JS, History, 1838–1856, vol. D-1, created 4 July 1845–4 Feb. 1846 and 1 July 1854–2 May 1855; handwriting of , Robert L. Campbell, and ; 275 pages, plus 6 pages of addenda; CHL. This is the fourth volume of a six-volume manuscript history of the church. This fourth volume covers the period from 1 Aug. 1842 to 1 July 1843; the remaining five volumes, labeled A-1, B-1, C-1, E-1 and F-1, continue through 8 Aug. 1844.
Historical Introduction
History, 1838–1856, volume D-1, constitutes the fourth of six volumes documenting the life of Joseph Smith and the early years of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The series is also known as the Manuscript History of the Church and was originally published serially from 1842 to 1846 and 1851 to 1858 as the “History of Joseph Smith” in the Times and Seasons and Deseret News. This volume contains JS’s history from 1 August 1842 to 1 July 1843, and it was compiled after JS’s death.
The material recorded in volume D-1 was initially compiled under the direction of church historian , with the assistance of . After Richards’s death in 1854, continued work on the volume as the new church historian with Bullock’s continued help. The process adopted by Richards and Bullock involved Richards creating a set of rough draft notes and Bullock transcribing the notes into the volume along with the text of designated documents (such as letters and meeting minutes). George A. Smith followed a similar pattern, though he dictated the draft notes to Bullock and other scribes.
According to the Church Historian’s Office journal, finished the third volume of the series, volume C-1, on Thursday, 3 July 1845, in , Illinois. He began work on the fourth volume, D-1, the next day, beginning on page 1362 with the entry for 1 August 1842. (The pages in volumes A-1–E-1 were numbered consecutively.) Bullock continued work on the record, drawing upon ’s draft notes, until 3 February 1846—the day before D-1 and the other volumes were packed up in preparation for the Latter-day Saints’ exodus from Nauvoo. At that point he had reached page 1485 with the entry for 28 February 1843. Subsequently, apparently after the collection had arrived in Utah, Bullock added a brief comment beneath that entry: “end of W. Richard’s compiling[.] the books packed Feby. 4— 1846 in Nauvoo[.] Miles Romney— present. The records carried by T Bullock from Winter Quarters to G S L [Great Salt Lake] City in 1848.”
A notation at the top of page 1486 reports that “the books were unpacked in G. S. L. City by and . June 7. 1853. J[onathan] Grimshaw & Miles Romney present.” Vertically, in the margin, is a poignant epitaph: “Decr. 1 1853 Dr. Willard Richards wrote one line of History—being sick at the time—and was never able to do any more.” With Richards’s death on 11 March 1854, JS’s cousin was called to the office of church historian. The notation on the top of page 1486 acknowledges this change in officers, noting, “commencement of George A. Smith’s compiling as Historian. April 13. 1854[.] [C]ommenced copying July 1. 1854.” From mid-April to the end of June 1854, George A. Smith, in collaboration with Thomas Bullock, worked on the draft notes for the history before a new scribe, , resumed writing in D-1 on 1 July 1854, beginning with the entry for 1 March 1843.
continued transcribing intermittently into the late fall of 1854, when he was assigned other duties in the Historian’s Office. He had reached page 1546 with the entry for 5 May 1843. Work resumed in February 1855 in the hand of Robert L. Campbell, recently returned from a mission. He concluded volume D-1 on the morning of 2 May 1855 and began writing in E-1 that afternoon.
The 274 pages of volume D-1 contain a record of much that is significant in the life of JS and the development of the church he founded. Among these events are
• JS’s 6 August 1842 prophecy that the Saints would become a mighty people in the midst of the Rocky Mountains.
•JS’s 8 August 1842 arrest on a warrant for being “an accessory before the fact” to an attack on former governor .
• ’s 17 August 1842 letter to governor , pleading for the humane treatment of her husband and family.
•JS’s 1 and 6 September 1842 instructions regarding the proper procedures for performing baptisms for the dead.
• JS’s 15 November 1842 “Valedictory” as he stepped down as editor of the Times and Seasons.
• The 26 December 1842 arrest of JS on a “proclamation” by former governor , and subsequent hearing in , Illinois.
• The 7 February 1843 recovery of a volume of patriarchal blessings given by , which had been stolen in , Missouri.
• JS’s 21 February 1843 remarks regarding the and .
• JS’s 2 April 1843 instruction at , Illinois, on the nature of God and other subjects.
• JS’s 16 May 1843 remarks at , Illinois, on the everlasting covenant and eternal marriage.
• The account of JS’s 23 June 1843 arrest and his hearing the following week at .
Section 1. No person shall throw, place, or deposit, or suffer any person in his or her employ, to place or deposit, any dead animal, carrion, putrid meat, or fish, or decayed vegetables, or nuisances of any kind, in any Street, Alley or public square in said , any person who shall violate any of the prohibitions contained in this Section, shall for each offence, forfeit and pay a penalty of two dollars.
Section 2. No owner or occupant of any lot or in said , shall cause or permit any nuisance to be or remain in or upon the same lot or tenement, or between the same and the centre of the Street adjoining, upon the pain of forfeiting the penalty of two dollars for each and every twenty four hours, during which the same nuisance shall be or remain on the same lot or tenement, or on such part of the Street adjoining as aforesaid, but no single recovery shall exceed the sum of twenty five dollars.
Section 3. Every Butcher or other person immediately after killing any Beeves, Calves, Sheep, or other animals, shall destroy the Offal, garbage and other offensive and useless parts thereof, or convey the same into some place where the same shall not be injurious or offensive to the Inhabitants, under a penalty of twenty dollars for every offence.
Section 4. Whenever any dead Carcase, putrid or unsound meat of any kind, fish, Hides, or Skins of any kind, or any other putrid or unsound substance, shall be found in any part of the , it shall be the duty of the Supervisor of Streets to cause the same to be destroyed or to be disposed of, in such other manner as may be equally secure as regards the public health; and if any person shall resist the Supervisor of Streets, in the of the duties hereby imposed, or shall disturb, hinder, molest or resist him, or any person or persons by him employed in the execution thereof, such offender shall forfeit the penalty of twenty five dollars.
Section 5. It shall be the duty of the Supervisor of Streets to cause any Stagnant waters to be drained off, or removed from any lot, or out of any Street, or other place within said , and he is hereby authorized to call upon such persons as owe road labor, to assist him therein and also to abate or remove every nuisance whatever within the .
Section 6. It shall be the duty of the Supervisor of Streets, to report to the City Council, with respect to any other nuisances that may exist in the , such as may be caused from Vats, Pits, or Pools of Stationary Water, whether from tanners, skinners, dyers, or other Persons, as he may deem injurious or dangerous to the public health; for their order thereon, and shall carry the order of the City Council into effect in the Premises.
Fourth Division
of the Prevention of Fires.
Section 1. No pipe of any Stove or Franklin, shall be put up, unless it be conducted into a Chimney made of brick or stone, except where the Mayor or any Alderman shall deem it equally safe, if otherwise put up, to be certified under his hand.
Section 2. It shall be the duty of the Fire Wardens of each Ward, to examine carefully under the direction of the City Council, any cause from which immediate danger of fire may be apprehended, and to remove or abate with the consent of the Mayor, or any—— Alderman (in case of neglect or refusal of the owner or occupant) any cause from which danger may be apprehended, and to cause all buildings, chimneys, stoves, pipes, hearths, ovens, boilers, ashhouses, and apparatus used in any building, which shall be found in [p. 1462]