Note the personal odyssey of Ezra Thayre (see back cover) which tells much about the world view of that place and time. Yet what should readers make of Thayre’s claim that an angel taught him to blow a trumpet? Similarly, in Solomon Chamberlain’s frank admission that he did not know whether "some geni[e] or good spirit" had led him to Palmyra, New York, should one read into this a literary metaphor or an actual belief in supernatural guidance?
The value one places on a source is determined by the questions one hopes to have answered by it. If one wants to know how the public initially reacted to the Book of Mormon, then the [italics]Rochester Gem[italics off]’s light and gossipy report is welcome, though not a fair representation of the Book of Mormon’s contents.
Compare this to the more thoughtful work of Palmyra native Orsamus Turner. Though not a Mormon, he nevertheless strove to understand what effect Joseph Smith’s religiously divided parentage had on his life and church, which remains a topic of interest today. However, Turner cannot provide all the details that are offered by those who were more intimately acquainted with the Smith family.
Nor should one expect to find witnesses who were uncontaminated by environment or by the tug of folklore. As an example, it was reported that two pranksters one night convinced Calvin Stoddard—husband of Joseph Smith’s sister, Sophronia—that God was speaking to him, from their hiding place near his door. No doubt this happened; that is, the jokesters probably played this trick. But what is not known without corroboration is how Stoddard responded, and one suspects the story may have been embellished.
People interpret "facts" according to prior expectations. As another example, rumors that circulated among church members include the claim that "pyrotechnics" lit the sky when Joseph Smith removed the gold plates from the Hill Cumorah. These reminiscences[m-dash]despite the fact that they first remembered this light show years after the fact[m-dash]describe everything from what seems to be shooting stars to one man’s memory of the literal armies of heaven marching across the firmament.
Therefore readers will find themselves making judgments along with the editor about which details are most valid, aided by his comprehensive annotation. It is Vogel’s hope that people will consult the sources in tandem rather than in isolation, because it is only out of this collective pool of information that a reliable reconstruction of events can be made.
