JS, History, 1838–1856, vol. D-1, created 4 July 1845–4 Feb. 1846 and 1 July 1854–2 May 1855; handwriting of , Robert L. Campbell, and ; 275 pages, plus 6 pages of addenda; CHL. This is the fourth volume of a six-volume manuscript history of the church. This fourth volume covers the period from 1 Aug. 1842 to 1 July 1843; the remaining five volumes, labeled A-1, B-1, C-1, E-1 and F-1, continue through 8 Aug. 1844.
Historical Introduction
History, 1838–1856, volume D-1, constitutes the fourth of six volumes documenting the life of Joseph Smith and the early years of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The series is also known as the Manuscript History of the Church and was originally published serially from 1842 to 1846 and 1851 to 1858 as the “History of Joseph Smith” in the Times and Seasons and Deseret News. This volume contains JS’s history from 1 August 1842 to 1 July 1843, and it was compiled after JS’s death.
The material recorded in volume D-1 was initially compiled under the direction of church historian , with the assistance of . After Richards’s death in 1854, continued work on the volume as the new church historian with Bullock’s continued help. The process adopted by Richards and Bullock involved Richards creating a set of rough draft notes and Bullock transcribing the notes into the volume along with the text of designated documents (such as letters and meeting minutes). George A. Smith followed a similar pattern, though he dictated the draft notes to Bullock and other scribes.
According to the Church Historian’s Office journal, finished the third volume of the series, volume C-1, on Thursday, 3 July 1845, in , Illinois. He began work on the fourth volume, D-1, the next day, beginning on page 1362 with the entry for 1 August 1842. (The pages in volumes A-1–E-1 were numbered consecutively.) Bullock continued work on the record, drawing upon ’s draft notes, until 3 February 1846—the day before D-1 and the other volumes were packed up in preparation for the Latter-day Saints’ exodus from Nauvoo. At that point he had reached page 1485 with the entry for 28 February 1843. Subsequently, apparently after the collection had arrived in Utah, Bullock added a brief comment beneath that entry: “end of W. Richard’s compiling[.] the books packed Feby. 4— 1846 in Nauvoo[.] Miles Romney— present. The records carried by T Bullock from Winter Quarters to G S L [Great Salt Lake] City in 1848.”
A notation at the top of page 1486 reports that “the books were unpacked in G. S. L. City by and . June 7. 1853. J[onathan] Grimshaw & Miles Romney present.” Vertically, in the margin, is a poignant epitaph: “Decr. 1 1853 Dr. Willard Richards wrote one line of History—being sick at the time—and was never able to do any more.” With Richards’s death on 11 March 1854, JS’s cousin was called to the office of church historian. The notation on the top of page 1486 acknowledges this change in officers, noting, “commencement of George A. Smith’s compiling as Historian. April 13. 1854[.] [C]ommenced copying July 1. 1854.” From mid-April to the end of June 1854, George A. Smith, in collaboration with Thomas Bullock, worked on the draft notes for the history before a new scribe, , resumed writing in D-1 on 1 July 1854, beginning with the entry for 1 March 1843.
continued transcribing intermittently into the late fall of 1854, when he was assigned other duties in the Historian’s Office. He had reached page 1546 with the entry for 5 May 1843. Work resumed in February 1855 in the hand of Robert L. Campbell, recently returned from a mission. He concluded volume D-1 on the morning of 2 May 1855 and began writing in E-1 that afternoon.
The 274 pages of volume D-1 contain a record of much that is significant in the life of JS and the development of the church he founded. Among these events are
• JS’s 6 August 1842 prophecy that the Saints would become a mighty people in the midst of the Rocky Mountains.
•JS’s 8 August 1842 arrest on a warrant for being “an accessory before the fact” to an attack on former governor .
• ’s 17 August 1842 letter to governor , pleading for the humane treatment of her husband and family.
•JS’s 1 and 6 September 1842 instructions regarding the proper procedures for performing baptisms for the dead.
• JS’s 15 November 1842 “Valedictory” as he stepped down as editor of the Times and Seasons.
• The 26 December 1842 arrest of JS on a “proclamation” by former governor , and subsequent hearing in , Illinois.
• The 7 February 1843 recovery of a volume of patriarchal blessings given by , which had been stolen in , Missouri.
• JS’s 21 February 1843 remarks regarding the and .
• JS’s 2 April 1843 instruction at , Illinois, on the nature of God and other subjects.
• JS’s 16 May 1843 remarks at , Illinois, on the everlasting covenant and eternal marriage.
• The account of JS’s 23 June 1843 arrest and his hearing the following week at .
<August 14> deference in the consideration of the lives, safety, and welfare of others. But if this policy cannot accomplish the desired object, let our Charter and—— Municipality; free trade and sailors rights be our motto, and go-a-head David Crockett like, and lay down our lives like men, and defend ourselves to the best advantage we can to the very last. You are therefore hereby authorized and commanded, by virtue of the authority which I hold, and commission granted me by the Executive of this , to maintain the very letter, and spirit of the above contents of this letter, to the very best of your ability; to the extend of our lives, and our fortunes; and to the lives and the fortunes of the legion; as also all those who may volunteer their lives and fortunes with ours; for the defence of our wives and children, our fathers and our mothers; our homes, our grave yards, and our tombs; and our dead and their tombstones, and our dear bought American liberties with the blood of our fathers, and all that is dear and sacred to man. Shall we shrink at the onset? no! let every man’s brow be as the face of a Lion; let his heart be unshaken as the might oak, and his knee confirmed as the sapling of the Forest; and by the voice and loud roar of the Cannon; and the loud peals and thundering of Artillery; and by the voice of the thunderings of heaven as upon Mount Sinai; and by the voice of the heavenly hosts; and by the voice of the Eternal God; and by the voice of innocent blood; and by the voice of innocence; and by the voice of all that is sacred and dear to man, let us plead the justice of our cause; trusting in the arm of Jehovah, the Eloheem who sits enthroned in the heavens: that peradventure he may give us the victory; and if we bleed, we shall bleed in a good cause— in the cause of innocence and truth: and from henceforth will there not be a crown of glory for us? And will not those who come after us, hold our names in sacred—— remembrance? and will our enemies dare to brand us with cowardly reproach? With these considerations, I subscribe myself— Yours most faithfully and—— respectfully with acknowledgments of your high and honored trusts as Major General of the Legion— Joseph Smith, Mayor of the City of and Lieutenant General of the Legion of Militia— P. S. I want you to communicate all the information to me, of all the transactions, as they are going on daily, in writing, by the hand of my [HC 5:94] Aides-de-Camp. As I am not willing that any thing that goes from my hands to you should be made a public matter, I enjoin upon you to keep all things in your own bosom; and I want every thing that comes from you to come through my Aids. The bearer of this will be able to pilot them in a way that will not be prejudicial to my safety— Joseph Smith—“
I gave the foregoing letter to with a charge to deliver it to tomorrow. After considerable conversation on various subjects and partaking of dinner Emma accompanied by brothers and started for . The morning had been very wet and the roads were very muddy— It was difficult walking, they proceeded to the and entered a skiff in which they proceeded across the and then down the side of the — soon after they got on the water, the wind began to blow very hard and it was with much difficulty and apparent danger that they could proceed, but they continued on, and after considerable toil arrived opposite the City of . they went between the and crossed over the to . As soon as they landed the wind abated, and was nearly calm. wanted to return up the without the additional [p. 1367]