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Minutes, 3 May 1834

Source Note

Minutes,
Kirtland Township

Located ten miles south of Lake Erie. Settled by 1811. Organized by 1818. Latter-day Saint missionaries visited township, early Nov. 1830; many residents joined Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Population in 1830 about 55 Latter-day Saints and...

More Info
, Geauga Co., OH, 3 May 1834. Featured version published in The Evening and the Morning Star, May 1834, p. 160. For more complete source information, see the source note for Letter, 30 Oct. 1833.

Historical Introduction

On 3 May 1834, JS and others held a
conference

A meeting where ecclesiastical officers and other church members could conduct church business. The “Articles and Covenants” of the church directed the elders to hold conferences to perform “Church business.” The first of these conferences was held on 9 June...

View Glossary
in
Kirtland

Located ten miles south of Lake Erie. Settled by 1811. Organized by 1818. Latter-day Saint missionaries visited township, early Nov. 1830; many residents joined Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Population in 1830 about 55 Latter-day Saints and...

More Info
, Ohio, to discuss the name of the church, which to that point had been called the
Church of Christ

The Book of Mormon related that when Christ set up his church in the Americas, “they which were baptized in the name of Jesus, were called the church of Christ.” The first name used to denote the church JS organized on 6 April 1830 was “the Church of Christ...

View Glossary
, based on Book of Mormon precedent and JS’s revelations.
1

In the Book of Mormon, the resurrected Christ instructed leaders of his church that the church must bear his name, and “they who were baptized in the name of Jesus were called the church of Christ.” In 1830, JS dictated revelations that similarly stated that the church would be called the Church of Christ. (Book of Mormon, 1830 ed., 507 [3 Nephi 26:21; 27:5–8]; Articles and Covenants, ca. Apr. 1830 [D&C 20:1]; Revelation, 6 Apr. 1830 [D&C 21:3, 11].)


At this 3 May 1834 conference, with JS serving as moderator, the elders unanimously passed a motion that the name of the church be changed to the Church of the Latter Day Saints. The minutes do not give the reasoning behind this change, and few other records discuss it, but two editorials published in the May and June 1834 issues of The Evening and the Morning Star provide some possible reasons. According to the editorials, which were written by
Oliver Cowdery

3 Oct. 1806–3 Mar. 1850. Clerk, teacher, justice of the peace, lawyer, newspaper editor. Born at Wells, Rutland Co., Vermont. Son of William Cowdery and Rebecca Fuller. Raised Congregationalist. Moved to western New York and clerked at a store, ca. 1825–1828...

View Full Bio
, the change occurred in part because church leaders believed it “reasonable” that God “should call his people by a name which would distinguish them from all other people.”
2

“The Saints.—Again,” The Evening and the Morning Star, June 1834, 164.


Comprehensive Works Cited

The Evening and the Morning Star. Independence, MO, June 1832–July 1833; Kirtland, OH, Dec. 1833–Sept. 1834.

This suggests that the name change may have occurred to avoid confusion with
Alexander Campbell

12 Sept. 1788–4 Mar. 1866. Teacher, minister, magazine publisher, college president. Born near Ballymena, Co. Antrim, Ireland. Son of Thomas Campbell and Jane Corneigle. Raised Presbyterian. Moved to Glasgow, Lanark, Scotland, 1808. Immigrated to Buffalo ...

View Full Bio
’s restorationist movement, which was often referred to as the Disciples of Christ or the Church of Christ.
3

Harrell, Quest for a Christian America, 5; Foster et al., Encyclopedia of the Stone-Campbell Movement, 125. Before converting to the church, many Saints in Ohio had belonged to Campbell’s movement. (Hayden, Early History of the Disciples in the Western Reserve, 209–215.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Harrell, David Edwin, Jr. Quest for Christian America: The Disciples of Christ and American Society to 1866. Nashville, TN: Disciples of Christ Historical Society, 1966.

Foster, Douglas A., Anthony L. Dunnavant, Paul M. Blowers, and D. Newell Williams, eds. The Encyclopedia of the Stone-Campbell Movement. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans, 2004.

Hayden, Amos Sutton. Early History of the Disciples in the Western Reserve, Ohio; with Biographical Sketches of the Principal Agents in Their Religious Movement. Cincinnati: Chase and Hall, 1875.

According to
Cowdery

3 Oct. 1806–3 Mar. 1850. Clerk, teacher, justice of the peace, lawyer, newspaper editor. Born at Wells, Rutland Co., Vermont. Son of William Cowdery and Rebecca Fuller. Raised Congregationalist. Moved to western New York and clerked at a store, ca. 1825–1828...

View Full Bio
’s editorials, the new name was also “meant to represent the people of God, either those immediately dwelling with him in glory, or those on earth walking according to his
commandments

Generally, a divine mandate that church members were expected to obey; more specifically, a text dictated by JS in the first-person voice of Deity that served to communicate knowledge and instruction to JS and his followers. Occasionally, other inspired texts...

