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Minutes, 25–26 October 1831

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Minutes, 25–26 October 1831

Source Note

Minutes, , Cuyahoga Co., OH, 25–26 Oct. 1831. Featured version copied [between ca. 6 Apr. and 19 June 1838] in Minute Book 2, pp. 10–15; handwriting of ; CHL. For more complete source information, see the source note for Minute Book 2.

Historical Introduction

On 25–26 October 1831, the church held a general in ’s house in , Cuyahoga County, Ohio. The participants included twelve men who had previously been to the , seventeen , four , three , four , and according to a later JS history, “a large congregation” of additional members of the church. The business of the conference included ordinations to various offices, preaching by some of the participants, and the sharing of testimonies of the Book of Mormon. JS himself declined during the meeting to give details of “the coming forth” of the Book of Mormon. The conference also provided new converts a chance to meet JS and other prominent elders. , for example, wrote in his journal that he “first saw brother Joseph the Seer, also brothers , & and a great many other Elders” at the conference. Many of those present publicly declared their commitment to the church and to God, which, according to McLellin, provided “much spiritual edification & comfort.” recounted that he “received much instruction and was highly edified and blessed of the Lord during the conference.”
This was the first general conference since members of the church had been ordained to the high priesthood in June 1831, and it provided an opportunity for JS and to offer instruction concerning the power of that priesthood. Minutes of the June 1831 meeting do not provide much information about what was said to those ordained to the high priesthood, making it difficult to assess how the ordination was understood at that time. But , who was present at the June conference, later recalled a conversation he had in January 1832 with , who ordained several individuals to the high priesthood at the June conference. Speaking about the priesthood, Hancock remarked that “neither of us understood what it was.” “I did not understand it,” wrote Hancock, “and he [Wight] could give me no light.”
Although no lengthy discussion on high priesthood is captured in the record, the 25–26 October minutes show that JS and provided some instruction to conference attendees. According to the minutes, JS and Rigdon viewed those elders holding the high priesthood as having powers that other elders did not have. The minutes suggest that willingness to relinquish all to God may have been a requirement to obtain the high priesthood and its power “to seal up the Saints unto eternal life.” Accordingly, some participants in the 25–26 October conference made or renewed a covenant to consecrate all to God. Nearly all who did so had been previously ordained to the high priesthood or were ordained at the conference.
The conference also considered business discussed in prior meetings. At an 11 October gathering, for example, had moved that six elders be appointed “to visit the several branches of this church setting them in order” and to raise money for JS and so they could devote themselves to the Bible revision. and had been assigned to these tasks, and this 25–26 October conference appointed four others to assist. The conference provided instructions on proselytizing as well, perhaps as a result of a declaration in a 1 October conference that the elders were “to go forth and warn the inhabitants of the earth of the things known in the Church of Christ in these last days.” Several elements of the conference—including ordinations, discussions of how the needs of missionaries’ families would be met, and instruction on the high priesthood and consecration—seemed to foreshadow an increase in missionary labor. The conference was followed by a public preaching meeting, as the concluding minutes indicate.
served as clerk of the conference and took the minutes. entered these minutes into Minute Book 2 in 1838.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    JS History, vol. A-1, 156. Although the minutes list four priests in attendance, John Whitmer wrote that five priests were present. (Whitmer, History, 38.)

  2. [2]

    McLellin, Journal, 25–26 Oct. 1831; Whitmer, History, 38; “History of Luke Johnson,” 3, Historian’s Office, Histories of the Twelve, ca. 1858–1880, CHL. Luke Johnson’s history states that the eleven witnesses to the Book of Mormon, “with uplifted hands, bore their solemn testimony to the truth of that book; as did also the Prophet Joseph.” Although the conference clearly included testimonies of the Book of Mormon, and although many of the eleven witnesses who attested to the existence of the gold plates were present, the minutes of the conference do not reflect the particular event Johnson describes. Of the eleven, neither Christian Whitmer, who held the office of elder, nor Hiram Page, who held the office of teacher, was present at the commencement of the conference when the names of attending priesthood officers were recorded. There is no indication that Jacob Whitmer, another of the eleven witnesses, attended. (Minutes, ca. 3–4 June 1831; Minutes, 6 Sept. 1831.)

    McLellin, William E. Journal, 18 July–20 Nov. 1831. William E. McLellin, Papers, 1831–1836, 1877–1878. CHL. MS 13538, box 1, fd. 1. Also available as Jan Shipps and John W. Welch, eds., The Journals of William E. McLellin, 1831–1836 (Provo, UT: BYU Studies; Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1994).

    Historian’s Office. Histories of the Twelve, 1856–1858, 1861. CHL. CR 100 93.

  3. [3]

    McLellin, Journal, 25–26 Oct. 1831. Joel Johnson also recounted that he first saw JS at the conference. (Johnson, Autobiography, 2.)

    McLellin, William E. Journal, 18 July–20 Nov. 1831. William E. McLellin, Papers, 1831–1836, 1877–1878. CHL. MS 13538, box 1, fd. 1. Also available as Jan Shipps and John W. Welch, eds., The Journals of William E. McLellin, 1831–1836 (Provo, UT: BYU Studies; Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1994).

    Johnson, Joel H. Autobiography, ca. 1882. Photocopy. CHL. MS 15025.

  4. [4]

    McLellin, Journal, 25–26 Oct. 1831.

    McLellin, William E. Journal, 18 July–20 Nov. 1831. William E. McLellin, Papers, 1831–1836, 1877–1878. CHL. MS 13538, box 1, fd. 1. Also available as Jan Shipps and John W. Welch, eds., The Journals of William E. McLellin, 1831–1836 (Provo, UT: BYU Studies; Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1994).

