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Minutes and Discourses, 5–7 October 1839

Source Note

General Conference Minutes, and JS, Discourses,
Commerce

Located near middle of western boundary of state, bordering Mississippi River. European Americans settled area, 1820s. From bank of river, several feet above high-water mark, ground described as nearly level for six or seven blocks before gradually sloping...

More Info
, Hancock Co., IL, 5–7 Oct. 1839. Featured version published in Times and Seasons, Dec. 1839, pp. 30–31. For more complete source information, see the source note for Letter to Isaac Galland, 22 Mar. 1839.

Historical Introduction

On 5–7 October 1839, JS presided over a general
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
church

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
at
Commerce

Located near middle of western boundary of state, bordering Mississippi River. European Americans settled area, 1820s. From bank of river, several feet above high-water mark, ground described as nearly level for six or seven blocks before gradually sloping...

More Info
, Illinois, that organized the church in the Commerce area. The conference was to convene at
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...

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’s home, as determined in a May 1839 general conference.
1

Minutes, 4–5 May 1839.


JS’s journal noted that the number of attendees at the conference, the first general conference held at Commerce, was “very large.”
2

JS, Journal, 29 Sept.–6 Oct. 1839. Another contemporary report declared that the conference was a “very crow[d]ed assembly.” (Elizabeth Haven, Quincy, IL, to Elizabeth Howe Bullard, Holliston, MA, 21, 28, and 30 Sept. 1839; 6–9 Oct. 1839, Barlow Family Collection, 1816–1969, CHL.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Barlow Family Collection, 1816–1969. CHL.

By October 1839, the church had purchased several hundred acres of land in the vicinity of Commerce, as well as almost eighteen thousand acres across the
Mississippi River

Principal U.S. river running southward from Itasca Lake, Minnesota, to Gulf of Mexico. Covered 3,160-mile course, 1839 (now about 2,350 miles). Drains about 1,100,000 square miles. Steamboat travel on Mississippi very important in 1830s and 1840s for shipping...

More Info
in
Lee County

Located in north-central Illinois, with part of northern county boundary formed by Rock River. Fertile agricultural area. French trappers frequented area, by 1780. Second Black Hawk campaign fought in area, 1832. Illinois Central Railroad construction began...

More Info
, Iowa Territory.
3

See Historical Introductions to Bonds from Horace Hotchkiss, 12 Aug. 1839–A and B; and Lee Co., IA, Land Records, 1836–1961, Deeds (South, Keokuk), vol. 1, pp. 507–509, microfilm 959,238; vol. 2, pp. 3–6, 13–16, microfilm 959,239, U.S. and Canada Record Collection, FHL; see also Cook, “Isaac Galland,” 270–275.


Comprehensive Works Cited

U.S. and Canada Record Collection. FHL.

Cook, Lyndon W. “Isaac Galland—Mormon Benefactor.” BYU Studies 19 (Spring 1979): 261–284.

In addition to addressing conference participants about the need for contributions to pay for this land, church leaders used the conference to organize the church in Commerce and
Iowa Territory

Area acquired by U.S. in Louisiana Purchase, 1803. First permanent white settlements established, ca. 1833. Organized as territory, 1838, containing all of present-day Iowa, much of present-day Minnesota, and parts of North and South Dakota. Population in...

More Info
, which were experiencing an influx of members.
4

JS stated in a September 1839 letter to Isaac Galland that “there has quite a number of families gathered up here already and we anticipate a continuance.” (Letter to Isaac Galland, 11 Sept. 1839.)


The conference established a
stake

Ecclesiastical organization of church members in a particular locale. Stakes were typically large local organizations of church members; stake leaders could include a presidency, a high council, and a bishopric. Some revelations referred to stakes “to” or...

View Glossary
in Commerce, complete with a
president

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
, three
bishops

An ecclesiastical and priesthood office. JS appointed Edward Partridge as the first bishop in February 1831. Following this appointment, Partridge functioned as the local leader of the church in Missouri. Later revelations described a bishop’s duties as receiving...

View Glossary
, and a
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
. The conference also established a
branch

An ecclesiastical organization of church members in a particular locale. A branch was generally smaller than a stake or a conference. Branches were also referred to as churches, as in “the Church of Shalersville.” In general, a branch was led by a presiding...

View Glossary
in Iowa,
5

In structure, the branch appears to have been a stake, with a president, bishop, and high council. At this time, the terms stake and branch were sometimes used interchangeably, even though both also had separate meanings. (See “Branch” and “Stake” in the glossary.)


and it designated the Commerce region as “a place of
gathering

As directed by early revelations, church members “gathered” in communities. A revelation dated September 1830, for instance, instructed elders “to bring to pass the gathering of mine elect” who would “be gathered in unto one place, upon the face of this land...

View Glossary
” for church members.
6

Some discussion had been held prior to this time as to the wisdom of gathering the Saints in one place, given the difficulties they had experienced in Missouri. Bishop Edward Partridge, for example, stated in February 1839 that “it was not expedient under present circumstances, to collect together but thought it was better to scatter into different parts and provide for the poor which will be acceptable to God.” Brigham Young and other apostles, however, argued that the gathering was essential. (“Conference in Quincy Feby. 1839,” Far West Committee, Minutes, CHL.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Far West Committee. Minutes, Jan.–Apr. 1839. CHL. MS 2564.

In addition to conducting other church business, including performing
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
and instructing the Saints, the conference addressed several disciplinary matters involving church members. One of these issues pertained to the cases of
William Smith

13 Mar. 1811–13 Nov. 1893. Farmer, newspaper editor. Born at Royalton, Windsor Co., Vermont. Son of Joseph Smith Sr. and Lucy Mack. Moved to Lebanon, Grafton Co., New Hampshire, 1811; to Norwich, Windsor Co., 1813; and to Palmyra, Ontario Co., New York, 1816...

View Full Bio
and
Orson Hyde

8 Jan. 1805–28 Nov. 1878. Laborer, clerk, storekeeper, teacher, editor, businessman, lawyer, judge. Born at Oxford, New Haven Co., Connecticut. Son of Nathan Hyde and Sally Thorpe. Moved to Derby, New Haven Co., 1812. Moved to Kirtland, Geauga Co., Ohio, ...

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, two of the
Twelve 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
, who had been “suspended from exercising the functions of their office” at the 4–5 May 1839 general conference until they could personally appear “before the next general conference of the church to give an account of their conduct.”
7

Minutes, 4–5 May 1839.


The conference also voted to publish a new edition of the church’s hymnbook to replace an unauthorized edition published by
David W. Rogers

4 Oct. 1787–21 Sept. 1881. Born in New Hampshire. Son of Samuel Rogers and Hannah Sinclair. Married Martha Collins, 5 Dec. 1811, in Montreal, Lower Canada. Moved to Pomfret, Chautauque Co., New York, by 1820. Moved to New York City, 1830. Baptized into Church...

