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 12> About 5 P.M. the Steamer “Maid of Iowa” hauled up at the , and discharged about 200 Saints, in charge of and , these had been detained at , , Chester &c. through the Winter, having left last fall. , Captain of the “Maid of Iowa” was a few weeks since; he has been 11 days coming from , being detained by ice. I was present at the , and the first on board the Steamer, when I met Sister (who had been to with ) and her little daughter, only 3 or 4 days old, I could not refrain from <shedding> tears
So many of my friends and acquaintances arriving in one day, kept me very busy receiving their congratulations, and answering their questions. I was rejoiced to meet them in such good health and fine spirits, for they were equal to any that had ever come to .
<13> Municipal Court met at 9 A.M. to hear the case of v. on appeal, but adjourned the case to the 19th.
At 10 A.M. the emigrants and a great multitude of others, assembled at the . Choir sung a hymn. Prayer by , when I addressed the Saints; of which the following synopsis was written by .
“I most heartily congratulate you on your safe arrival in , and on your safe deliverance from all the dangers and difficulties you have had to encounter on the way; but you must not think that your tribulations are ended. This day I shall not address you on doctrine, but concerning your temporal welfare.
Inasmuch as you have come up here assaying to keep the commandments of God, I pronounce the blessings of Heaven and Earth upon you, and inasmuch as you will follow counsel, act wisely, and do right, these blessings shall rest upon you, so far as I have power with God to seal them upon you. [HC 5:354]
I am your servant, and it is only through the Holy Ghost that I can do you good. God is able to do his own work.
We do not present ourselves before you as any thing but your humble servants, willing to spend and be spent in your service, and therefore we shall dwell upon your temporal welfare on this occasion.
In the First place where a crowd is flocking from all parts of the world, of different minds, religions &c. there will be some who do not live up to the commandments; there will be some designing characters who would turn you aside and lead you astray, you may meet speculators who would get away your property, therefore it is necessary that we should have an order here, and when emigrants arrive, instruct them concerning these things. If the heads of the have laid the foundation of this place and have had the <trouble of doing what has been done are they not better qualified to tell you how to lay out your money than those who have had no interest in the work whatever>.
Some start on the revelations to come here, before they arrive they get turned away, or meet with speculators who get their money for land with bad titles and loose all of their property, then they come and make their complaints to us, when it is too late to do any thing [p. 1529]