Get to Know Joseph Smith Part 9: Transporting the Plates to Pennsylvania

Once it was known that Joseph Smith had the plates, the persecution became unbearable.  Joseph and Emma determined to leave Manchester and move to Susquehanna county in Pennsylvania.  Joseph and Emma were very poor and couldn’t afford to make the move.  Fortunately, they were rescued by a fifty dollar gift from a farmer by the name of Martin Harris.

Traveling would prove to be a problem for Joseph and his wife.  Though people claimed to not believe that Joseph had the gold plates, they were certainly anxious to get their hands on them.  Joseph put the plates in a wood box then put it into the bottom of a cask which he filled with beans.  A mob of fifty men gathered together determined to take the plates.  When the mob approached Dr. McIntyre to be their leader, he called them a pack of devilish fools and told them to go home.  The mob fell apart after quarreling about who would then become their leader.

Joseph would experience other difficulties during his trip.  Joseph was stopped by an officer who presented Joseph with a search warrant.  The officer thought he could get the plates, but went away disappointed when his search came up empty.

It would be a pleasant ride in the countryside for Joseph and Emma if they were able to make it to Pennsylvania without being accosted but that was not to be.  Joseph was stopped a third time by another officer who meticulously ransacked the Smiths’ wagon and wasn’t able to find the plates.

After those attempts to steal the plates the Smiths arrived in Pennsylvania and Joseph quickly began the translation of the plates.

Continue reading in Part 10

Image Credit: Dallas Golden