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Minutes, 27 May 1843

Source Note

, Minutes, [, Hancock Co., IL], 27 May 1843; handwriting of ; five pages; Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Minutes, 1840–1844, CHL. Includes dockets.
Two bifolia, each measuring 12⅛ × 7⅝ inches (31 × 19 cm). The rectos of the first and second leaves of the first bifolium appear to be ruled with thirty-five horizontal blue lines; the versos of the first and second leaves of the first bifolium appear to be ruled with thirty-seven horizontal blue lines. The recto of the first leaf of the second bifolium is ruled with thirty-six horizontal blue lines. Ruling in the two bifolia is now faded. The minutes of this meeting were written on all pages of the first bifolium and on the recto of the first leaf of the second bifolium. went back through the minutes after their initial inscription, correcting some words and adding pagination. The verso of the first leaf of the second bifolium and the recto of the second leaf of the second bifolium contain minutes of additional meetings of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. The bifolia were folded in half twice horizontally for filing.
, who served as clerk of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles from October 1840 until his death in March 1854, presumably retained the minutes in his possession after inscribing them, and they were likely among the “Minutes of the Twelve 1840 to 1844” listed on an 1846 inventory of the Church Historian’s Office (later Church Historical Department). The document was docketed by Richards and by Andrew Jenson, who began working in the Church Historian’s Office in 1891 and served as assistant church historian from 1897 to 1941. In 1986, the minutes of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles for the 1840s were transferred from the Church Historical Department (later Church History Department) to the Office of the First Presidency. In 2008, this collection of minutes was returned to the Church History Department (now CHL).

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Minutes, 8 Oct. 1840; Orson Spencer, “Death of Our Beloved Brother Willard Richards,” Deseret News (Salt Lake City), 16 Mar. 1854, [2].

    Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Minutes, 1840–1844. CHL.

    Deseret News. Salt Lake City. 1850–.

  2. [2]

    “Schedule of Church Records. Nauvoo 1846,” [1], Historian’s Office, Catalogs and Inventories, 1846–1904, CHL.

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

  3. [3]

    Jenson, Autobiography, 192, 389; Cannon, Journal, 9 Feb. 1891; Jenson, Journal, 9 Feb. 1891 and 19 Oct. 1897; Bitton and Arrington, Mormons and Their Historians, 47–52.

    Jenson, Andrew. Autobiography of Andrew Jenson: Assistant Historian of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. . . . Salt Lake City: Deseret News Press, 1938.

    Cannon, George Q. Journals, 1855–1864, 1872–1901. CHL. CR 850 1.

    Jenson, Andrew. Journals, 1864–1941. Andrew Jenson, Autobiography and Journals, 1864–1941. CHL.

    Bitton, David, and Leonard J. Arrington. Mormons and Their Historians. Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, 1988.

  4. [4]

    See the full bibliographic entry for Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Minutes, 1840–1844, in the CHL catalog.

Historical Introduction

On 27 May 1843, JS attended an afternoon meeting of the in , Illinois, to discuss a letter had written to JS about , the former of the . Armstrong’s letter was one of at least three sent to JS in 1843 by Philadelphia branch members complaining about Winchester and his conduct. In February 1843, , the branch’s presiding elder, wrote to JS that Winchester was a “secret spring” who inserted himself into branch business when he was not wanted and who needed to be removed so that the branch could prosper in “majesty and streng[t]h.” On 23 April 1843, , another Philadelphia branch member, wrote to JS and the Nauvoo that Winchester was “under the influense of the evil one” and had tried to destroy her character. “Winchester will continue to injure my reputation every where he goes,” she declared. In a 1 May 1843 letter, Armstrong claimed that Winchester had slandered her and “mutilated” her character. She asked for “redress at the hands of the ” and for justice “for the deepest wrongs inflicted without the slightest provction [provocation].” She also requested that JS submit her letter to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, who had authority over the branches of the church outside of Nauvoo. The considered the letter at a 23 May 1843 meeting and decided to discuss it further at a later meeting to which various individuals with knowledge of Winchester’s actions could be invited.
The meeting to address 's concerns was held on 27 May and was attended by JS, , , , and other church members, including , who had been preaching in when some of the difficulties between and occurred. Winchester, who was also present, spent the first part of the meeting explaining rumors he had heard about Armstrong, implying that she was a drunkard and had loose morals, before JS called for order and chastised Winchester for his conduct. The letters from Hess and were then read, and the apostles ultimately revoked Winchester’s preaching and ordered him and his family to move to . Thereafter, JS instructed the apostles on their responsibilities when trying church members. JS and the apostles also conducted some additional business, which included withdrawing the ’s license of Adams, who had been accused of adultery. The apostles assigned a few elders to preach in various locations, and was blessed before the meeting adjourned.
took the minutes of the meeting. also provided a summary of the meeting in his journal. Because Woodruff was not the official minute taker of the meeting and provided only a summary of it, only Richards’s minutes are featured here. However, Woodruff captured JS’s instructions to the Twelve on their duties, and his account of that discourse is featured here as well.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    Letter from Sybella McMinn Armstrong, 1 May 1843.

  2. [2]

    Letter from Peter Hess, 16 Feb. 1843.

  3. [3]

    Letter from Eliza Lowry Nicholson, 23 Apr. 1843.

  4. [4]

    Letter from Sybella McMinn Armstrong, 1 May 1843.

  5. [5]

    Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Minutes, 23 May 1843.

    Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Minutes, 1840–1844. CHL.

  6. [6]

    JS, Journal, 27 May 1843; Letter from Peter Hess, 16 Feb. 1843. Winchester and his family relocated to Nauvoo by November 1843. (JS et al., Memorial to the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, 28 Nov. 1843, p. 14, Record Group 46, Records of the U.S. Senate, National Archives, Washington DC.)

  7. [7]

    See Letter from Caroline Youngs Adams, ca. 15 Jan. 1843; Historical Introduction to Resolutions of the Boston Conference, 12 Mar. 1843; and Historical Introduction to Letter from Austin Cowles, 13 Mar. 1843.

  8. [8]

    Woodruff, Journal, 27 May 1843.

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

Asterisk (*) denotes a "featured" version, which includes an introduction and annotation. *Minutes, 27 May 1843 Minutes, 27 May 1843, as Reported by Wilford Woodruff History Draft [1 March–31 December 1843] History, 1838–1856, volume D-1 [1 August 1842–1 July 1843] “History of Joseph Smith”

Page 4

Presedint Joseph advised that be suspe[n]ded, and have trial some 3 or 4 months hence and call up the whole .—
said he felt it was be[s]t for to come to ,
<​Motion withdrawn by .—​>
Moti[o]ned that give up his licince, and move to with his family as soon as he can.
, said, he had not his here but says he will not preach—
Prest Joseph said to the that has come to me and made acknowledgedment, perfect satisfaction— his licence as will be taken from him and he will act as .— and , will has now started anew,— and let. all present hold their tongues. and only say that has started anew,—
God will speue out of his mouth they will are luke warm,—— the news from the — is like the simooms breeze.—
is the presdet [president] of the — can take example from the first creation— the goode will seperete—
voted that Elders go on a mission to the Province of Nova Stotia, and Elder Jesse W Crosby accompany him,
voted that , go on a mission to the neghbrhod [neighborhood] of — call at Mr John Riches.—
voted that, go on a mission to the eastern States—
Blank Bond read by Esqr Elder will , and accepted, [p. 4]
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Source Note

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Page 4

Document Information

Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Minutes, 27 May 1843
ID #
12026
Total Pages
5
Print Volume Location
JSP, D12:343–350
Handwriting on This Page
  • Willard Richards

Footnotes

  1. [27]

    In accordance with this direction, the Twelve published a message in the 15 June 1843 issue of the Times and Seasons instructing those members of the Philadelphia branch who were “desirous of doing the will of Heaven, and of working out their own salvation, by keeping the laws of the Celestial kingdom,” to relocate to Nauvoo “where God has a work for them to accomplish.” (“Special Message,” Times and Seasons, 15 June 1843, 4:232.)

    Times and Seasons. Commerce/Nauvoo, IL. Nov. 1839–Feb. 1846.

  2. [28]

    In January 1843, Caroline Youngs Adams wrote a letter to JS stating her suspicion that her husband, George J. Adams, had engaged in an extramarital affair. JS then directed Brigham Young and Willard Richards to instruct Adams, who was proselytizing in the eastern United States, to return to Nauvoo with his family. Adams received this direction on 10 March 1843 and prepared to return to Nauvoo. (Letter from Caroline Youngs Adams, ca. 15 Jan. 1843; Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Minutes, 10 Feb. 1843; George J. Adams, New York City, NY, to Brigham Young and Willard Richards, Nauvoo, IL, 10 Mar. 1843, Brigham Young Office Files, CHL.)

    Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Minutes, 1840–1844. CHL.

    Brigham Young Office Files, 1832–1878. CHL. CR 1234 1.

  3. [29]

    See Revelation 3:16.

  4. [30]

    Brown and Crosby left Nauvoo on 30 July on their way to Nova Scotia by way of Cook County, Illinois, where they were also supposed to preach. (Benjamin Brown and Jesse Crosby, Jefferson Co., NY, 6 Dec. 1843, Letter to the Editor, Times and Seasons, 1 Jan. 1844, 5:388.)

    Times and Seasons. Commerce/Nauvoo, IL. Nov. 1839–Feb. 1846.

  5. [31]

    Earlier in 1843, Webb preached in Kalamazoo County, Michigan, where he had formed a branch. (Edwin Webb, 17 Apr. 1843, Letter to the Editor, Times and Seasons, 15 Apr. 1843, 4:167.)

    Times and Seasons. Commerce/Nauvoo, IL. Nov. 1839–Feb. 1846.

  6. [32]

    TEXT: Possibly “Richrd.—”.

  7. [33]

    Chase was baptized in Sparta, New York, in April 1839. The appointments of Brown, Crosby, Webb, and Chase were all published in the 15 June 1843 issue of the Times and Seasons. (Nauvoo Fifth Ward High Priests Quorum, Minutes, 145; “Appointments by the Quorum of the Twelve,” Times and Seasons, 15 June 1843, 4:232.)

    Nauvoo Fifth Ward High Priests Quorum. Minutes, Dec. 1844–Apr. 1845. CHL. LR 3278 21.

    Times and Seasons. Commerce/Nauvoo, IL. Nov. 1839–Feb. 1846.

  8. [34]

    This was likely a draft of a bond that members of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles were required to sign before traveling to the eastern United States to collect money for the Nauvoo House and the Nauvoo temple. (See, for example, Brigham Young and John M. Bernhisel to JS, Bond, 30 May 1843, JS Collection [Supplement], CHL.)

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