Minutes, 13 April 1838
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Source Note
Zion church presidency and high council, Minutes, , Caldwell Co., MO, 13 Apr. 1838. Featured version copied [between 1 Oct. 1842 and 14 Sept. 1843] in Minute Book 2, pp. 126–133; handwriting of ; CHL. For more complete source information, see the source note for Minute Book 2.
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Historical Introduction
On 13 April 1838, JS participated in a meeting that the and held to consider the charges against and . Johnson had begun challenging JS’s leadership by May 1837, when he and fellow filed charges with , accusing JS of “lying & misrepresentation— also for extortion— and for— speaking disrespectfully against his brethren behind their backs.” The next month, Johnson and his fellow apostle and business partner, , sought to dissuade apostle from accepting a missionary appointment to . In a 3 September 1837 conference, Johnson, his brother , and Boynton were rejected as apostles because of their opposition to the . The three men reconciled with the church a week later at another conference and were reinstated as apostles. Shortly afterward Johnson traveled with to . While there, Johnson attended the November church conference, during which he was again sustained as an apostle. However, by December, Johnson was meeting with Cowdery, David and , and other dissenters in to discuss their opposition to other church leaders. Johnson seems to have associated especially with Cowdery, and the two apparently planned to start a legal practice together. In January 1838, Johnson attended a meeting with Cowdery, the Whitmer brothers, and other dissenters, during which they made plans to leave Far West because of their opposition to the high council there. Johnson also continued to correspond with and other , Ohio, dissenters. On 7 April 1838, apostle reported at a church conference that he could not sustain Johnson and four other members of the . Two days later, church leaders wrote to Johnson, Cowdery, and David Whitmer, reporting that charges had been made against them and that hearings would be held on 12 April for Cowdery and on 13 April for Johnson and Whitmer.Neither nor attended the 13 April hearing, during which the high council and the presidency investigated the charges against the two men. Instead, like the day before, Johnson and Whitmer sent letters expressing their opposition to the charges and the council proceedings and indicating they were withdrawing from the church. The council deliberated over Johnson’s case during two sessions, with JS testifying against Johnson during the first session. As a result of the testimony JS and others offered, the council excommunicated Johnson.The council then turned to the case of . After he, , and had been removed from the presidency in February 1838, the three men had decried the decision. In a 10 March letter, the men argued that the procedures for removing them were “contrary to the principles of the revelations of Jesus Christ, and his gospel.” Later in the day, the high council read the letter and excommunicated Phelps and John Whitmer. No action was taken against David Whitmer until 9 April, when he was notified of his 13 April trial. During the trial, the council read the letter and determined that he should be excommunicated. As the final item of business during the meeting, the council revoked Cowdery’s November 1837 assignment to help identify locations for new Latter-day Saint settlements.Minutes of the council meeting were taken by the high council clerk, . The minutes were copied into Minute Book 2 by in 1842 or 1843.
Footnotes
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1
Charges against JS Preferred to Bishop’s Council, 29 May 1837.
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2
Kimball, “History,” 55.
Kimball, Heber C. “History of Heber Chase Kimball by His Own Dictation,” ca. 1842–1856. Heber C. Kimball, Papers, 1837–1866. CHL. MS 627, box 2.
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3
At least some of the difficulty between these men and the church revolved around the collapse of the economy in Kirtland, Ohio. During the meeting, Boynton attributed his opposition to “the failure of the bank.” Although Sidney Rigdon rejected Boynton’s explanation, Rigdon likewise thought the root of the conflict was related to economic concerns; he condemned Johnson and Boynton for operating a mercantile firm while neglecting their ecclesiastical responsibilities. (Minutes, 3 Sept. 1837.)
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4
Minute Book 1, 10 Sept. 1837; Letter to Oliver Cowdery et al., ca. 17 June 1838.
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6
Oliver Cowdery, Far West, MO, to Warren Cowdery and Lyman Cowdery, Kirtland, OH, [10] Mar. 1838, in Cowdery, Letterbook, 92.
Cowdery, Oliver. Letterbook, 1833–1838. Henry E. Huntington Library, San Marino, CA.
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7
Oliver Cowdery, Far West, MO, to Warren Cowdery and Lyman Cowdery, [Kirtland, OH], 4 Feb. 1838, in Cowdery, Letterbook, 85.
