The Papers
Browse the PapersDocumentsJournalsAdministrative RecordsRevelations and TranslationsHistoriesLegal RecordsFinancial RecordsOther Contemporary Papers
Reference
PeoplePlacesEventsGlossaryLegal GlossaryFinancial GlossaryCalendar of DocumentsWorks CitedFeatured TopicsLesson PlansRelated Publications
Media
VideosPhotographsIllustrationsChartsMapsPodcasts
News
Current NewsArchiveNewsletterSubscribeJSP Conferences
About
About the ProjectJoseph Smith and His PapersFAQAwardsEndorsementsReviewsEditorial MethodNote on TranscriptionsNote on Images of People and PlacesReferencing the ProjectCiting This WebsiteProject TeamContact Us
Published Volumes
  1. Home > 
  2. The Papers > 

Minutes, 27 May 1843

Source Note

, Minutes, [, Hancock Co., IL], 27 May 1843; handwriting of ; five pages; Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Minutes, 1840–1844, CHL. Includes dockets.
Two bifolia, each measuring 12⅛ × 7⅝ inches (31 × 19 cm). The rectos of the first and second leaves of the first bifolium appear to be ruled with thirty-five horizontal blue lines; the versos of the first and second leaves of the first bifolium appear to be ruled with thirty-seven horizontal blue lines. The recto of the first leaf of the second bifolium is ruled with thirty-six horizontal blue lines. Ruling in the two bifolia is now faded. The minutes of this meeting were written on all pages of the first bifolium and on the recto of the first leaf of the second bifolium. went back through the minutes after their initial inscription, correcting some words and adding pagination. The verso of the first leaf of the second bifolium and the recto of the second leaf of the second bifolium contain minutes of additional meetings of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. The bifolia were folded in half twice horizontally for filing.
, who served as clerk of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles from October 1840 until his death in March 1854, presumably retained the minutes in his possession after inscribing them, and they were likely among the “Minutes of the Twelve 1840 to 1844” listed on an 1846 inventory of the Church Historian’s Office (later Church Historical Department). The document was docketed by Richards and by Andrew Jenson, who began working in the Church Historian’s Office in 1891 and served as assistant church historian from 1897 to 1941. In 1986, the minutes of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles for the 1840s were transferred from the Church Historical Department (later Church History Department) to the Office of the First Presidency. In 2008, this collection of minutes was returned to the Church History Department (now CHL).

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Minutes, 8 Oct. 1840; Orson Spencer, “Death of Our Beloved Brother Willard Richards,” Deseret News (Salt Lake City), 16 Mar. 1854, [2].

    Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Minutes, 1840–1844. CHL.

    Deseret News. Salt Lake City. 1850–.

  2. [2]

    “Schedule of Church Records. Nauvoo 1846,” [1], Historian’s Office, Catalogs and Inventories, 1846–1904, CHL.

    Historian’s Office. Catalogs and Inventories, 1846–1904. CHL. CR 100 130.

  3. [3]

    Jenson, Autobiography, 192, 389; Cannon, Journal, 9 Feb. 1891; Jenson, Journal, 9 Feb. 1891 and 19 Oct. 1897; Bitton and Arrington, Mormons and Their Historians, 47–52.

    Jenson, Andrew. Autobiography of Andrew Jenson: Assistant Historian of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. . . . Salt Lake City: Deseret News Press, 1938.

    Cannon, George Q. Journals, 1855–1864, 1872–1901. CHL. CR 850 1.

    Jenson, Andrew. Journals, 1864–1941. Andrew Jenson, Autobiography and Journals, 1864–1941. CHL.

    Bitton, David, and Leonard J. Arrington. Mormons and Their Historians. Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, 1988.

  4. [4]

    See the full bibliographic entry for Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Minutes, 1840–1844, in the CHL catalog.

Historical Introduction

On 27 May 1843, JS attended an afternoon meeting of the in , Illinois, to discuss a letter had written to JS about , the former of the . Armstrong’s letter was one of at least three sent to JS in 1843 by Philadelphia branch members complaining about Winchester and his conduct. In February 1843, , the branch’s presiding elder, wrote to JS that Winchester was a “secret spring” who inserted himself into branch business when he was not wanted and who needed to be removed so that the branch could prosper in “majesty and streng[t]h.” On 23 April 1843, , another Philadelphia branch member, wrote to JS and the Nauvoo that Winchester was “under the influense of the evil one” and had tried to destroy her character. “Winchester will continue to injure my reputation every where he goes,” she declared. In a 1 May 1843 letter, Armstrong claimed that Winchester had slandered her and “mutilated” her character. She asked for “redress at the hands of the ” and for justice “for the deepest wrongs inflicted without the slightest provction [provocation].” She also requested that JS submit her letter to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, who had authority over the branches of the church outside of Nauvoo. The considered the letter at a 23 May 1843 meeting and decided to discuss it further at a later meeting to which various individuals with knowledge of Winchester’s actions could be invited.
The meeting to address 's concerns was held on 27 May and was attended by JS, , , , and other church members, including , who had been preaching in when some of the difficulties between and occurred. Winchester, who was also present, spent the first part of the meeting explaining rumors he had heard about Armstrong, implying that she was a drunkard and had loose morals, before JS called for order and chastised Winchester for his conduct. The letters from Hess and were then read, and the apostles ultimately revoked Winchester’s preaching and ordered him and his family to move to . Thereafter, JS instructed the apostles on their responsibilities when trying church members. JS and the apostles also conducted some additional business, which included withdrawing the ’s license of Adams, who had been accused of adultery. The apostles assigned a few elders to preach in various locations, and was blessed before the meeting adjourned.
took the minutes of the meeting. also provided a summary of the meeting in his journal. Because Woodruff was not the official minute taker of the meeting and provided only a summary of it, only Richards’s minutes are featured here. However, Woodruff captured JS’s instructions to the Twelve on their duties, and his account of that discourse is featured here as well.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    Letter from Sybella McMinn Armstrong, 1 May 1843.

