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“Church History,” 1 March 1842

Source Note

JS, “Church History,” in Times and Seasons, 1 Mar. 1842, vol. 3, no. 9, 706–710. For more complete source information, see the source note for Letter to Isaac Galland, 22 Mar. 1839.

Historical Introduction

In the 1 March issue of the Times and Seasons, JS published a narrative history that included a description of his early visions, of the organization, growth, and migrations of the
church

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...

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, and of the persecution the Latter-day Saints endured; it also included a succinct summary of Latter-day Saint beliefs. The document states that
John Wentworth

5 Mar. 1815–16 Oct. 1888. Teacher, newspaper editor and owner, lawyer, politician, historian. Born in Sandwich, Strafford Co., New Hampshire. Son of Paul Wentworth and Lydia Cogswell. Graduated from Dartmouth College in Hanover, Grafton Co., New Hampshire...

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, proprietor and editor of the weekly Chicago Democrat, solicited the history on behalf of
George Barstow

19 June 1812–9 Sept. 1883. College professor, lawyer, historian. Born in Haverhill, Grafton Co., New Hampshire. Son of William Barstow and Abigail Townsend. Attended Dartmouth College, 1835, in Hanover, Grafton Co. Moved to Yarmouth Port, Barnstable Co., ...

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, a
Boston

Capital city of Massachusetts, located on eastern seaboard at mouth of Charles River. Founded by Puritans, 1630. Received city charter, 1822. Population in 1820 about 43,000; in 1830 about 61,000; and in 1840 about 93,000. JS’s ancestor Robert Smith emigrated...

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attorney. Barstow was then working on a history of New Hampshire and apparently sought information about JS and the Latter-day Saints for possible inclusion in the book.
1

George Barstow, History of New Hampshire from Its Discovery, in 1614, to the Passage of the Toleration Act, in 1819 (Concord, NH: I. S. Boyd, 1842). Barstow’s initial interest in the church may have been prompted by recent Latter-day Saint missionary activity and church growth in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. (See Letter from Eli Maginn, 22 Mar. 1842; and Williams, “Missionary Movements of the LDS Church in New England,” 128–133, 147–156.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Williams, Richard Shelton. “The Missionary Movements of the LDS Church in New England, 1830–1850.” Master’s thesis, Brigham Young University, 1969.

While it is unclear whether Wentworth or Barstow ever received the information included in this narrative history, JS published the material in the Times and Seasons, the church newspaper printed in
Nauvoo

Principal gathering place for Saints following expulsion from Missouri. Beginning in 1839, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints purchased lands in earlier settlement of Commerce and planned settlement of Commerce City, as well as surrounding areas....

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, Illinois.
Opportunities to treat the church or its doctrines favorably in publications unaffiliated with the church were rare, and some previous attempts were not entirely successful. On 4 January 1833 JS wrote a letter to
Noah C. Saxton

25 Jan. 1798–23 June 1834. Evangelist, Christian newspaper editor. Born in Wilbraham, Hampden Co., Massachusetts. Son of Noah Saxton and Patty Bliss. Graduated from Union College in Schenectady, Schenectady Co., New York, 1818. Received preacher license, ...

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, editor of the
New York

Located in northeast region of U.S. Area settled by Dutch traders, 1620s; later governed by Britain, 1664–1776. Admitted to U.S. as state, 1788. Population in 1810 about 1,000,000; in 1820 about 1,400,000; in 1830 about 1,900,000; and in 1840 about 2,400,...

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newspaper American Revivalist, and Rochester Observer. JS told Saxton that he wrote the letter “by the commandment of God” and asked the editor to publish it in its entirety, but Saxton published only an excerpt. JS wrote again on 12 February 1833 asking that the whole of his previous letter be “laid before the public,” but Saxton did not republish it.
2

“Mormonism,” American Revivalist, and Rochester (NY) Observer, 2 Feb. 1833, [2]; Letter to Noah C. Saxton, 4 Jan. 1833; Letter to Noah C. Saxton, 12 Feb. 1833.


Comprehensive Works Cited

American Revivalist, and Rochester Observer. Rochester, NY. 1827–1833.

In 1836, in a volume titled The Religious Creeds and Statistics of Every Christian Denomination in the United States, editor John Hayward included a summary of the Book of Mormon and short excerpts from the Doctrine and Covenants as well as a statement of beliefs that church member
Joseph Young

7 Apr. 1797–16 July 1881. Farmer, painter, glazier. Born at Hopkinton, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts. Son of John Young and Abigail (Nabby) Howe. Moved to Auburn, Cayuga Co., New York, before 1830. Joined Methodist church, before Apr. 1832. Baptized into Church...

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furnished, but these materials were bracketed by negative statements from
Isaac Hale

21 Mar. 1763–11 Jan. 1839. Farmer, hunter, innkeeper. Born in Waterbury, New Haven Co., Connecticut. Son of Reuben Hale and Diantha Ward. Member of Methodist church. Moved to Wells, Albany Co., New York (later in Rutland Co., Vermont), ca. 1771, to live with...

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(JS’s father-in-law) and from a skeptical Hayward.
3

Hayward, Religious Creeds and Statistics, 130–142.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Hayward, John. The Religious Creeds and Statistics of Every Christian Denomination in the United States and British Provinces. With Some Account of the Religious Sentiments of the Jews, American Indians, Deist, Mahometans, &c. Boston: By the author, 1836.

In 1839 the editor of the St. Louis Gazette asked church
apostle

Members of a governing body in the church, with special administrative and proselytizing responsibilities. A June 1829 revelation commanded Oliver Cowdery and David Whitmer to call twelve disciples, similar to the twelve apostles in the New Testament and ...