View Full Bio
, a church member in
New York City

Dutch founded New Netherland colony, 1625. Incorporated under British control and renamed New York, 1664. Harbor contributed to economic and population growth of city; became largest city in American colonies. British troops defeated Continental Army under...

More Info
.
8

Pratt, Autobiography, 186; Hyrum Smith, Nauvoo, IL, to Lucian R. Foster, New York City, NY, Jan. 1840, in JS Letterbook 2, pp. 83–84; see also Revelation, 12 Nov. 1831 [D&C 70:1–4].


Comprehensive Works Cited

Pratt, Parley P. The Autobiography of Parley Parker Pratt, One of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Embracing His Life, Ministry and Travels, with Extracts, in Prose and Verse, from His Miscellaneous Writings. Edited by Parley P. Pratt Jr. New York: Russell Brothers, 1874.

According to JS’s journal, “a great deal of business was transacted and great instruction given.”
9

JS, Journal, 29 Sept.–6 Oct. 1839.


Elizabeth Haven, a church member living in
Quincy

Located on high limestone bluffs east of Mississippi River, about forty-five miles south of Nauvoo. Settled 1821. Adams Co. seat, 1825. Incorporated as town, 1834. Received city charter, 1840. Population in 1835 about 800; in 1840 about 2,300; and in 1845...

More Info
, Illinois, who heard reports about the conference, declared that JS was “filled with the Spirit” at the meeting and that “great union” existed among the Saints.
10

Elizabeth Haven, Quincy, IL, to Elizabeth Howe Bullard, Holliston, MA, 21, 28, and 30 Sept. 1839; 6–9 Oct. 1839, Barlow Family Collection, 1816–1969, CHL.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Barlow Family Collection, 1816–1969. CHL.

The minutes of the meeting featured here were published in the December 1839 issue of the Times and Seasons, the newspaper the church had recently begun publishing in
Commerce

Located near middle of western boundary of state, bordering Mississippi River. European Americans settled area, 1820s. From bank of river, several feet above high-water mark, ground described as nearly level for six or seven blocks before gradually sloping...

More Info
. Sometime after 28 July 1840, a copy of the minutes was recorded in JS Letterbook 2, likely using the Times and Seasons version as the source.
11

Minutes and Discourses, 5–7 Oct. 1839, in JS Letterbook 2, pp. 164–167. The document immediately preceding the minutes in the letterbook is a letter dated 28 July 1840. (Letter to Horace Hotchkiss, 28 July 1840.)


Another copy was recorded in the letterbook sometime on or after 15 December 1840.
12

Minutes and Discourses, 5–7 Oct. 1839, in JS Letterbook 2, pp. 197–200. The document immediately preceding this copy of the minutes in the letterbook is a letter dated 15 December 1840. (JS to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, 15 Dec. 1840, in JS Letterbook 2, pp. 190–196.)


This latter copy appears to be a more polished version of the published minutes and includes information not in the minutes featured here; these additions are identified in the notes.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    Minutes, 4–5 May 1839.

  2. [2]

    JS, Journal, 29 Sept.–6 Oct. 1839. Another contemporary report declared that the conference was a “very crow[d]ed assembly.” (Elizabeth Haven, Quincy, IL, to Elizabeth Howe Bullard, Holliston, MA, 21, 28, and 30 Sept. 1839; 6–9 Oct. 1839, Barlow Family Collection, 1816–1969, CHL.)

    Barlow Family Collection, 1816–1969. CHL.

  3. [3]

    See Historical Introductions to Bonds from Horace Hotchkiss, 12 Aug. 1839–A and B; and Lee Co., IA, Land Records, 1836–1961, Deeds (South, Keokuk), vol. 1, pp. 507–509, microfilm 959,238; vol. 2, pp. 3–6, 13–16, microfilm 959,239, U.S. and Canada Record Collection, FHL; see also Cook, “Isaac Galland,” 270–275.

    U.S. and Canada Record Collection. FHL.

    Cook, Lyndon W. “Isaac Galland—Mormon Benefactor.” BYU Studies 19 (Spring 1979): 261–284.

  4. [4]

    JS stated in a September 1839 letter to Isaac Galland that “there has quite a number of families gathered up here already and we anticipate a continuance.” (Letter to Isaac Galland, 11 Sept. 1839.)

  5. [5]

    In structure, the branch appears to have been a stake, with a president, bishop, and high council. At this time, the terms stake and branch were sometimes used interchangeably, even though both also had separate meanings. (See “Branch” and “Stake” in the glossary.)

  6. [6]

    Some discussion had been held prior to this time as to the wisdom of gathering the Saints in one place, given the difficulties they had experienced in Missouri. Bishop Edward Partridge, for example, stated in February 1839 that “it was not expedient under present circumstances, to collect together but thought it was better to scatter into different parts and provide for the poor which will be acceptable to God.” Brigham Young and other apostles, however, argued that the gathering was essential. (“Conference in Quincy Feby. 1839,” Far West Committee, Minutes, CHL.)

    Far West Committee. Minutes, Jan.–Apr. 1839. CHL. MS 2564.

  7. [7]

    Minutes, 4–5 May 1839.

  8. [8]

    Pratt, Autobiography, 186; Hyrum Smith, Nauvoo, IL, to Lucian R. Foster, New York City, NY, Jan. 1840, in JS Letterbook 2, pp. 83–84; see also Revelation, 12 Nov. 1831 [D&C 70:1–4].

    Pratt, Parley P. The Autobiography of Parley Parker Pratt, One of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Embracing His Life, Ministry and Travels, with Extracts, in Prose and Verse, from His Miscellaneous Writings. Edited by Parley P. Pratt Jr. New York: Russell Brothers, 1874.

  9. [9]

    JS, Journal, 29 Sept.–6 Oct. 1839.

  10. [10]

    Elizabeth Haven, Quincy, IL, to Elizabeth Howe Bullard, Holliston, MA, 21, 28, and 30 Sept. 1839; 6–9 Oct. 1839, Barlow Family Collection, 1816–1969, CHL.

    Barlow Family Collection, 1816–1969. CHL.

  11. [11]

    Minutes and Discourses, 5–7 Oct. 1839, in JS Letterbook 2, pp. 164–167. The document immediately preceding the minutes in the letterbook is a letter dated 28 July 1840. (Letter to Horace Hotchkiss, 28 July 1840.)

  12. [12]

    Minutes and Discourses, 5–7 Oct. 1839, in JS Letterbook 2, pp. 197–200. The document immediately preceding this copy of the minutes in the letterbook is a letter dated 15 December 1840. (JS to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, 15 Dec. 1840, in JS Letterbook 2, pp. 190–196.)

