Cowdery told Smith that he had seen the golden plates in a vision before the two ever met.

But after Smith met Cowdery, he completed the manuscript in a remarkably short period ( April – June 1829 ) during what Richard Bushman called a " burst of rapid-fire translation.

The Church of Jesus Christ claims to be a continuation of the Church of Christ, which was the original church organization established by Joseph Smith, Jr. informally in 1829 and then as a legal entity on April 6, 1830 in northwestern New York state. On April 6, 1830, Joseph Smith, Jr., Oliver Cowdery, and a group of approximately 30 believers met to formally organize the Church of Christ into a legal institution.

On April 6, 1830, Joseph Smith, Jr., Oliver Cowdery, and a group of approximately 30 believers met with the intention of formally organizing the Church of Christ into a legal institution.

On April 6, 1830, Joseph Smith, Jr., Oliver Cowdery, and a group of approximately 30 believers met to formally organize the Church of Christ into a legal institution.

After traveling from Ohio to Kanesville ( Council Bluffs ), Cowdery met in the Kanesville Tabernacle meeting, called to sustain Brigham Young as the new President of the Church ; Cowdery bore his testimony with a conviction to the truthfulness of everything that had happened spiritually with Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon.

Marsh also met Oliver Cowdery at the printing office.

Cowdery also told Smith that he had seen the Golden Plates in a vision before the two ever met.

Bronze statue in Temple Square, Salt Lake City, representing Saint Peter | Peter, James, son of Zebedee | James, and John the Apostle | John in the act of conferring the Melchizedek priesthood to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery

* 1829 – Joseph Smith, Jr., founder of the Latter Day Saint movement, commences translation of the Book of Mormon, with Oliver Cowdery as his scribe.

This earlier book contained 65 early revelations to church leaders including Joseph Smith, Jr. and Oliver Cowdery.

This committee of Presiding Elders, consisting of Joseph Smith, Jr., Oliver Cowdery, Sidney Rigdon, and Frederick G. Williams, began to review and revise numerous revelations for inclusion in the new work.

Joseph Smith, Jr. and Frederick G. Williams, two of the Presiding Elders on the committee, were absent, but Oliver Cowdery and Sidney Rigdon were present.

In addition, Joseph Smith, Jr. and Oliver Cowdery stated that on April 3, 1836, Moses appeared to them in the Kirtland Temple in a glorified, immortal, physical form and bestowed upon them the " keys of the gathering of Israel from the four parts of the earth, and the leading of the ten tribes from the land of the north.

In 1835, Smith identified the angel as Moroni: In 1835, while preparing the first edition of the Doctrine and Covenants, he made additions to an earlier revelation regarding sacramental wine, and indicated a number of angels that would come to the earth after the Second Coming and drink wine with Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery.

Around this time, Oliver Cowdery was writing a history of Joseph Smith in which he identified the angel as the prophet Moroni from the Book of Mormon.

It also teaches that in 1829, along with the resurrected Peter and the resurrected James, John visited Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery and restored the priesthood authority with Apostolic succession to earth .< Ref > Doctrine and Covenants 27: 12 .</ ref > John, along with the Three Nephites, will live to see the Second Coming of Christ as translated beings.

Critics of the LDS church have claimed that Cabrera's work had a strong influence on Joseph Smith, Jr. and Oliver Cowdery, founders of the Latter Day Saint movement.

Latter Day Saints believe that Joseph Smith, Jr. and Oliver Cowdery were visited by the angel of John the Baptist near Harmony in 1829, where he bestowed on Smith and Cowdery the Aaronic priesthood.

Bronze statue in Temple Square, Salt Lake City, representing Saint Peter | Peter, James, son of Zebedee | James, and John the Apostle | John in the act of conferring the Melchizedek priesthood to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery, as envisioned by most modern Latter Day Saints.

Joseph Smith, Jr. and Oliver Cowdery said they were visited by John the Baptist, who laid his hands on their head and gave them the Aaronic priesthood.

To that end, Larson carefully examined the Original Manuscript ( the one dictated by Joseph Smith to his scribes ) and the Printer ’ s Manuscript ( the copy Oliver Cowdery prepared for the Printer in 1829 – 1830 ), and compared them with the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd editions of the Book of Mormon to determine what sort of changes had occurred over time and to make judgments as to which readings were the most original.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ( LDS Church ) teaches that James has been resurrected and that in 1829 he — along with the resurrected Peter and the translated John — visited Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery and restored the priesthood authority with Apostolic succession to earth .< Ref > Doctrine and Covenants 27: 12 .</ ref >

The Susquehanna River holds importance for members of the Latter Day Saint movement as the location where Joseph Smith, Jr. and Oliver Cowdery received the priesthood from heavenly beings and the place in which the first Latter Day Saint baptisms occurred.

A 19th century drawing of Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery receiving the Aaronic priesthood ( Latter Day Saints ) | Aaronic priesthood from John the Baptist.

When Joseph prayed in May 1829 about the need for baptism, he and Oliver Cowdery were visited angelically by John the Baptist so that they could receive proper authority to baptize.