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John Taylor

1 Nov. 1808–25 July 1887. Preacher, editor, publisher, politician. Born at Milnthorpe, Westmoreland, England. Son of James Taylor and Agnes Taylor, members of Church of England. Around age sixteen, joined Methodist church and was local preacher. Migrated ...

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for an article about the church but then declined to print it. Taylor later published the history himself in a tract titled A Short Account of the Murders, Roberies, Burnings, Thefts, and Other Outrages Committed by the Mob and Militia of the State of Missouri, upon the Latter Day Saints.
4

Taylor, Short Account of the Murders, 8.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Taylor, John. A Short Account of the Murders, Roberies, Burnings, Thefts, and Other Outrages Committed by the Mob and Militia of the State of Missouri, Upon the Latter Day Saints. Springfield, IL: By the author, 1839.

Though JS had previously produced texts that chronicled the origins and history of the church, the featured historical sketch and statements of belief represent the first time he published that information.
5

See, for example, History, ca. Summer 1832; and JS History, vol. A-1, 1–61.


Succinctly titled “Church History,” the document was published in the 1 March 1842 issue of the Times and Seasons.
6

The issue was likely published after 2 March, when JS read the proof sheets. Wilford Woodruff, who worked in the printing office, recorded that he spent the day of 4 March “at the [printing] Office making up the Mails or prepairing papers for it.” (JS, Journal, 2 Mar. 1842; Woodruff, Journal, 4 Mar. 1842.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Woodruff, Wilford. Journals, 1833–1898. Wilford Woodruff, Journals and Papers, 1828–1898. CHL. MS 1352.

No manuscript copy has been located, and it is not known how much of the text JS originally wrote or dictated. In several places the historical narrative parallels other accounts JS produced between 1832 and 1838 or echoes wording from
Orson Pratt

19 Sept. 1811–3 Oct. 1881. Farmer, writer, teacher, merchant, surveyor, editor, publisher. Born at Hartford, Washington Co., New York. Son of Jared Pratt and Charity Dickinson. Moved to New Lebanon, Columbia Co., New York, 1814; to Canaan, Columbia Co., fall...

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’s 1840 tract A[n] Interesting Account of Several Remarkable Visions.
7

History, ca. Summer 1832; Conversations with Robert Matthews, 9–11 Nov. 1835; JS History, vol. A-1, 1–7. For a comparison between Pratt’s Interesting Account and the featured text, see Orson Pratt, A[n] Interesting Account of Several Remarkable Visions, 1840.


To produce his thirteen doctrinal statements, JS may have drawn upon several different texts, including the “Articles and Covenants,” drafted when the church was organized in 1830;
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...

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’s “broad principles,” published in the October 1834 issue of the Latter Day Saints’ Messenger and Advocate;
Joseph Young

7 Apr. 1797–16 July 1881. Farmer, painter, glazier. Born at Hopkinton, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts. Son of John Young and Abigail (Nabby) Howe. Moved to Auburn, Cayuga Co., New York, before 1830. Joined Methodist church, before Apr. 1832. Baptized into Church...

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’s “leading principles,” published in Hayward’s 1836 Religious Creeds; and Pratt’s Interesting Account, which drew upon a theological summary written by
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....

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.
8

Articles and Covenants, ca. Apr. 1830 [D&C 20:29–36]; Oliver Cowdery, “Address,” Messenger and Advocate, Oct. 1834, 1:1–2; Hayward, Religious Creeds and Statistics, 139–140; see also Pratt and Higbee, Address; compare Pratt, Late Persecution of the Church, iii–xiii.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Latter Day Saints’ Messenger and Advocate. Kirtland, OH. Oct. 1834–Sept. 1837.

Hayward, John. The Religious Creeds and Statistics of Every Christian Denomination in the United States and British Provinces. With Some Account of the Religious Sentiments of the Jews, American Indians, Deist, Mahometans, &c. Boston: By the author, 1836.

Pratt, Parley P., and Elias Higbee. An Address by Judge Higbee and Parley P. Pratt, Ministers of the Gospel, of the Church of Jesus Christ of “Latter-day Saints,” to the Citizens of Washington, and to the Public in General. N.p., 1840.

In addition to consulting these texts, JS may have counseled with trusted associates to compose the document.
9

During this period, John Taylor reportedly assisted JS with producing content for the Times and Seasons. (Woodruff, Journal, 19 Feb. 1842.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Woodruff, Wilford. Journals, 1833–1898. Wilford Woodruff, Journals and Papers, 1828–1898. CHL. MS 1352.

Whatever his intellectual debt to Cowdery, Pratt, or others, JS took responsibility for “Church History” when it was published in the Times and Seasons. He introduced himself at the beginning of the article as “the founder,” and his name appears at the conclusion as the author. An editorial passage printed above his name further confirms his endorsement: “This paper commences my editorial career, I alone stand responsible for it, and shall do for all papers having my signature henceforward.”
10

Times and Seasons, 1 Mar. 1842, 3:710. When the history was updated and sent to Israel Daniel Rupp for publication, JS was again named as author of the text. (Rupp, He Pasa Ekklesia, 404.)


In the featured text JS imparted what he characterized as a “sketch of the rise, progress, persecution, and faith of the Latter-Day Saints.” In this historical narrative, later referred to as the “Wentworth letter,”
11

Church historian Brigham H. Roberts was among the first to refer to the featured text as the “Wentworth letter.” Given its lack of a date, salutation, and valediction, the featured text is not a letter, though portions of the text may have been derived from one. (History of the Church, 4:535.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

History of the Church / Smith, Joseph, et al. History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Edited by B. H. Roberts. Salt Lake City: Deseret News, 1902–1912 (vols. 1–6), 1932 (vol. 7).

