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Journal, December 1842–June 1844; Book 4, 1 March–22 June 1844

1 March 1844 • Friday Page 1 2 March 1844 • Saturday Page 2 3 March 1844 • Sunday Page 3 4 March 1844 • Monday Page 4 5 March 1844 • Tuesday Page 7 6 March 1844 • Wednesday Page 8 7 March 1844 • Thursday Page 9 8 March 1844 • Friday Page 26 9 March 1844 • Saturday Page 28 10 March 1844 • Sunday Page 30 11 March 1844 • Monday Page 34 12 March 1844 • Tuesday Page 35 13 March 1844 • Wednesday Page 36 14 March 1844 • Thursday Page 37 15 March 1844 • Friday Page 38 16 March 1844 • Saturday Page 39 17 March 1844 • Sunday Page 40 18 March 1844 • Monday Page 41 19 March 1844 • Tuesday Page 42 20 March 1844 • Wednesday Page 44 21 March 1844 • Thursday Page 45 22 March 1844 • Friday Page 46 23 March 1844 • Saturday Page 47 24 March 1844 • Sunday Page 48 25 March 1844 • Monday Page 49 26 March 1844 • Tuesday Page 50 27 March 1844 • Wednesday Page 51 28 March 1844 • Thursday Page 52 29 March 1844 • Friday Page 53 30 March 1844 • Saturday Page 54 31 March 1844 • Sunday Page 55 1 April 1844 • Monday Page 56 2 April 1844 • Tuesday Page 57 3 April 1844 • Wednesday Page 58 4 April 1844 • Thursday Page 59 5 April 1844 • Friday Page 60 6 April 1844 • Saturday Page 61 7 April 1844 • Sunday Page 65 8 April 1844 • Monday Page 73 9 April 1844 • Tuesday Page 77 10 April 1844 • Wednesday Page 80 11 April 1844 • Thursday Page 81 12 April 1844 • Friday Page 82 13 April 1844 • Saturday Page 83 14 April 1844 • Sunday Page 87 15 April 1844 • Monday Page 88 16 April 1844 • Tuesday Page 89 17 April 1844 • Wednesday Page 90 18 April 1844 • Thursday Page 91 20 April 1844 • Saturday Page 93 21 April 1844 • Sunday Page 94 22 April 1844 • Monday Page 95 23 April 1844 • Tuesday Page 96 24 April 1844 • Wednesday Page 97 25 April 1844 • Thursday Page 98 26 April 1844 • Friday Page 99 27 April 1844 • Saturday Page 101 28 April 1844 • Sunday Page 102 29 April 1844 • Monday Page 104 30 April 1844 • Tuesday Page 105 1 May 1844 • Wednesday Page 106 18 May 1844 • Saturday Page 123 2 May 1844 • Thursday Page 107 3 May 1844 • Friday Page 108 4 May 1844 • Saturday Page 109 5 May 1844 • Sunday Page 110 6 May 1844 • Monday Page 111 7 May 1844 • Tuesday Page 112 8 May 1844 • Wednesday Page 113 9 May 1844 • Thursday Page 114 10 May 1844 • Friday Page 115 11 May 1844 • Saturday Page 116 12 May 1844 • Sunday Page 117 13 May 1844 • Monday Page 118 14 May 1844 • Tuesday Page 119 15 May 1844 • Wednesday Page 120 16 May 1844 • Thursday Page 121 17 May 1844 • Friday Page 122 19 May 1844 • Sunday Page 124 20 May 1844 • Monday Page 125 21 May 1844 • Tuesday Page 126 22 May 1844 • Wednesday Page 127 23 May 1844 • Thursday Page 128 24 May 1844 • Friday Page 131 25 May 1844 • Saturday Page 132 26 May 1844 • Sunday Page 133 27 May 1844 • Monday Page 134 28 May 1844 • Tuesday Page 138 29 May 1844 • Wednesday Page 139 30 May 1844 • Thursday Page 140 31 May 1844 • Friday Page 141 1 June 1844 • Saturday Page 142 2 June 1844 • Sunday Page 143 3 June 1844 • Monday Page 144 4 June 1844 • Tuesday Page 145 5 June 1844 • Wednesday Page 146 6 June 1844 • Thursday Page 147 7 June 1844 • Friday Page 148 8 June 1844 • Saturday Page 149 9 June 1844 • Sunday Page 150 10 June 1844 • Monday Page 151 11 June 1844 • Tuesday Page 152 12 June 1844 • Wednesday Page 154 13 June 1844 • Thursday Page 155 14 June 1844 • Friday Page 156 15 June 1844 • Saturday Page 157 16 June 1844 • Sunday Page 158 17 June 1844 • Monday Page 160 18 June 1844 • Tuesday Page 162 19 June 1844 • Wednesday Page 164 20 June 1844 • Thursday Page 166 21 June 1844 • Friday Page 167 22 June 1844 • Saturday Page 169

Source Note

JS, “President Joseph Smith’s Journal,” Journal, 4 vols., Dec. 1842–June 1844; handwriting and signatures of
Willard Richards

24 June 1804–11 Mar. 1854. Teacher, lecturer, doctor, clerk, printer, editor, postmaster. Born at Hopkinton, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts. Son of Joseph Richards and Rhoda Howe. Moved to Richmond, Berkshire Co., Massachusetts, 1813; to Chatham, Columbia Co...

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; 1,045 pages; JS Collection, CHL. Includes shorthand and illustrations; also includes redactions, use marks, and archival stickers.
Willard Richards

24 June 1804–11 Mar. 1854. Teacher, lecturer, doctor, clerk, printer, editor, postmaster. Born at Hopkinton, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts. Son of Joseph Richards and Rhoda Howe. Moved to Richmond, Berkshire Co., Massachusetts, 1813; to Chatham, Columbia Co...

