History, 1838–1856, volume B-1 [1 September 1834–2 November 1838]
History, 1838–1856, volume B-1 [1 September 1834–2 November 1838]
Source Note
Source Note
JS, History, 1838–1856, vol. B-1, created 1 Oct. 1843–24 Feb. 1845; handwriting of and ; 297 pages, plus 10 pages of addenda; CHL. This is the second volume of a six-volume manuscript history of the church. This second volume covers the period from 1 Sept. 1834 to 2 Nov. 1838; the subsequent four volumes, labeled C-1 through F-1, continue through 8 Aug. 1844.
Historical Introduction
Historical Introduction
This document, volume B-1, is the second of the six volumes of the “Manuscript History of the Church.” The collection was compiled over the span of seventeen years, 1838 to 1856. The narrative in volume B-1 begins with the entry for 1 September 1834, just after the conclusion of the Camp of Israel (later called Zion’s Camp), and continues to 2 November 1838, when JS was interned as a prisoner of war at , Missouri. For a fuller discussion of the entire six-volume work, see the general introduction to the history.
, serving as JS’s “private secretary and historian,” completed the account of JS’s history contained in volume A-1 in August 1843. It covered the period from JS’s birth in 1805 through the aftermath of the Camp of Israel in August 1834. When work resumed on the history on 1 October 1843, Richards started a new volume, eventually designated B-1.
At the time of JS’s death in June 1844, the account had been advanced to 5 August 1838, on page 812 of volume B-1. ’s poor health led to the curtailment of work on B-1 for several months, until 11 December 1844. On that date, Richards and , assisted by , resumed gathering the records and reports needed to draft the history. Richards then composed and drafted roughed-out notes while Thomas Bullock compiled the text of the history and inscribed it in B-1. They completed their work on the volume on or about 24 February 1845. Richards, , and Jonathan Grimshaw later added ten pages of “Addenda,” which provided notes, extensive revisions, or additional text to be inserted in the original manuscript where indicated.
Though JS did not dictate or revise any of the text recorded in B-1, and chose to maintain the first-person, chronological narrative format established in A-1 as if JS were the author. They drew from a variety of primary and secondary sources including JS’s diaries and letters, minutes of meetings, the first edition of the Doctrine and Covenants, church and other periodicals, reports of JS’s discourses, and the reminiscences and recollections of church members. As was the case with A-1, after JS’s death, , , , and others modified and corrected the manuscript as they reviewed material before its eventual publication.
Beginning in March 1842 the church’s Nauvoo periodical, the Times and Seasons, began publishing the narrative as the “History of Joseph Smith.” It was also published in England in the church periodical the Millennial Star beginning in June 1842. Once a press was established in Utah and the Deseret News began publication, the “History of Joseph Smith” once more appeared in print in serialized form. Beginning with the November 1851 issue, the narrative picked up where the Times and Seasons had left off over five years earlier.
The narrative recorded in B-1 continued the story of JS’s life as the prophet and president of the church he labored to establish. The account encompasses significant developments in the church’s two centers at that time—, Ohio, and northwest —during a four-year-span. Critical events included the organization of the Quorums of the Twelve Apostles and the Seventy, the dedication of the House of the Lord in Kirtland, Ohio, the establishment of the Kirtland Safety Society, dissension and apostasy in Kirtland and Missouri, the first mission to England, JS’s flight from Kirtland to Missouri in the winter of 1838, the Saints’ exodus from Kirtland later that year, the disciplining of the Missouri presidency, and the outbreak of the Missouri War and arrest of JS. Thus, B-1 provides substantial detail regarding a significant period of church expansion and transition as well as travail.
<September 12> “themselves in readiness if required, all mounted and Riflemen except one company of “Infantry” the troops will proceed immediately to the scene of excitement and insurrection” [HC 3:76]
<13> About this time Sixty or more Mobbers entered and warned the Brethren to leave the place.
