Kent Pickering – Martin Harris – Hine Affidavit and the Lost Manuscript

The Hine Affidavit and the Lost Manuscript
Martin Harris and the Anthon Transcript
A Perspective From Martin’s Direct Descendant
Kent (Harris) Linford Pickering, Direct Descendant of Martin and Lucy Harris and Martin and Caroline Young Harris through a family intermarriage. (Harris is actually not in my legal name, but I added it to show my family connection)
I had the opportunity to view the initial pre screening of the move “Witnesses.” In the photo, I am standing with LDS actor Paul Wuthrich, who played the Prophet Joseph Smith in the upcoming movie. I highly recommend it.
For ease of viewing and time constraints, I divided my presentation into two parts.
I modified my topics right before the Expo due to the movies “Witnesses” and “Murder Among the Mormons” movies being released.
I am a direct descendant of Martin and Lucy Harris and also a descendant of Martin and Caroline Young Harris through a family intermarriage. I descend from Martin through my birth mother. The first descendants of Lucy Harris to join the Church come through my great grandfather, Alma Martin Harris, the grandson of Martin and Lucy Harris, who married Ida May Harris, the youngest daughter of Martin Harris and Caroline Young Harris. I knew my grandfather Frank Burton Harris Linford, who died when I was ten years old. His birth mother was Martin and Caroline’s youngest daughter Ida May, so one can see how close I am to Grandpa Martin!
Though not a recognized scholar with the usual accompanying university degrees, I have studied the life of Martin Harris extensively. I use an innovative approach, similar to that of my good friend historian Don Bradley, who authored the exciting new volume titled “The Lost 116 Pages, Reconstructing the Book of Mormon’s Missing Stories.” My research style is one of not merely being a chronologist, but one of trying to understand what interactions likely took place between and to members of Martin Harris’s family which led to known historical events. Like in my prior presentations, as a member of Martin’s progeny, I give my analysis and perceptions of some of the stories and accounts of Martin Harris’s family relationships with Lucy Harris Harris, Caroline Young Harris, and the Prophet Joseph Smith. Many of my thoughts have never been told in a public setting before.
I attended several Firm Foundation Conferences in the past, and noticed that little information was given on Martin Harris’s life. I volunteered to try and fill that void after talking with Rod Meldrum and Rian Nelson. I gave my first presentation in April of 2019. I also recently had the privilege of having Rod Meldrum invite me on his Come Follow Me podcast on section 19, which the Lord gave to Martin Harris.
I have been an avid Family Search indexer in the past and learned the value of digitized records. New information has recently been digitized and made available which gives new insight into the life of Martin Harris.