The Strange Connection Between William Morgan (An Anti-Mason) and Joseph Smith (A Mormon)

Captain William Morgan is popularly tied to the anti-Mason movement. He tried to become a charter member of a new Masonic lodge in Batavia, New York in 1826. He claimed he was a member of another lodge, which should have guaranteed his inclusion in the new Batavia establishment. However, his petition for joining the new lodge was refused. In retaliation, Morgan threatened to publish a book disclosing the secrets of Freemasonry. Attempts were made to remove Morgan from the citizenry. False charges were leveled against him, and he was arrested twice. The first time, a friend and fellow anti-Mason, David C. Miller, bailed him out of jail. After the second arrest, Morgan was bailed out by an unknown person (thought to be a Mason) and "carried away" from Batavia. He was never seen, for certain, again.

Joseph Smith is recognized as the founder of Mormonism. His followers believed him to be a prophet whose mission was to restore the original Christian church. Joseph Smith was said to have been given "plates" by an angel, the resurrected prophet Moroni, on which a book was transcribed. This text would become known as the Book of Mormon. Joseph Smith is also said to have been visited by John the Baptist and disciples of Jesus Christ in revelations. Some people did not believe the story of the delivery of the hidden plates to Joseph Smith and accused him of being an imposter. He was ultimately killed for treason in the State of Illinois, although much controversy surrounded the details of his death.

At the time of William Morgan’s disappearance, he was married. After his disappearance and alleged murder, his widow, Lucinda, married Joseph Smith and became one of his many wives, as the Mormon religion allowed polygamy (having more than one wife at the same time). The issue of polygamy was one the Masons and Mormons disagreed wholeheartedly upon. Masonic lodges in Utah and Nevada banned Mormons from joining a Masonic lodge for many decades due to this disagreement.

Freemasonry members alleged that the Mormon church adopted many of the Masonic rituals and ceremonies as its own – copied their "rites of passage" as it were. Some believe this precipitated the demise of Captain Morgan. The followers of Joseph Smith proclaim no affiliation with the Masons. They do, however, admit to "borrowing" some of the elements of ceremony but say that’s where the similarity ends. Leaders in the Mormon church say the core concepts of their religion belong to authentic sources referred to in the Bible.

To present a solid affiliation between Morgan and the Mormon church, Morgan was one of the first recipients of the "baptism of the dead" bestowed in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormon church). Baptism of the dead is baptism by "proxy," after the fact, for one who is deceased.

In 1842, Joseph Smith was said to have actually joined a Masonic lodge in Nauvoo, Illinois, attained the rank of Master Mason on the second day, was there for six months, and then the lodge was dispensed with for alleged improprieties due to not following official Masonic rules and regulations. When the chapter was first chartered, Smith, like Morgan, was initially refused admittance.

Also like Freemasonry, Mormon church members did not want their ceremonies and rituals publicized. To have published such material would have been an offense against the groups. To be able to participate in Mormon temple ceremonies, you must have a recommendation letter from local church leaders. Similarly, in order to become a Mason, you must be invited by a current member.

Other similarities between the two men include:

• Both men were persecuted in 1826 in New York.

• Both men were trying to publish records that others did not want published (The Illustration of Masonry by One of the Fraternity and the Book of Mormon).

• Both men left the State of New York under duress. Joseph Smith decided Missouri would be a more conducive environment for his new church, and was forced to move from there to Illinois. While William Morgan was abducted and presumably murdered, there were alleged sightings of Morgan in Boston, Massachusetts, and as far away as Smynia (modern day Turkey), but no solid evidence ever turned up.

• Both men were said to have been murdered as a result of persecution for their beliefs, but the details surrounding both "murders" remain sketchy and filled with differing accounts of what actually happened.

• Both Masons and Mormons refer to each other as "Brothers" that are in a fraternity of sorts.

Of course, one of the essential differences between the two men is that while Joseph Smith chose to emulate some of Masonry’s rules and rituals, William Morgan (who told others he once was a Mason) became anti-Mason. In fact, Morgan’s disappearance was the catalyst for an anti-Mason movement and an entirely new third political party, the anti-Mason party.

Michael Keene is the producer of the award winning documentary, Visions: True Stories of the Supernatural. See the trailer:

http://www.ad-hoc-productions.com/trailer.html.