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  2. Church Officers in Nauvoo, Illinois, September 1842–February 1843

Church Officers in Nauvoo, Illinois, September 1842–February 1843

In 1839 a church conference organized a stake in (later ), Illinois, and appointed a president, a high council, and three bishops. A January 1841 revelation designated the Nauvoo stake as a “corner stone of Zion.”
 
Presidency
In 1839 a general conference of the church appointed as president of the stake in (later ). On 30 March 1841, Marks informed the Nauvoo high council that he had chosen and as his counselors. Cowles and Rich were ordained the same day and served in those roles throughout the period between 1 September 1842 and 28 February 1843.
1 September 1842–28 February 1843
, president
, first counselor
, second counselor
 
High Council
In 1839 a general conference of the church appointed twelve men to serve as members of the in (later ). Though council members changed over the years, the council remained the same for the period covered by this volume. When individual members could not attend, alternates (or members pro tempore) were appointed to participate in council meetings. These temporary appointments are not reflected in the chart below.
1 September 1842–28 February 1843
 
Bishops
In 1839 a general conference of the church designated three men—, , and —as , assigning each to be responsible for a specific ecclesiastical jurisdiction, or ward, in (later ). Partridge died in May 1840, and in January 1841 replaced him as bishop. During the next month, JS appointed as bishop of an unspecified ward. On 20 August 1842, the Nauvoo high council appointed as bishop of the Third Ward to replace Vinson Knight, who had died weeks before. This suggests that the original Upper, Middle, and Lower wards may have become known as the First, Second, and Third wards, respectively. At the same meeting, the high council divided Nauvoo into ten ecclesiastical wards and the immediate surrounding area into three districts (one of which was also called a ward). Furthermore, it appointed nine new bishops, in addition to Samuel Smith, and assigned them to specific wards. Seven of the newly appointed bishops were ordained the following day. Although Samuel Smith, , and were appointed, it is unclear whether they were ordained. Extant records do not indicate whether or when the high council called bishops for the remaining wards. Evidently, the geographic boundaries of the various wards were vague. In November 1842, the Nauvoo stake high council appointed to “ascertain the boundrys of the ten different ward[s],” and on 4 December 1842 Stout reported on the boundaries. During that meeting, Whitney was assigned to be bishop of the Seventh Ward.
1 September–4 December 1842 4 December 1842–28 February 1843
(Upper Ward) (First Ward)
(Second Ward?) (Second Ward)
(unspecified ward) (Fourth Ward)
(Fourth Ward) (Fifth Ward)
(Fifth Ward) (Sixth Ward)
(Sixth Ward) (Seventh Ward)
(Eighth Ward) (Eighth Ward)
(Ninth Ward) (Ninth Ward)
(Tenth Ward) (Tenth Ward)
David Evans (Eleventh Ward) David Evans (Eleventh Ward)
(southeast district) (southeast district)
(north district) (north district)
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