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kept “President Joseph Smith’s Journal” in four small memorandum books. The paper in book 1 is blue, while the paper in books 2–4 is white. In the first two books, the paper was printed with seventeen blue lines and extra space for page headers, whereas the paper for book 3 was printed with nineteen blue lines and no header space. The first eight gatherings of paper for book 4 were printed with sixteen blue lines and header space, while the last nine gatherings were printed with nineteen blue lines and no header space. The four volumes have 147, 160, 142, and 190 free leaves, respectively, and were sewn with all-along sewing. The leaves in books 1–3 were trimmed to measure 6 × 3¾ inches (15 × 10 cm), while the paper in book 4 measures 6¼ × 3¾ inches (16 × 10 cm). Books 2–4 have matching red-speckled stain on the page edges. All four books were bound with a tight-back case binding and have brown leather over pasteboards. Books 1–3 measure 6¼ × 4 × ¾ inches (16 × 10 × 2 cm); book 4 measures 6⅜ × 4 × ¾ inches (16 × 10 × 2 cm). The outside covers of book 1 feature an embossed pattern around the borders. The cover of book 4 is red and features a gold pattern around the borders on the front and the back.
Willard Richards

24 June 1804–11 Mar. 1854. Teacher, lecturer, doctor, clerk, printer, editor, postmaster. Born at Hopkinton, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts. Son of Joseph Richards and Rhoda Howe. Moved to Richmond, Berkshire Co., Massachusetts, 1813; to Chatham, Columbia Co...

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inscribed most of the journal entries in these memorandum books with a quill pen in ink that is now brown, although he also used blue ink for several entries. The volumes also include inscriptions written in graphite, some of which are contemporaneous and some that are later redactions. Richards paginated the first 114 of the 285 inscribed pages in book 1—discounting the title page that precedes the pagination—and the first 20 of the 309 inscribed pages in book 2. There is no pagination in books 3–4. In book 2, pages 11, 17, and 20–21 feature illustrations of celestial observations.
The
Richards

24 June 1804–11 Mar. 1854. Teacher, lecturer, doctor, clerk, printer, editor, postmaster. Born at Hopkinton, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts. Son of Joseph Richards and Rhoda Howe. Moved to Richmond, Berkshire Co., Massachusetts, 1813; to Chatham, Columbia Co...

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memorandum books include later inscriptions that are not transcribed in this edition. At the end of book 2,
Thomas Bullock

23 Dec. 1816–10 Feb. 1885. Farmer, excise officer, secretary, clerk. Born in Leek, Staffordshire, England. Son of Thomas Bullock and Mary Hall. Married Henrietta Rushton, 25 June 1838. Moved to Ardee, Co. Louth, Ireland, Nov. 1839; to Isle of Anglesey, Aug...

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added a list of
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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-era plural marriages. A few revisions, additions, or notes are penciled in throughout the volumes. There are also several use marks throughout the volumes—probably made when the journal entries were later revised for inclusion in the “History of Joseph Smith” published in Mormon newspapers in the mid-nineteenth century.
1

This serialized history drew on the journals herein beginning with the 4 July 1855 issue of the Deseret News and with the 3 January 1857 issue of the LDS Millennial Star.


The spines of the volumes are now labeled with blue-colored paper stickers that probably date from the early Utah period.
2

The labels on the spines of the four volumes read respectively as follows: “Joseph Smith’s Journal—1842–3 by Willard Richards” (book 1); “Joseph Smith’s Journal by W. Richards 1843” (book 2); “Joseph Smith’s Journal by W. Richards 1843–4” (book 3); and “W. Richards’ Journal 1844 Vol. 4” (book 4). Richards kept JS’s journal in the front of book 4, and after JS’s death Richards kept his own journal in the back of the volume.


Each of the four volumes also bears the mark of a square sticker removed from the upper right-hand corner of the outside front cover. Finally, a “Historian’s Office Archives” self-adhesive paper sticker appears in the front inside cover or on the first flyleaf of each book.
Willard Richards

24 June 1804–11 Mar. 1854. Teacher, lecturer, doctor, clerk, printer, editor, postmaster. Born at Hopkinton, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts. Son of Joseph Richards and Rhoda Howe. Moved to Richmond, Berkshire Co., Massachusetts, 1813; to Chatham, Columbia Co...

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identified himself as the scribe for the journal on the title pages of books 1 and 4. Because Richards kept the journals for JS and kept his own journal in the back of book 4 after JS’s death, the books may have been among “Drs [Richards’s] private books & Papers” listed in the 1846 inventory of church records made 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.
3

“Schedule of Church Records, Nauvoo 1846,” [1], Historian’s Office, Catalogs and Inventories, 1846–1904, CHL.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Historian’s Office. Catalogs and Inventories, 1846–1904. CHL. CR 100 130.

The volumes are listed in inventories made in Salt Lake City, Utah, by the Church Historian’s Office in 1855, 1858, and 1878, as well as in the 1973 register of the JS Collection.
4

“Inventory. Historian’s Office. 4th April 1855,” [1]; “Contents of the Historian and Recorder’s Office G. S. L. City July 1858,” 2; “Index of Records and Journals in the Historian’s Office 1878,” [11]–[12], Historian’s Office, Catalogs and Inventories, 1846–1904, CHL; Johnson, Register of the Joseph Smith Collection, 7.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Historian’s Office. Catalogs and Inventories, 1846–1904. CHL. CR 100 130.

Johnson, Jeffery O. Register of the Joseph Smith Collection in the Church Archives, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City: Historical Department of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1973.

These archival records and the physical evidence of archival stickers indicate continuous institutional custody and authenticity.
Note: The journal
Willard Richards

24 June 1804–11 Mar. 1854. Teacher, lecturer, doctor, clerk, printer, editor, postmaster. Born at Hopkinton, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts. Son of Joseph Richards and Rhoda Howe. Moved to Richmond, Berkshire Co., Massachusetts, 1813; to Chatham, Columbia Co...

