JS, History, 1838–1856, vol. F-1, created 9 Apr.–7 June 1856 and 20 Aug. 1856–6 Nov. 1856; handwriting of and Jonathan Grimshaw; 304 pages, plus 10 pages of addenda; CHL. This is the final volume of a six-volume manuscript history of the church. This sixth volume covers the period from 1 May to 8 Aug. 1844; the remaining five volumes, labeled A-1 through E-1, go through 30 Apr. 1844.
Historical Introduction
History, 1838-1856, volume F-1, constitutes the last of six volumes documenting the life of Joseph Smith and the early years of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The series is also known as the Manuscript History of the Church and was originally published serially from 1842 to 1846 and 1851 to 1858 as the “History of Joseph Smith” in the Times and Seasons and Deseret News. This volume contains JS’s history from 1 May 1844 to the events following his 27 June 1844 death, and it was compiled in Utah Territory in 1856.
The material recorded in volume F-1 was initially compiled under the direction of church historian , who was JS’s cousin, and also assistant church historian . Smith collaborated with in collecting material for the volume and creating a set of draft notes, which Smith dictated to Bullock and other clerks. Woodruff gathered additional material concerning the death of Joseph Smith as a supplement to George A. Smith’s work recording that event. Jonathan Grimshaw and , members of the Historian’s Office staff, transcribed the draft notes into the volume along with the text of designated documents.
According to the Historian’s Office journal, Jonathan Grimshaw initiated work on the text of volume F-1 on 9 April 1856, soon after Robert L. Campbell had completed work on volume E-1. (Historian’s Office, Journal, 5 and 9 Apr. 1856.) Grimshaw’s scribal work begins with an entry for 1 May 1844. Unlike previous volumes in which the numbering had run consecutively to page 2028, Grimshaw began anew with page 1. He transcribed 150 pages by June 1856, and his last entry was for 23 June 1844. Though more of his writing does not appear in the volume, he continued to work in the office until 2 August, before leaving for the East that same month. (Historian’s Office, Journal, 2 and 10 Aug. 1856.)
assumed the role of scribe on 20 August 1856. (Historian’s Office, Journal, 20 Aug. 1856.) He incorporated ’s draft notes for the period 24–29 June 1844 on pages 151–189, providing an account of JS’s death and its immediate aftermath. He next transcribed a related extract from ’s 1854 History of Illinois on pages 190–204. Pages 205–227 were left blank.
provided the notes for the final portion of the text. This account begins with an entry for 22 June 1844 and continues the record through 8 August 1844, ending on page 304. (The volume also included ten pages of addenda.) The last specific entry in the Historian’s Office journal that captures at work on the history is for 6 November 1856. A 2 February 1857 Wilford Woodruff letter to indicates that on 30 January 1857, the “presidency sat and heard the history read up to the organization of the church in , 8th. day of August 1844.” (Historian’s Office, Journal, 6 Nov. 1856; Wilford Woodruff, Great Salt Lake City, Utah Territory, to George A. Smith, 2 Feb. 1857, Historian’s Office, Letterpress Copybooks, vol. 1, p. 410; see also Wilford Woodruff, Great Salt Lake City, Utah Territory, to Amasa Lyman and Charles C. Rich, 28 Feb. 1857, Historian’s Office, Letterpress Copybooks, vol. 1, pp. 430–431.)
The pages of volume F-1 contain a record of the final weeks of JS’s life and the events of the ensuing days. The narrative commences with and arriving at , Illinois, on 1 May 1844 from their lumber-harvesting mission in the “” of Wisconsin Territory. As the late spring and summer of 1844 unfold, events intensify, especially those surrounding the suppression of the Nauvoo Expositor in mid-June. Legal action over the Expositor leads to a charge of riot, and subsequently JS is charged with treason and is incarcerated at the jail in , Illinois. The narrative of volume F-1 concludes with an account of the special church conference convened on 8 August 1844 to consider who should assume the leadership of the church.
<June 29> handed it to the Chairman of the Committee on Public Lands. He said he would do the best he could for us. is of the opinion if we would sue the State of for redress of grievances, that there was virtue enough in the to answer our demands, ‘for’, said he, ‘they are ashamed of their conduct’. and are of the same opinion.
“ and myself spared no pains during our stay— at : we found six members of the Church, and many attentive hearers. We purpose sending a steady, faithful elder, who we think can build up a large church. We found our time too limited to meet the conferences and transact our business, to tarry longer at present, but shall return, if we find it necessary, after the Baltimore Convention; for we will never leave them, nor forsake them, nor return home, while we think there is a stone unturned, or a conscience that is not harrowed up by our continued preaching.
“On the 11th inst., we left , and arrived at Bro. Saunders’, Wilmington, Delaware, at 5 o’clock the <same> evening, distance 114 miles. We can assure you we found every thing right in this place, and adjacent to it. We found about 100 members, and held two meetings with them, appointing a conference on the 22nd, and 23rd inst.
“On the 13th at 2 p. m. we left this place for , and arrived at bro ’s at 5 p. m. being exposed had a slight attack of the chills and fever. Since that time we have preached alternately.
“The Church here numbers nearly 200, out of which number many have commenced sickening, and were growing faint at the many false reports in circulation, fearing that the prophet had fallen and the Twelve were in transgression, but they have since learned that the prophet is right, and that the Twelve are with him, and they are beginning to revive; they have stood six tremendous shocks, and I think if they stand the seventh, which is to come tomorrow evening, they will survive. We shall call on them to know whether they intend to gather with the living and sustain the cause of God by the mouth of his prophets and apostles, or die in . If they should choose the latter, we shall attend to the funeral ceremonies, and leave them to rest with the dead, and we will go on our way among the living. [HC 7:138] If they should choose the former we shall expect a glorious work in this place.
“We shall leave here on the 21st for Wilmington, to attend conference; we shall then return to this place, and from here to and , to meet the conferences in those cities, and so continue from place to place until we shall have accomplished the mission appointed unto us.” [HC 7:139]
About noon Gen H. Swazey, of , called at and offered assistance to the people.
The following article, from , was published in the Times and Seasons:—
“To the people of the State of .
“I desire to make a brief, but true statement of the recent disgraceful affair at , in regard to the Smiths, so far as circumstances have come to [p. 234]