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Recommendation for Lyman Wight, 4 April 1836

Source Note

JS, , , , and , Recommendation, for , , Geauga Co., OH, 4 Apr. 1836. Featured version copied [between ca. 4 Apr. and ca. 16 May 1836] in Minute Book 1, p. 200; handwriting of ; CHL. For more complete source information, see the source note for Minute Book 1.

Historical Introduction

Six days after he participated in the in the , left , Ohio, for his home in , Missouri. In his possession was a short document, signed by leaders the previous day, that recommended him—and his advice concerning “temporal matters”—to members of the church.
The recommendation includes references to and the “upbuilding of the cause,” suggesting that church leaders had entrusted with duties related to the redemption or building up of Zion. The list of signatures on the document supports this possibility. Three of the signers, , , and , made up the committee to build the , which was responsible for financing the building’s construction. This recommendation may be related to a 2 April 1836 meeting at which the partners of considered “the situation of the firm in a pecuniary point of view.” During that meeting, in an effort to contribute “all in our power for the redemption of Zion,” the partners appointed JS and to “raise all the money they can in Righteousness, for a season, to send by, or to certain wise men, appointed to purchase land in Zion.” Given that JS and Cowdery were the first two signatories to Wight’s recommendation, it is possible that they selected Wight as one of these “wise men.” In addition to raising funds in for the redemption of Zion during the summer of 1834, Wight had been entrusted with collecting money for JS (or perhaps the church) during early 1836. Wight later recalled that after arriving back in on 6 May 1836, he did “much to help the Br[ethren] enter land in ,” where the Missouri Saints began settling.
had deep connections to the cause of redeeming . After Wight and most other members of the church in , Missouri, were driven from their homes in November 1833, he and traveled to in January 1834 to counsel with church leaders. Wight was then among eight men chosen to recruit volunteers and raise money to redeem Zion after a 24 February 1834 JS revelation led to the organization of the expedition. He participated in that expedition and was chosen as the group’s general. After a 22 June 1834 revelation stated that the redemption of Zion could not occur until after church leaders were “ with power from on high,” Wight was among the men chosen to travel from to Kirtland to receive this endowment in the . Shortly after taking part in the 30 March 1836 solemn assembly, Wight received this letter of recommendation; the following day, he began his journey back to Missouri.
Though the original recommendation is no longer extant, copied it into Minute Book 1, the version featured here.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    Minutes, 2 Apr. 1836.

  2. [2]

    In a letter written to Wilford Woodruff in 1857, Wight recalled that he departed Kirtland “the 13th of Jan and went south 120 miles to collect some money for Br Joseph, got $500 returned on the 27th of Feb.” Neither Wight’s letter to Woodruff nor any other extant document offers an explanation as to what the money might have been for. (Lyman Wight, Mountain Valley, TX, to Wilford Woodruff, 24 Aug. 1857, p. 9, Historian’s Office, Histories of the Twelve, 1856–1858, 1861, CHL.)

    Historian’s Office. Histories of the Twelve, 1856–1858, 1861. CHL. CR 100 93.

  3. [3]

    Lyman Wight, Mountain Valley, TX, to Wilford Woodruff, 24 Aug. 1857, p. 9, Historian’s Office, Histories of the Twelve, 1856–1858, 1861, CHL.

    Historian’s Office. Histories of the Twelve, 1856–1858, 1861. CHL. CR 100 93.

  4. [4]

    Parley P. Pratt et al., “‘The Mormons’ So Called,” The Evening and the Morning Star, Extra, Feb. 1834, [1]–[2]; Lyman Wight, Journal, in History of the Reorganized Church, 1:401–402.

    The History of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. 8 vols. Independence, MO: Herald Publishing House, 1896–1976.

  5. [5]

    Revelation, 24 Feb. 1834 [D&C 103]; JS, Journal, 15–17 Mar. 1834.

  6. [6]

    Kimball, “Journal and Record,” 11–12. JS served as commander-in-chief of the Camp of Israel expedition.

    Kimball, Heber C. “The Journal and Record of Heber Chase Kimball an Apostle of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints,” ca. 1842–1858. Heber C. Kimball, Papers, 1837–1866. CHL. MS 627, box 1.

  7. [7]

    Revelation, 22 June 1834 [D&C 105:11]; Minutes, 23 June 1834; Letter to Lyman Wight and Others, 16 Aug. 1834.

  8. [8]

    Wight left Kirtland on 5 April 1836. (Lyman Wight, Mountain Valley, TX, to Wilford Woodruff, 24 Aug. 1857, p. 9, Historian’s Office, Histories of the Twelve, 1856–1858, 1861, CHL.)

    Historian’s Office. Histories of the Twelve, 1856–1858, 1861. CHL. CR 100 93.

Asterisk (*) denotes a "featured" version, which includes an introduction and annotation.
*Recommendation for Lyman Wight, 4 April 1836
Minute Book 1

Page 200

We the undersigned from a long and intimate acquaintance with the Bearer, brother , from the instructions he has received, the accurate knowledge he has of and her present situation, we cheerfully recommend him to the fullest confidence, of the brethren of the , and any advice he may give relative to temporal matters, the upbuilding of the cause or the furtherance of the Gospel may be safely followed,
J. Smith Junr.
April 4th. 1836 [p. 200]
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Document Information

Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Recommendation for Lyman Wight, 4 April 1836
ID #
1657
Total Pages
1
Print Volume Location
JSP, D5:229–231
Handwriting on This Page
  • Warren A. Cowdery

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