Revelation, 2 November 1835
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Source Note
Revelation, [, Geauga Co., OH], 2 Nov. 1835. Featured version copied [ca. 2 Nov. 1835] in JS, Journal, 1835–1836, p. 17; handwriting of ; JS Collection, CHL. For more complete source information, see the source note for JS, Journal, 1835–1836.
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Historical Introduction
This revelation, dictated by JS on 2 November 1835, settled a disagreement among church leaders about who should travel to to purchase bookbinding equipment and texts for the new in , Ohio. Apparently, and were the two candidates. The revelation featured here directed Frederick G. Williams not to go to New York on church business and instead authorized him to travel to preach to his relatives. Oliver Cowdery was ultimately chosen to go to New York.Earlier that day, several men—including JS, , , , and —had traveled to the nearby to attend a medical lecture given by Dr. . Church leaders had been seeking an “accomplished” Hebrew scholar since at least mid-October, and shortly after the lecture, Cowdery and Parrish contracted Peixotto to teach Hebrew classes in . According to an account recorded in JS’s journal, some of the men who went to later discussed making a trip to to procure bookbinding equipment as well as materials for the Hebrew School in Kirtland; they then asked JS to decide who should make the trip. Both Cowdery and Williams were intimately involved in the church’s publishing efforts, and procuring the equipment and know-how to bind books may have been part of that endeavor. Contemporary records confirm that Cowdery did in fact travel to to “purchase a book-binding establishment,” yet it is unclear whether or not he was successful in obtaining the necessary equipment; he did, however, return with “a quantity of Hebrew books.”Though the revelation granted permission to preach to his relatives, it is unclear to which family members the revelation refers. Williams’s family had migrated to the from Suffield, Connecticut, in 1800, and he may have had extended family still living in New England. Most of Williams’s family, including his in-laws, were not members of the faith, and it appears that this fact weighed on Williams and his wife, . Seven weeks before the 2 November 1835 revelation was recorded, Frederick and Rebecca Williams were each blessed by In his blessing, Frederick was granted “the power to call thy kindreds and friends into the church.” Rebecca was told, “In conseq[u]ence of thy prayers and thy tears thou shalt yet prevail, and the Lord will give thee thy father’s family, who are now far from the way of salvation. But the Lord will make bare his arm and show mercy unto them in making thy husband a savior unto them.” Contemporary records do not indicate whether or not Williams preached to his relatives as discussed in this revelation.The original manuscript of this revelation is not extant. Warren Parrish later copied the text of the revelation into JS’s journal, the source for the text featured here.
Footnotes
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1
JS, Journal, 2 Nov. 1835. A professor of the theory and practice of medicine, Daniel Peixotto had been a prominent physician in New York before accepting a position as professor at Willoughby Medical College, which was located in Willoughby, Ohio. Prior to his appointment at the college, he served as an editor of the New York Medical and Physical Journal, as cofounder and secretary of the Academy of Medicine of New York, and as president of the New York County Medical Society. (Hays, “Daniel L. M. Peixotto, M.D.,” 221–227.)
Hays, Daniel Peixotto. “Daniel L. M. Peixotto, M. D.” Publications of the American Jewish Historical Society 26 (1918): 219–230.
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2
Leaders initially corresponded with Lucius Parker, a cousin of Willard Richards, about teaching Hebrew in Kirtland. When Parker informed them that he was able to teach only the rudiments of Hebrew, Cowdery replied that his “services will not be wanted” because they “wished an accomplished scholar.” Peixotto never fulfilled his contract, and Joshua Seixas was eventually selected to teach the Hebrew School in Kirtland. (Oliver Cowdery, Kirtland, OH, to Lucius Parker, Southborough, MA, 28 Oct. 1835, in Cowdery, Letterbook, 57; Oliver Cowdery, [Kirtland, OH], to John M. Henderson, Willoughby, OH, 2 Nov. 1835, in Cowdery, Letterbook, 62; see also Historical Introduction to Letter to Henrietta Raphael Seixas, between 6 and 13 Feb. 1836.)
Cowdery, Oliver. Letterbook, 1833–1838. Henry E. Huntington Library, San Marino, CA.
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3
JS, Journal, 2 Nov. 1835. Though the account in JS’s journal does not specifically mention Hebrew books, letters written by Oliver Cowdery and William W. Phelps a few weeks later suggest that the acquisition of Hebrew materials was another important aspect of the New York trip. (Oliver Cowdery, Kirtland, OH, to Warren A. Cowdery, [Freedom, NY], 22 Nov. 1835, in Cowdery, Letterbook, 63; William W. Phelps, [Kirtland, OH], to Sally Waterman Phelps, Liberty, MO, 14 Nov. 1835, in Historical Department, Journal History of the Church, 14 Nov. 1835.)
Cowdery, Oliver. Letterbook, 1833–1838. Henry E. Huntington Library, San Marino, CA.
Historical Department. Journal History of the Church, 1896–. CHL. CR 100 137.
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4
Less than a week before this revelation was dictated, William W. Phelps, the third partner in the publishing endeavor, informed his wife that “we are also establishing a bindery to bind our own books.” (William W. Phelps, [Kirtland, OH], to Sally Waterman Phelps and the Saints, 27 Oct. 1835, William W. Phelps, Papers, BYU.)
Phelps, William W. Papers, 1835–1865. BYU.
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5
JS, Journal, 20 Nov. 1835; Oliver Cowdery, Kirtland, OH, to Warren A. Cowdery, [Freedom, NY], 22 Nov. 1835, in Cowdery, Letterbook, 63. Contemporary sources make no mention of a bookbindery in Kirtland until January 1837, when an advertisement for one was placed in the local newspaper. (“Kirtland Printing Office and Bookbindery,” LDS Messenger and Advocate, Jan. 1837, 3:448.)
Cowdery, Oliver. Letterbook, 1833–1838. Henry E. Huntington Library, San Marino, CA.
Latter Day Saints’ Messenger and Advocate. Kirtland, OH. Oct. 1834–Sept. 1837.
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6
While Williams’s distant relatives may have remained in Connecticut, his parents and siblings appear to have been living near Cleveland, Ohio. (JS, Journal, 18 Apr. 1834; Williams, Life of Dr. Frederick G. Williams, 32–37, 206.)
Williams, Frederick G. The Life of Dr. Frederick G. Williams, Counselor to the Prophet Joseph Smith. Provo, UT: BYU Studies, 2012.
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7
Williams, Life of Dr. Frederick G. Williams, 206.
Williams, Frederick G. The Life of Dr. Frederick G. Williams, Counselor to the Prophet Joseph Smith. Provo, UT: BYU Studies, 2012.
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8
Joseph Smith Sr. to Frederick G. Williams, Blessing, 14 Sept. 1835; Joseph Smith Sr. to Rebecca Swain Williams, Blessing, 14 Sept. 1835, in Patriarchal Blessings, 1:30–31.
Patriarchal Blessings, 1833–. CHL. CR 500 2.
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