Asterisk (*) denotes a "featured" version, which includes an introduction and annotation.
*Minutes and Discourses, 5–7 October 1839
Letterbook 2 Letterbook 2 History, 1838–1856, volume C-1 [2 November 1838–31 July 1842] “History of Joseph Smith”

Page 30

Proceedings of the general
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
, held at
Commerce

Located near middle of western boundary of state, bordering Mississippi River. European Americans settled area, 1820s. From bank of river, several feet above high-water mark, ground described as nearly level for six or seven blocks before gradually sloping...

More Info
, Hancock County, Illinois, on Saturday the 5th day of October, 1839.
The meeting was opened by prayer, by
President

The highest presiding body of the church. An 11 November 1831 revelation stated that the president of the high priesthood was to preside over the church. JS was ordained as president of the high priesthood on 25 January 1832. In March 1832, JS appointed two...

View Glossary
Joseph Smith Jr. after which he was appointed President and
James Sloan

28 Oct. 1792–24 Oct. 1886. City recorder, notary public, attorney, judge, farmer. Born in Donaghmore, Co. Tyrone, Ireland. Son of Alexander Sloan and Anne. Married Mary Magill. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Ordained an elder, ...

View Full Bio
, Clerk of the Conference, by the unanimous voice of the meeting.
The President then spoke at some length upon the situation of the
Church

The highest presiding body of the church. An 11 November 1831 revelation stated that the president of the high priesthood was to preside over the church. JS was ordained as president of the high priesthood on 25 January 1832. In March 1832, JS appointed two...

View Glossary
, the difficulties they had had to contend with,
1

These difficulties included the Saints’ expulsion from Missouri and JS’s imprisonment in jails in Richmond and Liberty, Missouri. For an account of these events, see JS, “Extract, from the Private Journal of Joseph Smith Jr.,” Times and Seasons, July 1839, 1:2–9.


and the manner in which
2

The second copy of the minutes in JS Letterbook 2 inserts “in the providence of God” here. (Minutes and Discourses, 5–7 Oct. 1839, in JS Letterbook 2, p. 197.)


they had been led to this place; and wished to know the views of the brethren, whether they wished to appoint this a
stake

Ecclesiastical organization of church members in a particular locale. Stakes were typically large local organizations of church members; stake leaders could include a presidency, a high council, and a bishopric. Some revelations referred to stakes “to” or...

View Glossary
or not, stating that he believed it to be a good place and suited for the saints.
It was then unanimously agreed upon, that it should be appointed a stake and a place of
gathering

As directed by early revelations, church members “gathered” in communities. A revelation dated September 1830, for instance, instructed elders “to bring to pass the gathering of mine elect” who would “be gathered in unto one place, upon the face of this land...

View Glossary
for the saints. The following officers were then appointed viz:
William Marks

15 Nov. 1792–22 May 1872. Farmer, printer, publisher, postmaster. Born at Rutland, Rutland Co., Vermont. Son of Cornell (Cornwall) Marks and Sarah Goodrich. Married first Rosannah R. Robinson, 2 May 1813. Lived at Portage, Allegany Co., New York, where he...

View Full Bio
to be
President

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
.
3

A May 1839 conference held in Quincy appointed Marks, who had been a member of the high council and president over the church in Kirtland, Ohio, “to preside over the Church at Commerce, Ill.” (Minutes, 6 May 1839; Minutes, 3 Sept. 1837.)


Bishop [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
, to be
bishop

An ecclesiastical and priesthood office. JS appointed Edward Partridge as the first bishop in February 1831. Following this appointment, Partridge functioned as the local leader of the church in Missouri. Later revelations described a bishop’s duties as receiving...

View Glossary
of Middle Ward.
4

Whitney was appointed as a bishop in Kirtland in 1831 and was directed by a July 1838 revelation to move to Adam-ondi-Ahman, Missouri, to serve as bishop there. A May 1839 conference in Quincy instructed Whitney to “go also to Commerce and there act in unison with the other Bishops of the Church.” (Revelation, 4 Dec. 1831–A [D&C 72:7–8]; Revelation, 8 July 1838–E [D&C 117:11]; Minutes, 6 May 1839.)


Bishop [Edward] Partridge

27 Aug. 1793–27 May 1840. Hatter. Born at Pittsfield, Berkshire Co., Massachusetts. Son of William Partridge and Jemima Bidwell. Moved to Painesville, Geauga Co., Ohio. Married Lydia Clisbee, 22 Aug. 1819, at Painesville. Initially a Universal Restorationist...

View Full Bio
, to be bishop of Upper Ward.
5

Partridge was appointed as a bishop in February 1831 and was directed soon thereafter to serve as the bishop in Missouri. (Revelation, 4 Feb. 1831 [D&C 41:9]; Revelation, 20 July 1831 [D&C 57:7].)


Bishop [Vinson] Knight

14 Mar. 1804–31 July 1842. Farmer, druggist, school warden. Born at Norwich, Hampshire Co., Massachusetts. Son of Rudolphus Knight and Rispah (Rizpah) Lee. Married Martha McBride, July 1826. Moved to Perrysburg, Cattaraugus Co., New York, by 1830. Owned farm...

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to be bishop of Lower Ward.
6

Knight was appointed as acting bishop at Adam-ondi-Ahman in 1838. At the May 1839 general conference, participants resolved that Knight should “be appointed or received into the Church in full Bishopric.” (Minutes, 28 June 1838; Minutes, 4–5 May 1839.)


George W. Harris

1 Apr. 1780–1857. Jeweler. Born at Lanesboro, Berkshire Co., Massachusetts. Son of James Harris and Diana (Margaret) Burton. Married first Elizabeth, ca. 1800. Married second Margaret, who died in 1828. Moved to Batavia, Genesee Co., New York, by 1830. Married...

View Full Bio
,
Thomas Grover

22 July 1807–20 Feb. 1886. Farmer, boat operator. Born at Whitehall, Washington Co., New York. Son of Thomas Grover and Polly Spaulding. Married first Caroline Whiting of Whitehall, 1828. Became a Methodist preacher, by 1834. Moved to Freedom, Cattaraugus...

View Full Bio
,
Samuel Bent

19 July 1778–16 Aug. 1846. Born in Barre, Worcester Co., Massachusetts. Son of Joel Bent and Mary Mason. Married first Mary Kilburn, 3 Mar. 1805, in Wendell, Franklin Co., Massachusetts. Colonel in Massachusetts militia. Lived in Braintree, Norfolk Co., Massachusetts...

