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License for Frederick G. Williams, 27 April 1835

Source Note

JS, License, for , , Geauga Co., OH; 27 Apr. 1835; printed form with additions in handwriting of ; signature of JS; one page; CHL.
Leaf measuring 7 × 2½ inches (18 × 6 cm). The bottom edge of the leaf was irregularly cut; the length of the original leaf is unknown. The document was apparently folded in the middle at one point, and the vertical fold is now broken. At some point, the document was affixed to a scrapbook page with adhesive cellophane tape along the middle of the bottom edge of the leaf. The tape has since been removed, with some residue remaining. The verso is blank.
The scrapbook included other family documents and was compiled by Henrietta Williams Janson, a great-granddaughter of , at an unknown time. It was passed down with other family records. The manuscript was donated to the Church History Library by a Williams descendant in November 2012.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    See full bibliographic entry for License for Frederick G. Williams, 27 Apr. 1835, in the CHL catalog.

Historical Introduction

On 27 April 1835, received this , which certified that he was an in good standing with the church and was authorized to function in that office. The license is a printed form, identical to others created for some of Williams’s contemporaries, and is a representative sample of licenses JS signed in this period. These licenses served an important role in the church in the 1830s. The “” of the church state that those ordained were to carry a certificate with them as they traveled, proving that they were authorized to officiate in duties.
By early 1835, congregations were spread from and New England through upstate , northwestern , , , and . It often took weeks to exchange communication between the various branches and church headquarters in , Ohio. With this expanding geography, it was important to establish a regulated process to vet the credentials of traveling elders or missionaries. A licensing process allowed JS and other leaders to regulate who officiated in the church. Furthermore, the licenses offered isolated congregations or individual members a level of confidence that the traveling elders who were passing through carried authority from JS and church leadership. Although the first licenses were handwritten, enough were being issued by 1835 that a standard printed form was used. In March 1836, church councils moved to institute a more regimented process of licensing church officers and recording their ordinations, but they preserved the language from this earlier typeset form.
had been issued previous licenses in 1833 and 1834. It is unclear why the new license was produced. The first license may have been lost, or it could have been renewed to conform with the new standardized text in the printed form. At this time, Williams was a and had been serving as a counselor to JS in the since 1833. The license indicates that it was “given by the direction of a of the ” on 27 April 1835, but there are no extant minutes from that conference. The and others were preparing to leave on missions to the eastern in May, and some, such as , received licenses around this time for that purpose. Williams’s license may have been part of this larger licensing effort. However, when the Twelve left on 4 May, Williams remained in and was appointed editor of the Northern Times, a Democratic and –leaning newspaper the church was producing. In August 1835, he joined JS on a visit to some of the Saints in and may have used this license at that time.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    The previous day, Parley P. Pratt had received a license on the same printed form. (Elder’s License for Parley P. Pratt, 26 Apr. 1835, JS Collection, CHL.)

    Smith, Joseph. Collection, 1827–1846. CHL. MS 155.

  2. [2]

    Articles and Covenants, ca. Apr. 1830 [D&C 20:63–64].

  3. [3]

    The greatest distance between two church congregations was over 1,600 miles, from Clay County, Missouri, in the West to Farmington, Maine, in the East, with Kirtland roughly serving as a midpoint. Edward Partridge and Isaac Morley reported on their June 1835 mission to branches in the eastern United States, stating, “We travelled about two thousand miles: visited 2 churches in Pennsylvania; 11 in New York; 2 in Mass. 3 in N. H. four in Maine; five in Vermont; and one in Connecticut; (besides leaving others on the right hand and on the left unvisited,) These twenty six churches number about seven hundred lively members.” (Edward Partridge and Isaac Morley, Kirtland, OH, 10 Nov. 1835, Letter to the Editor, LDS Messenger and Advocate, Nov. 1835, 2:220.)

    Latter Day Saints’ Messenger and Advocate. Kirtland, OH. Oct. 1834–Sept. 1837.

  4. [4]

    Other denominations used a similar licensing process. (Ratio Disciplinae, 158; see also Minutes of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church, 202, 345; Constitution and Discipline of the Methodist Protestant Church, 19; and “License, A Form of,” in Cathcart, Baptist Encyclopedia, 2:701.)

    Ratio Disciplinae, or the Constitution of the Congregational Churches. Portland, ME: Shirley and Hyde, 1829.

    Minutes of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America: With an Appendix. A. D. 1831. Philadelphia: Stated Clerk of the Assembly, 1831.

    Constitution and Discipline of the Methodist Protestant Church. Baltimore: John J. Harrod, 1830.

    The Baptist Encyclopedia. A Dictionary of the Doctrines, Ordinances, Usages, Confessions of Faith, Sufferings, Labors, and Successes, and of the General History of the Baptist Denomination in All Lands. With Numerous Biographical Sketches of Distinguished American and Foreign Baptists, and a Supplement. Edited by William Cathcart. Vol. 2. Philadelphia: Louis H. Everts, 1881.