Cowdery, Oliver. Letterbook, 1833–1838. Henry E. Huntington Library, San Marino, CA.
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See, for example, Oliver Cowdery, Far West, MO, to Warren Cowdery and Lyman Cowdery, Kirtland, OH, 24 Feb. 1838, in Cowdery, Letterbook, 87; and Stephen Burnett, Orange Township, OH, to Lyman Johnson, 15 Apr. 1838, in JS Letterbook 2, pp. 64–66.
Cowdery, Oliver. Letterbook, 1833–1838. Henry E. Huntington Library, San Marino, CA.
JS Letterbook 2 / Smith, Joseph. “Copies of Letters, &c. &c.,” 1839–1843. Joseph Smith Collection, 1827–1846. CHL. MS 155, box 2, fd. 2.
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Document Transcript
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Footnotes
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1
The council met as planned in the 12 April 1838 high council meeting. (Minutes, 12 Apr. 1838.)
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2
Drawing on passages in the New Testament, the Book of Mormon, and JS’s revelations, several church leaders frequently expressed a belief that it was immoral to sue other church members in a court of law.
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3
Many of the dissenters in Missouri rejected the actions of the high council, especially the removal of the former Zion presidency and the subsequent excommunications of John Whitmer and Phelps. (Oliver Cowdery, Far West, MO, to Warren Cowdery and Lyman Cowdery, Kirtland, OH, [10] Mar. 1838, in Cowdery, Letterbook, 91.)
Cowdery, Oliver. Letterbook, 1833–1838. Henry E. Huntington Library, San Marino, CA.
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4
The last church meeting Johnson was recorded as attending was on 6 November 1837. Similar charges were made against Cowdery and David Whitmer. (Minutes, 6 Nov. 1837; Minutes, 12 Apr. 1838.)
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5
A February 1833 revelation known as the “Word of Wisdom” contained a dietary code that counseled against using tobacco, alcohol, and “hot drinks”—widely interpreted as coffee and tea. John Whitmer noted in his daybook that Johnson and other dissenters purchased several pounds of coffee and tea during the later 1830s. (Revelation, 27 Feb. 1833 [D&C 89:7–9]; Whitmer, Daybook, [138].)
Whitmer, John. Daybook, 1832–1878. CHL. MS 1159.
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According to George M. Hinkle’s testimony in these minutes, Johnson traveled north, probably to Daviess County, Missouri, to purchase a farm from a member of the Weldon family. Johnson offered Mr. Weldon liquor and waited until he was drunk before introducing the potential purchase, hoping to obtain the land for a considerably lower price. Several members of the Weldon family were among the earliest white settlers in what eventually became Daviess County; it is unclear which individual Johnson allegedly defrauded. (See History of Daviess County, Missouri, 146–147, 179, 188–189, 811.)
The History of Daviess County, Missouri. An Encyclopedia of Useful Information, and a Compendium of Actual Facts. . . . Kansas City, MO: Birdsall and Dean, 1882.
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7
The previous day, the high council voted “that John Murdock be a President of the High Council, whose duty it shall be to receive charges and give notice to the defendant, also, to call the Council together and organize them &c.” Murdock was apparently already filling this role, at least in giving notice to defendants. (Minutes, 12 Apr. 1838.)
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8
That is, Murdock.
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9
Johnson’s letter echoes many of the themes of constitutional rights and liberties that Cowdery expressed in his letter to the high council on 12 April 1838. Cowdery also asked to withdraw from the church. (Minutes, 12 Apr. 1838.)
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10
Possibly William Gilbert. (Johnson and Romig, Index to Early Caldwell County, Missouri, Land Records, 5, 75.)
Johnson, Clark V., and Ronald E. Romig. An Index to Early Caldwell County, Missouri, Land Records. Rev. ed. Independence, MO: Missouri Mormon Frontier Foundation, 2002.
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11
According to federal law, settlers could apply for and secure a preemptive land claim from the federal government’s land office, allowing the settlers to occupy and make improvements on government-owned land in areas where the land had not come up for sale. When a public sale was held, the person with the land claim had first rights to purchase the property. According to Carter’s testimony, Johnson apparently usurped a poor Saint’s preemption claim to a forty-acre piece of land. (Walker, “Mormon Land Rights,” 14–17; Rohrbough, Land Office Business, 200–220.)
