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Minutes and Discourses, 6–9 October 1843

Source Note

Special conference of the Church, Minutes, and JS, Discourses, , Hancock Co., IL, 6–9 October 1843. Featured version published in “Minutes of a Special Conference,” Times and Seasons, 15 Sept. 1843, vol. 4, no. 21, 329–332. For more complete source information, see the source note for Letter to Isaac Galland, 22 Mar. 1839.

Historical Introduction

From 6 to 9 October 1843, JS presided over the semiannual of the in , Illinois. JS had announced the conference about two weeks earlier in print and in a discourse. The conference was to commence on Friday, 6 October, at ten o’clock in the morning, but cold and windy weather necessitated postponing it until the next day. When the conference began the next morning at ten o’clock, JS stated that the conference would address two matters of business: first, ’s standing in the church; and second, the building of the .
In the early years of the church emerged as one of JS’s most capable followers and fellow church leaders, serving as the first counselor in the , but the two men grew estranged after the Latter-day Saints relocated to . Because of chronic sickness, Rigdon had not actively functioned as a counselor. Additionally, a rift emerged between the men following JS’s alleged plural marriage proposal to Rigdon’s daughter in spring 1842. During the next year and a half, JS’s and Rigdon’s relationship vacillated between tenuous reconciliation and open hostility. In August and September 1843, and reportedly heard rumors that Rigdon had conspired with JS’s enemies in and . During a mid-August discourse, JS responded to these allegations by publicly accusing Rigdon of disloyalty and persuading the assembled Saints to withdraw Rigdon’s ministerial . Rigdon tried to answer these charges in late August, but the claims did not receive a full investigation until the October conference. Several church leaders later stated that JS privately to replace Rigdon in the First Presidency even though Rigdon’s case was still pending.
On Saturday, 7 October, JS formally charged , and Rigdon began his defense. The session was dismissed early due to inclement weather, and Rigdon continued to defend himself on Sunday, 8 October, during which time JS dropped at least one of the charges against him. , , and advocated for mercy in Rigdon’s behalf. Although JS continued to express doubt about Rigdon’s integrity, the conference voted to retain Rigdon as one of the counselors in the First Presidency. At the conclusion of the vote, the conference adjourned until the next day due to poor weather.
On Monday, 9 October, the conference assembled for both a morning and an afternoon session. In the morning, JS stated that the next item of business for the conference was the progress of the ’s construction. During the prior season, temple workers raised the walls from somewhere between four and twelve feet high to nearly twenty-five feet high, roughly completing the first-story stonework. Yet considerable work remained, and there was a great need for labor and goods to complete the structure. After JS’s remarks, and , the members of the church’s , discussed this progress and the need for additional labor and supplies to help the work continue. echoed their comments, after which the conference voted to continue the efforts to build the temple.
In the Monday afternoon session, JS delivered a funeral sermon for , a prominent Latter-day Saint who had moved to from , Illinois, by the prior summer. JS first met Adams in 1839, when JS passed through Springfield on his way to . Thereafter Adams served as one of JS’s trusted confidants and was a father figure to him. Adams died on 11 August 1843, and though JS attended his funeral on 16 August, there is no record that he preached on that occasion. His conference sermon about Adams was possibly prompted by the attendance of Harriet Denton Adams, James Adams’s widow, at a prayer meeting held in JS’s house the night before. JS based his discourse on chapter 12 of the epistle to the Hebrews in the New Testament, particularly the difference between angels and the spirits of “just men made perfect” as mentioned in verses 22–23. According to the featured published conference report, JS’s sermon “was delivered with his usual feeling and pathos; and was listened to with the most profound and eager attention by the multitude, who hung upon his instructions.” recorded that “the people were well edified” by JS’s remarks and “a very good feeling prevailed throughout” the conference.
There are apparently no extant manuscript minutes for the October 1843 conference. served as the conference clerk. Although Hills occasionally served as clerk for church and civic meetings, he was not one of JS’s usual scribes. Hills’s minutes were printed in the 15 September 1843 issue of the Times and Seasons, which was at least a month behind schedule. likely kept loose minutes of at least the proceedings against on 7 October, but if he did so, they are apparently not extant. While Richards typically recorded conference minutes in JS’s journal, which he kept, he did not do so for this conference. However, Richards did record an account of JS’s 9 October discourse in the journal. Church member copied a refined account of JS’s doctrinal teachings from that discourse into his personal journal, although it is unclear if Burgess was present at the conference. Burgess attributed these teachings to “J Smith Prophet,” and while his account is not dated, it matches the themes and doctrines JS addressed at the October 1843 conference.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    He authorized Willard Richards to publish a notice, dated 22 September, announcing the conference, but before it was published, JS announced the conference from the stand during his Sunday discourse on 24 September. (“Special Conference,” Nauvoo Neighbor, 27 Sept. 1843, [3]; Note from Willard Richards, 22 Sept. 1843; JS, Journal, 24 Sept. 1843.)

