The Papers
Browse the PapersDocumentsJournalsAdministrative RecordsRevelations and TranslationsHistoriesLegal RecordsFinancial RecordsOther Contemporary Papers
Reference
PeoplePlacesEventsGlossaryLegal GlossaryFinancial GlossaryCalendar of DocumentsWorks CitedFeatured TopicsLesson PlansRelated Publications
Media
VideosPhotographsIllustrationsChartsMapsPodcasts
News
Current NewsArchiveNewsletterSubscribeJSP Conferences
About
About the ProjectJoseph Smith and His PapersFAQAwardsEndorsementsReviewsEditorial MethodNote on TranscriptionsNote on Images of People and PlacesReferencing the ProjectCiting This WebsiteProject TeamContact Us
Published Volumes
  1. Home > 
  2. The Papers > 

Revelation, September 1830–E [D&C 30:9–11]

Source Note

Revelation,
Fayette Township

Located in northern part of county between Seneca and Cayuga lakes. Area settled, by 1790. Officially organized as Washington Township, 14 Mar. 1800. Name changed to Fayette, 6 Apr. 1808. Population in 1830 about 3,200. Population in 1840 about 3,700. Significant...

More Info
, Seneca Co., NY, to
John Whitmer

27 Aug. 1802–11 July 1878. Farmer, stock raiser, newspaper editor. Born in Pennsylvania. Son of Peter Whitmer Sr. and Mary Musselman. Member of German Reformed Church, Fayette, Seneca Co., New York. Baptized by Oliver Cowdery, June 1829, most likely in Seneca...

View Full Bio
, [Sept.] 1830. Featured version, titled “33 Commandment AD 1830,” copied [ca. Mar. 1831] in Revelation Book 1, p. 43; handwriting of
John Whitmer

27 Aug. 1802–11 July 1878. Farmer, stock raiser, newspaper editor. Born in Pennsylvania. Son of Peter Whitmer Sr. and Mary Musselman. Member of German Reformed Church, Fayette, Seneca Co., New York. Baptized by Oliver Cowdery, June 1829, most likely in Seneca...

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

Historical Introduction

This revelation for
John Whitmer

27 Aug. 1802–11 July 1878. Farmer, stock raiser, newspaper editor. Born in Pennsylvania. Son of Peter Whitmer Sr. and Mary Musselman. Member of German Reformed Church, Fayette, Seneca Co., New York. Baptized by Oliver Cowdery, June 1829, most likely in Seneca...

View Full Bio
originated, like the two that precede it, at the second
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 of Christ

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
, which was held in
Fayette

Located in northern part of county between Seneca and Cayuga lakes. Area settled, by 1790. Officially organized as Washington Township, 14 Mar. 1800. Name changed to Fayette, 6 Apr. 1808. Population in 1830 about 3,200. Population in 1840 about 3,700. Significant...

More Info
, New York, in late September 1830.
1

JS History, vol. A-1, 58–59.


It commanded John Whitmer, who was one of the six founding
elders

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
of the church and who had received a
license

A document certifying an individual’s office in the church and authorizing him “to perform the duty of his calling.” The “Articles and Covenants” of the church implied that only elders could issue licenses; individuals ordained by a priest to an office in...

View Glossary
as an elder and an
apostle

A title indicating one sent forth to preach; later designated as a specific ecclesiastical and priesthood office. By 1830, JS and Oliver Cowdery were designated as apostles. The “Articles and Covenants” of the church explained that an “apostle is an elder...

View Glossary
,
2

License for John Whitmer, 9 June 1830.


to preach the gospel. After the church’s first conference in June, Whitmer traveled with JS,
Oliver Cowdery

3 Oct. 1806–3 Mar. 1850. Clerk, teacher, justice of the peace, lawyer, newspaper editor. Born at Wells, Rutland Co., Vermont. Son of William Cowdery and Rebecca Fuller. Raised Congregationalist. Moved to western New York and clerked at a store, ca. 1825–1828...

