Times and Seasons, (, Hancock Co., IL), 15 June 1842, vol. 3, no. 16, 815–830; edited by JS. For more complete source information, see the source note for Letter to Isaac Galland, 22 Mar. 1839.
Historical Introduction
As editor of the Times and Seasons, JS oversaw the publication of the newspaper’s 15 June 1842 issue. The issue opened with an excerpt from the church’s newspaper in , the Latter-day Saints’ Millennial Star, emphasizing the necessity of a restoration of the gospel. This was followed by the seventh installment of the serialized “History of Joseph Smith” and excerpted articles from several eastern newspapers about JS and the . The issue also included a letter from traveling in , who had just returned from his mission in England, and the minutes of a 14 May 1842 church held in Grafton, Ohio. The issue concluded with a poem on the by and a public notice that the had withdrawn “the hand of fellowship” from .
In addition to these items, the issue included editorial content that was presumably written by JS or his editorial staff. This editorial content, which is featured here, includes three items: commentary on a popular book on American antiquities, with quotations from the Book of Mormon; a letter to the editor denouncing a pair of missionaries in Tennessee, together with an editorial response; and an article on the .
Note that only the editorial content created specifically for this issue of the Times and Seasons is annotated here. Articles reprinted from other papers, letters, conference minutes, and notices, are reproduced here but not annotated. Items that are stand-alone JS documents are annotated elsewhere; links are provided to these stand-alone documents.
in the east. His memory will long be cherished by the saints in Bedford and its vicinity; in fact I shall never forget this ’s kindness to me; no, never, while memory holds her seat; and I trust the counsel and good advice that I have received from this from time to time in traveling with him, will never be forgotten by me. After the above I continued laboring in Bedford, Malden, Honneydon, Northampton, Thorncut, and the adjacent country until the 19th of July, during which time many were baptized and are now rejoicing in the hope of the glory of God that is to be revealed in the latter times. At the time above stated, at the request of , I visited to preach in his place while he visited Bedford. During my stay in , (about seven weeks,) I visited Ramsgate and Woolwich, in Ramsgate I baptized Capt. Harris, an old Methodist, and ordained him to preach the gospel. I also baptized a number at Woolwich, and then returned to . During my stay in I held two public discussions with the great men of this generation, in both of which the truth came off triumphant. During my stay in forty were baptized, and full as many in Bedford and its vicinity by . About this time I received such counsel from and other brethren in as warranted me in making arrangements to return home in the fall, I also counselled with Elders and , and they gave their consent to my return; and on Sabbath, the 12th of September, I gave my farewell address to the people of , we had a large and attentive congregation, the people were very kind to me, espcially our beloved brother . This our has had much to contend with in proclaiming the truth in and Woolwich, the foundation of which was laid by Elders , and . But the Almighty has abundantly blessed his labors, and he is accomplishing a great and mighty work in these places in the name of the Lord. On Saturday, the 18th day of September, I left for Bedford to finish my labors in that region previous to my return home. I arrived in Bedford late in the evening, and on the following day preached three times to a crowded chapel; after the above I continued preaching in Bedford and the surrounding country, assisted by Elder Joseph Brotherton and others; until October 3d, during which time many were baptized from week to week. On the day above named, it being the last that I should remain among them previous to my departure, I preached three times, confirmed 19, and a number were ordained to the different offices. On Wednesday, Oct. 6th, I bade them a final farewell in Bedford amidst the prayers and blessings of the saints and friends. I then, agreeable to previous appointment, proceeded on my way to Birmingham and West Broomwich, where I remained and labored about three weeks, during my stay a number were baptized and many believed. I continued my journey from Birmingham to (where there was a large church raised by Elder ) to fill appointments I had made more than three months previous. I arrived in the 30th of October, and the next day being Sabbath I preached twice, and in the evening I gave my reasons for renouncing Methodism. The Music Hall was crowded to overflowing, there were over two thousand persons present; I continued laboring in a number of weeks, during which time I held five public discussions, in every one of which the truth triumphed; to God be all the praise. During my stay in many were baptized and hundreds were enquiring after the truth. At the time I delivered my farewell lecture the Hall was completely full, at the close the entire congregation gave me their good will and blessing.
Early in November my passage was engaged in the ship Mersey, Capt. Rae, to sail for by the 25th of Nov. but owing to contrary winds and stormy weather we did not sail until the 31st of December. We had 200 souls on board, and among them a clergyman of the Church of England; the first eight days we had fair wind and good weather, but after that time we had gale after gale for five weeks with head winds, which finally ended in a tempest that commenced on Sunday the 6th of February, 1842, and lasted with unabated fury for seven days, during which time we were driven back towards England seven hundred miles; our helm broken, our round house washed away, our main-mast sprung, our bulwarks stove in, and our provisions almost exhausted: so much that it was deemed advisable to return to England, I would be glad to give a full account of the cir [p. 827]