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Revelation, 17 April 1838

Source Note

Revelation,
Far West

Originally called Shoal Creek. Located fifty-five miles northeast of Independence. Surveyed 1823; first settled by whites, 1831. Site purchased, 8 Aug. 1836, before Caldwell Co. was organized for Latter-day Saints in Missouri. William W. Phelps and John Whitmer...

More Info
, Caldwell Co., MO, 17 Apr. 1838. Featured version copied [ca. late Apr. 1838] in JS, Journal, Mar.–Sept. 1838, p. 32; handwriting of
George W. Robinson

14 May 1814–10 Feb. 1878. Clerk, postmaster, merchant, clothier, banker. Born at Pawlet, Rutland Co., Vermont. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and moved to Kirtland, Geauga Co., Ohio, by 1836. Clerk and recorder for Kirtland high...

View Full Bio
; CHL. Includes use marks. For more complete source information, see the source note for JS, Journal, Mar.–Sept. 1838.

Historical Introduction

On 17 April 1838, JS dictated a revelation for
Brigham Young

1 June 1801–29 Aug. 1877. Carpenter, painter, glazier, colonizer. Born at Whitingham, Windham Co., Vermont. Son of John Young and Abigail (Nabby) Howe. Brought up in Methodist household; later joined Methodist church. Moved to Sherburne, Chenango Co., New...

View Full Bio
. A month earlier, JS and Young had arrived in
Far West

Originally called Shoal Creek. Located fifty-five miles northeast of Independence. Surveyed 1823; first settled by whites, 1831. Site purchased, 8 Aug. 1836, before Caldwell Co. was organized for Latter-day Saints in Missouri. William W. Phelps and John Whitmer...

More Info
, Missouri, after having fled
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, with Young assisting JS in his travels.
1

Young fled for his life on 22 December 1837. JS fled Kirtland on 12 January 1838, later meeting up with Young en route to Missouri. (Historian’s Office, Brigham Young History Drafts, 15–16.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Historian’s Office. Brigham Young History Drafts, 1856–1858. CHL. CR 100 475, box 1, fd. 5.

On 6 April, Young was appointed to the pro tempore
presidency

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
of the church in
Zion

JS revelation, dated 20 July 1831, designated Missouri as “land of Zion” for gathering of Saints and place where “City of Zion” was to be built, with Independence area as “center place” of Zion. Latter-day Saint settlements elsewhere, such as in Kirtland,...

More Info
, which was centered in Far West.
2

Minutes, 6 Apr. 1838.


The wording of the 17 April 1838 revelation suggests that Young’s wife, Mary Ann, who was very sick, and their five children, including infant twins, had also arrived in
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
.
3

Mary Ann was sick when she and her children departed Kirtland in the spring, and her sickness worsened from the fatigue of traveling. When the family arrived in Missouri, apparently by the time of this revelation, Brigham was reportedly so surprised by Mary Ann’s appearance that he exclaimed to her, “You look as if you were almost in your grave.” At the time, Young’s children included daughters Elizabeth and Vilate (from Brigham’s first wife, Miriam Works, who died in 1832), son Joseph, and infant twins Brigham Jr. and Mary. (Emmeline B. Wells, “Biography of Mary Ann Angell Young,” Juvenile Instructor, 1 Jan. 1891, 18–19; Historian’s Office, Brigham Young History Drafts, 17.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Noble, Joseph B. “Early Scenes in Church History.” Juvenile Instructor, 15 May 1880, 112.

Historian’s Office. Brigham Young History Drafts, 1856–1858. CHL. CR 100 475, box 1, fd. 5.

He settled his family on property he purchased at
Mill Creek

Latter-day Saint settlement established along stream of same name. Located about six miles northeast of Far West, Missouri. Brigham Young purchased eighty acres on Mill Creek, Aug. 1837. JS revelation, dated 1838, directed Young to settle his family on this...