  5. [5]

    For examples of handwritten licenses issued before this time, see License for John Whitmer, 9 June 1830; License for Joseph Smith Sr., 9 June 1830; License for Christian Whitmer, 9 June 1830; License for Edward Partridge, ca. 4 Aug. 1831–ca. 5 Jan. 1832; and License for William Smith, 5 Oct. 1831. For examples of other printed licenses, see License for Frederick G. Williams, 25 Feb. 1834; and License for John P. Greene, 25 Feb. 1834. For a full explanation of the development of the licensing processes in the church, see Cannon, “Licensing in the Early Church,” 96–105.

    Cannon, Donald Q. “Licensing in the Early Church.” BYU Studies 22, no. 1 (Winter 1982): 96–105.

  6. [6]

    A series of six resolutions regarding licensing was drafted in February and approved in March by the various priesthood councils in Kirtland. (Minutes, LDS Messenger and Advocate, Feb. 1836, 2:266–268; Minute Book 1, 3 Mar. 1836; Kirtland Elders’ Certificates, 1–192.)

    Latter Day Saints’ Messenger and Advocate. Kirtland, OH. Oct. 1834–Sept. 1837.

    Kirtland Elders’ Certificates / Kirtland Elders Quorum. “Record of Certificates of Membership and Ordinations of the First Members and Elders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints Dating from March 21st 1836 to June 18th 1838 Kirtland Geauga Co. Ohio,” 1836–1838. CHL. CR 100 401.

  7. [7]

    License for Frederick G. Williams, 20 Mar. 1833; License for Frederick G. Williams, 25 Feb. 1834.

  8. [8]

    Minutes, 25–26 Oct. 1831; Revelation, 5 Jan. 1833; Minutes, 18 Mar. 1833.

  9. [9]

    JS History, vol. B-1, 591–592.

    JS History / Smith, Joseph, et al. History, 1838–1856. Vols. A-1–F-1 (original), A-2–E-2 (fair copy). Historian’s Office, History of the Church, 1839–ca. 1882. CHL. CR 100 102, boxes 1–7. The history for the period after 5 Aug. 1838 was composed after the death of Joseph Smith.

  10. [10]

    JS History, vol. B-1, 600.

    JS History / Smith, Joseph, et al. History, 1838–1856. Vols. A-1–F-1 (original), A-2–E-2 (fair copy). Historian’s Office, History of the Church, 1839–ca. 1882. CHL. CR 100 102, boxes 1–7. The history for the period after 5 Aug. 1838 was composed after the death of Joseph Smith.

Page [1]

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:
THIS Certifies that , has been received into the , organized on the sixth of April, in the year of our Lord, one thousand, eight hundred, and thirty, and has been an according to the rules and regulations of said church, and is duly authorized to preach the gospel, agreeably to the authority of that office.
From the satisfactory evidence which we have of his good moral character, and his zeal for the cause of righteousness, and diligent desire to persuade men to forsake evil and embrace truth, we confidently recommend him to all candid and upright people, as a worthy member of society.
We, therefore, in the name, and by the authority of this church, grant unto this, our worthy brother in the Lord, this letter of commendation as a proof of our fellowship and esteem: praying for his success and prosperity in our Redeemer’s cause.
Given by the direction of a of the elders of said church, assembled in , Geauga county, Ohio, this 27th day of April, in the year of our Lord one thousand, eight hundred, and thirty-five.
Joseph Smith Jr Chairman. [p. [1]]
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Document Information

Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
License for Frederick G. Williams, 27 April 1835
ID #
7876
Total Pages
2
Print Volume Location
JSP, D4:295–299
Handwriting on This Page
  • Printed text
  • Oliver Cowdery
  • Joseph Smith Jr.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    There is some uncertainty about when Williams was ordained an elder, but it must have been soon after his baptism in October or early November 1830 and prior to his departure with Oliver Cowdery and others on 14 November 1830 to preach to American Indians in the West. In her treatment of her grandfather’s history, Nancy Clement Williams placed these events in close juxtaposition, stating, “Almost immediately after the baptism and ordination of Frederick, the Elders began preparations for the Indian (or Lamanite) mission.” (Williams, Meet Dr. Frederick Granger Williams, 55; see also Williams, Life of Dr. Frederick G. Williams, 92, 104n7.)

    Williams, Nancy Clement. Meet Dr. Frederick Granger Williams, Second Counselor to the Prophet Joseph Smith in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. . . . Independence, MO: Zion’s Printing and Publishing, 1951.

    Williams, Frederick G. The Life of Dr. Frederick G. Williams: Counselor to the Prophet Joseph Smith. Provo, UT: BYU Studies, 2012.

  2. [2]

    The Articles and Covenants of the church indicate that elders were to be “ordained according to the gifts and calling of God unto them by the power of the Holy Ghost, which is in the one who ordains them.” (Articles and Covenants, ca. Apr. 1830 [D&C 20:60].)

  3. [3]

    According to the Articles and Covenants, elders were to “teach, expound, and exhort, and to baptize and to watch over the church.” (Articles and Covenants, ca. Apr. 1830 [D&C 20:42].)

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