Treasure digging is widely attested about Joseph Smith which gives us some background behind the golden plates thing.
Joseph Smith lived in a time where some people believed and participated in what is sometimes called a magical worldview or ‘folk magic.’ Visions were common, revivals were sweeping the area in the mid 1820s, and some people even believed they could see buried treasure by divine means. This was especially common in the New England area, where Joseph Smith and the foundational families of Mormonism lived.
As Eric A. Eliason explains:
“In frontier America, seer stones or “peep stones” were commonly used by lost object finders, people engaged in the widespread practice of lost treasure digging, and sometimes by people seeking to uncover the kind of truths we might call a private or police detective for today. It is unclear how much of this kind of activity Joseph Smith was involved in, except for water divining and treasure digging, which are widely attested.” (BYU Studies Quarterly, Vol.55, No.1, 2016)
Treasure seekers would claim to see lost objects or buried treasure by using various means, including putting a ‘peep stone’ in a hat, blocking out all light around their faces, and using magic rituals to keep the treasure from ‘slipping’ deeper into the earth. Other treasure seekers, such as Joseph Smith’s key scribe in the Book of Mormon translation Oliver Cowdery, used objects such as “divining rods” to locate objects below the ground such as water, buried metals, or gems in what was sometimes described as “water witching” or “dowsing.”
These kinds of magical objects and ideas are embedded in literature whether it’s the magic mirror in Snow White or the palantír in the Lord of the Rings . In fact, this description of the palantír is pretty striking to what we will see with Joseph Smith and his worldview: “A major theme of palantír usage is that while the stones show real objects or events, those using the stones had to “possess great strength of will and of mind” to direct the stone’s gaze to its full capability.” (Tolkien, J.R.R., The Silmarillion, p. 302)
Ronald W. Walker, the Director of Center for Western Studies at BYU and president of the Mormon History Association, explains treasure digging in more detail:
“From Colonial times to at least the age of Jackson [1776-1837] Americans dug for magical treasure. There were hundreds and probably thousands of these money-diggers all seeking troves of fabled coins, mines, jewels and other valued prizes… The money-diggers placed faith in conjuring elemental spirits, thrice spoken dreams, seeric gifts, and enchanted treasure.
“A second treasure-finding device used by adepts was the “peep” or “seer” stone, whose acclaimed gifts excelled even those of the divining rod. Such stones seemed to be everywhere and were of every possible description. Such stones seemed to be everywhere and were of every possible description. A Rochester, New York practitioner found his stone lying in a road. The “dazzling splendor” of this three or four inch piece of quartz caused him to fall down insensible. Joseph Smith’s various stones reportedly included a smooth grey egg-shaped rock found in a neighbor’s well, a second which he reportedly dug up near Lake Erie after espying it in his neighbor’s stone and still others collected from the Mississippi River sands near Nauvoo, Illinois.”
“While finding the right moment to dig was important, the need to circumvent the treasure’s guardian was crucial. Like its Old World antecedents, the American treasure keeper might be demonic or divine. Or it could be a cat, dog, snake or some other protecting animal. But generally, the American treasure guardian was a murdered youth or man whose body had been left with the buried valuables to ensure their protection. Guardian Indians were a frequent motif while a murdered pirate protected Captain Kidd’s troves.” (Ronald W. Walker – The Persisting Idea of American Treasure Hunting)
Magic Rituals and Animal Sacrifice in Treasure Digging
Hiel Lewis, a cousin of Joseph Smith’s first wife Emma Smith, spoke in 1879 of Joseph Smith sacrificing dogs during treasure digs:
“The facts are that the sacrifice of white dogs, black sluts, black cats, and such like was an indispensable part or appendage of the art which Smith, the embryo prophet, was then practicing. He claimed to possess the supernatural power of second sight, or to see things at a distance, and deep under ground, and his frequent references to “the enchantment,” proves that he was a conjurer, a sorcerer, which Webster defines an “an enchanter,” and sorcery as witchcraft, or intercourse with the devil….So we have no reason to doubt the truth of the statement about the white dog, and the black slut, and that something of the kind took place each time the enchantment removed the treasure. It is hard to believe that men of common intelligence could believe that Smith could thus see, and believe in his conjuration; be so foolish as to spend thousands of dollars in such a way; but Smith translated his book of Mormon, mostly with this same peep stone and hat….and it is just as hard to believe in this inspired translation as to believe in the fact and efficacy of his dog sacrifices….Smith translated the book of Mormon by means of the same peep stone, and under the same inspiration that directed his enchantments and dog sacrifices; it was all by the same spirit.” (Early Mormon Documents, Dan Vogel, 4:308-309)
Emily M. Austin, a convert to Mormonism in 1830, recalled Joseph Smith sacrificing a dog during a treasure dig on Joseph Knight’s farm:
“For in the time of their digging for money and not finding it attainable, Joe Smith told them there was a charm on the pots of money, and if some animal was killed and the blood sprinkled around the place, then they could get it. So they killed a dog and tried this method of obtaining the precious metal; but again money was scarce in those diggings. Still, they dug and dug, but never came to the precious treasure. Alas! how vivid was the expectation when the blood of poor Tray was used to take off the charm, and after all to find their mistake, that it did not speak better things than that of Abel. And now they were obliged to give up in despair, and Joseph went home again to his father’s, in Palmyra.” (Life Among the Mormons, Emily M Austin, 1882).
