Founders
In the summer of 1836, against a backdrop of economic instability and fervent religious revival, Joseph Smith, accompanied by his brother Hyrum, Oliver Cowdery, and Sidney Rigdon, set forth on a journey that would forever connect them to the notorious witch trials that took place centuries earlier in Salem, Massachusetts. This episode brings you the story of seer stones, witch trials, and the life of Joseph Smith.
Researched, written, and produced by Corinne Wieben with original music by Purple Planet.
Music
Purple Planet - Ossuary
Purple Planet - Alone
Purple Planet - Red Mist
Purple Planet - Redemption
Purple Planet - Sense of Loss
Purple Planet - Shadowlands
Sources
Primary
Cowdery, Oliver. “Prospectus.” Latter Day Saints’ Messenger and Advocate. October 1836.
Robinson, Ebenezer. “Items of Personal History of the Editor. Including Some Items of Church History Not Generally Known,” The Return 1, no. 7 (1889): 105.
Smith, Joseph. “To Emma Smith, August 19, 1836.” In The Personal Writings of Joseph Smith, compiled and edited by Dean C. Jessee, 349–50. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1984.
Secondary
Davis, William L. Joseph Smith and the Making of the Book of Mormon. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2020.
Eliason, Eric A. “Seer Stones, Salamanders, and Early Mormon ‘Folk Magic’ in the Light of Folklore Studies and Bible Scholarship.” BYU Studies Quarterly 55, no. 1 (2016): 73–93.
Ostler, Craig J. “Treasures, Witches, and Ancient Inhabitants (D&C 111).” In You Shall Have My Word: Exploring the Text of the Doctrine and Covenants, edited by Scott C. Esplin, Richard O. Cowan, and Rachel Cope, 220-33. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2012.
Quinn, D. Michael. Early Mormonism and the Magic World View. Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 1987.
Seariac, Hannah. “What Joseph Smith and others had to say about the Salem witch trials.” Deseret News. Sept. 8, 2022.