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kept for JS is divided into four physical books. The transcript and annotation here are for book 4, covering 1 March through 22 June 1844. The transcript and annotation for the other three books are also available on this website; book 1 covers 21 December 1842 through 10 March 1843, book 2 covers 10 March through 14 July 1843, and book 3 covers 15 July 1843 through 29 February 1844.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    This serialized history drew on the journals herein beginning with the 4 July 1855 issue of the Deseret News and with the 3 January 1857 issue of the LDS Millennial Star.

  2. [2]

    The labels on the spines of the four volumes read respectively as follows: “Joseph Smith’s Journal—1842–3 by Willard Richards” (book 1); “Joseph Smith’s Journal by W. Richards 1843” (book 2); “Joseph Smith’s Journal by W. Richards 1843–4” (book 3); and “W. Richards’ Journal 1844 Vol. 4” (book 4). Richards kept JS’s journal in the front of book 4, and after JS’s death Richards kept his own journal in the back of the volume.

  3. [3]

    “Schedule of Church Records, Nauvoo 1846,” [1], Historian’s Office, Catalogs and Inventories, 1846–1904, CHL.

    Historian’s Office. Catalogs and Inventories, 1846–1904. CHL. CR 100 130.

  4. [4]

    “Inventory. Historian’s Office. 4th April 1855,” [1]; “Contents of the Historian and Recorder’s Office G. S. L. City July 1858,” 2; “Index of Records and Journals in the Historian’s Office 1878,” [11]–[12], Historian’s Office, Catalogs and Inventories, 1846–1904, CHL; Johnson, Register of the Joseph Smith Collection, 7.

    Historian’s Office. Catalogs and Inventories, 1846–1904. CHL. CR 100 130.

    Johnson, Jeffery O. Register of the Joseph Smith Collection in the Church Archives, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City: Historical Department of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1973.

Historical Introduction

Willard Richards

24 June 1804–11 Mar. 1854. Teacher, lecturer, doctor, clerk, printer, editor, postmaster. Born at Hopkinton, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts. Son of Joseph Richards and Rhoda Howe. Moved to Richmond, Berkshire Co., Massachusetts, 1813; to Chatham, Columbia Co...

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took over the responsibility of keeping JS’s journal from
William Clayton

17 July 1814–4 Dec. 1879. Bookkeeper, clerk. Born at Charnock Moss, Penwortham, Lancashire, England. Son of Thomas Clayton and Ann Critchley. Married Ruth Moon, 9 Oct. 1836, at Penwortham. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by Heber...

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on 21 December 1842, the same day JS “made a particular request” that Richards “act as his private se[c]retary & historian.”
1

JS, Journal, 21 Dec. 1842.


This was the second time Richards kept JS’s journal; he had also kept it between 13 December 1841 and 29 June 1842 before leaving for
Richmond

Post village located along Housatonic River about 160 miles west of Boston. Settled 1760; incorporated 1765. Population in 1850 about 900. Jennetta Richards Richards corresponded with JS from village regarding his friendship with her husband, Willard Richards...

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, Massachusetts, to bring his family to
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....

More Info
, Illinois. During Richards’s absence, Clayton kept JS’s journal, inscribing entries, as Richards had done, in the large Book of the Law of the Lord, which also contained records of donations for the
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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temple

Located in portion of Nauvoo known as the bluff. JS revelation dated Jan. 1841 commanded Saints to build temple and hotel (Nauvoo House). Cornerstone laid, 6 Apr. 1841. Saints volunteered labor, money, and other resources for temple construction. Construction...

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. Clayton continued keeping the journal—JS’s first Nauvoo journal—even after Richards returned to Nauvoo on 30 October 1842, probably because, as temple recorder, Clayton was the custodian of the Book of the Law of the Lord.
2

Historical Introduction to JS, Journal, Dec. 1841–Dec. 1842.


When Richards resumed keeping JS’s journal on 21 December 1842, he began using a much smaller memorandum book. This second Nauvoo journal was kept by Richards through 22 June 1844 and eventually comprised four such memorandum books.
Several pieces of evidence indicate that these four memorandum books were considered volumes of the same journal rather than separate journals themselves. For example, whereas JS’s journals kept during the 1830s were recorded in bound books or notebooks labeled with different titles—such as “Sketch Book” or “The Scriptory Book”
3

Source Note to JS, Journal, 1835–1836; Source Note to JS, Journal, Mar.–Sept. 1838.


—the first and last of
Richards

24 June 1804–11 Mar. 1854. Teacher, lecturer, doctor, clerk, printer, editor, postmaster. Born at Hopkinton, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts. Son of Joseph Richards and Rhoda Howe. Moved to Richmond, Berkshire Co., Massachusetts, 1813; to Chatham, Columbia Co...

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’s memorandum books bear virtually identical titles, with the fourth explicitly identified as “vol 4”. Similarly, that books 2 and 3 lack titles suggests that each was simply a continuation of the previous book. This suggestion is made even stronger in book 2, in which the first entry commences at 4:00 p.m. on 10 March,
4

JS, Journal, 10 Mar. 1843.


with the events of the earlier part of the day recorded at the end of book 1. All four memorandum books are virtually the same size, and the bindings on the first three are similar.
As with nearly all the entries in JS’s previous
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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and
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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journals, JS neither wrote nor dictated the text of the entries in the memorandum books; they are based on
Willard Richards

24 June 1804–11 Mar. 1854. Teacher, lecturer, doctor, clerk, printer, editor, postmaster. Born at Hopkinton, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts. Son of Joseph Richards and Rhoda Howe. Moved to Richmond, Berkshire Co., Massachusetts, 1813; to Chatham, Columbia Co...

