Letter from Elias Higbee, 22 February 1840

temporal, civil & political matters, and by this means  caused all the Mormons to vote the whole hog ticket  on one side, except two persons: but when I got an  opportunity of speaking, I observed that Joseph Smith  never led any of the Church

The Book of Mormon related that when Christ set up his church in the Americas, “they which were baptized in the name of Jesus, were called the church of Christ.” The first name used to denote the church JS organized on 6 April 1830 was “the Church of Christ...

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in these matters; as  we considered him to have no authority, neither  did he presume to exercise any, of that nature;  that revelations were only concerning spiritual things  in the Church, and the Bible being our standard  we received no revelations contrary to it. I also  observed that we were not such ignoramuses as  perhaps as he fain would have people believe us  to be, and some other things on this subject. I then  told him that every man exercised the right  of suffrage according to his better judgment,  or without any ecclesiasticle restraint being  put upon him; that it was all false about a  revelation upon voting: And the reason of our voting  that ticket, was, in consequence of the democratick  principles having been taught us in <from> our infancy;  That <they> ever believed & extended equal rights to all;  and that we had been much persecuted previous  to that time, many threatenings being made from  the Counties round about, as well as among us, who  took the lead in political affairs. It was <true> we advised  our brethren to vote this ticket, telling them we thought  that party would protect our rights, and not suffer  us to be driven from our lands, as we had hitherto been;  believing it to be [by] far the most liberal party; but  in that we were mistaken because when it came to the  test, there were as many democrats turned against  us, as whigs; and indeed less liberality and political  freedom was manifested by them, for one whig Paper  came out decidedly in our favor. I made these rem arks partly from motives, which I may, at another time,  explain to you. He laid great stress on the trials  at Richmond

Area settled, ca. 1814. Officially platted as Ray Co. seat, 1827. Population in 1840 about 500. Seat of Fifth Judicial Circuit Court of Missouri; also location of courthouse and jails. JS and about sixty other Mormon men were incarcerated here while awaiting...

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, and a constitution, that he said  [Sampson] Avard

23 Oct. 1800–15 Apr. 1869. Physician. Born at St. Peter, Isle of Guernsey, Channel Islands, Great Britain. Migrated to U.S., by 1830. Married Eliza, a native of Virginia. Located at North Carolina, 1830. Moved to Virginia, by 1831. Moved to Freedom, Beaver...

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and others had soon to (who were in good  standing in the Mormon <Church> at this time) swore to: [p. 112]