Episode 6: Bad Boys of Early Mormonism

In early Mormonism, it was often hard to parse out the Saints from Scoundrels. Bryan Buchanan and Lindsay Hansen Park discuss some of the early “bad boys” in the Mormon movement including Hiram Page, Oliver Cowdery, William McLellin. This episode features commentary by historians Cheryl L. Bruno and Christopher C. Smith.

Listen to this episode here.

Additional resources and information about topics discussed in this episode:

“Using DNA to Discover the Origins of Hiram Page, Witness to the Book of Mormon” (Gary Merrill) https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/16noj_RBgUPc1pgFuGzp7sL8Gn3TvXNKr

“Hiram Page”—master’s thesis (Bruce Stewart)

https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=6141&context=etd

Oliver Cowdery: Scribe, Elder, Witness (John Welch/Larry Morris) https://publications.mi.byu.edu/fullscreen/?pub=2239&index=1

D&C 66 (in William McLellin’s handwriting) https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/revelation-29-october-1831-dc-66/

The Journals of William E. McLellin 1831-1836 (Jan Shipps/John Welch) purchase from Benchmark Books www.benchmarkbooks.com

The William E. McLellin Papers, 1854-1880 (Stan Larson/Samuel J. Passey) purchase from Benchmark Books www.benchmarkbooks.com

William E. McLellin’s Lost Manuscript (Mitchell K. Schaefer) purchase from Benchmark Books www.benchmarkbooks.com

Differing Visions: Dissenters in Mormon History (Roger Launius/Linda Thatcher) purchase from Benchmark Books www.benchmarkbooks.com