View Full Bio
,
Newel Knight

13 Sept. 1800–11 Jan. 1847. Miller, merchant. Born at Marlborough, Windham Co., Vermont. Son of Joseph Knight Sr. and Polly Peck. Moved to Jericho (later Bainbridge), Chenango Co., New York, ca. 1809. Moved to Windsor (later in Colesville), Broome Co., New...

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,
Henry G. Sherwood

20 Apr. 1785–24 Nov. 1867. Surveyor. Born at Kingsbury, Washington Co., New York. Son of Newcomb Sherwood and a woman whose maiden name was Tolman (first name unidentified). Married first Jane J. McManagal (McMangle) of Glasgow, Lanark, Scotland, ca. 1824...

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,
Charles C. Rich

21 Aug. 1809–17 Nov. 1883. Schoolteacher, farmer, cooper. Born in Campbell Co., Kentucky. Son of Joseph Rich and Nancy O’Neal. Moved to Posey Township, Dearborn Co., Indiana, ca. 1810. Moved to Tazewell Co., Illinois, 1829. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ...

View Full Bio
,
David Ful[l]mer

7 July 1803–21 Oct. 1879. Teacher, merchant, farmer. Born in Chillisquaque Township, Northumberland Co., Pennsylvania. Son of Peter Fullmer and Susannah Zerfoss. Moved to Huntington Township, Luzerne Co., Pennsylvania, by 1820. Married Rhoda Ann Marvin, 18...

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,
David Dort

6 Jan. 1793–10 Mar. 1841. Farmer, miller. Born at Gilsum, Cheshire Co., New Hampshire. Son of John Dort and Elishaba Briggs. Married first JS’s cousin Mary (Polly) Mack, 2 June 1813, at Gilsum. After Mary’s death, married her sister Fanny Mack. Moved to Pontiac...

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,
Alpheus Cutler

29 Feb. 1784–10 June 1864. Stonemason. Born in Plainfield, Cheshire Co., New Hampshire. Son of Knight Cutler and Elizabeth Boyd. Married Lois Lathrop, 17 Nov. 1808, in Lebanon, Grafton Co., New Hampshire. Moved to Upper Lisle, Broome Co., New York, ca. 1808...

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,
Seymour Brunson

1 Dec. 1798–10 Aug. 1840. Farmer. Born at Plattsburg, Clinton Co., New York. Son of Reuben Brunson and Sally Clark. Served in War of 1812. Married Harriet Gould of Hector, Tompkins Co., New York, ca. 1823. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day...

View Full Bio
,
Wm. Huntington

28 Mar. 1784–19 Aug. 1846. Farmer, brick maker, potash manufacturer. Born in New Grantham, Cheshire Co., New Hampshire. Son of William Huntington and Prescendia Lathrop. Married first Zina Baker, 28 Dec. 1806, in Plainfield, Sullivan Co. Moved to Watertown...

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,
Lewis D[unbar] Wilson

2 June 1805–11 Mar. 1856. Born in Milton, Chittenden Co., Vermont. Son of Bradley Wilson and Mary (Polly) Gill. Married Nancy Ann Waggner, by ca. 1830. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 23 May 1836. Ordained an elder, Sept. 1836. ...

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,
to be
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
;
7

Of these individuals, six had prior experience on high councils. Harris, Grover, and Newel Knight were members of high councils in Ohio and Missouri; Bent and Dort participated in high councils in Missouri, although it does not appear they were standing members; and Rich had participated in high councils as well. (Minutes, 2 Jan. 1836; Minutes, 13 Jan. 1836; and Minutes, 7 Nov. 1837; Minute Book 2, 24 Apr. 1837; 1, 5, and 20 Aug. 1837; 24 Feb. 1838; 10 Mar. 1838; 13 Dec. 1838; Minutes, 3 July 1834.)


who being respectfully called upon, accepted of their appointment.
It was then voted, that a
branch

An ecclesiastical organization of church members in a particular locale. A branch was generally smaller than a stake or a conference. Branches were also referred to as churches, as in “the Church of Shalersville.” In general, a branch was led by a presiding...

View Glossary
of the Church be established on the other side of the
river

Principal U.S. river running southward from Itasca Lake, Minnesota, to Gulf of Mexico. Covered 3,160-mile course, 1839 (now about 2,350 miles). Drains about 1,100,000 square miles. Steamboat travel on Mississippi very important in 1830s and 1840s for shipping...

More Info
, in the
Iowa Territory

Area acquired by U.S. in Louisiana Purchase, 1803. First permanent white settlements established, ca. 1833. Organized as territory, 1838, containing all of present-day Iowa, much of present-day Minnesota, and parts of North and South Dakota. Population in...

More Info
; over which
Elder

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
John Smith

16 July 1781–23 May 1854. Farmer. Born at Derryfield (later Manchester), Rockingham Co., New Hampshire. Son of Asael Smith and Mary Duty. Member of Congregational church. Appointed overseer of highways at Potsdam, St. Lawrence Co., New York, 1810. Married...

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was appointed President:
8

John Smith, JS’s uncle, had earlier served as the president of the Kirtland high council and in the presidency of the Kirtland church. He had also been an assistant president to JS. (Minutes, 17 Aug. 1835; JS, Journal, 21 Jan. 1836; Minutes, 3 Sept. 1837; “Ecclesiastical Organizational Charts: Spring–Summer 1838.”)


Alanson Ripley

8 Jan. 1798–before 1860. Surveyor, lawyer. Born at New York. Son of Asa Ripley and Polly Deforest. Married Sarah Finkle. Resided in Massachusetts, 1827. Member of Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Ohio. Participated in Camp of Israel expedition...

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, Bishop,
9

Ripley had served on the committee supervising the Saints’ removal from Missouri to Illinois. (“Proceedings of Meeting No 1 Jany 26th 1839”; “Proceedings of Meeting No 2 Jany 29th 1839,” Far West Committee, Minutes, CHL.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Far West Committee. Minutes, Jan.–Apr. 1839. CHL. MS 2564.

and
Asahel Smith

21 May 1773–22 July 1848. Farmer. Born at Windham, Rockingham Co., New Hampshire. Son of Asael Smith and Mary Duty. Moved to Dunbarton, Hillsborough Co., New Hampshire, 15 Apr. 1774; to Derryfield (later Manchester), Hillsborough Co., New Hampshire, 1778;...

View Full Bio
,
David Pettigrew [Pettegrew]

29 July 1791–31 Dec. 1863. Farmer. Born in Weathersfield, Windsor Co., Vermont. Son of William Pettegrew and Phoebe. Married Elizabeth Alden. Moved to Cincinnati. Master Mason of Harmony Masonic Lodge, Oct. 1820, in Cincinnati. Moved to Kelso, Dearborn Co...

