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Declaration, 21 June 1834

Source Note

JS, John Lincoln, , C. K. Morehead, , , John Sconce, , James H. Long, , and James Collins, Declaration, , MO, 21 June 1834; handwriting of and two unidentified scribes, with signatures of all authors and ; two pages; JS Collection, CHL. Includes dockets.
The declaration was written on a single leaf measuring 12⅝ × 7⅞ inches (32 × 20 cm) and ruled with thirty-six horizontal blue lines (now faded). The authorizing endorsement, dated 21 June 1834, was written on a separate leaf of the same lined paper, measuring 5½ × 7⅞ inches (14 × 20 cm). The bottom side of this leaf was cut, presumably from a larger sheet of the same paper. The endorsement was then permanently attached to the top edge of the declaration leaf with three adhesive wafers, rendering a single leaf measuring 17¾ × 7⅞ inches (45 × 20 cm). This leaf was then folded six times widthwise and enclosed in a separate leaf of the same lined paper with the same measurements as the leaf containing the text of the declaration. The wrapper leaf is folded four times widthwise, to correspond with the folded declaration inside. The verso of the shortened endorsement sheet (now affixed to the top of the declaration leaf) is blank, as is the verso of the wrapper leaf. The first panel on the recto of the wrapper leaf contains the following docket in an unknown hand: “Items Respests of carry your | arms on comeing in Such abody | &c”. The third panel, which was the outside panel when folded, is the most soiled and contains another docket written vertically in the handwriting of : “Request of Cornelius Gilliam | to J. Smith jr & others & | their answer, making | known their intentions”. A third docket, written immediately below this one, possibly in the handwriting of , reads: “June 21, 1834”. One burned hole, approximately ⅝ × ⅜ inches (2 × 1 cm), along the left side of the declaration results in some loss of text.
Church leaders returned from the with the manuscript, which was shortly thereafter reproduced in The Evening and the Morning Star, suggesting continuous institutional custody.

