Chapter V.
What Did Joseph Smith Do Between the Revelations and Founding the Church?

The years 1823–1830:
Seven wild years when Joseph Smith—before he was an official “prophet”—lived on the edge of magic, religion, and hustling to get by.

1. Treasure Hunting

Before he started “translating” the golden plates, Joseph and his family were known as… treasure hunters.
He used the same “seer stone” to “sniff out” buried pots of gold and valuables in the local woods and fields.
He was even charged with fraud (“glass looking”—the 1826 court case, with paperwork that still survives).

2. Odd Jobs and Couch Surfing

The Smiths were poor, moving from place to place.
Seasonal work, debt, constant relocations, living in poverty and always on society’s margins.

3. Meeting Emma Hale

During this time Joseph meets and marries Emma Hale (1827). Emma was his wife for life, always at his side during the big stuff.

4. More Revelations

Moroni supposedly kept popping in over those years—coaching Joseph, telling him when he’d finally be ready for the plates (which happened in 1827).
Smith claimed he had to “purify himself,” grow up spiritually and morally, because “angelic artifacts aren’t for just anyone.”

5. Translating the Book of Mormon

The real “translation sprint” kicked off from 1827–1829.
He worked with Oliver Cowdery, Martin Harris, Emma, and other “scribes.”
By 1830, the Book of Mormon was published—funded by cash Martin Harris got by mortgaging his farm.

6. Figuring Out What’s Next

He tested how neighbors reacted to his stories.
Started collecting his first followers—but made a lot of enemies too.
Always under suspicion of being a con artist—and already had a rep as the “magic man” from New York.

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The Official Founding of the Church

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints was founded with the kind of flair you’d expect from a startup or a secret lodge.

Date: April 6, 1830

Tiny town: Fayette, New York.
Smith assembled the “founders”—himself, some family, and a few buddies (Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer, Martin Harris, Samuel Smith, and others).
Founding member count: 6.
(State law in New York required at least six to register a religious group.)

They held a meeting, read the “revelation” founding the Church.
Baptized new members (yep, they baptized each other!).
Filed the first official paperwork, named Smith “Prophet, Seer, and Teacher.”

Why New York?

Because that’s where Smith kicked off his revelation business, and that’s where the first converts were.
It was a land full of new religions, revivals, heresies, cults, and hustlers—the legendary “Burned-Over District” of America.

What Next?

They moved fast:
– From New York to Ohio (Kirtland),
– Then to Missouri,
– Next to Illinois (Nauvoo),
– After Smith’s death, the whole crew headed to Utah under Brigham Young.

The Church Name Game:

First: Church of Christ
Then: The Church of the Latter Day Saints
Finally (since 1838): The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
(Because every American sect ends up as a corporation—with at least two rebrands.)

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