Elders’ Journal, November 1837
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Source Note
Elders’ Journal of the Church of Latter Day Saints, , Geauga Co., OH, Nov. 1837. For more complete source information, see the source note for Elders’ Journal, Oct. 1837.
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Historical Introduction
In November 1837, the second issue of the church’s new periodical, Elders’ Journal of the Church of Latter Day Saints, was published in , Ohio. The paper was first published in October 1837 as an instrument for the of the to “communicate to others, all things pertaining to their mission, and calling as servants of the living God, and messengers of righteousness to the nations among whom they are sent.” As editor of the Elders’ Journal, JS was ultimately responsible for its content, including editorial selections in the November issue that introduced conference minutes, prefaced a letter from in , articulated an editorial philosophy, and implored subscribers to remit payment for their subscriptions. Though JS authored an account of his trip to and an attending list of questions, the extent of his involvement in writing the other editorial pieces is unclear. Given that he did not return to Kirtland from , Missouri, until 10 December 1837, the November issue was likely not published until after that date.Note that only the editorial content created specifically for this issue of the Elders’ Journal is annotated here. Articles reprinted from other papers, letters, conference minutes, and notices, are reproduced here but not annotated. Items that are stand-alone JS documents, such as JS’s travel account, are annotated elsewhere.
Footnotes
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1
Sidney Rigdon, Elders’ Journal Prospectus, LDS Messenger and Advocate, Aug. 1837, 3:545.
Latter Day Saints’ Messenger and Advocate. Kirtland, OH. Oct. 1834–Sept. 1837.
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2
See Travel Account and Questions, Nov. 1837. For more on JS’s role in editing content in the October and November issues of the Elders’ Journal, see Historical Introduction to Elders’ Journal, Oct. 1837.
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3
Vilate Murray Kimball, Kirtland, OH, to Heber C. Kimball, Preston, England, 19–24 Jan. 1838, Heber C. Kimball, Collection, CHL; Thomas B. Marsh to Wilford Woodruff, in Elders’ Journal, July 1838, 36–38.
Kimball, Heber C. Collection, 1837–1898. CHL. MS 12476.
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4
See “Editorial Method”.
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Document Transcript
Footnotes
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2
To the Saints Scattered Abroad, the Bishop and His Counselors of Kirtland Send Greeting [Kirtland, OH: 18 Sept. 1837], CHL; Newel K. Whitney et al., Kirtland, OH, to “the Saints Scattered Abroad,” in LDS Messenger and Advocate, Sept. 1837, 3:561–563.
To the Saints Scattered Abroad, the Bishop and His Counselors of Kirtland Send Greeting. [Kirtland, OH: 18 Sept. 1837]. CHL.
Latter Day Saints’ Messenger and Advocate. Kirtland, OH. Oct. 1834–Sept. 1837.
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3
That is, the September issue of the Messenger and Advocate.
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4
See Newel K. Whitney et al., Kirtland, OH, to “the Saints Scattered Abroad,” in LDS Messenger and Advocate, Sept. 1837, 3:561–563.
Latter Day Saints’ Messenger and Advocate. Kirtland, OH. Oct. 1834–Sept. 1837.
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5
See Historical Introduction to Recommendation for Heber C. Kimball, between 2 and 13 June 1837; and Historical Introduction to Elders’ Journal, Oct. 1837.
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6
Orson Hyde, Preston, England, to Marinda Johnson Hyde, [Kirtland, OH], 14 Sept. 1837, in Elders’ Journal, Nov. 1837, 19–22.
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7
Sidney Rigdon, Elders’ Journal Prospectus, LDS Messenger and Advocate, Aug. 1837, 3:545.
Latter Day Saints’ Messenger and Advocate. Kirtland, OH. Oct. 1834–Sept. 1837.
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8
Heber C. Kimball, Preston, England, to Vilate Murray Kimball, [Kirtland, OH], 2 Sept. 1837, in Elders’ Journal, Oct. 1837, 4–7.
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9
Reporting that between one hundred and two hundred people had been baptized since the arrival of the Mormon elders, Hyde confided to his wife, “I can truly say that I never before preached with that power and Spirit that I have since I come to this place.” (Orson Hyde, Preston, England, to Marinda Johnson Hyde, [Kirtland, OH], 14 Sept. 1837, in Elders’ Journal, Nov. 1837, 19–22.)