More Info
, at least three miles from Far West,
4

Mill Creek is a tributary of Shoal Creek near Far West. Young’s autobiography recounts: “I purchased a small improvement on mill creek, located my family and proceeded to fence in a farm. I bought several pieces of land and obtained deeds for them.” It is uncertain which land at Mill Creek belonged to Young, but based on contemporary land records, his land was likely three to seven miles from Far West. Heber C. Kimball, Young’s close friend and fellow apostle, later recounted that Young’s farm was “3 or 4 miles from the City on Mill creek.” (Historian’s Office, Brigham Young History Drafts, 17; Kimball, “History,” 91; see also JS, Journal, Mar.–Sept. 1838, p. 16; Illustrated Historical Atlas of Caldwell County, Missouri, 7, 34, 40; U.S. Department of the Interior, Geological Survey Topographic Map: Hamilton West, Missouri, Quadrangle, 7.5 Minute Series, 2012; and Hamer, Northeast of Eden, 30, 34, 42.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Historian’s Office. Brigham Young History Drafts, 1856–1858. CHL. CR 100 475, box 1, fd. 5.

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.

An Illustrated Historical Atlas of Caldwell County, Missouri. Compiled, Drawn and Published from Personal Examinations and Surveys. Philadelphia: Edwards Brothers, 1876.

U.S. Department of the Interior. Geological Survey Topographic Maps. 7.5 Minute Series. 2012.

Hamer, John. Northeast of Eden: A Historical Atlas of Missouri’s Mormon County. [Mirabile, MO]: Far West Cultural Center, 2004.

but his ecclesiastical duties required his presence at the Missouri church’s center. During the previous weeks, he had been involved in council meetings in Far West. For example, he had attended the 14 April 1838
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
meeting just three days prior to the revelation.
5

See Minutes, 7–8 Apr. 1838; Minutes, 13 Apr. 1838; and Minutes, 14 Apr. 1838.


This short revelation to
Young

1 June 1801–29 Aug. 1877. Carpenter, painter, glazier, colonizer. Born at Whitingham, Windham Co., Vermont. Son of John Young and Abigail (Nabby) Howe. Brought up in Methodist household; later joined Methodist church. Moved to Sherburne, Chenango Co., New...

View Full Bio
, dictated by JS in
Far West

Originally called Shoal Creek. Located fifty-five miles northeast of Independence. Surveyed 1823; first settled by whites, 1831. Site purchased, 8 Aug. 1836, before Caldwell Co. was organized for Latter-day Saints in Missouri. William W. Phelps and John Whitmer...

More Info
, directed Young to go to his home at
Mill Creek

Latter-day Saint settlement established along stream of same name. Located about six miles northeast of Far West, Missouri. Brigham Young purchased eighty acres on Mill Creek, Aug. 1837. JS revelation, dated 1838, directed Young to settle his family on this...

More Info
and support his family. The revelation was probably dictated orally and written down by Young or, as was typical, by a scribe.
6

See “Revelations,” Ensign of Liberty, Aug. 1849, 98–99; see also William E. McLellin, Independence, MO, to Joseph Smith III, [Plano, IL], July 1872, typescript, Letters and Documents Copied from Originals in the Office of the Church Historian, Reorganized Church, CHL; and Pratt, Autobiography, 65.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Ensign of Liberty. Kirtland, OH. Mar. 1847–Aug. 1849.

McLellin, William E. Letter, Independence, MO, to Joseph Smith III, [Plano, IL], July 1872. Letters and Documents Copied from Originals in the Office of the Church Historian, Reorganized Church, no date. Typescript. CHL. MS 9090. Original at CCLA.

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.

George W. Robinson

14 May 1814–10 Feb. 1878. Clerk, postmaster, merchant, clothier, banker. Born at Pawlet, Rutland Co., Vermont. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and moved to Kirtland, Geauga Co., Ohio, by 1836. Clerk and recorder for Kirtland high...

View Full Bio
transcribed the revelation into JS’s “Scriptory Book,” apparently in late April 1838.
7

Robinson began recording daily journal entries with the entry for 26 April 1838, suggesting that the 17 April revelation regarding Young had been copied into the journal by that time.


Young’s absence in subsequent council meetings held in Far West suggests that he followed the direction given in the revelation.
8

Aside from presiding over a 24 May 1838 council meeting, he was not mentioned as attending council meetings held during the next half year. (Minute Book 2, 14 Apr.–6 Oct 1838.)


