History, 1838–1856, volume D-1 [1 August 1842–1 July 1843]
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Source Note
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.
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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 .
Footnotes
June 28 proceed on his important mission to St. Petersburgh. [HC 5:453] He who has money to spend on that day, can spend it more to the glory of God in the above manner than after the custom and practice of the corrupt age in which we live. It is hoped that the band and choir will favor us on that occasion.”
The Lectures will be delivered in the near the where seats are provided.”
29 Continued our journey this morning leaving on our left and Oqwaka 5 miles on our right, and after passing about 3 miles William Empy, Gilbert Rolfe, James Flack and 3 others met us. I called Flack to my side and told him not to injure , whatever provocation he had previously received from him, as I had pledged myself to protect him and requested Flack to bury his feelings against . then got out of the stage, exchanged seats with one of the horsemen, and Flack & rode by themselves, about a quarter of a mile, where they again joined the Company and rode together. The Company continued to Henderson river and took dinner at a Farm house owned by Mr Alanson Hagerman. While staying at this Farm house, and and about 60 men came up, in several little squads; I walked out several rods to meet the Company. and jumped from their horses, and unitedly hugged and kissed me when many tears of joy were shed. I extract from the journal of the acting adjutant of the Company some of the movements of the Company.
“After breakfast at the tavern on Thursday 29, had a few minutes deliberation, it was determined that those who had animals which were able to continue the pursuit with a reasonable prospect of catching up, should follow at the full speed of their animals; having heard that the posse had taken a westerly direction, as we believed designing to cross [HC 5:454] the at Oquaka ferry, and so through to , raised an excitement and most of us thought we were good for 12 miles an hour; several brethren swapped their worn out animals for fresh ones: others bought, so that in a few minutes about 2/3rds of the detachment were in swift pursuit, on arriving near the farm house where the posse staid last night, we learned they had been gone about two hours, then said “Now boys comes the tug of war, every man and horse try your best” and away we went with our blood at fighting heat. by frequent enquiries, we learned that we were gaining upon them. As we approached the we quickened our pace, which left some far in the rear. At a watering place about three miles from the , Gen: and , Elisha Everett, and two others, took passage in a wagon, having fresh animals we left most of the detachment in the rear, yet and from five to ten others were up with us, positively charged with fight. While in the wagon remarked “we must over haul them before they can get on the ferry boat to cross the , and we must take the stand that Joseph should not be taken over the , therefore prepare yourselves for your best licks, for if Joseph goes into , they will kill him, and that will break us up, as our property in will become useless, or of no value” &c &c During the conversation we emerged from the timber and saw a small village on the bank of the , we put our animals at their full speed and charged in with drawn swords, an Guns and Pistols cocked and primed ready for attack. Our sudden appearance and hostile movements caused such excitement in the village, forced the contents of a bottle of spirits down his horse, some of our horses fell to the ground as soon as we halted, all were foaming with sweat and nearly exhausted. Some of the Citizens refused to give us any information; others declared “I have done nothing” and expressed their fears and anxieties in various ways. I ran down to the , and down the beach, while ran up, each in search of the ferry boat, which happened to be on the other side: no tracks or other evidence could be found by us that any persons had passed the this morning. was at this time making inquiries of the Citizens. Some of the horsemen rode in full speed thro the village of Oquaka in search of the Prophet, while others left their exhausted horses standing, or lying in the Streets, and ran on foot. As soon as and myself returned to the wagon we con[HC 5:455]cluded that the posse knowing that we were near by, to rescue, had taken to the woods to secrete themselves or evade us, therefore and such others as they came in, were ordered to search the Timber, in a short time a way faring man reported he had seen a company passing down the river road below the village, whereupon all hands were ordered to the pursuit and soon the village was clear of the destroying angels (as they called us) and they were left to their own reflections and meditations on the strange scene, my opinion is we were in the village from 30 to 40 minutes until we were all again on the trail. Those who were in the rear of our detachment saw the Posse who had Joseph travelling down the road, they crossed the Prairie and arrived nearly an hour before the advance who missed the Trail about half a mile from the village, at the junction of the Monmouth and river roads. On their arrival Joseph sent a Messenger back to notify us where he was— who met us about a mile from the place where he was stopping.” [p. 1590]
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Document Information
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Footnotes
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799
See 29 June 1843 entry in History Draft.
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800
Peter W. Conover, Statement, 26 Sept. 1854, Historian’s Office, JS History Documents, ca. 1839–1880, CHL.
Historian’s Office. Joseph Smith History Documents, 1839–1860. CHL. CR 100 396.
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801
Albert P. Rockwood, Great Salt Lake City, to George A. Smith, 25 Feb. 1845 [1855], Historian’s Office, JS History Documents, ca. 1839–1880, CHL.
Historian’s Office. Joseph Smith History Documents, 1839–1860. CHL. CR 100 396.
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Robert Campbell handwriting ends; Thomas Bullock begins.
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799
