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Minutes, 8 August 1835

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, 8 Aug. 1835. Featured version copied [not before 25 Feb. 1836] in Minute Book 1, p. 95; handwriting of
Warren Cowdery

17 Oct. 1788–23 Feb. 1851. Physician, druggist, farmer, editor. Born at Wells, Rutland Co., Vermont. Son of William Cowdery and Rebecca Fuller. Married Patience Simonds, 22 Sept. 1814, in Pawlet, Rutland Co. Moved to Freedom, Cattaraugus Co., New York, 1816...

View Full Bio
; CHL. For more complete source information, see the source note for Minute Book 1.

Historical Introduction

On 8 August 1835, JS and a
council

A gathering of church leaders assembled “for consultation, deliberation and advice”; also a body responsible for governance or administration. As early as 9 February 1831, a revelation instructed that “the Elders & Bishop shall Council together & they shall...

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, met to bless several individuals who were designated as “sons of Zion.” These blessings seem to have been part of a larger effort to bless individuals who had accompanied JS on the
Camp of Israel

A group of approximately 205 men and about 20 women and children led by JS to Missouri, May–July 1834, to redeem Zion by helping the Saints who had been driven from Jackson County, Missouri, regain their lands; later referred to as “Zion’s Camp.” A 24 February...

View Glossary
expedition to
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
in summer 1834. A June 1834 revelation had told these participants that they were no longer required to redeem
Zion

A specific location in Missouri; also a literal or figurative gathering of believers in Jesus Christ, characterized by adherence to ideals of harmony, equality, and purity. In JS’s earliest revelations “the cause of Zion” was used to broadly describe the ...

View Glossary
at that time; the revelation explained that God had “prepared a great
endowment

Bestowal of spiritual blessings, power, or knowledge. Beginning in 1831, multiple revelations promised an endowment of “power from on high” in association with the command to gather. Some believed this promise was fulfilled when individuals were first ordained...

View Glossary
and blessing” for them.
1

Revelation, 22 June 1834 [D&C 105:12].


Although the endowment and subsequent blessings did not occur until the completion of the
House of the Lord

JS revelation, dated Jan. 1831, directed Latter-day Saints to migrate to Ohio, where they would “be endowed with power from on high.” In Dec. 1832, JS revelation directed Saints to “establish . . . an house of God.” JS revelation, dated 1 June 1833, chastened...

More Info
in Kirtland in 1836, JS convened a meeting of the Camp of Israel participants in February 1835 to recognize them for their service, after which blessings were periodically given.
2

Minutes, Discourse, and Blessings, 14–15 Feb. 1835. Harrison Burgess, who was appointed to the Seventy, later recalled that “during the winter and spring” of 1835, “the Zion camp was called together to receive an especial blessing, according to a promise which had been made” in the June 1834 revelation. (Burgess, Autobiography, 52.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Burgess, Harrison. Autobiography, ca. 1883. Photocopy. CHL. MS 893. Also available as “Sketch of a Well-Spent Life,” in Labors in the Vineyard, Faith-Promoting Series 12 (Salt Lake City: Juvenile Instructor Office, 1884), 65–74.

These blessings took several forms. Some were given to camp members as they were being
ordained

The conferral of power and authority; to appoint, decree, or set apart. Church members, primarily adults, were ordained to ecclesiastical offices and other responsibilities by the laying on of hands by those with the proper authority. Ordinations to priesthood...

View Glossary
as
apostles

Members of a governing body in the church, with special administrative and proselytizing responsibilities. A June 1829 revelation commanded Oliver Cowdery and David Whitmer to call twelve disciples, similar to the twelve apostles in the New Testament and ...

View Glossary
or members of the
Seventy

A priesthood office with the responsibility to travel and preach and assist the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, similar to the seventy in the New Testament. In February and March 1835, the first members of the Seventy were selected and ordained. All of those...

View Glossary
.
3

See, for example, Minutes, Discourse, and Blessings, 14–15 Feb. 1835; Minutes and Blessings, 28 Feb.–1 Mar. 1835; and Minutes, Discourse, and Blessings, 1 Mar. 1835.


Other blessings were given independently of any ordination and became known as “Zion blessings.” Both types of blessings were frequently recorded in church records.
Warren Cowdery

17 Oct. 1788–23 Feb. 1851. Physician, druggist, farmer, editor. Born at Wells, Rutland Co., Vermont. Son of William Cowdery and Rebecca Fuller. Married Patience Simonds, 22 Sept. 1814, in Pawlet, Rutland Co. Moved to Freedom, Cattaraugus Co., New York, 1816...

