BYU Studies Quarterly
Article Title
Road to Martyrdom: Joseph Smith's Last Legal Cases
Keywords
Mormon studies, Joseph Smith, legal cases
Abstract
In 1842, Joseph Smith looked back on the events of his life and said, “Deep water is what I am wont to swim in” (D&C 127:2). This was especially true of his experiences with the law. Starting with his first exposure to the judicial system in 1819, at age thirteen, he spent much of his next twenty-five years of life entangled with legal concerns. The Joseph Smith Papers Project team now can count about 220 cases involving Joseph as plaintiff, defendant, witness, or judge. Of those, approximately fifty were criminal cases capable of taking away his liberty, his resources, or, ultimately, his life.
Recommended Citation
Bentley, Joseph I.
(2016)
"Road to Martyrdom: Joseph Smith's Last Legal Cases,"
BYU Studies Quarterly: Vol. 55:
Iss.
2, Article 3.
Available at:
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/byusq/vol55/iss2/3