Joseph Smith’s First Vision, or visitation, of 1820, especially as described in his first published version, is quite consistent both with Hyrum’s experiences in Hanover and other local and regional restorationist phenomena. Hyrum and Joseph most likely had many long discussions about such things. Hyrum with his Moor’s School experience with Indians and their traditions would have been fully prepared to participate in the family discussions in which Joseph discussed life among the ancient Americans. Hyrum may have seen Ethan Smith’s View of the Hebrews 1823 and 1825 editions in the Palmyra library or in bookstore announcements in the Palmyra newspaper similar to the ones he had probably seen which appeared in the Dartmouth Gazette announcing the arrival of earlier Ethan Smith books at John Smith’s bookstore in Hanover.

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Hyrum Becomes a School Teacher and School Trustee

Hyrum became a schoolteacher to support his wife in 1826 and soon after supported the rest of the family when the Smiths in 1829 lost possession of their new home for failure to make a timely last payment on an installment sale. Hyrum actually had two teaching jobs.51 As his Uncle Jesse had been school trustee in Tunbridge, Vermont, Hyrum was elected to the school board of trustees in Palmyra, New York. He soon was interviewing candidates for schoolteacher. Lyman Cowdery was his first choice. Perhaps, this was due to his acquaintance with Lyman’s cousins in Tunbridge, Vermont. Though Lyman was Hyrum’s first choice to be teacher, Lyman instead chose to work for the sheriff. Hyrum’s second choice was Oliver Cowdery. Lucy soon asked Oliver, a cousin of the Tunbridge Cowderys, to board in the new home in October 1828 with the whole family. Perhaps this suggests a closer relationship than the joint intermarriage of the Smiths and the Tunbridge Cowderys with the Tunbridge Sanfords. Several members of Oliver’s family from Wells, Vermont, attended Ethan Smith’s congregation in Poultney, Vermont. Oliver also had reason to read Ethan Smith’s View of the Hebrews while he still lived near Ethan in Vermont or after Oliver’s family and the Tunbridge Cowderys moved to Western New York from Vermont by 1828.