View Full Bio
copied many of the ordination blessings into Minute Book 1, and some of the Zion blessings were entered into the church’s patriarchal blessing book, even though they were not considered patriarchal blessings.
4

See, for example, Blessing for Charles C. Rich, 24 Apr. 1836, in Patriarchal Blessings, 1:37–38; and Blessing for Harpin Riggs, in Patriarchal Blessings, 1:42. Some individuals, such as Harpin and Burr Riggs, were ordained members of the Seventy in March 1835 but received Zion blessings at a later date as well. (Minutes, Discourse, and Blessings, 1 Mar. 1835; Blessing for Burr Riggs, 7 June 1835, in Patriarchal Blessings, 1:26–27; see also Park, “Zion’s Blessings in the Early Church,” 27–37.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Patriarchal Blessings, 1833–. CHL. CR 500 2.

Park, Benjamin E. “‘ Thou Wast Willing to Lay Down Thy Life for Thy Brethren’: Zion’s Blessings in the Early Church.” John Whitmer Historical Association Journal 29 (2009): 27–37.

The minutes of the 8 August 1835 meeting suggest that there may have also been a record book used solely to record ordination blessings and Zion blessings, but no such record book is extant.
5

This “book of ordination blessings” is apparently neither Minute Book 1 nor the patriarchal blessing book, as the blessing for “Father Duncan,” which is mentioned in these minutes, appears in neither of these books.


Warren Cowdery

17 Oct. 1788–23 Feb. 1851. Physician, druggist, farmer, editor. Born at Wells, Rutland Co., Vermont. Son of William Cowdery and Rebecca Fuller. Married Patience Simonds, 22 Sept. 1814, in Pawlet, Rutland Co. Moved to Freedom, Cattaraugus Co., New York, 1816...

View Full Bio
entered the minutes of the 8 August 1835 meeting into Minute Book 1. But the entry appears to be incomplete, as it ends in the middle of a sentence and nearly half the page below the text was left blank, as though Cowdery planned to return and complete the minutes at a later time.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    Revelation, 22 June 1834 [D&C 105:12].

  2. [2]

    Minutes, Discourse, and Blessings, 14–15 Feb. 1835. Harrison Burgess, who was appointed to the Seventy, later recalled that “during the winter and spring” of 1835, “the Zion camp was called together to receive an especial blessing, according to a promise which had been made” in the June 1834 revelation. (Burgess, Autobiography, 52.)

    Burgess, Harrison. Autobiography, ca. 1883. Photocopy. CHL. MS 893. Also available as “Sketch of a Well-Spent Life,” in Labors in the Vineyard, Faith-Promoting Series 12 (Salt Lake City: Juvenile Instructor Office, 1884), 65–74.

  3. [3]

    See, for example, Minutes, Discourse, and Blessings, 14–15 Feb. 1835; Minutes and Blessings, 28 Feb.–1 Mar. 1835; and Minutes, Discourse, and Blessings, 1 Mar. 1835.

  4. [4]

    See, for example, Blessing for Charles C. Rich, 24 Apr. 1836, in Patriarchal Blessings, 1:37–38; and Blessing for Harpin Riggs, in Patriarchal Blessings, 1:42. Some individuals, such as Harpin and Burr Riggs, were ordained members of the Seventy in March 1835 but received Zion blessings at a later date as well. (Minutes, Discourse, and Blessings, 1 Mar. 1835; Blessing for Burr Riggs, 7 June 1835, in Patriarchal Blessings, 1:26–27; see also Park, “Zion’s Blessings in the Early Church,” 27–37.)

    Patriarchal Blessings, 1833–. CHL. CR 500 2.

    Park, Benjamin E. “‘ Thou Wast Willing to Lay Down Thy Life for Thy Brethren’: Zion’s Blessings in the Early Church.” John Whitmer Historical Association Journal 29 (2009): 27–37.

  5. [5]

    This “book of ordination blessings” is apparently neither Minute Book 1 nor the patriarchal blessing book, as the blessing for “Father Duncan,” which is mentioned in these minutes, appears in neither of these books.

Page 95

Minutes of a
council

A gathering of church leaders assembled “for consultation, deliberation and advice”; also a body responsible for governance or administration. As early as 9 February 1831, a revelation instructed that “the Elders & Bishop shall Council together & they shall...

