He called me by name and said unto me that he was a messenger sent from the presence of God to me,

and that his name was Moroni, that God had a work for me to do,

and that my name should be had for good and evil among all nations, kindreds and tongues,

or that it should be both good and evil spoken of among all people.

Testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith, front of the

2013 edition of the Book of Mormon, and Joseph Smith History, Chapter 1, verse 33.

Hey listeners, this is Nick from Book of Mormon Central, and today's podcast addresses the

question, why could Joseph Smith testify in court at age 13?

In 1833, an anti-Mormon doctor named Philastus Holbert gathered signed affidavits from the Smith's

New York neighbors, which gave negative appraisals of the Smiths. Since that time, the Smith family's

reputation in their

Palmyra community has been a heavily contested topic. The sources gathered by Holbert and many

others after him, though still of some historical value, are heavily tainted by later prejudices,

and the agendas of those collecting the statements in the first place. The Smiths themselves protested that such negative reports did not surface until after

rumors of Joseph Smith Jr.'s visions began to spread.

We never knew we were bad folks, Joseph's younger brother William remembered, until Joseph

told his vision.

Only documents from before the time when Joseph Smith's

visions had become widely known can provide a reliable glimpse into how the Smiths were regarded

in their community before negative rumors and gossip had sullied their reputations.

Such pieces of evidence are in short supply, but some do exist. Perhaps the most compelling example

comes from the legal proceedings involving members of the Smith family, including Joseph Smith

...