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Minutes, 6 April 1838

Source Note

Zion high council, Minutes,
Far West

Originally called Shoal Creek. Located fifty-five miles northeast of Independence. Surveyed 1823; first settled by whites, 1831. Site purchased, 8 Aug. 1836, before Caldwell Co. was organized for Latter-day Saints in Missouri. William W. Phelps and John Whitmer...

More Info
, Caldwell Co., MO, 6 Apr. 1838. Featured version published in Elders’ Journal, July 1838, pp. 46–47. For more complete source information, see the source note for Elders’ Journal, Oct. 1837.

Historical Introduction

On 6 April 1838, JS presided over and
Ebenezer Robinson

25 May 1816–11 Mar. 1891. Printer, editor, publisher. Born at Floyd (near Rome), Oneida Co., New York. Son of Nathan Robinson and Mary Brown. Moved to Utica, Oneida Co., ca. 1831, and learned printing trade at Utica Observer. Moved to Ravenna, Portage Co....

View Full Bio
took the minutes for a meeting in
Far West

Originally called Shoal Creek. Located fifty-five miles northeast of Independence. Surveyed 1823; first settled by whites, 1831. Site purchased, 8 Aug. 1836, before Caldwell Co. was organized for Latter-day Saints in Missouri. William W. Phelps and John Whitmer...

More Info
, Missouri, to commemorate the anniversary of the church’s founding, to appoint new officers, and to perform
ordinances

A religious rite. JS taught that ordinances were covenants between man and God, in which believers could affirm faith, gain spiritual knowledge, and seek blessings. Some ordinances were considered requisite for salvation. The manner in which ordinances were...

View Glossary
. By 3 March 1838, when the
Zion

JS revelation, dated 20 July 1831, designated Missouri as “land of Zion” for gathering of Saints and place where “City of Zion” was to be built, with Independence area as “center place” of Zion. Latter-day Saint settlements elsewhere, such as in Kirtland,...

More Info
high council

A governing body of twelve high priests. The first high council was organized in Kirtland, Ohio, on 17 February 1834 “for the purpose of settling important difficulties which might arise in the church, which could not be settled by the church, or the bishop...

View Glossary
scheduled this meeting, members of the council knew that JS had departed
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, for Far West, and they probably expected that he would arrive before the meeting.
1

See Minute Book 2, 24 Feb. and 3 Mar. 1838.


The Zion
presidency

An organized body of leaders over priesthood quorums and other ecclesiastical organizations. A November 1831 revelation first described the office of president over the high priesthood and the church as a whole. By 1832, JS and two counselors constituted ...

View Glossary
had been removed in early February 1838.
John Whitmer

27 Aug. 1802–11 July 1878. Farmer, stock raiser, newspaper editor. Born in Pennsylvania. Son of Peter Whitmer Sr. and Mary Musselman. Member of German Reformed Church, Fayette, Seneca Co., New York. Baptized by Oliver Cowdery, June 1829, most likely in Seneca...

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, who had been an assistant president, had also been removed from his positions as church historian and clerk.
2

See Letter from Thomas B. Marsh, 15 Feb. 1838. Whitmer was appointed historian in 1831. In an 1832 letter, JS referred to Whitmer as “the lord[’s] clerk.” (Revelation, ca. 8 Mar. 1831–B [D&C 47:1, 3]; Minute Book 2, 9 Apr. 1831; Letter to William W. Phelps, 27 Nov. 1832 [D&C 85:1].)


The church in
Missouri

Area acquired by U.S. in Louisiana Purchase, 1803, and established as territory, 1812. Missouri Compromise, 1820, admitted Missouri as slave state, 1821. Population in 1830 about 140,000; in 1836 about 240,000; and in 1840 about 380,000. Latter-day Saint ...