  5. [5]

    Johnson, Reminiscenses and Journals, vol. 1, p. 16.

    Johnson, Joel Hills. Reminiscences and Journals, 1835–1882. 3 vols. Joel Hills Johnson, Papers, 1835–1882. CHL. MS 1546, fds. 1–3.

  6. [6]

    See Minutes, ca. 3–4 June 1831.

  7. [7]

    “Autobiography of Levi Ward Hancock,” ca. 1896, 43.

    Hancock, Mosiah Lyman. "Autobiography of Levi Ward Hancock," ca. 1896. CHL. MS 570.

  8. [8]

    Cahoon, Diary, 9 Nov. 1831; Minutes, 11 Oct. 1831.

    Cahoon, Reynolds. Diaries, 1831–1832. CHL. MS 1115.

  9. [9]

    Minutes, 1 Oct. 1831.

  10. [10]

    The minutes include parenthetical redactions that were probably added after the creation of the original document. (See the source note for Minute Book 2.)

Asterisk (*) denotes a "featured" version, which includes an introduction and annotation. *Minutes, 25–26 October 1831 Minute Book 2
Br. said that he had professed religion for a number of years yet now felt to bear testimony of the goodness of God, & also to all to the Lord.
Br. said that he had nothing to consecrate to the Lord of the things of the Earth, yet he felt to consecrate himself to and family. Was thankful that God had given him a place among his Saints, felt willing to labor for their good.
Br. said that he was determined to be for God and none else come life or death, also remembered his covenant that he would consecrate all that he had to the Lord.
Br. said that he thought best that the information of the coming forth of the book of Mormon be related by Joseph himself to the present that all might know for themselves.
Br. Joseph Smith jr. said that it was not intended to tell the world all the particulars of the coming forth of the book of Mormon, & also said that it was not expedient for him to relate these things &c.
Br. laid before the Conference the case of Sister Marsh & family who were somewhat destitute.
Br. said that he was surprised that the case of Sister Marsh should be brought to this Conference, as she and her family were provided for as well as her brethren around her.
Br Joseph Smith Jr said that he intended to do his duty before the Lord and hoped that the brethren would be patient, as they had a considerable distance. also said that the promise of God was that the greatest blessings which God had to bestow should be given to those who contributed to the support of his family while the fulness of the Scriptures; also said until we have perfect love we are liable to fall and when we have a testimony that our names are sealed in the Lamb’s Book of life we have perfect love & then it is impossible for false Christ’s to decieve us. also said that the Lord held the bound to provide for the families of the absent while proclaiming the Gospel: further said that the God had often sealed up the heavens because of covetousness in the Church. Said that the Lord would cut his work short in righteousness and except the church recieve the fulness of the Scriptures that they would yet fall. [p. 13]
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Document Information

Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Minutes, 25–26 October 1831
ID #
6524
Total Pages
6
Print Volume Location
JSP, D2:78–87
Handwriting on This Page
  • Ebenezer Robinson

Footnotes

  1. [19]

    Durfee’s repetition of Joel Johnson’s remarks may be an error in transcription. In Minute Book 2, the Joel Johnson comment is at the bottom of page 12, while the Edmund Durfee comment is at the top of page 13. Ebenezer Robinson may have mistakenly transcribed the same statement for Durfee after beginning a new page.

  2. [20]

    At this time, Joseph Smith Sr. and Lucy Mack Smith were living on Frederick G. Williams’s farm. According to Lucy, “My family were all established with this arrangement that we were to cultivate the farm and the products were to support our several families . . . and sustain strange[r]s who were traveling that being either Members of the church or others in search of the truth or on a visit to the place.” Minutes from a 10 October 1831 conference record the decision that Joseph Smith Sr. was to “see to the management of the farm & to the distribution of its productions as the Lord’s agent.” (Lucy Mack Smith, History, 1844–1845, bk. 12, [6]–[7]; Minute Book 2, 10 Oct. 1831.)

  3. [21]

    To this point, JS apparently had not written a history of the production of the Book of Mormon. In April 1834, he provided “a relation of obtaining and translating the Book of Mormon” to a conference in Norton, Ohio, though the conference minutes do not provide any other information about what he said. An account was finally published in 1842, but it gave few details. (Minute Book 1, 21 Apr. 1834; JS, “Church History,” Times and Seasons, 1 Mar. 1842, 3:707; see also “The Histories of Joseph Smith, 1832–1844.”)

    Times and Seasons. Commerce/Nauvoo, IL. Nov. 1839–Feb. 1846.

  4. [22]

    “Sister Marsh” is likely Elizabeth Godkin Marsh. If so, Marsh’s dire financial situation may have resulted in part from her husband’s absence: Thomas B. Marsh was directed in a 6 June 1831 revelation to travel to Missouri and did not return to Ohio until January 1832. “While near the end of our journey” to Missouri, he later recalled, “I was attacked with chills and fever and arrived there very sick. I stayed at the house of Br. Benj. Slade till I got well.” (Revelation, 6 June 1831 [D&C 52:22] ; “T B Marsh,” [3], Historian’s Office, Histories of the Twelve, ca. 1858–1880, CHL ; see also Cahoon, Diary, 9 Aug. 1831.)

    Historian’s Office. Histories of the Twelve, 1856–1858, 1861. CHL. CR 100 93.

    Cahoon, Reynolds. Diaries, 1831–1832. CHL. MS 1115.

  5. [23]

    That is, JS’s Bible revision.

  6. [24]

    See Revelation, 6 June 1831 [D&C 52:11].

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