Minutes, 10 November 1837

Home >
The Papers >

Minutes, 10 November 1837
Source Note

Minutes,
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...
More Info
, Caldwell Co., MO, 10 Nov. 1837. Featured version copied [between ca. 6 Apr. and 19 June 1838] in Minute Book 2, p. 86; handwriting of
Ebenezer Robinson
25 May 1816–11 Mar. 1891. Printer, editor, publisher. Born at Floyd (near Rome), Oneida Co., New York. Son of Nathan Robinson and Mary Brown. Moved to Utica, Oneida Co., ca. 1831, and learned printing trade at Utica Observer. Moved to Ravenna, Portage Co....
View Full Bio
; CHL. For more complete source information, see the source note for Minute Book 2.

Historical Introduction
On 10 November 1837,
priesthood
Power or authority of God. The priesthood was conferred through the laying on of hands upon adult male members of the church in good standing; no specialized training was required. Priesthood officers held responsibility for administering the sacrament of...
View Glossary
officers met in
Far West
More Info
, Missouri, to receive instruction from JS and
Sidney Rigdon
19 Feb. 1793–14 July 1876. Tanner, farmer, minister. Born at St. Clair, Allegheny Co., Pennsylvania. Son of William Rigdon and Nancy Gallaher. Joined United Baptists, ca. 1818. Preached at Warren, Trumbull Co., Ohio, and vicinity, 1819–1821. Married Phebe...
View Full Bio
regarding the acquisition of additional
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...
View Glossary
lands, the expansion of the city of Far West, and other church matters. A central topic of the meeting was the
gathering
As directed by early revelations, church members “gathered” in communities. A revelation dated September 1830, for instance, instructed elders “to bring to pass the gathering of mine elect” who would “be gathered in unto one place, upon the face of this land...
View Glossary
of the Saints and the need for establishing additional Latter-day Saint settlements, or new
stakes
Ecclesiastical organization of church members in a particular locale. Stakes were typically large local organizations of church members; stake leaders could include a presidency, a high council, and a bishopric. Some revelations referred to stakes “to” or...
View Glossary
of
Zion
A specific location in Missouri; also a literal or figurative gathering of believers in Jesus Christ, characterized by adherence to ideals of harmony, equality, and purity. In JS’s earliest revelations “the cause of Zion” was used to broadly describe the ...
View Glossary
. Finding locations for those settlements was one of JS’s and Rigdon’s reasons for traveling to Far West.

At the beginning of the meeting,
Rigdon
View Full Bio
read a memorial issued by
Kirtland
Located ten miles south of Lake Erie. Settled by 1811. Organized by 1818. Latter-day Saint missionaries visited township, early Nov. 1830; many residents joined Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Population in 1830 about 55 Latter-day Saints and...
More Info
, Ohio,
bishop
An ecclesiastical and priesthood office. JS appointed Edward Partridge as the first bishop in February 1831. Following this appointment, Partridge functioned as the local leader of the church in Missouri. Later revelations described a bishop’s duties as receiving...
View Glossary