View Full Bio
,
John M. Burke [Burk]

4 Feb. 1793–8 June 1853. Innkeeper, farmer. Born in Fairfield, Herkimer Co., New York. Son of Charles Burke and Esther Robinson Bohannon. Married first Abigail Fellows, 13 Mar. 1821, in Fairfield. Moved to Kirtland, Geauga Co., Ohio, by 1823. Baptized into...

View Full Bio
,
Elijah Fordham

12 Apr. 1798–9 Sept. 1879. Carpenter. Born at New York City. Son of George Fordham and Mary Baker. Married first Jane Ann Fisher, 23 Nov. 1822. Married second Bethiah Fisher, 12 Apr. 1830. Lived at Pontiac, Oakland Co., Michigan Territory, 1831–1833. Baptized...

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,
A[braham] Owen Smoot,
Edward [Edmund] Fisher

View Full Bio

,
Richard Howard,
Elias Smith

6 Sept. 1804–24 June 1888. Teacher, printer, postmaster, bookkeeper, probate judge, newspaper editor. Born in Royalton, Windsor Co., Vermont. Son of Asahel Smith and Elizabeth Schellenger. Moved to Stockholm, St. Lawrence Co., New York, 1809. Baptized into...

View Full Bio
,
Williard [Willard] Snow

6 May 1811–21 Aug. 1853. Farmer. Born in St. Johnsbury, Caledonia Co., Vermont. Lived at Waterford, Caledonia Co., by 1820. Son of Levi Snow and Lucina Streeter. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by Orson Pratt, 18 June 1833. Moved...

View Full Bio
,
John Patton [Patten]

14 Apr. 1787–12 Mar. 1847. Physician, farmer. Born in New Hampshire. Son of Benoni Patten and Edith Cole. Married first Abigail Stiles, 5 May 1810, in Vermont. Wife died, 19 Sept. 1821. Married second Hannah Ingersol, 25 Apr. 1824, in Greene Co., Indiana....

View Full Bio
,
Erastus Snow

9 Nov. 1818–27 May 1888. Farmer, teacher, merchant, publisher, manufacturer. Born at St. Johnsbury, Caledonia Co., Vermont. Son of Levi Snow and Lucina Streeter. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by William Snow, 3 Feb. 1833, at Charleston...

View Full Bio
,
Stephen Chase

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,
Were elected high council.
Don C[arlos] Smith

25 Mar. 1816–7 Aug. 1841. Farmer, printer, editor. Born at Norwich, Windsor Co., Vermont. Son of Joseph Smith Sr. and Lucy Mack. Moved to Palmyra, Ontario Co., New York, 1816–Jan. 1817. Moved to Manchester, Ontario Co., 1825. Baptized into Church of Jesus...

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, was elected to be continued as President of the
high Priesthood

An ecclesiastical and priesthood office. Christ and many ancient prophets, including Abraham, were described as being high priests. The Book of Mormon used the term high priest to denote one appointed to lead the church. However, the Book of Mormon also discussed...

View Glossary
.
10

On 15 January 1836, Don Carlos Smith was appointed as president of the high priests in Kirtland. Charles C. Rich was appointed to be president of the high priests in Zion on 20 August 1837. (JS, Journal, 15 Jan. 1836; Minute Book 2, 20 Aug. 1837.)


Orson Hide [Hyde]

8 Jan. 1805–28 Nov. 1878. Laborer, clerk, storekeeper, teacher, editor, businessman, lawyer, judge. Born at Oxford, New Haven Co., Connecticut. Son of Nathan Hyde and Sally Thorpe. Moved to Derby, New Haven Co., 1812. Moved to Kirtland, Geauga Co., Ohio, ...

View Full Bio
to stand in his former office, and
William Smith

13 Mar. 1811–13 Nov. 1893. Farmer, newspaper editor. Born at Royalton, Windsor Co., Vermont. Son of Joseph Smith Sr. and Lucy Mack. Moved to Lebanon, Grafton Co., New Hampshire, 1811; to Norwich, Windsor Co., 1813; and to Palmyra, Ontario Co., New York, 1816...

View Full Bio
to be continued in his standing.
11

Hyde had become disaffected from the church in fall 1838 because, he stated, he no longer believed that God was with the Saints or that the Lord was “the mover of their schemes and projects.” Hyde prepared an affidavit with Thomas B. Marsh that, according to Wilford Woodruff, gave “fals testimony against the presidency & of the Church,” leading to the muster of “thirty thousand of the Militia against the Church.” The exact nature of what William Smith did is uncertain, but later accounts state that when JS was confined in jail at Liberty, Missouri, William, who had a volatile relationship with his brother, “publicly expressed the hope” that JS “would never get out of the hands of his enemies alive.” Though the May general conference instructed Smith and Hyde to present their cases in October, the matters were handled before that time, perhaps because of the pleadings of Heber C. Kimball and Hyrum Smith in behalf of Hyde, who they believed had strong “feelings of repentance, and desire to return to the Church.” In June, Hyde “was restored to the Church and the quorum of the Twelve in full fellowship by a full vote of the Council, after making an humble confession & acknowledgement of his sins.” The prior month, JS had conferred with the Twelve Apostles about William Smith and dismissed his case. (Thomas B. Marsh and Orson Hyde to Lewis Abbott and Ann Marsh Abbott, 25–30 Oct. 1838, in JS Letterbook 2, pp. 18–19; Woodruff, Journal, 25 and 27 June 1839; 13 Feb. 1859; Thomas B. Marsh and Orson Hyde, Affidavit, Richmond, MO, 24 Oct. 1838, copy, Mormon War Papers, Missouri State Archives, Jefferson City; Brigham Young et al., “Hearken, O Ye Latter-day Saints,” Deseret News [Salt Lake City], 23 Aug. 1865, 372; Kimball, “History,” 103; JS, Journal, 25 May and 7 July 1839.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

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

Mormon War Papers, 1838–1841. MSA.

Deseret News. Salt Lake City. 1850–.

Kimball, Heber C. “History of Heber Chase Kimball by His Own Dictation,” ca. 1842–1856. Heber C. Kimball, Papers, 1837–1866. CHL. MS 627, box 2.

Letters were then read respecting the absence of Members, from ill health.
12

In summer 1839, an outbreak of sickness struck the Saints living in Commerce. Parley P. Pratt remembered that “many” church members “were lying sick and at the point of death” because of disease, which appears to have been malaria. (JS, Journal, 8–20 July 1839; Pratt, Autobiography, 324.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Pratt, Parley P. The Autobiography of Parley Parker Pratt, One of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Embracing His Life, Ministry and Travels, with Extracts, in Prose and Verse, from His Miscellaneous Writings. Edited by Parley P. Pratt Jr. New York: Russell Brothers, 1874.

