Joseph Smith’s First Vision — 1835 contemporaneous recountings

These three records all recount the same specific miraculous occurrence: Joseph Smith’s First Vision (the 1820 visitation in the Sacred Grove) as told by the Prophet to listeners in 1835 and subsequently recorded or recalled. Together they preserve multiple contemporaneous retellings and early documentary traces.

- Joseph Curtis recalled hearing Joseph Smith relate the First Vision during the Prophet’s 1835 visit to Pontiac, Michigan. That visit included Joseph Smith Sr., Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer, and Martin Harris and produced a widely noted meeting in which Smith explained why he had not immediately organized the Church after the initial heavenly visitation.

- Robert Matthias (also called Matthias the Prophet) visited Kirtland in November 1835; on November 9, 1835 Joseph Smith recounted the First Vision to Matthias. That conversation was entered in Joseph Smith’s journal by scribe Warren Parrish and later corroborated by George W. Robinson. This entry is one of the earliest written accounts of the First Vision.

- John Alger later (as an elderly man) testified that, as a small boy living near the Smith family in Kirtland, he heard Joseph Smith relate the Sacred Grove vision at the home of Joseph Smith Sr. Alger’s 1893 testimony was recorded by Charles Lowell Walker at a Fast Meeting on February 2, 1893 and preserves an intimate physical detail from the Prophet’s telling.

The merged account strings together these recollections and documentary notes to show multiple 1835 listeners and recorders of Joseph Smith’s retelling of his 1820 vision.

Fuller account of this event (in the witness’s own words):

Being wrought up in my mind respecting the subject of religion and looking at the different systems taught the children of men I knew not who was right or who was wrong and considering it of the first importance that it should be right in matters of so much moment involving the eternal welfare of my soul being thus perplexed and unable to resolve up myself I kneeled down and began to call upon the Lord I kneeled again and the Lord who is merciful heard my cry and while I was in the attitude of calling upon the Lord a pillar of fire appeared above my head it presently rested down upon me and filled me with joy unspeakable a personage appeared in the midst of this pillar of flame which was spread all around and yet nothing consumed another personage soon appeared like unto the first he said unto me thy sins are forgiven thee he testified unto me that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and I saw many angels in this vision I was about 14 years old when I received this first communication