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Letter to Silas Smith, 26 September 1833

Source Note

JS, Letter, , Geauga Co., OH, to , , St. Lawrence Co., NY, 26 Sept. 1833. Featured version copied [ca. Oct. 1855] in Jesse Smith, Autobiography and Journal, 2–5; handwriting of Jesse Smith; CHL.
Jesse Smith’s autobiography and journal was inscribed in a large, commercially produced blank book. The book’s ledger paper is horizontally ruled with two red lines above forty faint blue lines on each page. The book underwent conservation efforts in the mid-1990s. The leaves measure 14 × 8⅝ inches (36 × 22 cm). The volume measures 14½ × 10 × 2¼ inches (37 × 25 × 6 cm). The volume contains 655 inscribed pages followed by 31 blank pages. The first 23 pages contain Smith’s autobiography and his family history. Included in those 23 pages are a transcript of the letter featured here; the conversion story of his father, ; a copy of Jesse’s patriarchal blessing; and Jesse’s family history to October 1855. In October 1855, Jesse Smith began using the ledger as a journal. This volume was used as Smith’s personal journal in Utah and Arizona from 1855 until his death in 1906. The last entry is dated 5 June 1906.
It is likely that passed the original letter to his son Jesse Smith, who kept it but wanted to make a second copy. It is unknown when Jesse Smith’s volume was donated to the Church History Library or by whom. This journal was labeled “Journal #174” by staff of Church History Library and was received by the Church Historian’s Office prior to the 1940s when clerk Alice M. Rich transcribed its contents.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    Jesse Smith, Autobiography and Journal, typescript, CHL.

    Smith, Jesse Nathaniel. Autobiography and Journal, 1855-1906. Typescript, not before 1940. CHL. MS 1489, fd. 2.

Historical Introduction

JS wrote this 26 September 1833 letter, defending the idea of modern-day revelation, to his uncle , who resided in , New York. Besides Silas and his family, several other relatives of JS lived in the Stockholm area at this time, including his grandmother Mary Duty Smith and his uncles Jesse and and their families.
, then a Presbyterian, was aware of his nephew’s revelations and of the Book of Mormon. According to a later history written by Silas’s son Jesse Smith, and his son visited Silas and other family members in 1830. Although Silas received the testimony of his family members “concerning the Latter day Work,” he was “slow about yielding obedience to the Gospel owing to the determined opposition” of his wife, Mary Aikens, and his brother Jesse, an ardent opponent of JS and the . Silas likely discussed the Church of Christ and its beliefs in new scripture and modern-day revelation with his brother in the year prior to receiving this letter. John was in January 1832, and from July 1832 to late April 1833, he proselytized and held church meetings around the area. Sometime in late 1832, John “went to Stockholm [and was] put up for the night at my Brothers,” and in early March 1833 he spent an evening with “Br. Silas” and had a conversation with him on “spiritual things.” John returned to , Ohio, in late May 1833 and undoubtedly told JS of his proselytizing efforts.
JS’s objective in this 26 September letter was to persuade his uncle that it was both scripturally sound and reasonable that God would speak to prophets in modern times as he did in biblical times. Most Christians of the era believed that the canon of scripture was closed and found the idea of additional canonical revelation to be repugnant, even blasphemous. This letter is a prime example of the Mormon argument for modern and continuing revelation. In the letter, JS heavily referenced books from both the Old and New Testaments to demonstrate that each age needs to hear the voice of God anew. The ideas expressed in this letter appeared again in the second installment of a serialized letter written by “the of the Church in ” and published in The Evening and the Morning Star in early 1834.
JS closed this letter by expressing his hope that would eventually join the Church of Christ. Jesse Smith, Silas’s son, recorded that his father received this letter from JS and that Silas “was baptized in the summer of 1835 by , and in the spring of 1836 emigrated to , Ohio,” with family members, including his aged mother, Mary Duty Smith.
Jesse Smith transcribed the letter featured here in its entirety into the family history portion of his journal in 1855. He apparently copied the original letter sent by JS, which was evidently still in the possession of the family at the time because the transcript included postal information not contained in any other extant version; Jesse’s copy appears to be the most complete and accurate extant copy. Martha Jane Knowlton Coray transcribed a copy of JS’s letter to for ’s history in the mid-1840s. However, that version varies significantly from the text featured here in words, phrases, and punctuation. Some of the variants in the Coray copy make the wording of the letter less clear when compared to Jesse Smith’s transcript. In addition, the Coray copy includes some later, Utah-era redactions and insertions that appear to have been made to match the version in Jesse’s journal. Significant differences between these two versions are noted in footnotes throughout the following transcript.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    Jesse Smith, Autobiography and Journal, 2.

