Chronological Bibliography
on Native American Origins
1643-1829


Mark D Larsen
June 11, 2012


Dan Vogel is the scholar who richly deserves our praise, admiration, and sincere thanks for the following information. He compiled and listed all the works below in the bibliography of his book Indian Origins and the Book of Mormon. I have merely extracted and listed in chronological order those that seem most revealing of the prevalent theories about Native Americans that had been circulating among the populace for many years up to the time of Joseph Myth.

Whether or not Joseph Myth actually read a particular work in the list, it is inconceivable that he was unaware of such beliefs, given that they were so widespread. As you can see below, even the local Palmyra newspapers published articles about them. Obviously, Joseph Myth was merely regurgitating with his “Book of Mormon” what most people already believed back then. He evidently purloined practically all the supposed historical details from the published and oral traditions: Jewish ancestry, escaping the Babylonian invasion, sailing to the Americas by ship, their use of metallurgy including steel, stone boxes, brass plates, Egyptian hieroglyphic writing, a “lost book of god,” the “other sheep” from the New Testament, white- and dark-skinned factions, the former exterminated by the latter in a great war, the casualties piled up in burial mounds, etc.


1643 Williams, Roger. A Key into the Language of America. London, 1643. SAB 104339. [Boston, 1827; ACS 580.010.] Boston, 1643, 1810, 1827; Charlestown, RI, 1827; also published in the Massachusetts Historical Society Collections, Boston, 1794, rep. 1810, 3:203-39.
Williams believes that Indian language is a form of Hebrew and that their customs resemble those of the Jews (20-21). Although he is tolerant of the Indians, Williams believes their religion is devil inspired (112-13, 118).
1650 Israel, Manasseh ben (1604-57). The Hope of Israel. Translated by Moses Wall. London, 1652. First published in Latin (Amsterdam, 1650); subsequently translated into English (1650, 1651, 1652, and 1792), Spanish (1650, 1659, 1723), Dutch (1666), Judeo-German (1691, 1712), and Hebrew (two editions before 1703, six thereafter).
Israel includes the story of Antonio de Montezinos that a remnant of the ten tribes of Israel had been discovered in the wilderness of Peru, reports the discovery of Hebrew inscriptions and Jewish synagogues in South America, and notes the similarity between certain Jewish and Indian customs. According to Israel, the discovery of the ten tribes in America was a sign that the coming of the Messiah was near.
1652 Thorowgood, Tho[mas]. Jews in America, or, Probabilities That the Americans are of that Race. London, 1650. ACS 006.054. London, 1652.
Thorowgood includes Antonio de Montezinos’s account of the discovery of the ten tribes in Peru as well as other evidence of the Israelite origin of the American Indians. He also mentions the notion that the gospel was anciently preached in America (chap. 7, 24). Thorowgood, an English theologian, emphasizes the millennialistic nature of his Indian-Israelite identification and the importance of the Indians’ conversion to Christianity.
1652 L’Estrange, Hamon (1605-60). Americans no Jewes, or Improbabilities that the Americans are of that race. London, 1652. ACS 006.056. Probably published in 1651, though the date reads 1652.
L’Estrange, an English theologian, wrote to disprove Thomas Thorowgood’s thesis that the Indians were the lost ten tribes of Israel. L’Estrange argues instead that the Indians were descendants of Noah’s son Shem, who came to America at the dispersion from the tower of Babel.
1660 Thorowgood, Thomas and John Eliot. Jews in America, or Probabilities, that those Indians are Judaical, made more probable by some Additionals to the former Conjecture. London, 1660. ACS 006.064. Two editions in 1660.
Thorowgood, this time teamed with the famed “Apostle to the Indians,” John Eliot of Massachusetts, strengthens his arguments that the Indians are of the ten tribes of Israel. Thorowgood had been attacked by fellow theologian Sir Hamon l’Estrange, who argued similarities listed by Thorowgood were not peculiar to Jews or Indians. Thus Thorowgood and Eliot include evidence that American Indians are distinctly Israelite.
1670 Ogilby, John (1600-76). America: Being the Latest, and Most Accurate Description of the New World. London, 1671. W 613. London, 1670.
Ogilby discusses various theories of Indian origins, including the ten tribe and other Hebrew theories (7-18).
1683 [Penn, William] (1644-1718). A Letter from William Penn. London, 1683. ACS 008.082.
“I am ready to believe them of the Jewish Race, I mean, of the stock of the Ten tribes,” wrote Penn of the Pennsylvania Indians (7). He believes their general appearance and customs are Jewish and their language similar to Hebrew (5, 7). He also believes their dark complexion the result of climatic and environmental conditions (5).
1699 Wafer, Lionel (1660?-1705?). A New Voyage and Description of the Isthmus of America. London, 1699. London, 1699, 1729, 1816; Paris, 1706; Glasgow, 1794.
Wafer refers to white-skinned Indians he found in Central America (133-34).
1727 Sewall, Samuel (1652-1730). Phaenomena Quaedam Apocalyptica. Boston, 1697. E 813. Boston, 1727.
