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.
many others, that the aboriginees of this continent, are not of the <October 2. Letter continued> tribes of Israel; but the ten tribes which have been led away into some unknown regions of the north. Let this be as it may, the prophecy I have just quoted, “will fetch them,” in the last days, and place them in the land which their fathers possessed: and <Deut 30—:7.> you will find in the 7th. verse of the 30th. chapter quoted: “and the Lord thy God will put all all these curses upon thine enemies and on them that hate thee, which persecuted thee.”
Many <may> say that this scripture is fulfilled; but let them mark carefully what the Prophet says: “if any are driven out from unto the utmost parts of heaven;” (which must mean the breadths of the earth.) Now this promise is good to any, if there should be such, that are driven out, even in the last days; therefore, the children of the fathers have claim unto this day: and if these curses are to be laid over on the <Book of Mormon 487. P.— and p. 497.> heads of their enemies, wo be unto the Gentiles: See Book of Mormon <page> 487. <1st Edition> “wo unto the unbelieving of the Gentiles saith the Father.” And again, see book of Mormon, page 497, which says; “Behold this people I will <I> establish in this land, unto the fulfilling of the covenant which I made with your father Jacob, and it shall be a new Jerusalem.” Now we learn from the Book of Mormon, the very identical spot continent and [HC 2:261] spot of land, upon which the New Jerusalem is to stand and it must be caught up according to the vision of John upon the isle of Patmos. Now many will be disposed to say, that this New Jerusalem spoken of, is the Jerusalem that was built by the Jews on the eastern Continent: but you will see from Revelations <Revelations 21:2. New Jerusalem> 21:2, There was a New Jerusalem coming down from God out of heaven adorned as a bride for her husband. That after this the Revelator was caught away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and saw the great and holy City descending out of heaven from God. Now there are two cities spoken of here, as as every thing cannot be had in so narrow a compass as a letter, I shall say with brevity, that there is a new Jerusalem to be established on this continent. And also the New Jerusalem shall be established rebuilt on the eastern continent. See <Book of Mormon page 560.> Book of Mormon page 560, “Behold Ether saw the days of Christ, and he spake also concerning the house of Israel, and the Jerusalem from whence Lehi should come: after it should be destroyed it should be built up again, a holy City unto the Lord: wherefore it could not be a New Jerusalem, for it had been in a time of old.” This may suffice, upon the subject of gathering until my next.
I now proceed, at the close of my letter, to make a few remarks <duty of Elders.> on the duty of elders with regard to their teaching parents and children, husbands and wives, masters and slaves, or servants &c, as I said I would in my former letter. And firstly, it becomes an elder when he is travelling through the world, warning the inhabitants of the earth to gather together, that [p. 624]