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.
<May 25> were two indictments found against me, one charging me with false swearing on the testimony of and , and one charging me with polygamy or something else, on the testimony of that I had told him so! the particulars of which I shall learn hereafter. There was much false swearing before the Grand Jury. swore so hard that I had received stolen property &c, that his testimony was rejected. I heard that had come into the ; I therefore instructed the officers to arrest him for threatening to take life, &c.
I had a long talk with , my brother , , , , , and others, and concluded not to keep out of the way of the officers any longer.
At 2 P. M. I was in council in my north room, and heard the letters from Elder read, and instructed to write an answer, which he did as follows:
“, May 25th., 1844.
“, Esqr.
Sir:—
Yours of April 30th. is received. The council convened this afternoon, and after investigation directed an answer, which must be brief to correspond with a press of business.
“All the items you refer to had previously received the deliberation of the Council. [HC 6:405]
“Messrs. and , will doubtless be in before you receive this, from whom you will learn all things relative to &c. Our great success at present depends upon our faith in the doctrine of election; and our faith must be made manifest by our works, and every honorable exertion made to elect Gen. Smith.
“Agricultural pursuits will take care of themselves, regulating their own operations, and the rich also; but the poor we must gather and take care of, for they are to inherit the kingdom.
“ will be a ‘corner stake of Zion’ for ever we most assuredly expect. Here is the and the ordinances, extend where else we may.
“Press the bills through the two Houses if possible; if Congress will not pass them let them do as they have a mind with them. If they will not pass our bills, but will give us ‘something’ they will give what they please, and it will be at our option to accept or reject.
“Men who are afraid of ‘hazarding their influence’ in the council or political arena are good for nothing; ’tis the fearless, undaunted, and persevering, who will gain the conquest of the forum.
“, Esqr., is about to resign the Post Office at in favor of Gen. Joseph Smith, the founder of the ; he has the oldest petitions now on file in the General Post Office for that station, and has an undoubted claim over every other petitioners by being the founder and support<ers> of the , and by the voice of nineteen twentieths of the people, and every sacred consideration; and it is the wish of the council that you engage the delegation to use their influence to secure the office to Gen. Smith without fail, and have them ready to act on the arrival of ’s resignation, and before too if expedient.
“We are also writing to , Esqr., U. S. Attorney for the district [p. 54]