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’s observations. For example, the entry for 22 September 1843 records only that Richards “saw Joseph pass in a waggon with Hiram.”
5

JS, Journal, 22 Sept. 1843.


Despite the secondhand nature of the entries, however, Richards, a close associate and frequent companion of JS, was able to capture in detail JS’s words and actions on many occasions.
The shift of
Richards

24 June 1804–11 Mar. 1854. Teacher, lecturer, doctor, clerk, printer, editor, postmaster. Born at Hopkinton, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts. Son of Joseph Richards and Rhoda Howe. Moved to Richmond, Berkshire Co., Massachusetts, 1813; to Chatham, Columbia Co...

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’s office from temple recorder and scribe to JS’s “private se[c]retary & historian,” as well as the transfer of the journal out of the Book of the Law of the Lord, may have influenced what events Richards recorded in the memorandum books. At least some of the material Richards, as JS’s private secretary, included in this journal—such as the detailed record of a medical malpractice suit over which JS presided—probably would have received much less emphasis had Richards, in the capacity of temple recorder and scribe, been keeping JS’s journal in the book that also contained records of donations for the temple. Similarly, although the ledger-size Book of the Law of the Lord likely remained in the recorder’s office and most journal entries were probably made there, each of the memorandum books was small enough that Richards could easily carry it with him, allowing him to record many of JS’s activities closer to the actual event—both temporally and spatially—than was possible earlier.
Richards

24 June 1804–11 Mar. 1854. Teacher, lecturer, doctor, clerk, printer, editor, postmaster. Born at Hopkinton, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts. Son of Joseph Richards and Rhoda Howe. Moved to Richmond, Berkshire Co., Massachusetts, 1813; to Chatham, Columbia Co...

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’s new title of historian was significant as well. On 1 December 1842, he began working on the “History of Joseph Smith” that was being serially published in the Times and Seasons, and by August 1843 he was drawing on JS’s earlier journals for that history.
6

JS, Journal, 1 Dec. 1842 and 20 Jan. 1843; see also “History of Joseph Smith,” Times and Seasons, 15 Mar. 1842, 3:726–728.


Richards therefore likely expected that the contemporaneous journal entries he was keeping for JS would eventually be used as the basis for JS’s history.
Richards

24 June 1804–11 Mar. 1854. Teacher, lecturer, doctor, clerk, printer, editor, postmaster. Born at Hopkinton, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts. Son of Joseph Richards and Rhoda Howe. Moved to Richmond, Berkshire Co., Massachusetts, 1813; to Chatham, Columbia Co...

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employed various techniques in keeping the journal. For a few entries, he made lightly penciled notes and returned later with a quill pen to expand the entry. In other entries, the morning or afternoon portion of an entry was written in one ink and the evening portion of the entry in a different ink that matches that of the following entry. These changes in writing media and in other aspects of the inscribed text indicate that many entries—or parts of entries—were made on the very day of the events they described. The textual evidence in other entries indicates that they were written several days after the date they bear. Still other entries are a hybrid. Richards’s notes of sermons and legal proceedings, for example, bear evidence of both contemporaneous inscription and later revision. In some instances, Richards left blank spaces and even blank lines, apparently intending to add details later. Hurried note taking often resulted in missing words, informal abbreviations, inconsistent spelling, and poorly formed characters. Richards revisited some difficult passages to mend or rewrite characters, revise spelling and punctuation, and add interlineations. Some of the blanks were filled while others were left standing. Richards’s notes include both immediate emendations, such as wipe-erasures made while his ink was still wet, as well as later revisions, such as knife-erasures of words written in ink that had dried. The various ways in which Richards wrote and revised entries resulted in the journal’s uneven texture but also contribute to its wealth of immediately recorded information and clarifying additions.
Over time,
Richards

24 June 1804–11 Mar. 1854. Teacher, lecturer, doctor, clerk, printer, editor, postmaster. Born at Hopkinton, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts. Son of Joseph Richards and Rhoda Howe. Moved to Richmond, Berkshire Co., Massachusetts, 1813; to Chatham, Columbia Co...

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settled somewhat into a pattern of generally recording the events of one day on one page—some pages largely empty and others filled with cramped writing—with weather reported at the bottom of the page. He made an entry for almost every day during the last year and a half of JS’s life. The journal ended when JS left
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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on 22 June 1844, five days before he was killed at the jailhouse at
Carthage

Located eighteen miles southeast of Nauvoo. Settled 1831. Designated Hancock Co. seat, Mar. 1833. Incorporated as town, 27 Feb. 1837. Population in 1839 about 300. Population in 1844 about 400. Site of acute opposition to Latter-day Saints, early 1840s. Site...

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, Illinois. Richards accompanied JS to Carthage and, during the final days of JS’s life, kept extensive notes of JS’s activities in his personal journal.
7

See Appendix 3.


Note: The journal
Willard Richards

24 June 1804–11 Mar. 1854. Teacher, lecturer, doctor, clerk, printer, editor, postmaster. Born at Hopkinton, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts. Son of Joseph Richards and Rhoda Howe. Moved to Richmond, Berkshire Co., Massachusetts, 1813; to Chatham, Columbia Co...

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kept for JS is divided into four physical books. The transcript and annotation here are for book 4, covering 1 March through 22 June 1844. The transcript and annotation for the other three books are also available on this website; book 1 covers 21 December 1842 through 10 March 1843, book 2 covers 10 March through 14 July 1843, and book 3 covers 15 July 1843 through 29 February 1844.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    JS, Journal, 21 Dec. 1842.

  2. [2]

    Historical Introduction to JS, Journal, Dec. 1841–Dec. 1842.

