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David Hale's Store Ledger: New Details about Joseph and Emma Smith, the Hale Family, and the Book of Mormon

TitleDavid Hale's Store Ledger: New Details about Joseph and Emma Smith, the Hale Family, and the Book of Mormon
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2014
AuthorsStaker, Mark Lyman
JournalBYU Studies Quarterly
Volume53
Start Page77
Issue3
Pagination77-112
Date Published2014
Abstract

In December 1827, Joseph and Emma Smith arrived in Harmony, Pennsylvania, to live while Joseph translated the gold plates. Harmony was the home of Emma's family, and Emma's brother David Hale had a small store that was used for trading goods and work among the neighbors. David kept a ledger that records Joseph's purchases of leatherwork, a shovel, a pocketbook, a pocketknife, and a comb. Joseph sold some pork and traded his own labor, and also hired others to help him with heavy chores. The ledger is now in the collections of Brigham Young University. This document provides a unique window into Joseph Smith's life during his time in Harmony, during which the Book of Mormon was translated.

URLhttps://byustudies.byu.edu/article/david-hales-store-ledger-new-details-about-joseph-and-emma-smith-the-hale-family-and-the-book-of-mormon/?post_type=article&p=8165