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Prospectus for Elders’ Journal, 30 April 1838

Source Note

Prospectus for Elder’s Journal, [, Caldwell Co., MO], 30 Apr. 1838; one page; Wilford Woodruff, Journals and Papers, 1828–1898, CHL. Includes docket and archival marking.
Bifolium measuring 16 × 10¼ inches (41 × 26 cm). The document was printed with varying type sizes and some bold type. The prospectus was double trifolded for mailing, and later it was refolded for filing and was docketed. The prospectus has marked wear, with some partially separated folds. The document has undergone conservation.
Inscribed on the prospectus is a letter from to , circa 18 June 1838. The letter includes Marsh’s signature and a , Missouri, postmark. Woodruff likely donated the document to the Church Historian’s Office as part of his collected papers, possibly during his tenure as assistant church historian (1856–1883) or as church historian (1883–1889).

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    See Letter to Wilford Woodruff, ca. 18 June 1838.

  2. [2]

    “Contents of the Historian and Recorder’s Office. G. S. L. City July 1858,” 6, Historian’s Office, Catalogs and Inventories, 1846–1904, CHL; Turley, “Assistant Church Historians,” 20–21; see also Park, “Developing a Historical Conscience,” 115–134.

    Historian’s Office. Catalogs and Inventories, 1846–1904. CHL. CR 100 130.

    Turley, Richard E., Jr. “Assistant Church Historians and the Publishing of Church History.” In Preserving the History of the Latter-Day Saints, edited by Richard E. Turley Jr. and Steven C. Harper, 19–47. Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University; Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2010.

    Park, Benjamin E. “Developing a Historical Conscience: Wilford Woodruff and the Preservation of Church History.” In Preserving the History of the Latter-day Saints, edited by Richard E. Turley Jr. and Steven C. Harper, 115–134. Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University; Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2010.

Historical Introduction

On 30 April 1838, a prospectus announcing the continuation of the Elders’ Journal, the church’s newspaper, was published in , Missouri. The prospectus, which was composed in the first-person plural voice, was presumably published by JS and , whom the document identifies as the editor and publisher, respectively. The church initially established a publishing enterprise in 1831 in response to JS revelations naming individuals to assist in “the work of Printing” and directing that “a Printer unto the ” be “planted in the Land of .” The first church newspaper was published in , Missouri. After the there was destroyed in 1833, the church reestablished printing operations in , Ohio. In April 1838, with JS, , and others living in or relocating to , the church was once again setting up its printing operations there.
The Elders’ Journal originally began in . Before the newspaper’s first issue was printed, a prospectus was published in the last two issues of the Latter Day Saints’ Messenger and Advocate, the church’s previous newspaper. The launch of early American newspapers was often announced in a prospectus, and the church followed this practice when beginning its newspapers. The original prospectus for the Elders’ Journal explained that the newspaper was “intended to be a vehicle of communication for all the of the church . . . through which they can communicate to others, all things pertaining to their mission” and to the growth of the church in America and abroad. Accordingly, the two Kirtland issues—dated October and November 1837—consisted mostly of letters from church elders. In late December 1837 or early January 1838, the printing press and everything else in the were seized by the in connection with legal action against JS and . On 15 January, when the sheriff sold these items, which were still housed in the printing office, they came under the control of a group of dissenters from the church, who intended to use the printing office to publish materials opposing the church. That night, the office was set on fire and burned to the ground, with all its contents destroyed. The production of the Elders’ Journal and all other church publications ceased.
The need to resume publishing the church newspaper was expressed by in an early March 1838 letter to and the . Woodruff, who was a member of the First of the and was preaching in , pleaded that the Elders’ Journal be revived in to assist missionaries in proselytizing efforts. Woodruff’s letter likely arrived in sometime in early or mid-April. On 21 April, the in Far West met and passed several resolutions related to reestablishing the church’s printing operations. The council decided that the Elders’ Journal would be “published monthly, as it was commenced”; that the high counselors would “support as the publisher” and “use their influence to obtain subscriptions”; and that they would publish in the newspaper some of the minutes of their council meetings. The appropriateness of publishing the church’s newspaper in Far West was affirmed five days later, when JS dictated a revelation stating that Far West was “most holy” and a place in “the land of ” to build up a city for the of the Saints.
To announce the revival of the Elders’ Journal and “arouse the Saints to energy in obtaining subscribers,” a new prospectus was produced on 30 April 1838 in . The prospectus was apparently printed on a press that had been used by the church in , sold to , brought to in 1837, and repurchased by the church.
The authors of the prospectus expressed the hope that the traveling elders would use their influence to obtain subscribers. Copies of the prospectus may have been sent to many of the church’s traveling elders. The copy of the prospectus featured here was sent to , who was still proselytizing in New England. Woodruff succeeded in obtaining several subscribers for the Elders’ Journal and was probably not alone in responding to the call for subscriptions. Meanwhile in , the church was making progress toward recommencing the Elders’ Journal, eventually publishing issues dated July and August 1838.
The prospectus was reprinted in the first issue of the newspaper, dated July 1838. The reprinted version of the prospectus bears the date 26 April instead of 30 April. The reprint may have been dated to match the date of JS’s revelation regarding as a new headquarters of the church. In contrast, the original copy of the prospectus, which mailed to , is dated 30 April and bears an 18 June postmark, showing that it significantly predates the version published in the newspaper. The newspaper version differs from the version sent to Woodruff in a few ways, correcting the placement of the apostrophe in the periodical’s title, fixing a misspelled word, modifying punctuation, and adding Far West as the place of publication; these differences indicate the prospectus printed in the newspaper was a corrected version of the original document.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    Revelation, 14 June 1831 [D&C 55:4–5]; Revelation, 20 July 1831 [D&C 57:11, 14].

