Revelation, 1 August 1831 [D&C 58]
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Source Note
Revelation, “Zion” [, MO], 1 Aug. 1831. Featured version, titled “61 Commandment August 1st. 1831,” copied [ca. Sept. 1831] in Revelation Book 1, pp. 94–98; handwriting of ; CHL. Includes redactions. For more complete source information, see the source note for Revelation Book 1.
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Historical Introduction
On 1 August 1831, JS dictated this revelation to the elders of the church who had joined him in western . Just a few days earlier, a revelation had designated , Missouri, as the location at which to build the “.” Upon arriving in Jackson County, however, some of the expressed disappointment with what they found. , , , and had been preaching to white settlers in and the vicinity since they were ejected from Indian Territory west of Missouri by February 1831. Despite their efforts, those arriving in Missouri in July found fewer than ten converts, whereas some had expected a burgeoning community of believers and perhaps a settlement that would soon be able to accommodate the migration of church members. Meanwhile, tension arose between and JS. The revelation of 20 July called Partridge to manage the properties of the church and “see to all things as it shall be appointed” by God’s “Laws,” with the assistance of , who had been appointed “an agent unto the church to buy lands.” According to one observer, Partridge argued with JS about the quality of the land selected for purchase. The disagreement apparently generated hard feelings on both sides. Partridge considered JS abusive, while accused Partridge of “having insulted the Lord’s prophet.”In the wake of this incident and faced with the daunting prospect of actually building the , JS dictated this 1 August revelation, probably at . After addressing the “unbelief & blindness of heart” of and others, the revelation gave “further directions” for the establishment of , as had been promised in the 20 July revelation. The revelation instructed JS to return to , directed those appointed to build up Zion to take the initiative in moving their families to , and encouraged the elders to look beyond the land’s undeveloped condition and focus on its prophesied glory. The revelation also anticipated a major migration to and provided information about the key roles that the and the would play in regulating that migration by making known “from time to time” the “priveliges of the lands,” or the number of individuals that the church community could accommodate. Conferences of elders were to help control the migration as well, providing counsel on who should move.The original manuscript of this revelation is not extant. later copied the version featured here into Revelation Book 1, the revelation book he was keeping in . Several copies were made in addition to Whitmer’s; , for example, indicated in a 5 August letter to his wife that copies of this and other Missouri revelations were to be carried to Ohio by “our brethren” returning from , and Elizabeth Van Benthusen Gilbert later showed a copy to after Hancock arrived in . also had a copy of the revelation, and it is likely that others made personal copies., editor of the Painesville Telegraph, denounced JS and the church in his 1834 book Mormonism Unvailed, which published a version of the revelation “as a specimen of the manner in which the Prophet governs and rebukes his dupes.” Howe’s copy differs somewhat from ’s copy in Revelation Book 1: several phrases included in Whitmer’s copy do not appear in Howe’s, suggesting that Howe’s copy may be derived from an earlier text. Howe also dated the revelation 3 August 1831, which differs from Whitmer’s date of 1 August. Whitmer’s copy, however, was inscribed much earlier than Howe’s copy was published, and it is not known when or from whom Howe obtained a copy of the revelation, nor is it known what textual changes may have been made to Howe’s copy, whether intentional or unintentional. Because Howe’s version may have been copied from an earlier text than the Whitmer version, significant differences between the versions are noted in the annotation that follows.
Footnotes
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1
Revelation, 20 July 1831 [D&C 57:2–3] .
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3
According to Ezra Booth, the arriving elders “expected to find a large Church, which Smith said, was revealed to him in a vision, Oliver had raised up there.” Instead, they found a congregation consisting of only “three or four females.” For Booth, who left the church in fall 1831, this disappointment was difficult to overcome. Apparently, seven people had actually been baptized in Jackson County by this time, including Joshua Lewis and other members of his family. (Ezra Booth, “Mormonism—No. V,” Ohio Star [Ravenna], 10 Nov. 1831, [3]; Knight, Reminiscences, 9; Whitmer, Journal, Dec. 1831, [1].)
