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Minutes, 19 September 1835

Source Note

Minutes, , Geauga Co., OH, 19 Sept. 1835. Featured version copied [not before 25 Feb. 1836] in Minute Book 1, pp. 113–118; handwriting of ; CHL. For more complete source information, see the source note for Minute Book 1.

Historical Introduction

On 19 September 1835, JS levied charges against before the , Ohio, . In the months previous, Carter and had made a fund-raising trip to the eastern to solicit donations for the construction of the . They, along with , were members of the committee responsible for overseeing the construction of the house, and securing funds was a primary responsibility. During that trip, some trouble arose in at least one branch regarding donations. Although the April edition of the Latter Day Saints’ Messenger and Advocate had publicized Carter and Smith’s trip and its purpose, the , New York, was unprepared to provide funds upon Carter’s arrival. In a letter to his brother Oliver, , the branch’s presiding , explained that the congregation was unwilling or unable to contribute because, aside from the April notice in the Messenger and Advocate, neither “the , the , nor any others, clothed with authority” had given significant instruction on the subject of fund raising for the House of the Lord. Cowdery wrote that the unheeded requests for funds resulted in great embarrassment for Carter. The Twelve Apostles, who had met with the Freedom branch prior to Carter’s arrival, later filed countercomplaints against Cowdery for his statements, explaining that they had fulfilled their responsibility of informing the branch of the need for donations.
Upon his return to , ’s frustration with the trip and the lack of donations apparently led him to give a sermon in late August or early September, wherein he chastised church members for not supporting the committee to build the . Some found fault with the sermon. Presidents , , and corrected him in private, but Carter proved defiant and made further remarks which were considered even more egregious. The Kirtland high council thus met on 19 September to consider JS’s charges against Carter for his remarks. The primary concerns were his alleged proclamations that the committee to build the House of the Lord was above counsel, that any who failed to support the committee would be cursed by God, and that Saints who failed to pray for the committee would be held accountable for any of its subsequent failures. Besides concerns about the content of his remarks, his authoritative tone of censure was also deemed inappropriate. After various testimonies from Carter and members of the high council, JS ruled that Carter had erred in judgment and should confess before the church the following day. Carter agreed to that decision.
As clerk of the high council, took the minutes of the meeting. Sometime in 1836, copied the minutes into Minute Book 1.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    The committee to build the House of the Lord was established in May 1833 and was later “appointed to take the oversight of the building of the House of the Lord.” In addition to collecting funds for temple construction, by summer 1835, the committee was also operating a store to supply clothing and other goods to the workers building the House of the Lord. (Minutes, 4 May 1833; Minutes, 6 June 1833; “Cahoon, Carter & Co.,” Northern Times [Kirtland, OH], 9 Oct. 1835, [4].)

    Northern Times. Kirtland, OH. 1835–[1836?].

  2. [2]

    Editorial, LDS Messenger and Advocate, Apr. 1835, 1:107–108.

    Latter Day Saints’ Messenger and Advocate. Kirtland, OH. Oct. 1834–Sept. 1837.

  3. [3]

    A 25 November 1834 revelation had appointed Cowdery to this position. (Revelation, 25 Nov. 1834 [D&C 106].)

  4. [4]

    Letter to Quorum of the Twelve, 4 Aug. 1835. Prior to Carter and Smith’s fund-raising trip, the newly called Twelve Apostles, Bishop Edward Partridge, and Isaac Morley had travelled in the region. Cowdery did not deny that the Twelve had held a conference in Freedom on 22 and 23 May 1835 or that Partridge and Morley preached to the Freedom branch on 21 June 1835; his complaint was that they had failed to emphasize fund raising for the House of the Lord. (Record of the Twelve, 22–23 May 1835; Editorial, LDS Messenger and Advocate, July 1835, 1:153; Partridge, Diary, 21 June 1835.)

    Latter Day Saints’ Messenger and Advocate. Kirtland, OH. Oct. 1834–Sept. 1837.