  2. [2]

    Letter from Peter Hess, 16 Feb. 1843.

  3. [3]

    Letter from Eliza Lowry Nicholson, 23 Apr. 1843.

  4. [4]

    Letter from Sybella McMinn Armstrong, 1 May 1843.

  5. [5]

    Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Minutes, 23 May 1843.

    Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Minutes, 1840–1844. CHL.

  6. [6]

    JS, Journal, 27 May 1843; Letter from Peter Hess, 16 Feb. 1843. Winchester and his family relocated to Nauvoo by November 1843. (JS et al., Memorial to the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, 28 Nov. 1843, p. 14, Record Group 46, Records of the U.S. Senate, National Archives, Washington DC.)

  7. [7]

    See Letter from Caroline Youngs Adams, ca. 15 Jan. 1843; Historical Introduction to Resolutions of the Boston Conference, 12 Mar. 1843; and Historical Introduction to Letter from Austin Cowles, 13 Mar. 1843.

  8. [8]

    Woodruff, Journal, 27 May 1843.

    Woodruff, Wilford. Journals, 1833–1898. Wilford Woodruff, Journals and Papers, 1828–1898. CHL. MS 1352.

Asterisk (*) denotes a "featured" version, which includes an introduction and annotation. *Minutes, 27 May 1843 Minutes, 27 May 1843, as Reported by Wilford Woodruff History Draft [1 March–31 December 1843] History, 1838–1856, volume D-1 [1 August 1842–1 July 1843] “History of Joseph Smith”

Page 3

a howl that I was guilty of impoper conducte. If Isabella Armstrong, is ever so bad so much the worse.
The office is the highest office in the . and conferred this office, on , on his death bed.—
A baptist minister this morning said sir I am wrong you are right—
Prest Joseph said, he should not act on the case but should reserve himself for a an appeal.—
Minutes of read, letter, and letter were read to council.
spoke. said at a good meeting in , Elder
in a public meeting in said that there was not three, in the meeting but what had lied.—
It was none of the business of the or the where he goes, or his family.— wished if the case was to be passed by, he wished the to try the case, <​& he would have him, give up his — till he came to ​>
Presidit [president] Joseph said the High Council of could not try the case, the twelve must try it.—
,— said he was not an old g[r]anny & plead that ought to have a heering.—
say — moved that, this case be adjured [adjourned] till tomorow 10 o clock— s[econde]d by. , <​Motion withdrawd​>
objected.— & gave his objection no new evidince can be had.— he has denied the jurisdiction, of the 12ve.—— did not leave — &c.— cannot destroy the testimony of from ,
.— said called an old granny.— [p. 3]
View entire transcript

|

Cite this page

Source Note

Document Transcript

Page 3

Document Information

Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Minutes, 27 May 1843
ID #
12026
Total Pages
5
Print Volume Location
JSP, D12:343–350
Handwriting on This Page
  • Willard Richards

Footnotes

  1. [16]

    Dibble was a widow (Hannah Smith at the time) attending the Philadelphia branch. She left Philadelphia and lived with JS and Emma Smith in Nauvoo for a time until she married Philo Dibble in 1841. Winchester apparently accused JS of impregnating Hannah Smith and then arranging for her to marry Philo Dibble to cover up the pregnancy. However, JS publicly performed the marriage ceremony of Hannah and Philo in February 1841, and she did not give birth to a child until eleven months after that ceremony had occurred, making Winchester’s accusation implausible. (Philadelphia Branch Membership Record, 2; Philadelphia Branch Record Book, 23 Dec. 1839 and 13 Jan. 1840, 2; Dibble, “Philo Dibble’s Narrative,” 92–93; Hancock Co., IL, Marriage Register, 1829–1915, vol. A-1, p. 39, microfilm 954,177, U.S. and Canada Record Collection, FHL; “Testimony of Benjamin Winchester,” 27 Nov. 1900, copy, Miscellaneous Letters and Papers, CCLA; Bountiful Ward, Davis Stake, Record of Members, 51, typescript, CHL.)

