Was Any of Joseph Smith Family Members of Masons

Mormonism is a organized religion founded by Joseph Smith in the late 1820s and known more formally every bit the Jesus Christ Church of Latter Twenty-four hour period Saints (LDS). Freemasonry is a fraternal organization that traces its modernistic roots to the establishment of the Thou Lodge of England in 1717. Arguably, what both groups share is a history of having been misunderstood and misrepresented in the culture at large. In both cases, much of this misunderstanding revolves effectually perceptions of secrecy and initiation rituals.

Which brings us to the oft-asked question of whether Joseph Smith - prophet of a organized religion that was born in both the temporal and geographical centre of a late 1820s anti-Masonic motion that followed the "Morgan Thing" - was influenced by Masonic initiation rituals when he established the LDS "endowment" ceremonies, particularly those in Nauvoo, Illinois in 1842.

In 1839, afterward having been expelled from Missouri, Joseph Smith and his fellow Mormon pioneers purchased land along the Mississippi River in Illinois. They named the town Nauvoo. Nauvoo was the centre of early Mormon activity from its inception in 1839 until the murder of Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum in 1844. During this five year menstruation, three Masonic lodges were founded in Nauvoo. The lodges members were all LDS members, drawn exclusively from Nauvoo'southward Mormon community. The largest of these lodges, with a membership exceeding 1,500, was called Nauvoo Lodge. The initial expanded endowment ceremonies in 1842 took place in the aforementioned 2d-floor room to a higher place Joseph Smith's store that Smith and others were initiated into Freemasonry a few months before. In short, there was a lot of Mormon and Masonic activity in Nauvoo.

For researchers interested in the topic of Freemasonry and the early Mormons in Nauvoo, it tin can be difficult to know where to start. Perhaps the best starting place is Michael W. Homer'south 1994 essay, "'Similarity of Priesthood in Masonry': The Human relationship Betwixt Freemasonry and Mormonism" (bachelor online). Homer takes a thoughtful, dispassionate view of the bailiwick, noting that an exploration of Masonic influence does not necessarily negate belief. Near the kickoff of his essay, Homer opens the door on the topic by writing, "while there is room for belief, there is likewise room to take the candor of [LDS-founder Joseph] Smith and others that there was a close connection betwixt Freemasonry and Mormonism."

Homer goes on to write nigh how the topic of influence has been both overstated and understated by many writers:

"Those who deny any relationship, or argue that similarities between the two are superficial, are concerned that Joseph Smith'south utilize of Masonic rites is inconsistent with his prophetic claims. Others concentrate on similarities to buttress claims that Smith borrowed heavily from Freemasonry without the do good of inspiration. This "all-or-nada" approach combines with the secrecy associated with the rituals to create a reluctance to discuss the subject in whatever meaningful item."

 The works listed below - all in the collection of the Van Gorden-Williams Library and Archives - are farther resources for those interested in dispassionate, primary-source based books related to this topic. Mervin B. Hogan published a number of works on the topic in the 1970s and 1980s. I only listing two works past Hogan below. Both are transcriptions of primary sources - the minutes of Nauvoo Lodge, a Masonic lodge founded at Nauvoo, whose members consisted entirely of early Mormons who established the LDS community in Nauvoo, Illinois.

The other books listed below are more recently published and all focus on early Mormonism, with an emphasis on the development of LDS Temple worship. Some are "documentary" histories that describe on a vast trove of early Mormon primary source cloth. All of these books bear upon the interesting question of the influence of Freemasonry on Joseph Smith as well equally the popularity of Freemasonry at Nauvoo.

Devery Southward. Anderson. Evolution of LDS Temple Worship, 1846-2000: A Documentary History. Salt Lake Metropolis: Signature Books, 2011.

Devery S. Anderson, et al. Joseph Smith's Quorum of the Anointed, 1842-1845: A Documentary History. Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 2005.

Devery South. Anderson, et al. The Nauvoo Endowment Companies, 1845-1846: A Documentary History. Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 2005.

David John Buerger. The Mysteries of Godliness: A History of Mormon Temple Worship. Salt Lake City: Distributed by Signature Books, 1994.

Mervin B. Hogan. The Founding Minutes of Nauvoo Gild. Des Moines, IA: Research Lodge No. 2, 1971.

Mervin B. Hogan. The Official Minutes of Nauvoo Lodge U.D. Des Moines, IA: Research Lodge No. ii, 1975[?]

D. Michael Quinn. Early Mormonism and the Magic World View [Revised and enlarged ed.]. Salt Lake City, UT: Signature Books, 1998

Dan Vogel and Brent Lee Metcalfe, eds. American Apocrypha: Essays on the Book of Mormon. Salt Lake Metropolis: Signature Books, 2002.
    (Includes the essay "Echoes of Anti-Masonry: A Rejoinder to Critics of the Anti-Masonic Thesis")

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Source: https://nationalheritagemuseum.typepad.com/library_and_archives/joseph-smith/

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