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 .
<April 2> on a white horse as a warrior, and maybe we shall have some of the same spirit; our God is a Warrior John 14 ch. 2 and 3 v. It is our privilege to have the Father and Son dwelling in our hearts &c.”
We dined with my Sister Sophronia McCleary; when I told <that> I was going to offer some corrections to his sermon this morning, he replied they shall be thankfully received. When the Saviour shall appear, we shall see him as he is; we shall see that he is a man like ourselves, and that same sociality which exists among us here, will exist among us there, only it will be coupled with eternal glory, which glory we do not now enjoy 14 John 2. 3 v. the appearing of the Father and the Son in that verse, is a personal appearance, and the idea that the Father and the Son dwells in a man’s heart, is an old Sectarian notion and is false. In answer to the question “Is not the reckoning of God’s time, angel’s time, prophet’s time and man’s time according to the planet on which they reside?” I answer yes, but there are no angels who minister to this Earth, but <those> who do belong, or have belonged to it. The Angels do not reside on a Planet like this earth, but they reside in the presence of God, on a globe like a sea of glass and fire, where all things <for their glory> are manifest, past, present, and future, and are continually before the Lord. The place where God resides is a great [HC 5:323] . The Urim and Thummim is a small representation of this Globe. This Earth in its sanctified and immortal State will be made like unto Crystal, and will be a Urim and Thummim, <to the inhabitants who dwell thereon> whereby all things pertaining to an inferior kingdom or all kingdoms of a lower order, will be manifest to those who dwell on it, and this Earth will be with Christ’s Then the white stone mentioned in Revelations ch. 2 v 17 is the <will become a> Urim and Thummim <to each individual who receives one> whereby all things pertaining to a higher order of kingdoms, even all kingdoms will be made known, and a white stone is given to each of those who come into the , whereon is a new name written, which no man knoweth save he that receiveth it. The new name is the key word
He also repeated his dream of March 10th, when gave this interpretation, “The Old man represents the Government of the , who will be invaded by a foreign foe, probably . The government will call on the Saints to defend probably all this Western Territory, and will offer their leader any amount of me<n> he shall desire, and put them under his command for that purpose.”
I prophecy in the name of the Lord God, that the commencement of <the difficulties which will cause much> bloodshed, as preparatory <previous> to the coming of the Son of Man, will commence <be> in South Carolina, (it probably may arise through the Slave Trade <Question>), this a voice declared to me, while I was praying earnestly on the subject: December 25th. 1832
I was once praying very earnestly to know the time of the coming of the Son of Man, when I heard a voice repeat the following, “Joseph my son, if thou livest until thou are 85 years old, thou shalt see the face of the Son of Man, therefore let this suffice and trouble me no more on this matter.” I was left thus, without being able to decide whether this coming referred to the beginning of the Millenium, or to some previous appearing, or whether I should die and thus see his face. I believe the coming of the Son of Man will not be any sooner than that time.
At 1 P.M. Attended meeting, I read the 5th chapter of Revelations, referring particularly to the 6th verse, shewing from that, the actual existence of beasts in heaven, probably those were beasts which had lived on another planet, and not ours. God never made use of the figure [p. 1510]