Moroni was the last of the valiant Nephite prophets and eyewitness to their total destruction. He wandered across the Americas, keeping the records safe while hiding from the Lamanites. He finished the sacred history, adding his heartfelt final farewell. The Book of Mormon tells how he hid the golden plates in the earth at Hill Cumorah. They remained safe until Moroni, as a heavenly messenger, returned in 1827 and delivered the sacred records to the Prophet Joseph Smith.