JS, History, 1838–1856, vol. B-1, created 1 Oct. 1843–24 Feb. 1845; handwriting of and ; 297 pages, plus 10 pages of addenda; CHL. This is the second volume of a six-volume manuscript history of the church. This second volume covers the period from 1 Sept. 1834 to 2 Nov. 1838; the subsequent four volumes, labeled C-1 through F-1, continue through 8 Aug. 1844.
Historical Introduction
This document, volume B-1, is the second of the six volumes of the “Manuscript History of the Church.” The collection was compiled over the span of seventeen years, 1838 to 1856. The narrative in volume B-1 begins with the entry for 1 September 1834, just after the conclusion of the Camp of Israel (later called Zion’s Camp), and continues to 2 November 1838, when JS was interned as a prisoner of war at , Missouri. For a fuller discussion of the entire six-volume work, see the general introduction to the history.
, serving as JS’s “private secretary and historian,” completed the account of JS’s history contained in volume A-1 in August 1843. It covered the period from JS’s birth in 1805 through the aftermath of the Camp of Israel in August 1834. When work resumed on the history on 1 October 1843, Richards started a new volume, eventually designated B-1.
At the time of JS’s death in June 1844, the account had been advanced to 5 August 1838, on page 812 of volume B-1. ’s poor health led to the curtailment of work on B-1 for several months, until 11 December 1844. On that date, Richards and , assisted by , resumed gathering the records and reports needed to draft the history. Richards then composed and drafted roughed-out notes while Thomas Bullock compiled the text of the history and inscribed it in B-1. They completed their work on the volume on or about 24 February 1845. Richards, , and Jonathan Grimshaw later added ten pages of “Addenda,” which provided notes, extensive revisions, or additional text to be inserted in the original manuscript where indicated.
Though JS did not dictate or revise any of the text recorded in B-1, and chose to maintain the first-person, chronological narrative format established in A-1 as if JS were the author. They drew from a variety of primary and secondary sources including JS’s diaries and letters, minutes of meetings, the first edition of the Doctrine and Covenants, church and other periodicals, reports of JS’s discourses, and the reminiscences and recollections of church members. As was the case with A-1, after JS’s death, , , , and others modified and corrected the manuscript as they reviewed material before its eventual publication.
Beginning in March 1842 the church’s Nauvoo periodical, the Times and Seasons, began publishing the narrative as the “History of Joseph Smith.” It was also published in England in the church periodical the Millennial Star beginning in June 1842. Once a press was established in Utah and the Deseret News began publication, the “History of Joseph Smith” once more appeared in print in serialized form. Beginning with the November 1851 issue, the narrative picked up where the Times and Seasons had left off over five years earlier.
The narrative recorded in B-1 continued the story of JS’s life as the prophet and president of the church he labored to establish. The account encompasses significant developments in the church’s two centers at that time—, Ohio, and northwest —during a four-year-span. Critical events included the organization of the Quorums of the Twelve Apostles and the Seventy, the dedication of the House of the Lord in Kirtland, Ohio, the establishment of the Kirtland Safety Society, dissension and apostasy in Kirtland and Missouri, the first mission to England, JS’s flight from Kirtland to Missouri in the winter of 1838, the Saints’ exodus from Kirtland later that year, the disciplining of the Missouri presidency, and the outbreak of the Missouri War and arrest of JS. Thus, B-1 provides substantial detail regarding a significant period of church expansion and transition as well as travail.
<November 7> Elders , , , , John M. Hinkle, , and , Were unanimously chosen high counsellors, <High Council chosen.> was nominated and objected to by , who went aside to converse. was unanimously chosen. was nominated and was objected to by Elder because he was [HC 2:523] too noisy, By because of his military office, and by because he was a merchant. made a few remarks, the vote was called and was unanimous. and were unanimously chosen. then took the stand and made his objections to , after which also spoke, the vote was called and he was unanimously <The Twelve> chosen. The Twelve were then called, namely, , , , , , , , , , and , and were unanimously chosen.
<Bishop > Bishop was nominated to still act as Bishop, and was unanimously chosen; who then nominated and for his < Patriarch> Counsellors, who were unanimously chosen. Elder was then unanimously appointed Patriarch of this branch of the church.
Elder was chosen to be keeper of the Lord’s Store house. Elder was then ordained to the office of Patriarch, under the hands of Pres’ts Joseph Smith Jun. and . The Congregation, after a few remarks from , unanimously voted not to support stores and Shops, Selling Spirituous Liquors, Tea, Coffee or Tobacco.
A vote was called on the subject of the <Presidents of th[e]> Seventies, of and those who have recently been appointed to that office, were unanimously received. The congregation then united with Pres’t , who, in the closing prayer, called upon the Lord to dedicate this land for the gathering of the Saints, and their inheritances. Attest clk; Moderator”
<10 General Meeting at > “, Mo, Nov 10, 1837. At a general meeting of the ordained members of the church in this place. Elder opened the meeting by Prayer, and Pres’t read the memorial of the of and his counsellors, to the churches abroad, of Sept 18th 1837. He then laid before the meeting the Subject of laying off cities, of consecrating for public purposes, and for remunerating them who lay them off, &c. when it was unanimously voted that all city Plots hereafter laid off, after remunerating those for their labors who may be engaged in ap[HC 2:524]pointing and laying off the same, shall be consecrated for the public benefit of the church, for building houses for public worship, or such other purposes as the church shall say.
then read the Prospectus of the “Elder’s Journal” which was unanimously received. It was then also unanimously voted that the persons present, use their exertions to support said paper.
It was then voted that the Town of be enlarged so that it contain four Sections, that is, two miles square.
Voted that and his counsellors be appointed a committee to appraize the land adjacent to the present town plot, and see that it is enlarged according to the above vote, provided the present holders of those [p. 777]