JS, History, 1838–1856, vol. F-1, created 9 Apr.–7 June 1856 and 20 Aug. 1856–6 Nov. 1856; handwriting of and Jonathan Grimshaw; 304 pages, plus 10 pages of addenda; CHL. This is the final volume of a six-volume manuscript history of the church. This sixth volume covers the period from 1 May to 8 Aug. 1844; the remaining five volumes, labeled A-1 through E-1, go through 30 Apr. 1844.
Historical Introduction
History, 1838-1856, volume F-1, constitutes the last 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 May 1844 to the events following his 27 June 1844 death, and it was compiled in Utah Territory in 1856.
The material recorded in volume F-1 was initially compiled under the direction of church historian , who was JS’s cousin, and also assistant church historian . Smith collaborated with in collecting material for the volume and creating a set of draft notes, which Smith dictated to Bullock and other clerks. Woodruff gathered additional material concerning the death of Joseph Smith as a supplement to George A. Smith’s work recording that event. Jonathan Grimshaw and , members of the Historian’s Office staff, transcribed the draft notes into the volume along with the text of designated documents.
According to the Historian’s Office journal, Jonathan Grimshaw initiated work on the text of volume F-1 on 9 April 1856, soon after Robert L. Campbell had completed work on volume E-1. (Historian’s Office, Journal, 5 and 9 Apr. 1856.) Grimshaw’s scribal work begins with an entry for 1 May 1844. Unlike previous volumes in which the numbering had run consecutively to page 2028, Grimshaw began anew with page 1. He transcribed 150 pages by June 1856, and his last entry was for 23 June 1844. Though more of his writing does not appear in the volume, he continued to work in the office until 2 August, before leaving for the East that same month. (Historian’s Office, Journal, 2 and 10 Aug. 1856.)
assumed the role of scribe on 20 August 1856. (Historian’s Office, Journal, 20 Aug. 1856.) He incorporated ’s draft notes for the period 24–29 June 1844 on pages 151–189, providing an account of JS’s death and its immediate aftermath. He next transcribed a related extract from ’s 1854 History of Illinois on pages 190–204. Pages 205–227 were left blank.
provided the notes for the final portion of the text. This account begins with an entry for 22 June 1844 and continues the record through 8 August 1844, ending on page 304. (The volume also included ten pages of addenda.) The last specific entry in the Historian’s Office journal that captures at work on the history is for 6 November 1856. A 2 February 1857 Wilford Woodruff letter to indicates that on 30 January 1857, the “presidency sat and heard the history read up to the organization of the church in , 8th. day of August 1844.” (Historian’s Office, Journal, 6 Nov. 1856; Wilford Woodruff, Great Salt Lake City, Utah Territory, to George A. Smith, 2 Feb. 1857, Historian’s Office, Letterpress Copybooks, vol. 1, p. 410; see also Wilford Woodruff, Great Salt Lake City, Utah Territory, to Amasa Lyman and Charles C. Rich, 28 Feb. 1857, Historian’s Office, Letterpress Copybooks, vol. 1, pp. 430–431.)
The pages of volume F-1 contain a record of the final weeks of JS’s life and the events of the ensuing days. The narrative commences with and arriving at , Illinois, on 1 May 1844 from their lumber-harvesting mission in the “” of Wisconsin Territory. As the late spring and summer of 1844 unfold, events intensify, especially those surrounding the suppression of the Nauvoo Expositor in mid-June. Legal action over the Expositor leads to a charge of riot, and subsequently JS is charged with treason and is incarcerated at the jail in , Illinois. The narrative of volume F-1 concludes with an account of the special church conference convened on 8 August 1844 to consider who should assume the leadership of the church.
<June 20> I must be sure and be at his house by nine o’clock in the morning, if not, I must either get out of , or be served the same sauce as the Mormons; he gave me to understand they were going to make a total destruction of tomorrow, and I had better get out of it. He then talked about Joseph Smith, when I replied I understood Joseph Smith had a fair trial, and was bound over to the Supreme Court; he said if he is or is not, we do not care; it is illegally done, and he should go ahead— he should gather the troops, and there would be 2,000 men landed tomorrow from ; he said they were volunteers, they should meet next day at , and then go against Joseph Smith and demolish the City of ; for have him at any rate they would. He was in a very great passion, and let out a great many oaths and other things that I have not mentioned. In consequence of their threats, and to save our lives, we were obliged to leave our homes in a very stormy night, and had to cross a dangerous stream that was swollen by the rain, and was unable to protect myself from great sufferings and hardships, and came to the City of for protection.
Obadiah Bowen.
“Subscribed and sworn to this 20day of June, 1844, before me
L. S.
, Justice of the Peace.”
Also the affidavit of :— [HC 6:513]
“State of Illinois,)
Hancock County,)
City of .)
“June 20th, 1844.
Personally appeared before me, , a Justice of the peace in and for the said , , of , in , and aforesaid, and being first duly sworn, deposeth and saith, that on Wednesday, June the 12th, at Green Plains, one Colonel came to your about sunrise, and ordered me out of the house that very day. I replied he was very hasty; he again ordered me out of the house, and said if I spoke a word he would put me out of the house immediately. I then took away part of my goods and left the house accordingly, because I was afraid to stay there another night. The next day I went back after the remainder of my property, and called at the house of Col. for some things belonging to me. When I arrived there, John Williams, the son of said , aged about 28 years, abused me for placing confidence in Joseph Smith and the people of ; he then took me by the back of my neck and pushed me away, and said he would not have such stuff in his house,; the second time he pushed me by the neck, and his foot to my back; he pushed me several times, and kicked me; again when in the street he kept kicking and pushing me, and abusing me with his tongue. I am sixty-one years old; I did not say anything to him to cause this abuse; but it was all on account of my believing that Joseph Smith and the people of would do nothing but what was according to law.
.
“Subscribed and sworn to this 20th day of June, 1844, before me,
L. S.
, Justice of the Peace.”
I had sent orders to Captain , Commander of the Company at , to come immediately with his company to and help to defend the place, and this morning my brother in law, William Mc. Leary [McCleary], informs me that when the letter was read to the company, refused to come, and said it was a foolish move, and [HC 6:514] objected to any of the company coming. The company were marshalled into line, when said if any of you go, not one will ever get to alive; when immediately my uncle stepped in front of the line and said “every man that goes at the call of the prophet shall go and return safe, and not a hair of his head [p. 127]