JS offered a synopsis of his first vision, the reception and production of the Book of Mormon, and the founding and expansion of the church. JS also used the featured text as a medium to describe “the injustice, the wrongs, the murders, the bloodshed, the theft, misery and woe” that Latter-day Saints endured 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 ...

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during the 1830s.
12

From early 1839 onward JS and other church leaders encouraged the Latter-day Saints to gather up “knowledge of all the facts and suffering and abuses put upon them by the people of this state [Missouri].” In late 1839 JS, Sidney Rigdon, and others traveled to Washington DC to seek redress from the federal government by presenting a lengthy memorial that described the violence Missouri vigilantes perpetrated against church members. These experiences and the possibility of redress were never far from JS’s mind during this period and beyond. (Letter to Edward Partridge and the Church, ca. 22 Mar. 1839; Memorial to the United States Senate and House of Representatives, ca. 30 Oct. 1839–27 Jan. 1840; Minutes and Discourse, 6 Mar. 1840; JS, Nauvoo, IL, to Henry Clay, 4 Nov. 1843, draft, JS Collection, CHL.)


Following his historical sketch, JS presented thirteen statements of belief that later became known as “The Articles of Faith.”
13

From 1844 to 1851 these doctrinal statements appeared in various church-related tracts under different titles, including “Faith and Doctrine of the Latter Day Saints,” “L.D. Saints’ Faith,” “Latter Day Saint’s Faith,” and “Faith of the Latter-Day Saints.” The 1878 version of the Pearl of Great Price referred to the statements as “Articles of our Faith”; the 1902 version added numbers to the statements and referred to them as “The Articles of Faith Of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.” ([Gooch], Death of the Prophets Joseph and Hyram Smith, 9–10; Flanigan, Reply to a Sheet, 7–8; Orson Hyde, “Latter Day Saint’s Faith,” Frontier Guardian [Kanesville, IA], 20 Feb. 1850, [1]; [Mayhew], Mormons, 46–47; Pearl of Great Price, 1878 ed., 63; Pearl of Great Price, 1902 ed., 102–103, emphasis in original.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Death of the Prophets Joseph and Hyram Smith, Who Were Murdered while in Prison at Carthage, on the 27th Day of June, A. D. 1844. Boston: John Gooch, 1844.

Flanigan, J. H. Reply to a Sheet Entitled, “The Result of Two Meetings between the L.D. Saints and Primitive Methodists,” at Gravely, Cambridgshire. Bedford, England, 1849.

Frontier Guardian. Kanesville, IA. 1849–1852.

[Mayhew, Henry]. The Mormons; or, Latter-Day Saints. With Memoirs of the Life and Death of Joseph Smith, the “American Mahomet.” London: Office of the National Illustrated Library, [1851].

The Pearl of Great Price: Being a Choice Selection from the Revelations, Translations and Narrations of Joseph Smith, First Prophet, Seer, and Revelator to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City: Latter-day Saints’ Printing and Publishing Establishment, 1878.

The Pearl of Great Price: A Selection from the Revelations, Translation, and Narrations of Joseph Smith First Prophet, Seer and Revelator to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City: Deseret News, 1902.

As he had when he wrote
Saxton

25 Jan. 1798–23 June 1834. Evangelist, Christian newspaper editor. Born in Wilbraham, Hampden Co., Massachusetts. Son of Noah Saxton and Patty Bliss. Graduated from Union College in Schenectady, Schenectady Co., New York, 1818. Received preacher license, ...

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nine years earlier, JS asked that
Barstow

19 June 1812–9 Sept. 1883. College professor, lawyer, historian. Born in Haverhill, Grafton Co., New Hampshire. Son of William Barstow and Abigail Townsend. Attended Dartmouth College, 1835, in Hanover, Grafton Co. Moved to Yarmouth Port, Barnstable Co., ...

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“publish the account entire, ungarnished, and without misrepresentation.”
Following the historical narrative’s publication in the Times and Seasons, several other publications made brief, oblique references to it. The
Illinois

Became part of Northwest Territory of U.S., 1787. Admitted as state, 1818. Population in 1840 about 480,000. Population in 1845 about 660,000. Plentiful, inexpensive land attracted settlers from northern and southern states. Following expulsion from Missouri...

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newspaper Quincy Whig noted JS’s historical sketch in conjunction with his new role as editor of the church’s periodical.
14

Editorial, Quincy (IL) Whig, 12 Mar. 1842, [2].


Comprehensive Works Cited

Quincy Whig. Quincy, IL. 1838–1856.

In Mormonism and the Mormons,
New Jersey

Located in northeast region of U.S. First European settlements made by Dutch, Swedes, and English, early 1600s. Admitted to U.S. as state, Dec. 1787. Population in 1830 about 321,000. Population in 1840 about 373,000. First Latter-day Saint missionaries preached...

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pastor Daniel Kidder remarked that JS’s 1842 autobiographical narratives were “nothing but the old story about the
plates

A record engraved on gold plates, which JS translated and published as the Book of Mormon. The text explained that the plates were an abridgment of other ancient records and were written by an American prophet named Mormon and his son Moroni. The plates were...

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and the angel, with a few emendations to save appearances.”
15

Kidder, Mormonism and the Mormons, 334. Kidder may have been referring to both “Church History” and the more extensive “History of Joseph Smith” that JS began publishing serially in the 15 March 1842 issue of the Times and Seasons. (Times and Seasons, 15 Mar. 1842, 3:726.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Kidder, Daniel P. Mormonism and the Mormons: A Historical View of the Rise and Progress of the Sect Self-Styled Latter-Day Saints. New York: G. Lane and P. P. Sandford, 1842.