  3. [3]

    Source Note to JS, Journal, 1835–1836; Source Note to JS, Journal, Mar.–Sept. 1838.

  4. [4]

    JS, Journal, 10 Mar. 1843.

  5. [5]

    JS, Journal, 22 Sept. 1843.

  6. [6]

    JS, Journal, 1 Dec. 1842 and 20 Jan. 1843; see also “History of Joseph Smith,” Times and Seasons, 15 Mar. 1842, 3:726–728.

  7. [7]

    See Appendix 3.

Asterisk (*) denotes a "featured" version, which includes an introduction and annotation. *Discourse, 7 March 1844–B, as Reported by Willard Richards *Discourse, 7 March 1844–B, as Reported by Wilford Woodruff *Discourse, 7 March 1844–A, as Reported by Willard Richards *Discourse, 7 March 1844–A, as Reported by Wilford Woodruff *Discourse, 7 April 1844, as Reported by Thomas Bullock *Discourse, 7 April 1844, as Reported by William Clayton *Discourse, 7 April 1844, as Reported by Willard Richards *Discourse, 7 April 1844, as Reported by Wilford Woodruff *Discourse, 7 April 1844, as Published in Times and Seasons

Page [166]

20 June 1844 • Thursday
Thursday Jun[e] 20— 1844. at day break send [sent?] the Gu[a]rd out of the
city

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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. <​to pitch upon grou[n]d to​> to meet the enemy.—
10 [a.m.]. Mr Southwick
524

Possibly Wall Southwick. On 31 July 1844, the Warsaw Signal published a letter reportedly found “in the bar-room of one of the Quincy Taverns” from Wall Southwick to JS. The letter, dated 1 June 1844, identified Southwick as a physician who had practiced in Louisiana before going to the Republic of Texas, where he had been involved with financial and political “operations.” (Wall Southwick, Centerville, KY, to JS, Nauvoo, IL, 1 June 1844, Warsaw [IL] Signal, 31 July 1844, [1].)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Warsaw Signal. Warsaw, IL. 1841–1853.

fr[o]m Louisania [Louisiana] arri[ve]d sa[i]d— a cannon from
Quincy

Located on high limestone bluffs east of Mississippi River, about forty-five miles south of Nauvoo. Settled 1821. Adams Co. seat, 1825. Incorporated as town, 1834. Received city charter, 1840. Population in 1835 about 800; in 1840 about 2,300; and in 1845...

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— ar[r]ived at
wa[r]saw

Located at foot of Des Moines rapids of Mississippi River at site of three military forts: Fort Johnson (1814), Cantonment Davis (1815–1818), and Fort Edwards (1816–1824). First settlers participated in fur trade. Important trade and shipping center. Post...

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.—
525

This cannon was probably the “six pounder” that Thomas Sharp was anticipating on 19 June and the cannon that Carlos Lyon saw landed at Warsaw from the steamer Mermaid. (“The Preparation,” Warsaw [IL] Signal, 19 June 1844, [2]; Carlos W. Lyon, Affidavit, Nauvoo, IL, 20 June 1844, JS Office Papers, CHL.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Warsaw Signal. Warsaw, IL. 1841–1853.

no excitemnt at
St Louis

Located on west side of Mississippi River about fifteen miles south of confluence with Missouri River. Founded as fur-trading post by French settlers, 1764. Incorporated as town, 1809. First Mississippi steamboat docked by town, 1817. Incorporated as city...

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reported to him a gre[a]t excitem[en]t at
Far West

Originally called Shoal Creek. Located fifty-five miles northeast of Independence. Surveyed 1823; first settled by whites, 1831. Site purchased, 8 Aug. 1836, before Caldwell Co. was organized for Latter-day Saints in Missouri. William W. Phelps and John Whitmer...

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&c——
11 [a.m.] revewed the troops—
526

Hosea Stout’s regiment of the Nauvoo Legion, and presumably the entire legion, met again at eight o’clock in the morning and were dismissed at six o’clock in the evening. According to Jonathan H. Hale, the legion “met according to orders on the arsnall ground and then marched down by the river a little above the lower stone house and formed a line of battle &c, and then dismissed to meet on the ground near Spencers NE of the Temple drilld in the PM. and adjourned till Friday at 8 O Clock AM.” (Order Book, 1843–1844, 23, Nauvoo Legion Records, CHL; Hale, “Account Kept of the Nauvoo Legion,” 1.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Nauvoo Legion Records, 1841–1845. CHL. MS 3430.

Hale, Jonathan. “An Account Kept of the Nauvoo Legion.” Jonathan Hale, Papers, 1835–1845. CHL. MS 3214, fd. 1.

facing th[e]
Mansion

Large, two-story, Greek Revival frame structure located on northeast corner of Water and Main streets. Built to meet JS’s immediate need for larger home that could also serve as hotel to accommodate his numerous guests. JS relocated family from old house ...

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.— &c went onto parade— on the bank of the
River

Principal U.S. river running southward from Itasca Lake, Minnesota, to Gulf of Mexico. Covered 3,160-mile course, 1839 (now about 2,350 miles). Drains about 1,100,000 square miles. Steamboat travel on Mississippi very important in 1830s and 1840s for shipping...

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.
Recorder
527

Willard Richards.


took Affidavit of Carlos W. Lyon
528

Lyon testified that while he was in St. Louis on 17 June, “it was a common topic that they were furnishing arms and ammunition to be sent by steam boat to Warsaw Illinois,” and that if the “people of Warsaw need 500 men, to give notice by the steamer Boreas and the men should be sent from St. Louis.” (Carlos W. Lyon, Affidavit, Nauvoo, IL, 20 June 1844, JS Office Papers, CHL.)


wrote
Ballentine [Richard Ballantyne]

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&
[Peter] Slater

Ca. 1821–before 1870. Miller. Born in Lancashire, England. Son of Peter Slater. Married Sarah Nutter, 16 Feb. 1840, in Burnley, Lancashire. Resident of Whalley, Lancashire, 1841. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, by 1842. Immigrated...

