Query: Alva Hale as a Book of Mormon Scribe

[DonBradley]

Fellow MAD Men (and Women),

I am completing the endnotes for an article on the translation of the Book of Mormon and am having trouble locating one of my sources on who served as scribes for the Book of Mormon.

I can locate sources documenting the following scribes:

Emma

Martin Harris

Reuben Hale

Samuel Harrison Smith

Oliver Cowdery

John Whitmer

Christian Whitmer

Emma Hale was asked by Joseph Smith III, in her 1879 interview, whether Alva Hale had served as a scribe, showing that JS III understood he had been. Emma said she did not recall him having done so.

However, I have seen at least one reliable 19th century source reporting that Alva Hale did act as a scribe. (In fact, I believe it was Joseph himself who said Alva had served as a scribe, though I may be mistaken on that point.)

Does anyone have a line on this source or sources? Anything along these lines would be very helpful in bolstering that part of the paper. Alva Hale has not generally been acknowledged as a scribe, and being able to show that he was would be a contribution to the history of coming forth of the Book of Mormon.

Don

[J Green]

Don,

Only thing I've seen is an article published in the Daily Missouri Republican (Jul, 1884) referencing an interview with David Whitmer:

The latest edition of the Book of Mormon has been verified the same as was done with the Bible, for convenience to the reader. The manuscript was written from the dictation of Joseph Smith by the following amanuenses: Oliver Cowdery, Emma Smith, wife of Joseph Smith; Christian Whitmer and Martin Harris, and it is supposed that Alva Hale was also employed as one of the scribes, but Hale only wrote a small portion.

As Alva moved Joseph and Emma back to Harmony and lived down the road himself, he would have likely helped move them into the Jesse Hale cabin and been around quite a bit. It's certainly within the realm of possibility.

[noel00]

ALVA HALE, son of Isaac Hale, states, that Joseph Smith Jr. told him that his (Smith's) gift in seeing with a stone and hat, was a gift from God," but also states "that Smith told him at another time that this "peeping" was all d---d nonsense. He (Smith) was deceived himself but did not intend to deceive others; --that he intended to quit the business, (of peeping) and labor for his livelihood." That afterwards, Smith told him, he should see the Plates from which he translated the book of Mormon," and accordingly at the time specified by Smith, he (Hale) "called to see the plates, but Smith did not show them, but appeared angry." He further states, that he knows Joseph Smith Jr. to be an impostor, and a liar, and knows Martin Harris to be a liar likewise.

http://solomonspalding.com/docs/1834howf.htm

Is this the same man?

[J Green]

Is this the same man?

Yes.

[DonBradley]

Don,

Only thing I've seen is an article published in the Daily Missouri Republican (Jul, 1884) referencing an interview with David Whitmer:

The latest edition of the Book of Mormon has been verified the same as was done with the Bible, for convenience to the reader. The manuscript was written from the dictation of Joseph Smith by the following amanuenses: Oliver Cowdery, Emma Smith, wife of Joseph Smith; Christian Whitmer and Martin Harris, and it is supposed that Alva Hale was also employed as one of the scribes, but Hale only wrote a small portion.

As Alva moved Joseph and Emma back to Harmony and lived down the road himself, he would have likely helped move them into the Jesse Hale cabin and been around quite a bit. It's certainly within the realm of possibility.

J,

Perfect! I don't think it's the source I've seen before, but it works just great for what I need now. And when I do eventually find the other source I'm half remembering, then I'll have two to document this. 8-)

Thanks!

Don

[J Green]

J,

Perfect! I don't think it's the source I've seen before, but it works just great for what I need now. And when I do eventually find the other source I'm half remembering, then I'll have two to document this. 8-)

Thanks!

Don

Good luck with your paper, Don. And please share the other source if you remember it--I love BoM translation studies almost as much as Elizabeth Bennet likes walking.

Regards