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.
<July 18> an inspired man, how would you look upon him? As the worst of men, the same as they did, and concluded with the following remarks:—
‘In consequence of the death of the prophets, the Editors seem to get the spirit of prophecy, and say the work is done, and will stop and die; but, as I am in the midst of the prophetic editors, like Saul [HC 7:197] I catch some of the spirit of prophecy, and so I will prophecy that instead of the work dying, it will be like the mustard stock that was ripe, that a man undertook to throw out of his garden, and scattered seed all over it, and next year it was nothing but mustard. It will be so by shedding the blood of the prophets, it will make ten Saints where there is one now. Some said that he would be President, but is now dead; now what will he do? The revelator says, he that overcometh will I give power over the nations, and he shall rule them with a rod of iron, I don’t know but he may hold the keys of the Plagues that are to be poured out in the last days upon this and other nations. Angels appeared anciently to John, who were his fellow servants the prophets. Joseph may appear in this day to his brethren. This gospel of the Kingdom must be preached in all the world for a testimony, then shall the end come, though they should be persecuted if they endured to the end they should be saved. This generation speak much about the clouds and weather, they discern the face of the sky, but why can they not discern the signs of the times. The fig trees are leafing, and all things indicate the second advent of Christ.’
“Elder arose and said he felt disposed to add his testimony: be of good cheer. The testimony is not in force while the Testator liveth, when he died it was in force, so it is with Joseph. On the day of Pentecost there were but 120 of the Saints, but at that time there was added 3000 souls. When God sends a man to do a work, all the devils in hell cannot kill him until he gets through his work; so with Joseph, he prepared all things, gave the keys to men on the earth, and said ‘I may soon be taken from you.’”
The following epistle of the Twelve was published in the Prophet:—
“ July 18. 1844.
“To the Elders and Saints scattered abroad, greeting:
Dear Brethren,— We take this method to notify you that the advice and council of the Twelve, that all the brethren who have families in the West, should return to them as soon as convenient; and that all the Churches should remain humble and watch unto prayer, and follow the teachings that have been given them by the servants of God, and leave all things in the hands of God, all will be right; the name of the Lord will be glorified and his work will prosper; and we would warn the Saints in all the world against receiving the teach[HC 7:198]ings of any man or set of men who come professing to be Elders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, who preach any doctrine contrary to the plain and holy principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ which have been delivered unto them. We wish to see all the authorities of the Church residing at , who at this time may be absent, such as the Presidents of the different Quorums, High Priests, High Council, Seventies and Bishops, that we may meet them in Council as soon as convenient, as we expect to return immediately to . [p. 275]