Sewall, a Congregational clergyman, suggests that the Indians are Israelites (2, 35), that America might be the place of the New Jerusalem, and that the “other sheep” mentioned in John 10:16 are the American Indians (1-2, 42).
1761 Charlevoix, P[ierre Francois Xavier] de (1682-1761). Journal of a Voyage to North-America. 2 vols. London, 1761. ACS 540.005.
In his thorough and scholarly “Preliminary Discourse on the Origin of the Americans” (1:1-59), Charlevoix reviews previous theories and presents his own views on the subject. He evidently believes that all men descended from Adam and that the Indian’s skin color is due to climatic and environmental conditions (1:15, 47, 49). Hence he concludes that the Indians came to the New World shortly after the dispersion from the tower of Babel in a ship similar to Noah’s (1:49, 53).
1773 [Mather, Samuel] (1706-85). An Attempt to Shew, that America Must Be Known to the Ancients. Boston, 1773. E 12861; SAB 46792.
Mather, a Congregational clergyman, believes that America was populated by two major migrations, one from the tower of Babel (13) and the other, centuries later, from Asia or possibly Phoenicia (18-19). He also subscribes to the theory that ancient America was visited by Christ’s apostles or perhaps by some of the seventy (22-25).
1775 Adair, James (c. 1709-c. 1783). The History of the American Indians. London, 1775. LAC 14288; SAB 155.
Adair was a pioneer Indian trader who lived among the North American Indians (principally the Chicksaw and Cherokee), 1735-75. He wrote his book, a proof that the Indians descended from the ten tribes of Israel, to contradict writers such as Lord Kames who asserted the Indians were pre-Adamites (3). Adair’s evidence for the Indian-Israelite theory consists of twenty-three parallels between Indian and Jewish customs. For example, he claims the Indians spoke a corrupt form of Hebrew (37-74), honored the Jewish sabbath (76), performed circumcision (136-37), and offered animal sacrifice (115-19). He also describes ancient fortifications which he had personally observed (377-78). Although Adair’s thesis was later dismissed, his account of the various tribes, their customs and vocabularies, together with his narration of life among the Indians continues to interest scholars.
1798 Barton, Benjamin Smith (1766-1815). New Views of the Origin of the Tribes and Nations of America. Philadelphia, 1797. ACS 230.003; LAC 15385; SAB 3819. Philadelphia, 1798.
Barton compares the Indian’s language to several Old World languages, including the Semitic languages (80).
1798 Beatty, Charles (1715?-72). The Journal of a Two Months Tour. London, 1768. SAB 4149. Edinburgh, 1798.
In 1755, Beatty, a Presbyterian clergyman, became chaplain to Pennsylvania troops sent to defend the northwestern borders of the state against Indians. This gave him an opportunity to observe the Indians. Beatty favors the Indian-Israelite theory and makes comparisons between Indian customs and the law of Moses (27, 83-92).
1801 Crawford, Charles (b. 1752). An Essay upon the Propagation of the Gospel. Philadelphia, 1799. E 35362. Philadelphia, 1801.
Crawford believes that America was settled by two major groups: first, by descendants of Noah before the earth was divided in the days of Peleg; later, by the ten tribes (17). He cites evidence of the Indians’ Hebrew origins from Adair and Penn (20-23) and urges his fellow Christians to resist conflict with one another and rather concentrate their efforts on civilizing and converting the Indians (40-48).
1808 [Burke, Edmund] (1729?-97). An Account of the European Settlements in America. 2 vols. 2nd ed. London, 1758. LAC 20774. London, 1757, 1758, 1760, 1765, 1766, 1770, 1777, 1808; Dublin, 1762.
Burke describes how the Indians looked when they were first discovered (1:167-75). He also mentions the Mexican and Peruvian temples (1:173) and gives an account of Montezuma receiving Cortes as the returning white god (1:70-129).
1811 Loudon, Archibald. A Selection of Some of the Most Interesting Narratives of Outrages Committed by the Indians, in Their Wars with the White People. 2 vols. Carlisle, PA, 1811. ACS 160.006.
Loudon’s description of the Indians is negative and anti-primitivist. For example, he reports idol worship and human sacrifice (2:283). However, he supports the ten tribe theory (2:285-92), mentions that the Spaniards dug up Indian tombstones covered with Hebrew characters (2:285), and compares Peruvian temples to Jewish synagogues (2:288).
1812 Clinton, DeWitt (1769-1828). Discourse Delivered before the New-York Historical Society. [6 Dec. 1811]. New York, 1812.
Clinton, governor of New York, describes the various fortifications in his state (57-58). He also makes a distinction between the mound builders and the Indians, who supposedly destroyed the mound builders in a terrible war (53, 61).
1812 Port Folio. Philadelphia, 1801-27. Edited by Oliver Oldschool [Joseph Dennie]. APS: 2:40-2, 220, 228, 915; LAC 31440-84.
Vol. 7 (second series), June 1812: Reviews Benjamin Smith Barton’s New Views of the Origin of the Tribes and Nations of America (Philadelphia, 1798), discussing Barton’s view that the Indians came from Asia. The review maintains that another race, predating but surpassing the Indians, constructed the ancient forts and cities east of the Mississippi River (507-26).

