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History, 1838–1856, volume F-1 [1 May 1844–8 August 1844]
Source Note
Source Note
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
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 24> Monday. 24. having sworn out a writ before , a Justice of the Peace at [HC 6:553] , on the 11th. inst against Joseph Smith, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , and , for riot in destroying the Nauvoo Expositor Press, the property and and others on the 10th inst.; and having sent word by the Posse that those eighteen persons should be protected by the Militia of the ; they, upon the assurance of that pledge at 6½ A. M. started for , , , , , James Davis, , , and several other brethren, together with , as Counsel, accompanying them.
When they arrived at the top of the hill, Joseph sent with a horse for Dr Southwick, a southern gentleman who had been staying some days at the , and who wished General Joseph Smith to buy considerable property in ; but took possession of the horse, so that Dr. S. could not then go. -[]-
Joseph paused when they got to the , and looked with admiration first on that, and then on the , and remarked “this is the loveliest place and the best people under the heavens; little do they know the trials that await them.” As he passed out of the he called on Esq., who was unwell, and on parting he said “, I wish you to cherish my memory, and not think me the worst man in the world either”. <-[]]->
At 10 min to 10 a. m., they arrived at Albert G. Fellows’ farm, 4 miles west of , where they met , with a company of about sixty mounted militia, on seeing which Joseph said “do not be alarmed brethren, for they [HC 6:554] cannot do more to you than the enemies of truth did to the ancient saints— they can only kill the body.” The company made a halt, when Joseph, , and several others went into Fellows’ house with , who presented an order from for all the “State Arms” in possession of the Nauvoo Legion, which Joseph immediately countersigned.
went up to Joseph and said “Brother Joseph shall I return to , and regulate about getting the arms, and get the receipts for them?” Joseph inquired if he was under arrest, or expected to be arrested. answered “No”; when Joseph directed him to return a-head of the company, gather the arms, and do as well as he could in all things. Joseph then said to the company who were with him, “I am going like a lamb to the slaughter, but I am calm as a summer’s morning; I have a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward all men; if they take my life I shall die an innocent man, and my blood shall cry from the ground for vengeance, and it shall yet be said of me ‘he was murdered in cold blood’.” He then said to , “Go and God bless you.” then rode as swiftly as he could to . -[]-
left the company there, and continued his journey to .
This order for the delivery of the State arms was evidently designed to drive the Citizens of to desperation, so that in the heat of their indignation [p. 151]
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Source Note
Document Transcript
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Document Information
Footnotes
Footnotes
- [327]
See 24 June 1844 entry in History Draft.
- [328]
Clayton, Journal, 24 June 1844; "Awful Assassination of Joseph and Hyrum Smith," Times and Seasons, 1 July 1844, 5:560; Richards, Journal, 24 June 1844; Albert G. Fellows, Report, 30 Nov. 1854, Historian’s Office, JS History Documents, 1839–1860, CHL.
Clayton, William. Journals, 1842–1845. CHL.
Times and Seasons. Commerce/Nauvoo, IL. Nov. 1839–Feb. 1846.
Richards, Willard. Journals, 1836–1853. Willard Richards, Papers, 1821–1854. CHL. MS 1490, boxes 1–2.
Historian’s Office. Joseph Smith History Documents, 1839–1860. CHL. CR 100 396.
Jonathan Grimshaw handwriting ends; Leo Hawkins begins.
- [329]
Henry G. Sherwood, Report, ca. 1854–1856, Historian’s Office, JS History Documents, ca. 1839–1860, CHL; Cyrus Wheelock, London, England, to George A. Smith, 29 Dec. 1854, Historian’s Office, JS History Documents, 1839–1860, CHL.
Historian’s Office. Joseph Smith History Documents, 1839–1860. CHL. CR 100 396.
- [330]
James W. Woods, Statement, Times and Seasons, 1 July 1844, 5:563.
Times and Seasons. Commerce/Nauvoo, IL. Nov. 1839–Feb. 1846.