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Palmyra Township, New York

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Palmyra Township, New York

Summary

First permanent white settlers arrived, ca. 1789.

French, Gazetteer of the State of New York, 693.

French, J. H. Gazetteer of the State of New York: Embracing a Comprehensive View of the Geography, Geology, and General History of the State. . . . 8th ed. Syracuse, NY: R. Pearsall Smith, 1860.

Included village of Palmyra.

Cowles, Landmarks of Wayne County, New York, 179.

Comprehensive Works Cited

Cowles, George W., ed. Landmarks of Wayne County, New York. Syracuse, NY: D. Mason, 1895.

Erie Canal opened, 1825, in southern portion of township.

Cowles, Landmarks of Wayne County, New York, 166; Darby, Darby’s Universal Gazetteer, 593.

Comprehensive Works Cited

Cowles, George W., ed. Landmarks of Wayne County, New York. Syracuse, NY: D. Mason, 1895.

Darby, William. Darby’s Universal Gazetteer, or, a New Geographical Dictionary: Containing a Description of the Empires, Kingdoms, States, Provinces, Cities, Towns, Forts, Seas, Harbours, Rivers, Lakes, Mountains, Capes, &c. in the Known World. . . . Philadelphia: Bennett and Walton, 1827.

Population in 1810 about 2,200.

Cowles, Landmarks of Wayne County, New York, 179.

Comprehensive Works Cited

Cowles, George W., ed. Landmarks of Wayne County, New York. Syracuse, NY: D. Mason, 1895.

Population in 1830 about 3,400.

Darby and Dwight, New Gazetteer of the United States, 392.

Comprehensive Works Cited

Darby, William, and Theodore Dwight, Jr. A New Gazetteer of the United States of America; Containing a Copious Description of the States, Territories, Counties, Parishes, Districts, Cities and Towns. . . . Hartford, CT: Edward Hopkins, 1833.

Home of Joseph Smith Sr. and Lucy Mack Smith family, beginning 1817.

Lucy Mack Smith, History, 1844–1845, bk. 3, [4]–[6]; Porter, “Study of the Origins,” 31–32; Brown et al., Historical Atlas, 10.

Comprehensive Works Cited

Smith, Lucy Mack. History, 1844–1845. 18 books. CHL. MS 2049. Also available at josephsmithpapers.org.

Porter, Larry C. “A Study of the Origins of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the States of New York and Pennsylvania, 1816–1831.” PhD diss., Brigham Young University, 1971. Also available as A Study of the Origins of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the States of New York and Pennsylvania, 1816–1831, Dissertations in Latter-day Saint History (Provo, UT: Joseph Fielding Smith Institute for Latter-day Saint History; BYU Studies, 2000).

Brown, S. Kent, Donald Q. Cannon, and Richard H. Jackson, eds. Historical Atlas of Mormonism. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1994.

Martin Harris also resided in township and financed printing of Book of Mormon by mortgaging his farm just north of village.

JS History, vol. A-1, 9; Wayne Co., NY, Deed Records, 1823–1904, vol. 10, pp. 515–516, 7 Apr. 1831, microfilm 478,786, U.S. and Canada Record Collection, FHL; Largey, Book of Mormon Reference Companion, 138; Gunnell, “Martin Harris,” 38; Brown et al., Historical Atlas, 10.

Comprehensive Works Cited

JS History / Smith, Joseph, et al. History, 1838–1856. Vols. A-1–F-1 (original), A-2–E-2 (fair copy). Historian’s Office, History of the Church, 1839–ca. 1882. CHL. CR 100 102, boxes 1–7. The history for the period after 5 Aug. 1838 was composed after the death of Joseph Smith.

U.S. and Canada Record Collection. FHL.

Largey, Dennis Lee, ed. Book of Mormon Reference Companion. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2003.

Gunnell, Wayne Cutler. “Martin Harris—Witness and Benefactor to the Book of Mormon.” Master’s thesis, Brigham Young University, 1955.

Brown, S. Kent, Donald Q. Cannon, and Richard H. Jackson, eds. Historical Atlas of Mormonism. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1994.

JS reported first vision of Deity in grove of trees near his home, 1820, near border of Palmyra and Farmington (now Manchester) townships.

JS History, vol. A-1, 3; “Palmyra-Manchester, New York,” in Encyclopedia of Latter-day Saint History, 889–890.

Comprehensive Works Cited

Encyclopedia of Latter-day Saint History. Edited by Arnold K. Garr, Donald Q. Cannon, and Richard O. Cowan. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2000.

JS also reported angelic visitation in Smith home, in which he learned of ancient scriptures inscribed on gold plates, 1823.

JS History, vol. A-1, 5–7; “Palmyra-Manchester, New York,” in Encyclopedia of Latter-day Saint History, 889–890.

Comprehensive Works Cited

Encyclopedia of Latter-day Saint History. Edited by Arnold K. Garr, Donald Q. Cannon, and Richard O. Cowan. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2000.

Eight witnesses reported being shown plates by JS, summer 1829.

“Testimony of Eight Witnesses,” in Book of Mormon, 1830 ed., 590.

Comprehensive Works Cited

The Book of Mormon: An Account Written by the Hand of Mormon, upon Plates Taken from the Plates of Nephi. Palmyra, NY: E. B. Grandin, 1830.

Smith family left area, by late 1830.

Lucy Mack Smith, History, 1844–1845, bk. 10, [4].

Comprehensive Works Cited

Smith, Lucy Mack. History, 1844–1845. 18 books. CHL. MS 2049. Also available at josephsmithpapers.org.

Palmyra Township, New York

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