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Was Joseph Smith a Freemason?

Yes. Joseph Smith became a member of the Nauvoo Masonic lodge on 15 March 1842 and was raised to Master Mason the following day, 16 March. [2]

The supplied documentary footnotes affirm that Joseph Smith joined the Masonic fraternity in 1842. [1] The podcast transcript provides the specific chronology: the Nauvoo lodge under dispensation was installed on 15 March 1842, and Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon became members that day. Both were raised to Master Mason on 16 March, a progression historian Alex Smith describes as “incredibly quick, almost unheard of.” [2]

Sources

  1. [1]Letter of Introduction to Nathaniel Pope for Jeremiah Smith and Henry T. Hugins, 30 May 1844, Page 1 · 10 June 1844
  2. [2]The Joseph Smith Papers: The Nauvoo Temple Podcast Episode 5 Transcript · August 1843
  3. [3]The Joseph Smith Papers: The Nauvoo Temple Podcast Episode 5 Transcript · August 1843
  4. [4]The Joseph Smith Papers: The Nauvoo Temple Podcast Episode 5 Transcript · August 1843
  5. [5]Times and Seasons, 1 July 1842, Page 843 · 25 June 1842
  6. [6]The Joseph Smith Papers: The Nauvoo Temple Podcast Episode 5 Transcript · August 1843
  7. [7]Authorization from Abraham Jonas, 15 March 1842, Page 1 · 15 Oct. 1841
  8. [8]The Joseph Smith Papers: The Priesthood Restored a Joseph Smith Papers Podcast · May 15, 1829

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