**UPDATE** to Vern Holley Book of Mormon Place Names Theory

[PseudoPaul]

I would take anything A.I. tells you with a grain of salt. It's not reliable for research, not yet anyway.

It does, however, run circles around efforts to research various topics when the primary sources were covertly secreted in a vault in Salt Lake City.

I don't think bad data is a good substitute for no data.

[Moksha]

I would take anything A.I. tells you with a grain of salt. It's not reliable for research, not yet anyway.

So you are saying it is best for apologetics and prophecy.

[Craig Paxton]

Oh yea of little faith, One down more to come. I’m beginning to find documentation to support Vern Holley’s theory. While Mormon apologists may scoff I’m actually finding evidence to counter their claims

From the FAIR Site:

Holley states that he is using modern maps and locations in his comments regarding the cities of Angola and Tecumseh: both are names that weren't assigned to those locations until many years after the Book of Mormon was published

Holley points out that the present day city of Angola, New York is a possible match for a Book of Mormon location. He notes the location of the city on "modern maps". Holley states,

The present day city of Angola, New York, is located west of the Genesee (Sidon?) River and south ["in the borders"] of the proposed land of Zarahemla. This is another example of the many actual locations in the Great Lakes area that can be located on modern maps by following geographical information in the Book of Mormon. [2]

However, when one looks up the Wikipedia entry for Angola, New York, it becomes evident that the name "Angola" was not established until approximately 1854, twenty-four years after the Book of Mormon was published. Wikipedia notes,

The community was previously called "Evans Station." In 1854 or 1855, a post office was established there, bearing the name Angola. [3]

But I’ve discovered evidence that “Angola” did exist, not from 1854 or 1855, but an 1830 reference stating that:

Finally, the fertile fields of Collins must have attracted a very large emigration, or else its people were especially given to letters, as that town had four postoffices in 1830-Collins, Angola, Collins Center and Zoar.

Note: If Angola was large enough to warrant its own post office in 1830, it existed prior to 1830.

I discovered the reference in an obscure book “History of the City of Buffalo and Erie County" by Henry Perry Smith on page 206.

I don’t want to over state this, but to me …This is a huge discovery…in supporting the Holley theory that Smith merely coped names from his own environment.

I’ve more work to do but this excites my desire to continue this mission as Angola was among the most difficult villages to confirm a pre-1830 existence.

[Craig Paxton]

I’ve just done my first Wikipedia edit, updating the establishment of the Post Office in Angola, New York to 1813. A mere 116 miles from Smith’s home and well within his milieu.

[Rick Grunder]

The initial go-to reference source for questions like these is usually the Spafford gazetteer of New York, 1813 and 1824. For some reason, both Google Books and Archive dot org digitized an example of the 1824 edition without a title page, so here is the citation:

Horatio Gates Spafford. A Gazetteer of the State of New-York: Embracing an Ample Survey and Description of its Counties, Towns, Cities, Villages, Canals, Mountains, Lakes, Rivers, Creeks, and Natural Topography . . . Albany: Published by B. D. Packard, . . . . and by the Author, at Troy, 1824.

https://books.google.com/books?id=zCkWA ... &q&f=false

or

https://archive.org/details/gazetteerof ... r&q=angola


To check pre-1824 information as of 1813, one can turn to that earlier edition:

https://books.google.co.mz/books?id=9CQ ... &q&f=false

or

https://archive.org/details/gazetteerof ... 5/mode/2up

[Craig Paxton]

The initial go-to reference source for questions like these is usually the Spafford gazetteer of New York, 1813 and 1824. For some reason, both Google Books and Archive dot org digitized an example of the 1824 edition without a title page, so here is the citation:

Horatio Gates Spafford. A Gazetteer of the State of New-York: Embracing an Ample Survey and Description of its Counties, Towns, Cities, Villages, Canals, Mountains, Lakes, Rivers, Creeks, and Natural Topography . . . Albany: Published by B. D. Packard, . . . . and by the Author, at Troy, 1824.

https://books.google.com/books?id=zCkWA ... &q&f=false

or

https://archive.org/details/gazetteerof ... r&q=angola

To check pre-1824 information as of 1813, one can turn to that earlier edition:

https://books.google.co.mz/books?id=9CQ ... &q&f=false

or

https://archive.org/details/gazetteerof ... 5/mode/2up

damned brilliant. Thank you.

[Marcus]

I’ve just done my first Wikipedia edit, updating the establishment of the Post Office in Angola, New York to 1830. A mere 116 miles from Smith’s home and well within his milieu.

It looks like the post office was named Angola, not the town.

At the time the new town was founded no postoffice existed; in 1822, however, one was established in Taylor's Hollow and a post-road was built through Eden and Collins to that point. The postoffice got the name of Angola and Jacob Taylor was appointed as the first postmaster.

Until 1824 Taylor's Hollow was the end station; afterwards the post road was prolonged to Aldrich's Mills and a new postoffice was opened which was called West Lodi; later however the name was changed. Four years later the old town of Collins had already four postoffices, namely Collins in Karr's [1] Corner's, now North Collins, Angola in Taylor's Hollow, Collins Centre and Zoar.

https://www.archivaria.com/GdDhistory/GdDhistory50.html

[Craig Paxton]

Craig, have you considered discussing your findings with Vogel to stress test their veracity? I’m just thinking they seem on the face of things pretty strong evidence, so having them properly peer reviewed would be a useful exercise at some point.

I’m just some random guy on the internet. But I am starting to find corroborating evidence which I will share as I continue my research.

[Craig Paxton]

I would take anything A.I. tells you with a grain of salt. It's not reliable for research, not yet anyway.

Which is why I’m following up on this and documenting pre-1829 sources that confirm Holley’s theory.

[Craig Paxton]

I’ve just done my first Wikipedia edit, updating the establishment of the Post Office in Angola, New York to 1830. A mere 116 miles from Smith’s home and well within his milieu.

It looks like the post office was named Angola, not the town.

At the time the new town was founded no postoffice existed; in 1822, however, one was established in Taylor's Hollow and a post-road was built through Eden and Collins to that point. The postoffice got the name of Angola and Jacob Taylor was appointed as the first postmaster.

Until 1824 Taylor's Hollow was the end station; afterwards the post road was prolonged to Aldrich's Mills and a new postoffice was opened which was called West Lodi; later however the name was changed. Four years later the old town of Collins had already four postoffices, namely Collins in Karr's [1] Corner's, now North Collins, Angola in Taylor's Hollow, Collins Centre and Zoar.

https://www.archivaria.com/GdDhistory/GdDhistory50.html

Thanks for sharing. This does however conflict with the earlier 1824 published documents offered by the links provided by Rick Grunder listed above.

According to those documents, published in 1824, Angola was first established in 1813 when it was one of 3 townships divided from Collin’s.