Ohio Star. Ravenna. 1830–1854.
Knight, Joseph, Sr. Reminiscences, no date. CHL. MS 3470.
Whitmer, Peter, Jr. Journal, Dec. 1831. CHL. MS 5873.
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4
Revelation, 4 Feb. 1831 [D&C 41:10]; Revelation, 20 July 1831 [D&C 57:6, 15]; Revelation, 8 June 1831 [D&C 53:4].
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5
Minute Book 2, 10 Mar. 1832; Ezra Booth, “Mormonism—No. VII,” Ohio Star (Ravenna), 24 Nov. 1831, [1]. In March 1832, Partridge admitted in a conference in Missouri that he had a disagreement with JS sometime prior to “a Conference held on this land at which our brs. Edward & Sidney were present face to face”—most likely the 4 August 1831 conference. “If Br. Joseph has not forgiven him he hopes he will,” the minutes of this meeting state, “as he is & has always been sorry.” (Minute Book 2, 10 Mar. 1832.)
Ohio Star. Ravenna. 1830–1854.
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6
The heading that precedes this revelation in Revelation Book 1 records that this revelation was “given to the elders who were assembeled on the land of Zion.”
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7
Revelation, 20 July 1831 [D&C 57:16] .
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8
Edward Partridge, Independence, MO, to Lydia Clisbee Partridge, 5–7 Aug. 1831, Edward Partridge, Letters, 1831–1835, CHL; Hancock, Autobiography, 119.
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9
Booth, who had become disaffected from the church, quoted a portion of the revelation pertaining to Partridge word for word in a 20 September 1831 letter to Partridge, which indicates that Booth possessed a copy. (Ezra Booth, “Mormonism—No. VII,” Ohio Star [Ravenna], 24 Nov. 1831, [1].)
Ohio Star. Ravenna. 1830–1854.
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10
Howe, Mormonism Unvailed, 221.
Howe, Eber D. Mormonism Unvailed: Or, A Faithful Account of That Singular Imposition and Delusion, from Its Rise to the Present Time. With Sketches of the Characters of Its Propagators, and a Full Detail of the Manner in Which the Famous Golden Bible Was Brought before the World. To Which Are Added, Inquiries into the Probability That the Historical Part of the Said Bible Was Written by One Solomon Spalding, More Than Twenty Years Ago, and by Him Intended to Have Been Published as a Romance. Painesville, OH: By the author, 1834.
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1
Document Transcript
Footnotes
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1
John Whitmer assigned this number to the revelation when recording it in Revelation Book 1.
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2
Several elders were in Jackson County at this time and may have been in attendance when this revelation was dictated. Oliver Cowdery, Ziba Peterson, Peter Whitmer Jr., and Frederick G. Williams had been in Independence for several months; JS, in company with Martin Harris, Edward Partridge, William W. Phelps, and Joseph Coe arrived on 14 July; and Saints originally from Colesville, New York, arrived sometime during the week after JS’s arrival, as did Sidney Rigdon and Sidney Gilbert. (Whitmer, Journal, Dec. 1831, [1]; William W. Phelps, “Extract of a Letter from the Late Editor,” Ontario Phoenix [Canandaigua, NY], 7 Sept. 1831, [2]; JS History, vol. A-1, 126–127, 129.)
Whitmer, Peter, Jr. Journal, Dec. 1831. CHL. MS 5873.
Ontario Phoenix. Canandaigua, NY. 1828–1832.
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3
This heading likely did not appear in the original manuscript; John Whitmer likely added it when he copied the revelation into Revelation Book 1.
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4
The Howe copy omits the phrase “& also concerning this land unto which I have sent you.”
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5
The Howe copy omits “of heaven.”
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6
The Howe copy omits “come hereafter & the glory which shall” from this sentence, likely a scribal error.
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7
See Isaiah 25:6.
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8
The Howe copy omits “& partake of the supper of the Lord.”
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9
See Luke 14:16–24.
