Letter from Alvah Tippets, 20 October 1834

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Letter from Alvah Tippets, 20 October 1834
Source Note

Alvah Tippets
12 Mar. 1809–24 Oct. 1847. Born in Lewis, Essex Co., New York. Son of Joseph Tippets and Abigail Lewis. Methodist. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1832. Presided over Lewis branch of church. Married first Abigail Tippets, Sept. ...
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, Letter,
Lewis Township
Formed from Willsborough Township, 4 Apr. 1805. Population in 1835 about 1,400. Population in 1840 about 1,500. Included post village of Lewis; settled 1796. Branch of Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints established in township, by 1834. Members of...
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, Essex Co., NY, to JS and Kirtland high council,
Kirtland Township
Located ten miles south of Lake Erie. Settled by 1811. Organized by 1818. Latter-day Saint missionaries visited township, early Nov. 1830; many residents joined Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Population in 1830 about 55 Latter-day Saints and...
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, Geauga Co., OH, 20 Oct. 1834. Featured version copied [not before 25 Feb. 1836] in Minute Book 1, pp. 78–80; handwriting of
Warren Cowdery
17 Oct. 1788–23 Feb. 1851. Physician, druggist, farmer, editor. Born at Wells, Rutland Co., Vermont. Son of William Cowdery and Rebecca Fuller. Married Patience Simonds, 22 Sept. 1814, in Pawlet, Rutland Co. Moved to Freedom, Cattaraugus Co., New York, 1816...
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; CHL. For more complete source information, see the source note for Minute Book 1.

Historical Introduction
See Historical Introduction to Minutes, 28 November 1834.
Asterisk (*) denotes a "featured" version, which includes an introduction and annotation. *Letter from Alvah Tippets, 20 October 1834 Minute Book 1 History, 1838–1856, volume B-1 [1 September 1834–2 November 1838] “History of Joseph Smith”
Page 79
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But I have felt very uneasy, while the
commandment
Generally, a divine mandate that church members were expected to obey; more specifically, a text dictated by JS in the first-person voice of Deity that served to communicate knowledge and instruction to JS and his followers. Occasionally, other inspired texts...
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has gone forth for the Eastern
churches
The Book of Mormon related that when Christ set up his church in the Americas, “they which were baptized in the name of Jesus, were called the church of Christ.” The first name used to denote the church JS organized on 6 April 1830 was “the Church of Christ...
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to flee unto the West. The first, or about the first of Sept. I with 2 of my brethren, took the revelation concerning the redemption of
Zion
A specific location in Missouri; also a literal or figurative gathering of believers in Jesus Christ, characterized by adherence to ideals of harmony, equality, and purity. In JS’s earliest revelations “the cause of Zion” was used to broadly describe the ...
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, and read it,
2
The December 1833 revelation referred to here was published as a broadsheet soon after its dictation and was distributed to the different branches of the church. (Verily, I Say unto You, concerning Your Brethren Who Have Been Afflicted [Kirtland, OH: ca. Jan. 1834], copy at CHL [D&C 101]; “A Scrap of Mormonism,” Painesville [OH] Telegraph, 24 Jan. 1834, [1]; Howe, Mormonism Unvailed, 147–155; Letter to the Church in Clay Co., MO, 22 Jan. 1834.)
Comprehensive Works Cited
Verily, I say unto you, concerning your brethren who have been afflicted. [Kirtland, OH: ca. Jan. 1834]. Copy at CHL.
Painesville Telegraph. Painesville, OH. 1822–1986.
Howe, Eber D. Mormonism Unvailed: Or, A Faithful Account of That Singular Imposition and Delusion, from Its Rise to the Present Time. With Sketches of the Characters of Its Propagators, and a Full Detail of the Manner in Which the Famous Golden Bible Was Brought before the World. To Which Are Added, Inquiries into the Probability That the Historical Part of the Said Bible Was Written by One Solomon Spalding, More Than Twenty Years Ago, and by Him Intended to Have Been Published as a Romance. Painesville, OH: By the author, 1834.
and then we agreed to ask God to enable us to obey the same. as we live in the Eastern States our minds lit over these important lines,
3
The quotation that follows and continues into the next paragraph is from Revelation, 16–17 Dec. 1833 [D&C 101:67–74].
[“]therefore a commandment I give unto all the churches, that they shall continue to
gather
As directed by early revelations, church members “gathered” in communities. A revelation dated September 1830, for instance, instructed elders “to bring to pass the gathering of mine elect” who would “be gathered in unto one place, upon the face of this land...
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together unto the places which I have appointed, nevertheless, as I have said unto you in a former commandment, let not your gathering be in haste nor by flight, but let all things be prepared before you,
4
See Revelation, 1 Aug. 1831 [D&C 58:56]; Revelation, 30 Aug. 1831 [D&C 63:24]; and Revelation, 3 Nov. 1831 [D&C 133:12–15].
& in order that all things be prepared before you, observe the commandment which I have given concerning these things which saith or teacheth to purchase all the lands, by money, which can be purchased for money, in the region round about the land which I have appointed to be the land of Zion. for the beginning of the gathering of my saints; all the land which can be purchased in
Jackson County
Settled at Fort Osage, 1808. County created, 16 Feb. 1825; organized 1826. Named after U.S. president Andrew Jackson. Featured fertile lands along Missouri River and was Santa Fe Trail departure point, which attracted immigrants to area. Area of county reduced...
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, and the counties round about and leave the residue in mine hand.
5
See Revelation, 20 July 1831 [D&C 57:4–6]; Revelation, 1 Aug. 1831 [D&C 58:49–53]; and Revelation, 30 Aug. 1831 [D&C 63:24–31].