Vol. 1 (fourth series), June 1816: “Of the Aborigines of the Western Country” reveals that the extracts published in the March and July issues, supposedly the work of Henry Frost, were in fact written by the late Dr. John P. Campbell (457). The periodical then discusses at length the common notion that the mounds and fortifications were built by a civilized, agricultural, white-skinned race. This white-skinned race, according to the Port Folio, came from Asia and were perhaps Israelites of the ten tribes. These civilized people were eventually destroyed by other more savage and dark-complected Asiatics who also migrated to the New World (457-63).

Vol. 2 (fourth series), July 1816: Continues the June article about the aborigines of the western country, discussing the mound builders’ metallurgy and use of copper, brass, and iron (1-8).

Vol. 4 (fourth series), Aug. 1817: “Origin of the North American Indians” mentions that a cross was found around the neck of a skeleton taken from a mound at Chilicothe, Ohio (168).

Vol. 7 (fourth series), April 1819: “Antiquities of the West” describes antiquities of Tennessee, including a stone fort, some glass, and an iron sword (350).

Vol. 2 (fifth series), Aug. 1822: Describes an Ohio mound, states that the mounds cannot be the work of the Indians, and compares the mounds to the pyramids of Egypt (125-26).

1813 Carver, J[onathan] (1710-80). Three Years Travels through the Interior Parts of North-America. Philadelphia, 1796. LAC 13164. Philadelphia, 1784, 1786, 1789, 1792; Boston, 1794, 1797, 1802; Portsmouth, NH, 1794; Edinburgh, 1792, 1798, 1807, 1808; Glasgow, 1805; Walpole, NH, 1813.
Carver’s Travels is probably the work of Dr. John Lettsome (see E. G. Bourne, “The Travels of Jonathan Carver,” American Historical Review 11 [Jan. 1906]: 287-302). The book contains a lengthy discussion of the various theories on Indian origins (115-253) and a description of ancient fortifications (35-36).
1813 Stoddard, Amos (1762-1813). Sketches, Historical and Descriptive, of Louisiana. Philadelphia, 1812. LAC 13321.
Stoddard discusses various theories of Indian origins (465-66) and mentions the presence of white Indians in North America (474-75).
1814 Brachenridge, H[enry] M[arie] (1786-1871). Views of Louisiana. Pittsburgh, 1814. SS 30979.
Brachenridge describes mounds and palisaded forts in North America (121, 183-88) and mentions various theories on Indian origins, including the Indian-Israelite theory of Adair (189-90).
1814 Parish, Elijah (1762-1825). A New System of Modern Geography. Newburyport, MA, 1810. Newburyport, MA, 1812, 1814.
Parish, a Congregational clergyman, wrote his geography for use in New England schools. He describes mounds in North America (84, 95, 100-111, 120) and the Peruvian temple at Cusco (138). He also mentions a mammoth skeleton found in South Carolina (123). Although Parish does not commit himself on any theory of Indian origins, he does include a comparison of Indian and Israelite customs (22-26).
1816 Boudinot, Elias (1740-1821). A Star in the West; or, a Humble Attempt to Discover the Long Lost Ten Tribes of Israel. Trenton, 1816. LAC 14290; SAB 6856.
The title of this work was no doubt inspired by Claudius Buchanan’s popular book, A Star in the East (Boston, 1811), which claimed the ten tribes were east of Israel in Persia and India. Boudinot wrote to defend the Indians’ character and to save them from extinction. He relies heavily on evidences compiled by James Adair. He also mentions the Indian’s lost book of God (110-11).