Footnotes

  1. [1]

    Young fled for his life on 22 December 1837. JS fled Kirtland on 12 January 1838, later meeting up with Young en route to Missouri. (Historian’s Office, Brigham Young History Drafts, 15–16.)

    Historian’s Office. Brigham Young History Drafts, 1856–1858. CHL. CR 100 475, box 1, fd. 5.

  2. [2]

    Minutes, 6 Apr. 1838.

  3. [3]

    Mary Ann was sick when she and her children departed Kirtland in the spring, and her sickness worsened from the fatigue of traveling. When the family arrived in Missouri, apparently by the time of this revelation, Brigham was reportedly so surprised by Mary Ann’s appearance that he exclaimed to her, “You look as if you were almost in your grave.” At the time, Young’s children included daughters Elizabeth and Vilate (from Brigham’s first wife, Miriam Works, who died in 1832), son Joseph, and infant twins Brigham Jr. and Mary. (Emmeline B. Wells, “Biography of Mary Ann Angell Young,” Juvenile Instructor, 1 Jan. 1891, 18–19; Historian’s Office, Brigham Young History Drafts, 17.)

    Noble, Joseph B. “Early Scenes in Church History.” Juvenile Instructor, 15 May 1880, 112.

    Historian’s Office. Brigham Young History Drafts, 1856–1858. CHL. CR 100 475, box 1, fd. 5.

  4. [4]

    Mill Creek is a tributary of Shoal Creek near Far West. Young’s autobiography recounts: “I purchased a small improvement on mill creek, located my family and proceeded to fence in a farm. I bought several pieces of land and obtained deeds for them.” It is uncertain which land at Mill Creek belonged to Young, but based on contemporary land records, his land was likely three to seven miles from Far West. Heber C. Kimball, Young’s close friend and fellow apostle, later recounted that Young’s farm was “3 or 4 miles from the City on Mill creek.” (Historian’s Office, Brigham Young History Drafts, 17; Kimball, “History,” 91; see also JS, Journal, Mar.–Sept. 1838, p. 16; Illustrated Historical Atlas of Caldwell County, Missouri, 7, 34, 40; U.S. Department of the Interior, Geological Survey Topographic Map: Hamilton West, Missouri, Quadrangle, 7.5 Minute Series, 2012; and Hamer, Northeast of Eden, 30, 34, 42.)

    Historian’s Office. Brigham Young History Drafts, 1856–1858. CHL. CR 100 475, box 1, fd. 5.

    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.

    An Illustrated Historical Atlas of Caldwell County, Missouri. Compiled, Drawn and Published from Personal Examinations and Surveys. Philadelphia: Edwards Brothers, 1876.

    U.S. Department of the Interior. Geological Survey Topographic Maps. 7.5 Minute Series. 2012.

    Hamer, John. Northeast of Eden: A Historical Atlas of Missouri’s Mormon County. [Mirabile, MO]: Far West Cultural Center, 2004.

  5. [5]

    See Minutes, 7–8 Apr. 1838; Minutes, 13 Apr. 1838; and Minutes, 14 Apr. 1838.

  6. [6]

    See “Revelations,” Ensign of Liberty, Aug. 1849, 98–99; see also William E. McLellin, Independence, MO, to Joseph Smith III, [Plano, IL], July 1872, typescript, Letters and Documents Copied from Originals in the Office of the Church Historian, Reorganized Church, CHL; and Pratt, Autobiography, 65.

    Ensign of Liberty. Kirtland, OH. Mar. 1847–Aug. 1849.

    McLellin, William E. Letter, Independence, MO, to Joseph Smith III, [Plano, IL], July 1872. Letters and Documents Copied from Originals in the Office of the Church Historian, Reorganized Church, no date. Typescript. CHL. MS 9090. Original at CCLA.

    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.

  7. [7]

    Robinson began recording daily journal entries with the entry for 26 April 1838, suggesting that the 17 April revelation regarding Young had been copied into the journal by that time.

