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Letter to William W. Phelps and Others, 18 August 1833

and bear with patience the great affliction that is falling upon us on all sides for we <are> no safer here in Kirtland

Located ten miles south of Lake Erie. Settled by 1811. Organized by 1818. Population in 1830 about 55 Latter-day Saints and 1,000 others; in 1838 about 2,000 Saints and 1,200 others; in 1839 about 100 Saints and 1,500 others. Mormon missionaries visited township...

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then you are in Zion the cloud is gethering around us with great fury and all pharohs host or in other words all hell and the comb[ined] powrs of Earth are Marsheling their forces to overthrow us and we tike [like] the chilldre n of Is<s>arel with the red Sea before us them and the Egyptions ready to fall upon them to distroy them and no arm could diliver but the arm of God and this is the case with us we must wait on God to be gratious and call on him with out ceaseing to make bare his arm for our defence for naught but the arm of the almighty can save us we are all well here as can be expe cted yea altogether so with the exception of some little ailments feavers &c.——

Brother Oliver [Cowdery]

3 Oct. 1806–3 Mar. 1850. Clerk, teacher, justice of the peace, lawyer, newspaper editor. Born at Wells, Rutland Co., Vermont. Son of William Cowdery and Rebecca Fuller. Raised Congregationalist. Moved to western New York and clerked at a store, ca. 1825–1828...

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is now Sitting before me and is faithful and true and his heart bleeds as it were for Zion yea never did the hart pant for the cooling streem as doth the heart of thy Brothe[r] Oliver

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for thy salvation yea and I say may say this is the Case with the whole Chirch

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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and all the faithful Oliver

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will or aught rather to stay with me or in this land until I am permitted to Come with him for I know that if God shall spare my life that he will permit me to settle on an inhe[r]i tance

Generally referred to land promised by or received from God for the church and its members. A January 1831 revelation promised church members a land of inheritance. In March and May 1831, JS dictated revelations commanding members “to purchase lands for an...

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on the land of Zion <in due time> but when I do not know but this I do know that I have been keept from going <up> as yet for your sakes and the day will come that Zion will be keept for our sakes therefore be of good cheer and the cloud shall pass over and the sun shall shine as clear and as fair as heaven itself and the Event shall be glorious Oliver

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can stay here to good advantage and have his wife come to him and he can be instrumental of doing great good in this place and god will <give> Brother william [Phelps]

17 Feb. 1792–7 Mar. 1872. Writer, teacher, printer, newspaper editor, publisher, postmaster, lawyer. Born at Hanover, Morris Co., New Jersey. Son of Enon Phelps and Mehitabel Goldsmith. Moved to Homer, Cortland Co., New York, 1800. Married Sally Waterman,...

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more help and grace to stand as an ensign to the people for it must be lifted up and cursed sha[ll] every man be that lifts his arm to <hinder> this great work and god is my witness of this truth it shall be done and let all the saints say amen——

Dear Brotheren we must wait patiently until the Lord come and resto[res] unto us all things and build the waist places again for he will do it in his time and now what shall I say to cumfort your hearts well I will tell you that you have my whole confidence yea there is not one doubt in <my heart> not one place in me but what is filld with perfect confidince and love for you and this affliction is sent upon us not for your sins but for the sins of the chirch and that all the ends of the Earth may know that you are not speculiting with them for Lucre but you are willing to die for the cause you have espoused you know that the chirch have treted lightly the com mandments

Generally, a divine mandate that church members were expected to obey; more specifically, a text dictated by JS in the first-person voice of deity that served to communicate knowledge and instruction to JS and his followers. Occasionally, other inspired texts...

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of the Lord and for this cause they are not worthy to receive them yet god has suffered it not for your sins but that he might <pre>prare you for a grateer work that you might be prepared for the endowment

The terms endow, endowed, and endowment—as well as endued and enduement—were used to describe the bestowal of spiritual blessings upon the Latter-day Saints. In common usage, these terms meant essentially the same thing: to clothe, to put on, to furnish, ...

