This volume is made possible by the help and generosity of many people and institutions. We give special thanks to administrators and officials of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, which sponsors the project. We also express special thanks to the Larry H. and Gail Miller Family Foundation for its continued support of the project. The foundation’s generosity and encouragement have enabled the project to meet an ambitious production schedule while adhering to the highest scholarly standards. We express the sincerest gratitude to Gail Miller Wilson in particular. Her continued devotion to this work has made this and all other volumes of The Joseph Smith Papers possible.
Many libraries and repositories have provided essential assistance. We thank the management and staff of the Church History Library, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, where the majority of Joseph Smith’s papers are located; the Family History Library, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City; and the L. Tom Perry Special Collections, Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah. We express deep appreciation to the staff of the Community of Christ Library-Archives, Independence, Missouri, and to the historians and site directors of the Community of Christ; in particular, we thank Mark Scherer, Ronald E. Romig, Barbara J. Bernauer, and Lachlan MacKay. We express our thanks to the Lake County Historical Society, Painesville, Ohio; J. Willard Marriott Library, University of Utah, Salt Lake City; Henry E. Huntington Library, San Marino, California; Pennsylvania State Archives, Harrisburg; Susquehanna County Historical Society, Montrose, Pennsylvania; Library of Congress, Washington DC; and State Historical Society of Missouri, Columbia.
While all volumes are collaborative efforts, with many people contributing their talents at multiple points in the publication process, this volume has benefited in particular from historians who lent their talents and abilities far beyond simple consultation. Robin Jensen not only served as a document specialist and offered his insights on dozens of occasions, but he also performed the research for and drafted the annotation of the Classification of Scriptures. Michael Hubbard MacKay likewise researched and drafted the annotation for the McKune deed. His specialty in early Joseph Smith land dealings proved invaluable. Andrew H. Hedges provided research, analysis, and a beautifully crafted introduction that deftly dealt with the nuances and varied sources surrounding Revelation, 27 February 1833, more commonly known as the Word of Wisdom. Alexander L. Baugh provided excellent research and substantial annotation for several of the 1834 documents featured in this volume. We also express thanks to Joseph F. Darowski and Kay Darowski, who assisted with early drafts of the annotation in this volume. Mark Ashurst-McGee, Brenden W. Rensink, and Alex D. Smith were instrumental to this volume in their role as document specialists.
We thank Samuel Dodge, who researched several sources related to the revelation known as the Word of Wisdom. Chase Kirkham performed valuable work locating many of the scripture citations found in the featured documents, and Mitchell K. Schaefer contributed research to the documents involving Edward Partridge. Zachary Zundel and Stephanie Edgerton also made helpful contributions to the research contained in this volume. While many volunteers contribute to the production of any volume of The Joseph Smith Papers, we are particularly indebted to Richard Dilworth Rust, emeritus professor of English, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, for his work on several of the letters relating to Missouri.
Kay Darowski supervised a group of student researchers at Brigham Young University, including Ethan J. Christensen, Jared P. Collette, Justin Collings, Lia Suttner Collings, Christopher K. Crockett, Eric Dowdle, Vanessa Ann Dominica Dowdle, James A. Goldberg, David W. Grua, Angella M. Hamilton, Christopher C. Jones, Cort Kirksey, Elias E. Kurban Sr., Mary-Celeste Lewis, Russell Jay McDonald, Kara Nelson, Amy Norton, Jason M. Olson, Benjamin E. Park, Josh E. Probert, Daren E. Ray, Sandra Mason Roller, Ryan W. Saltzgiver, Kelli M. Smith, Timothy D. Speirs, Virginia E. Stratford, M. Nathaniel Tanner, Kathryn Jensen Wall, and Stephen Whitaker.
Aside from those listed in the front matter, many members of the Joseph Smith Papers editorial staff assisted in the preparation of this volume. We express gratitude to Larry E. Morris for his work on the chronology, Amanda Owens for her production support, Constance Palmer Lewis for her work on maps, and Jeffrey G. Cannon for gathering illustrations and supervising volunteers. We also thank the many editorial assistants, contractors, and others who assisted with proofreading, source checking, and other work on this volume. They include Linda Hunter Adams, Ruth D. Eldredge, Sherilyn Farnes, Stephanie Hengen, Whitney Hinckley, Margaret A. Hogan, Shannon Kelly, David H. Kitterman, Melissa Rehon Kotter, Sarah Gibby Peris, Katie Pitts-Olson, Keaton Reed, Leslie Sherman, and Drew Sorber. Jay R. Eastley and Naoma W. Eastley, volunteers at the Church History Library, assisted with research and preliminary drafts for the geographical directory. Lee Ann Clanton and Eleanor Brainard, also volunteers, assisted with document transcription. Noel R. Barton, Brian P. Barton, and Steven Motteshard provided professional genealogical research services in support of the biographical directory. Kate Mertes created the index for this volume.
Maps for this volume were developed by Geographic Information Services, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, under the direction of David Peart, with cartography by Blake Baker, Jonathan West, Heidi Springsteed, and Brice Lucas. The maps are based on historical research. The names of those who performed the research are listed alongside the maps in this volume, and we thank these individuals for their contributions.
We express thanks to Glenn N. Rowe and Brandon Metcalf, Church History Department, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, for their assistance with documents; and to Welden C. Andersen of the Publishing Services Department, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who shot some of the textual photographs in this volume. Nick Serr of the Publishing Services Department, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, provided prepress support. We are grateful to Viola Knecht and Kiersten Olson for administrative assistance and to Patrick Dunshee, Debra Xavier, Stephanie Dawson, and Andrew Jones for their efforts in marketing the project and the volume.
We thank the management and staff at Deseret Book Company, Salt Lake City, for sharing their professional expertise in designing, printing, distributing, and marketing this volume. We are particularly grateful to Sheri L. Dew, Laurel Christensen Day, Lisa Roper, Amy Durham, Suzanne Brady, Richard Erickson, David Kimball, Derk Koldewyn, Rebecca B. Chambers, Ruth B. Howard, and Vicki Parry.