JS, History, 1838–1856, vol. D-1, created 4 July 1845–4 Feb. 1846 and 1 July 1854–2 May 1855; handwriting of , Robert L. Campbell, and ; 275 pages, plus 6 pages of addenda; CHL. This is the fourth volume of a six-volume manuscript history of the church. This fourth volume covers the period from 1 Aug. 1842 to 1 July 1843; the remaining five volumes, labeled A-1, B-1, C-1, E-1 and F-1, continue through 8 Aug. 1844.
Historical Introduction
History, 1838–1856, volume D-1, constitutes the fourth of six volumes documenting the life of Joseph Smith and the early years of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The series is also known as the Manuscript History of the Church and was originally published serially from 1842 to 1846 and 1851 to 1858 as the “History of Joseph Smith” in the Times and Seasons and Deseret News. This volume contains JS’s history from 1 August 1842 to 1 July 1843, and it was compiled after JS’s death.
The material recorded in volume D-1 was initially compiled under the direction of church historian , with the assistance of . After Richards’s death in 1854, continued work on the volume as the new church historian with Bullock’s continued help. The process adopted by Richards and Bullock involved Richards creating a set of rough draft notes and Bullock transcribing the notes into the volume along with the text of designated documents (such as letters and meeting minutes). George A. Smith followed a similar pattern, though he dictated the draft notes to Bullock and other scribes.
According to the Church Historian’s Office journal, finished the third volume of the series, volume C-1, on Thursday, 3 July 1845, in , Illinois. He began work on the fourth volume, D-1, the next day, beginning on page 1362 with the entry for 1 August 1842. (The pages in volumes A-1–E-1 were numbered consecutively.) Bullock continued work on the record, drawing upon ’s draft notes, until 3 February 1846—the day before D-1 and the other volumes were packed up in preparation for the Latter-day Saints’ exodus from Nauvoo. At that point he had reached page 1485 with the entry for 28 February 1843. Subsequently, apparently after the collection had arrived in Utah, Bullock added a brief comment beneath that entry: “end of W. Richard’s compiling[.] the books packed Feby. 4— 1846 in Nauvoo[.] Miles Romney— present. The records carried by T Bullock from Winter Quarters to G S L [Great Salt Lake] City in 1848.”
A notation at the top of page 1486 reports that “the books were unpacked in G. S. L. City by and . June 7. 1853. J[onathan] Grimshaw & Miles Romney present.” Vertically, in the margin, is a poignant epitaph: “Decr. 1 1853 Dr. Willard Richards wrote one line of History—being sick at the time—and was never able to do any more.” With Richards’s death on 11 March 1854, JS’s cousin was called to the office of church historian. The notation on the top of page 1486 acknowledges this change in officers, noting, “commencement of George A. Smith’s compiling as Historian. April 13. 1854[.] [C]ommenced copying July 1. 1854.” From mid-April to the end of June 1854, George A. Smith, in collaboration with Thomas Bullock, worked on the draft notes for the history before a new scribe, , resumed writing in D-1 on 1 July 1854, beginning with the entry for 1 March 1843.
continued transcribing intermittently into the late fall of 1854, when he was assigned other duties in the Historian’s Office. He had reached page 1546 with the entry for 5 May 1843. Work resumed in February 1855 in the hand of Robert L. Campbell, recently returned from a mission. He concluded volume D-1 on the morning of 2 May 1855 and began writing in E-1 that afternoon.
The 274 pages of volume D-1 contain a record of much that is significant in the life of JS and the development of the church he founded. Among these events are
• JS’s 6 August 1842 prophecy that the Saints would become a mighty people in the midst of the Rocky Mountains.
•JS’s 8 August 1842 arrest on a warrant for being “an accessory before the fact” to an attack on former governor .
• ’s 17 August 1842 letter to governor , pleading for the humane treatment of her husband and family.
•JS’s 1 and 6 September 1842 instructions regarding the proper procedures for performing baptisms for the dead.
• JS’s 15 November 1842 “Valedictory” as he stepped down as editor of the Times and Seasons.
• The 26 December 1842 arrest of JS on a “proclamation” by former governor , and subsequent hearing in , Illinois.
• The 7 February 1843 recovery of a volume of patriarchal blessings given by , which had been stolen in , Missouri.
• JS’s 21 February 1843 remarks regarding the and .
• JS’s 2 April 1843 instruction at , Illinois, on the nature of God and other subjects.
• JS’s 16 May 1843 remarks at , Illinois, on the everlasting covenant and eternal marriage.
• The account of JS’s 23 June 1843 arrest and his hearing the following week at .
<April 1> A short sketch of the rise of the Young Gentlemen and Ladies relief society, is published in <the Times and Seasons of this day.>
In the latter part of January 1843 a number of young people assembled at the house of Elder , who warned them [HC 5:320] against the various temptations to which youth is exposed, and gave an appointment expressly for the young at the house of Elder Billings, and another meeting was held in the ensuing week at bro. [Aaron] Farr’s schoolroom, which was filled to overflowing. delivered addresses, exhorting the young people to study the scriptures, and enable themselves to “give a reason for the hope within them,” and to be ready to go on to the stage of action, when their present instructors and leaders had gone behind the scenes, also to keep good company, and to keep pure and unspotted from the world.
The next meeting was appointed to be held at my house, and notwithstanding the inclemency of the weather, it was completely filled at an early hour. as usual delivered an address, warning his hearers against giving heed to their youthful passions, and exhorting them to be obedient and to pay strict attention to the advice and command of their parents, who were better calculated to guide the pathway of youth than they themselves.
My house being too small, the next meeting was appointed to be held in the over my . I addressed the young people for some time, expressing my gratitude to for having commenced this glorious work which would be the means of doing a great deal of good, and said, the gratitude of all good men and of the youth would follow him thro’ life, and he would always look back upon the winter of 1843 with pleasure. I experienced more embarrasment in standing before them, than I should before kings and nobles of the earth, for I knew the crimes of which they were guilty, and knew precisely how to address them; but that my young friends were guilty of none of them and therefore, that I hardly knew what to say. I advised them to organize themselves unto a society for the relief of the poor, and recommended to them a poor lame English brother (Maudesley) who wanted a house built that he might have a home amongst the Saints— that he had gathered a few materials for the purpose, but was unable to use them, and he has petitioned for aid. I advised them to choose a committee to collect funds for this purpose, and perform this charitable act as soon as the weather permitted. I gave them such advice as I deemed was calculated to guide their conduct thro’ life and prepare them for a glorious eternity
A meeting was appointed to carry out these suggestions, at which, was chosen President and , Clerk, Andrew Cahoon, C. V. Spencer, and were appointed to draft a constitution for the Society, and the meeting adjourned to the 28th of March, when the said committee submitted the [HC 5:321] draft of a constitution consisting of 12 sections. The report was unanimously adopted, and the meeting proceeded to choose their officers. was chosen president, , vice president, treasurer, and James M. Monroe, secretary,— , , R. A. Allred, William H. Kimball, and Garrett Ivans [Ivins], were appointed a committee of vigilance. The meeting then adjourned until <the> next Tuesday evening.
The next meeting was addressed by Elders , and , whose instructions were listened to with breathless attention. [p. 1508]