The Quorums of the Seventy met in council on 12, 14, and 19 May 1839. The proceedings mentioned in this note could have been a report of any or all of these meetings, since members of the Twelve were present at all three. At these meetings, participants discussed regulations for foreign and domestic missions, the necessity for quorum members to keep their families in order, and financial support for the presidents of the Seventy. The apostles may have presented to JS the seventies’ 12 May resolutions to select some of their members to accompany the apostles on the mission to Europe and to provide those men with letters of recommendation. (Quorums of the Seventy, “Book of Records,” 71–78.)

Record of Seventies / First Council of the Seventy. “Book of Records,” 1837–1843. Bk. A. In First Council of the Seventy, Records, 1837–1885. CHL. CR 3 51, box 1, fd. 1.

A revelation JS dictated on 8 July 1838 directed the apostles to go on a mission “over the great waters” in 1839. It appears that the elders intended to travel first to England, where Kimball and others preached in 1837, and from there expand their proselytizing to other European countries. Woodruff used “England” and “Europe” interchangeably when referring to the missionaries’ destination, and James Mulholland addressed a letter of recommendation to his Irish relatives for “those of the European Mission who shall visit Ireland.” JS’s journal entry on 7 July describes the 1839 mission broadly as “this most important mission. viz to the nations of the earth, and the Islands of the sea.” (Revelation, 8 July 1838–A [D&C 118:4]; Woodruff, Journal, 4 May 1839; 8 and 17 June 1839; James Mulholland, Letter of Introduction, Commerce, IL, 10 July 1839, CHL; JS, Journal, 7 July 1839; see also Recommendation for Heber C. Kimball, between 2 and 13 June 1837.)

Woodruff, Wilford. Journals, 1833–1898. Wilford Woodruff, Journals and Papers, 1828–1898. CHL. MS 1352.

Mulholland, James. Letter of Introduction, Commerce, IL, for Heber C. Kimball et al., 10 July 1839. CHL.