    Philadelphia Branch Membership Record. Verso of Philadelphia, PA, Minutes and Records, 1840–1854. CCLA.

    Philadelphia Branch Record Book, 1840–1854. Microfilm. CHL. Original at CCLA.

    Dibble, Philo. “Philo Dibble’s Narrative.” In Early Scenes in Church History, Faith-Promoting Series 8, pp. 74–96. Salt Lake City: Juvenile Instructor Office, 1882.

    U.S. and Canada Record Collection. FHL.

    “Testimony of Benjamin Winchester,” 27 Nov. 1900, copy. Miscellaneous Letters and Papers. CCLA.

    Bountiful Ward, Davis Stake. Record of Members, 1857–1890. Typescript. CHL.

  2. [17]

    Letter to Quorum of the Twelve, 15 Dec. 1840; Revelation, 19 Jan. 1841 [D&C 124:91–92].

  3. [18]

    See Philadelphia, PA, Council Minutes, 21–22 Apr. 1843, General Ecclesiastical Court Trials, CHL.

    General Ecclesiastical Court Trials 1832–1963. CHL.

  4. [19]

    Letter from Peter Hess, 16 Feb. 1843.

  5. [20]

    Letter from Eliza Lowry Nicholson, 23 Apr. 1843.

  6. [21]

    The minutes of the 21–22 April 1843 council record that a few individuals, including Hess and Adams, stated that “after the dismissal of a meeting of the official members to endeavour to restore harmony in the Church,” Winchester declared “that there was but two or three but what had lied.” (Philadelphia, PA, Council Minutes, 21–22 Apr. 1843, General Ecclesiastical Court Trials, CHL.)

    General Ecclesiastical Court Trials 1832–1963. CHL.

  7. [22]

    According to Wilford Woodruff’s account of the meeting, JS said that the case “belonged to the Twelve & them alone for it was concerning matters abroad & not in Nauvoo The high council was to trye cases that belong to the city & the Twelve to regulate the churches & Elders abroad in all the world.” (Woodruff, Journal, 27 May 1843.)

    Woodruff, Wilford. Journals, 1833–1898. Wilford Woodruff, Journals and Papers, 1828–1898. CHL. MS 1352.

  8. [23]

    Winchester had evidently called Hyrum Smith “an old granny.” The insult “old granny” was in heavy use during the presidential election of 1840 and carried “implications of senility, imbecility, and demasculinization.” It was also used to designate someone who was a fool or out of touch with reality. (Woodruff, Journal, 27 May 1843; Editorial, North American and Daily Advertiser [Philadelphia], 2 Apr. 1840, [2]; “Signs of the Times,” Madisonian [Washington DC], 25 June 1840, [3]; Zboray and Zboray, “Gender Slurs in Boston’s Partisan Press,” 422; Hinchliff, “Protest and a Reply,” 125.)

    North American and Daily Advertiser. Philadelphia. 1839–1845.

    The Madisonian. Washington DC. 1837–1841.

    Zboray Ronald J., and Mary Saracino Zboray. “Gender Slurs in Boston’s Partisan Press dur- ing the 1840s.” Journal of American Studies 34, no. 3 (2000): 413–446.

    Hinchliff, Emerson. “A Protest and a Reply.” Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society 34, no. 1 (1941): 123–130.

  9. [24]

    Wilford Woodruff’s account states that JS was the one who suggested that “the case might be put off untill tomorrow at 10 oclok if it would do any body any good.” (Woodruff, Journal, 27 May 1843.)

    Woodruff, Wilford. Journals, 1833–1898. Wilford Woodruff, Journals and Papers, 1828–1898. CHL. MS 1352.

  10. [25]

    According to Wilford Woodruff’s account of the meeting, Young, speaking “in the majesty of his calling,” declared that sitting upon the case was “an insult upon his office & calling as an apostle of Jesus Christ & he would not bear it.” Young continued that Winchester had “despised & rejected the council of the presidency & the Twelve had said they had no Jurisdiction over him in Philadelphia & to say whare he should go.” When the First Presidency and Twelve reinstated Winchester’s license in July 1842, they counseled him “to locate himself in another city immediately,” but Winchester ignored that direction and remained in Philadelphia. (Woodruff, Journal, 27 May 1843; “Notice,” Times and Seasons, 15 July 1842, 3:862.)

    Woodruff, Wilford. Journals, 1833–1898. Wilford Woodruff, Journals and Papers, 1828–1898. CHL. MS 1352.

  11. [26]

    In her 23 April letter, Eliza Nicholson stated that the Jarmans of the New York City branch had heard Winchester disparage her character. (Letter from Eliza Lowry Nicholson, 23 Apr. 1843.)

© 2024 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.Terms of UseUpdated 2021-04-13Privacy NoticeUpdated 2021-04-06