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History, 1838–1856, volume D-1 [1 August 1842–1 July 1843]
Source Note
Source Note
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
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 .
Footnotes
<June 30> law; and your petitioner as in duty bound, will ever pray. Joseph Smith Sen. subscribed and sworn to before me, this 30th day of June, A.D. 1843 . at the city of , Illinois. , Clerk of the Municipal Court, of the city of ”
whereupon the court issued <the following>
“State of . City of . Ss . The people of the State of to the of said , Greeting: Whereas application has been made before the Municipal court of said that the body of one Joseph Smith, Senior, of the said city of , (who is styled in the warrant by which he is held in custody, Joseph Smith Junior.) is in the custody of : These are therefore to command the said to safely have the body of the said Joseph Smith Senior, who is styled Joseph Smith Junior, in his custody detained; as it is said, together with the day and cause of his caption and detention, by whatsoever name the said Joseph Smith Senior may be known or called, before the Municipal Court of said forthwith, to abide such order as the said Court shall make in < this> behalf: and further, if the said or other person or persons having said Joseph Smith Senior of said city of in custody, shall refuse or neglect to comply with the provisions of this writ, you, the of said , or other person authorized to serve the same, are hereby required to arrest the person or persons <so refusing or neglecting to comply as aforesaid, and bring him or them together with the person or persons> in his or their custody, forthwith before the Municipal Court aforesaid, to be dealt with according to law; and herein fail not, and bring this writ with you. [HC 5:463]
| L.S. | Witness, , Clerk of the Municipal Court at , this 30th day of June in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty three |
Clerk[”]
which was endorsed.
“I, , the within named, do hereby return this writ, with the body of Joseph Smith, with the following cause of caption and detention, to wit: The within named Joseph Smith was arrested on a warrant issued by the Governor of the State of , by one , a Constable of , in the State of Illinois, on the 23d. day of June A.D. 1843, a copy of which warrant is hereunto annexed and marked letter A, and delivered over to my custody as directed by said Writ. The person of said Smith was, on said 23d. of June, in the county of and State of Illinois, by the said delivered over to my custody, and that I received and detained the said Smith in my custody by virtue of a certain warrant of attorney issued by the of the State of , a copy of which is hereto annexed, and marked letter B. directing me to receive the said Smith, and convey him to and deliver him to the sheriff of in the state of , and that the within detention referred to, is the same referred to, and none other. . June 30th. A.D. 1843.”
“Executive Department, City of Jefferson. Know ye that I, , Governor of the State of , having full trust and confidence in the integrity and abilities of , do hereby constitute and appoint him as the agent of said State of , to proceed to the State of for the purpose of receiving from the proper authorities of that , one Joseph Smith Jr., charged with treason by him committed against the State of , and as having fled from [p. 1595]
Source Note
Source Note
Document Transcript
Document Information
Document Information
Footnotes
Footnotes
Insertion in handwriting of Thomas Bullock.
- [807]
TEXT: “L.S.” enclosed in a hand-drawn representation of a seal.