The following is the purported translation of the Kinderhook Plates by J. C. Brewster, founder of the Church of Christ (“Brewsterites”) (I have cleaned up a few typos in the original, like “devidied” just for ease of reading):
HISTORY OF THE ALTEWANIANS.
TRANSLATED BY J. C. BREWSTER, JULY, 1843.
I,
Varamenta, the last of the Altewanians, make this record of my people and their
forefathers.
In
the beginning of time the Supreme fashioned the earth, and spread out the
heavens; He placed the sun in the sky to give light, and the moon and the
stars, that we might behold in them His majesty.
He
placed men on the earth, with trees and plants, and living things. After this,
when they were numerous and increased in wickedness, a flood came and swept
them from the earth; yet one man was saved and escaped, his name was Manya.
After this, the people spread over the earth in many countries, they were
divided into many nations.
The
descendants of Japheth spread over the north of Asia, and westward into Europe;
and about 1520 years after the flood, a people or tribe called the Vanalians,
came to the sea shore, where they built ships intending to sail southward to
the Islands; but a violent storm arose from the earth which drove them upon the
coast of this continent, near the mouth of a large river;† they ascended the
river nad passed through several lakes, and at length reached the banks of the
river Cedron;|| ten years and five months after they landed at the mouth of the
river. Their number when they reached the Cedron, was seven hundred and
sixteen, and they arrived in the year of the world 3286. They first settled 185
thalies south of this town; they called the place Empelo, the name of their
first king, he reigned forty-four years. His son reign twenty-two years, when
the people became divided into parties, and Vano with two thousand people
proceeded south-ward to the river Addazar, and there continued to reign
seventeen years, when he died and the people were again united under one
government. Antalo being king, the number of the people being 8623;
seventy-four years after their arrival they commenced a city in the plains, one
hundred and sixty thalies east of this place; this city was called Tirena, and
under Antalo became the capitol of the kingdom; this king reigned thirty one
years; his son, Durano, reigned twenty-four years. The Altewanians at the end
of this time numbered nearly 40,000. After Durano, Thensa reigned. His son,
Magron, reigned after him twenty-seven years. The people at his death reigned
after him twenty-seven years. The people at his death were very numerous and
rich. The city of Tirena contained 16,000 souls. Peano was their next king; he
reigned fifty years. After him the country was governed by a council of twenty
men, until the year 206, when Amphilius was declared king. In the third year of
his reign, a people from the South settled on the West side of the river
Cedron. This people had been driven from their own country by wars, which had
destroyed nearly the whole nation, and they called their settlement Algewa. In
the sixth year of Amphilus, the Altewanians began to inhabit the shorts of lake
Uriel*, where they obtained minerals in great abundance. The number of the
people was at this time, said to exceed 500,000. Their principal towns were
Tirena, the capitol twelve leagues East from this place, with 30,000
inhabitants; Dionus, on the river Arbus,☨
containing 25,000 inhabitants; Empelo, on the Cedron, with 18,000 inhabitants—besides many fortified towns in
various parts of the country.—[TO BE CONTINUED.]
——†
St. Lawrence. || Mississippi. * Lake Michigan. ☨
Illinois (J. C. Brewster, "History
of the Altewanians," The Olive Branch, or,
Herald of Peace and Truth To All the Saints 2, no. 10 [April 1850]: 159-60)
History of the Altewanians Continued.
The
reign of Amphilius was long and prosperous. In the thirtieth year of his reign
the people of the South were entirely destroyed, although the Algewa continued
to increase in power and numbers. Shortly after the destruction of the Chemians
(i.e. the people of the South,) another people from the North settled on the
head of the river Cedron. In the thirty-four year of the reign of Amphilius,
the people from the north proceeded down the river and commenced a settlement
on the west side of the Cedron one league from Empelo; their number was about
1,000 Five years after the king of Algewa commenced fortifying an island in the
mouth of the river Arbus: and also an island ten leagues south. Three years
after Amphilus died, in the forty-second year of his reign, and was succeeded
by his son Nila, he reigned thirty-four years.
