Take a look at our research. We list several possible suspects.
The population of Palmyra in 1820 was 2,719. Of that population 748 persons were in agriculture, 18 in commerce, and 190 in manufacturing. The population of Palmyra in 1830 was more than 4,000 individuals.
In writing the First Vision, Joseph Smith said, “Men of high standing took notice to excite the public mind against him.” We presume that we are not looking for a transient passing through Palmyra. We are looking for anyone involved in publications in the greater Palmyra area, men of means and influence, trustees and ministers of Palmyra churches (Western Presbyterian Church, Zion Episcopal Church, Methodist Church, Palmyra Society of Friends [Quakers]), and near neighbors of the Smiths and Martin Harris. For example, when Joseph Smith Sr. came to Palmyra in 1816, the Palmyra road tax lists him living in the vicinity of William Jackway and Gain Robinson on West Main Street.
For more than six years we have engaged in the tedious, laborious process of contacting local libraries, historical societies, genealogical research centers, and descendants. Finding the repositories and descendants is no easy task. But with that said—there is now literally a team of historians, librarians, genealogists, researchers, and descendants engaged in trying to find more information on the “possible wicked” men—and more importantly—the original documents.