Book of Mormon Published: Joseph Smith's New Religion Gets Its Scripture
The printer demanded $3,000 upfront — money Joseph Smith didn't have — so Martin Harris mortgaged his 150-acre farm to pay for 5,000 copies of a book most people thought was nonsense. E.B. Grandin's press in Palmyra, New York churned out pages while locals organized boycotts, and Harris's wife left him over the deal. The gamble worked differently than anyone expected: Harris lost everything, but within twenty years, 30,000 converts had crossed an ocean and a continent to settle Utah. A farmer's mortgage became the down payment on an entire state.
March 26, 1830
196 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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