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10
The Howe copy adds “and chosen” after “Selected.”
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11
See 1 Corinthians 10:12. On 5 August 1831, a few days after this revelation was dictated, Partridge wrote a letter to his wife, Lydia, wondering if he would be able to fulfill his station as bishop “to the acceptance of my hevenly father” and asking her to “pray for me that I may not fall.” (Edward Partridge, Independence, MO, to Lydia Clisbee Partridge, 5–7 Aug. 1831, Edward Partridge, Letters, 1831–1835, CHL.)
Partridge, Edward. Letters, 1831–1835. CHL. MS 23154.
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12
These “councillors” were Isaac Morley and John Corrill, who were “ordained assistants to the Bishop” at a June 1831 conference. In referring to Bishop Partridge as a judge and his assistants as counselors, the revelation parallels Isaiah 1:26: “I will restore thy judges as at the first, and thy counsellors as at the beginning.” (Minutes, ca. 3–4 June 1831.)
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13
In the February 1831 revelation of the “Laws of the Church of Christ,” the elders were told that “these Laws which ye have received are sufficient for both here & in the New Jerusalem.” If the elders “observe[d] all these things,” their reward would be great. (Revelation, 9 Feb. 1831 [D&C 42:65–66].)
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14
TEXT: Or “siteth”. The Howe copy omits “councileth or” from this sentence and renders “seteth” as “sitteth.”
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15
The Howe copy omits “for he that keepeth the laws of God hath no need to break the laws of the land.”
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16
See Romans 13:1; and 1 Corinthians 15:25. A January 1831 revelation declared that “in time ye shall have no King nor Ruler for I will be your King & watch over you.” It also affirmed that “ye shall have no laws but my laws for I am your Law giver.” (Revelation, 2 Jan. 1831 [D&C 38:21–22].)
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17
When he began his journey to Missouri, Partridge apparently did not anticipate that he would be asked to stay there. In a letter to his wife, Partridge wrote, “When I left Painesville I told people I was coming back & bid none a farewell but for a short time.” (Edward Partridge, Independence, MO, to Lydia Clisbee Partridge, 5–7 Aug. 1831, Edward Partridge, Letters, 1831–1835, CHL.)
Partridge, Edward. Letters, 1831–1835. CHL. MS 23154.
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18
A February 1831 revelation commanded church members to donate their surplus goods “unto my store house.” The 20 July 1831 revelation instructed Sidney Gilbert to “establish a store” in Independence, from which he would provision church members who gathered there. (Revelation, 9 Feb. 1831 [D&C 42:34, 55]; see also Revelation, 20 May 1831 [D&C 51:13]; and Revelation, 20 July 1831 [D&C 57:8].)
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19
The Howe copy omits “the same.”
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20
Matthew 24:45 uses the phrase “wise servant,” and Matthew 25:26 uses “slothful servant.” Both passages were within the section that JS completed in his Bible revision before leaving Ohio for Missouri. On 5 August, Partridge wrote to his wife, Lydia, that he and the other men who were to settle in Missouri were “left to our own agreement how we will manage about getting our families here.” (Faulring et al., Joseph Smith’s New Translation of the Bible, 65; Edward Partridge, Independence, MO, to Lydia Clisbee Partridge, 5–7 Aug. 1831, Edward Partridge, Letters, 1831–1835, CHL.)
Faulring, Scott H., Kent P. Jackson, and Robert J. Matthews, eds. Joseph Smith’s New Translation of the Bible: Original Manuscripts. Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 2004.
Partridge, Edward. Letters, 1831–1835. CHL. MS 23154.
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21
JS’s revision of the book of Genesis, completed in early 1831, included God’s instruction to Adam that men are “agents unto themselves.” (Old Testament Revision 1, p. 14 [Moses 6:56]; Faulring et al., Joseph Smith’s New Translation of the Bible, 63–64.)
Faulring, Scott H., Kent P. Jackson, and Robert J. Matthews, eds. Joseph Smith’s New Translation of the Bible: Original Manuscripts. Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 2004.