1816 McCulloh, James H[aines], Jr. (1793?-1870). Researches on America; Being an Attempt to Settle Some Points Relative to the Aborigines of America &c. Baltimore, 1817. ACS 289.001; SS 41313. Baltimore, 1816.
McCulloh discusses various theories explaining Indian origins and also problems of transoceanic crossing (19-35). He personally favors the lost continent of Atlantis theory, popular with some of the learned but rejected by the common folk, and discusses the theory that the mound builders were a white group more advanced than the Indians (210-19).
1817 Niles’ Weekly Register. (Weekly Register, 1811-14; Niles’ Weekly Register, 1814-37; Niles’ National Register, 1837-49.) Baltimore, 1811-49. Edited by Hezekiah Niles. LAC 31236-62.
Vol. 13, 27 Sept. 1817: States that the mound builders, a highly civilized nation, were destroyed by the savage Indians (74). As evidence of the mound builders’ superiority over the Indians, the author claims that glass objects have been discovered in some of the mounds (74-75).
1817 North American Review and Miscellaneous Journal. Boston, 1815-77. Edited by William Tudor. APS 2:178.
Vol. 16, Nov. 1817: “Indian Antiquities” reports on an item in the Western Gazetteer describing several mounds found in Harrison, Indiana. The editor of the North American Review introduces the item by stating that the mounds were the work of a people “who had made much greater advances in the arts of civilized life” than any of the Indians (137). The article quotes a portion from the Western Gazetteer to the effect that the mound builders were more civilized than the Indians and that the numerous skeletons which filled the mounds “were doubtless killed in battle, and hastily buried” (137). The Gazetteer also mentions the discovery of several stone houses (138).
1818 Adams, Hannah (1755-1832). The History of the Jews. 2 vols. Boston, 1812. SS 24528; LAC 22643. London, 1818.
Adams discusses the Indian-Israelite theory of Manasseh ben Israel and James Adair (2:333-38) and mentions the black Jews of Cochin and their brass plates (2:197-99).
1818 Bonnycastle, R[ichard] H[enry] (1791-1847). Spanish America. Philadelphia, 1819. London, 1818.
Bonnycastle describes ancient fortifications, temples, ruins, and highways in Mexico and Peru (55, 58-59, 70, 91-92, 99-100, 107-108, 113-16, 120-22).
1818 Palmyra Register (followed by Western Farmer, then Palmyra Herald, then by the Wayne Sentinel). Palmyra, NY, 1817-21. Edited by Timothy C. Strong.
Vol. 1, 21 Jan. 1818: “Indian Antiquities” is a reprint of an article from the North American Review (Vol. 16, Nov. 1817) which in turn reported on an item from the Western Gazetteer describing several mounds found in Harrison, Indiana. The editor of the North American Review introduces the item by stating that the mounds were the work of a people “who had made much greater advances in the arts of civilized life” than any of the Indians. The Western Gazetteer is quoted as stating that the mound builders were more civilized than the Indians and that the numerous skeletons which fill the mounds “were doubtless killed in battle, and hastily buried.” The Gazetteer also mentions the discovery of a number of stone houses.

Vol. 1, 18 Aug. 1818: Describes a Roman coin found in Tennessee, which had caused some to speculate that the Romans built the fortifications.

Vol. 2, 26 May 1819: “American Antiquities” reports on the discovery of mounds and expresses the belief that their builders were exterminated by the Indians.