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from on high we cast no reflections upon you we are of one heart and one mind on this subject which I speak in the name of the chirch all seem to wax strong as th[e]y see the day <of> tribulation approcing [approaching] and if our kingdom were of this world then we would fight but our weapons are not carnal yet mighty and <will> bind satan ere long under our feet we shall get a press immediately in this place and print the Star until you can obtain deliverence and git up again if god parmit and we believe he will we think it would be wise in you to try to git influence by offering to print a paper in favor of the goverment as you know we are all friends to the Constitution yea true friends to that Country we for which our fathers bled in the mean time god will send Embasadors to the authorities of the government and sue for protection and redress that they may be left with out excuse that a ritious [righteous] Judgment might be upon them [p. [2]]

On 9 August 1833, JS received Oliver Cowdery

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’s personal report of the difficulties endured by church members in Jackson County

Settled at Fort Osage, 1808. County created, 16 Feb. 1825; organized 1826. Named after U.S. President Andrew Jackson. Featured fertile lands along Missouri River and was Santa Fe Trail departure point, which attracted immigrants to area. Area of county reduced...

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, Missouri. Nine days later, JS composed this lengthy letter offering comfort and counsel to those members in Zion. Noting that Kirtland

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, Ohio, members were also exposed to abuse, he encouraged members in Missouri

Area acquired by U.S. in Louisiana Purchase, 1803, and established as territory, 1812. Missouri Compromise, 1820, admitted Missouri as slave state, 1821. Population in 1830 about 140,000; in 1836 about 240,000; and in 1840 about 380,000. Mormon missionaries...

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not to abandon their objective to build up Zion but to rely on the Lord to sustain them.

JS wrote this letter from Kirtland

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, Ohio, to William W. Phelps

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, John Whitmer

27 Aug. 1802–11 July 1878. Farmer, stock raiser, newspaper editor. Born in Pennsylvania. Son of Peter Whitmer Sr. and Mary Musselman. Member of German Reformed Church, Fayette, Seneca Co., New York. Baptized by Oliver Cowdery, June 1829, most likely in Seneca...

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, Edward Partridge

27 Aug. 1793–27 May 1840. Hatter. Born at Pittsfield, Berkshire Co., Massachusetts. Son of William Partridge and Jemima Bidwell. Moved to Painesville, Geauga Co., Ohio. Married Lydia Clisbee, 22 Aug. 1819, at Painesville. Initially a Universal Restorationist...

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, Isaac Morley

11 Mar. 1786–24 June 1865. Farmer, cooper, merchant, postmaster. Born at Montague, Hampshire Co., Massachusetts. Son of Thomas Morley and Editha (Edith) Marsh. Family affiliated with Presbyterian church. Moved to Kirtland, Geauga Co., Ohio, before 1812. Married...

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, John Corrill

17 Sept. 1794–26 Sept. 1842. Surveyor, politician, author. Born at Worcester Co., Massachusetts. Married Margaret Lyndiff, ca. 1830. Lived at Harpersfield, Ashtabula Co., Ohio, 1830. Baptized into LDS church, 10 Jan. 1831, at Kirtland, Geauga Co., Ohio. Ordained...

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, and Sidney Gilbert

28 Dec. 1789–29 June 1834. Merchant. Born at New Haven, New Haven Co., Connecticut. Son of Eli Gilbert and Lydia Hemingway. Moved to Huntington, Fairfield Co., Connecticut; to Monroe, Monroe Co., Michigan, by Sept. 1818; to Painesville, Geauga Co., Ohio; ...

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at Independence

Located twelve miles from western Missouri border. Permanently settled, platted, and designated county seat, 1827. Hub for steamboat travel on Missouri River. Point of departure for Santa Fe Trail. Population in 1831 about 300. Mormon population by summer...

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, Missouri. Partridge retained the letter.

Facts

Editorial Title: Letter to William W. Phelps and Others, 18 August 1833
ID #: 179