the Beginnings of Mormonism, 64–76; and Richard Lloyd Anderson, “The Mature Joseph Smith and Treasure Searching,” BYU Studies 24, no. 4 [Fall 1984]: 489–560.) Joseph did not hide his well-known early involvement in treasure seeking. In 1838, he published responses to questions frequently asked of him. “Was not Jo Smith a money digger,” one question read. “Yes,” Joseph answered, “but it was never a very profitable job to him, as he only got fourteen dollars a month for it.” (Selections from Elders’ Journal, July 1838, 43, available at josephsmithpapers.org.) For the broader cultural context, see Alan Taylor, “The Early Republic’s Supernatural Economy: Treasure Seeking in the American Northeast, 1780–1830,” American Quarterly
38, no. 1 (Spring 1986): 6–33.
Footnote 2: Mark Ashurst-McGee, “A Pathway to Prophethood: Joseph Smith Junior as Rodsman, Village Seer, and Judeo-Christian Prophet” (Master’s Thesis, Utah State University, 2000).
Gospel Topics Essays: Book of Mormon Translation, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics-essays/book-of-mormon-translation?lang=eng