Oliver Cowdery

Like Joseph Smith’s path, Oliver Cowdery’s road to Palmyra can be traced to generations before his birth. Unlike the Smith family, where financial ruin, unfortunate mishap, and even natural disaster uprooted and moved the family, Oliver’s heritage was moved by different means. Oliver Cowdery’s fourth-great-grandfather William Cowdery was “staunch in his belief of personal religious freedom and the right of free worship.” Inspired by personal beliefs, William pursued a quest of religious worship by coming to America with the Pilgrim movement in 1630. For several generations, the Cowdery’s made their home in Massachusetts, and then Nathaniel Cowdery moved to Reading, Vermont, in 1786. Nathaniel’s grandson William Cowdery Jr. married Rebecca Fuller and became the father of Oliver Cowdery on October 3, 1806. It is interesting to note that Oliver’s mother, Rebecca Fuller, was the great-granddaughter of John Fuller and Mehitbel Rowley, who were the second-great-grandparents of Lucy Mack Smith (mother of Joseph Smith Jr.). This made Oliver Cowdery and Lucy Mack Smith third cousins. There is no evidence, however, that Oliver knew of his family relationship with the Smiths.

Oliver Cowdery was raised in Vermont, and although some of his brothers left the family home in search of better situations in New York, Oliver stayed until 1825. In 1828 Oliver’s brother Lyman was hired to teach at a rural school in Manchester, New York. Unfortunately, Lyman could not fulfill the assignment and suggested to the trustees that his younger brother, Oliver, might be given the post. The trustees of the school (which included Hyrum Smith) approved Oliver as a replacement, and he began his employ in 1828. At this point, Oliver not only had found the road to Palmyra but was himself the master of a schoolhouse located on Stafford Road, only a mile east of the Smith home. With such close proximity, it was only a matter of time before his path intersected the Prophet’s.

It was the general custom of the day that the master of the rural school would board with families of his students in lieu of charging tuition. Thus, Oliver met the Smiths under this circumstance. Remember that Joseph was in Harmony, Pennsylvania, at this time and not at the Smith homestead. According to Lucy Mack Smith, it was while Oliver was staying with them that “he began to hear from all quarters concerning the plates.” [28] Rumors of the miraculous events had been circulating in Palmyra since the First Vision in 1820. To think that Oliver would not hear of the rumors, especially when he was actually boarding with the Smiths, would be odd indeed. With piqued curiosity, Oliver began to petition Father Smith for more information about the incredible experiences. Naturally, the Smiths were cautious in sharing tales of visions, angels, and golden plates—especially with strangers. Lucy Smith admits that after a “considerable length of time,” Oliver gained the confidence of Joseph Sr. and was given “a sketch of the facts relative to the plates.”

The accounts of the Restoration that Father Smith shared with Oliver made a deep impression on him. He couldn’t seem to escape thinking about the events and finally determined that he must meet Joseph. After making it “a subject of prayer,” Oliver firmly believed that it was “the will the Lord” that he should go to Harmony, Pennsylvania. With that sense of a “guiding hand above all things,” Cowdery was resolute in his desire to leave for Harmony, and he related to Lucy Mack Smith, “If there is a work for me to do in this thing, I am determined to do it.” Thus, in late March 1829, Oliver Cowdery and Samuel Smith left Manchester to meet the Prophet Joseph in Harmony, Pennsylvania. Granted, to some, Oliver’s generational journey to Palmyra may have been surprising, but in truth his arrival and intersection with the promised seer were foreseen.

For Joseph, Oliver’s arrival was none too soon. In March 1829 the Lord assured Joseph, “I will provide means whereby thou mayest accomplish the thing which I have commanded thee” (D&C 5:34). Only weeks later, Joseph met Oliver, the promised “means” to the restorative end. Almost immediately after his arrival, Oliver Cowdery began working as Joseph’s scribe in the translation of the Book of Mormon and was also witness to the marvelous work of the Restoration. With Oliver at Joseph’s side, the restorative events began to unfold at a wondrous pace.