View Glossary
”—namely, Saints.
4

“The Saints.—Again,” The Evening and the Morning Star June 1834, 164.


Comprehensive Works Cited

The Evening and the Morning Star. Independence, MO, June 1832–July 1833; Kirtland, OH, Dec. 1833–Sept. 1834.

Designating these Saints as “Latter Day Saints” presumably distinguished them from the ancient Saints, or early Christians, while also highlighting church members’ beliefs about the imminent return of Jesus Christ to the earth.
5

“The Saints,” The Evening and the Morning Star, May 1834, 158–159; Underwood, Millenarian World of Early Mormonism, 24–25.


Comprehensive Works Cited

The Evening and the Morning Star. Independence, MO, June 1832–July 1833; Kirtland, OH, Dec. 1833–Sept. 1834.

Underwood, Grant. The Millenarian World of Early Mormonism. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1993.

Whatever the reason for the change, the term Latter Day Saints was not entirely new. In September 1833, for example, a council of the
United Firm

An organization that supervised the management of church enterprises and properties from 1832 to 1834. In March and April 1832, revelations directed that the church’s publishing and mercantile endeavors be organized. In accordance with this direction, the...

View Glossary
decided to begin a new periodical titled the Latter day Saints’ Messenger and Advocate, and a letter in the April 1834 issue of The Evening and the Morning Star talked about “the organization of the church of Christ, or the church of the LATTER DAY SAINTS.”
6

Minutes, 11 Sept. 1833; Letter to the Church, ca. Apr. 1834; see also Editorial, The Evening and the Morning Star, Apr. 1834, 150. Revelations dictated prior to 3 May 1834 also referred to church members as Saints.a. But it is possible that the April edition of The Evening and the Morning Star was not published until after the 3 May conference was held. The issue contains a reference to the Philadelphia Saturday Courier of 19 April 1834, indicating that the issue was not published until at least late April.b(aSee, for example, Revelation, 20 July 1831 [D&C 57:1]; Revelation, 12 Aug. 1831 [D&C 61:29]; and Revelation, 26 Apr. 1832 [D&C 82:13]bEditorial, The Evening and the Morning Star, Apr. 1834, 151.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

The Evening and the Morning Star. Independence, MO, June 1832–July 1833; Kirtland, OH, Dec. 1833–Sept. 1834.

Despite the name change, some—both within and without the church—continued to refer to the organization as the Church of Christ and its members as Mormonites or Mormons,
7

Many outside the church referred to members as Mormonites, but Cowdery’s editorial declared that the church did “not accept the . . . title,” nor would its members “wear it as [their] name.” (“The Saints.—Again,” The Evening and the Morning Star, June 1834, 164.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

The Evening and the Morning Star. Independence, MO, June 1832–July 1833; Kirtland, OH, Dec. 1833–Sept. 1834.

but after this conference, the use of the name Church of the Latter Day Saints became increasingly prevalent.
8

See, for example, Deed from John and Alice Jacobs Johnson, 5 May 1834; Minute Book 1, 28 Dec. 1834 and 6–7 June 1835; “Latter Day Saints,” Catholic Telegraph (Cincinnati), 26 Sept. 1834, 351; Minutes, 11 Aug. 1834; and Doctrine and Covenants, 1835 ed., title page.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Catholic Telegraph. Cincinnati, OH. 1831–.

In 1838, a revelation changed the name of the church to “the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints,” thus combining the two earlier names.
9

Revelation, 26 Apr. 1838 [D&C 115:3–4].


As clerks of the conference,
Frederick G. Williams

28 Oct. 1787–10 Oct. 1842. Ship’s pilot, teacher, physician, justice of the peace. Born at Suffield, Hartford Co., Connecticut. Son of William Wheeler Williams and Ruth Granger. Moved to Newburg, Cuyahoga Co., Ohio, 1799. Practiced Thomsonian botanical system...

View Full Bio
and
Cowdery

3 Oct. 1806–3 Mar. 1850. Clerk, teacher, justice of the peace, lawyer, newspaper editor. Born at Wells, Rutland Co., Vermont. Son of William Cowdery and Rebecca Fuller. Raised Congregationalist. Moved to western New York and clerked at a store, ca. 1825–1828...

View Full Bio
kept the minutes, though their drafts have not been located. In accordance with a resolution of the conference, Cowdery published the minutes in the May 1834 issue of The Evening and the Morning Star.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    In the Book of Mormon, the resurrected Christ instructed leaders of his church that the church must bear his name, and “they who were baptized in the name of Jesus were called the church of Christ.” In 1830, JS dictated revelations that similarly stated that the church would be called the Church of Christ. (Book of Mormon, 1830 ed., 507 [3 Nephi 26:21; 27:5–8]; Articles and Covenants, ca. Apr. 1830 [D&C 20:1]; Revelation, 6 Apr. 1830 [D&C 21:3, 11].)

