JS, History, 1838–1856, vol. B-1, created 1 Oct. 1843–24 Feb. 1845; handwriting of and ; 297 pages, plus 10 pages of addenda; CHL. This is the second volume of a six-volume manuscript history of the church. This second volume covers the period from 1 Sept. 1834 to 2 Nov. 1838; the subsequent four volumes, labeled C-1 through F-1, continue through 8 Aug. 1844.
Historical Introduction
This document, volume B-1, is the second of the six volumes of the “Manuscript History of the Church.” The collection was compiled over the span of seventeen years, 1838 to 1856. The narrative in volume B-1 begins with the entry for 1 September 1834, just after the conclusion of the Camp of Israel (later called Zion’s Camp), and continues to 2 November 1838, when JS was interned as a prisoner of war at , Missouri. For a fuller discussion of the entire six-volume work, see the general introduction to the history.
, serving as JS’s “private secretary and historian,” completed the account of JS’s history contained in volume A-1 in August 1843. It covered the period from JS’s birth in 1805 through the aftermath of the Camp of Israel in August 1834. When work resumed on the history on 1 October 1843, Richards started a new volume, eventually designated B-1.
At the time of JS’s death in June 1844, the account had been advanced to 5 August 1838, on page 812 of volume B-1. ’s poor health led to the curtailment of work on B-1 for several months, until 11 December 1844. On that date, Richards and , assisted by , resumed gathering the records and reports needed to draft the history. Richards then composed and drafted roughed-out notes while Thomas Bullock compiled the text of the history and inscribed it in B-1. They completed their work on the volume on or about 24 February 1845. Richards, , and Jonathan Grimshaw later added ten pages of “Addenda,” which provided notes, extensive revisions, or additional text to be inserted in the original manuscript where indicated.
Though JS did not dictate or revise any of the text recorded in B-1, and chose to maintain the first-person, chronological narrative format established in A-1 as if JS were the author. They drew from a variety of primary and secondary sources including JS’s diaries and letters, minutes of meetings, the first edition of the Doctrine and Covenants, church and other periodicals, reports of JS’s discourses, and the reminiscences and recollections of church members. As was the case with A-1, after JS’s death, , , , and others modified and corrected the manuscript as they reviewed material before its eventual publication.
Beginning in March 1842 the church’s Nauvoo periodical, the Times and Seasons, began publishing the narrative as the “History of Joseph Smith.” It was also published in England in the church periodical the Millennial Star beginning in June 1842. Once a press was established in Utah and the Deseret News began publication, the “History of Joseph Smith” once more appeared in print in serialized form. Beginning with the November 1851 issue, the narrative picked up where the Times and Seasons had left off over five years earlier.
The narrative recorded in B-1 continued the story of JS’s life as the prophet and president of the church he labored to establish. The account encompasses significant developments in the church’s two centers at that time—, Ohio, and northwest —during a four-year-span. Critical events included the organization of the Quorums of the Twelve Apostles and the Seventy, the dedication of the House of the Lord in Kirtland, Ohio, the establishment of the Kirtland Safety Society, dissension and apostasy in Kirtland and Missouri, the first mission to England, JS’s flight from Kirtland to Missouri in the winter of 1838, the Saints’ exodus from Kirtland later that year, the disciplining of the Missouri presidency, and the outbreak of the Missouri War and arrest of JS. Thus, B-1 provides substantial detail regarding a significant period of church expansion and transition as well as travail.
<December England.> other places round about , where the brethren hired the “Cock. Pit” a large and convenient building for preaching, but being disturbed by some Methodist Priests were obliged to have the house Licenced by the Civil courts according to the statute of the realm, which, with the aid of two constables who voluntarily proffered their services, restored <25> peace and order: and on christmas day, Dec. 25th. Elders and , and (who had previously been ordained an elder) assembled in the Cock Pit with about 300 Saints, several of whom were ordained to the lesser Priesthood, 14 were confirmed, and about 100 children were blessed. by the elders, This was the first public conference of the Church in England, and at this Conference the Word of Wisdom was first publicly taught in that Country. While the work was thus rapidly progressing in Lancashire, it continued gradually to progress at Bedford, also a branch was established at Bassynburn— and <an>other at at Peter’s Green by : <note— T Addenda page 6> While Apostasy, persecution, confusion and Mobocracy strove hard to bear rule at and thus closed the year 1837. [HC 2:529]
<January 1.> A new year dawned upon the church in in all the bitterness of the spirit of apostate Mobocracy; which continued to rage and grow hotter and hotter until and myself were obliged to flee from its dealy influence as did the apostles and prophets of old, and as Jesus Said “when they persecute you in one city flee to another:” and on the evening of the 12th of Jan <12. Joseph & left for .> <about 10 o’clock> we left , on horseback, to escape Mob violence which was about to burst upon us under the color of Legal process to cover their hellish designs, and save themselves from the just jud[g]ment of the Law. [HC 3:1] We continued <[6 words illegible] this place> our travels during the night, and at 8. o clock on of the morning of the 13th <13> arrived among the brethren in , Medina County, Ohio, having a distance of 60 miles from , where we tarried about 36 hours <16> when our families arrived, and on the 16th. pursued our Journey with our families in covered waggons toward the city of in , Passing through , Eaton &c. to Dublin, Indiana, where we tarried nine <Addenda No 1. page 10> days and refreshed ourselves. <See addenda. 10 pa.> The weather was extremely cold, & we were obliged to secrete ourselves in our waggons many some times to elude the [HC 3:2] grasp of our pursuers who continued their race more than 200 <miles> from armed with pistols &c seeking our lives. They frequently crossed our track, twice they were in the houses where we stopped. Once we tarried all night in the same house with them, with only a partition between us & them, and heard their oaths, and imprecations, and threats concerning us if they could catch us, and late in the evening they came in our room and examined us, but decided we were not the men. At other times we passed them in the Streets, and gazed upon them and they on us, but they knew us not. One Lyons. was one of our pursuers. I parted with at Dublin, and travelling different routes we met at ,— where after resting, we separated again— and I pursued my Journey crossing the at Illinois. [p. 780]