JS’s overview of church history was reproduced in various publications in the succeeding decade. John Hayward incorporated excerpts from the sketch in his 1842 volume The Book of Religions, and church members
John E. Page

25 Feb. 1799–14 Oct. 1867. Born at Trenton, Oneida Co., New York. Son of Ebenezer Page and Rachel Hill. Married first Betsey Thompson, 1831, in Huron Co., Ohio. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by Emer Harris, 18 Aug. 1833, at Brownhelm...

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and
Lucian R. Foster

12 Nov. 1806–19 Mar. 1876. Photographer, accountant, bookkeeper, clerk. Born in New Marlboro, Berkshire Co., Massachusetts. Son of Nathaniel Foster and Polly. Married first Harriet Eliza Burr. Married second Mary Ann Graham. Baptized into Church of Jesus ...

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published a nearly verbatim copy of the text in an 1844 tract titled Correspondence between Joseph Smith, the Prophet, and Col. John Wentworth.
16

Hayward, Book of Religions, 260–266; Correspondence between Joseph Smith, the Prophet, and Col. John Wentworth, 3–6.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Hayward, John. The Book of Religions; Comprising the Views Creeds, Sentiments, or Opinions, of All the Principal Religious Sects in the World, Particularly of All Christian Denominations in Europe and America; To Which Are Added Church and Missionary Statistics, Together with Biographical Sketches. Boston: John Hayward, 1842.

Correspondence between Joseph Smith, the Prophet, and Col. John Wentworth, Editor of “The Chicago Democrat,” and Member of Congress from Illinois; Gen. James Arlington Bennet, of Arlington House, Long Island, and the Honorable John C. Calhoun, Senator from South Carolina. . . . New York: John E. Page and L. R. Foster, 1844.

Historian
Israel Daniel Rupp

10 July 1803–31 May 1878. Bookseller, editor, historian, insurance agent, teacher, translator. Born in East Pennsboro (later in Hampden), Cumberland Co., Pennsylvania. Son of George Rupp and Christina Boeshor. Member of Reformed faith. Moved to Allen, Cumberland...

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included an augmented version of “Church History”—published as “Latter Day Saints”—in his 1844 work He Pasa Ekklesia: An Original History of the Religious Denominations at Present Existing in the United States; it also appeared in the 1848 edition of the book, published by John Winebrenner and retitled History of All the Religious Denominations in the United States.
17

Rupp, He Pasa Ekklesia, 404–410; Winebrenner, History of All the Religious Denominations in the United States, 344–349. In 1843, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, publisher Clyde, Williams & Co. requested that JS submit an article on the Latter-day Saints for inclusion in a book; with the aid of scribe William W. Phelps, JS later supplied them with an expanded version of the historical sketch and doctrinal statements. After receiving a copy of the book, JS offered to furnish Rupp with “further information, at a proper time.” (Clyde, Williams & Co., Harrisburg, PA, to JS and Sidney Rigdon, Nauvoo, IL, ca. 15 July 1843; JS per William W. Phelps, Nauvoo, IL, to Clyde, Williams & Co., Harrisburg, PA, 1 Aug. 1843, copy, JS Collection, CHL; William W. Phelps, Historical Article, Sept. 1843, CHL; JS, Nauvoo, IL, to Israel Daniel Rupp, Lancaster, PA, 5 June 1844, JS Collection, CHL.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Winebrenner, John, comp. History of All the Religious Denominations in the United States: Containing Authentic Accounts of the Rise and Progress, Faith and Practice, Localities and Statistics, of the Different Persuasions: Written Expressly for the Work, by Fifty-Three Eminent Authors, Belonging to the Respective Denominations. 2nd ed. Harrisburg, PA: John Winebrenner, 1848.

Additionally, versions of JS’s thirteen doctrinal statements were featured in several missionary tracts or newspapers from 1844 to 1851, as well as in an 1851 history of the Latter-day Saints written by London journalist Henry Mayhew.
18

See, for example, [Gooch], Death of the Prophets Joseph and Hyram Smith, 9–10; The Latter-Day Saints’ Belief (n.p., [1851?]), copy at CHL; Flanigan, Reply to a Sheet, 7–8; “Latter Day Saint’s Faith,” Frontier Guardian (Kanesville, IA), 20 Feb. 1850, [1]; and [Mayhew], Mormons, 46–47.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Death of the Prophets Joseph and Hyram Smith, Who Were Murdered while in Prison at Carthage, on the 27th Day of June, A. D. 1844. Boston: John Gooch, 1844.

The Latter-Day Saints’ Belief. N.p., [1851?]. Copy at CHL.

Flanigan, J. H. Reply to a Sheet Entitled, “The Result of Two Meetings between the L.D. Saints and Primitive Methodists,” at Gravely, Cambridgshire. Bedford, England, 1849.

Frontier Guardian. Kanesville, IA. 1849–1852.

[Mayhew, Henry]. The Mormons; or, Latter-Day Saints. With Memoirs of the Life and Death of Joseph Smith, the “American Mahomet.” London: Office of the National Illustrated Library, [1851].

While serving as president of the British mission in 1851,
Franklin D. Richards

2 Apr. 1821–9 Dec. 1899. Carpenter, businessman, newspaper editor. Born at Richmond, Berkshire Co., Massachusetts. Son of Phinehas Richards and Wealthy Dewey. Raised Congregationalist. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by Phinehas ...

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published the thirteen statements of belief, along with a few revelatory texts JS produced, in a collection titled The Pearl of Great Price—a revised version of which was canonized as church scripture in 1880.
19

Pearl of Great Price, 1851 ed., 55; Pearl of Great Price, 1878 ed., 63; “Fiftieth Semi-annual Conference,” Deseret News (Salt Lake City), 13 Oct. 1880, 588.


Comprehensive Works Cited

The Pearl of Great Price: Being a Choice Selection from the Revelations, Translations, and Narrations of Joseph Smith, First Prophet, Seer, and Revelator to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Liverpool: F. D. Richards, 1851.