1819 Plough Boy. Albany, 1819-23. Edited by Henry Homespun, Jr. [Solomon Southwick]. APS 2:19091.
Vol. 1, 11 Sept. 1819: “Antiquities of Marietta” reports the discovery of a sword in one of the Ohio mounds. “Here then is conclusive evidence that a people formerly inhabited the country who must have made considerable proficiency in the arts, with which the present natives were found totally unacquainted when Europeans first came among them. What has become of this people?” (118).
1819 Western Review. Lexington, KY, 1819-21. APS 2:253.
Vol. 1, Sept. 1819: Reviews John Heckewelder’s An Account of the History, Manners, and Customs, of the Indian Nations (65-74) and describes several Ohio mounds, explaining that it was a widespread belief that they contain the bodies of those killed in some terrible war (96-98).

Vol. 1, Oct. 1818: Reviews Francisco Clavigero’s The History of Mexico (129-42) and describes North American mounds (171-82).

Vol. 1, Nov. 1819: Concludes the review of Clavigero’s book (193-202) and describes additional ruins and fortifications (193, 220-28).

Vol. 1, Jan. 1820-Vol. 2, April 1820: Two articles describe North American antiquities (346-53, 29-42, 112-20, 153-60).

Vol. 2, May 1820: Describes two ancient modes of burial which indicate to the writer that “there were too [two] powerful nations contending for the country” (200). The fortifications and burial mounds are evidence that a terrible war had been fought in North America (200). The writer also rejects the Bering Strait theory and proposes instead that the ancient Americans came by ship (204).

Vol. 3, Sept. 1820: Reviews the first volume of Archaeologia Americana (Worcester, MA, 1820) (89-112).

1820 Archaeologia Americana: Transactions and Collections of the American Antiquarian Society. Worcester, MA, 1820-1911.
Vol. 1, 1820: Caleb Atwater, “Description of the Antiquities Discovered in the State of Ohio and other States,” describes North American mounds and fortifications, speculating that at least some of the ancient works were picketed (145), and includes several drawings of the mounds. Atwater, president of the American Antiquarian Society, believes that mound builders were metallurgists who possessed knowledge of making iron and possibly steel (232) and reports their use of “rude stone coffins” (162). At the end of this work, he offers his “Conjectures, respecting the Origin and History of the Authors of the Ancient Works in Ohio,” comparing American mounds to those of various nations in Europe and Asia. He rejects the idea that the Indians or their ancestors built the mounds, thus making a sharp distinction between Indians and mound builders (206-10). The Archaeologia also contains a letter from Samuel L. Mitchill, professor of natural history at the University of New York, to DeWitt Clinton, president of the New York Philosophical Society, dated 31 March 1816 (325-32), which connects the Indians with Asiatics.
1820 Howitt, E[manuel]. Selections from Letters Written during a Tour through the United States, In the Summer and Autumn of 1819; Illustrative of the Character of the Native Indians, and of Their Descent from the Lost Ten Tribes of Israel. Nottingham, [1820]. SAB 33372.
Howitt describes ancient fortifications he has visited (135-6, 183). He believes the mounds were erected more than a thousand years previous (183), states that they were the work of a people superior to the Indians (136), and mentions the mound builders’ use of iron (135, 183). He also subscribes to the thesis that Indians are descendants of the ten tribes of Israel (161-84). He describes the mammoth skeleton on display during his 1819 visit to Peale’s Museum in Philadelphia (61).
1821 Western Farmer (follows Palmyra Register, and is followed by Palmyra Herald, 1821-23, then by the Wayne Sentinel). Palmyra, NY, 1821-22. Edited by Timothy C. Strong.
Vol. 1, 18 July 1821: “A Curiosity” mentions the Indians’ use of hieroglyphic-like picture writing.

Vol. 1, 19 Sept. 1821: Mentions that workers on the Erie Canal discovered human skeletons and “several plates of brass.”

1822 Palmyra Herald (follows Palmyra Register, then as Western Farmer, 1821-22, and followed by Wayne Sentinel). Palmyra, NY, 1821-23. Edited by Timothy C. Strong.
Vol. 2, 24 July 1822: Includes “Poetical Description of the Mammoth, by a Shawnee Indian.”

