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 .
<February 11> Saturday 11. This day had an interview with and his family. They expressed a willingness to be saved. Good feelings prevailed and we again shook hands together. At ten oclock attended the City Council. I prophesied to , City Recorder, that it would be better for him ten years hence not to say any thing more about fees; and addressed the new Council urging the necessity of their acting upon the principle of liberality, and of relieving the from all unnecessary expences and burdens, and not attempt to improve the , but enact such ordinances as would promote peace and good order, and the people would improve the . Capitalists would come in from all quarters and build Mills, Factories, and Machinery of all kinds, New buildings would arise on every hand, and would become a great . I prophecied that if the Council would be liberal in their proceedings, they would become rich, and spoke against the principle of pay for every little service rendered, and especially of Committees having extra pay for their services; reproved the Judges of the late election for not holding the Polls open after six o’clock when there were many wishing to vote— Dr. took an active part in electioneering for the [blank] opposition ticket, and obstructing the passage to the Polls. The Council elected , City Recorder, , Marshall; , Treasurer; approved as Mayor’s Clerk; , , Lewis Robison, and , Constables; , Surveyor; , Supervisor of Streets; [HC 5:270], Coroner; , Notary Public; , Weigher and Sealer; , Market Master; , Fire Warden; , City Attorney; and , Market Inspector for the . A board of health was established to consist of Joseph Smith, , , and . The Council resolved that a market be established in the — it was proposed to build two markets, but I told the Council that if we began too large we should do nothing, we had better build a small one at once, to be holden by the Corporation, and if that would support itself we could go on to build another on a larger scale: That the Council should hold an influence over that prices of markets so that the poor should not be oppressed, and that the Mechanic should not oppress the Farmer: that the upper part of the Town had no right to rival those on the . Here on the bank of the was where we first pitched our tents: here was where the first sickness and deaths occurred; here has been the greatest suffering in the ; we have been the making of the upper part of the , we have located by [blank] the <on the hill> and they ought to be satisfied. We began here first, and let the market go out from this part of the , let the upper part of the be marketed by Waggons until they can build a market, and the let the first market be established on the rising ground on Main Street about a quarter of a mile north of the — Council continued thro’ the day.
[blank] came to my house to live.
Elders and wrote <notifying him> to come to , <according to the decision of Council and answer to charges of adultery which had been preferred against him before the First Presidency.>
<12> Sunday 12. Seven or Eight young men came to see me, part of them from the City of . They [HC 5:271] treated me with the greatest respect— I showed them the fallacy of Mr. Miller’s data concerning the coming of Christ and the end of the world, or as is commonly called Millerism, and preached them quite a sermon— That error was in the bible, or the translation of the bible— that Miller was in want of correct information upon the subject, and that he was not so much to blame as the translators. I told them the prophecies must all be fulfilled, the Sun must be darkened, and the Moon turned into blood, and many more things before [p. 1467]