The Joseph and Emma Smith Home in Harmony, Pennsylvania, was a place of revelation. Here Joseph continued to translate the Book of Mormon by the power of God, assisted by scribes like
Emma, her brother Reuben,
Martin Harris, and
Oliver Cowdery.After moving to this home in December 1827, just two months after receiving the gold plates, Joseph and Emma briefly lived with Emma’s parents before moving onto this 13.5-acre farm in January or early February of 1828. Joseph and Emma later purchased the home from Emma’s father and brother. The narrow piece of property extended from the Susquehanna River to the foothills of Oquago Mountain. It included a barn and a house that Emma’s brother Jesse had built. The Joseph and Emma Smith Home is a reconstructed home built in the original location.
After arriving in Harmony, Joseph made some progress on the translation of the gold plates for about four months. Emma served as his first scribe before receiving help from her brother Reuben Hale and later, from Martin Harris.
In early June 1828, Martin Harris begged Joseph Smith to take the manuscript to Palmyra to share with his wife, Lucy Harris, and other family members who were upset about Martin’s support of Joseph. After three attempts to obtain the Lord’s permission to take the manuscript, the Lord finally relented and Martin left Harmony with the manuscript on June 14, 1828. The next day, Emma gave birth to her first child, a son who lived only a few hours. After burying the child in the nearby
McKune Cemetery, Joseph took care of his wife who was ailing from a difficult labor and deeply mourning the loss of her child. After nearly two weeks, as she began to regain her strength, Emma noted the worry Joseph was feeling about the manuscript. They had not heard from Martin, and she could see that the anxiety was beginning to weigh heavy on her husband.
“I feel so uneasy,” she told Joseph one day, “and shall not be able to rest with ease until I know something about what Mr. Harris is doing.” After some additional encouragement, Joseph took the stagecoach from Harmony to Manchester, where he learned that Martin had lost the manuscript. “All is lost,” Joseph despaired. “I have lost my soul.” Joseph left the same day to return to Harmony to share the devastating news with Emma. Soon after he arrived back in Harmony, Moroni appeared again and took the plates and the interpreters telling Joseph that if he was “sufficiently humble” they would be returned in September. After a period of repentance, Joseph Smith received a revelation—now
Doctrine and Covenants 3—in which the Lord declared that His purposes “cannot be frustrated” and telling Joseph that he should not have “feared man more than God” (Doctrine and Covenants 3:1, 7). The Lord also declared that Joseph was “again called to the work.” The plates were returned, and, with Emma serving again as his scribe, Joseph began making halting efforts to translate.
On April 5, 1829, Oliver Cowdery, a schoolteacher who had boarded with Joseph Sr. and Lucy Smith in Manchester, arrived in Harmony. After learning of Joseph Jr.’s revelations, Oliver studied and prayed to know if they were from God. After becoming convinced that they were of God, he was also convinced that there was a role for him to play in assisting Joseph. Two days after first meeting Joseph Smith, Oliver began working as his scribe. Together, Joseph and Oliver translated the Book of Mormon in just over three months, during which time they also received the Aaronic and Melchizedek Priesthoods, arranged for the publication of the Book of Mormon, and prepared to organize the Church of Jesus Christ.
Read more about the events that happened at the Joseph and Emma Smith Home in
Saints Volume 1, Chapter 5.What to Expect
The Joseph and Emma Smith Home is part of the guided tour available at the Priesthood Restoration Site. The tour should last around 30 minutes and will take you through two main rooms in the home. Tours begin at the
Visitors’ Center.
360° Walkthrough