Samuel Tyler Lawrence (November 21, 1786 – December 18, 1847) was resident of New York in the 1820s who was an early associate of Joseph Smith, the founder of the Latter-day Saint movement.
Lawrence moved from New Jersey to Palmyra, New York, with sister Fanny and her husband Abner Cole.
Martin Harris, a witness to the Book of Mormon's golden plates, later recalled a tale of an encounter between the money-diggers and a "treasure guardian": Another resident, Joseph Capron, recalled when the company "discovered" a chest of gold watches, but they were "in the possession of the evil spirit".
Lawrence, reportedly "with a drawn sword in his hand, marched around to guard any assault which his Satanic majesty might be disposed to make."
Therefore, prior to retrieving the golden plates on September 22, 1827, Smith sent his father to Lawrence's residence "to see if there was any signs of his going away that night.
'"[9] In May 1830, Lawrence was operating the Palmyra Bathing House, and served as a subscription collector for his brother-in-law's paper the Liberal Advocate.