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22
See Matthew 10:42.
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23
The Howe copy has “ordained” instead of “promised.”
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24
Harris’s son claimed in 1875 that Harris gave $1,200 to Partridge for land purchases in Missouri, but no extant contemporary sources corroborate that claim. Indeed, it is unclear what resources Harris had available in August 1831. He had earlier mortgaged his farm to help pay for the publication of the Book of Mormon, which apparently left him with no property to consecrate. However, according to a January 1830 agreement, Harris would have “equal privilege” to sell copies of the Book of Mormon until he was reimbursed for the $3,000 value of his farm. What money he gained from that is unclear, but Harris later recollected that he eventually received from JS “all that I advanced, and more too.” (Obituary for Martin Harris, Ogden Junction [Utah Territory], 16 July 1875, [2]; Martin Harris to Egbert B. Grandin, Indenture, Wayne Co., NY, 25 Aug. 1829, Wayne Co., NY, Mortgage Records, vol. 3, pp. 325–326, microfilm 479,556, U.S. and Canada Record Collection, FHL; Agreement with Martin Harris, 16 Jan. 1830; David B. Dille, “Additional Testimony of Martin Harris,” LDS Millennial Star, 20 Aug. 1859, 21:545–546.)
Ogden Junction. Ogden, Utah Territory. 1870–1881.Ohio Atlas and Lorain County Gazette. Elyria, OH. 1832–1833.
U.S. and Canada Record Collection. FHL.
Latter-day Saints’ Millennial Star. Manchester, England, 1840–1842; Liverpool, 1842–1932; London, 1932–1970.
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25
According to the 9 February 1831 revelation of the “Laws of the Church of Christ,” any consecrated “properties” remaining after one received back a stewardship for his or her needs would be used “for the purpose of purchaseing Land & building up of the New Jerusalem.” The revelation referred only to “properties” and did not specify a separate instruction for “moneys.” (Revelation, 9 Feb. 1831 [D&C 42:32–35].)
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26
On 8 August 1831, Partridge paid $50 to purchase lot 76 in Independence from James Gray for the printing office. Lot 59 and the old courthouse were purchased for $371 on 20 February 1832 for the storehouse. (Jackson Co., MO, Deed Records, 1827–1909, vol. A, pp. 114–115, 8 Aug. 1831; vol. B, pp. 32–33, 20 Feb. 1832, microfilm 1,017,978, U. S. and Canada Record Collection, FHL.)
U.S. and Canada Record Collection. FHL.
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27
The Howe copy omits “shall be given him.”
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28
See Book of Mormon, 1830 ed., 109 [2 Nephi 26:29].
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29
The 20 July 1831 revelation instructed Phelps to “be planted in this place & be established as a Printer unto the Church.” (Revelation, 20 July 1831 [D&C 57:11].)
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30
See Jeremiah 31:34; and Hebrews 8:12.
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31
Apparently, not all elders were appointed to move to Missouri at this time. Later in this revelation, the elders were told to supervise the gathering, while a later revelation clarified that JS would have “power that he shall be enabled to descern by the spirit those who shall go up unto the land of Zion & those of my Desiples that shall tarry.” (Revelation, 30 Aug. 1831 [D&C 63:41].)
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32
See Deuteronomy 33:17.
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33
The 6 June 1831 revelation similarly instructed elders journeying to Missouri to “preach the word by the way.” (Revelation, 6 June 1831 [D&C 52:25–27].)
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34
A 9 February 1831 revelation giving the “Laws of the Church of Christ” instructed the elders to build up churches in the “regions westward.” (Revelation, 9 Feb. 1831 [D&C 42:8]; see also Revelation, ca. 7 Mar. 1831 [D&C 45:64].)