Historical Introduction

On 21 June 1834, a delegation of about six men from and , Missouri, came to the , which was positioned about four miles beyond on land owned by church member John Cooper. The delegation met with camp members at the request of , a Ray County judge, who was trying to mediate a settlement between , Missouri, residents and the church members they had expelled in November 1833. As a result of the discussions, JS and others in the camp prepared this declaration, which was prefaced by Clay County sheriff ’s statement verifying that the declaration covered “the substance of what passed between [them].”
The purpose of the delegation was “to ascertain the motives & designs” of the Camp of Israel, since it was unclear to many observers what the camp intended to do upon reaching . An article in the Upper Missouri Enquirer, published in , Missouri, declared, “For the last six or eight weeks, the Mormons have been actively engaged in making preparations to return to , ‘the land of promise,’ by providing themselves with implements of war, such as guns, pistols, swords, &c. &c.” Once the Camp of Israel reached Clay County, the article continued, “they intend[ed] to call upon the Governor to reinstate them upon their lands in Jackson, and then, if molested,” were “determined to protect themselves, sword in hand.” Other reports were more provocative. One newspaper published two letters from a young man residing in , Missouri, who reported that “well armed” Mormons intended to cross the into Jackson County on 23 June and attack the residents. He stated that if this occurred, there would be “a battle, and probably much blood shed.” According to this account, some church members had also “predicted that , the county seat of Jackson, would flow with blood—the men should be slain, and the women become their slaves.”
Such reports heightened tensions in western . Missouri church leader wrote that, for some unknown reason, men from sounded the alarm in June that “‘the Mormons are coming;—they are now crossing the river—they are coming to kill, destroy.’” Women and children fled into the woods, and between two and three hundred men “gathered together, to oppose the ‘Mormons,’ as they supposed, in their return.” Because of these fears, Corrill explained, Jackson County citizens guarded river crossings and burned down improvements on Mormon lands, hoping to prevent church members from reentering the county.
On 12 June 1834, JS, who had previously received indications that governor was willing to call out the state militia on the Saints’ behalf, sent and to meet with Dunklin to request such assistance. What happened at this meeting is somewhat unclear. Pratt later remembered that the governor told them he did not “dare” call out the militia “for fear of deluging the whole country in civil war and bloodshed.” likewise recollected Pratt and Hyde stating that Dunklin “refused to fulfil his promise.” However, indicated that the governor had been prepared to provide a military escort for the Saints entering upon their request. also later recalled that a council of church leaders met “after the arrival of the brethren from the east” and decided “that it would not be wisdom to ask the Governor to set them back at that time,” given “the great wrath of the people, south of the river.” Clearly, Hyde and Pratt met with the governor, but it is possible that Missouri church leaders were not aware of the meeting or that Dunklin did not convey his resistance to calling out the militia as strongly as Pratt and Smith remembered. Dunklin had sought to avoid becoming directly involved in the conflict, hoping that the two sides could settle their disagreements peacefully without his intervention. But he did not rule out eventually helping the Saints in some way because of their “clear, and indisputable right” to their property.
Meanwhile, the Camp of Israel continued its march toward , crossing over the on 5 June and camping at the Allred settlement on the from 7 to 12 June. Here, the main contingent was joined by a group from , recruited and led by and . On 15 June, the combined groups crossed the Chariton River and were met by Bishop as he came from Clay County.
While the camp marched, church leaders in were working with citizens to negotiate a settlement according to ’s instructions. had volunteered to mediate the negotiating sessions. On 16 June, the two sides met in , Clay County, Missouri. After Ryland told the two groups “in an impressive and forcible manner” of “the destructive and inevitable consequences which would result from an obstinate refusal to bring this disagreeable and truely deplorable state of things to an amicable end,” the Jackson County committee proposed that either county residents buy church members’ land for twice the amount of the price set by three disinterested arbitrators or the church purchase all the “lands and improvements on public lands” currently held by Jackson County citizens within thirty days and under the same terms.
The negotiations notwithstanding, groups of men continued to threaten camp members as they traveled. The most serious threat came on 19 June when the expedition reached , approximately ten miles from . As the group set up camp on an elevated piece of land between the Little Fishing and Big Fishing rivers, they were approached by five armed men, who warned that the camp would “see hell before morning” and claimed that nearly four hundred men from , , , and were waiting to attack that night. However, a tremendous thunderstorm raged that night, dropping huge hailstones and swelling Fishing River to nearly forty feet deep, preventing the threatened attack. Camp members interpreted the storm as providential. For example, later recalled that “all were conscious that God was engaged in the conflict, and thankful that they were under his special care and kind protection.”
On 20 June, the camp moved toward , stopping on John Cooper’s property. The following day and the small delegation of citizens entered the camp. According to later recollections, after being introduced to JS, Gilliam told the camp that residents in western Missouri “were greatly excited” by the camp’s appearance and that “many inflammatory stories” were circulating, including that they “were two thousand strong,” had “several pecies [pieces] of artilery,” and “intended to kill all both grate and small.” Gilliam also gave the camp “instructions concerning the manners and customs of the people and their dispositions &c. and what course [they] should take in order to gain their favour and protection.” According to one account, perceiving that Gilliam and the other delegation members were “gentlemen that appeared to possess humane and republican feelings,” JS gave “an open and frank avowal” of the camp’s “views and intentions in emigrating to this country with their arms.” , a member of the expedition, later stated that the delegation was “very much afected” by JS’s words “and Some Shed tears.” Thereafter, put in writing the same sentiments that JS had expressed verbally, including a proposed settlement to the difficulty, and the statement was signed by JS and five other church members. Five men from the Missouri delegation signed the statement as well, and Gilliam provided a declaration of his purpose in approaching the camp.
By 23 June, others had seen the declaration, including Samuel C. Owens, chair of the committee, who dismissed it, claiming that it “was got up for the sole purpose of allaying public excitement against” the camp “and without much regard to their real object in coming here.” That same day, church leaders presented the Jackson County committee with the proposal outlined in the declaration, whereby church members would purchase the land of Jackson County residents who did not want to live by the Saints. On 26 June, Owens intimated that such a proposal was not acceptable. By that time, the Camp of Israel was beginning to disband in accordance with a 22 June 1834 revelation that stated camp participants no longer needed to redeem . JS hoped that the disbandment, which was hastened by an outbreak of cholera in the camp, would alleviate “the prejudices and fears” of those in . No armed confrontation between the camp and citizens ever took place. After the initial crisis passed, the Upper Missouri Enquirer published the declaration with ’s statement of purpose on 2 July 1834.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    “Amasa Lyman’s History,” LDS Millennial Star, 12 Aug. 1865, 27:502.

    Latter-day Saints’ Millennial Star. Manchester, England, 1840–1842; Liverpool, 1842–1932; London, 1932–1970.

  2. [2]

    John F. Ryland to Sidney Gilbert, Liberty, MO, 10 June 1834, William W. Phelps, Collection of Missouri Documents, CHL.

    Phelps, William W. Collection of Missouri Documents, 1833–1837. CHL. MS 657.

