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 .
<June 23> speak to my family or bid them good bye; the officers held their pistols with the muzzles jamming into my side for more than 8 miles, and only desisted on being reproached by for their cowardice in so brutally illtreating an unarmed defenceless prisoner: on arriving at the house of Mr. McKennie the Tavern keeper, I was thrust into a room and guarded there, without being allowed to see anybody, and fresh horses were ordered to be ready in five minutes. I again stated to I wish to get Council, when he answered “God d—n you, you shant have council, one word more God d—n you and I’ll shoot you,” [HC 5:441] What is the use of this so often said I, I have often told you to shoot, and I now tell you again to shoot away. I saw a person passing and shouted to him through the Window “I am falsely imprisoned here, and I want a Lawyer”. Lawyer came, and had the door banged in his face with the old threat of shooting him if he came any nearer, another Lawyer Mr. () afterwards came and received the same treatment, which began to cause considerable excitement in , a Mr. asked what was the matter, when he told him all, and stated that the Sheriff intended to drag me away immediately to , and prevent my taking out a writ of , soon made this known to Mr. Dixon the owner of the house, and his friends, who gathered round the Hotel door, and gave to understand, that if that was their mode of doing business in they had another way of doing it in , they were a law abiding people, and were republicans and gave to understand, that they should not take me away without giving me the opportunity of a fair trial, and that I should have justice done me, but that if they persisted in their course, they had a very summary way of dealing with such people. finding further resistance to be useless, allowed and to come into the room to me, (but was inside, guarding the door, and guarded the outside of the door) when I told them, I had been taken a Prisoner by these men — I had been insulted and abused by them, and shewed them my flesh which was black for about 18 inches in circumference on each side, from their punching me with their pistols, and I wanted them to sue out a writ of Habeas Corpus; when swore he should only wait half an hour, to give me a chance. A Messenger was [HC 5:442] immediately sent by Mr.Dixon to Mr. Chamberlin the Master in , who lived six miles distant, and another messenger to , who happened to be near, to have them come down and get out the Writ of Habeas Corpus.
A Writ was sued out by , before a Justice of the Peace, against and for threatning his life, they were taken into Custody by the Constable; he sued out another writ for assault and threatening my life, whereupon they were again arrested; at this time rushed into the room, and put a pistol (unobserved) in my pocket, altho’ and had their [p. 1583]