The Pearl of Great Price: Being a Choice Selection from the Revelations, Translations and Narrations of Joseph Smith, First Prophet, Seer, and Revelator to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City: Latter-day Saints’ Printing and Publishing Establishment, 1878.

Deseret News. Salt Lake City. 1850–.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    George Barstow, History of New Hampshire from Its Discovery, in 1614, to the Passage of the Toleration Act, in 1819 (Concord, NH: I. S. Boyd, 1842). Barstow’s initial interest in the church may have been prompted by recent Latter-day Saint missionary activity and church growth in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. (See Letter from Eli Maginn, 22 Mar. 1842; and Williams, “Missionary Movements of the LDS Church in New England,” 128–133, 147–156.)

    Williams, Richard Shelton. “The Missionary Movements of the LDS Church in New England, 1830–1850.” Master’s thesis, Brigham Young University, 1969.

  2. [2]

    “Mormonism,” American Revivalist, and Rochester (NY) Observer, 2 Feb. 1833, [2]; Letter to Noah C. Saxton, 4 Jan. 1833; Letter to Noah C. Saxton, 12 Feb. 1833.

    American Revivalist, and Rochester Observer. Rochester, NY. 1827–1833.

  3. [3]

    Hayward, Religious Creeds and Statistics, 130–142.

    Hayward, John. The Religious Creeds and Statistics of Every Christian Denomination in the United States and British Provinces. With Some Account of the Religious Sentiments of the Jews, American Indians, Deist, Mahometans, &c. Boston: By the author, 1836.

  4. [4]

    Taylor, Short Account of the Murders, 8.

    Taylor, John. A Short Account of the Murders, Roberies, Burnings, Thefts, and Other Outrages Committed by the Mob and Militia of the State of Missouri, Upon the Latter Day Saints. Springfield, IL: By the author, 1839.

  5. [5]

    See, for example, History, ca. Summer 1832; and JS History, vol. A-1, 1–61.

  6. [6]

    The issue was likely published after 2 March, when JS read the proof sheets. Wilford Woodruff, who worked in the printing office, recorded that he spent the day of 4 March “at the [printing] Office making up the Mails or prepairing papers for it.” (JS, Journal, 2 Mar. 1842; Woodruff, Journal, 4 Mar. 1842.)

    Woodruff, Wilford. Journals, 1833–1898. Wilford Woodruff, Journals and Papers, 1828–1898. CHL. MS 1352.

  7. [7]

    History, ca. Summer 1832; Conversations with Robert Matthews, 9–11 Nov. 1835; JS History, vol. A-1, 1–7. For a comparison between Pratt’s Interesting Account and the featured text, see Orson Pratt, A[n] Interesting Account of Several Remarkable Visions, 1840.

  8. [8]

    Articles and Covenants, ca. Apr. 1830 [D&C 20:29–36]; Oliver Cowdery, “Address,” Messenger and Advocate, Oct. 1834, 1:1–2; Hayward, Religious Creeds and Statistics, 139–140; see also Pratt and Higbee, Address; compare Pratt, Late Persecution of the Church, iii–xiii.

    Latter Day Saints’ Messenger and Advocate. Kirtland, OH. Oct. 1834–Sept. 1837.

    Hayward, John. The Religious Creeds and Statistics of Every Christian Denomination in the United States and British Provinces. With Some Account of the Religious Sentiments of the Jews, American Indians, Deist, Mahometans, &c. Boston: By the author, 1836.

    Pratt, Parley P., and Elias Higbee. An Address by Judge Higbee and Parley P. Pratt, Ministers of the Gospel, of the Church of Jesus Christ of “Latter-day Saints,” to the Citizens of Washington, and to the Public in General. N.p., 1840.

  9. [9]

    During this period, John Taylor reportedly assisted JS with producing content for the Times and Seasons. (Woodruff, Journal, 19 Feb. 1842.)

    Woodruff, Wilford. Journals, 1833–1898. Wilford Woodruff, Journals and Papers, 1828–1898. CHL. MS 1352.

  10. [10]

    Times and Seasons, 1 Mar. 1842, 3:710. When the history was updated and sent to Israel Daniel Rupp for publication, JS was again named as author of the text. (Rupp, He Pasa Ekklesia, 404.)

  11. [11]

    Church historian Brigham H. Roberts was among the first to refer to the featured text as the “Wentworth letter.” Given its lack of a date, salutation, and valediction, the featured text is not a letter, though portions of the text may have been derived from one. (History of the Church, 4:535.)

    History of the Church / Smith, Joseph, et al. History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Edited by B. H. Roberts. Salt Lake City: Deseret News, 1902–1912 (vols. 1–6), 1932 (vol. 7).

  12. [12]

    From early 1839 onward JS and other church leaders encouraged the Latter-day Saints to gather up “knowledge of all the facts and suffering and abuses put upon them by the people of this state [Missouri].” In late 1839 JS, Sidney Rigdon, and others traveled to Washington DC to seek redress from the federal government by presenting a lengthy memorial that described the violence Missouri vigilantes perpetrated against church members. These experiences and the possibility of redress were never far from JS’s mind during this period and beyond. (Letter to Edward Partridge and the Church, ca. 22 Mar. 1839; Memorial to the United States Senate and House of Representatives, ca. 30 Oct. 1839–27 Jan. 1840; Minutes and Discourse, 6 Mar. 1840; JS, Nauvoo, IL, to Henry Clay, 4 Nov. 1843, draft, JS Collection, CHL.)