More Info
, therefore, required not only a new presidency but also a new historian and a new clerk. A written agenda for the meeting indicates that a plan for filling vacancies had been made. In the 6 April meeting, the Saints approved the recently appointed pro tempore presidency, two new historians, and two new clerks. These appointments completed the basic organizational structure of the church in Missouri, likely preparing the way for the business to be conducted in the church conference held the following two days. According to
George W. Robinson

14 May 1814–10 Feb. 1878. Clerk, postmaster, merchant, clothier, banker. Born at Pawlet, Rutland Co., Vermont. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and moved to Kirtland, Geauga Co., Ohio, by 1836. Clerk and recorder for Kirtland high...

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’s abbreviated minutes in the “Scriptory Book,” this meeting was “a Conf. of the authorities of the
Church of Latter day Saints

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
Assembled at their first quarterly Conference in the City of Far West.”
3

Minutes, 6 Apr. 1838, in JS, Journal, Mar.–Sept. 1838, p. 29.


However, according to the official minutes of both the 6 April meeting and the 7–8 April meeting, published in the July issue of the Elders’ Journal, the 6 April meeting was not part of the quarterly conference.
4

See Minutes, 7–8 Apr. 1838.


Nevertheless, the 6 April meeting included church business that was related to the conference that followed.
The 6 April meeting was planned to begin at 9:00 a.m. The meeting agenda states that the “doors [would] be opened” at that time and that a sexton would be appointed as a “door keeper,” indicating that the meeting was held indoors. The meeting proceeded as outlined in the agenda. An hour-long intermission is noted in the middle of the meeting, suggesting the meeting adjourned for a midday meal and then extended into the afternoon. The first session concerned the new appointments, and the second session was devoted to ordinances: the
sacrament

Primarily referred to the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, or Communion, as opposed to other religious sacraments. The “Articles and Covenants” of the church directed “that the church meet together often to partake of bread and wine in remembrance of the Lord...

View Glossary
of the Lord’s Supper and the blessing of children. Minutes of the meeting were taken by
Ebenezer Robinson

25 May 1816–11 Mar. 1891. Printer, editor, publisher. Born at Floyd (near Rome), Oneida Co., New York. Son of Nathan Robinson and Mary Brown. Moved to Utica, Oneida Co., ca. 1831, and learned printing trade at Utica Observer. Moved to Ravenna, Portage Co....

View Full Bio
, who had taken minutes at recent high council meetings and was appointed the clerk of the
Missouri

Area acquired by U.S. in Louisiana Purchase, 1803, and established as territory, 1812. Missouri Compromise, 1820, admitted Missouri as slave state, 1821. Population in 1830 about 140,000; in 1836 about 240,000; and in 1840 about 380,000. Latter-day Saint ...

More Info
church during this 6 April meeting.
5

See Minute Book 2, 10 and 17 Mar. 1838; Minutes, 15 Mar. 1838; and Minutes, 24 Mar. 1838.


The minutes conclude with JS’s name and his designation as “president,” which may refer to his office in the church or his role in presiding over the meeting. JS’s name as it appears in the extant minutes may represent his signature in the original minutes or in a fair copy, or Robinson may have added JS’s name to the minutes because JS was the meeting’s presiding authority. A fair copy of Robinson’s original minutes was probably used by a typesetter to prepare the version of the minutes published in the July issue of the church’s newspaper at the time, the Elders’ Journal.
6

Apparently, neither the original minutes nor a fair copy is extant.


Footnotes

  1. [1]

    See Minute Book 2, 24 Feb. and 3 Mar. 1838.

  2. [2]

    See Letter from Thomas B. Marsh, 15 Feb. 1838. Whitmer was appointed historian in 1831. In an 1832 letter, JS referred to Whitmer as “the lord[’s] clerk.” (Revelation, ca. 8 Mar. 1831–B [D&C 47:1, 3]; Minute Book 2, 9 Apr. 1831; Letter to William W. Phelps, 27 Nov. 1832 [D&C 85:1].)

  3. [3]

    Minutes, 6 Apr. 1838, in JS, Journal, Mar.–Sept. 1838, p. 29.

  4. [4]

    See Minutes, 7–8 Apr. 1838.

  5. [5]

    See Minute Book 2, 10 and 17 Mar. 1838; Minutes, 15 Mar. 1838; and Minutes, 24 Mar. 1838.

