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 .
<December 21> of his birth, was not a stable, like his Redeemer’s of old, but a small house belonging to Mr. .
At the age of two weeks he was removed into a new house, without a floor, door, window, or chimney. This being soon demolished by the rage of persecution, he removed nine miles, to the town of , being then six weeks old.
Here he lived in a house nine feet square, built of logs; but even here, the rage of his enemies soon searched him out, and when he was three months old, his was torn from him <and confined in a Dungeon leaving him> and his , who lay sick of a fever, exposed to the wrath of a band of savage murderers, who at that time over-ran and ravaged the whole town; they fired several rifle balls into the house, and scores of them were afterwards picked up in the door yard.
Soon after this, he came with his and spent much of the winter in prison with his , where he sometimes served as a shield, to guard his bosom from the threatened violence of the angry guards.
At the age of nine months, the exterminating order of the modern Nero, (,) was so far enforced as to banish him and his mother from the at the point of the Bayonet: leaving his still in prison.
They fled to , Illinois, a distance of two hundred miles; where they lived till the following July, without the assistance of a husband or father.
On the grand national Anniversary of American independence, the glorious 4th. of July his being instructed and warned, by an Angel of the Lord, in a vision of the night, burst his chains, threw open his prison doors, and emerged forth from his prison: and after wandering for near a week, night and day, almost without food, he avoided all pursuit and arrived at the residence of his family; thus closes the first twelve months of the events connected with the life of Nathan Pratt.
The second campaign opens with a removal from to , a distance of 50 miles, where he and his parents took up their residence, in a small log cabin, consisting of one room, already occupied by another family.
After a stay of about one month, he started on a Mission to , in company with his and . The first part of this journey was performed in about four weeks by land distance 600 miles. This brought them to , from thence they journeyed by water to , about 800 miles distant. Here he took up winter quarters, and thus closed the second year of our young hero.
The third opens with a journey to the State of and a return to ; making twelve hundred miles travel. In September following he sailed with his parents for . After a long and tedious passage they landed safe in ; he resided in , and visited most of the principal towns.
In October 1842, he sailed for , where he arrived in safety, [p. 1810]