Revelation, 9 July 1841 [D&C 126]
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Source Note
Revelation, , Hancock Co., IL, 9 July 1841. Featured version copied [17 Dec. 1841] in Book of the Law of the Lord, p. 26; handwriting of ; CHL. For more complete source information, see the source note for Revelation, 19 Jan. 1841 [D&C 124].
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Historical Introduction
On 9 July 1841, JS dictated a revelation for , releasing him from extended travel and admonishing him to remain with and care for his family. From the time Young joined the in 1832, missionary travels marked his life. Young had departed , Illinois, almost two years earlier for a mission to Europe with other and church members, leaving his family behind. He and the others proselytized primarily in , where thousands converted to the church. While there, Young’s fellow apostles sustained him as the of their . Young and the other apostles serving missions were deeply concerned about the well-being of their families. During Young’s sojourn in England, his wife, Mary Ann Angell Young, and their children struggled with poverty, lacked essential goods, and suffered from illness. Despite her downtrodden circumstances, Mary Ann expressed gratitude for her husband’s efforts. “I am glad to hear the work of the Lord is prospering in england,” she wrote to Young in April 1841. “It gives me much joy.”and his fellow apostles and returned to , arriving on 1 July 1841. There they “were met by President Smith, and many . . . old tried friends, whose countenances expressed the most heartfelt satisfaction at [their] return.” Eight days later, JS dictated the revelation featured here at Young’s residence in Nauvoo. The revelation acknowledged Young’s missionary labors away from home and commanded him thereafter to “send” the gospel message abroad—implying that he should reside at home—and to provide “special care” for his family.The revelation’s direction that no longer leave his family for extended periods was likely also connected to Young’s increasing responsibilities in . A month after dictating this revelation, JS declared in a public discourse that “the time had come when the twelve should be called upon to stand in their place next to the , and attend to the settling of emegrants and the business of the church at the .” JS further stated that the Twelve Apostles had earned the right to stay with their families, where they would have better opportunity to provide for them.The original copy of this revelation has not been located. It is likely that a loose dictation copy was created, after which a copy was given to and the original was kept in JS’s office. copied the text of this revelation into the Book of the Law of the Lord on 17 December 1841, four days after he was appointed recorder for the and JS’s personal scribe.
Footnotes
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1
This was the second revelatory injunction for Young to “provide for his family.” (Revelation, 17 Apr. 1838.)
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2
For example, Young was involved in the first mission of the Twelve in summer 1835. His personal journals also attest to his many missionary labors. (See Esplin and Nielsen, “Record of the Twelve,” 5–52; and Young, Journals, 1832–1846, Brigham Young Office Files, CHL.)
Esplin, Ronald K., and Sharon E. Nielsen. “The Record of the Twelve, 1835: The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles’ Call and 1835 Mission.” BYU Studies 51, no. 1 (2012): 4–52.
Young, Brigham. Journals, 1832–1877. Brigham Young Office Files, 1832–1878. CHL. CR 1234 1, boxes 71–73.
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3
For more on the mission of Brigham Young and other members of the Quorum of the Twelve, see Allen et al., Men with a Mission, 67–71, 134, 300–302.
Allen, James B., Ronald K. Esplin, and David J. Whittaker. Men with a Mission, 1837–1841: The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in the British Isles. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1992.
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4
JS had previously admonished missionaries to make sure their families were provided for while they were away. (Discourse, between 6 and 9 April 1841.)
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5
Mary Ann Angell Young, Nauvoo, IL, to Brigham Young, New York City, NY, 15 Apr. 1841, Brigham Young Office Files, CHL; see also Pay Order to Newel K. Whitney for “Mrs. Young,” 15 June 1840; and Brigham Young, Manchester, England, to Mary Ann Angell Young, Nauvoo, IL, 16–30 Oct. 1840, Luna Young Thatcher, Collection, CHL.
Brigham Young Office Files, 1832–1878. CHL. CR 1234 1.
Thatcher, Luna Eunice Caroline Young. Collection, 1835–1876. CHL. MS 6140.
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6
Heber C. Kimball, Nauvoo, IL, 4 Aug. 1841, Letter to the Editor, Times and Seasons, 16 Aug. 1841, 2:511.
Times and Seasons. Commerce/Nauvoo, IL. Nov. 1839–Feb. 1846.
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9
Historical Introduction to Journal, Dec. 1841–Dec. 1842; JS, Journal, 17 Dec. 1841.
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