Joseph Smith
BYU historian explains why Missouri tried to 'drive out the Mormons'
Hello Saints' video features BYU Professor Casey Griffiths walking a pastor through the history behind Missouri's 1838 extermination order and the violent conflict between early Latter-day Saints and local settlers. The video has drawn 24,447 views in 43 hours.
September 29, 2026 at 8:03 AM MT · via YouTube / Hello Saints
Historian examines 1946 allegations that ended Mormon patriarch's ministry
Historian Benjamin Park's lecture examines why Joseph F. Smith III was released as patriarch to the LDS Church in 1946, publicly citing ill health, and why he moved to Hawaii soon afterward. The video, which has drawn over 14,000 views in 19 hours, traces Smith's family background, his appointment to the hereditary church office, and the allegations that led to the announcement.
September 29, 2026 at 3:02 AM MT · via YouTube / Benjamin Park, Historian
Podcast examines 1866 Salt Lake City murders and racial terror
Sunstone's podcast examines two unsolved 1866 murders in Salt Lake City involving a Black Mormon born into slavery and a doctor who challenged Brigham Young's authority. The episode explores themes of blood atonement, racial violence, and vigilante justice in territorial Utah, including a mutilated body left on Arsenal Hill with a warning pinned to its chest. The story connects early Church history with questions of violence and power in pioneer-era Utah.
September 28, 2026 at 3:02 PM MT · via Sunstone
Historian documents Mormon temple built in Texas under Lyman Wight's leadership
Community of Christ historian John Hamer discusses a largely forgotten chapter of Mormon history: the temple built by Lyman Wight's group in Texas after they split from Brigham Young's migration to Utah.
September 27, 2026 at 10:02 PM MT · via YouTube / Gospel Tangents
Which Porter Rockwell stories are actually true?
Church History Matters Podcast examines which legendary stories about Orrin Porter Rockwell—Joseph Smith's bodyguard and enforcer—are historically supported and which are myth. The September 22 video covers accusations around the Boggs assassination attempt, the "modern-day Samson" blessing, Rockwell's relationship with Joseph Smith, events at Carthage Jail, and Rockwell's life after the martyrdom.
September 23, 2026 at 3:15 AM MT · via YouTube / Church History Matters Podcast
George A. Smith: the larger-than-life apostle St. George was named for
St. George, Utah, is named not for George Washington or LDS President George Albert Smith, but for an earlier George Albert Smith — a colorful apostle who never actually lived in the southern Utah city. The Salt Lake Tribune profiles the 19th-century church leader whose name was given to the settlement.
September 22, 2026 at 7:03 AM MT · via The Salt Lake Tribune · 2 sources
Historians debunk Carthage Jail conspiracy theories at FAIR Conference
Brian Stutzman and Dan Peterson discussed Joseph Smith's 1844 death at Carthage Jail and addressed conspiracy theories about the martyrdom in a backstage conversation at the FAIR Conference, published by FAIR.
September 21, 2026 at 3:02 PM MT · via FAIR · 2 sources
Historian traces Joseph Smith's temple concept from Bible to Independence
Historian John Hamer, in a conversation published by Gospel Tangents and discussed on Wheat and Tares, explores the origins of Joseph Smith's temple concept. Hamer's analysis traces influences from biblical sources to a domed assembly hall planned for Independence, Missouri, and includes discussion of a temple called for by revelation but never constructed.
September 21, 2026 at 3:02 PM MT · via Wheat and Tares · 2 sources
Documentary claims to identify Joseph Smith in newly discovered daguerreotype
A new documentary claims to have identified Joseph Smith in a previously unknown daguerreotype photograph, which would be the first authenticated photographic image of the Latter-day Saint founder. Smith died in 1844, during the early years of photography, and no confirmed photograph of him has ever been found—leaving artists' renderings as the only visual representations. The documentary presents forensic analysis and historical evidence supporting the identification, though the claim has not yet been independently verified by Mormon history scholars. If authenticated, the image would be among the most significant artifacts in Latter-day Saint history.
September 19, 2026 at 6:03 PM MT · via YouTube · 6 sources
Historian: Joseph Smith may have found objects beyond gold plates
Historian Don Bradley argues in a YouTube interview that Joseph Smith may have found objects beyond the gold plates traditionally described in Latter-day Saint history. Bradley examines the artifacts associated with the Book of Mormon's coming forth and suggests the historical record has been misunderstood.
September 18, 2026 at 5:03 PM MT · via YouTube / Let's Get Real with Stephen Jones · 3 sources
Historian examines disputed evidence of Joseph Smith's relationship with Fanny Alger
Historian Benjamin Park examines the surviving historical evidence about Joseph Smith's relationship with Fanny Alger in a new YouTube video, questioning whether it constituted plural marriage, an affair, or something less certain. The 1,707-view video uploaded today represents a deep dive into one of early Mormon history's most disputed episodes.
September 18, 2026 at 1:03 PM MT · via YouTube / Benjamin Park, Historian · 4 sources
Joseph Smith's personal vs. theological motives for polygamy debated in new video
A YouTube video from Analyzing Mormonism argues that Joseph Smith may have claimed polygamy was being restored for theological reasons while living it for personal ones. The 3,572-view video responds to commentary from another creator, focusing on Smith's marriages to women who were already married to other men.
September 18, 2026 at 1:03 PM MT · via YouTube / Analyzing Mormonism · 3 sources