It was voted, that
Harlow Redfield

25 Sept. 1801–3 Aug. 1866. Farmer. Born at Chestnut Hill, Killingworth Township, Middlesex Co., Connecticut. Son of Levi Redfield and Weltha Stevens. Christened member of First Congregational Church, 21 Jan. 1821. Married first Caroline Foster, 1824. Moved...

View Full Bio
be suspended until he can have a trial, and in the meantime that he should not act as a President of a branch, or preach.
13

Redfield, who may have been functioning as the president of a church branch in Pittsfield, Illinois, was accused of “aiding McLellen [William E. McLellin] and others in Plundering the House of Joseph Smith” while JS was imprisoned in Missouri. Redfield denied he had done this. However, when the high council considered his case on 20 October 1839, Redfield confessed to committing “certain inadvertant imprudent (not evil meaning) acts that he sorrowed for.” The high council voted to forgive Redfield and restore him to “his former official standing and fellowship the same and as fully as if no such evil insinuation had been brought against him.” (Journal of Jesse Nathaniel Smith, 6; Caroline Clark et al., Statement, 1839, Statements against William E. McLellin and Others, ca. 1838–1839, CHL; Harlow Redfield, Provo, Utah Territory, to Editor of the Deseret News, 7 Sept. 1854, Deseret News Office, Editor’s Files, 1850–1854, CHL; Nauvoo High Council Minutes, 20 Oct. 1839, 23–24; see also Henry G. Sherwood, “Notice,” Times and Seasons, Jan. 1840, 1:47–48.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Journal of Jesse Nathaniel Smith: The Life History of a Mormon Pioneer, 1834–1906. Salt Lake City: Jesse N. Smith Family Association, 1953.

Statements against William E. McLellin and Others, ca. 1838–1839. CHL.

Deseret News Office. Editor’s Files, 1850–1854. CHL.

Nauvoo High Council Minutes, 1839–1845. CHL. LR 3102 22.

Times and Seasons. Commerce/Nauvoo, IL. Nov. 1839–Feb. 1846.

Voted, that John Daley,
James Daley

View Full Bio

and
Milo Andrus

View Full Bio

retain their station in the church.
14

Andrus had been assigned to serve a mission in Canada but had been prevented from fulfilling this assignment because of fighting occurring between the Canadians and the British. He instead preached in Ohio. James Daley was his brother-in-law and John Daley was his father-in-law. (Andrus, Autobiography, 32, 35; Martin, Story of the John Daley Jr. Family, 7–10.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Andrus, Milo. Autobiography, 1875. Private possession. Photocopy at CHL. MS 6533.

Martin, James D. The Story of the John Daley Jr. Family: Westward Pioneers. [Ogden, UT]: By the author, 2000. Copy at FHL.

Voted that Ephraim Owen’s confession, for disobeying the
word of wisdom

A revelation dated 27 February 1833 containing a code of health. The revelation warned the Saints against consuming tobacco, wine, “strong drinks” (apparently distilled liquors), and “hot drinks” (generally understood as tea and coffee). The revelation recommended...

View Glossary
be acepted.
Brothers,
Edward Johnston William Allred,
Benjamin Johnston [Benjamin F. Johnson]

28 July 1818–18 Nov. 1905. Brickmaker, merchant, tavern keeper, leatherworker, farmer, nurseryman, beekeeper. Born at Pomfret, Chautauque Co., New York. Son of Ezekiel Johnson and Julia Hills. Moved to Kirtland, Geauga Co., Ohio, 1833. Baptized into Church...

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,
Wm. B. Simmons,
Samuel Musick

23 Mar. 1804–after 1860. Farmer, tavern keeper, store owner. Born in Virginia. Son of Abram Musick. Married first Elizabeth, ca. 1829. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, by 1834. Moved to Clay Co., Missouri, by Sept. 1834. Ordained...

View Full Bio
,
Wm. W. Edwards sn.
John S. Ful[l]mer

21 July 1807–8 Oct. 1883. Farmer, newsman, postmaster, teacher, merchant. Born at Huntington, Luzerne Co., Pennsylvania. Son of Peter Fullmer and Susannah Zerfass. Moved to Nashville, Davidson Co., Tennessee, spring 1832. Married Mary Ann Price, 24 May 1837...

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,
Wm. H. Edwards jr.

13 June 1821–13 May 1846. Policeman. Born in Overton Co., Tennessee. Son of Thomas Edwards and Elizabeth. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, before Oct. 1839. Ordained an elder, Oct. 1839, in Commerce (later Nauvoo), Hancock Co., Illinois...

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Jabez Lake,
Hosea Stout

18 Sept. 1810–2 Mar. 1889. Farmer, teacher, carpenter, sawmill operator, lawyer. Born near Pleasant Hill, Mercer Co., Kentucky. Son of Joseph Stout and Anna Smith. Moved to Union Township, Clinton Co., Ohio, 1819; to Wilmington, Clinton Co., fall 1824; to...

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,
Benjamin Jones,
Thomas Rich

29 Nov. 1817–26 Jan. 1884. Farmer. Born in New Albany, Floyd Co., Indiana. Son of Landon Rich and Elizabeth Rickets. Family owned land in Missouri, by 1838. Charged along with JS and others with treason and other crimes, 29 Nov. 1838. Married Henrietta Peck...

View Full Bio
,
Henry Our Bough,
15

The second copy of the minutes in JS Letterbook 2 has this name as “Henry Curbough.” (Minutes and Discourses, 5–7 Oct. 1839, in JS Letterbook 2, p. 198.)


Allen J. Stout

View Full Bio

,
Reddin Allred, Esaias Edwards,
George W. Gee

13 Aug. 1815–20 Jan. 1842. Schoolteacher, farmer, clerk. Born in Ashtabula Co., Ohio. Son of Salmon Gee and Sarah (Sally) Watson Crane. Moved to Richfield, Ashtabula Co., by 1820; to Geauga Co., Ohio, 1828; and to Madison, Geauga Co., by 1830. Baptized into...

View Full Bio
,
John Adams,
Jesse M’Intire, Daniel Miller,
James Brown

View Full Bio

,
Simson I. Comfort,
Henry Miller

1 May 1807–9 Oct. 1885. Carpenter, builder, farmer. Born in Lexington, Greene Co., New York. Family resided at Windham, Greene Co., 1810. Son of James Miller and Ruth Arnold. Moved to Illinois, ca. 1829. Married first Elmira Pond, 19 June 1831. Baptized into...

View Full Bio
,
Graham Coltrin

11 Dec. 1797–24 May 1851. Farmer. Born in Colrain, Hampshire Co., Massachusetts. Son of John Coltrin and Sarah Graham. Moved to Strongsville, Cuyahoga Co., Ohio, 1820. Married first Anna Norwood, 16 Nov. 1828, in Painesville, Geauga Co., Ohio. Baptized into...