  3. [3]

    Sidney Gilbert et al. to Daniel Dunklin, 26 June 1834, William W. Phelps, Collection of Missouri Documents, CHL; see also “The Mormons,” Missouri Intelligencer and Boon’s Lick Advertiser (Columbia), 21 June 1834, [3].

    Phelps, William W. Collection of Missouri Documents, 1833–1837. CHL. MS 657.

    Missouri Intelligencer and Boon’s Lick Advertiser. Franklin, MO, 1819–1827; Fayette, MO, 1827–1830; Columbia, MO, 1830–1835.

  4. [4]

    The article from the Upper Missouri Enquirer is apparently no longer extant. It was reprinted in the 11 July 1834 issue of the Painesville Telegraph. (“The Mormon War,” Painesville [OH] Telegraph, 11 July 1834, [3].)

    Painesville Telegraph. Painesville, OH. 1822–1986.

  5. [5]

    “The Mormon Controversy,” Daily National Intelligencer (Washington DC), 23 July 1834, [3].

    Daily National Intelligencer. Washington DC. 1800–1869.

  6. [6]

    John Corrill, Clay Co., MO, 14 June 1834, Letter to the Editor, The Evening and the Morning Star, June 1834, 168.

    The Evening and the Morning Star. Independence, MO, June 1832–July 1833; Kirtland, OH, Dec. 1833–Sept. 1834.

  7. [7]

    A November 1833 statement by Missouri attorney general Robert Wells indicated that “an adequate force” would be sent to accompany the exiled Saints back to their Jackson County land if they so desired. In February 1834, Dunklin offered a militia escort to the Mormons to reoccupy their homes, but because of continued hostility in Jackson County, the Saints did not accept the offer. (Robert W. Wells, Jefferson City, MO, to Alexander Doniphan and David R. Atchison, 21 Nov. 1833, copy; Sidney Gilbert et al., Liberty, MO, to Daniel Dunklin, 5 June 1834, William W. Phelps, Collection of Missouri Documents, CHL; John F. Ryland, Liberty, MO, to David R. Atchison, 19 Feb. 1834, in “Mormon Difficulties,” Missouri Intelligencer and Boon’s Lick Advertiser [Columbia], 8 Mar. 1834, [1].)

    Phelps, William W. Collection of Missouri Documents, 1833–1837. CHL. MS 657.

    Missouri Intelligencer and Boon’s Lick Advertiser. Franklin, MO, 1819–1827; Fayette, MO, 1827–1830; Columbia, MO, 1830–1835.

  8. [8]

    Pratt, Autobiography, 123; George A. Smith, Autobiography, 31, 33.

    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.

    Smith, George A. Autobiography, ca. 1860–1882. George Albert Smith, Papers, 1834–1877. CHL. MS 1322, box 1, fd. 2.

  9. [9]

    William W. Phelps, Liberty, MO, to Daniel Dunklin, Jefferson City, MO, 1 Aug. 1834, copy, William W. Phelps, Collection of Missouri Documents, CHL.

    Phelps, William W. Collection of Missouri Documents, 1833–1837. CHL. MS 657.

  10. [10]

    “A History, of the Persecution,” Times and Seasons, Feb. 1840, 1:50. The council referred to may have been held by members of the Camp of Israel on 22 June 1834, when JS dictated a revelation telling the camp it was no longer necessary for them to redeem Zion. Alternatively, the council may have been held some distance from the expedition’s campsite on 21 June. John Whitmer noted in his daybook that he attended a council on 21 June before leaving to meet with the Camp of Israel on 22 June, but he did not provide any information about the items discussed at that council. (Revelation, 22 June 1834 [D&C 105]; Whitmer, Daybook, 21 and 22 June 1834; Cahoon, Autobiography, 43.)

    Times and Seasons. Commerce/Nauvoo, IL. Nov. 1839–Feb. 1846.

    Whitmer, John. Daybook, 1832–1878. CHL. MS 1159.

    Cahoon, William F. Autobiography, 1878. Microfilm. CHL. MS 8433.

  11. [11]

    Daniel Dunklin, Jefferson City, MO, to John Thornton, 6 June 1834, in “The Mormons,” Missouri Intelligencer and Boon’s Lick Advertiser (Columbia), 5 July 1834, [2].

    Missouri Intelligencer and Boon’s Lick Advertiser. Franklin, MO, 1819–1827; Fayette, MO, 1827–1830; Columbia, MO, 1830–1835.

  12. [12]

    Kimball, “Journal and Record,” 11–12; “Journal of the Branch of the Church of Christ in Pontiac,” 7–8; George A. Smith, Autobiography, 30–33.