Vol. 2, 21 Aug. 1822: “Antiquary” reports discovery of a mound containing many bones and relics near Fredonia, Chautauque County, New York.

Vol. 2, 30 Oct. 1822: “American Antiquities” reports the discovery in an Ohio mound of large skeletons buried in a Christian manner, west to east. This source also makes a distinction between mound builders and Indians.

Vol. 2, 19 Feb. 1823: Distinguishes between mound builders and Indians. The first settlers of North America are supposedly the descendants of Shem who come by sea. Later the descendants of Japheth cross the sea and subjugate them. This source also speaks of mammoths.

1822 Rio, Antonio del. Description of the Ruins of an Ancient City, Discovered Near Palenque, in the Kingdom of Guatemala. London, 1822.
Rio describes various ruins at Palenque, including several houses and palaces and a very large building. He includes plates of some of the structures, several Mayan codices, and an article, “Teatro Critico Americano; or, a Critical Investigation and Research into the History of the Americans,” written by Paul Felix Cabrera. Cabrera interprets the pre-Adamite theory of Indian origins as an attack on the atonement of Christ (28-29). He suggests instead that the ancient Americans came by sea (101). He also mentions the tradition of an eclipse in A.D. 34 and speculates that the Mexican god Quetzalcoatl was St. Thomas preaching the gospel in ancient America (93-94, 113).
1822 Sigourney, Lydia Howard (1791-1865). Traits of the Aborigines of America. A Poem. Cambridge, MA, 1822. LAC 12069.
In her poem, Sigourney portrays the Indians in a positive light, relatively uncommon for her day, and refers to Elias Boudinot and the ten tribe theory (8-9). She appends notes to the poem defending the theory (187-88).
1823 [Hale, Sarah Josepha (Buell)] (1788-1879). The Genius of Oblivion; and Other Original Poems. Concord, NH, 1823.
Hale’s romance depicts the mound builders of North America as coming by ship from Tyre, a hundred miles from Jerusalem, during the siege of Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia, 585-73 B.C. She concludes her work with eight pages of notes where she describes mounds and fortifications (65-69) and mentions that some fortifications had “pickets” (69). According to Hale, mound builders had metallurgy, including a knowledge of how to make steel (72). She believes that they were a different race than the Indians (67-68).
1823 Duncan, John M. (1795?-1825). Travels through Part of the United States and Canada in 1818 and 1819. 2 vols. New York, 1823. ACS 100.001. Glasgow, 1823.
Duncan describes the Indian’s religion and America’s ancient antiquities (2:91-101). Like Clinton, he distinguishes between the mound builders, whose bodies supposedly filled the burial mounds of North America, and the Indians, who were said to have destroyed them (2:91-93).
1823 Edwards, Jonathan (1745-1801). Observations on the Language of the Mahhekaneew Indians; in which... Some Instances of Analogy Between That and the Hebrew are Pointed Out. New Haven, 1788. ACS 160.001. New Haven, 1787; London, 1788; New York, 1801; Boston, 1823.
Edwards argues that Indian language was derived from Hebrew.
1823 Haywood, John (1762-1826). The Natural and Aboriginal History of Tennessee. Nashville, 1823. SAB 31085.
Haywood, first president of the Tennessee Antiquarian Society, attempted a pre-history of the state. He compares American antiquities with those of Hindus, Egyptians, and Hebrews. He describes North America fortifications and Mexican temples (77, 107, 121-53, 168-73) and discusses the mound builders’ use of metals, including steel (11, 181, 348-49), copper and brass plates (82, 345-46, 348), and metal coins (173-82, 342-43). He reports the discovery in a mound of brass plates inscribed with strange characters (82), describes stone boxes used by the Indians to bury their dead (203-4, 348, 352), discusses the possible use of the wheel and horse in ancient America (134, 163), and concludes that the mound builders were a white people destroyed by the Indians (1, 191, 218).
1823 Juarros, Domingo (1752-1820). A Statistical and Commercial History of the Kingdom of Guatemala. Translated by J[ohn] Baily. London, 1823. SAB 36817. London, 1825.
Juarros claims his history of Guatemala was taken from ancient manuscripts. He rejects the pre-Adamite theory, argues the Indians originated in the Old World (118), and mentions the Indian-Israelite theory (162). According to him, the original inhabitants arrived in the New World shortly after the dispersion from the tower of Babel, since the Indians retain stories both of the tower and of the Flood (208-9). Juarros also describes Guatemalan fortifications, buildings, temples, and palaces, including the ruins of Palenque (18-19, 171-72, 187, 383).
1824 Buchanan, James. Sketches of the History, Manners, and Customs, of the North American Indians, with a Plan for Their Melioration. 2 vols. New York, 1824. LAC 22210. London, 1824.
Buchanan, a British consul at New York, urges the Americans to be merciful to the Indians, who are being mistreated (1:vii-xi). He reviews various theories on Indian origins but refrains from speculating himself (1:13), reprints a speech of Samuel Jarvis arguing that Indian religion is not like Judaism as Adair and others suppose (2:1-47), and includes an “Extract from Blome’s State of His Majesty’s Isles and Teritories in America” [London, 1687], which states that the Indians are the lost ten tribes (2:101).
1824 Columbian Historian. New Richmond, Ohio, 1824-25. APS 2:95.
Vol. 1, 13 Aug. 1824: “Antiquities of the People who formerly inhabited the Western Parts of the United States” describes several fortifications and states that they are the work of “a people far more civilized than our Indians” (60).