View Glossary
held 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
Aug. 8th 1835 Presidents Joseph Smith,
1

The minutes do not specify whether this person is JS or Joseph Smith Sr. The placement of the name before the names of Sidney Rigdon and Oliver Cowdery suggests it refers to JS, although it is possible that JS had already left Kirtland on a trip to Michigan Territory. (See JS History, vol. B-1, 606.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

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.

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
&
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
Presiding. Meeting opened by prayer of
S. 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
.
Proceeded to lay hands on the following sons of
Zion

A specific location in Missouri; also a literal or figurative gathering of believers in Jesus Christ, characterized by adherence to ideals of harmony, equality, and purity. In JS’s earliest revelations “the cause of Zion” was used to broadly describe the ...

View Glossary
2

The term “sons of Zion” was used as a name for the Seventy in the minutes of a meeting held on 17 August. The term was also used in the blessings of several individuals who were designated seventies at that meeting. However, as used here, the name seems to refer more generally to those who had gone on the Camp of Israel expedition. (Minutes, 17 Aug. 1835; see also Blessing for Burr Riggs, 7 June 1835, in Patriarchal Blessings, 1:26–27; Blessing for Charles C. Rich, 24 Apr. 1836, in Patriarchal Blessings, 1:37–38; and Blessing for Harpin Riggs, in Patriarchal Blessings, 1:42.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Patriarchal Blessings, 1833–. CHL. CR 500 2.

and bless them as follows. Father Duncan
3

Father Duncan is almost certainly John Duncan (1780–1872), who went on the Camp of Israel expedition with JS. Duncan, who had been ordained a priest by Orson Pratt, arrived in Kirtland from Missouri in July 1835. (Johnson, History of John Duncan, 1, 13; Account with the Church of Christ, ca. 11–29 Aug. 1834; Duncan, Reminiscences, 1, 6; Phelps, “Letters of Faith from Kirtland,” 529.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Johnson, Eldred A., comp. The History of John Duncan (1780–1872) and His Wife Betsy Taylor Putnam (1784–1828). Lindon, UT: By the author, 1991.

Duncan, Chapman. Reminiscences, 1852–1874. Typescript. CHL. MS 6936.

Phelps, Leah Y. “Letters of Faith from Kirtland.” Improvement Era 45, no. 8 (Aug. 1942): 529.

& 6 which is recorded in the book of ordination blessings which see,—— [13 lines blank] [p. 95]
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Source Note

Document Transcript

Page 95

Document Information

Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Minutes, 8 August 1835
ID #
7865
Total Pages
1
Print Volume Location
JSP, D4:378–380
Handwriting on This Page
  • Warren A. Cowdery

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    The minutes do not specify whether this person is JS or Joseph Smith Sr. The placement of the name before the names of Sidney Rigdon and Oliver Cowdery suggests it refers to JS, although it is possible that JS had already left Kirtland on a trip to Michigan Territory. (See JS History, vol. B-1, 606.)

    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.

  2. [2]

    The term “sons of Zion” was used as a name for the Seventy in the minutes of a meeting held on 17 August. The term was also used in the blessings of several individuals who were designated seventies at that meeting. However, as used here, the name seems to refer more generally to those who had gone on the Camp of Israel expedition. (Minutes, 17 Aug. 1835; see also Blessing for Burr Riggs, 7 June 1835, in Patriarchal Blessings, 1:26–27; Blessing for Charles C. Rich, 24 Apr. 1836, in Patriarchal Blessings, 1:37–38; and Blessing for Harpin Riggs, in Patriarchal Blessings, 1:42.)

    Patriarchal Blessings, 1833–. CHL. CR 500 2.

  3. [3]

    Father Duncan is almost certainly John Duncan (1780–1872), who went on the Camp of Israel expedition with JS. Duncan, who had been ordained a priest by Orson Pratt, arrived in Kirtland from Missouri in July 1835. (Johnson, History of John Duncan, 1, 13; Account with the Church of Christ, ca. 11–29 Aug. 1834; Duncan, Reminiscences, 1, 6; Phelps, “Letters of Faith from Kirtland,” 529.)

    Johnson, Eldred A., comp. The History of John Duncan (1780–1872) and His Wife Betsy Taylor Putnam (1784–1828). Lindon, UT: By the author, 1991.

    Duncan, Chapman. Reminiscences, 1852–1874. Typescript. CHL. MS 6936.

    Phelps, Leah Y. “Letters of Faith from Kirtland.” Improvement Era 45, no. 8 (Aug. 1942): 529.

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