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35
This directive, which immediately followed the instruction to build up churches betweenMissouri and Ohio, apparently called for the appointment of a new financial agent, because Sidney Gilbert, the previously appointed agent, was now permanently stationed in Missouri. When this revelation was published in the 1835 edition of the Doctrine and Covenants, the phrase “unto the church in Ohio, to receive moneys to purchase lands in Zion” was added at this point in the text. Shortly after returning to Ohio, Newel K. Whitney was appointed as a church agent. (Doctrine and Covenants 18:10, 1835 ed.; Revelation, 30 Aug. 1831 [D&C 63:42–45].)
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36
A later JS history recounts that after this revelation’s dictation, “we sought for all the information necessary” to compose “a description of the land of Zion.” However, the description that Rigdon composed was not acceptable because he had “received not counsel but grieved the spirit.” A 30 August 1831 revelation instructed him to try again, warning that “if the Lord receive it not behold he standeth no longer in the office which he hath appointed him.” His second attempt was apparently accepted. (JS History, vol. A-1, 137; Revelation, 30 Aug. 1831 [D&C 63:55–56]; Sidney Rigdon, Kirtland, OH, to “the Saints,” 31 Aug. 1831, copy, Sidney Rigdon Collection, CHL.)
Rigdon, Sidney. Collection, 1831–1858. CHL. MS 713.
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37
The Howe copy omits “to be presented.”
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38
The Howe copy omits “verily I say unto you.”
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39
The 20 July 1831 revelation instructed the Saints to purchase the lot for the temple, the land between the temple and the state border, land along the border, and additional land “in all the regions round about.” (Revelation, 20 July 1831 [D&C 57:4–6].)
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40
The Howe copy omits “let them do this.”
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41
A revelation dictated later in August explained that the Saints were to purchase the lands so that they could have legal claim to them. Without such legal claim, the revelation stated, people would be “stired up unto anger” against the church, even unto “the shedding of blood.” (Revelation, 30 Aug. 1831 [D&C 63:27–29].)
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42
Phelps later explained that this meant determining and making known “how many can be accommodated” in Missouri. (“The Elders in the Land of Zion to the Church of Christ Scattered Abroad,” The Evening and the Morning Star, July 1832, [5].)
The Evening and the Morning Star. Independence, MO, June 1832–July 1833; Kirtland, OH, Dec. 1833–Sept. 1834.
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43
See Isaiah 52:12.
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44
The Howe copy reads “which they shall receive.”
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45
On 2 August in Kaw Township, Missouri, Rigdon “consecrated and dedicated” the land “for the gathering of the Saints.” On 3 August, JS laid a cornerstone for the temple and Rigdon pronounced the ground “dedicated unto the Lord forever.” (JS History, vol. A-1, 137, 139; Whitmer, History, 32.)
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46
This conference was held on 4 August. (Minutes, 4 Aug. 1831.)
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48
JS was previously appointed to work on a revision of the Bible, for which Rigdon was serving as scribe. Before beginning his mission to the Lamanites in 1830, Cowdery served as JS’s scribe. He had also been appointed second elder in the church. (Revelation, 7 Dec. 1830 [D&C 35:20]; Revelation, 6 Apr. 1830 [D&C 21:10–11]; JS History, ca. Summer 1832; Oliver Cowdery, Norton, OH, to William W. Phelps, 7 Sept. 1834, LDS Messenger and Advocate, Oct. 1834, 1:14–15; Bushman, Rough Stone Rolling, 69–76.)
Latter Day Saints’ Messenger and Advocate. Kirtland, OH. Oct. 1834–Sept. 1837.
Bushman, Richard Lyman. Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling. With the assistance of Jed Woodworth. New York: Knopf, 2005.
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49
Minutes of the conference held on 4 August contain no specific instructions on JS, Rigdon, and Cowdery’s work. (Minutes, 4 Aug. 1831.)
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50
The Howe copy has “given to” instead of “bestowed upon.”
