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 .
to its neighbors for the conduct of its Citizens so far as their Conduct violates the principles of good neighborhood. So it is among private individuals. But for this, the inviolability of territory, or private dwelling, could not be maintained. This obligation creates the right, and makes it the duty of the State to impose such—— restraints upon the Citizen as the occasion demands. It was in the performance of this duty, that the passed laws to restrain Citizens of the from setting on foot and fitting out military expeditions against their neighbors, while the violators of this law kept themselves within the , their conduct was cognizable in the Courts of the , and not of the Offended— State, even if the means provided had assisted in the invasion of the foreign State A demand by the injured State upon the for the Offenders, whose— opperations were in their own Country, would be answered, that the laws alone could act upon them, and that as a good neighbor it would punish— them. It is the duty of the State of , to make it criminal in one of its citizens to aid, abet, counsel, or advise, any person to commit a crime in her sister State,— any one violating the law would be amenable to the laws of ,— executed by its own tribunals. Those of , could have no agency in— his conviction and punishment. But if he shall go into , he owes— obedience to her laws, and is liable before her Courts, to be tried and punished for— any crime he may Commit there, and a plea that he was a Citizen of another— State, would not avail him. If he escape he may be surrendered to for trial. But when the offence is perpetrated in , the only right of— , is, to insist that compel her Citizens to forbear to annoy her.— This she has a right to expect:— for the neglect of it nations go to war and violate territory. [HC 5:228] The Court must hold that w<h>ere a necessary fact is not stated in the affidavit, it does not exist. It is not averred that Smith was accessary before the fact, in the State of , nor that he committed a crime in :— therefore he did not commit the crime in , did not flee from to— avoid punishment. Again, the affidavit Charges the shooting on the 6th. of May in the county of and State of Missouri, “that he believes, and has good reason to believe, from evidence and information now (then) in his possession,— that Joseph Smith was accessary before the fact, and is a resident or Citizen of .” There are several objections to this. having the “evidence and information in his possession”, should have incorporated it in the Affidavit to enable the Court to judge of their sufficiency to support his “belief.” Again, he— swears to a legal conclusion when he says that Smith was accessory before thefact. What acts Constitute a man an accessory in a question of law are not always of easy solution. ’ opinion then is not Authority. He should have given the facts. He should have shown that they were committed in , to enable the Court to test them by the laws of , to see if they amounted to a crime, Again, the Affidavit is fatally defective in this, that swear to his belief. The language in the Constitution is “charged with felony, or other crime”. Is the Constitution satisfied with a charge upon suspicion? It is to be regretted that no American adjudged case has been cited to guide the court in expounding this article. Language is ever interpreted by the [p. 1441]