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. at Doyles Mill for wheat.
529

Ballantyne and Slater had evidently asked JS through “J. McIllrick” (probably John McIllwrick, who knew Slater) if they should move their families, given the recent threats against Mormons. JS advised them to remain where they were—at Doyle’s Mills, near Plymouth, Illinois—and “be quiet” but suggested that they transport “any amount of wheat or provisions” they may have to Nauvoo rather than “leave it for the mob to consume, & destroy.” (JS, Nauvoo, IL, to Richard Ballantyne and Peter Slater, Doyle’s Mills, IL, 20 June 1844, copy, JS Collection, CHL; see also Ballantyne, “Brief Biography,” 3; “Public Meeting,” Nauvoo Neighbor, Extra, 17 June 1844; “Public Meeting,” Nauvoo Neighbor, 19 June 1844, [3].)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Ballantyne, Richard. “Brief Biography.” Ballantyne Autobiographies and Reminiscences. Typescript. CHL. MS 22477, fd. 1.

Nauvoo Neighbor. Nauvoo, IL. 1843–1845.

wrote
John Taylor [Tyler]

29 Mar. 1790–18 Jan. 1862. Lawyer, politician. Born on Greenway Plantation, Charles City Co., Virginia. Son of John Tyler and Mary Armistead. Attended College of William and Mary. Following graduation, returned to Greenway, 1807. Served as Virginia state ...

View Full Bio
Prest
U.S.

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
530

In his letter, written in his capacity as mayor of Nauvoo, JS told Tyler that the “State of Missouri” had joined the mob of Illinois “for the purpose of the ‘utter extermination’ of the Mormons” and asked Tyler if he, as president, would “render that protection which the constitution guarantees in case of ‘Insurrection and rebellion,’ and Save the innocent and oppressed from such horrid persecution.” Enclosed in the letter to Tyler were copies of affidavits and an “extra”—probably the 14 June issue of the Warsaw Signal—expressing the readiness of citizens in Warsaw and Carthage to “utterly exterminate” Mormon leaders and calling for “a war of extermination” against church members generally. (JS, Journal, 18 June 1844; Warsaw [IL] Signal, Extra, 14 June 1844; JS, Nauvoo, IL, to John Tyler, Washington DC, 20 June 1844, JS Collection, CHL, underlining in original.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Warsaw Signal. Warsaw, IL. 1841–1853.

Willard Richa[r]ds

24 June 1804–11 Mar. 1854. Teacher, lecturer, doctor, clerk, printer, editor, postmaster. Born at Hopkinton, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts. Son of Joseph Richards and Rhoda Howe. Moved to Richmond, Berkshire Co., Massachusetts, 1813; to Chatham, Columbia Co...

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wrote
Arlingtn Bennt [James Arlington Bennet]

21 Dec. 1788–25 Dec. 1863. Attorney, newspaper publisher, educator, author. Born in New York. Married first Sophia Smith, 8 May 1811. Served as third and later second lieutenant in First U.S. Artillery, 1 Aug. 1813–14 Oct. 1814. Published American System ...

View Full Bio
531

Richards’s letter to Bennet was, in part, a reply to a 14 April 1844 letter in which Bennet expressed his doubts that JS would win the upcoming presidential election but also suggested that JS’s candidacy might help promote the Mormons’ cause. In his letter, Richards agreed that the church would “gain popularity and extend influence” through JS’s candidacy but also assured Bennet that the effort to get JS elected was sincere. Richards then informed Bennet of preparations reportedly underway to exterminate the Mormons and ascribed the animosity against the Saints to their destruction of the Nauvoo Expositor press. Richards also explained the steps JS and others had taken to answer the charges against them. “I write you at this time at the request of the prophet,” Richards then wrote, “& I invite you to come to our assistance with as many volunteers as you can bring.” (James Arlington Bennet, Arlington House, Long Island, NY, to Willard Richards, Nauvoo, IL, 14 Apr. 1844; Willard Richards, Nauvoo, IL, to James Arlington Bennet, Arlington House, Long Island, NY, 20 June 1844, Willard Richards, Papers, CHL.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Richards, Willard. Journals and Papers, 1821–1854. CHL. MS 1490.

Aff[i]davit of
John P. Green[e]

3 Sept. 1793–10 Sept. 1844. Farmer, shoemaker, printer, publisher. Born at Herkimer, Herkimer Co., New York. Son of John Coddington Greene and Anna Chapman. Married first Rhoda Young, 11 Feb. 1813. Moved to Aurelius, Cayuga Co., New York, 1814; to Brownsville...

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&
John M Bernhisel

23 June 1799–28 Sept. 1881. Physician, politician. Born in Sandy Hill, Tyrone Township, Cumberland Co. (later in Perry Co.), Pennsylvania. Son of Samuel Bernhisel and Susannah Bower. Attended medical lectures at University of Pennsylvania, 1818, in Philadelphia...

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.—
532

Greene and Bernhisel appeared before Aaron Johnson, a Hancock County justice of the peace, and swore “that a body of citizens in a mass meeting” held in Carthage on 13 June “resolved to exterminate the latter day saints of the . . . city of Nauvoo” and that according to the 14 June issue of the Warsaw Signal, men and weapons were being transported from Missouri to Illinois. Greene and Bernhisel testified, “These bodies of armed men, Cannon, arms and munition of war are transported in Steam boats navigating the waters of the united states,” including the Die Vernon. (Greene and Bernhisel, Affidavit, Hancock Co., IL, 20 June 1844, JS Office Papers, CHL; see also Warsaw [IL] Signal, Extra, 14 June 1844.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Warsaw Signal. Warsaw, IL. 1841–1853.