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51
Peterson had traveled to Missouri with Oliver Cowdery, Peter Whitmer Jr., Parley P. Pratt, and Frederick G. Williams. Ezra Booth wrote that Whitmer and Williams had informed him that Peterson was guilty of conduct “on a parallel” with a man who “enters into a matrimonial contract with a young lady, and obtains the consent of her parents; but as soon as his back is turned upon her, he violates his engagements, and prostitutes his honor by becoming the gallant of another, and resolves in his heart, and expresses resolutions to marry her.” Peterson confessed his transgression at the 4 August conference, and a week later married Rebecca Hopper of Lafayette County, Missouri. (Revelation, Oct. 1830–A [D&C 32:3]; Ezra Booth, “Mormonism—No. VII,” Ohio Star [Ravenna], 24 Nov. 1831, [1]; “Mormonism—Nos. VIII–IX,” Ohio Star, 8 Dec. 1831, [1], italics in original; Minutes, 4 Aug. 1831; Lafayette Co., MO, Marriage Records, 1821–1873, vol. B, p. 21, microfilm, 959,414, U.S. and Canada Record Collection, FHL.)
Ohio Star. Ravenna. 1830–1854.
U.S. and Canada Record Collection. FHL.
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52
Most of those commanded in the June 1831 revelation to go to Missouri had not yet arrived in Independence at this time. Several men, including Samuel Smith, Reynolds Cahoon, John Corrill, John Murdock, Hyrum Smith, Lyman Wight, David Whitmer, and Harvey Whitlock, arrived later in August. Some, including Levi Hancock and Zebedee Coltrin, did not arrive until October or November. (Covenant of Oliver Cowdery and Others, 17 Oct. 1830; Pratt, Autobiography, chaps. 7–8; Murdock, Journal, Aug. 1831; Minutes, 4 Aug. 1831; “Autobiography of Levi Ward Hancock,” ca. 1896, 37, 40; Edward Partridge, Independence, MO, to Lydia Clisbee Partridge, 5–7 Aug. 1831, Edward Partridge, Letters, 1831–1835, CHL.)
Pratt, Parley P. The Autobiography of Parley Parker Pratt, One of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Embracing His Life, Ministry and Travels, with Extracts, in Prose and Verse, from His Miscellaneous Writings. Edited by Parley P. Pratt Jr. New York: Russell Brothers, 1874.
Murdock, John. Journal, ca. 1830–1859. John Murdock, Journal and Autobiography, ca. 1830–1867. CHL. MS 1194, fd. 2.
Hancock, Mosiah Lyman. "Autobiography of Levi Ward Hancock," ca. 1896. CHL. MS 570.
Partridge, Edward. Letters, 1831–1835. CHL. MS 23154.
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53
The Howe copy omits “even above measure.”
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54
In the copy of this revelation in Revelation Book 1, Rigdon inserted here the line “upon this land: and let my Servent Edw. direct the conference.” Rigdon’s insertion may have restored a line from the original revelation inadvertently omitted by copyist John Whitmer when his eye skipped from the end of the phrase “hold a conference” to the end of the phrase “direct the conference.” However, the Howe copy of the revelation does not include the line either. This conference was apparently held on 24 August 1831. (McLellin, Journal, 24 Aug. 1831.)
McLellin, William E. Journal, 18 July–20 Nov. 1831. William E. McLellin, Papers, 1831–1836, 1877–1878. CHL. MS 13538, box 1, fd. 1. Also available as Jan Shipps and John W. Welch, eds., The Journals of William E. McLellin, 1831–1836 (Provo, UT: BYU Studies; Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1994).
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55
See Mark 16:15, 17; and Acts 1:8.
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56
Regarding the closing words of this revelation, Ezra Booth wrote, “The Elders of the Church, by commandment given in Missouri, and of which I was both an eye and ear witness, are to go forth to preach Mormonism to every creature; and now, said Mr. Rigdon—‘The Lord has set us our stint; no matter how soon we perform it—for when this is done, he will make his second appearance.’” (Ezra Booth, Nelson, OH, to Ira Eddy, 12 Sept. 1831, in Ohio Star[Ravenna], 13 Oct. 1831, [3], italics in original.)
Ohio Star. Ravenna. 1830–1854.