  2. [2]

    JS, Journal, 6 Oct. 1843.

  3. [3]

    Rigdon told the April 1844 conference of the church that he had frequently suffered from “the violence of sickness” and noted that “want of health, and other circumstances have kept me in silence for nearly the last five years.” (“Conference Minutes,” Times and Seasons, 1 May 1844, 5:522.)

  4. [4]

    Letter to Nancy Rigdon, ca. mid-Apr. 1842; Letter from Sidney Rigdon, 1 July 1842.

  5. [5]

    “Elder Rigdon, &c.,” Times and Seasons, 15 Sept. 1842, 3:922–923; Letter to Justin Butterfield, 16 Jan. 1843; JS, Journal, 11 Feb. 1843; Letter to Sidney Rigdon, 27 Mar. 1843; Minutes and Discourses, 6–7 Apr. 1843.

  6. [6]

    Historical Introduction to Discourse, 13 Aug. 1843–B.

  7. [7]

    JS, Journal, 27 Aug. 1843.

  8. [8]

    JS had previously called Lyman to the First Presidency in February 1843, apparently to replace Rigdon. At the time, JS was preparing ecclesiastical charges against Rigdon for his alleged connections to John C. Bennett. However, JS and Rigdon reconciled before Lyman’s calling could be announced and possibly before it could be implemented. In 1844, after JS’s death, Heber C. Kimball publicly stated that sometime around the October 1843 conference, Lyman was privately “ordained & put in the place of Sidney Rigdon as counsillor” to JS. Jedediah Grant made a similar statement in an 1844 pamphlet. This ordination may have occurred during a 1 October 1843 prayer meeting at which William Law and at least one unidentified individual were “anointed. counselors” to JS. (JS, Journal, 4 and 11 Feb. 1843; Woodruff, Journal, [20] Jan. 1843; Historical Department, Journal History of the Church, 10 Jan. 1842 [1843]; Historian’s Office, General Church Minutes, 8 Sept. 1844, 12; “Continuation of Elder Rigdon’s Trial,” Times and Seasons, 1 Oct. 1844, 5:663–664; Grant, Collection of Facts, 15–16; JS, Journal, 1 Oct. 1843.)

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

    Historical Department. Journal History of the Church, 1896–. CHL. CR 100 137.

    Historian’s Office. General Church Minutes, 1839–1877. CHL

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

    Grant, Jedediah M. A Collection of Facts, Relative to the Course Taken by Elder Sidney Rigdon, in the States of Ohio, Missouri, Illinois and Pennsylvania. Philadelphia: Brown, Bicking and Guilbert, 1844.

  9. [9]

    Workers had completed the basement stonework in 1842. (JS, Journal, 6 Apr. 1843; David Nye White, “The Prairies, Nauvoo, Joe Smith, the Temple, the Mormons, &c.,” Pittsburgh Daily Gazette, 14 Sept. 1843, [3].)

    Pittsburgh Daily Gazette. Pittsburgh, PA. 1841–1844.

  10. [10]

    Historical Introduction to Letter of Introduction from James Adams, 9 Nov. 1839.