Wrote the Twelve to come home
533

This sentence probably refers to the note JS appended to the letter Hyrum Smith wrote on 17 June 1844 to Brigham Young but did not send. No letter dated 20 June from JS or his close associates to any member of the Twelve has been located. Hyrum’s letter and JS’s appended note are in different ink, and JS’s note, informing Young that “large bodies of armed men, cannon and munitions of war are comeing on from Missouri in steamboats,” reflects the contents of Greene’s and Bernhisel’s affidavit recorded this day. JS also told Young that this information was being “communicated to the Governor, and president of the United States.” According to Vilate Murray Kimball, wife of apostle Heber C. Kimball, JS ultimately decided against sending the letter. (Hyrum Smith and JS, Nauvoo, IL, to Brigham Young, Boston, MA, 17 June 1844, JS Collection, CHL; JS, Journal, 17 June 1844; JS History, vol. F-1, 130; Historian’s Office, Brigham Young History Drafts, 98; Vilate Murray Kimball, Nauvoo, IL, to Heber C. Kimball, Baltimore, MD, 9 and 24 June 1844, Kimball Family Correspondence, CHL.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Historian’s Office. Brigham Young History Drafts, 1856–1858. CHL. CR 100 475, box 1, fd. 5.

Kimball Family Correspondence, 1838–1871. CHL. MS 6241.

Turly [Theodore Turley]

10 Apr. 1801–12 Aug. 1871. Mechanic, gunsmith, brewer, farmer, blacksmith, gristmill operator. Born at Birmingham, Warwickshire, England. Son of William Turley and Elizabeth Yates. Associated with Methodism, by 1818. Married Frances Amelia Kimberley, 26 Nov...

View Full Bio
had odes [orders] to commenc[e] making cannon
534

JS appointed Turley armorer general of the Nauvoo Legion on 18 June 1844. Turley later reported that JS and Hyrum Smith ordained him to the position and blessed him “with wisdom to perform the duties of the same.” (History of the Nauvoo Legion, 17 June–6 July 1844, Nauvoo Legion Records, CHL; Theodore Turley, San Bernardino, CA, to Hosea Stout, 28 Oct. 1855, Historian’s Office, JS History Documents, ca. 1839–1860, CHL.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Stout, Hosea. History of the Nauvoo Legion, Draft 1, ca. 1844–1845. Nauvoo Legion Records, 1841–1845. CHL. MS 3430, fd. 10. One of three drafts of the history; includes material dated 4 February 1841 through 22 June 1844. Pages are out of order; in the current order, this draft includes pp. [5]–[8], [15]–[22].

Historian’s Office. Joseph Smith History Documents, 1839–1860. CHL. CR 100 396.

[p. [166]]
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Page [166]

Document Information

Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Journal, December 1842–June 1844; Book 4, 1 March–22 June 1844
ID #
8118
Total Pages
172
Print Volume Location
JSP, J3:185–302
Handwriting on This Page
  • Willard Richards

Footnotes

  1. [524]

    Possibly Wall Southwick. On 31 July 1844, the Warsaw Signal published a letter reportedly found “in the bar-room of one of the Quincy Taverns” from Wall Southwick to JS. The letter, dated 1 June 1844, identified Southwick as a physician who had practiced in Louisiana before going to the Republic of Texas, where he had been involved with financial and political “operations.” (Wall Southwick, Centerville, KY, to JS, Nauvoo, IL, 1 June 1844, Warsaw [IL] Signal, 31 July 1844, [1].)

    Warsaw Signal. Warsaw, IL. 1841–1853.

  2. [525]

    This cannon was probably the “six pounder” that Thomas Sharp was anticipating on 19 June and the cannon that Carlos Lyon saw landed at Warsaw from the steamer Mermaid. (“The Preparation,” Warsaw [IL] Signal, 19 June 1844, [2]; Carlos W. Lyon, Affidavit, Nauvoo, IL, 20 June 1844, JS Office Papers, CHL.)

    Warsaw Signal. Warsaw, IL. 1841–1853.

  3. [526]

    Hosea Stout’s regiment of the Nauvoo Legion, and presumably the entire legion, met again at eight o’clock in the morning and were dismissed at six o’clock in the evening. According to Jonathan H. Hale, the legion “met according to orders on the arsnall ground and then marched down by the river a little above the lower stone house and formed a line of battle &c, and then dismissed to meet on the ground near Spencers NE of the Temple drilld in the PM. and adjourned till Friday at 8 O Clock AM.” (Order Book, 1843–1844, 23, Nauvoo Legion Records, CHL; Hale, “Account Kept of the Nauvoo Legion,” 1.)

    Nauvoo Legion Records, 1841–1845. CHL. MS 3430.

    Hale, Jonathan. “An Account Kept of the Nauvoo Legion.” Jonathan Hale, Papers, 1835–1845. CHL. MS 3214, fd. 1.

  4. [527]

    Willard Richards.

  5. [528]

    Lyon testified that while he was in St. Louis on 17 June, “it was a common topic that they were furnishing arms and ammunition to be sent by steam boat to Warsaw Illinois,” and that if the “people of Warsaw need 500 men, to give notice by the steamer Boreas and the men should be sent from St. Louis.” (Carlos W. Lyon, Affidavit, Nauvoo, IL, 20 June 1844, JS Office Papers, CHL.)