Walker, Jeffrey N. “Mormon Land Rights in Caldwell and Daviess Counties and the Mormon Conflict of 1838: New Findings and New Understandings.” BYU Studies 47, no. 1 (2008): 4–55.
Rohrbough, Malcolm J. The Land Office Business: The Settlement and Administration of American Public Lands, 1789–1837. New York: Ocford University Press, 1968.
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12
Morrison, a Latter-day Saint, was elected as a Caldwell County, Missouri, justice in August 1838, suggesting he had some association with the county court. (Arthur Morrison, Affidavit, Adams Co., IL, 1 Nov. 1839, Mormon Redress Petitions, 1839–1845, CHL; “Copy of the Record of Election of Justices,” in Complainant’s Abstract of Pleading and Evidence, 283.)
Mormon Redress Petitions, 1839–1845. CHL. MS 2703.
Complainant’s Abstract of Pleading and Evidence. Lamoni, IA: Herald Publishing House and Bindery, 1893.
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13
Possibly Elias or Henry Benner; both men were Latter-day Saint mill owners in Caldwell County. (Henry Benner, Affidavit, Adams Co., IL, 25 May 1839, Mormon Redress Petitions, 1839–1845, CHL; History of Caldwell and Livingston Counties, Missouri, 588.)
Mormon Redress Petitions, 1839–1845. CHL. MS 2703.
History of Caldwell and Livingston Counties, Missouri, Written and Compiled from the Most Authentic Official and Private Sources. . . . St. Louis: National Historical Co., 1886.
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14
Johnson claimed he had a promissory note from JS for $1,000, but JS claimed the note was actually the record of a loan Johnson received from the Kirtland Safety Society in 1837. According to an April 1838 letter to Johnson from disgruntled church member Stephen Burnett, JS claimed that Johnson obtained a $2,000 loan from the Safety Society in 1837 and used the money to purchase land in Missouri. Existing financial records for the Safety Society show that Johnson secured smaller loans from the institution in January 1837; there is no evidence of a $1,000 or $2,000 loan in the records, which are incomplete. Records do indicate Johnson purchased a significant amount of land in Missouri during the time frame Burnett specified in his letter, suggesting that a loan of $1,000 or $2,000 may have existed. (Stephen Burnett, Orange Township, OH, to Lyman Johnson, 15 Apr. 1838, in JS Letterbook 2, p. 65; Kirtland Safety Society Accounts and Discounted Notes, Jan. 1837, JS Office Papers, CHL; Vilate Murray Kimball, Kirtland, OH, to Heber C. Kimball, Preston, England, ca. 10–12 Sept. 1837, Heber C. Kimball, Collection, CHL.)
JS Letterbook 2 / Smith, Joseph. “Copies of Letters, &c. &c.,” 1839–1843. Joseph Smith Collection, 1827–1846. CHL. MS 155, box 2, fd. 2.
Kimball, Heber C. Collection, 1837–1898. CHL. MS 12476.
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John P. Greene was the brother-in-law of Brigham and Phineas Young. (Greene, “Biographical Sketch of the Life and Travels of John Portenus Greene,” 1.)
Greene, Evan Melbourne. “A Biographical Sketch of the Life and Travels of John Portenus Greene,” 1857. CHL. MS 15390.
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TEXT: “lumbórum”—Latin for “of the loins”—is written in much larger and more deliberate characters, suggesting that Hosea Stout struggled to transcribe the word. Given the context, the number of characters, and the placement of the minims and ascenders, the original word he was trying to transcribe was likely laudanum—a mixture of liquor or wine and opium. (“Laudanum,” in American Dictionary.)
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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Probably Jacob Bump, a Kirtland dissenter. (Historian’s Office, Brigham Young History Drafts, 14.)
Historian’s Office. Brigham Young History Drafts, 1856–1858. CHL. CR 100 475, box 1, fd. 5.
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19
See Revelation, 1 Mar. 1832 [D&C 78:12]; Revelation, 26 Apr. 1832 [D&C 82:21]; and Revelation, 23 Apr. 1834 [D&C 104:9–10].
