It sounds like a joke, but sometimes you hear that Joseph Smith taught moon men dressed like Quakers. It's one of those persistent historical claims that gets passed around at family gatherings or pops up when you least expect it. We've talked about it before in our "Joseph Smith and Moon Quakers" Q&A, but let's do a brief dive into this lunar legend and separate fact from fiction.

The Nineteenth-Century Moon Craze

Before you write this off as just some weird Mormon thing, it's worth stepping back and looking at the bigger historical picture. During the nineteenth century, the idea of the moon being inhabited wasn't just a fringe belief—it was actively debated among serious scientists and theologians. For example, astronomer William Herschel, who discovered Uranus, believed the moon might be inhabited. Prominent theologian Adam Clarke wrote that the moon was "a habitable globe."

Even within early Latter-day Saint circles, speculation about extraterrestrial life wasn't unusual. Hyrum Smith and Brigham Young both speculated about the moon and even the sun being inhabited. For instance, Brigham Young once stated, "So it is with regard to the inhabitants of the sun. Do you think it is inhabited? I rather think it is. Do you think there is any life there? No question of it; it was not made in vain."

So if Joseph did speculate about moon inhabitants (and that's a big "if"), he was in pretty respectable company for his time.

The Story Behind the Story

The claim about moon-dwelling Quakers traces back to Oliver B. Huntington. In 1881, Huntington wrote in his journal that he had heard from Philo Dibble—who was recalling an event from approximately 40 years earlier—that Joseph Smith described lunar residents as being about six feet tall, dressing like Quakers, and living nearly a thousand years. So, a single, late, thirdhand account with no contemporary records or corroborating accounts from Joseph Smith.

In fact, here's the actual transcription of the journal entry:

The moon was described by the Prophet Joseph to Philo Dibble as inhabited by a people tall, well-formed, measuring generally 6 feet or over in height. Dressed very uniformly, in a style resembling the Quaker fashion and lived to be generally near a thousand years old.

As fun as this sounds, there are no contemporary records or corroborating accounts from Joseph Smith to support this claim about "Quakers on the moon." It originates from a single, late, thirdhand account.

The Blessing Blunder

Here's where the story gets even more interesting. In 1892, Huntington published an article in the Young Woman’s Journal claiming that Joseph Smith Sr. gave him a patriarchal blessing in 1837 that said that Huntington would preach the gospel to inhabitants of the moon. Huntington wrote:

As far back as 1837, I know that he [Joseph Smith] said the moon was inhabited by men and women the same as this earth, and that they lived to a greater age than we do—that they live generally to near the age of a 1000 years. . . . In my Patriarchal blessing, given by the father of Joseph the Prophet, in Kirtland, 1837, I was told that I should preach the gospel before I was 21 years of age; that I should preach the gospel to the inhabitants upon the islands of the sea, and—to the inhabitants of the moon, even the planet you can now behold with your eyes.

That's quite a mission call. But before you start wondering about lunar baptismal fonts, let's take a closer look at what actually happened.

With the earliest extant manuscript copy of this blessing in hand, it's clear there are some issues. The blessing was given in 1836 (not 1837), and it wasn't from Joseph Smith Sr. at all—it was from Huntington's own father, William. And rather than being a formal patriarchal blessing, it was a personal father's blessing.

The actual blessing states (spelling and punctuation standardized):

Blessing by William Huntington upon the head of his son Oliver B. . . . Thou shalt have power with God, even to translate thyself to heaven and preach to the inhabitants of the moon and the planets, if it shall be expedient. If thou art faithful, all these blessings will be given thee.

Notice that crucial conditional phrase at the end: "if it shall be expedient." Considering that we now know the moon doesn't support human life—and NASA wasn't exactly offering shuttle services in the 1830s—it clearly wasn't expedient for Huntington to serve a lunar mission.

Why Historical Context Matters

Huntington was recalling these events decades later, so his mistakes may be understandable, but it has created confusion about what Joseph Smith actually taught. This is one case that illustrates why we need to be careful with historical claims, especially those based on late, secondhand, or misattributed accounts.

When we carefully examine sources, contextualize statements, and distinguish between personal beliefs and official doctrine, we get a much clearer picture of the past. And in this case, the picture suggests that the "Quakers on the moon" teaching isn't well-supported by historical evidence.

Does that mean Joseph never speculated about moon inhabitants? We can't say for certain. But what we can say is that the strongest claim linking him to lunar Quakers comes from a single, late, thirdhand account—and that's pretty shaky ground to build a historical case on.

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