JS, History, 1838–1856, vol. C-1, created 24 Feb. 1845–3 July 1845; handwriting of , , Jonathan Grimshaw, and ; 512 pages, plus 24 pages of addenda; CHL. This is the third volume of a six-volume manuscript history of the church. This third volume covers the period from 2 Nov. 1838 to 31 July 1842; the remaining five volumes, labeled A-1, B-1, D-1, E-1 and F-1, continue through 8 Aug. 1844.
Historical Introduction
This document, “History, 1838–1856, volume C-1 [2 November 1838–31 July 1842],” is the third of six volumes of the “Manuscript History of the Church” (in The Joseph Smith Papers the “Manuscript History” bears the editorial title “History, 1838–1856”). The completed six-volume collection covers the period from 23 December 1805 to 8 August 1844. The narrative in this volume commences on 2 November 1838 with JS and other church leaders being held prisoner by the “’s forces” at , Missouri, and concludes with the death of Bishop at , Illinois, on 31 July 1842. For a more complete discussion of the entire six-volume work, see the general introduction to this history.
Volume C-1 was created beginning on or just after 24 February 1845 and its narrative was completed by 3 May 1845, although some additional work continued on the volume through 3 July of that year (Richards, Journal, 24 and 28 Feb. 1845; Historian’s Office, Journal, 3 May 1845; 3 and 4 July 1845). It is in the handwriting of and contains 512 pages of primary text, plus 24 pages of addenda. Additional addenda for this volume were created at a later date as a supplementary document and appear in this collection as “History, 1838-1856, volume C-1 Addenda.” Compilers and Thomas Bullock drew heavily from JS’s letters, discourses, and diary entries; meeting minutes; church and other periodicals and journals; and reminiscences, recollections, and letters of church members and other contacts. At JS’s behest, Richards maintained the first-person, chronological-narrative format established in previous volumes, as if JS were the author. , , , and others reviewed and modified the manuscript prior to its eventual publication in the Salt Lake City newspaper Deseret News.
The historical narrative recorded in volume C-1 continued the account of JS’s life as prophet and president of the church. Critical events occurring within the forty-five-month period covered by this text include the Mormon War; subsequent legal trials of church leaders; expulsion of the Saints from Missouri; missionary efforts in by the and others; attempts by JS to obtain federal redress for the Missouri depredations; publication of the LDS Millennial Star in England; the migration of English converts to ; missionary efforts in other nations; the death of church patriarch ; the establishment of the city charter; the commencement of construction of the Nauvoo ; the expedition that facilitated temple construction; the introduction of the doctrine of proxy baptism for deceased persons; the dedicatory prayer by on the Mount of Olives in Palestine; publication of the “Book of Abraham” in the Nauvoo Times and Seasons; publication of the JS history often referred to as the “Wentworth letter;” the organization of the Female Relief Society of Nauvoo; and the inception of Nauvoo-era temple endowment ceremonies.
<November 15> memories the many expressions of kindness which we have heard from your lips and experienced from your hands, which have so often ministered to our necessities, while we were wandering in your midst, like our master, having no place to lay our heads, only as furnished by your liberality and benevolence; and it is a subject of no small consolation to us that we have this testimony of so many of you, that you are the disciples of the Lord Jesus; and we give you our warmest thanks, and our blessing that you have not only ministered unto us, but that you continue to minister to our brethren, who are still laboring amongst you, for which, an hundred fold shall be returned into your bosoms. After parting with the Saints in , and sailing thirty days, much of the time against head winds, with rough sea, which produced much sea-sickness among the brethren and sisters who accompanied us, we arrived in the City of where we were received by the brethren, with open hearts, and by whom we were entertained most cordially some days, till we were rested from the fatigues of the Ship; we were then assisted on our journey, and taking different routes, and [HC 4:448] visiting many of the Churches in different states, we have all safely arrived in this . In our travels in this land, we have discovered a growing interest among the people generally, in the great work of the Lord. Prejudice is giving way to intelligence; darkness to light; and multitudes are making the important discovery that error is abroad in the Earth and that the signs of the times proclaim some mighty revolution among the nations. The cry is from all quarters, send us elders to instruct us in the principles of your religion, that we may know why it is that you are had in derision by the multitude, more than other professors are. Teach us of your principles and your doctrines and if we find them true we will embrace them. The Saints are growing in faith, and the intelligence of heaven is flowing into their understanding, for the Spirit of the Lord is with them, and the Holy Ghost is instructing them in things to come. The spirit of union is increasing, and they are exerting themselves to come up to the gathering of the faithful, to build up the waste places and establish the stakes of . Since our arrival in this place there has been one special and one general conference of the Church, and the twelve have been called to tarry at home for a season, and stand in their lot next to the First Presidency and assist in counselling the brethren and in the settling of emigrants &c, and the first great object before us, and the Saints generally, is to help forward the completion of the and the ; buildings which are now in progress according to the revelations, and which must be completed to secure the salvation of the church in the last days, for God requires of his Saints to build him a house wherein his servants may be instructed, and endued with power from on high, to prepare them to go forth among the nations and proclaim the fulness of the gospel for the last time and bind up the law and seal up the testimony, leaving this generation without [p. 1245]