  2. [2]

    “The Saints.—Again,” The Evening and the Morning Star, June 1834, 164.

    The Evening and the Morning Star. Independence, MO, June 1832–July 1833; Kirtland, OH, Dec. 1833–Sept. 1834.

  3. [3]

    Harrell, Quest for a Christian America, 5; Foster et al., Encyclopedia of the Stone-Campbell Movement, 125. Before converting to the church, many Saints in Ohio had belonged to Campbell’s movement. (Hayden, Early History of the Disciples in the Western Reserve, 209–215.)

    Harrell, David Edwin, Jr. Quest for Christian America: The Disciples of Christ and American Society to 1866. Nashville, TN: Disciples of Christ Historical Society, 1966.

    Foster, Douglas A., Anthony L. Dunnavant, Paul M. Blowers, and D. Newell Williams, eds. The Encyclopedia of the Stone-Campbell Movement. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans, 2004.

    Hayden, Amos Sutton. Early History of the Disciples in the Western Reserve, Ohio; with Biographical Sketches of the Principal Agents in Their Religious Movement. Cincinnati: Chase and Hall, 1875.

  4. [4]

    “The Saints.—Again,” The Evening and the Morning Star June 1834, 164.

    The Evening and the Morning Star. Independence, MO, June 1832–July 1833; Kirtland, OH, Dec. 1833–Sept. 1834.

  5. [5]

    “The Saints,” The Evening and the Morning Star, May 1834, 158–159; Underwood, Millenarian World of Early Mormonism, 24–25.

    The Evening and the Morning Star. Independence, MO, June 1832–July 1833; Kirtland, OH, Dec. 1833–Sept. 1834.

    Underwood, Grant. The Millenarian World of Early Mormonism. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1993.

  6. [6]

    Minutes, 11 Sept. 1833; Letter to the Church, ca. Apr. 1834; see also Editorial, The Evening and the Morning Star, Apr. 1834, 150. Revelations dictated prior to 3 May 1834 also referred to church members as Saints.a. But it is possible that the April edition of The Evening and the Morning Star was not published until after the 3 May conference was held. The issue contains a reference to the Philadelphia Saturday Courier of 19 April 1834, indicating that the issue was not published until at least late April.b

    (aSee, for example, Revelation, 20 July 1831 [D&C 57:1]; Revelation, 12 Aug. 1831 [D&C 61:29]; and Revelation, 26 Apr. 1832 [D&C 82:13] bEditorial, The Evening and the Morning Star, Apr. 1834, 151.)

    The Evening and the Morning Star. Independence, MO, June 1832–July 1833; Kirtland, OH, Dec. 1833–Sept. 1834.

  7. [7]

    Many outside the church referred to members as Mormonites, but Cowdery’s editorial declared that the church did “not accept the . . . title,” nor would its members “wear it as [their] name.” (“The Saints.—Again,” The Evening and the Morning Star, June 1834, 164.)

    The Evening and the Morning Star. Independence, MO, June 1832–July 1833; Kirtland, OH, Dec. 1833–Sept. 1834.

  8. [8]

    See, for example, Deed from John and Alice Jacobs Johnson, 5 May 1834; Minute Book 1, 28 Dec. 1834 and 6–7 June 1835; “Latter Day Saints,” Catholic Telegraph (Cincinnati), 26 Sept. 1834, 351; Minutes, 11 Aug. 1834; and Doctrine and Covenants, 1835 ed., title page.

    Catholic Telegraph. Cincinnati, OH. 1831–.

  9. [9]

    Revelation, 26 Apr. 1838 [D&C 115:3–4].

Asterisk (*) denotes a "featured" version, which includes an introduction and annotation.
*Minutes, 3 May 1834
Minutes, 3 May 1834, as Published in Evening and Morning Star History, 1838–1856, volume A-1 [23 December 1805–30 August 1834] “History of Joseph Smith”

Page 160

Kirtland

Located ten miles south of Lake Erie. Settled by 1811. Organized by 1818. Latter-day Saint missionaries visited township, early Nov. 1830; many residents joined Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Population in 1830 about 55 Latter-day Saints and...

More Info
, Ohio, May 3, 1834.
MINUTES of a
Conference

A meeting where ecclesiastical officers and other church members could conduct church business. The “Articles and Covenants” of the church directed the elders to hold conferences to perform “Church business.” The first of these conferences was held on 9 June...

View Glossary
of the
Elders

A male leader in the church generally; an ecclesiastical and priesthood office or one holding that office; a proselytizing missionary. The Book of Mormon explained that elders ordained priests and teachers and administered “the flesh and blood of Christ unto...