    Kimball, Heber C. “The Journal and Record of Heber Chase Kimball an Apostle of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints,” ca. 1842–1858. Heber C. Kimball, Papers, 1837–1866. CHL. MS 627, box 1.

    “Journal of the Branch of the Church of Christ in Pontiac,” May–June 1834. CHL. MS 4610.

    Smith, George A. Autobiography, ca. 1860–1882. George Albert Smith, Papers, 1834–1877. CHL. MS 1322, box 1, fd. 2.

  13. [13]

    Samuel Norton and John Marsh, Independence, MO, to Amos Rees, Alexander Doniphan, and David R. Atchison, Liberty, MO, 9 June 1834, copy, William W. Phelps, Collection of Missouri Documents, CHL.

    Phelps, William W. Collection of Missouri Documents, 1833–1837. CHL. MS 657.

  14. [14]

    John F. Ryland to Sidney Gilbert, Liberty, MO, 10 June 1834, William W. Phelps, Collection of Missouri Documents, CHL.

    Phelps, William W. Collection of Missouri Documents, 1833–1837. CHL. MS 657.

  15. [15]

    “The Mormons,” Missouri Intelligencer and Boon’s Lick Advertiser (Columbia), 28 June 1834, [3].

    Missouri Intelligencer and Boon’s Lick Advertiser. Franklin, MO, 1819–1827; Fayette, MO, 1827–1830; Columbia, MO, 1830–1835.

  16. [16]

    “Proposition of the Jackson Committee to the Mormons and Their Answer,” 16 June 1834, William W. Phelps, Collection of Missouri Documents, CHL.

    Phelps, William W. Collection of Missouri Documents, 1833–1837. CHL. MS 657.

  17. [17]

    Baldwin, Account of Zion’s Camp, 12; George A. Smith, Autobiography, 36–37. For similar sentiments, see Kimball, “Journal and Record,” 12–14; McBride, Reminiscence, 5–6; Holbrook, Reminiscences, 37–38; and Hancock, Autobiography, 144–146.

    Baldwin, Nathan Bennett. Account of Zion’s Camp, 1882. Typescript. CHL. MS 499.

    Smith, George A. Autobiography, ca. 1860–1882. George Albert Smith, Papers, 1834–1877. CHL. MS 1322, box 1, fd. 2.

    Kimball, Heber C. “The Journal and Record of Heber Chase Kimball an Apostle of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints,” ca. 1842–1858. Heber C. Kimball, Papers, 1837–1866. CHL. MS 627, box 1.

    McBride, Reuben, Sr. Reminiscence, no date. CHL. MS 8197.

    Holbrook, Joseph. Autobiography and Journal, not before 1871. Photocopy. CHL. MS 5004. Original in private possession.

    Hancock, Levi Ward. Autobiography, 1803–1836. New Mormon Studies CD-ROM: A Comprehensive Resource Library, 2009. CHL.

  18. [18]

    Holbrook, Reminiscences, 37–38; “Amasa Lyman’s History,” LDS Millennial Star, 12 Aug. 1865, 27:502.

    Holbrook, Joseph. Autobiography and Journal, not before 1871. Photocopy. CHL. MS 5004. Original in private possession.

    Latter-day Saints’ Millennial Star. Manchester, England, 1840–1842; Liverpool, 1842–1932; London, 1932–1970.

  19. [19]

    Sidney Gilbert et al. to Daniel Dunklin, 26 June 1834, William W. Phelps, Collection of Missouri Documents, CHL; Baldwin, Account of Zion’s Camp, 13.

    Phelps, William W. Collection of Missouri Documents, 1833–1837. CHL. MS 657.

    Baldwin, Nathan Bennett. Account of Zion’s Camp, 1882. Typescript. CHL. MS 499.

  20. [20]

    Baldwin, Account of Zion’s Camp, 13; Noble and Noble, Reminiscences, [7]–[8].

    Baldwin, Nathan Bennett. Account of Zion’s Camp, 1882. Typescript. CHL. MS 499.

    Noble, Joseph B., and Mary Adeline Beman Noble. Reminiscences, ca. 1836. CHL. MS 1031, fd. 1.

  21. [21]

    Kimball, “Journal and Record,” 15.

    Kimball, Heber C. “The Journal and Record of Heber Chase Kimball an Apostle of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints,” ca. 1842–1858. Heber C. Kimball, Papers, 1837–1866. CHL. MS 627, box 1.