  6. [529]

    Ballantyne and Slater had evidently asked JS through “J. McIllrick” (probably John McIllwrick, who knew Slater) if they should move their families, given the recent threats against Mormons. JS advised them to remain where they were—at Doyle’s Mills, near Plymouth, Illinois—and “be quiet” but suggested that they transport “any amount of wheat or provisions” they may have to Nauvoo rather than “leave it for the mob to consume, & destroy.” (JS, Nauvoo, IL, to Richard Ballantyne and Peter Slater, Doyle’s Mills, IL, 20 June 1844, copy, JS Collection, CHL; see also Ballantyne, “Brief Biography,” 3; “Public Meeting,” Nauvoo Neighbor, Extra, 17 June 1844; “Public Meeting,” Nauvoo Neighbor, 19 June 1844, [3].)

    Ballantyne, Richard. “Brief Biography.” Ballantyne Autobiographies and Reminiscences. Typescript. CHL. MS 22477, fd. 1.

    Nauvoo Neighbor. Nauvoo, IL. 1843–1845.

  7. [530]

    In his letter, written in his capacity as mayor of Nauvoo, JS told Tyler that the “State of Missouri” had joined the mob of Illinois “for the purpose of the ‘utter extermination’ of the Mormons” and asked Tyler if he, as president, would “render that protection which the constitution guarantees in case of ‘Insurrection and rebellion,’ and Save the innocent and oppressed from such horrid persecution.” Enclosed in the letter to Tyler were copies of affidavits and an “extra”—probably the 14 June issue of the Warsaw Signal—expressing the readiness of citizens in Warsaw and Carthage to “utterly exterminate” Mormon leaders and calling for “a war of extermination” against church members generally. (JS, Journal, 18 June 1844; Warsaw [IL] Signal, Extra, 14 June 1844; JS, Nauvoo, IL, to John Tyler, Washington DC, 20 June 1844, JS Collection, CHL, underlining in original.)

    Warsaw Signal. Warsaw, IL. 1841–1853.

  8. [531]

    Richards’s letter to Bennet was, in part, a reply to a 14 April 1844 letter in which Bennet expressed his doubts that JS would win the upcoming presidential election but also suggested that JS’s candidacy might help promote the Mormons’ cause. In his letter, Richards agreed that the church would “gain popularity and extend influence” through JS’s candidacy but also assured Bennet that the effort to get JS elected was sincere. Richards then informed Bennet of preparations reportedly underway to exterminate the Mormons and ascribed the animosity against the Saints to their destruction of the Nauvoo Expositor press. Richards also explained the steps JS and others had taken to answer the charges against them. “I write you at this time at the request of the prophet,” Richards then wrote, “& I invite you to come to our assistance with as many volunteers as you can bring.” (James Arlington Bennet, Arlington House, Long Island, NY, to Willard Richards, Nauvoo, IL, 14 Apr. 1844; Willard Richards, Nauvoo, IL, to James Arlington Bennet, Arlington House, Long Island, NY, 20 June 1844, Willard Richards, Papers, CHL.)

    Richards, Willard. Journals and Papers, 1821–1854. CHL. MS 1490.

  9. [532]

    Greene and Bernhisel appeared before Aaron Johnson, a Hancock County justice of the peace, and swore “that a body of citizens in a mass meeting” held in Carthage on 13 June “resolved to exterminate the latter day saints of the . . . city of Nauvoo” and that according to the 14 June issue of the Warsaw Signal, men and weapons were being transported from Missouri to Illinois. Greene and Bernhisel testified, “These bodies of armed men, Cannon, arms and munition of war are transported in Steam boats navigating the waters of the united states,” including the Die Vernon. (Greene and Bernhisel, Affidavit, Hancock Co., IL, 20 June 1844, JS Office Papers, CHL; see also Warsaw [IL] Signal, Extra, 14 June 1844.)

    Warsaw Signal. Warsaw, IL. 1841–1853.

  10. [533]

    This sentence probably refers to the note JS appended to the letter Hyrum Smith wrote on 17 June 1844 to Brigham Young but did not send. No letter dated 20 June from JS or his close associates to any member of the Twelve has been located. Hyrum’s letter and JS’s appended note are in different ink, and JS’s note, informing Young that “large bodies of armed men, cannon and munitions of war are comeing on from Missouri in steamboats,” reflects the contents of Greene’s and Bernhisel’s affidavit recorded this day. JS also told Young that this information was being “communicated to the Governor, and president of the United States.” According to Vilate Murray Kimball, wife of apostle Heber C. Kimball, JS ultimately decided against sending the letter. (Hyrum Smith and JS, Nauvoo, IL, to Brigham Young, Boston, MA, 17 June 1844, JS Collection, CHL; JS, Journal, 17 June 1844; JS History, vol. F-1, 130; Historian’s Office, Brigham Young History Drafts, 98; Vilate Murray Kimball, Nauvoo, IL, to Heber C. Kimball, Baltimore, MD, 9 and 24 June 1844, Kimball Family Correspondence, CHL.)

    Historian’s Office. Brigham Young History Drafts, 1856–1858. CHL. CR 100 475, box 1, fd. 5.

    Kimball Family Correspondence, 1838–1871. CHL. MS 6241.

  11. [534]

    JS appointed Turley armorer general of the Nauvoo Legion on 18 June 1844. Turley later reported that JS and Hyrum Smith ordained him to the position and blessed him “with wisdom to perform the duties of the same.” (History of the Nauvoo Legion, 17 June–6 July 1844, Nauvoo Legion Records, CHL; Theodore Turley, San Bernardino, CA, to Hosea Stout, 28 Oct. 1855, Historian’s Office, JS History Documents, ca. 1839–1860, CHL.)

    Stout, Hosea. History of the Nauvoo Legion, Draft 1, ca. 1844–1845. Nauvoo Legion Records, 1841–1845. CHL. MS 3430, fd. 10. One of three drafts of the history; includes material dated 4 February 1841 through 22 June 1844. Pages are out of order; in the current order, this draft includes pp. [5]–[8], [15]–[22].

    Historian’s Office. Joseph Smith History Documents, 1839–1860. CHL. CR 100 396.

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