On the latest "Show & Tell" with Brent Ashworth on Mormon Book Reviews, a very unique handwritten letter by Joseph Smith is discussed. When Joseph Smith was returning from his unsuccessful trip to Washington DC, where he tried to convince Martin Van Buren to intervene on behalf of the Saints, he made a stop in Philadelphia. There he made an address in a synagogue and it lead to many baptisms and the church began to grow in the city. While staying as a guest at a home, he signed a vistors log and wrote a short statement about virtue and a blessing to the household for letting him and his company stay there. This is the only known fully handwritten item by Joseph that is in private hands. Brent also details his twelve year effort to finally acquire this special document, and he describes how he ended up buying it from Mark Hofmann! I want to thank Brent for coming on and sharing this item with me and my audience.

Show and Tell