    Partridge, Edward. Diaries, 1818 and 1835–1836. Edward Partridge, Papers, 1818–1839. CHL. MS 892, box 1, fds. 1–2.

  5. [5]

    Letter to Quorum of the Twelve, 4 Aug. 1835.

  6. [6]

    Minutes, 26 Sept. 1835; JS, Journal, 16 Jan. 1836. In response to the Twelve’s complaints, Cowdery offered a public apology, stating that the apostles had indeed delivered the message concerning donations. (Cowdery, Diary, 5 Mar. 1836; “Notice,” LDS Messenger and Advocate, Feb. 1836, 2:263.)

    Cowdery, Oliver. Diary, Jan.–Mar. 1836. CHL. MS 3429. Also available as Leonard J. Arrington, “Oliver Cowdery’s Kirtland, Ohio, ‘Sketch Book,’” BYU Studies 12 (Summer 1972): 410–426.

    Latter Day Saints’ Messenger and Advocate. Kirtland, OH. Oct. 1834–Sept. 1837.

  7. [7]

    Carter returned at the latest by 17 August 1835, when he attended a general assembly of the church in Kirtland. (Minutes, 17 Aug. 1835.)

Asterisk (*) denotes a "featured" version, which includes an introduction and annotation. *Minutes, 19 September 1835 Minute Book 1 History, 1838–1856, volume B-1 [1 September 1834–2 November 1838] “History of Joseph Smith”

Page 118

And that the hand of the destroyer was laid upon him because he had a rebelious spirit. from the beginning, and the word of the Lord, had been spoken by <​my​> mouth— that it should upon him and this should see it and now that he has been seized by the destroyer comes in fulfilment of his word. and God required him to bear testimony of it before the church and warn them to be careful & not do as he had done. But instead of doing this, he said he would prove the Book of Mormon, and one thing or another not being sufficiently humble to deliver just the message that was required, and so he stumbled and could not get the spirit. and the brethren were not edified, and he did not do the thing that God required. but erred in choosing words to communicate his thoughts. Such as commanding the prayers of the church instead of soliciting them: and also of making himself an example for the , when it, was only the things which he suffered which were to be as a check upon transgressors. His rebeling against the advice and counsel of the was the cause of his falling to the hands of the Destroyer, again as he had done before when he rebelled against the counsel that was given him by the Authorities of the church. And that in all this has not designed to do wickedly, but he erred in judgement and deserves reproof. And the decision is that he shall acknowledge his errors on the morrow before the congregation, and say, brethren, I am fully convinced, that I have erred in spirit in my remarks before you, when I spoke here a few sabbaths since, & now I ask your forgiveness, and if he do this in full faith and is truly humble before God. Then God will bless him abundintly as he hath not been wont to do. arose and justified the decision of the court and promised to comply with the same.
Closed by Prayer of J. Smith Junr,
Clk. [p. 118]
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Source Note

Document Transcript

Page 118

Document Information

Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Minutes, 19 September 1835
ID #
6720
Total Pages
6
Print Volume Location
JSP, D4:422–427
Handwriting on This Page
  • Warren A. Cowdery

Footnotes

  1. [10]

    That is, the word of the Lord.

  2. [11]

    A version of these minutes in a later JS history has “come” inserted here. (JS History, vol. B-1, 618.)

    JS History / Smith, Joseph, et al. History, 1838–1856. Vols. A-1–F-1 (original), A-2–E-2 (fair copy). Historian’s Office, History of the Church, 1839–ca. 1882. CHL. CR 100 102, boxes 1–7. The history for the period after 5 Aug. 1838 was composed after the death of Joseph Smith.

  3. [12]

    See Revelation, 9 May 1831 [D&C 50:21–22].

  4. [13]

    Although no minutes of congregational meetings record Carter making such a statement, he regained favor with the church and acted as a counselor in a high council meeting near the end of September. (Minutes, 28–29 Sept. 1835.)

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