Bronze statue on the LDS Church | LDS Church's Temple Square ( Salt Lake City, Utah, USA ) depicting Peter, James, son of Zebedee | James, and John the Apostle | John conferring the Melchizedek priesthood ( Latter Day Saints ) | Melchizedek priesthood in A. D. 1829 to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery

In several issues of the LDS periodical Messenger and Advocate ( 1834 – 35 ), Oliver Cowdery wrote an early biography of Joseph Smith, Jr.

When the church was organized on 6 April 1830, Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery led the church in their capacity as elders.

: Your letter of yesterday is received & I hasten to answer as fully as I can -- Joseph Smith Jr first come to my notice in the year 1824 in the summer of that year I contracted with his father to build a fence on my property in the corse of that work I approach Joseph & ask how it is in a half day you put up what requires your father & 2 brothers a full day working together he says I have not been with out assistance but can not say more only you better find out the next day I take the older Smith by the arm & he says Joseph can see any thing he wishes by looking at a stone Joseph often sees Spirits here with great kettles of coin money it was Spirits who brought up rock because Joseph made no attempt on their money I latter dream I converse with spirits which let me count their money when I awake I have in my hand a dollar coin which I take for a sign Joseph describes what I seen in every particular says he the spirits are grieved so I through back the dollar in the fall of the year 1827 I hear Joseph found a gold bible I take Joseph aside & he says it is true I found it 4 years ago with my stone but only just got it because of the enchantment the old spirit come to me 3 times in the same dream & says dig up the gold but when I take it up the next morning the spirit transfigured himself from a white salamander in the bottom of the hole & struck me 3 times & held the treasure & would not let me have it because I lay it down to cover over the hole when the spirit says do not lay it down Joseph says when can I have it the spirit says one year from to day if you obay me look to the stone after a few days he looks the spirit says bring your brother Alvin Joseph says he is dead shall I bring what remains but the spirit is gone Joseph goes to get the gold bible but the spirit says you did not bring your brother you can not have it look to the stone Joseph looks but can not see who to bring the spirit says I tricked you again look to the stone Joseph looks & sees his wife on the 22d day of Sept 1827 they get the gold bible -- I give Joseph $ 50 to move him down to Pa Joseph says when you visit me I will give you a sign he gives me some hiroglyphics I take then to Utica Albany & New York in the last place Dr Mitchel gives me an introduction to Professor Anthon says he they are short hand Egyption the same what was used in ancient times bring me the old book & I will translate says I it is made of precious gold & is sealed from view says he I can not read a sealed book -- Joseph found some giant silver specticles with the plates he puts them in an old hat & in the darkness reads the words & in this way it is all translated & written down -- about the middle of June 1829 Joseph takes me together with Oliver Cowdery & David Whitmer to have a view of the plates our names are appended to the book of Mormon which I had printed with my own money -- space and time both prevent me from writing more at present if there is any thing further you wish to inquire I shall attend to it

During production of this work in mid-1829, Smith, his close associate Oliver Cowdery, and other early followers began baptizing new converts into a Christian primitivist church, formally organized in 1830 as the Church of Christ.

Smith and Cowdery subsequently baptized one another in the Susquehanna River.

The first convert baptism, that of Samuel H. Smith, took place there ten days after Smith and Cowdery had baptized each other.

Somewhere between Harmony and Colesville, New York, Peter, James, and John bestowed upon Smith and Cowdery the Melchizedek priesthood.

Latter Day Saints believe that ancient prophets and apostles conferred the Aaronic and Melchizedek priesthoods directly upon Joseph Smith, Jr. and Oliver Cowdery on May 15, 1829.

( Some early church leaders claimed that Harris, like Joseph Smith, Jr. and Oliver Cowdery, was ordained to the priesthood office of apostle ; however, there is no record of this ordination, and Harris — as with Cowdery — was never a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

Oliver H. P. Cowdery ( October 3, 1806 – March 3, 1850 ) was, with Joseph Smith, Jr., an important participant in the formative period of the Latter Day Saint movement between 1829 and 1836.

When the Church was organized on April 6, 1830, Joseph Smith, Jr. became " First Elder " and Cowdery " Second Elder.

On December 18, 1832, Cowdery married Elizabeth Ann Whitmer, the daughter of Peter Whitmer, Sr. and sister of David, John, Jacob and Peter Whitmer, Jr ..

That committee of Presiding Elders, consisting of Joseph Smith, Jr., Oliver Cowdery, Sidney Rigdon, and Frederick G. Williams, stated that the Lectures were included " in consequence of their embracing the important doctrine of salvation ," and that the Lectures, together with the church-regulatory sections that followed, represent " our belief, and when we say this, humbly trust, the faith and principles of this society as a body.

Soon thereafter Joseph Smith, Jr. and Oliver Cowdery were supposedly visited by John the Baptist in angelic form, who conferred the Aaronic priesthood on them, which included the authority to baptize in Jesus Christ ’ s name.

In February 1837, the printing press was sold to Joseph Smith, Jr. and Sidney Rigdon, and Warren Cowdery became the official editor.