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Minutes, 11 November 1831

Source Note

Minutes, , OH, 11 Nov. 1831. Featured version, titled “Minutes of a special conference held in Hiram, Portage Co. Ohio, November 11, 1831,” copied [between ca. 6 Apr. and 19 June 1838] in Minute Book 2, p. 17; handwriting of ; CHL. For more complete source information, see the source note for Minute Book 2.

Historical Introduction

During the first two weeks of November 1831, JS and other held several in , Ohio. Although most of these focused on publishing the Book of Commandments, “there were,” as a later JS history explained, “many things which the elders desired to know relative to preaching the gospel to the inhabitants of the earth, and concerning the ” to in .
, who traveled to by in the summer of 1831, attended a conference of eight elders held 11 November 1831, a few months after his return from Missouri. Apparently, Cahoon wanted to know whether he should move to Missouri, writing in his journal, “I layed my case respecting my g[o]ing to the Missory before Tha conferance.” This was in accord with instructions in an August 1831 revelation, which named several individuals who were required to stay in Missouri to help establish the but declared that the “residue of the Elders” should keep preaching and gathering the elect until they were directed to move to Missouri. Such direction would come, the revelation continued, from “the Elders of the Church at the conferences.” At this 11 November conference, the elders provided instructions to Cahoon and also conducted business relating to other church members.
As clerk of the conference, recorded the minutes. In 1838, copied the minutes into Minute Book 2.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    See Minutes, 1–2 Nov. 1831; Minutes, 8 Nov. 1831; Minutes, 9 Nov. 1831; Minutes, 12 Nov. 1831; and JS History, vol. A-1, 172–173.

  2. [2]

    JS History, vol. A-1, 166.

  3. [3]

    Revelation, 6 June 1831 [D&C 52:30]. Cahoon returned to Ohio on 28 September and spent the time between his return and his trip to Hiram “journin [journeying] from Place to Place from conferan to conferance,” collecting money to support JS in his revision of the Bible. Cahoon wrote in his journal that he traveled to Hiram to “fulfil” this fundraising mission—apparently to transfer the funds he had raised to JS. (Cahoon, Diary, Nov. 1831.)

    Cahoon, Reynolds. Diaries, 1831–1832. CHL. MS 1115.

  4. [4]

    Cahoon, Diary, Nov. 1831.

    Cahoon, Reynolds. Diaries, 1831–1832. CHL. MS 1115.

  5. [5]

    Revelation, 1 Aug. 1831 [D&C 58:44–45, 56]. A 30 August revelation stated that JS would be given “power that he shall be enabled to descern by the spirit those who shall go up unto the land of Zion & those of my Desiples that shall tarry.” (Revelation, 30 Aug. 1831 [D&C 63:41].)

Asterisk (*) denotes a "featured" version, which includes an introduction and annotation.
*Minutes, 11 November 1831
Minute Book 2

Page 17

Minutes of a special held in , Portage Co. Ohio, November 11, 1831.
Present.
Joseph Smith jr.
Opened. Prayer by br , who then said that the question which he wanted settled was whether it was the will of the Lord that he should go to in the spring. concerning the duties of the , read by br. .
Voted that it is the mind of the conference that our is not yet commanded to go to in the spring by any thing yet written; Therefore, Voted that our be not sent up to in the coming spring.
Commandment to br. read.
Br. ordained a under the hand of br. .
Closed.
, Clerk of Conference. [p. 17]
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Source Note

Document Transcript

Page 17

Document Information

Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Minutes, 11 November 1831
ID #
7262
Total Pages
1
Print Volume Location
JSP, D2:126–129
Handwriting on This Page
  • Ebenezer Robinson

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    Which commandments were read is unclear. The “Articles and Covenants” of the church contained an extensive discussion of the duties of elders,a and several revelations dealt with the duties of specific elders.b Since the reading of the commandments occurred in the context of Cahoon wondering whether he should return to Missouri, “commandments” may refer to those revelations outlining who should go to Missouri and who should not.c Sometime on 11 November, JS also dictated a revelation calling for the appointment of presiding authorities over various offices in the church, including elders.d It is possible that this revelation was dictated at this point in the meeting.

    (aArticles and Covenants, ca. Apr. 1830 [D&C 20:38–45]. bSee, for example, Revelation, 29 Oct. 1831 [D&C 66]; and Revelation, 1 Nov. 1831–A [D&C 68]. cRevelation, 1 Aug. 1831 [D&C 58]; Revelation, 30 Aug. 1831 [D&C 63]. dRevelation, 11 Nov. 1831–B [D&C 107 (partial)].)
  2. [2]

    Cahoon recorded in his journal that the conference “cons[i]dered that I was not at liber[t]y to go to the land of Zion yet.” (Cahoon, Diary, Nov. 1831.)

    Cahoon, Reynolds. Diaries, 1831–1832. CHL. MS 1115.

  3. [3]

    At this time, Marsh was apparently still on his way back from a trip to Missouri. It is unclear both why the conference read a commandment to him and which commandment they read. A letter from his wife Elizabeth written in September 1831 states that she expected Marsh in October, but minutes from meetings held in Indiana in late November and early December place him there. Marsh’s own personal history, written over three decades later, explains that he did not return to Kirtland, Ohio, until January 1832. On 13 January 1832, Marsh left Kirtland in company with Cahoon “to visit the Churches to the west.” Given Cahoon’s attendance at the 11 November conference, it is possible that the commandment was one assigning Marsh to accompany Cahoon. (Elizabeth Godkin Marsh, Kirtland Mills, OH, to Lewis Abbott and Ann Abbott, East Sudbury, MA, Sept. [1831], Abbott Family Collection, CHL; Minute Book 2, 29 Nov.–1 Dec. and 6–7 Dec. 1831; “T B Marsh,” [1], Historian’s Office, Histories of the Twelve, ca. 1858–1880, CHL; Cahoon, Diary, 13 Jan. 1832.)

    Abbott Family Collection, 1831–2000. CHL. MS 23457.

    Historian’s Office. Histories of the Twelve, 1856–1858, 1861. CHL. CR 100 93.

    Cahoon, Reynolds. Diaries, 1831–1832. CHL. MS 1115.

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