JS, History, 1838–1856, vol. E-1, created 20 Aug. 1855–5 Apr. 1856; handwriting of Robert L. Campbell, , and Jonathan Grimshaw; 392 pages, plus 11 pages of addenda; CHL. This is the fifth volume of a six-volume manuscript history of the church. This fifth volume covers the period from 1 July 1843 to 30 Apr. 1844; the remaining five volumes, labeled A-1, B-1, C-1, D-1, and F-1, continue through 8 Aug. 1844.
Historical Introduction
History, 1838–1856, volume E-1, constitutes the fifth 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 July 1843 to 30 April 1844, and it was compiled in Utah Territory in the mid-1850s.
The material recorded in volume E-1 was initially compiled under the direction of church historian , who was JS’s cousin. Smith collaborated with in collecting material for the history and creating a set of draft notes that Smith dictated to Bullock and other clerks.
Robert L. Campbell, a recently returned missionary and member of the Historian’s Office staff, transcribed ’s notes into the volume along with the text of designated documents (such as letters and meeting minutes). The Church Historian’s Office journal entry for 2 May 1855 pinpoints the beginning of his work: “R. L. C. on Book D forenoon, afternoon began book E.” Campbell’s work on the volume apparently concluded on 5 April 1856; entries in the Historian’s Office journal indicate that he then moved on to other assignments while another clerk, Jonathan Grimshaw, began work on volume F-1, the last manuscript in the series. (Historian’s Office, Journal, 2 May 1855; 5 and 9 Apr. 1856.)
Volume E-1 contains 391 pages of primary text and 11 pages of addenda. The initial entry on page 1637 is a continuation of the 1 July 1843 entry that closed volume D-1. The final entry in volume E-1 is for 30 April 1844.
The 391 pages of volume E-1 document a crucial period of JS’s life and the history of the church. Important events recorded here include
• An account of JS’s 2 July 1843 meeting with several Pottawatamie chiefs.
• JS’s 4 July 1843 address regarding his recent arrest, the Legion, and Mormon voting practices.
• JS’s 12 July 1843 dictation of a revelation regarding eternal marriage, including the plurality of wives, in the presence of and .
• The 13 August 1843 disfellowshipment of and revocation of his priesthood license.
• Dispatch of the first missionaries to the Pacific Islands on 20 September 1843, led by .
• JS’s 1 October 1843 announcement of ’s appointment to a mission to Russia.
• Minutes of a 6–9 October 1843 general conference inserted under the date of 9 October at which pled his case in regard to his 13 August 1843 disfellowshipment and was permitted to continue as counselor in the First Presidency.
• Text of JS’s appeal to the Green Mountain Boys of , inserted under the date of 29 November 1843.
• A 20 January 1844 entry that includes a poem by commemorating the presentation of two copies of the Book of Mormon to Queen Victoria and Prince Albert by .
• JS’s nomination on 29 January 1844 as an independent candidate for the presidency of the .
<7> Thursday 7 At 11 a.m. <a meeting of the> citizens of <was held the minutes of which I> assembled on the East side of the — organized by electing President. Secretary and adopted the following: <extract from the Neighbor, as follows>
“At a meeting of the citizens of , held near the on the 7th. day of December 1843, < was called to the chair and appointed Secretary> whereupon, after the object of the meeting was stated a committee of three, namely, , and , were appointed to draft a preamble and resolutions, expressive of the sentiments of the people of the city of , relative to the repeated unlawful demands by the State of for the body of General Joseph Smith, as well as the common cruel practice of kidnapping citizens of , and forcing them accross the , and then incarcerating them in the dungeons or prisons in ; and after a few minutes absence they returned with the following:
Whereas the State of , with the at the head, continues to make demands upon the of for the body of General Joseph Smith, as we verily believe, to keep up a system of persecution against the church of the Latter-Day Saints: for the purpose of justifying the said State of in her diabolical, unheard of, cruel and unconstitutional warfare against said Church of Latter-Day Saints, and which she has practised during the last twelve years, whereby [HC 6:101] many have been murdered, mobbed, and ravished and the whole community expelled from the .
And also to heave dust in the eyes of the nation and the world, while she, as a , with the government to back her, continues to slip over the and steal the property of the Latter-Day Saints, and kidnap the members of said church to glut the vengeance, malice, revenge and avarice: and to make slaves of the said captives, or murder them, Therefore
Resolved unanimously, as we do know that Joseph Smith is not guilty of any charge made against him by the said State of but is a good, industrious, well meaning, and worthy citizen of , and an officer that does faithfully and impartially administer the laws of the , that we, as citizens of crave the protection of the constitutions and laws of the country as an aegis to shield him, the said General Joseph Smith, from such cruel persecutions, beseeching the of not to issue any more writs against the said General Joseph Smith, or other Latter-Day Saints, (unless they are guilty,) but to let the Latter-Day Saints ‘breath awhile like other men’ and enjoy the liberty guaranteed to every honest citizen by the Magna Charta of our common country.
Resolved, That as citizens of the State of , we solicit the attention of the and officers generally of the , to take some lawful means and measures to regain the citizens that have been kidnapped by the Missourians, and to prevent the said Missourians and Government from committing further violence upon the citizens of .
Resolved, as the sense of this meeting, that, according to the true [p. 1794]