Stories by author "Aliza Alperin-Sheriff": 6
The Grandin Building
When Joseph Smith Jr. approached Egbert B. Grandin about publishing what Smith claimed was a newly discovered book of scripture, Grandin was hesitant. Although new religious ideas were common in the Burned-Over District, a supposedly ancient sequel…
Martin Harris Farm
After receiving an ancient sacred text written on gold plates from an angel named Moroni, Smith needed to translate and publish the text, an operation he knew would cost a considerable amount of money that he did not have. He asked Martin Harris, a…
Peter Whitmer Farm
On April 6, 1830, Smith gathered with six other men in the home of Peter Whitmer to formally organize the Church of Jesus Christ-of Latter Day Saints. He had been living on the Whitmer farm since 1829, having moved there to finish translating the…
Hill Cumorah
Every summer, tens of thousands of Mormons, stream into the small town of Palmyra, New York to see the Hill Cumorah Pageant. The pageant features a cast of over 650 performers who dramatize the story of ancient American prophets, as told in the Book…
The Smith Family Farm
Joseph Smith Jr., never stayed in any one place for very long. As a child, his family bounced around New England, moving from Vermont to New Hampshire before finally settling in New York. After establishing the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day…
The Sacred Grove
Joseph Smith Jr. and his family moved to Palmyra, New York when he was eleven. Young Smith was overwhelmed by the religious turmoil he witnessed in the Burned-Over District. His mother was a member of the local Presbyterian church and his father used…