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.
<March 15 Petition of Joseph Smith for > that the commitment was <an> illegal commitment for the law requires, that a copy of the testimony should be put in the hands of the jailor, which was not done. Your Petitioners allege that the prisoner has been denied the privilege of the law in a writ of Habeas Corpus, by the judges of this . Whether they have prejudged the case of the Prisoner, or whether they are not willing to administer law and justice to the Prisoner, or that they are intimidated by the high office of , who only acted in the case of the Prisoners as a committing magistrate, a conservator of the peace, or by the threats of a lawless mob, your petitioners are not able to say, but that it is a fact that they do not come forward boldly and administer the law to the relief of the prisoner; and farther, your petitioners allege that immediately after the prisoner was taken, his family were frightened and driven out of their house and that, too, by the Witnesses on the part of the , and plundered of their goods; that the prisoner was robbed of a very fine horse, saddle, and bridle and other property of considerable amount; [HC 3:279] that they (the witnesses) in connection with the mob, have finally succeeded, by vile threatening and foul abuse, in driving the family of the prisoner out of the , with little or no means, and without a protector, and their very subsistence depends upon the liberty of the prisoner. And your petitioners allege that he is not guilty of any crime whereby he should be restrained of his liberty, from a personal knowledge, having been with him, and being personally acquainted with the whole of the difficulties between the Mormons and their persecutors; and, that he has never acted, at any time, only in his own defence, and that too, on his own ground, property and possessions; that the prisoner has never commanded any military company, nor held any military authority, neither any other office, real or pretended, in the State of , except that of a religious instructor: that he never has bore arms in the military rank— and in all such cases has acted as a private character and as an individual. How, then, your Petitioners would ask, can it be possible, that the prisoner has committed treason. The prisoner has had nothing to do in , only on his own business as an individual. The testimony of concerning a Council held at ’s, was false, Your petitioners do solemnly declare, that there was no such Council; that your petitioners were with the prisoner, and there was no such vote nor conversation as swore to; that also swore false concerning a constitution, as he said, was introduced among the Danites; that the prisoner had nothing to do with burning in ; that the Prisoner made public proclamation against such things; that the prisoner did oppose and against vile measures with the mob, but was threatened by them if he did not let them alone; that the prisoner did not have any thing to do with what is called ’s Battle, for he knew nothing of it until it was over— that he was at home, in the bosom of his own family during the time of that whole transaction; and in fine, your petitioners allege that he is held in confinement without cause, and under an unlawful and tyrannical oppression, and that his health, and constitution and life, depends on being liberated from his confinement. Your petitioners [p. 897]