Newel K. Whitney
3/5 Feb. 1795–23 Sept. 1850. Trader, merchant. Born at Marlborough, Windham Co., Vermont. Son of Samuel Whitney and Susanna Kimball. Moved to Fairfield, Herkimer Co., New York, 1803. Merchant at Plattsburg, Clinton Co., New York, 1814. Mercantile clerk for...
View Full Bio
and his counselors on 18 September, which discussed recent struggles in Kirtland, the gathering of the Saints, and the decision made on 17 September to create additional stakes of Zion.
1
This memorial was printed as a broadside and was also included in the September issue of the Latter Day Saints’ Messenger and Advocate. (To the Saints Scattered Abroad, the Bishop and His Counselors of Kirtland Send Greeting [Kirtland, OH: 18 Sept. 1837], CHL; Newel K. Whitney et al., Kirtland, OH, to “the Saints Scattered Abroad,” 18 Sept. 1837, in LDS Messenger and Advocate, Sept. 1837, 3:561–564.)
Comprehensive Works Cited
To the Saints Scattered Abroad, the Bishop and His Counselors of Kirtland Send Greeting. [Kirtland, OH: 18 Sept. 1837]. CHL.
Latter Day Saints’ Messenger and Advocate. Kirtland, OH. Oct. 1834–Sept. 1837.
Rigdon then spoke on taking appropriate steps to create more cities and provide remuneration for those who were purchasing lands for church members. Conflicts had arisen in obtaining land for the church in
Caldwell County
Located in northwest Missouri. Settled by whites, by 1831. Described as being “one-third timber and two-thirds prairie” in 1836. Created specifically for Latter-day Saints by Missouri state legislature, 29 Dec. 1836, in attempt to solve “Mormon problem.” ...
More Info
, Missouri, when
John Whitmer
27 Aug. 1802–11 July 1878. Farmer, stock raiser, newspaper editor. Born in Pennsylvania. Son of Peter Whitmer Sr. and Mary Musselman. Member of German Reformed Church, Fayette, Seneca Co., New York. Baptized by Oliver Cowdery, June 1829, most likely in Seneca...
View Full Bio
and
William W. Phelps
17 Feb. 1792–7 Mar. 1872. Writer, teacher, printer, newspaper editor, publisher, postmaster, lawyer. Born at Hanover, Morris Co., New Jersey. Son of Enon Phelps and Mehitabel Goldsmith. Moved to Homer, Cortland Co., New York, 1800. Married Sally Waterman,...
View Full Bio
made decisions regarding land purchases and building sites without consulting other church leaders. The two also faced criticism for using funds raised for the redemption of Zion to purchase the land in their own names and then keeping the profits rather than providing those funds to
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 ...
More Info
bishop
Edward Partridge
27 Aug. 1793–27 May 1840. Hatter. Born at Pittsfield, Berkshire Co., Massachusetts. Son of William Partridge and Jemima Bidwell. Moved to Painesville, Geauga Co., Ohio. Married Lydia Clisbee, 22 Aug. 1819, at Painesville. Initially a Universal Restorationist...
View Full Bio
.
2
“T. B. Marsh,” [2], Historian’s Office, Histories of the Twelve, 1856–1858, 1861, CHL; Minute Book 2, pp. 68–73. For more on charges against Whitmer and Phelps, see Historical Introduction to Revelation, 4 Sept. 1837.
Historian’s Office. Histories of the Twelve, 1856–1858, 1861. CHL. CR 100 93.
As JS and Rigdon prepared to organize more areas for church members to settle, Rigdon’s instructions were intended to ensure that those involved in purchasing land would be repaid and that the land and the proceeds from land sales would be used for the benefit of the church and community and not for the profit of individual church members.

The 10 November meeting also focused on the church
elders
A male leader in the church generally; an ecclesiastical and priesthood office or one holding that office; a proselytizing missionary. The Book of Mormon explained that elders ordained priests and teachers and administered “the flesh and blood of Christ unto...
View Glossary
’ proselytizing efforts.
Rigdon
View Full Bio
introduced to the Saints in
Missouri
More Info
the church’s newly published newspaper, the Elders’ Journal, of which JS served as editor.
3
See Elders’ Journal, Oct. 1837.
According to its prospectus, the paper was intended to “be a vehicle of communication for all the elders of the church of Latter Day Saints, through which they can communicate to others, all things pertaining to their mission, and calling as servants of the living God.”
4
Sidney Rigdon, Elders’ Journal Prospectus, LDS Messenger and Advocate, Aug. 1837, 3:545.
Elders’ Journal of the Church of Latter Day Saints. Kirtland, OH, Oct.–Nov. 1837; Far West, MO, July–Aug. 1838.
Later in the meeting, the assembled men were asked to volunteer if they were able to travel and preach, a request similar to one delivered in an elders’ meeting held in
Kirtland
More Info
on 17 September 1837. The twenty-three men who volunteered at this 10 November meeting may have received instructions akin to those given to the Kirtland elders regarding where they should travel, but
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...
View Full Bio
did not record any such directions in the meeting minutes.
5
See Minutes, 17 Sept. 1837–B.