View Full Bio
,
Artemus Johnston, William Hyde,
Joseph G. Hovey, Andrew Hendry,
Robert D. Foster

14 Mar. 1811–1 Feb. 1878. Justice of the peace, physician, land speculator. Born in Braunston, Northamptonshire, England. Son of John Foster and Jane Knibb. Married Sarah Phinney, 18 July 1837, at Medina Co., Ohio. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of ...

View Full Bio
,
Redick N. Allred,
Fields B. Jacamey, Eli Lee,
Zadock Bethers, Hiram W. Maxwell,
and Thomas S. Edwards, were appointed Elders of the church, who all accepted of their appointment with the exception of Thomas S. Edwards.
John Gaylord

12 July 1797–17 July 1874. Farmer, carpenter. Born at Luzerne Co., Pennsylvania. Son of Chauncey John Gaylord and Dorithy Taylor. Married first Elizabeth Terry of East Palmyra, Wayne Co., New York, Apr. 1820. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter...

View Full Bio
, was admitted into the church upon his confession.
Abel Casto was
confirmed

After baptism, new converts were confirmed members of the church “by the laying on of the hands, & the giving of the Holy Ghost.” According to JS’s history, the first confirmations were administered at the organization of the church on 6 April 1830. By March...

View Glossary
by the
laying on of hands

A practice in which individuals place their hands upon a person to bestow the gift of the Holy Ghost, ordain to an office or calling, or confer other power, authority, or blessings, often as part of an ordinance. The Book of Mormon explained that ecclesiastical...

View Glossary
.
The meeting then adjourned until Sunday morning after which six were
baptized

An ordinance in which an individual is immersed in water for the remission of sins. The Book of Mormon explained that those with necessary authority were to baptize individuals who had repented of their sins. Baptized individuals also received the gift of...

View Glossary
by Joseph Smith Jr.
Sunday morning October the 6th.
The Conference met pursuant to adjournment at 8 o’clock, A. M.
When,
Samuel Williams

22 Mar. 1789–10 Nov. 1855. Born in Russell, Hampden Co., Massachusetts. Son of Samuel Williams and Azubah Warner. Married first Ruth Bishop, 29 Mar. 1810. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 3 Apr. 1837. Moved to Kirtland, Geauga Co...

View Full Bio
,
Reuben Foot,
Orlando D. Hovey,
Junis Rappleyee [Tunis Rappleye]

2 Feb. 1807–25 Dec. 1883. Farmer, laborer, gardener. Born at Ovid, Seneca Co., New York. Son of John Ransen Rappleye and Margaret Tillier. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by S. Roundy, 20 Nov. 1834. Married to Louisa Elizabeth Cutler...

View Full Bio
,
Sheffield Daniels, Albert Miner,
David B. Smith,
Ebe[neze]r Richardson

7 Aug. 1815–20 Sept. 1874 Farmer. Born in Dryden, Cayuga Co., New York. Son of Josiah Richardson and Lowly Foote. Married Angeline King, 1833. Moved to Greenwood, Steuben Co., New York, by 24 Aug. 1834. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...

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,
Pleasant Ewell

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,
William Helm

View Full Bio

,
Were appointed Elders of the church and were
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
under the hands of
Reynolds Cahoon

30 Apr. 1790–29 Apr. 1861. Farmer, tanner, builder. Born at Cambridge, Washington Co., New York. Son of William Cahoon Jr. and Mehitable Hodges. Married Thirza Stiles, 11 Dec. 1810. Moved to northeastern Ohio, 1811. Located at Harpersfield, Ashtabula Co.,...

View Full Bio
,
Seymour Brunson

1 Dec. 1798–10 Aug. 1840. Farmer. Born at Plattsburg, Clinton Co., New York. Son of Reuben Brunson and Sally Clark. Served in War of 1812. Married Harriet Gould of Hector, Tompkins Co., New York, ca. 1823. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day...

View Full Bio
,
Samuel Bent

19 July 1778–16 Aug. 1846. Born in Barre, Worcester Co., Massachusetts. Son of Joel Bent and Mary Mason. Married first Mary Kilburn, 3 Mar. 1805, in Wendell, Franklin Co., Massachusetts. Colonel in Massachusetts militia. Lived in Braintree, Norfolk Co., Massachusetts...

View Full Bio
and
Alpheus Cutler

29 Feb. 1784–10 June 1864. Stonemason. Born in Plainfield, Cheshire Co., New Hampshire. Son of Knight Cutler and Elizabeth Boyd. Married Lois Lathrop, 17 Nov. 1808, in Lebanon, Grafton Co., New Hampshire. Moved to Upper Lisle, Broome Co., New York, ca. 1808...

View Full Bio
.
After some remarks from the Presi [p. 30]
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Source Note

Document Transcript

Page 30

Document Information

Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Minutes and Discourses, 5–7 October 1839
ID #
8631
Total Pages
2
Print Volume Location
JSP, D7:16–24
Handwriting on This Page
  • Printed text

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    These difficulties included the Saints’ expulsion from Missouri and JS’s imprisonment in jails in Richmond and Liberty, Missouri. For an account of these events, see JS, “Extract, from the Private Journal of Joseph Smith Jr.,” Times and Seasons, July 1839, 1:2–9.

  2. [2]

    The second copy of the minutes in JS Letterbook 2 inserts “in the providence of God” here. (Minutes and Discourses, 5–7 Oct. 1839, in JS Letterbook 2, p. 197.)

  3. [3]

    A May 1839 conference held in Quincy appointed Marks, who had been a member of the high council and president over the church in Kirtland, Ohio, “to preside over the Church at Commerce, Ill.” (Minutes, 6 May 1839; Minutes, 3 Sept. 1837.)

  4. [4]

    Whitney was appointed as a bishop in Kirtland in 1831 and was directed by a July 1838 revelation to move to Adam-ondi-Ahman, Missouri, to serve as bishop there. A May 1839 conference in Quincy instructed Whitney to “go also to Commerce and there act in unison with the other Bishops of the Church.” (Revelation, 4 Dec. 1831–A [D&C 72:7–8]; Revelation, 8 July 1838–E [D&C 117:11]; Minutes, 6 May 1839.)

  5. [5]

    Partridge was appointed as a bishop in February 1831 and was directed soon thereafter to serve as the bishop in Missouri. (Revelation, 4 Feb. 1831 [D&C 41:9]; Revelation, 20 July 1831 [D&C 57:7].)

  6. [6]

    Knight was appointed as acting bishop at Adam-ondi-Ahman in 1838. At the May 1839 general conference, participants resolved that Knight should “be appointed or received into the Church in full Bishopric.” (Minutes, 28 June 1838; Minutes, 4–5 May 1839.)