The
following is a description of the country of the Altewanians in the
commencement of his reign, and also of the surrounding nations inhabiting
Algewa, Chima, and Urel. The people number 600,000, and inhabit the country
from the river Addazar to lake Urel. Their principal cities are Tirena, three
leagues in circumference, 80,000 inhabitants. The city of Dionus, 40,000
inhabitants; Empelo, 25,000; New Empelo, six leagues south, 12,000. The city of
Urel on the western shores of the lake, besides many other large towns and
forts; all these towns and cities were surrounded with walls of earth cased
with brick.
The
principal rivers are the Cedron, which forms the western boundary of the
country, the Arbus, 400 miles in length, the Addazar in the south, and the Urel
in the north, each 300 miles in length. All these flow from the north-east and
fall into the if the people would arise in their might they could vanquish all
eneies andp lace Tymino, Empelo's son on the throne of his ancestors. The
people flew to arms, and in a few months took the capitol and drove the Cimans
and Gonibui beyond the Cedron. Tymino was proclaimed king, and Parnem, near the
head of the Arbus was declared the capitol; this government was called the
kingdom of Altewania, and existed three years.
In
the south the Penulians established a kingdom, the capitol was Addramus, on the
Cedron, a few leagues below the mouth of the Arbus; this town was strongly
fortified. In the third year of his reign, Tymino sent an army against
Addramus; while this force was absent Gonibui entered Altewani, advanced to
Parnem, captured the city, but the palace being fortified he besieged it forty
days when Tymino was murdered by his soldiers who declared for Gonibui and
submitted to his authority; on the news reaching Itan, Tymino's general, who
was then at Dionus, preparing to attack the Penulians, he made pace with the
enemy he was sent to conquer and agreed to assist them with all his force against
Gonibui;
Beban,
the king of Addramus, raised a powerful army, which under the command of Itan,
entered the providence of Aramus and erected a strong fortification on the
river. Gonibui marched against him, the armies met at Volon on the river
Aramus, ten leagues from its mouth. Gonibui was defeated with the loss of
30,000 men, and all the country south and west of the Arbus fell into the
possession of Beban. From this time the Arbus was the line between the kingdoms
of Ostrali and Penuli, and for eight years wars raged between the two powers
and both were weakened by their folly; the numerous battles fought, the many
towns that were destroyed I will not here recount, it is sufficient to say that
in the end Gonibui died, the government was revolutionized, and peace once more
restored. At the end of this war the attention of both nations was attracted by
the appearance of certain savage tribes in the west, of a warlike disposition,
and understanding the art of war perfectly; they first attacked the people on the
west of the Cedron, who were the remnants of the Chimans, Penulians, and
Altewanians yet in that country. These savages were of a deep copper color and
called themselves Ipanthoes, their tradition was that they were the only people
who were saved in the time of the flood; that all others were dissenters from
them. And that they had lately destroyed a powerful body of dissenters, of whom
a few escaped, and in pursuing them they discovered this country."
The
remainder of the record consists of an account of a long & bloody war which
was waged by the Ipanthoes against the Penulians and Altewanians, which
terminated in the complete overthrow of both those nations. The limited size of
the Olive Branch compells us to omit this portion of the history.
Varamenta
says that at the time when he finished his record (which was in the year 1114,
after the arrival of the Altewanians in the country) the savages were in
possession of all the country his people had formerly occupied, an that nearly
all the Altewanians who had not been destroyed had fled down to the Cedron to
escape from their enemies. He concludes his history by saying that as soon as he
had buried the plates, he and a few of his friends would also proceed down the
Cedron, in barges which they had built for that purpose. (J. C. Brewster, "History
of the Altewanians Continued,"
The Olive Branch, or, Herald of Peace and Truth To All the Saints 2, no.
11 [May 1850]: 163-65)
On the Kinderhook Plates and
Joseph Smith, see “The
Kinderhook Plates” (a good Q&A) and the
Primary Sources relating thereto,
both provided by the B. H. Roberts Foundation.