Vol. 1, 20 Aug. 1824: States that mounds in North, Central and South America have a common origin (65) and mentions the mound builders’ use of metals, including a purported discovery of an oxidized iron sword in an Ohio mound (65-66).

Vol. 1, 3 Sept. 1824: Describes the contents of the various North American mounds, mentions the discovery of gold, silver, copper, oxidized iron, and speculates on the existence of steel (83, 86).

1824 Poinsett, Joel Roberts (1779-1851). Notes on Mexico, Made in the Autumn of 1822. Philadelphia, 1824. London, 1825.
Poinsett mentions the Mexican tradition of the Flood (46), notes their immense pyramids and long paved roads, and mentions their hieroglyphic drawings and knowledge of astronomy and metallurgy (248).
1824 Robbins, Thomas. A View of All Religions; and the Religious Ceremonies of all Nations at the Present Day. 3rd ed. Hartford, 1824.
Robbins includes a section, “The Religion and Ceremonies of the North American Indians,” which discusses the Indian-Israelite theory of James Adair and Elias Boudinot (158-163).
1824 Wayne Sentinel (follows Palmyra Herald). Palmyra, NY, 1823-19–. Edited by E. B. Grandin and Pomeroy Tucker.
Vol. 2, 3 Nov. 1824: Edmund James, “Antiquities in Missouri,” reports on the discovery in Missouri of an inscribed rock and ancient city and speculates that the inscriptions and city were the work of a race exterminated by the Indians.

Vol. 3, 4 Oct. 1825: Contains the speech of Mordecai M. Noah delivered at the dedication of the City of Ararat (situated on Grand Island in the Niagara River) as a refuge for world Jewry.

Vol. 3, 11 Oct. 1825: Noah, whose speech is concluded in this issue, claims that the Indians are the lost ten tribes of Israel and disputes the idea that the natives are indigenous. He also argues against the idea that the Indians are savages or inherently uncivilized.

Vol. 4, 1 June 1827: “Decyphering of Hieroglyphics” compares Mexican hieroglyphics and Egyptian hieroglyphics.

Vol. 6, 24 July 1829: Mentions a mammoth bone in New York City and reprints an item from the Batavia People’s Press on “The Aborigines.” This item describes the mound builders, whose once great nation “stretched from the Atlantic to the Pacific,” and wonders what calamity swept them from the face of the earth, speculating that perhaps they had become so wicked that “the Almighty in his wrath utterly annihilated them.”