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20
In January 1838, the Zion presidency was charged with, among other things, failing to adhere to the revealed dietary code known as the Word of Wisdom. According to the report of the committee assigned to discuss the charges with the presidency, Phelps denied breaking the Word of Wisdom, while Cowdery and the Whitmers admitted to drinking tea or coffee, as “they did not consider them to come under the head of hot drinks.” In February, Hinkle criticized David Whitmer for “persisting in the use of tea, coffee, and tobacco.” Decades later, Whitmer identified the Word of Wisdom as one of the principal causes of dispute between himself and other church leaders in Far West. (Minute Book 2, 26 Jan. 1838; Letter from Thomas B. Marsh, 15 Feb. 1838; Gurley, “Questions Asked of David Whitmer,” 1.)
Gurley, Zenos. “Questions Asked of David Whitmer at His Home in Richmond Ray County Mo,” 14–21 Jan. 1885. CHL. MS 4633.
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21
The last church meeting Whitmer was recorded as attending was on 6 December 1837. Similar charges were made against Cowdery and Johnson. (Minute Book 2, 6–7 Dec. 1837; see also Minutes, 12 Apr. 1838.)
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22
In June 1838, a letter directing David Whitmer, Cowdery, and other dissenters to leave Far West also accused the men of having “kept up continual correspondance with your gang of Marauders in Kirtland.” No correspondence from Whitmer to Kirtland has been located; however, during this period Cowdery and Johnson appear to have maintained regular correspondence with Kirtland dissenters, which suggests that Whitmer may have as well. An August 1837 letter from John Whitmer in Missouri to David Whitmer and Cowdery in Kirtland implies that correspondence was encouraged, if not already occurring: “Communicate to us any thing that you in your wisdom may think expedient.” John Whitmer assured his brother and Cowdery that because Phelps was the postmaster of Far West, “a letter can be addressed to him on any subject and no one know it.” (Letter to Oliver Cowdery et al., ca. 17 June 1838; John Whitmer, Far West, MO, to Oliver Cowdery and David Whitmer, Kirtland Mills, OH, 29 Aug. 1837, Western Americana Collection, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University, New Haven, CT; see also Oliver Cowdery, Far West, MO, to Warren Cowdery and Lyman Cowdery, [Kirtland, OH], 4 Feb. 1838, in Cowdery, Letterbook, 87; Oliver Cowdery, Far West, MO, to Warren Cowdery and Lyman Cowdery, Kirtland, OH, 24 Feb. 1838, in Cowdery, Letterbook, 87; Stephen Burnett, Orange Township, OH, to Lyman Johnson, 15 Apr. 1838, in JS Letterbook 2, pp. 64–66; and Oliver Cowdery, Far West, MO, to Warren Cowdery and Lyman Cowdery, Kirtland Mills, OH, 2 June 1838, Lyman Cowdery, Papers, CHL.)
Whitmer, John. Letter, Far West, MO, to Oliver Cowdery and David Whitmer, Kirtland Mills, OH, 29 Aug. 1837. Western Americana Collection, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University, New Haven, CT.
Cowdery, Oliver. Letterbook, 1833–1838. Henry E. Huntington Library, San Marino, CA.
JS Letterbook 2 / Smith, Joseph. “Copies of Letters, &c. &c.,” 1839–1843. Joseph Smith Collection, 1827–1846. CHL. MS 155, box 2, fd. 2.
Cowdery, Lyman. Papers, 1834–1858. CHL. MS 3467.
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23
On 10 March 1838, the Whitmer brothers and Phelps wrote a letter to Marsh, complaining about the treatment they received from Marsh and the high council and signing the letter as presidents of the church in Zion. A similar charge was made against Cowdery, who attested to the three men’s complaints and signed the letter as the clerk of the high council. (Minute Book 2, 10 Mar. 1838; Minutes, 12 Apr. 1838.)
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24
During the February 1838 proceedings in which Whitmer was removed from the Zion presidency, Murdock addressed criticism that the high council’s treatment of the presidency aberrated from the rules of the church. According to Murdock, the council’s actions were “perfectly legal, according to the instructions of President Joseph Smith jr.” (Letter from Thomas B. Marsh, 15 Feb. 1838.)