Martin Harris

Martin Harris was born on May 18, 1783. In 1808, he married Lucy Harris and they eventually had six children. During the War of 1812, Harris enlisted and was eventually promoted to First Sergeant in the Thirty-ninth New York Militia. He was known as an honored veteran when he returned to his home.

Martin Harris was a skilled farmer and by 1828 owned 320 acres of land in the Palmyra, New York area. Physical descriptions of him say that he was 5 feet 8 inches tall, had blue eyes, brown hair, and a beard that was shaved to grow off the edge of his jaw and chin. He was described as industrious, an excellent provider and father, honest, sincere, shrewd in business, and devoted to civic affairs.

In his religious life Harris did not attend church but instead believed in the “restorationist” ideal, and looked for the return of Christianity as described in the Bible. He is quoted as saying that “in the year 1818 ... I was inspired of the Lord and taught of the Spirit that I should not join any Church” (Richard Lloyd Anderson, Investigating the Book of Mormon Witnesses, p. 170). By 1824, Martin had met Joseph Smith and knew of his vision, the gold plates, and the appearance of the angel Moroni. He helped Joseph Smith protect the gold plates and provided him with much-needed financial support.

In 1828, Harris took copies of some of the characters from the golden plates and Joseph's translations to scholars in Utica, Albany, and New York City. A couple of the scholars upon seeing the characters said they were original and true to form, but upon learning how Harris had obtained them they refused to give him their scholarly endorsement.

Martin Harris worked as Joseph’s scribe from April to June of 1828. During that time they completed 116 pages of manuscript. Martin’s family became progressively annoyed with his devotion to Joseph Smith and wanted proof that he was not wasting his time and money. After much begging and pleading, he convinced Joseph to let him take the pages of the manuscript to show his family. While the pages were in his custody they were stolen, a tremendous blow to both Martin and Joseph. After this loss, Martin stopped working as Joseph’s scribe.

In June of 1829, while Harris was with Joseph Smith, they were shown a vision. Martin Harris testified that he heard God’s voice telling him that Joseph’s translation of the gold plates was correct and that he was to testify of their truthfulness. His testimony, and those of two others, can now be found in the front of the Book of Mormon under the title The Testimony of the Three Witnesses.

The book was now complete and there was the problem of finding someone who would print it as well as finding a way to pay for printing. They were finally able to find a printer, but an agreement was reached only after Martin Harris promised to mortgage his farm for the $3,000 that was needed up front. On April 7, 1831, Harris sold a part of his farm to pay for the rest of the printing.

In 1831 Martin moved to Kirtland, Ohio but his wife refused to follow. Martin was thus obliged to spend a lot of time between his two homes. He helped Joseph Smith find and purchase land in Missouri, and was one of the first to be asked to live the law of consecration. He served a mission in 1832 where he baptized over a hundred people. In 1834 he volunteered to go to Missouri with Zion’s Camp, and helped Joseph Smith select the first members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. In 1836 his wife Lucy passed away and he married Caroline Young, Brigham Young’s niece, on November 1, 1836. They eventually had seven children.

The following years were hard for the Church and while the body of the Church moved on to Missouri, Illinois, and eventually, Utah, Harris stayed behind in Kirtland. Although he was excommunicated for a time, Martin Harris continued to bear his testimony of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. He was eventually rebaptized and restored to full fellowship in the Church.

Brigham Young and other members of the Church in Utah invited Harris and his family to join them in Utah. Martin's children and Caroline left for Utah in 1856, but Martin remained behind until 1870. In 1869 members of the Church sent money to help Martin come to Utah. He was 87 years old but took the journey and arrived in Utah on August 30, 1870. He lived in Utah among the Saints until his death on July 10, 1875. He was ninety-two years old. Near the end of his life, Martin Harris bore this testimony of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon:

Yes, I did see the plates on which the Book of Mormon was written. I did see the angel, I did hear the voice of God, and I do know that Joseph Smith is a true Prophet of God, holding the keys of the Holy Priesthood ("The Last Testimony of Martin Harris," recorded by William H. Homer in a statement sworn before J. W. Robinson, Apr. 9, 1927, HDC).

The Church puts on an annual pageant called "Martin Harris: The Man Who Knew" in Clarkston, Utah where Harris died.

For More Information

• Lightplanet: Martin Harris
• The Witness: Martin Harris by Elder Dallin H. Oaks
• Martin Harris