  13. [13]

    From 1844 to 1851 these doctrinal statements appeared in various church-related tracts under different titles, including “Faith and Doctrine of the Latter Day Saints,” “L.D. Saints’ Faith,” “Latter Day Saint’s Faith,” and “Faith of the Latter-Day Saints.” The 1878 version of the Pearl of Great Price referred to the statements as “Articles of our Faith”; the 1902 version added numbers to the statements and referred to them as “The Articles of Faith Of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.” ([Gooch], Death of the Prophets Joseph and Hyram Smith, 9–10; Flanigan, Reply to a Sheet, 7–8; Orson Hyde, “Latter Day Saint’s Faith,” Frontier Guardian [Kanesville, IA], 20 Feb. 1850, [1]; [Mayhew], Mormons, 46–47; Pearl of Great Price, 1878 ed., 63; Pearl of Great Price, 1902 ed., 102–103, emphasis in original.)

    Death of the Prophets Joseph and Hyram Smith, Who Were Murdered while in Prison at Carthage, on the 27th Day of June, A. D. 1844. Boston: John Gooch, 1844.

    Flanigan, J. H. Reply to a Sheet Entitled, “The Result of Two Meetings between the L.D. Saints and Primitive Methodists,” at Gravely, Cambridgshire. Bedford, England, 1849.

    Frontier Guardian. Kanesville, IA. 1849–1852.

    [Mayhew, Henry]. The Mormons; or, Latter-Day Saints. With Memoirs of the Life and Death of Joseph Smith, the “American Mahomet.” London: Office of the National Illustrated Library, [1851].

    The Pearl of Great Price: Being a Choice Selection from the Revelations, Translations and Narrations of Joseph Smith, First Prophet, Seer, and Revelator to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City: Latter-day Saints’ Printing and Publishing Establishment, 1878.

    The Pearl of Great Price: A Selection from the Revelations, Translation, and Narrations of Joseph Smith First Prophet, Seer and Revelator to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City: Deseret News, 1902.

  14. [14]

    Editorial, Quincy (IL) Whig, 12 Mar. 1842, [2].

    Quincy Whig. Quincy, IL. 1838–1856.

  15. [15]

    Kidder, Mormonism and the Mormons, 334. Kidder may have been referring to both “Church History” and the more extensive “History of Joseph Smith” that JS began publishing serially in the 15 March 1842 issue of the Times and Seasons. (Times and Seasons, 15 Mar. 1842, 3:726.)

    Kidder, Daniel P. Mormonism and the Mormons: A Historical View of the Rise and Progress of the Sect Self-Styled Latter-Day Saints. New York: G. Lane and P. P. Sandford, 1842.

  16. [16]

    Hayward, Book of Religions, 260–266; Correspondence between Joseph Smith, the Prophet, and Col. John Wentworth, 3–6.

    Hayward, John. The Book of Religions; Comprising the Views Creeds, Sentiments, or Opinions, of All the Principal Religious Sects in the World, Particularly of All Christian Denominations in Europe and America; To Which Are Added Church and Missionary Statistics, Together with Biographical Sketches. Boston: John Hayward, 1842.

    Correspondence between Joseph Smith, the Prophet, and Col. John Wentworth, Editor of “The Chicago Democrat,” and Member of Congress from Illinois; Gen. James Arlington Bennet, of Arlington House, Long Island, and the Honorable John C. Calhoun, Senator from South Carolina. . . . New York: John E. Page and L. R. Foster, 1844.

  17. [17]

    Rupp, He Pasa Ekklesia, 404–410; Winebrenner, History of All the Religious Denominations in the United States, 344–349. In 1843, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, publisher Clyde, Williams & Co. requested that JS submit an article on the Latter-day Saints for inclusion in a book; with the aid of scribe William W. Phelps, JS later supplied them with an expanded version of the historical sketch and doctrinal statements. After receiving a copy of the book, JS offered to furnish Rupp with “further information, at a proper time.” (Clyde, Williams & Co., Harrisburg, PA, to JS and Sidney Rigdon, Nauvoo, IL, ca. 15 July 1843; JS per William W. Phelps, Nauvoo, IL, to Clyde, Williams & Co., Harrisburg, PA, 1 Aug. 1843, copy, JS Collection, CHL; William W. Phelps, Historical Article, Sept. 1843, CHL; JS, Nauvoo, IL, to Israel Daniel Rupp, Lancaster, PA, 5 June 1844, JS Collection, CHL.)

    Winebrenner, John, comp. History of All the Religious Denominations in the United States: Containing Authentic Accounts of the Rise and Progress, Faith and Practice, Localities and Statistics, of the Different Persuasions: Written Expressly for the Work, by Fifty-Three Eminent Authors, Belonging to the Respective Denominations. 2nd ed. Harrisburg, PA: John Winebrenner, 1848.

  18. [18]

    See, for example, [Gooch], Death of the Prophets Joseph and Hyram Smith, 9–10; The Latter-Day Saints’ Belief (n.p., [1851?]), copy at CHL; Flanigan, Reply to a Sheet, 7–8; “Latter Day Saint’s Faith,” Frontier Guardian (Kanesville, IA), 20 Feb. 1850, [1]; and [Mayhew], Mormons, 46–47.

    Death of the Prophets Joseph and Hyram Smith, Who Were Murdered while in Prison at Carthage, on the 27th Day of June, A. D. 1844. Boston: John Gooch, 1844.

    The Latter-Day Saints’ Belief. N.p., [1851?]. Copy at CHL.

    Flanigan, J. H. Reply to a Sheet Entitled, “The Result of Two Meetings between the L.D. Saints and Primitive Methodists,” at Gravely, Cambridgshire. Bedford, England, 1849.

    Frontier Guardian. Kanesville, IA. 1849–1852.

    [Mayhew, Henry]. The Mormons; or, Latter-Day Saints. With Memoirs of the Life and Death of Joseph Smith, the “American Mahomet.” London: Office of the National Illustrated Library, [1851].