    Smith, Jesse Nathaniel. Autobiography and Journal, 1855-1906. CHL. MS 1489, fd. 1.

  2. [2]

    John Smith, Journal, [Dec. 1832], 11; 8 Mar. 1833. John did not specify that he stayed with Silas, and he could have been referring to his other brother, Asahel Smith, who also lived in Stockholm. It is likely, but not certain, that the “Br. Silas” in John’s journal refers to Silas Smith. (Jesse Smith, Autobiography and Journal, 2.)

    Smith, John (1781-1854). Journal, 1833–1841. John Smith, Papers, 1833-1854. CHL. MS 1326, box 1.

    Smith, Jesse Nathaniel. Autobiography and Journal, 1855-1906. CHL. MS 1489, fd. 1.

  3. [3]

    For more information on these theological views that were common in nineteenth-century America, see Holland, Sacred Borders.

    Holland, David F. Sacred Borders: Continuing Revelation and Canonical Restraint in Early America. New York: Oxford University Press, 2011.

  4. [4]

    See Letter to the Church, ca. Mar. 1834.

  5. [5]

    Jesse Smith, Autobiography and Journal, 6. According to a letter from Hyrum Smith, “[It is the will] of god that uncle Silas Should fetch granmother in spite of [all the devils there] are out of Haadees & god will Bless Him in So doing & give her Strinth [to endure the jou]rney.” John Smith wrote in his journal that he returned to Kirtland on 18 May 1836 and “found our mother and brethren from the east.” (Hyrum Smith, Kirtland, OH, to Elias Smith, East Stockholm, NY, 27 Feb. 1836, CHL, missing text supplied from Smith, Life of Joseph F. Smith, 116; John Smith, Journal, 18 May 1836; Elias Smith, Journal, 17–18 May 1836.)

    Smith, Jesse Nathaniel. Autobiography and Journal, 1855-1906. CHL. MS 1489, fd. 1.

    Smith, Hyrum. Letter, Kirtland, OH, to Elias Smith, East Stockholm, NY, 27 Feb. 1836. CHL. MS 4950.

    Smith, Joseph Fielding. Life of Joseph F. Smith, Sixth President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City: Deseret News, 1938.

    Smith, John (1781-1854). Journal, 1833–1841. John Smith, Papers, 1833-1854. CHL. MS 1326, box 1.

    Smith, Elias. Journals, 1836–1888. CHL. MS 1319.

  6. [6]

    Jesse’s journal begins with a family history. He began writing in this journal in 1855. (Jesse Smith, Autobiography and Journal, 2–5.)

    Smith, Jesse Nathaniel. Autobiography and Journal, 1855-1906. CHL. MS 1489, fd. 1.

Asterisk (*) denotes a "featured" version, which includes an introduction and annotation. Lucy Mack Smith, History, 1845 *Letter to Silas Smith, 26 September 1833