  6. [6]

    Apparently, neither the original minutes nor a fair copy is extant.

Asterisk (*) denotes a "featured" version, which includes an introduction and annotation.
*Minutes, 6 April 1838
Elders’ Journal, July 1838 Journal, March–September 1838 Minute Book 2 History, 1838–1856, volume B-1 [1 September 1834–2 November 1838] “History of Joseph Smith”

Page 46

Far West

Originally called Shoal Creek. Located fifty-five miles northeast of Independence. Surveyed 1823; first settled by whites, 1831. Site purchased, 8 Aug. 1836, before Caldwell Co. was organized for Latter-day Saints in Missouri. William W. Phelps and John Whitmer...

More Info
, April 6th 1838.
Agreeable to a resolution passed the
high council

A governing body of twelve high priests. The first high council was organized in Kirtland, Ohio, on 17 February 1834 “for the purpose of settling important difficulties which might arise in the church, which could not be settled by the church, or the bishop...

View Glossary
of
Zion

JS revelation, dated 20 July 1831, designated Missouri as “land of Zion” for gathering of Saints and place where “City of Zion” was to be built, with Independence area as “center place” of Zion. Latter-day Saint settlements elsewhere, such as in Kirtland,...

More Info
, March 3rd 1838,
1

The minutes of the 3 March meeting do not mention the scheduling of the 6 April 1838 meeting. (See Minute Book 2, 3 Mar. 1838.)


the saints in
Missouri

Area acquired by U.S. in Louisiana Purchase, 1803, and established as territory, 1812. Missouri Compromise, 1820, admitted Missouri as slave state, 1821. Population in 1830 about 140,000; in 1836 about 240,000; and in 1840 about 380,000. Latter-day Saint ...

More Info
assembled at this place,
2

The vast majority of the Latter-day Saints in Missouri at this time were living in Far West and in several other smaller settlements in Caldwell County. A few Mormon settlements had also been established in Daviess County, and some Mormon families and individuals lived in surrounding counties in northwestern Missouri. (Berrett, Sacred Places, 4:286–289, 358–360, 499–512.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Berrett, LaMar C., ed. Sacred Places: A Comprehensive Guide to Early LDS Historical Sites. 6 vols. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1999–2007.

to hold the anniversary of the
church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints

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
3

The church had been organized eight years earlier, on 6 April 1830. (JS History, vol. A-1, 37–38; Articles and Covenants, ca. Apr. 1830 [D&C 20:1–12].)


and to transact Church business.
The meeting was opened by singing and prayer by
David W Patten

14 Nov. 1799–25 Oct. 1838. Farmer. Born in Vermont. Son of Benoni Patten and Edith Cole. Moved to Theresa, Oneida Co., New York, as a young child. Moved to Dundee, Monroe Co., Michigan Territory, as a youth. Married Phoebe Ann Babcock, 1828, in Dundee. Affiliated...

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—After which president Joseph Smith Jr read the order of the day as follows:—
Doors will be opened at 9 o’clock A M and [p. 46]
View entire transcript

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Source Note

Document Transcript

Page 46

Document Information

Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Minutes, 6 April 1838
ID #
7501
Total Pages
2
Print Volume Location
JSP, D6:67–70
Handwriting on This Page
  • Printed text

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    The minutes of the 3 March meeting do not mention the scheduling of the 6 April 1838 meeting. (See Minute Book 2, 3 Mar. 1838.)

  2. [2]

    The vast majority of the Latter-day Saints in Missouri at this time were living in Far West and in several other smaller settlements in Caldwell County. A few Mormon settlements had also been established in Daviess County, and some Mormon families and individuals lived in surrounding counties in northwestern Missouri. (Berrett, Sacred Places, 4:286–289, 358–360, 499–512.)

    Berrett, LaMar C., ed. Sacred Places: A Comprehensive Guide to Early LDS Historical Sites. 6 vols. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1999–2007.

  3. [3]

    The church had been organized eight years earlier, on 6 April 1830. (JS History, vol. A-1, 37–38; Articles and Covenants, ca. Apr. 1830 [D&C 20:1–12].)

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