  11. [11]

    Historian’s Office, JS History, Draft Notes, 4 Nov. 1839, 67; JS, Journal, 4 May 1842; Historian’s Office, JS History, Draft Notes, 4 May 1842, 11.

  12. [12]

    JS, Journal, 11 and 16 Aug. 1843.

  13. [13]

    JS, Journal, 8 Oct. 1843.

  14. [14]

    JS previously touched on this subject during a funeral sermon for Elias Higbee in mid-August 1843. (Discourse, 13 Aug. 1843–A.)

  15. [15]

    Clayton, Journal, 9 Oct. 1843.

    Clayton, William. Journals, 1842–1845. CHL.

  16. [16]

    Minutes and Discourse, 1–5 Oct. 1841; Historical Introduction to Minutes, 22 July 1842.

  17. [17]

    The 15 September issue of the Times and Seasons included an authorization for George J. Adams dated 14 October, indicating that the issue was published at least a month behind the printed date. In the previous issue, dated 1 September, John Taylor, the editor of the Times and Seasons, apologized for the lengthy delay, which he attributed to the absence of his business partner Wilford Woodruff—who was then serving a mission in the east—and his employees’ poor health. (Authorization for George J. Adams, 14 Oct. 1843; “To Our Patrons,” Times and Seasons, 1 Sept. 1843, 4:312.)

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

  18. [18]

    In the 7 October 1843 entry in JS’s journal, Richards directed the reader to “see minutes” of an account of Sidney Rigdon’s trial. Richards wrote “see minutes” in JS’s journal nine other times, each time referring to minutes he personally kept. (JS, Journal, 7 Oct. 1843; JS, Journal, 12, 24, and 30 Apr. 1843; JS, Journal, 11, 23, 27, and 29 May 1843; 29 Dec. 1843; 13 May 1844.)

  19. [19]

    See, for example, JS, Journal, 6–8 Apr. 1843; and JS, Journal, 6–9 Apr. 1844.

  20. [20]

    Burgess, who moved to Nauvoo in April 1843, noted in his journal the “joy and gladness” he felt after arriving at the city, where he had “the priviledge of hearing the doctrine of the blessed redeemer developed by his servant the Prophet.” He also seems to have sought out accounts of JS’s sermons, and there is at least one sermon recorded in his notebook that he did not attend. (Burgess, Journal, [62]–[63]; see also, for example, Discourse, 6 Apr. 1843–B, as Reported by James Burgess.)

    Burgess, James. Journal, 1841–1848. CHL. MS 1858.

  21. [21]

    Burgess, Journal and Notebook, Oct. 1841–Dec. 1848, [14]–[15]; JS, Journal, 9 Oct. 1843.

    Burgess, James. Journal and Notebook, Oct. 1841–Dec. 1848. James Burgess, Journals, 1841–1848. CHL.

Asterisk (*) denotes a "featured" version, which includes an introduction and annotation. *Discourse, 7 October 1843, as Reported by Gustavus Hills “History of Joseph Smith” *Discourse, 8 October 1843, as Reported by Gustavus Hills History, 1838–1856, volume E-1 [1 July 1843–30 April 1844] History, 1838–1856, volume E-1 [1 July 1843–30 April 1844] *Discourse, 9 October 1843, as Reported by Willard Richards Journal, December 1842–June 1844; Book 3, 15 July 1843–29 February 1844 *Discourse, 9 October 1843, as Reported by Gustavus Hills
*Minutes and Discourses, 6–9 October 1843
*Discourse, 9 October 1843, as Reported by James Burgess History, 1838–1856, volume E-1 [1 July 1843–30 April 1844] “History of Joseph Smith”