View Glossary
of the
church of Christ

The Book of Mormon related that when Christ set up his church in the Americas, “they which were baptized in the name of Jesus, were called the church of Christ.” The first name used to denote the church JS organized on 6 April 1830 was “the Church of Christ...

View Glossary
, which church was organized in the township of
Fayette

Located in northern part of county between Seneca and Cayuga lakes. Area settled, by 1790. Officially organized as Washington Township, 14 Mar. 1800. Name changed to Fayette, 6 Apr. 1808. Population in 1830 about 3,200. Population in 1840 about 3,700. Significant...

More Info
, Seneca county, New-York, on the 6th of April, A. D. 1830.
The Conference came to order, and Joseph Smith Jr. was chosen Moderator, and
Frederick G. Williams

28 Oct. 1787–10 Oct. 1842. Ship’s pilot, teacher, physician, justice of the peace. Born at Suffield, Hartford Co., Connecticut. Son of William Wheeler Williams and Ruth Granger. Moved to Newburg, Cuyahoga Co., Ohio, 1799. Practiced Thomsonian botanical system...

View Full Bio
and
Oliver Cowdery

3 Oct. 1806–3 Mar. 1850. Clerk, teacher, justice of the peace, lawyer, newspaper editor. Born at Wells, Rutland Co., Vermont. Son of William Cowdery and Rebecca Fuller. Raised Congregationalist. Moved to western New York and clerked at a store, ca. 1825–1828...

View Full Bio
, were appointed clerks.
After prayer the Conference proceeded to discuss the subject of names and appellations, when a motion was made by
Sidney Rigdon

19 Feb. 1793–14 July 1876. Tanner, farmer, minister. Born at St. Clair, Allegheny Co., Pennsylvania. Son of William Rigdon and Nancy Gallaher. Joined United Baptists, ca. 1818. Preached at Warren, Trumbull Co., Ohio, and vicinity, 1819–1821. Married Phebe...

View Full Bio
,
1

David Whitmer, who was living in Missouri in 1834, later said that changing the church’s name came solely at Sidney Rigdon’s instigation. Because the minutes capture none of the discussion surrounding the change, the extent of Rigdon’s and others’ advocacy for the change is unknown. (Whitmer, Address to All Believers in Christ, 73.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Whitmer, David. An Address to All Believers in Christ. Richmond, MO: By the author, 1887.

and seconded by
Newel K. Whitney

3/5 Feb. 1795–23 Sept. 1850. Trader, merchant. Born at Marlborough, Windham Co., Vermont. Son of Samuel Whitney and Susanna Kimball. Moved to Fairfield, Herkimer Co., New York, 1803. Merchant at Plattsburg, Clinton Co., New York, 1814. Mercantile clerk for...

View Full Bio
, that this church be known hereafter by the name of THE CHURCH OF THE LATTER DAY SAINTS. Appropriate remarks were delivered by some of the members, after which the motion was put by the Moderator, and passed by unanimous voice.
Resolved that this Conference recommend to the Conferences and Churches abroad,
2

That is, those branches outside of the Kirtland, Ohio, and Missouri areas.


that in making out and transmitting Minutes of their proceedings, such minutes and proceedings be made out under the above title.
Resolved that these Minutes be signed by the Moderator and Clerks, and published in The Evening and The Morning Star.
JOSEPH SMITH JR.Moderator.
Frederick G. Williams

28 Oct. 1787–10 Oct. 1842. Ship’s pilot, teacher, physician, justice of the peace. Born at Suffield, Hartford Co., Connecticut. Son of William Wheeler Williams and Ruth Granger. Moved to Newburg, Cuyahoga Co., Ohio, 1799. Practiced Thomsonian botanical system...

View Full Bio
,
Clerks.
Oliver Cowdery

3 Oct. 1806–3 Mar. 1850. Clerk, teacher, justice of the peace, lawyer, newspaper editor. Born at Wells, Rutland Co., Vermont. Son of William Cowdery and Rebecca Fuller. Raised Congregationalist. Moved to western New York and clerked at a store, ca. 1825–1828...

View Full Bio
.
[p. 160]
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Source Note

Document Transcript

Page 160

Document Information

Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Minutes, 3 May 1834
ID #
218
Total Pages
1
Print Volume Location
JSP, D4:42–44
Handwriting on This Page
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Footnotes

  1. [1]

    David Whitmer, who was living in Missouri in 1834, later said that changing the church’s name came solely at Sidney Rigdon’s instigation. Because the minutes capture none of the discussion surrounding the change, the extent of Rigdon’s and others’ advocacy for the change is unknown. (Whitmer, Address to All Believers in Christ, 73.)

    Whitmer, David. An Address to All Believers in Christ. Richmond, MO: By the author, 1887.

  2. [2]

    That is, those branches outside of the Kirtland, Ohio, and Missouri areas.

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