History, 1838–1856, volume D-1 [1 August 1842–1 July 1843]
History, 1838–1856, volume D-1 [1 August 1842–1 July 1843]
Source Note
Source Note
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
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 .
Footnotes
<January 6> And afterwards on the said 31st. day of December aforesaid the said Writ of was returned, with returns endorsed thereon in the words and figures following
I Sheriff of do hereby return to the within writ that the within named Joseph Smith is in my Custody by virtue of a Warrant issued by the of the State of upon the requisition of the of the State of made on the Affidavit of and a copy of the said Warrant requisition and affidavit is hereunto annexed dated December 31. 1842
Shff Illinois.
I do return to the within writ that the said Joseph [HC 5:238] Smith is in my Custody by virtue of an arrest made by me of his body under and by virtue of a Proclamation of the of the State of a copy whereof is hereunto annexed
dated December 31. 1842 Wilson Law
The return to the within Writ of Habeas Corpus appears by the foregoing returns and the Schedule hereunto annexed, and the body of said Joseph Smith is in Court
December 31. 1842 U. S. Marshall Dist. of
And afterwards to wit on the same day aforesaid upon the return of the said Writ of Habeas Corpus the following orders were made in this cause.
In the matter of Joseph Smith On Habeas Corpus
and having made return to the writ of Habeas Corpus issued in this cause and brought the body of the said Joseph Smith into Court, on motion of his Attorney, it is ordered that the said Joseph Smith be admitted to bail; and thereupon come the said Joseph Smith in proper person, principal, and and sureties and severally acknowledge themselves to owe and be indebted to the in the sum of two thousand dollars each to be levied of their respective goods and chattels lands and s, but to be void on condition that the said Joseph Smith shall be and appear before the Circuit Court of the for the District of now setting, from day to day, and shall not depart without leave of the Court— And thereupon it is ordered that this cause be set for hearing on Monday next— And it is further ordered that the of , and the be informed by the Marshal that Joseph Smith arrested on a warrant issued for his apprehension by the of 31st. December 1842, is before this Court on habeas corpus, and that the case will be heard on Monday January 2nd. 1843 and that a copy of this order be handed to each of those officers.
It is ordered that the Governor of and the be informed by the Marshal that Joseph Smith arrested on a warrant issued for his apprehension by the Governor of 31st. Decr. 1842, is before this Court on a writ of habeas corpus— and that the case will be heard on Monday 2nd. January 1843— and that a copy of this order be handed to each of those Officers. [HC 5:239]
)
District of )
I Clerk of the Circuit Court of the for the District aforesaid do certify that the foregoing is a true copy of an order passed by said Court the 31st. day of December 1842
| Seal | In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name and affixed the seal of said Court at this 31st. day of December A.D. 1842. |
Clk [p. 1448]
Source Note
Source Note
Document Transcript
Document Information
Document Information
Footnotes
Footnotes
- [293]
Order, 2 Jan. 1843, JS Collection, CHL.
- [294]
TEXT: “Seal” enclosed in a hand-drawn representation of a seal.
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