  8. [8]

    Aside from presiding over a 24 May 1838 council meeting, he was not mentioned as attending council meetings held during the next half year. (Minute Book 2, 14 Apr.–6 Oct 1838.)

Asterisk (*) denotes a "featured" version, which includes an introduction and annotation.
*Revelation, 17 April 1838
Journal, March–September 1838 History, 1838–1856, volume B-1 [1 September 1834–2 November 1838] “History of Joseph Smith”

Page 32

Revelation given to
Brigham Young

1 June 1801–29 Aug. 1877. Carpenter, painter, glazier, colonizer. Born at Whitingham, Windham Co., Vermont. Son of John Young and Abigail (Nabby) Howe. Brought up in Methodist household; later joined Methodist church. Moved to Sherburne, Chenango Co., New...

View Full Bio
at
Far West

Originally called Shoal Creek. Located fifty-five miles northeast of Independence. Surveyed 1823; first settled by whites, 1831. Site purchased, 8 Aug. 1836, before Caldwell Co. was organized for Latter-day Saints in Missouri. William W. Phelps and John Whitmer...

More Info
April 17th 1838. Verrily thus Saith the Lord, Let my Servant
Brigham Young

1 June 1801–29 Aug. 1877. Carpenter, painter, glazier, colonizer. Born at Whitingham, Windham Co., Vermont. Son of John Young and Abigail (Nabby) Howe. Brought up in Methodist household; later joined Methodist church. Moved to Sherburne, Chenango Co., New...

View Full Bio
go unto the place which he has baught on
Mill Creek

Latter-day Saint settlement established along stream of same name. Located about six miles northeast of Far West, Missouri. Brigham Young purchased eighty acres on Mill Creek, Aug. 1837. JS revelation, dated 1838, directed Young to settle his family on this...

More Info
and there provide for his family until an effectual door is op[e]ned
1

See 1 Corinthians 16:9; Revelation, 12 Oct. 1833 [D&C 100:3]; and Revelation, 23 July 1837 [D&C 112:19].


for the suport of his family untill I shall command [him] to go hence, and not to leave his family untill they are amply provided for
2

Young and his fellow apostles had expected to travel abroad since the time their quorum was organized in 1835 with a commission to preach to all nations. In summer 1837, JS dictated a revelation to Thomas B. Marsh, the president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, directing him to settle his business affairs and prepare for a mission. Apostles Heber C. Kimball and Orson Hyde were already proselytizing in England. On 11 April 1838, JS dictated a revelation directing apostle David W. Patten to prepare for a mission the following spring, apparently with his fellow apostles. (Instruction on Priesthood, between ca. 1 Mar. and ca. 4 May 1835 [D&C 107:33–35]; Revelation, 23 July 1837 [D&C 112]; Historical Introduction to Letter from Heber C. Kimball and Orson Hyde, between 22 and 28 May 1838; Revelation, 11 Apr. 1838 [D&C 114].)


Amen.—— [p. 32]
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Page 32

Document Information

Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Revelation, 17 April 1838
ID #
403
Total Pages
1
Print Volume Location
JSP, D6:107–108
Handwriting on This Page
  • George W. Robinson

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    See 1 Corinthians 16:9; Revelation, 12 Oct. 1833 [D&C 100:3]; and Revelation, 23 July 1837 [D&C 112:19].

  2. [2]

    Young and his fellow apostles had expected to travel abroad since the time their quorum was organized in 1835 with a commission to preach to all nations. In summer 1837, JS dictated a revelation to Thomas B. Marsh, the president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, directing him to settle his business affairs and prepare for a mission. Apostles Heber C. Kimball and Orson Hyde were already proselytizing in England. On 11 April 1838, JS dictated a revelation directing apostle David W. Patten to prepare for a mission the following spring, apparently with his fellow apostles. (Instruction on Priesthood, between ca. 1 Mar. and ca. 4 May 1835 [D&C 107:33–35]; Revelation, 23 July 1837 [D&C 112]; Historical Introduction to Letter from Heber C. Kimball and Orson Hyde, between 22 and 28 May 1838; Revelation, 11 Apr. 1838 [D&C 114].)

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