1824 Yates, John V[an] N[ess] (1779-1839) and Joseph W[hite] Moulton (1789-1875). History of the State of New York. New York, 1824. LAC 15772.
Yates and Moulton trace the ancient and colonial history of New York, discussing in detail the problems and various theories of Indian origins in America (13-93). They describe mounds and fortifications in their state and neighboring states (13-20, 33-34), as well as the ruins of an ancient city near Palenque (73-77). According to them, these mounds, part of a great chain running down through Mexico and into South America (19-20), were built by a separate race of white-skinned people who were destroyed by the Indians (21-22, 40-44, 92-93). They mention the discovery of hieroglyphic writing and mammoth bones (14-15, 20), and include reports that Indians in certain locales possessed the signs and tokens of Freemasonry (55-56).
1825 Smith, Ethan (1762-1849). View of the Hebrews; or the Tribes of Israel in America. Poultney, VT, 1825. [Poultney, VT, 1823; ACS 306.014.]
Smith’s is by far the most important and interesting work dealing with the origin of the American Indians and the mound builders. Smith quotes from many other writers, both American and European, to support his thesis that the first settlers of the New World were the lost ten tribes of Israel. He also includes extracts from Alexander von Humboldt’s description of Mexican antiquities, Caleb Atwater’s description of the mounds and fortifications of North America, and the evidence compiled by James Adair and Elias Boudinot to connect Indians with the lost ten tribes. Smith, so far as can be determined, is the only writer before 1830 to combine the Hebrew origin theory with the mound builder myth. Several times he repeats the notion that the mound builders were destroyed by the Indians (184, 172, 173). His ten tribe theory forces him to develop the hypothesis that the Indians had degenerated from a civilized condition to their wild and savage state. He also mentions the Indian legend of the lost book of God which would one day be returned (130, 223).
1825 [Priest, Josiah] (c. 1790-1850). The Wonders of Nature and Providence, Displayed. Albany, 1825. This book was published twice in 1825 and once in 1826. The first edition contained no plates, but the second and third editions were enlarged and included ten plates. See Winthrop Hillyer Duncan, Josiah Priest, Historian of the American Frontier: A Study and Bibliography (Worcester, MA, 1935), 12-15.
This work, a compilation of many previously published works, includes an extract from Francisco Clavigero’s History of Mexico recounting the ancient Mexican traditions of idolatry and human sacrifice (569-93) and a portion from Ethan Smith’s View of the Hebrews detailing evidence that Indians were of Hebrew origin (297-332).
1827 Cusick, David (d. ca. 1840). Sketches of the Ancient History of the Six Nations. Lewistone, NY, 1827. [Lockport, NY, 1848; ACS 085.004].
Cusick records Indian fables which he believes support the mound builder myth. One fable, for example, speaks of the descendants of two brothers continually at war with the other until one group is finally destroyed in North America. These fables, according to Cusick, explain the remains of fortifications and burial mounds in New York state, including those near Canandaigua (about ten miles south of the Joseph Smith, Sr., farm).
1828 Beaufoy, [Mark?]. Tour through Parts of the United States and Canada. London, 1828. ACS 452.004; LAC 12142; SAB 4168.
Beaufoy, a British subject, visited entrenchments and burial mounds in Ohio (104). “Some insist they are the remains of a civilized people, exterminated by the Indian hordes from Asia,” he wrote. He also mentions the pyramids of Mexico and the Welsh theory of Indian origins.
1828 Beaufoy, Mark (1764-1827). Mexican Illustrations. London, 1828. SAB 4169.
Beaufoy describes Mexican pyramid temples and fortifications, including the buildings at Palenque (189-99, 218), and mentions ancient hieroglyphical books (199, 221) and the theory that St. Thomas preached the gospel in ancient Mexico (150, 220-21).
1828 Worsley, Israel (1768-1836). A View of the American Indians. London, 1828.
Worsley relies heavily on Ethan Smith’s View of the Hebrews but adds additional information, including Manasseh ben Israel’s account of Antonio de Montezinos’s discovery of the ten tribes in Peru (147). Worsley believes that the tribes of Manasseh and Ephraim arrived in America first and that the other tribes followed after (150-52). He describes mounds and iron tools (137-44) and explains that the mound builders had been destroyed by the Indians (144). He also mentions the discovery of large stone crosses in Central America (161-62) and records the Indian tradition of a lost book of God (182).
1829 McCulloh, James H[aines], Jr. (1793?-1870). Researches, Philosophical and Antiquarian, Concerning the Aboriginal History of America. Baltimore, 1829. ACS 231.002.
McCulloh reviews most of the material covered in his earlier book. He describes temples in Mexico and Peru (249-371) and mounds and fortifications in North America (501-22), discusses various theories about Indian origins, rejecting the pre-Adamite theory (418-64), mentions problems for animals migrating through the Bering Strait (428), and ultimately favors the Atlantis theory. He again discusses the theory that the mound builders were a white race far superior to the Indians (501-22).