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Minutes, 7 November 1837

Source Note

Minutes, , Caldwell Co., MO, 7 Nov. 1837. Featured version copied [between ca. 6 Apr. and 19 June 1838] in Minute Book 2, pp. 82–85; handwriting of ; CHL. For more complete source information, see the source note for Minute Book 2.

Historical Introduction

On 7 November 1837 members in , Missouri, gathered to vote on church leaders and conduct other matters of church business. A similar meeting had been held in , Ohio, on 3 September 1837, during which several men were removed and replaced as church leaders. In his remarks on 7 November, discussed the 3 September reorganization of the church, after which moderator read the minutes of that meeting to the congregation.
In a departure from earlier church voting practices, which usually included only men who had been to the , all those in attendance were asked to vote, including women and unordained men. Some members of the assembled congregation objected to several individuals, including , , , and , who held leadership positions within the church. Ultimately, however, only Williams was removed from his position, as a counselor to JS in the ; was unanimously approved to replace him. Despite some objections raised against two members of the , other church leaders were unanimously chosen to retain their current positions, including the members of the who had been objected to in on 3 September.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    Minutes, 3 Sept. 1837.

  2. [2]

    Minutes, 3 Sept. 1837. Although they had been sustained in Kirtland on 3 September 1837, Oliver Cowdery, Joseph Smith Sr., and John Smith were not presented to the Far West congregation on 7 November for a vote on their positions as assistant presidents or assistant counselors in the church presidency. Nonetheless, the three men appear to have retained their positions at this time. (Minute Book 1, 7 and 30 Nov. 1837; Minute Book 2, 12 Apr. 1838; “Conference Minutes,” Elders’ Journal, Aug. 1838, 61.)

Asterisk (*) denotes a "featured" version, which includes an introduction and annotation. *Minutes, 7 November 1837 Minute Book 2 Elders’ Journal, November 1837 History, 1838–1856, volume B-1 [1 September 1834–2 November 1838] “History of Joseph Smith”

Page 85

and were unanimously chosen.
was then nominated to still act as Bishop, and was unanimously chosen. Who then nominated and for his who were unanimously chosen.
was then unanimously appointed of this of the .
Elder was chosen to be keeper of the Lord’s .
Elder was <​then​> to the office of Patriarch under the hands of Pres’ts. Joseph Smith, jr. and .
The congregation then after a few remarks from , unanimously voted not to support Stores and Shops selling spirituous liquors, Tea, Coffee or Tobacco.
A vote was called on the the subject of the Presidents of the — and those who have been recently appointed to that office, were unanimously received.
The congregation then united with , who, in the closing prayer, called upon the Lord to dedicate this land for the of the Saints, and their .
, Moderator.
Attest.
Clerk [p. 85]
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Source Note

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Page 85

Document Information

Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Minutes, 7 November 1837
ID #
368
Total Pages
4
Print Volume Location
JSP, D5:468–472
Handwriting on This Page
  • Ebenezer Robinson

Footnotes

  1. [11]

    Isaac Morley had served as a counselor to Partridge since June 1831. Titus Billings was voted to replace John Corrill as a “Bishop’s Counsellor” at a general meeting of Missouri church leaders on 1 August 1837. This vote confirmed the Missouri leaders’ earlier decision. Corrill had served as a counselor since June 1831. (Minutes, ca. 3–4 June 1831; Minute Book 2, 1 Aug. 1837.)

  2. [12]

    Corrill had been nominated by the Missouri presidency and voted to be “an agent to the Church and Keeper of the Lords’ store House” at a Far West high council meeting on 22 May 1837. (Minutes, ca. 3–4 June 1831; Minute Book 2, 3 June 1831 and 22 May 1837.)

  3. [13]

    Morley was the first ordained patriarch for the church in Missouri and the second ordained patriarch in the church. Joseph Smith Sr. continued to serve in his role as church patriarch in Kirtland at this time.

  4. [14]

    TEXT: The text from this point forward was written at a still later time.

  5. [15]

    Strict adherence to the church’s dietary code known as the “Word of Wisdom” was not universally practiced at this time. In undated minutes, possibly circa May 1837, the Far West high council had resolved to withdraw fellowship from “any ordained member who will or does not observe the word of Wisdom according to its litteral reading.” In June 1837 the high council resolved not to uphold any man associated with the business of selling alcohol in Far West, but it did not limit personal use. Failure to observe the Word of Wisdom was one of the charges brought against David Whitmer when he was tried and excommunicated in 1838. (Historical Introduction to Revelation, 27 Feb. 1833; Minute Book 2, p. 71, underlining in original; 11 June 1837; 13 Apr. 1838; JS History, vol. B-1, 761–762; Synopsis of David Whitmer Trial, 13 Apr. 1838.)

  6. [16]

    For more on the reorganization of the presidents of the Quorum of the Seventy, see Historical Introduction to Discourse, 6 Apr. 1837; and Minutes, 3 Sept. 1837.

  7. [17]

    For more on discussions of the gathering of the Saints to Missouri, see Historical Introduction to Minutes, 6 Nov. 1837; and Historical Introduction to Minutes, 10 Nov. 1837.

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