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 .
<June 15> His account of the Military displays in where Smith’s Legion as it is called, turns out, is very interesting and exciting. He spoke of the six Ladies on horses, with white feathers or Plumes waving over black velvet, riding up and down in front of the Legion. This must appear singular, at least to a Yankee.
He has had personal interviews with Joseph; and to sum up his character in a word; he is a jolly fellow: and according to his view, he is one of the last persons on earth whom God would have raised up as a Prophet or Priest, he is so diametrically opposite to that which he ought to be, in order to merit the titles or to act in such offices. Among others, he is very sociable, easy, cheerful, kind and obliging, and very hospitable.
We have seen , a brother of Joseph’s and heard him preach, and conversed with him about his religion, its origin and progress; and we heard him declare, in this in public, that what is recorded about the plates is God’s solemn truth. [HC 5:432] He declared to us in the , in this , that the statements are true, and called upon God with uplifted hands as a witness. We think it would be very interesting to the good people of Salem, and in fact to the whole Eastern States, to have the prophet. come and make us a visit. We very much doubt whether there is a man on earth, who would create so much excitement and deep interest, at least, for the time being, as the Prophet.”
The Times and Seasons of this date has the following.
“The past year has been distinguished by calamities. In some instances, the elements seem to have been commissioned to perform the work of destruction to an awful extent, and unprecedented severity. Three of the greatest calamities that have occurred within a century, happened within the short period of one hundred hours. The terrible fire at Hamburg, which destroyed 2,000 houses, and nearly $30,000,<000> of property, in the fairest portion of the city, was followed in less than two days by the earthquake at St. Domingo. In this earthquake the towns of Cape Haytian and Santiago, sixty miles apart, were entirely destroyed, and not less than 7,500 of the inhabitants perished. On the very next day while St. Domingo was yet rocking with shocks of the earthquake, and the ruins of Hamburg were not three days old, a train of cars filled with passengers on the railroad from Paris to Versailles, were thrown from the track, and set on fire by the engine. Before the passengers, who were locked in, could be removed, seventy of them perished in the flames. More recently the city of has suffered by fire to an extent only surpassed by the fire at Hamburg. In this country, the cities of Portland, , Charleston and Columbia, have suffered severely from the same cause. At one period of several weeks during the year, it was estimated that the loss of steamboats on the Western waters averaged one a day. In connexion with six of the Boats, 200 lives were lost. If to all this we add the loss of life at Sea, which has been unusually great the past year, we must regard it as a year of calamities.” [p. 1578]