Dan Vogel as an Reporter of Sexual Impropriety

Dan Vogel is an accomplished author and researcher who has written several books including Joseph Smith: The Making of a Prophet, (Salt Lake City: Signature Book, 2004) and edited Early Mormon Documents, (Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 2002, five volumes).

While no writer or researcher claims perfect accuracy in his or her published works, It appears that Daniel Vogel goes beyond available evidence resulting in assertions that consistently seem to portray Joseph Smith in a negative light.

Vogel misquotes a statement allegedly from Martin Harris, stating that Levi Lewis accused Joseph Smith of trying to seduce Eliza Winters, rather than correctly citing the statement as Lewis purportedly quoting Martin Harris.[1] This error transforms a dubious account into a firsthand allegation.

In addition concerning Eliza Winters, Vogel asserts that in an interview decades later she did not "confirm or deny" the Levi Lewis allegation, when in fact, available evidence does not disclose whether the incident was even discussed.[2] Here Vogel goes beyond the evidence in his assertion.

Regarding another accusation, Vogel writes: “His [Joseph Smith’s] July 1830 trial in South Bainbridge included testimony accusing him of improper conduct with two of Josiah Stowell’s daughters, Miriam and Rhoda.”[3] In fact, no trial records are extant and I have been unable to identify any “testimony accusing him of improper conduct” matching Vogel’s description. This error carries the potential of turning non-evidence into evidence.

Problems such as these demonstrate that interpretive accounts, whether antagonistic and apologetic, must be referenced to the actual historical documents in order to avoid misunderstanding.

[1] Dan Vogel, Early Mormon Documents, Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 2002, 4:296 and Joseph Smith: The Making of a Prophet, Salt Lake City: Signature Book, 2004, 178; see also Richard S. Van Wagoner, Mormon Polygamy: A History. Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 1989, 4; George D. Smith, Nauvoo Polygamy: “… but we called it celestial marriage”, Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 2008, 29; Grant H. Palmer, “Sexual allegations against Joseph Smith, 1829-1835,” undated [after 1999], unpublished manuscript, Michael Marquardt Collection, Marriot Library Special Collections, University of Utah, photocopy in possession of the author, page one.

[2] Dan Vogel, Early Mormon Documents, Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 2002, 4:346.

[3] Dan Vogel, ed., Early Mormon Documents, Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 1996, 4:206 fn 9; Vogel seems certain regarding the daughters identities and it appears that he is probably correct, but no records naming them as participants have been found. See Jessee, Dean C., ed. The Papers of Joseph Smith: Volume 1, Autobiographical and Historical Writings. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1989, 254, n. 2.