<Camp> Thursday 13. The camp travelled to Bolivia twelve miles. Brother Thornton’s child died in the evening, and was buried on the morning of <14> Friday 14, before the Camp started, which passed through , which it is expected will soon be the Capital of , instead of Vandalia. Much opposition was manifested at in the countenances of Men, in their hard and— unrighteous remarks against Joseph Smith and the Church and in much laughing. Fever and ague, and chills and fever are the prevailing diseases in this place. The Drouth continues, the water in the Wells is very low, and many Springs entirely dry, many families found stopping places before arriving here. The Camp is sometimes short of food, both for man and beast, and they know what it is to be hungry; Their living for the last one hundred miles, has been boiled corn, and shaving pudding, which is made of new Corn ears shaved upon a jointer or fore plane. It is excellent with Milk Butter or sweetning and with an occasional mixture of Pork, Flour, Potatoes, Pumpkins, Melons &c makes a comfortable living. The Cobs and remaining Corn is given to the horses so that nothing is lost; hence the proverb goes forth in the world “the Mormons would starve a host of enemies to death, for they will live where every body else would die” The Camp numbers about two hundred and sixty, there was five hundred and thirty but they have been scattered to the four winds and it is because of selfishness— covetousness, murmurings and complainings, and not having fulfilled their Covenants that they have been thus scattered. Travelled twenty three miles and tented five miles west of . 569 miles from —
I was at home after three o clock in the evening
<15 William Dryden’s Statement> William Dryden Justice of the Peace in . stated to the in a long communication,
“that he had issued a Writ against Andrew , and others for assaulting and threatning on the Eighth of August last and that the Officer with a guard of ten men in attempting to serve the Writ, was forcibly driven from the Town where the Offenders were supposed to be, and that the Mormons were so well armed and so numerous in and , that the judicial power of the Counties was wholly unable to execute a writ against a Mormon, and that the Mormons held the Institutions of the Country in utter contempt.”
with many more such lies of the blackest kind.
< order to > Upon which issued an order to General of the third division of Militia, through the Adjutant General B. M. Lisle, to raise a— sufficient force of troops under his command, and aid the civil officers in to execute all writs and other processes, in their charge, and especially assist the officer [HC 3:77] charged with the of a writ issued by William Dryden Justice of the Peace on the twenty ninth of August last, for the arrest of , and others, and bring the Offenders to Justice—
<’s letter to > The following letter gives a tolerably fair view of the Movements of the Militia for a few days past
“Head Quarters, 1st. Brig. 3rd. Div. . Mi. Camp at , Septr. 15. 1838.
“Maj. Gen. , Commanding 3rd. Div. . Mi. Sir In pursuance of your orders, dated 11th. inst., I issued orders to Col. Wm. A. Dunn, commanding the 28th. Regiment, to raise four companies of mounted riflemen, consisting of fifty men each, also to Col John Boulware,— commanding the 70th. Regiment, to raise two Companies of mounted Riflemen, consisting each of like number, to start forthwith for service in the Counties of and , on the same day. Col Dunn obtained the four companies of volunteers required from the 28th. Regiment [p. 824]
Source Note
Source Note
Document Transcript
Document Information
Document Information
Footnotes
Footnotes
- [566]
See 13 Sept. 1838 entry in History Draft.
- [567]
See 13–14 Sept. 1838 entry in History Draft.
- [568]
- [569]
JS, Journal, 14 Sept. 1838.
- [570]
See 15 Sept. 1838 entry in History Draft.
- [571]
William Dryden, Daviess Co., MO, to Lilburn W. Boggs, Jefferson City, MO, 15 Sept. 1838, in Document Containing the Correspondence, 21–22.
Document Containing the Correspondence, Orders, &c., in Relation to the Disturbances with the Mormons; and the Evidence Given before the Hon. Austin A. King, Judge of the Fifth Judicial Circuit of the State of Missouri, at the Court-House in Richmond, in a Criminal Court of Inquiry, Begun November 12, 1838, on the Trial of Joseph Smith, Jr., and Others, for High Treason and Other Crimes against the State. Fayette, MO: Boon’s Lick Democrat, 1841.
- [572]
Alexander Doniphan, “Camp on Grand River,” to David R. Atchison, 15 Sept. 1838, in Document Containing the Correspondence, 24–25.
Document Containing the Correspondence, Orders, &c., in Relation to the Disturbances with the Mormons; and the Evidence Given before the Hon. Austin A. King, Judge of the Fifth Judicial Circuit of the State of Missouri, at the Court-House in Richmond, in a Criminal Court of Inquiry, Begun November 12, 1838, on the Trial of Joseph Smith, Jr., and Others, for High Treason and Other Crimes against the State. Fayette, MO: Boon’s Lick Democrat, 1841.
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