  19. [19]

    Pearl of Great Price, 1851 ed., 55; Pearl of Great Price, 1878 ed., 63; “Fiftieth Semi-annual Conference,” Deseret News (Salt Lake City), 13 Oct. 1880, 588.

    The Pearl of Great Price: Being a Choice Selection from the Revelations, Translations, and Narrations of Joseph Smith, First Prophet, Seer, and Revelator to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Liverpool: F. D. Richards, 1851.

    The Pearl of Great Price: Being a Choice Selection from the Revelations, Translations and Narrations of Joseph Smith, First Prophet, Seer, and Revelator to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City: Latter-day Saints’ Printing and Publishing Establishment, 1878.

    Deseret News. Salt Lake City. 1850–.

Asterisk (*) denotes a "featured" version, which includes an introduction and annotation. Additions to “Church History,” September 1843, Draft “Latter Day Saints,” 1844 *“Church History,” 1 March 1842 Times and Seasons, 1 March 1842 History, 1838–1856, volume C-1 [2 November 1838–31 July 1842] “History of Joseph Smith”

Page 707

heavenly vision and saw two glorious personages who exactly resembled each other in features, and likeness, surrounded with a brilliant light which eclipsed the sun at noon-day.
5

JS had previously identified these two personages as God the Father and Jesus Christ. (JS History, vol. A-1, 3.)


They told me that all religious denominations were believing in incorrect doctrines, and that none of them was acknowledged of God as his church and kingdom. And I was expressly commanded to “go not after them,”
6

See Luke 17:23.


at the same time receiving a promise that the fulness of the gospel should at some future time be made known unto me.
On the evening of the 21st of September, A. D. 1823, while I was praying unto God, and endeavoring to exercise faith in the precious promises of scripture on a sudden a light like that of day, only of a far purer and more glorious appearance, and brightness burst into the room, indeed the first sight was as though the house was filled with consuming fire; the appearance produced a shock that affected the whole body; in a moment a personage stood before me surrounded with a glory yet greater than that with which I was already surrounded. This messenger proclaimed himself to be an angel of God sent to bring the joyful tidings,
7

A revelation recorded in the 1835 edition of the Doctrine and Covenants indicated that a prophet named Moroni was the referenced individual, sent to “reveal the book of Mormon”; in 1838 JS stated that he had obtained the plates from Moroni. JS’s 1838 account identified the messenger as Book of Mormon figure Nephi, but the name was later changed to Moroni by an unidentified scribe who indicated that the first name had been a clerical error. (Revelation, ca. Aug. 1835 [D&C 27:5]; Questions and Answers, 8 May 1838; JS History, vol. A-1, 5.)


that the covenant which God made with ancient Israel was at hand to be fulfilled, that the preparatory work for the second coming of the Messiah was speedily to commence; that the time was at hand for the gospel, in all its fulness to be preached in power, unto all nations that a people might be prepared for the millennial reign.
I was informed that I was chosen to be an instrument in the hands of God to bring about some of his purposes in this glorious
dispensation

A gift of divine knowledge, power, and authority from God to humankind; often associated with a prophet and his time period. A revelation published in 1835 identified JS and Oliver Cowdery as the recipients of keys to administer a final dispensation of the...

View Glossary
.
I was also informed concerning the aboriginal inhabitants of this
country

North American constitutional republic. Constitution ratified, 17 Sept. 1787. Population in 1805 about 6,000,000; in 1830 about 13,000,000; and in 1844 about 20,000,000. Louisiana Purchase, 1803, doubled size of U.S. Consisted of seventeen states at time ...

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, and shown who they were, and from whence they came; a brief sketch of their origin, progress, civilization, laws, governments, of their righteousness and iniquity, and the blessings of God being finally withdrawn from them as a people was made known unto me: I was also told where there was deposited some
plates

A record engraved on gold plates, which JS translated and published as the Book of Mormon. The text explained that the plates were an abridgment of other ancient records and were written by an American prophet named Mormon and his son Moroni. The plates were...

View Glossary
on which were engraven an abridgement of the records of the ancient prophets that had existed on this continent. The angel appeared to me three times the same night and unfolded the same things. After having received many visits from the angels of God unfolding the majesty, and glory of the events that should transpire in the last days, on the morning of the 22d of September A. D. 1827, the angel of the Lord delivered the records into my hands.
8

Much of the following account of the gold plates quotes Orson Pratt’s Interesting Account.


These records were engraven on plates which had the appearance of gold, each plate was six inches wide and eight inches long and not quite so thick as common tin. They were filled with engravings, in Egyptian characters and bound together in a volume, as the leaves of a book with three rings running through the whole. The volume was something near six inches in thickness, a part of which was sealed. The characters on the unsealed part were small, and beautifully engraved. The whole book exhibited many marks of antiquity in its construction and much skill in the art of engraving. With the records was found a curious instrument which the ancients called “
Urim and Thummim

A device used to translate and receive revelation. In the Old Testament, the high priest of Israel used a device by this name to discern God’s will for Israel. The Book of Mormon gives an account of an ancient prophet, Mosiah, who translated records into ...

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,” which consisted of two transparent stones set in the rim of a bow fastened to a breastplate.
9

The term “Urim and Thummim” appears in the Old Testament in reference to a divinatory instrument used by the high priest of Israel. JS later employed the term to describe an instrument he used to translate the characters inscribed on the plates; in one account he described them as “spectacles.” The term “Urim and Thummim” was also apparently applied to seer stones JS used to receive some of his early revelations. (Exodus 28:30; Leviticus 8:8; Numbers 27:21; “The Book of Mormon,” The Evening and the Morning Star, Jan. 1833, [2]; JS History, vol. A-1, 5; Woodruff, Journal, 27 Dec. 1841 and 19 Feb. 1842; Emma Smith Bidamon, Nauvoo, IL, to Emma Pilgrim, Independence, MO, 27 Mar. 1870, Emma Smith, Papers, CCLA.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

The Evening and the Morning Star. Independence, MO, June 1832–July 1833; Kirtland, OH, Dec. 1833–Sept. 1834.