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10
Editorial, LDS Messenger and Advocate, July 1837, 3:538. For more background on Warren A. Cowdery and his editorial practices, see Historical Introduction to Elders’ Journal, Oct. 1837.
Latter Day Saints’ Messenger and Advocate. Kirtland, OH. Oct. 1834–Sept. 1837.
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A “shaving shop” is a nineteenth-century idiom for a banking company or money broker that would “purchase notes at more than legal interest” or “resort to any means to obtain a large discount.” (Bartlett, Dictionary of Americanisms, 295; “Shaver,” in American Dictionary.)
Bartlett, John Russell. Dictionary of Americanisms: A Glossary of Words and Phrases, Usually Regarded as Peculiar to the United States. New York: Bartlett and Welford, 1848.
An American Dictionary of the English Language: Intended to Exhibit, I. the Origin, Affinities and Primary Signification of English Words, as far as They Have Been Ascertained. . . . Edited by Noah Webster. New York: S. Converse, 1828.
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12
The church’s Kirtland printing office produced reprints of The Evening and the Morning Star between January 1835 and October 1836; it began selling bound copies of the Star by January 1837. (Crawley, Descriptive Bibliography, 1:50; Advertisement, LDS Messenger and Advocate, Jan. 1837, 3:448.)
Crawley, Peter. A Descriptive Bibliography of the Mormon Church. 3 vols. Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 1997–2012.
Latter Day Saints’ Messenger and Advocate. Kirtland, OH. Oct. 1834–Sept. 1837.
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13
According to the October issue of the Elders’ Journal, subscribers of the Messenger and Advocate were $800 to $1,000 in arrears. (Notice, Elders’ Journal, Oct. 1837, 15.)
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14
Contemporary sources first mention the church’s effort to establish a bookbindery in Kirtland in November 1835; it was functioning in the printing office sometime before January 1837. Bound books included compiled copies of the Evening and Morning Star and the Messenger and Advocate. (Revelation, 2 Nov. 1835; Advertisement, LDS Messenger and Advocate, Jan. 1837, 3:448.)
Latter Day Saints’ Messenger and Advocate. Kirtland, OH. Oct. 1834–Sept. 1837.
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15
Historical Introduction to Travel Account and Questions, Nov. 1837.
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17
Newel K. Whitney et al., Kirtland, OH, to “the Saints Scattered Abroad,” in LDS Messenger and Advocate, Sept. 1837, 3:561–563; Historical Introduction to Discourse, 6 Apr. 1837.
Latter Day Saints’ Messenger and Advocate. Kirtland, OH. Oct. 1834–Sept. 1837.
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18
JS and Sidney Rigdon purchased the printing office from Oliver Cowdery on 1 February 1837. The paper was transferred to William Marks in April 1837, with JS and Rigdon acting as Marks’s agents. (“Notice,” LDS Messenger and Advocate, Feb. 1837, 3:458–459; Masthead, LDS Messenger and Advocate, Apr. 1837, 3:496.)
Latter Day Saints’ Messenger and Advocate. Kirtland, OH. Oct. 1834–Sept. 1837.
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19
Robinson’s involvement with the printing office is unknown. He had been elected general clerk and recorder on 17 September 1837 in place of Oliver Cowdery, who had moved to Missouri. (Minutes, 17 Sept. 1837–A.)
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20
In late December 1837 or early January 1838, the Geauga County sheriff seized the printing office, along with its contents, in response to a legal judgment rendered against JS. The office was destroyed by fire on 16 January 1838. The Elders’ Journal resumed publication on another press in Far West in July 1838. (“Sheriff Sale,” Painesville [OH] Telegraph, 5 Jan. 1838, [3]; Hepzibah Richards, Kirtland, OH, to Willard Richards, Bedford, England, 18–19 Jan. 1838, Willard Richards, Journals and Papers, CHL; John Smith, Kirtland, OH, to George A. Smith, Shinnston, VA, 15–17 Jan. 1838, George Albert Smith, Papers, CHL; Oliver Cowdery, Far West, MO, to Warren A. Cowdery and Lyman Cowdery, Kirtland, OH, 4 Feb. 1838, in Cowdery, Letterbook, 83–86; Oliver Cowdery, Far West, MO, to Warren A. Cowdery and Lyman Cowdery, Kirtland, OH, [after 10 Mar. 1838], in Cowdery, Letterbook, 92; Minute Book 2, 12 and 21 Apr. 1838.)
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TEXT: “Obituary” is set in a larger, heavier typeface.