Justice Joel King Noble, who tried Smith in an 1830 trial in Colesville, N.Y., wrote the following in 1842:
“An [anecdote]: Jo. (Joseph Smith) and others were digging for a chest of money in night could not obtain it. They procured one thing and another together with [a] black bitch (dog). The bitch was offered a Sac[rifise], [blo]od Sprinkled, prayer made at the time (no money obtained). The above sworn to on trial.” (Letter of Justice Noble, dated March 8, 1842).”
D. Michael Quinn, who was excommunicated as part of the “September Six” for writing about Joseph Smith’s magical world view, wrote the following in his book Early Mormonism and the Magic World View:
“The official version of early Mormon history is often incomplete in its presentation of material facts and evaluation of evidence; therefore it is inaccurate in many respects. The Smith family’s folk beliefs, treasure digging ventures and their effect on Mormon revelation are perhaps the most troubling topics for Mormon apologists and polemics, who often deny legitimate sources while selectively embracing items which conveniently fit the official Mormon narrative meticulously polished over a span of two centuries.”
Joseph Smith’s Timeline as a Treasure Digger:
Dan Vogel, one of the most prominent scholars of Joseph Smith’s treasure digging, believes that Joseph Smith acquired his first peep/seer stone “probably in 1822 when he was sixteen years old.” (Vogel, Early Mormon Documents 1: 457.) Eventually Joseph Smith would obtain three peep/seer stones, and this would lead him to become “an aggressive, ambitious leader among Manchester’s treasure seekers.” (Dan Vogel, Joseph Smith: The Making of a Prophet, 35)
There are many sources that make clear Joseph Smith used these peep/seer stones in the exact same method that he would later claim to locate the Book of Mormon plates and translate the text of the Book of Mormon with, and here are a few accounts to give some examples:
Martin Harris, 1859: “There was a company there in that neighborhood, who were digging for money supposed to have been hidden by the ancients… They dug for money in Palmyra, Manchester, also in Pennsylvania, and other places. When Joseph found this stone, there was a company digging in Harmony, PA., and they took Joseph to look in the stone for them, and he did so for a while, and then he told them the enchantment was so strong that he could not see, and they gave it up.” (Joel Tiffany, “Interview with Martin Harris,” Tiffany’s Monthly, August 1859)
Joseph Capron, 1833 (Joseph Smith would conduct a dig on Joseph Capron’s farm in 1827): “I, Joseph Capron, became acquainted with Joseph Smith Sen. in the year of our Lord, 1827… The family of Smiths held Joseph Jr. in high estimation on account of some supernatural power, which he was supposed to possess. This power he pretended to have received through the medium of a stone of peculiar quality. The stone was placed in a hat, in such a manner as to exclude all light, except that which emanated from the stone itself. This light of the stone, he pretended, enabled him to see any thing he wished…. I will mention one circumstance, by which the uninitiated may know how the company dug for treasures. The sapient Joseph discovered, north west of my house, a chest of gold watches; but, as they were in the possession of the evil spirit, it required skill and stratagem to obtain them. Accordingly, orders were given to stick a parcel of large stakes in the ground, several rods around, in a circular form. This was to be done directly over the spot where the treasures were deposited. A messenger was then sent to Palmyra to procure a polished sword: after which, Samuel F. Lawrence, with a drawn sword in his hand, marched around to guard any assault which his Satanic majesty might be disposed to make. Meantime, the rest of the company were busily employed in digging for the watches. They worked as usual till quite exhausted. But, in spite of their brave defender, Lawrence, and their bulwark of stakes, the devil came off victorious, and carried away the watches.” (Mormonism Unveiled, E.D. Howe, pgs 258-260)
William Stafford, 1833 (Joseph Smith conducted digs on Joshua Stafford’s farm between 1822-1835): “I first became acquainted with Joseph, Sen., and his family in the year 1820. They lived, at that time, in Palmyra, about one mile and a half from my residence. A great part of their time was devoted to digging for money; especially in the night time, when they said the money could be most easily obtained. I have heard them tell marvellous tales, respecting the discoveries they had made in their peculiar occupation of money digging. They would say, for instance, that in such a place, in such a hill, on a certain man’s farm, there were deposited keys, barrels and hogsheads of coined silver and gold – bars of gold, golden images, brass kettles filled with gold and silver – gold candlesticks, swords, &c. &.c They would say, also, that nearly all the hills in this part of New York, were thrown up by human hands, and in them were large caves, which Joseph, Jr., could see, by placing a stone of singular appearance in his hat, in such a manner as to exclude all light; at which time they pretended he could see all things within and under the earth, – that he could see within the above mentioned caves, large gold bars and silver plates – that he could also discover the spirits in whose charge these treasures were, clothed in ancient dress.” (Mormonism Unveiled, E.D. Howe, pgs 237-239)
Even church historian Steven E. Snow notes that “By 1825, young Joseph had a reputation in Manchester and Palmyra for his activities as a treasure seer, or someone who used a seer stone to locate gold or other valuable objects buried in the earth.” (Steven E. Snow, “Joseph Smith in Harmony,” Ensign Magazine, September 2015)