  22. [22]

    Sidney Gilbert et al. to Daniel Dunklin, 26 June 1834, William W. Phelps, Collection of Missouri Documents, CHL. Heber C. Kimball later recollected that JS “gave a relation of the sufferings of our people in Jackson co and also of all our persecutions and what we had suffered by our enemies for our religion; and that we had come 1000 miles to assist our brethren, to bring them clothing, and to reinstate them upon their own lands: that we had no intentions to molest or injure any people but only to administer to the wants of our afflicted brethren.” Levi Hancock, however, remembered Lyman Wight delivering the speech. (Kimball, “Journal and Record,” 14; Hancock, Autobiography, 146.)

    Phelps, William W. Collection of Missouri Documents, 1833–1837. CHL. MS 657.

    Kimball, Heber C. “The Journal and Record of Heber Chase Kimball an Apostle of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints,” ca. 1842–1858. Heber C. Kimball, Papers, 1837–1866. CHL. MS 627, box 1.

    Hancock, Levi Ward. Autobiography, 1803–1836. New Mormon Studies CD-ROM: A Comprehensive Resource Library, 2009. CHL.

  23. [23]

    McBride, Reminiscence, 6.

    McBride, Reuben, Sr. Reminiscence, no date. CHL. MS 8197.

  24. [24]

    At least two manuscript copies of Gilliam’s statement and the camp’s declaration may have been made. Samuel C. Owens asserted in a 23 June 1834 letter to the editors of the Upper Missouri Enquirer that a copy had been furnished both to him and to the newspaper. He noted that the “said communication . . . bears the signatures of Joseph Smith, jr. F. G. Williams, Lyman Wight, Roger Orton, Orson Hyde, and John S. Carter,” indicating that his copy had original signatures. Owens’s letter was published in the Upper Missouri Enquirer and reprinted in a few other publications, including the 8 August 1834 issue of the Painesville Telegraph. (“Propositions of the Mormons,” Painesville [OH] Telegraph, 8 Aug. 1834, [2]–[3].)

    Painesville Telegraph. Painesville, OH. 1822–1986.

  25. [25]

    “Propositions of the Mormons,” Painesville (OH) Telegraph, 8 Aug. 1834, [3].

    Painesville Telegraph. Painesville, OH. 1822–1986.

  26. [26]

    William W. Phelps et al., Clay Co., MO, to Samuel C. Owens et al., 23 June 1834; Samuel C. Owens, Independence, MO, to Amos Rees, Liberty, MO, 26 June 1834, William W. Phelps, Collection of Missouri Documents, CHL; Revelation, 22 June 1834 [D&C 105].

    Phelps, William W. Collection of Missouri Documents, 1833–1837. CHL. MS 657.

  27. [27]

    Letter to John Thornton et al., 25 June 1834; Baldwin, Account of Zion’s Camp, 14; Holbrook, Reminiscences, 38; George A. Smith, Autobiography, 39–40.

    Baldwin, Nathan Bennett. Account of Zion’s Camp, 1882. Typescript. CHL. MS 499.

    Holbrook, Joseph. Autobiography and Journal, not before 1871. Photocopy. CHL. MS 5004. Original in private possession.

    Smith, George A. Autobiography, ca. 1860–1882. George Albert Smith, Papers, 1834–1877. CHL. MS 1322, box 1, fd. 2.

  28. [28]

    The Evening and the Morning Star notes the publication of these statements in the 2 July 1834 issue of the Upper Missouri Enquirer, but a copy of this issue has not been located. Several other newspapers, including The Evening and the Morning Star, the Painesville Telegraph, and the Democrat in Huntsville, Alabama, reprinted the published statements as well. (The Evening and the Morning Star, July 1834, 176; “The Mormon War” and “Propositions of the Mormons,” Painesville [OH] Telegraph, 8 Aug. 1834, [2]–[3]; “The Mormon Controversy,” Democrat [Huntsville, AL], 13 Aug. 1834, [3].)

    The Evening and the Morning Star. Independence, MO, June 1832–July 1833; Kirtland, OH, Dec. 1833–Sept. 1834.

    Painesville Telegraph. Painesville, OH. 1822–1986.

    Democrat. Huntsville, AL. 1823–1862.

Asterisk (*) denotes a "featured" version, which includes an introduction and annotation. *Declaration, 21 June 1834 Declaration, 21 June 1834, as Published in Howe, Mormonism Unvailed Declaration, 21 June 1834, as Published in The Evening and the Morning Star Declaration, 21 June 1834, as Published in Evening and Morning Star History, 1838–1856, volume A-1 [23 December 1805–30 August 1834] “History of Joseph Smith”

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Editorial Title
Declaration, 21 June 1834
ID #
2000
Total Pages
4
Print Volume Location
JSP, D4:59–69
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