Despite prevailing beliefs about Mormonism's first family, the Smiths were not a record-keeping people. That is not to say that they weren't literate or did not keep some records. Instead, the Joseph, Sr. and Lucy Mack Smith family did not create records with long-term goals in mind. When they first offered support to their son and brother, Joseph Smith, Jr., the family did so outside any habit of writing their thoughts and feelings down. When Smith first experienced visions and told tales of ancient people, he did so without any thought of documenting those experiences. As his inner circle grew, individuals with a record-keeping inclination, such as Oliver Cowdery, began to join Smith's ranks. When the Peter, Sr. and Mary Musselman Whitmer family joined Smith's ranks of believers, they, like the Smiths, were not prone to create records. But they became acquainted with Smith at a time when the logistics...

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