Page 329

MINUTES OF A SPECIAL
Of the , held in the City of , commencing on the 6th of October, 1843.
Friday, October 6th, 10 o’clock A. M.
The weather proving unfavorable, the organization of the conference was postponed until the next day at 10 o’clock A. M.
Saturday, 10 o’clock A. M.
Conference assembled and proceeded to business.
President Joseph Smith was called to the chair, and chosen clerk.
Opened with singing by the choir, and prayer by .
The president stated the items of business to be brought before the Conference, to be,
1st. The case and standing of elder , counsellor to the .
2d. The further progress of the ; after which, any miscellaneous business.
Elder addressed the conference on the subject of his situation and circumstances among the saints.
President Joseph Smith addressed the conference, inviting an expression of any charges or complaints which the Conference had to make. He stated his dissatisfaction with elder as a counsellor, not having received any material benefit from his labors or counsels since their escape from . Several complaints were then brought forward in reference to his management in the Post Office; a supposed correspondence and connection with , with , and with the [p. 329]
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Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Minutes and Discourses, 6–9 October 1843
ID #
12370
Total Pages
4
Print Volume Location
JSP, D13:160–167
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Footnotes

  1. [1]

    This routine semiannual conference of the church was termed a “special” instead of a “general” conference because JS announced in October 1841 that there would not be another general conference of the church until the completion of the Nauvoo temple. (See Minutes and Discourse, 1–5 Oct. 1841; see also “Conference Minutes,” and “First Meeting in the Temple,” Times and Seasons, 1 Nov. 1845, 6:1008–1016, 1017–1018.)

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

  2. [2]

    Rigdon was imprisoned alongside JS and others in Liberty, Missouri, in late 1838. In early 1839, the prisoners petitioned the Clay County court for a writ of habeas corpus, a common law remedy that permitted an authorized judge to review the legality of a prisoner’s detention. However, the judge released only Rigdon on bail and remanded the other petitioners to prison. Rather than remain in the state for his court appearance, Rigdon left Missouri and in February 1839 arrived in Quincy, Illinois, where he joined the Saints who were forced out of Missouri by mobs. (Sidney Rigdon, Testimony, Nauvoo, IL, 1 July 1843, pp. [22]–[24], Nauvoo, IL, Records, CHL; Editorial, Quincy [IL] Whig, 23 Feb. 1839, [1].)

    Quincy Whig. Quincy, IL. 1838–1856.

  3. [3]

    Rigdon replaced his son-in-law, George W. Robinson, as postmaster of Nauvoo in 1841. A year later, JS accused Rigdon, Robinson, and others of stealing money and letters sent to JS or the church. In November 1842, JS oversaw the collection of affidavits and the drafting of a petition calling for Rigdon to be removed as postmaster and for JS to be appointed to that position. (U.S. Post Office Department, Record of Appointment of Postmasters, reel 28, vol. 12B, p. 514; Letter to George W. Robinson, 6 Nov. 1842; JS, Journal, 8 Nov. 1842.)

    U.S. Post Office Department. Record of Appointment of Postmasters, 1832–September 30, 1971. National Archives Microfilm Publications, microcopy M841. 145 microfilm reels. Washington DC: National Archives, 1977.

  4. [4]

    In January 1843, Bennett wrote a letter to Rigdon and Orson Pratt informing them that he was on his way to Missouri to encourage the courts there to make a new attempt to arrest JS on the 1838 charges of treason, burglary, and other crimes. After he received the letter, Rigdon passed it along to Pratt, who delivered it to JS. Both Rigdon and Pratt were disaffected from JS at the time due to disagreements about plural marriage, but Pratt’s delivery of the letter to JS marked the beginning of their reconciliation, while Rigdon’s failure to do so led JS to further suspect his loyalty. (Letter to Justin Butterfield, 16 Jan. 1843; Minutes, 20 Jan. 1843.)

  5. [5]

    Sometime in August 1843, an individual working on the steamboat Annawan told Orson Hyde that “Mr Prentice in the vicinity of Quincy” claimed that in 1842 Rigdon promised Thomas Carlin, who was then governor of Illinois, that he “would use all the influence that his circumstances would admit of. to have Joseph Smith arrested, and deliverd into the hands of the Missourians.” JS made this accusation public on 13 August 1843—and again on 27 August, when Rigdon was forced to give up his ministerial license. (Thomas Carlin, Quincy, IL, to Sidney Rigdon, [Nauvoo, IL], 18 Aug. 1843; Historical Introduction to Discourse, 13 Aug. 1843–B; JS, Journal, 27 Aug. 1843.)

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