Page 5

Saints in ancient days, were saved in the Kingdom of God; neither do I doubt but that they held converse and communion with Him while they were in the flesh, as Paul said to his Corinthian brethren that the Lord Jesus showed Himself to above five hundred Saints at one time after His resurrection. Job said that he knew that his Redeemer lived and that he should see Him in the flesh in the latter days. I may believe that Enoch walked with God and by faith was translated. I may believe that Noah was a perfect man in his generation and also walked with God. I may believe that Abraham communed with God and conversed with angels. I may believe that Isaac obtained a renewal of the covenant made to Abraham by the direct voice of the Lord. I may believe that Jacob conversed with holy angels, and heard the voice of his Maker, that he wrestled with the angel until he prevailed and obtained the blessing. I may believe that Elijah was taken to Heaven in a chariot of fire with fiery horses. I may believe that the saints saw the Lord and conversed with Him face to face after His resurrection. I may believe that the Hebrew Church came to Mount Zion, and unto the city of the Living God the Heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels. I may believe that they looked into eternity, and saw the Judge of all, and Jesus the Mediator of the New Covenant. But will all this purchase an assurance for me, and waft me to the regions of eternal day and seat me down in the presence of the King of Kings with my garments spotless pure and white?
Or must I not rather obtain for myself by my own faith and diligence in keeping the commandments of the Lord, an assurance of salvation for myself? And have I not an equal privilege with the ancient Saints? And will not the Lord hear my prayers and listen to my cries as soon as he ever did to theirs, if I come to him in the manner they did? Or, is he a respecter of persons?
So I must close this subject for want of time, and I may with propriety say at the beginning
We would be glad to see you in , we would be glad to see you embrace the New Covenant and be one with us, we sometimes think you are now one with us in heart.
I remain yours affectionately
Joseph Smith Jun
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Source Note

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Page 5

Document Information

Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Letter to Silas Smith, 26 September 1833
ID #
7970
Total Pages
4
Print Volume Location
JSP, D3:301–308
Handwriting on This Page
  • Frederick G. Williams

Footnotes

  1. [27]

    Instead of “Him,” the copy in Lucy Mack Smith’s history has “them.” (Lucy Mack Smith, History, 1845, 231.)

  2. [28]

    1 Corinthians 15:6.

  3. [29]

    Job 19:25.

  4. [30]

    See Genesis 5:24.

  5. [31]

    See Genesis 6:9. In the copy in Lucy Mack Smith’s history, this sentence was missing. Robert Campbell, a clerk in the Church’s Historian’s Office in the 1850s and 1860s, later inserted the following sentence into the history: “I may [believe] that Noah was a perfect man in his generation & also walked with God.” In his role as clerk, Campbell may have become aware that Jesse Smith owned the original sent copy of this JS letter and added this sentence based on what appears in that version. (Lucy Mack Smith, History, 1845, 231.)

  6. [32]

    See Genesis 17:1; 22:11, 15.

  7. [33]

    See Genesis 26:2–5.

  8. [34]

    Instead of “voice,” the copy in Lucy Mack Smith’s history has “word.” (Lucy Mack Smith, History, 1845, 231.)

  9. [35]

    See Genesis 32:24–32.

  10. [36]

    See 2 Kings 2:11.

  11. [37]

    See Luke 24:13–51; John 20:19–31; and Acts 1:3–9.

  12. [38]

    See Hebrews 12:22–24.

  13. [39]

    Instead of “and,” the copy in Lucy Mack Smith’s history has “or.” (Lucy Mack Smith, History, 1845, 232.)

  14. [40]

    The copy in Lucy Mack Smith’s history omits the passage “and seat me down in the presence of the King of Kings.” (Lucy Mack Smith, History, 1845, 232.)

  15. [41]

    See Acts 10:34.

  16. [42]

    Instead of “glad,” the copy in Lucy Mack Smith’s history has “pleased.” (Lucy Mack Smith, History, 1845, 232.)

  17. [43]

    Instead of “we would be glad to see you embrace,” the copy in Lucy Mack Smith’s history reads “and more pleased to have you embrace.” (Lucy Mack Smith, History, 1845, 232.)

  18. [44]

    The copy in Lucy Mack Smith’s history omits the passage “and be one with us, we sometimes think you are now one with us in heart.” (Lucy Mack Smith, History, 1845, 232.)

  19. [45]

    The copy in Lucy Mack Smith’s history omits this address marker. (Lucy Mack Smith, History, 1845, 232.)

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