  2. [2]

    “Prospectus,” LDS Messenger and Advocate, Aug. 1837, 3:545–547; “Prospectus,” LDS Messenger and Advocate, Sept. 1837, 3:571–574.

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

  3. [3]

    See, for example, “Prospectus of a New Country Paper,” Gazette of the United States and Daily Advertiser (Philadelphia), 13 Oct. 1801, [2]; and “Prospectus of the American Spectator and Washington City Chronicle,” Western Intelligencer (Hudson, OH), 21 Jan. 1830, [3].

    Gazette of the United States and Daily Advertiser. Philadelphia. 1800–1801.

    Western Intelligencer. Cleveland, OH, 1827; Hudson, OH, 1828–1830.

  4. [4]

    See “Prospectus,” The Evening and the Morning Star, Sept. 1834, 192; “Prospectus,” LDS Messenger and Advocate, Aug. 1837, 3:545–547; and “Prospectus,” LDS Messenger and Advocate, Sept. 1837, 3:571–574.

    The Evening and the Morning Star. Independence, MO, June 1832–July 1833; Kirtland, OH, Dec. 1833–Sept. 1834.

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

  5. [5]

    Leaders may have also envisioned the new publication as a means to document proselytizing efforts for historical purposes. The prospectus asserted the newspaper would be a vehicle to “transmit to succeeding generations an account of their religion, and a history of their travels, and of the reception which they met with in the nations.” (“Prospectus,” LDS Messenger and Advocate, Aug. 1837, 3:545, 546.)

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

  6. [6]

    See, for example, Heber C. Kimball, Preston, England, to Vilate Murray Kimball, Kirtland, OH, 2–6 Sept. 1837, in Elders’ Journal, Oct. 1837, 4–7; and Orson Hyde, Preston, England, to Marinda Nancy Johnson Hyde, Kirtland, OH, 14 Sept. 1837, in Elders’ Journal, Nov. 1837, 19–22.

  7. [7]

    “Sheriff Sale,” Painesville (OH) Telegraph, 5 Jan. 1838, [3]; Hepzibah Richards, Kirtland, OH, to Willard Richards, Bedford, England, 18–19 Jan. 1838, Willard Richards, Papers, CHL; John Smith and Don Carlos Smith, Kirtland Mills, OH, to George A. Smith, Shinnston, VA, 15–18 Jan. 1838, George Albert Smith, Papers, CHL.