Woodruff, Wilford. Journals, 1833–1898. Wilford Woodruff, Journals and Papers, 1828–1898. CHL. MS 1352.

Smith, Emma. Papers, 1834–1871. CCLA.

Through the medium of the Urim and Thummim I translated the record by the gift, and power of God.
10

See Preface to Book of Mormon, ca. Aug. 1829.


In this important and interesting book the history of ancient America is unfolded, from its first settlement by a colony that came from the tower of Babel, at the confusion of languages to the beginning of the fifth century of the Christian era. We are informed by these records that America in ancient times has been inhabited by two distinct races of people. The first were called Jaredites and came directly from the tower of Babel.
11

See Book of Mormon, 1840 ed., 524 [Ether 1:33–37]; and Genesis 11:1–9.


The second race came directly from the city of Jerusalem, about six hundred years before Christ. They were principally Israelites, of the descendants of Joseph. The Jaredites were destroyed about the time that the Israelites came from Jerusalem, who succeeded them in the inheritance of the country. The principal nation of the second race fell in battle towards the close of the fourth century. The remnant are the Indians that now inhabit this
country

North American constitutional republic. Constitution ratified, 17 Sept. 1787. Population in 1805 about 6,000,000; in 1830 about 13,000,000; and in 1844 about 20,000,000. Louisiana Purchase, 1803, doubled size of U.S. Consisted of seventeen states at time ...

More Info
.
12

JS previously implied or stated that the “Lamanites” were ancestors of the American Indians. In 1830 JS received a revelation that directed Oliver Cowdery to “go unto the Lamanites & Preach my Gospel unto them.” Between late 1830 and early 1831, Cowdery and others preached among the Seneca Nation of Indians in New York, the Wyandot Indians in Ohio, and the Shawnee and Delaware Indians west of Missouri. (Letter to Noah C. Saxton, 4 Jan. 1833; Revelation, Sept. 1830–B [D&C 28:8]; Letter from Oliver Cowdery, 12 Nov. 1830; Pratt, Autobiography, 54; Letter to Hyrum Smith, 3–4 Mar. 1831.)


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.

This book also tells us that our Saviour made his appearance upon this continent after his resurrection, that he planted the gospel here in all its fulness, and richness, and power, and blessing; that they had apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers and evangelists; the same order, the same priesthood, the [p. 707]
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Editorial Title
“Church History,” 1 March 1842
ID #
778
Total Pages
5
Print Volume Location
JSP, H1:489–501
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Footnotes

  1. [5]

    JS had previously identified these two personages as God the Father and Jesus Christ. (JS History, vol. A-1, 3.)

  2. [6]

    See Luke 17:23.

  3. [7]

    A revelation recorded in the 1835 edition of the Doctrine and Covenants indicated that a prophet named Moroni was the referenced individual, sent to “reveal the book of Mormon”; in 1838 JS stated that he had obtained the plates from Moroni. JS’s 1838 account identified the messenger as Book of Mormon figure Nephi, but the name was later changed to Moroni by an unidentified scribe who indicated that the first name had been a clerical error. (Revelation, ca. Aug. 1835 [D&C 27:5]; Questions and Answers, 8 May 1838; JS History, vol. A-1, 5.)

  4. [8]

    Much of the following account of the gold plates quotes Orson Pratt’s Interesting Account.

  5. [9]

    The term “Urim and Thummim” appears in the Old Testament in reference to a divinatory instrument used by the high priest of Israel. JS later employed the term to describe an instrument he used to translate the characters inscribed on the plates; in one account he described them as “spectacles.” The term “Urim and Thummim” was also apparently applied to seer stones JS used to receive some of his early revelations. (Exodus 28:30; Leviticus 8:8; Numbers 27:21; “The Book of Mormon,” The Evening and the Morning Star, Jan. 1833, [2]; JS History, vol. A-1, 5; Woodruff, Journal, 27 Dec. 1841 and 19 Feb. 1842; Emma Smith Bidamon, Nauvoo, IL, to Emma Pilgrim, Independence, MO, 27 Mar. 1870, Emma Smith, Papers, CCLA.)

    The Evening and the Morning Star. Independence, MO, June 1832–July 1833; Kirtland, OH, Dec. 1833–Sept. 1834.

    Woodruff, Wilford. Journals, 1833–1898. Wilford Woodruff, Journals and Papers, 1828–1898. CHL. MS 1352.

    Smith, Emma. Papers, 1834–1871. CCLA.

  6. [10]

    See Preface to Book of Mormon, ca. Aug. 1829.

  7. [11]

    See Book of Mormon, 1840 ed., 524 [Ether 1:33–37]; and Genesis 11:1–9.

  8. [12]

    JS previously implied or stated that the “Lamanites” were ancestors of the American Indians. In 1830 JS received a revelation that directed Oliver Cowdery to “go unto the Lamanites & Preach my Gospel unto them.” Between late 1830 and early 1831, Cowdery and others preached among the Seneca Nation of Indians in New York, the Wyandot Indians in Ohio, and the Shawnee and Delaware Indians west of Missouri. (Letter to Noah C. Saxton, 4 Jan. 1833; Revelation, Sept. 1830–B [D&C 28:8]; Letter from Oliver Cowdery, 12 Nov. 1830; Pratt, Autobiography, 54; Letter to Hyrum Smith, 3–4 Mar. 1831.)

    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.

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