1820.
March. Many revivals of religion in western New York, and Smith's mind becomes
disturbed. Under the preaching of Rev. Mr. Lane, he becomes partial to the
Methodists.
April.
Smith pretends to receive his first vision while praying in the woods. He
asserts that God the Father and Jesus Christ came to him from the heavens; and,
like Mohammed's Gabriel, told him that his sins were forgiven; that he was the
chosen of God to reinstate his kingdom and re-introduce the gospel, that none
of the denominations were right, etc. (John Hyde, Mormonism: Its Leader and
Designs [New York: W. P. Fetridge and Company, 1857], 199)
Joseph
Smith, born in 1805, sees an angel, who tells him his sins are forgiven. In
1823 he sees another angel who tells him of the existence of certain plates,
their locality, and his destiny to obtain, translate, and publish them. (ibid.,
240)