Samuel Tyler Lawrence (November 21, 1786 – December 18, 1847) was resident of New York in the 1820s who was an early associate of

Joseph Smith Joseph Smith Jr. (December 23, 1805June 27, 1844) was an American religious leader and founder of Mormonism and the Latter Day Saint movement. When he was 24, Smith published the Book of Mormon. By the time of his death, 14 years later, he ...

, the founder of the

Latter-day Saint movement The Latter Day Saint movement (also called the LDS movement, LDS restorationist movement, or Smith–Rigdon movement) is the collection of independent church groups that trace their origins to a Christian Restorationist movement founded by Jo ...

. Lawrence moved from

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

to Palmyra, New York, with sister Fanny and her husband

Abner Cole Abner Cole (August 17, 1783 – July 13, 1835), also known by his pen name Obadiah Dogberry, Esq., was a 19th-century American newspaper editor. He was one of the earliest critics of the spiritual claims of Joseph Smith, the founder of the Latter ...

. Lawrence and Smith reportedly engaged in "money-digging" (or treasure hunting). Later Lawrence moved to

Oswego, New York Oswego () is a city in Oswego County, New York, United States. The population was 16,921 at the 2020 census. Oswego is located on Lake Ontario in Upstate New York, about 35 miles (55km) northwest of Syracuse. It promotes itself as "The Port C ...

, where he died.

Early life

Lawrence was born in New Jersey to Sylvanus and Jemima Lawrence. He had an older brother, Daniel, and an adopted sister, Frances "Fanny" Wickham Darling, a biological first cousin who was adopted into the family and took the last name Lawrence. By 1811, Lawrence and Rachel Bryant (born 1793) were married, and the two had at least one daughter, Frances Maria.

In Palmyra

Around 1820, Lawrence and his family moved to Palmyra. Samuel's sister Fanny and her husband

had resided in Palmyra since 1812. In Palmyra, Lawrence developed a reputation as a

seer In the United States, the efficiency of air conditioners is often rated by the seasonal energy efficiency ratio (SEER) which is defined by the Air Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute, a trade association, in its 2008 standard AHRI ...

and a treasure-hunter. Lawrence was part of a company of "money-diggers" that included

Joseph Smith, Sr. Joseph Smith Sr. (July 12, 1771 – September 14, 1840) was the father of Joseph Smith Jr., the founder of the Latter Day Saint movement. Joseph Sr. was also one of the Eight Witnesses of the Book of Mormon, which Mormons believe was translated ...

Joseph Smith, Jr. Joseph Smith Jr. (December 23, 1805June 27, 1844) was an American religious leader and founder of Mormonism and the Latter Day Saint movement. When he was 24, Smith published the Book of Mormon. By the time of his death, 14 years later, he ...

Hyrum Smith Hyrum Smith (February 9, 1800 – June 27, 1844) was an American religious leader in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, the original church of the Latter Day Saint movement. He was the older brother of the movement's founder, J ...

, George Proper, Josiah Stowell, and Alva Beaman. Martin Harris, a

witness In law, a witness is someone who has knowledge about a matter, whether they have sensed it or are testifying on another witnesses' behalf. In law a witness is someone who, either voluntarily or under compulsion, provides testimonial evidence, e ...

to the

Book of Mormon The Book of Mormon is a religious text of the Latter Day Saint movement, which, according to Latter Day Saint theology, contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the American continent from 600 BC to AD 421 and during an interlude date ...

golden plates According to Latter Day Saint belief, the golden plates (also called the gold plates or in some 19th-century literature, the golden bible) are the source from which Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon, a sacred text of the faith. Some acco ...

, later recalled a tale of an encounter between the money-diggers and a "treasure guardian": :"Samuel Lawrence told me that while they were digging, a large man who appeared to be eight or nine feet high, came and sat on the ridge of the barn, and motioned to them that they must leave. They motioned back that they would not; but that they afterwards became frightened and did leave." Another resident, Joseph Capron, recalled when the company "discovered" a chest of gold watches, but they were "in the possession of the evil spirit". Lawrence, reportedly "with a drawn sword in his hand, marched around to guard any assault which his Satanic majesty might be disposed to make." The dig ended without success. According to one account, Lawrence traveled with Smith to

Harmony, Pennsylvania Harmony is a borough in Butler County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 890 at the 2010 census. It is located approximately north of Pittsburgh. Geography Harmony is located in southwestern Butler County, along the northeastern ...

, to search for a silver mine, during which Lawrence recommended Smith to

Emma Hale Emma Hale Smith Bidamon (July 10, 1804 – April 30, 1879) was an American homesteader, the official wife of Joseph Smith, and a prominent leader in the early days of the Latter Day Saint movement, both during Smith's lifetime and afterward as a ...

, Smith's future wife.

Lawrence and the golden plates

, founder of the Latter Day Saint movement, claimed the

was a translation of

which Smith had been guided to by an

angel In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God. Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles include ...

. Lawrence figures in some of the discovery narratives of the golden plates. Willard Chase recalled in 1833 that Smith had been told by a spirit "to come again, in just one year, and bring a man with him". According to Chase, Smith at one point "believed that one Samuel T. Lawrence was the man alluded to by the spirit" and reportedly took Lawrence "to a singular looking hill, in Manchester, and showed him where the treasure was." According to the account, Smith later changed his mind and decided Lawrence was not the "right man". Joseph Knight, Sr. recalled that "Joseph was some afraid of Samuel Lawrence that he might be a trouble to him." Therefore, prior to retrieving the golden plates on September 22, 1827, Smith sent his father to Lawrence's residence "to see if there was any signs of his going away that night." In her 1853 book,

Lucy Mack Smith Lucy Mack Smith (July 8, 1775 – May 14, 1856) was the mother of Joseph Smith, founder of the Latter Day Saint movement. She is noted for writing the memoir, '' Biographical Sketches of Joseph Smith, the Prophet, and His Progenitors for Many Ge ...

recalled her husband's visit to the Lawrence house, writing that "he could overhear their conversation" and they were "devising many plans and schemes to find 'Joe Smith's gold bible'." Reportedly, Lawrence's wife warned her husband "'Sam, Sam,' said she. 'You are cutting your own throat.' At this, the conjuror bawled out at the top of his voice, 'I am not afraid of anybody. We will have the plates in spite of Joe Smith or all the devils in hell.'"

Later life

In May 1830, Lawrence was operating the Palmyra Bathing House, and served as a subscription collector for his brother-in-law's paper the ''Liberal Advocate''. On April 17, 1833, Lawrence was indicted for "fraudulently secreting property". Lawrence and his brother Daniel moved with their families to Oswego, New York by the autumn of 1833. He died at Oswego.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lawrence, Samuel T. 1786 births 1847 deaths History of the Latter Day Saint movement People from Palmyra, New York Treasure hunters People from Oswego, New York People from New Jersey Joseph Smith