So do you have anything on the Hickory Grove phase of J. Smith’s life? NE Penn? Circa 1820-25?
For starters, from smith himself, his accounts of his first encounter widely vary, either having him being 14, 15 or 17; in the grove or in the bedroom; numbers of contradictory reasons for seeking 'god' or why 'god' revealed himself to smith, among many others. There are at least 9 different accounts including the 'official' one (which wasn't supervises by smith).
However, more to the point as well, other Christian revivalists of the era wrote/spoke about their experiences that are similar. Charles Finney spoke of an experience with God in a "Grove of Woods" ( Richard A. G. Dupuis and Garth M. Russell, eds., The Memoirs of Charles G. Finney (Grand Rapids: Acadamie Books, 1989), p. 18.) which he said occurred in October of 1821. Parallels include
1. Time frame - 1820 (smith) 1821 Finney
2. Occured in a grove of woods/trees
3. Prayers became 'paralyzed'
4. Being(s) in light appeared
5. Rejection of story by others.
Others reporting similar experiences in that time range include Norris Stearns (1815), Elias Smith (1816), Asa Wild (1823), Solomon Chamberlain (1816), and James G. Marsh (1828). These were in circulation with more than enough time for an imaginative smith to cull ideas and form his own story.
Fact is the 1st vision story wasn't promulgated until 22 years after the official date. Smith made no mention of it when he wrote the history of the church in 1835. More than ample time for the myth to be formed - and if you review the various and changing accounts, you can see that indeed it was sculpted and changed with time.