[“]Now verily I say unto you, let all the churches gather together all their monies, let these things be done in their time, be not in haste, and observe to have all things prepared before you, and let honorable men be appointed even wise men and send them to purchase these lands, and every church in the Eastern countries, when they are built up, if they will hearken unto this council, they may by buy lands and gather together upon them, and in this way they may establish Zion.[”] And after further consideration and much prayer, we carried the case before the church in this place which met the approbation of the same. Accordingly we strove to become of one heart and one mind, appointed a day for fasting & prayer, and asked the Lord to enable [p. 79]
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Editorial Title
Letter from Alvah Tippets, 20 October 1834
ID #
236
Total Pages
3
Print Volume Location
JSP, D4:178
Handwriting on This Page
William E. McLellin
Footnotes
[2]
The December 1833 revelation referred to here was published as a broadsheet soon after its dictation and was distributed to the different branches of the church. (Verily, I Say unto You, concerning Your Brethren Who Have Been Afflicted [Kirtland, OH: ca. Jan. 1834], copy at CHL [D&C 101]; “A Scrap of Mormonism,” Painesville [OH] Telegraph, 24 Jan. 1834, [1]; Howe, Mormonism Unvailed, 147–155; Letter to the Church in Clay Co., MO, 22 Jan. 1834.)
Verily, I say unto you, concerning your brethren who have been afflicted. [Kirtland, OH: ca. Jan. 1834]. Copy at CHL.
Painesville Telegraph. Painesville, OH. 1822–1986.
Howe, Eber D. Mormonism Unvailed: Or, A Faithful Account of That Singular Imposition and Delusion, from Its Rise to the Present Time. With Sketches of the Characters of Its Propagators, and a Full Detail of the Manner in Which the Famous Golden Bible Was Brought before the World. To Which Are Added, Inquiries into the Probability That the Historical Part of the Said Bible Was Written by One Solomon Spalding, More Than Twenty Years Ago, and by Him Intended to Have Been Published as a Romance. Painesville, OH: By the author, 1834.
[3]
The quotation that follows and continues into the next paragraph is from Revelation, 16–17 Dec. 1833 [D&C 101:67–74].
[4]
See Revelation, 1 Aug. 1831 [D&C 58:56]; Revelation, 30 Aug. 1831 [D&C 63:24]; and Revelation, 3 Nov. 1831 [D&C 133:12–15].
[5]
See Revelation, 20 July 1831 [D&C 57:4–6]; Revelation, 1 Aug. 1831 [D&C 58:49–53]; and Revelation, 30 Aug. 1831 [D&C 63:24–31].