    Painesville Telegraph. Painesville, OH. 1822–1986.

    Richards, Willard. Journals and Papers, 1821–1854. CHL.

    Smith, George Albert. Papers, 1834–1877. CHL. MS 1322.

  8. [8]

    Subsequent correspondence between Marsh and Woodruff traveled in less than four weeks, suggesting Woodruff’s letter to Partridge and the First Presidency did as well.

  9. [9]

    Minutes, 21 Apr. 1838.

  10. [10]

    Revelation, 26 Apr. 1838 [D&C 115:6–7].

  11. [11]

    See Minutes, 21 Apr. 1838.

  12. [12]

    See, for example, Woodruff, Journal, 22 and 31 July 1838.

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

  13. [13]

    In May, Rigdon was assigned to edit the letters that would be included in the Elders’ Journal. In June the high council resolved that Marsh would be the “sole proprietor of the printing establishment.” (Minute Book 2, 12 May and 23 June 1838.)

  14. [14]

    “Prospectus for the Elders’ Journal,” Elders’ Journal, July 1838, 34.

  15. [15]

    See Revelation, 26 Apr. 1838 [D&C 115].

  16. [16]

    See Letter to Wilford Woodruff, ca. 18 June 1838.

Asterisk (*) denotes a "featured" version, which includes an introduction and annotation.
*Prospectus for Elders’ Journal, 30 April 1838
Elders’ Journal, July 1838

Page [1]

PROSPECTUS
FOR THE
ELDER’S JOURNAL,
Of the .
It is, we presume, generally known, that this paper was commenced in , Ohio, in October last; but by reason of the great persecution against the Saints in that place, the paper had to be stopped; and through the craft of wicked men they got possession of the , and knowing they could not hold it, it was burned!!
The paper is now about to be resuscitated in this place; to be conducted as set forth in the former prospectus. It will be issued in a few weeks, and sent to the former subscibers, as previously stated.
We send this prospectus to arouse the Saints to energy in obtaining subscribers. We hope the abroad, will not fail to use their influence to give as general a circulation as possible.
The JOURNAL will be Edited by Joseph Smith jr., and Published by , at , Caldwell County, Missouri.
Terms—One dollar, per annum, paid in advance. All letters must be Post Paid, and directed to the .
April 30, 1838. [p. [1]]
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Document Information

Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Prospectus for Elders’ Journal, 30 April 1838
ID #
8621
Total Pages
1
Print Volume Location
JSP, D6:128–133
Handwriting on This Page
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Footnotes

  1. [1]

    TEXT: The first, third, and fourth lines are printed in bold. The two issues published in Kirtland bear the title Elders’ Journal of the Church of Latter Day Saints. The prospectus featured here and the two issues published in Far West bear the title Elders’ Journal of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, reflecting the new and expanded name of the church. In contrast to the prospectus, both the Kirtland and the Far West issues use “Elders’” (plural possessive) instead of “Elder’s” (singular possessive), indicating the journal belonged to the church elders as a group, as was explicit in the prospectus for the issues published in Kirtland. (“Prospectus,” LDS Messenger and Advocate, Aug. 1837, 545–547; “Prospectus,” LDS Messenger and Advocate, Sept. 1837, 3:571–574.)

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

  2. [2]

    Nameplate, Elders’ Journal, Oct. 1837, 1.

