History, 1838–1856, volume F-1 [1 May 1844–8 August 1844]
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Source Note
JS, History, 1838–1856, vol. F-1, created 9 Apr.–7 June 1856 and 20 Aug. 1856–6 Nov. 1856; handwriting of and Jonathan Grimshaw; 304 pages, plus 10 pages of addenda; CHL. This is the final volume of a six-volume manuscript history of the church. This sixth volume covers the period from 1 May to 8 Aug. 1844; the remaining five volumes, labeled A-1 through E-1, go through 30 Apr. 1844.
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Historical Introduction
History, 1838-1856, volume F-1, constitutes the last 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 May 1844 to the events following his 27 June 1844 death, and it was compiled in Utah Territory in 1856.The material recorded in volume F-1 was initially compiled under the direction of church historian , who was JS’s cousin, and also assistant church historian . Smith collaborated with in collecting material for the volume and creating a set of draft notes, which Smith dictated to Bullock and other clerks. Woodruff gathered additional material concerning the death of Joseph Smith as a supplement to George A. Smith’s work recording that event. Jonathan Grimshaw and , members of the Historian’s Office staff, transcribed the draft notes into the volume along with the text of designated documents.According to the Historian’s Office journal, Jonathan Grimshaw initiated work on the text of volume F-1 on 9 April 1856, soon after Robert L. Campbell had completed work on volume E-1. (Historian’s Office, Journal, 5 and 9 Apr. 1856.) Grimshaw’s scribal work begins with an entry for 1 May 1844. Unlike previous volumes in which the numbering had run consecutively to page 2028, Grimshaw began anew with page 1. He transcribed 150 pages by June 1856, and his last entry was for 23 June 1844. Though more of his writing does not appear in the volume, he continued to work in the office until 2 August, before leaving for the East that same month. (Historian’s Office, Journal, 2 and 10 Aug. 1856.)assumed the role of scribe on 20 August 1856. (Historian’s Office, Journal, 20 Aug. 1856.) He incorporated ’s draft notes for the period 24–29 June 1844 on pages 151–189, providing an account of JS’s death and its immediate aftermath. He next transcribed a related extract from ’s 1854 History of Illinois on pages 190–204. Pages 205–227 were left blank.provided the notes for the final portion of the text. This account begins with an entry for 22 June 1844 and continues the record through 8 August 1844, ending on page 304. (The volume also included ten pages of addenda.) The last specific entry in the Historian’s Office journal that captures at work on the history is for 6 November 1856. A 2 February 1857 Wilford Woodruff letter to indicates that on 30 January 1857, the “presidency sat and heard the history read up to the organization of the church in , 8th. day of August 1844.” (Historian’s Office, Journal, 6 Nov. 1856; Wilford Woodruff, Great Salt Lake City, Utah Territory, to George A. Smith, 2 Feb. 1857, Historian’s Office, Letterpress Copybooks, vol. 1, p. 410; see also Wilford Woodruff, Great Salt Lake City, Utah Territory, to Amasa Lyman and Charles C. Rich, 28 Feb. 1857, Historian’s Office, Letterpress Copybooks, vol. 1, pp. 430–431.)The pages of volume F-1 contain a record of the final weeks of JS’s life and the events of the ensuing days. The narrative commences with and arriving at , Illinois, on 1 May 1844 from their lumber-harvesting mission in the “” of Wisconsin Territory. As the late spring and summer of 1844 unfold, events intensify, especially those surrounding the suppression of the Nauvoo Expositor in mid-June. Legal action over the Expositor leads to a charge of riot, and subsequently JS is charged with treason and is incarcerated at the jail in , Illinois. The narrative of volume F-1 concludes with an account of the special church conference convened on 8 August 1844 to consider who should assume the leadership of the church.
May 1 Wednesday, 1. Heavy rain and wind last night.
At home counseling the brethren, and rode out a short time in the afternoon with a gentleman from .
Elder and Bishop arrived from the .
Mr. Thomas A. Lyne, a tragedian from , assisted by and others, got up a theatrical exhibition in the lower room of the , which was fitted [HC 6:349] up with very tasteful scenery. They performed Pizarro, the Orphan of Geneva, Douglas, the Idiot witness, Damon and Pythias, and other plays, with marked success; the was well attended each evening, and the audience expressed their entire satisfaction and approbation.
2 Thursday 2. Very windy all night, breaking down large trees; a thunder storm also.
At home, and counseling the brethren.
Sent to to find out why he refused paying his note, when he brought in some claims as a set off, which knew were paid; leaving me no remedy but the glorious uncertainty of the law.
At 10 A.M, the “Maid of Iowa” steamer started for for a load of wheat and corn to feed the laborers on the .
and Coll. started to attend Court at on the case of “Joseph Smith v. and .”
In the afternoon I rode to the Prairie to sell some land, and during my absence returned from .
Lieut. made the following affidavit:
“, May 2nd., 1844.
| “State of Illinois,) | ss. |
| Hancock County,) | |
| City of .) |
Personally appeared before me, , Judge Advocate of the Nauvoo Legion, ; and being duly sworn deposes and says, that on or about the 28th. day of April, 1844, at the dwelling house of in aforesaid, Colonel , Surgeon in Chief, and Brevet Brigadier General of said Nauvoo Legion, while talking about General Joseph Smith, said that General Smith kept a gang of robbers and plunderers about his house for the purpose of robbing and plundering, and he (Smith) received half the spoils: also that said General Joseph Smith tried to get him () to go and kill ; with many other ungentlemanly and unofficer-like observations concerning said General Smith and others.
, 2nd Lieut. 1st. Compy. 1st Regiment, 2nd Cohort, Nauvoo Legion.
Personally appeared, , the signer of the above com[HC 6:350]plaint, and made oath the same was true according to the best of his knowledge and [p. 1]
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Document Information
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Footnotes
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1
See 1 May 1844 entry in History Draft.
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2
JS, Journal, 1 May 1844; Clayton, Journal, 1 May 1844.
Clayton, William. Journals, 1842–1845. CHL.
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Jonathan Grimshaw handwriting begins.
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3
"Nauvoo Theatre," Nauvoo Neighbor, 1 May 1844, [2].
Nauvoo Neighbor. Nauvoo, IL. 1843–1845.
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4
See 2 May 1844 entry in History Draft.
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5
Bullock, Journal, 2 May 1844.
Bullock, Thomas. Journal, Feb. 1844–Aug. 1845. In Historian’s Office, Journal, 1844–1997. CHL. CR 100 1, box 1, vol. 1.
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6
Clayton, Journal, 2 and 5 May 1844; JS, Journal, 2 May 1844.
Clayton, William. Journals, 1842–1845. CHL.
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7
Aaron Johnson, Affidavit, Nauvoo, IL, 2 May 1844, Nauvoo Legion Records, CHL.
Nauvoo Legion Records, 1841–1845. CHL. MS 3430.
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