View Full Bio
, and
David Whitmer

7 Jan. 1805–25 Jan. 1888. Farmer, livery keeper. Born near Harrisburg, Dauphin Co., Pennsylvania. Son of Peter Whitmer Sr. and Mary Musselman. Raised Presbyterian. Moved to Ontario Co., New York, shortly after birth. Attended German Reformed Church. Arranged...

View Full Bio
to
Harmony

Located in northeastern Pennsylvania. Area settled, by 1787. Organized 1809. Population in 1830 about 340. Population in 1840 about 520. Contained Harmony village (no longer in existence). Josiah Stowell hired JS to help look for treasure in area, Oct. 1825...

More Info
, Pennsylvania, and they later traveled to
Colesville

Area settled, beginning 1785. Formed from Windsor Township, Apr. 1821. Population in 1830 about 2,400. Villages within township included Harpursville, Nineveh, and Colesville. Susquehanna River ran through eastern portion of township. JS worked for Joseph...

More Info
, New York, to
baptize

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
believers. In July, after they returned to Harmony, JS dictated a revelation that instructed Whitmer, along with JS himself and Cowdery, to study the
scriptures

The sacred, written word of God containing the “mind & will of the Lord” and “matters of divine revelation.” Members of the church considered the Bible, the Book of Mormon, and JS’s revelations to be scripture. Revelations in 1830 and 1831 directed JS to ...

View Glossary
, preach, confirm the Colesville believers, and help on JS’s farm.
3

Revelation, July 1830–B [D&C 26:1].


The revelation featured here called Whitmer to “proclaim my Gospel as with the voice of a Trump” in Seneca Falls, New York, near his boyhood home.
Parley P. Pratt

12 Apr. 1807–13 May 1857. Farmer, editor, publisher, teacher, school administrator, legislator, explorer, author. Born at Burlington, Otsego Co., New York. Son of Jared Pratt and Charity Dickinson. Traveled west with brother William to acquire land, 1823....

View Full Bio
, who was
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
and
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
an elder on 1 September 1830, had preached successfully in Seneca Falls shortly after his conversion; he gave a sermon at
Philip Burroughs

1794–25 July 1865. Farmer. Born in New Jersey. Son of Jonathan Burroughs and Mercy Edington. Served in War of 1812. Married Anna Parker, 12 Mar. 1815, in Fayette, Seneca Co., New York. Moved to Junius, Seneca Co., by 1819. Moved to Seneca Falls, Seneca Co...

View Full Bio
’s home, a few miles northeast of the Whitmer farm, where he “spoke the word of God with power, reasoning out of the Scriptures and the Book of Mormon. The people were convinced, overwhelmed in tears, and four heads of families came forward, expressing their faith, and were baptized.”
4

Pratt, Autobiography, 43; 1830 U.S. Census, Seneca Falls, Seneca Co., NY, 23.


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.

Census (U.S.) / U.S. Bureau of the Census. Population Schedules. Microfilm. FHL.

This revelation informed
John Whitmer

27 Aug. 1802–11 July 1878. Farmer, stock raiser, newspaper editor. Born in Pennsylvania. Son of Peter Whitmer Sr. and Mary Musselman. Member of German Reformed Church, Fayette, Seneca Co., New York. Baptized by Oliver Cowdery, June 1829, most likely in Seneca...

View Full Bio
, “Thy Labour shall be at thy Brother Philips. [Philip Burroughs’s]” and in the surrounding area.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    JS History, vol. A-1, 58–59.

  2. [2]

    License for John Whitmer, 9 June 1830.

  3. [3]

    Revelation, July 1830–B [D&C 26:1].

  4. [4]

    Pratt, Autobiography, 43; 1830 U.S. Census, Seneca Falls, Seneca Co., NY, 23.

    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.

    Census (U.S.) / U.S. Bureau of the Census. Population Schedules. Microfilm. FHL.

Asterisk (*) denotes a "featured" version, which includes an introduction and annotation.
*Revelation, September 1830–E [D&C 30:9–11]
Revelation Book 1 Book of Commandments, 1833 Doctrine and Covenants, 1835 History, 1838–1856, volume A-1 [23 December 1805–30 August 1834] History, circa 1841, draft [Draft 3] History, circa 1841, fair copy “History of Joseph Smith” Doctrine and Covenants, 1844

Page 43

33
Commandment

Generally, a divine mandate that church members were expected to obey; more specifically, a text dictated by JS in the first-person voice of Deity that served to communicate knowledge and instruction to JS and his followers. Occasionally, other inspired texts...