  3. [3]

    All of the contents in the printing office were seized by Sheriff Abel Kimball following a judgment against JS and Rigdon in a lawsuit they lost. Kimball then sold the goods in the office to pay for the judgment. Because the sale included not only the printing office’s press but also its paper, printing was apparently halted. When the scheduled sale took place on 15 January, Vilate Murray Kimball wrote that the goods were bid off “in a very underhanded way.” Don Carlos Smith, who had been running the printing office, was ready to purchase the office’s holdings when the bidding began, “but before the hour arived they bid it off among them selves.” The press was bought by Nathan Milliken, “one of the decenting party,” perhaps with help from Grandison Newell. Kimball and John Smith suspected that Milliken purchased the press on behalf of a group of dissenters and excommunicated church members. Kimball wrote that the group intended to use the printing equipment to publish materials in opposition to the church. (Transcript of Proceedings, 24 Oct. 1837, Rounds v. JS [Geauga Co. C.P. 1837], Final Record Book U, pp. 362–364, microfilm 20,279, U.S. and Canada Record Collection, FHL; “Sheriff Sale,” Painesville [OH] Telegraph, 5 Jan. 1838, [3]; Vilate Murray Kimball, Kirtland, OH, to Heber C. Kimball, Preston, England, 19–29 Jan. 1838, Heber C. Kimball, Collection, CHL; Hepzibah Richards, Kirtland, OH, to Willard Richards, Bedford, England, 18–19 Jan. 1838, Willard Richards, Papers, CHL; John Smith and Don Carlos Smith, Kirtland Mills, OH, to George A. Smith, Shinnston, VA, 15–18 Jan. 1838, George Albert Smith, Papers, CHL.)

    U.S. and Canada Record Collection. FHL.

    Painesville Telegraph. Painesville, OH. 1822–1986.

    Kimball, Heber C. Collection, 1837–1898. CHL. MS 12476.

    Richards, Willard. Journals and Papers, 1821–1854. CHL.

    Smith, George Albert. Papers, 1834–1877. CHL. MS 1322.

  4. [4]

    The printing office was burned on the night of 15 January 1838.

  5. [5]

    The version of the prospectus published in the July 1838 issue named Far West as the place of publication, which is affirmed in the nameplates and mastheads of the July and August issues.

  6. [6]

    “Prospectus,” LDS Messenger and Advocate, Aug. 1837, 3:545–547; “Prospectus,” LDS Messenger and Advocate, Sept. 1837, 3:571–574.

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

  7. [7]

    The original prospectus projected that one issue would be published each month. (“Prospectus,” LDS Messenger and Advocate, Sept. 1837, 3:574.)

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

  8. [8]

    Similarly, the masthead of the Kirtland issues of the newspaper stated it was edited by JS and published by Marsh,a though both men spent October and November traveling to Far West and participating in church meetings.b The work of publishing the paper had evidently fallen to Don Carlos Smith, JS’s younger brother.c The original prospectus for the Elders’ Journal in Kirtland stated that it would be a forum for the church’s elders while “traveling and proclaiming the gospel.”d It was fitting therefore that the paper be published by Marsh; as president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, he directed the work of all traveling elders outside of Zion and church stakes.e A revelation in July 1837 stated that Marsh would “send forth my word unto the ends of the earth” and that although Marsh was to remain in Zion, the Lord had a “great work” for him to do “in publishing my name among the children of men.”f

    (aMasthead, Elders’ Journal, Oct. 1837, 16; Masthead, Elders’ Journal, Nov. 1837, 32. bTravel Account and Questions, Nov. 1837; “T. B. Marsh,” [2], Historian’s Office, Histories of the Twelve, 1856–1858, 1861, CHL. cMasthead, Elders’ Journal, Oct. 1837, 16; Masthead, Elders’ Journal, Nov. 1837, 32; Minutes, 12 Apr. 1838; JS History, vol. C-1 Addenda, 12. d“Prospectus,” LDS Messenger and Advocate, Sept. 1837, 3:572. eInstruction on Priesthood, between ca. 1 Mar. and ca. 4 May 1835 [D&C 107:33–35]. fRevelation, 23 July 1837 [D&C 112:4–6].)

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

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

  9. [9]

    TEXT: This word is printed in bold type.

  10. [10]

    TEXT: This line of text is printed in bold type. In the version of the prospectus printed in the first Missouri issue of the journal, the corresponding line is “Far West, Mo. April 26, 1838.” (“Prospectus for the Elders’ Journal,” Elders’ Journal, July 1838, 34.)

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