Minutes, , Geauga Co., OH, 23 Mar. 1833. Featured version copied [between 4 and ca. 6 June 1833] in Minute Book 1, pp. 15–16; handwriting of ; CHL. For more complete source information, see the source note for Minute Book 1.
Historical Introduction
At a 23 March 1833 meeting, a group of and agreed to purchase several farms in , Ohio, near ’s farm and ’s property and . Central to the plan was the purchase of ’s 103-acre for $5,000. According to , the cost of the French farm and other planned purchases “made it necessary to call the Elders out of school for the purpose of going again into the world and procuring means for Paying for the farms.” Coltrin also indicated that the subsequent mission assignments, listed in the minutes featured here, came from revelation: “The word of the lord came to us that we the Elders of the should again go forthe to preach the gospel.”
Additional accounts suggest other reasons why these men were sent on missions. , one of the men named in the minutes, explained in his journal that “the Elders of the Chirch that were there ware again sent out Buy the of god to visit the Churches and advise them to come to and settle there.” Providing another reason why men were sent to serve missions, as well as why the was temporarily suspended, a later JS revelation explained that “my servants sinned a verry grievous sin and contentions arose in the school of the prophets, which was verry grievous unto me saith your Lord. therefore I sent them forth to be chastened.” The text featured here constitutes a second record for the 23 March 1833 meeting. While the first minutes describe the meeting’s proceedings, including decisions made, these minutes only list the missionary assignments that were apparently given at the meeting, information not found in the other minutes. The reason two sets of minutes exist for this meeting may be that the two records were originally recorded on separate, loose sheets of paper and then later copied into Minute Book 1. It is also possible that the list of assignments given at the meeting was not created until sometime after the meeting.
The assignments listed here were, by all accounts, a result of decisions made at the 23 March meeting and are thus featured herein after the other minutes recorded for this meeting, although the order of the two entries is reversed in Minute Book 1. (See Minutes, 23 Mar. 1833–A.)
to visit the several churchs as shall be given by the
)
)
shall be to purcha[se] land for the saints in
)
)
to be actively employed in transacting the business of the ——
to remain with his fathe[r’s] family and strengthen his brethren and that they obtain an inheritence near and that they should provide for his schooling
to go morn and provide all the means in his power to bring about the purchaces in
The other set of minutes dated 23 March in Minute Book 1 record that “it was then agreed that bro Ezra Thair [Thayer] and Joseph Coe should superintend the purchacing of said farms and to have the prayer of the brethren and that they should be ordained to that office accordingly Sidney Rigdon ordained them as general agents to be set apart. to act as such in this eastern branch of the Church.” (Minutes, 23 Mar. 1833–A.)
Levi Hancock’s autobiography explained that in March 1833, “The Lord . . . gave a command . . . for my father to move to Kirtland.” Hancock told his parents “to sell and send the money to Zion on all they could spare.” Shortly thereafter, Levi’s father, Thomas Hancock, moved from Chagrin, Ohio, to Kirtland and bought three acres adjacent to the newly purchased Peter Frenchfarm. Levi and his wife, Clarissa Reed, moved in with them. (Hancock, Autobiography, 136; Geauga Co., OH, Deed Records, 1795–1921, vol. 17, p. 419, 2 July 1833, microfilm 20,237, U.S. and Canada Record Collection, FHL.)
Hancock, Levi. Autobiography, ca. 1854. Photocopy. CHL. MS 8174.