JS, History, 1838–1856, vol. E-1, created 20 Aug. 1855–5 Apr. 1856; handwriting of Robert L. Campbell, , and Jonathan Grimshaw; 392 pages, plus 11 pages of addenda; CHL. This is the fifth volume of a six-volume manuscript history of the church. This fifth volume covers the period from 1 July 1843 to 30 Apr. 1844; the remaining five volumes, labeled A-1, B-1, C-1, D-1, and F-1, continue through 8 Aug. 1844.
Historical Introduction
History, 1838–1856, volume E-1, constitutes the fifth 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 July 1843 to 30 April 1844, and it was compiled in Utah Territory in the mid-1850s.
The material recorded in volume E-1 was initially compiled under the direction of church historian , who was JS’s cousin. Smith collaborated with in collecting material for the history and creating a set of draft notes that Smith dictated to Bullock and other clerks.
Robert L. Campbell, a recently returned missionary and member of the Historian’s Office staff, transcribed ’s notes into the volume along with the text of designated documents (such as letters and meeting minutes). The Church Historian’s Office journal entry for 2 May 1855 pinpoints the beginning of his work: “R. L. C. on Book D forenoon, afternoon began book E.” Campbell’s work on the volume apparently concluded on 5 April 1856; entries in the Historian’s Office journal indicate that he then moved on to other assignments while another clerk, Jonathan Grimshaw, began work on volume F-1, the last manuscript in the series. (Historian’s Office, Journal, 2 May 1855; 5 and 9 Apr. 1856.)
Volume E-1 contains 391 pages of primary text and 11 pages of addenda. The initial entry on page 1637 is a continuation of the 1 July 1843 entry that closed volume D-1. The final entry in volume E-1 is for 30 April 1844.
The 391 pages of volume E-1 document a crucial period of JS’s life and the history of the church. Important events recorded here include
• An account of JS’s 2 July 1843 meeting with several Pottawatamie chiefs.
• JS’s 4 July 1843 address regarding his recent arrest, the Legion, and Mormon voting practices.
• JS’s 12 July 1843 dictation of a revelation regarding eternal marriage, including the plurality of wives, in the presence of and .
• The 13 August 1843 disfellowshipment of and revocation of his priesthood license.
• Dispatch of the first missionaries to the Pacific Islands on 20 September 1843, led by .
• JS’s 1 October 1843 announcement of ’s appointment to a mission to Russia.
• Minutes of a 6–9 October 1843 general conference inserted under the date of 9 October at which pled his case in regard to his 13 August 1843 disfellowshipment and was permitted to continue as counselor in the First Presidency.
• Text of JS’s appeal to the Green Mountain Boys of , inserted under the date of 29 November 1843.
• A 20 January 1844 entry that includes a poem by commemorating the presentation of two copies of the Book of Mormon to Queen Victoria and Prince Albert by .
• JS’s nomination on 29 January 1844 as an independent candidate for the presidency of the .
<July 12> in the eternal worlds, that they may bear the souls of men: for herein is the work of my Father continued, that he may be glorified. [HC 5:506]
And again, verily, verily I say unto you, if any man have a wife who holds the keys of this power, and he teaches unto her the law of my Priesthood, as pertaining to these things; then shall she believe, and administer unto him, or she shall be destroyed, saith the Lord your God, for I will destroy her; for I will magnify my name upon all those who receive and abide in my law. Therefore, it shall be lawful in me, if she receive not this law, for him to receive all things, whatsoever I the Lord his God will give unto him, because she did not believe and administer unto him, according to my word; and she then becomes the transgressor, and he is exempt from the law of Sarah, who administered unto Abraham according to the law, when I commanded Abraham to take Hager to wife.— And now, as pertaining to this law,— verily, verily I say unto you, I will reveal more unto you, hereafter: therefore, let this suffice for the present.— Behold, I am Alpha and Omega:— Amen.
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took the Revelation and read it to
I directed to make out deeds of certain lots of land to and the children.
I extract from the Neighbor,
“Joseph Smith is at in peace, quietly pursuing his own business; where we hope he will long remain free from the power of his inhuman persecutors.
The testimony already given needs no comment. It shows but too plainly the inhumanity, recklessness, barbarism and lawlessness of the state of ; and we could wish for the sake of humanity, for the sake of suffering innocence, and for the sake of our honored institutions, that our nation’s escutcheon had never been stained by the inhuman acts and bloody deeds of , and that the non-efficiency of the nation to execute law had not been so fully developed. But it is too true; we have witnessed most of the things mentioned by Mr. Smith, and we have also witnessed the carelessness and apathy of Congress on this subject, or their inefficiency to remedy the evil, the which, had it been fully investigated and the perpetrators of those damning crimes brought to condign punishment, it would have exposed a blacker history then ever was written of any Pagan, not to say Christian nation, and would have exposed half of that to the charge of treason, murder, robbery, arson, burglary and extermination. [HC 5:507]
As it is, the blood of the innocent yet cries for vengeance; and if it overtakes them not here, and God spares my breath, if no one else does it, their deeds shall be handed down to posterity, that unborn generations may execrate these anti-republico-cannibals, and tell that in the State of lived a horde of savages protected and shielded by American Republican legislative authority, who in the face of open day dragged the innocent to prison because of their religion; who murdered the oppressed that they [p. 1674]