View Glossary
AD 183[0]
A Revelation to
John [Whitmer]

27 Aug. 1802–11 July 1878. Farmer, stock raiser, newspaper editor. Born in Pennsylvania. Son of Peter Whitmer Sr. and Mary Musselman. Member of German Reformed Church, Fayette, Seneca Co., New York. Baptized by Oliver Cowdery, June 1829, most likely in Seneca...

View Full Bio
his call to the Ministery give &c given at
Fayette

Located in northern part of county between Seneca and Cayuga lakes. Area settled, by 1790. Officially organized as Washington Township, 14 Mar. 1800. Name changed to Fayette, 6 Apr. 1808. Population in 1830 about 3,200. Population in 1840 about 3,700. Significant...

More Info
Seneca County State of New York
1

John Whitmer likely created this heading when he copied the text into Revelation Book 1.


Behold I say unto
John

27 Aug. 1802–11 July 1878. Farmer, stock raiser, newspaper editor. Born in Pennsylvania. Son of Peter Whitmer Sr. and Mary Musselman. Member of German Reformed Church, Fayette, Seneca Co., New York. Baptized by Oliver Cowdery, June 1829, most likely in Seneca...

View Full Bio
that thou shalt commence from this time forth to proclaim my Gospel as with the voice of a Trump & thy Labour shall be at thy Brother
Philips. [Philip Burroughs’s]

1794–25 July 1865. Farmer. Born in New Jersey. Son of Jonathan Burroughs and Mercy Edington. Served in War of 1812. Married Anna Parker, 12 Mar. 1815, in Fayette, Seneca Co., New York. Moved to Junius, Seneca Co., by 1819. Moved to Seneca Falls, Seneca Co...

View Full Bio
2

It is unclear whether Burroughs was baptized into the church. According to a 12 March 1831 letter from an unidentified group of Palmyra citizens, Burroughs had previously been one of the principal “men of property” among the Mormons but by that time had “refused” to “obey Jo any longer.” Burroughs’s wife, however, seems to have joined the church and continued as a member. (Palmyra, NY, 12 Mar. 1831, Letter to the Editor, Painesville [OH] Telegraph, 22 Mar. 1831, [2]; Samuel Smith, Journal, 24 Apr. 1832.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Painesville Telegraph. Painesville, OH. 1822–1986.

Smith, Samuel. Diary, Feb. 1832–May 1833. CHL. MS 4213.

& in that region round about yea wheresoever thou canst be heard until I command thee to go from hence & thy whole Labour shall be in my
Zion

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

View Glossary
with all thy Soul from henceforth yea thou shalt ever open thy mouth in my cause not fearing what man can do for I a◊ with thee even so amen [p. 43]
View entire transcript

|

Cite this page

Source Note

Document Transcript

Page 43

Document Information

Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Revelation, September 1830–E [D&C 30:9–11]
ID #
6490
Total Pages
1
Print Volume Location
JSP, D1:189–190
Handwriting on This Page
  • John Whitmer

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    John Whitmer likely created this heading when he copied the text into Revelation Book 1.

  2. [2]

    It is unclear whether Burroughs was baptized into the church. According to a 12 March 1831 letter from an unidentified group of Palmyra citizens, Burroughs had previously been one of the principal “men of property” among the Mormons but by that time had “refused” to “obey Jo any longer.” Burroughs’s wife, however, seems to have joined the church and continued as a member. (Palmyra, NY, 12 Mar. 1831, Letter to the Editor, Painesville [OH] Telegraph, 22 Mar. 1831, [2]; Samuel Smith, Journal, 24 Apr. 1832.)

    Painesville Telegraph. Painesville, OH. 1822–1986.

    Smith, Samuel. Diary, Feb. 1832–May 1833. CHL. MS 4213.

© 2024 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.Terms of UseUpdated 2021-04-13Privacy NoticeUpdated 2021-04-06