  7. [7]

    Of these individuals, six had prior experience on high councils. Harris, Grover, and Newel Knight were members of high councils in Ohio and Missouri; Bent and Dort participated in high councils in Missouri, although it does not appear they were standing members; and Rich had participated in high councils as well. (Minutes, 2 Jan. 1836; Minutes, 13 Jan. 1836; and Minutes, 7 Nov. 1837; Minute Book 2, 24 Apr. 1837; 1, 5, and 20 Aug. 1837; 24 Feb. 1838; 10 Mar. 1838; 13 Dec. 1838; Minutes, 3 July 1834.)

  8. [8]

    John Smith, JS’s uncle, had earlier served as the president of the Kirtland high council and in the presidency of the Kirtland church. He had also been an assistant president to JS. (Minutes, 17 Aug. 1835; JS, Journal, 21 Jan. 1836; Minutes, 3 Sept. 1837; “Ecclesiastical Organizational Charts: Spring–Summer 1838.”)

  9. [9]

    Ripley had served on the committee supervising the Saints’ removal from Missouri to Illinois. (“Proceedings of Meeting No 1 Jany 26th 1839”; “Proceedings of Meeting No 2 Jany 29th 1839,” Far West Committee, Minutes, CHL.)

    Far West Committee. Minutes, Jan.–Apr. 1839. CHL. MS 2564.

  10. [10]

    On 15 January 1836, Don Carlos Smith was appointed as president of the high priests in Kirtland. Charles C. Rich was appointed to be president of the high priests in Zion on 20 August 1837. (JS, Journal, 15 Jan. 1836; Minute Book 2, 20 Aug. 1837.)

  11. [11]

    Hyde had become disaffected from the church in fall 1838 because, he stated, he no longer believed that God was with the Saints or that the Lord was “the mover of their schemes and projects.” Hyde prepared an affidavit with Thomas B. Marsh that, according to Wilford Woodruff, gave “fals testimony against the presidency & of the Church,” leading to the muster of “thirty thousand of the Militia against the Church.” The exact nature of what William Smith did is uncertain, but later accounts state that when JS was confined in jail at Liberty, Missouri, William, who had a volatile relationship with his brother, “publicly expressed the hope” that JS “would never get out of the hands of his enemies alive.” Though the May general conference instructed Smith and Hyde to present their cases in October, the matters were handled before that time, perhaps because of the pleadings of Heber C. Kimball and Hyrum Smith in behalf of Hyde, who they believed had strong “feelings of repentance, and desire to return to the Church.” In June, Hyde “was restored to the Church and the quorum of the Twelve in full fellowship by a full vote of the Council, after making an humble confession & acknowledgement of his sins.” The prior month, JS had conferred with the Twelve Apostles about William Smith and dismissed his case. (Thomas B. Marsh and Orson Hyde to Lewis Abbott and Ann Marsh Abbott, 25–30 Oct. 1838, in JS Letterbook 2, pp. 18–19; Woodruff, Journal, 25 and 27 June 1839; 13 Feb. 1859; Thomas B. Marsh and Orson Hyde, Affidavit, Richmond, MO, 24 Oct. 1838, copy, Mormon War Papers, Missouri State Archives, Jefferson City; Brigham Young et al., “Hearken, O Ye Latter-day Saints,” Deseret News [Salt Lake City], 23 Aug. 1865, 372; Kimball, “History,” 103; JS, Journal, 25 May and 7 July 1839.)

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

    Mormon War Papers, 1838–1841. MSA.

    Deseret News. Salt Lake City. 1850–.

    Kimball, Heber C. “History of Heber Chase Kimball by His Own Dictation,” ca. 1842–1856. Heber C. Kimball, Papers, 1837–1866. CHL. MS 627, box 2.

  12. [12]

    In summer 1839, an outbreak of sickness struck the Saints living in Commerce. Parley P. Pratt remembered that “many” church members “were lying sick and at the point of death” because of disease, which appears to have been malaria. (JS, Journal, 8–20 July 1839; Pratt, Autobiography, 324.)

    Pratt, Parley P. The Autobiography of Parley Parker Pratt, One of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Embracing His Life, Ministry and Travels, with Extracts, in Prose and Verse, from His Miscellaneous Writings. Edited by Parley P. Pratt Jr. New York: Russell Brothers, 1874.

  13. [13]

    Redfield, who may have been functioning as the president of a church branch in Pittsfield, Illinois, was accused of “aiding McLellen [William E. McLellin] and others in Plundering the House of Joseph Smith” while JS was imprisoned in Missouri. Redfield denied he had done this. However, when the high council considered his case on 20 October 1839, Redfield confessed to committing “certain inadvertant imprudent (not evil meaning) acts that he sorrowed for.” The high council voted to forgive Redfield and restore him to “his former official standing and fellowship the same and as fully as if no such evil insinuation had been brought against him.” (Journal of Jesse Nathaniel Smith, 6; Caroline Clark et al., Statement, 1839, Statements against William E. McLellin and Others, ca. 1838–1839, CHL; Harlow Redfield, Provo, Utah Territory, to Editor of the Deseret News, 7 Sept. 1854, Deseret News Office, Editor’s Files, 1850–1854, CHL; Nauvoo High Council Minutes, 20 Oct. 1839, 23–24; see also Henry G. Sherwood, “Notice,” Times and Seasons, Jan. 1840, 1:47–48.)

    Journal of Jesse Nathaniel Smith: The Life History of a Mormon Pioneer, 1834–1906. Salt Lake City: Jesse N. Smith Family Association, 1953.

    Statements against William E. McLellin and Others, ca. 1838–1839. CHL.

    Deseret News Office. Editor’s Files, 1850–1854. CHL.

    Nauvoo High Council Minutes, 1839–1845. CHL. LR 3102 22.

    Times and Seasons. Commerce/Nauvoo, IL. Nov. 1839–Feb. 1846.

  14. [14]

    Andrus had been assigned to serve a mission in Canada but had been prevented from fulfilling this assignment because of fighting occurring between the Canadians and the British. He instead preached in Ohio. James Daley was his brother-in-law and John Daley was his father-in-law. (Andrus, Autobiography, 32, 35; Martin, Story of the John Daley Jr. Family, 7–10.)

    Andrus, Milo. Autobiography, 1875. Private possession. Photocopy at CHL. MS 6533.

    Martin, James D. The Story of the John Daley Jr. Family: Westward Pioneers. [Ogden, UT]: By the author, 2000. Copy at FHL.

  15. [15]

    The second copy of the minutes in JS Letterbook 2 has this name as “Henry Curbough.” (Minutes and Discourses, 5–7 Oct. 1839, in JS Letterbook 2, p. 198.)

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