Before leaving
Far West
More Info
to return to
Kirtland
More Info
, JS and
Rigdon
View Full Bio
conferred with church leaders in
Missouri
More Info
and determined that there was room in the vicinity of Far West in
Caldwell County
Located in northwest Missouri. Settled by whites, by 1831. Described as being “one-third timber and two-thirds prairie” in 1836. Created specifically for Latter-day Saints by Missouri state legislature, 29 Dec. 1836, in attempt to solve “Mormon problem.” ...
More Info
to accommodate the church members planning to settle there.
6
Travel Account and Questions, Nov. 1837; Minutes, 6 Nov. 1837.
Accordingly, the Far West
high council
A governing body of twelve high priests. The first high council was organized in Kirtland, Ohio, on 17 February 1834 “for the purpose of settling important difficulties which might arise in the church, which could not be settled by the church, or the bishop...
View Glossary
and the church’s
First Presidency
The highest presiding body of the church. An 11 November 1831 revelation stated that the president of the high priesthood was to preside over the church. JS was ordained as president of the high priesthood on 25 January 1832. In March 1832, JS appointed two...
View Glossary
voted that “other Stakes be appointed in the regions round about, therefore a committee was appointed to locate the same; consisting of
Oliver Cowdery
View Full Bio
,
David Whitmer
7 Jan. 1805–25 Jan. 1888. Farmer, livery keeper. Born near Harrisburg, Dauphin Co., Pennsylvania. Son of Peter Whitmer Sr. and Mary Musselman. Raised Presbyterian. Moved to Ontario Co., New York, shortly after birth. Attended German Reformed Church. Arranged...
View Full Bio
,
John Corril[l]
17 Sept. 1794–26 Sept. 1842. Surveyor, politician, author. Born at Worcester Co., Massachusetts. Married Margaret Lyndiff, ca. 1830. Lived at Harpersfield, Ashtabula Co., Ohio, 1830. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 10 Jan. 1831,...
View Full Bio
, and
Lyman Wight
9 May 1796–31 Mar. 1858. Farmer. Born at Fairfield, Herkimer Co., New York. Son of Levi Wight Jr. and Sarah Corbin. Served in War of 1812. Married Harriet Benton, 5 Jan. 1823, at Henrietta, Monroe Co., New York. Moved to Warrensville, Cuyahoga Co., Ohio, ...
View Full Bio
.” Members of that committee promptly began surveying land in northwest Missouri for these new stakes of Zion.
7
JS also noted that the members of this committee “started on their mission before we left.” By December 1837 the committee included Cowdery, Wight, David W. Patten, and Frederick G. Williams. Cowdery reported his efforts to survey land and determine new locations for the Saints in a 21 January 1838 letter. (Travel Account and Questions, Nov. 1837; Minute Book 2, 6–7 Dec. 1837; Letter from Oliver Cowdery, 21 Jan. 1838.)
Footnotes
[1]
This memorial was printed as a broadside and was also included in the September issue of the Latter Day Saints’ Messenger and Advocate. (To the Saints Scattered Abroad, the Bishop and His Counselors of Kirtland Send Greeting [Kirtland, OH: 18 Sept. 1837], CHL; Newel K. Whitney et al., Kirtland, OH, to “the Saints Scattered Abroad,” 18 Sept. 1837, in LDS Messenger and Advocate, Sept. 1837, 3:561–564.)
To the Saints Scattered Abroad, the Bishop and His Counselors of Kirtland Send Greeting. [Kirtland, OH: 18 Sept. 1837]. CHL.
[2]
“T. B. Marsh,” [2], Historian’s Office, Histories of the Twelve, 1856–1858, 1861, CHL; Minute Book 2, pp. 68–73. For more on charges against Whitmer and Phelps, see Historical Introduction to Revelation, 4 Sept. 1837.
Historian’s Office. Histories of the Twelve, 1856–1858, 1861. CHL. CR 100 93.
[3]
See Elders’ Journal, Oct. 1837.
[4]
Sidney Rigdon, Elders’ Journal Prospectus, LDS Messenger and Advocate, Aug. 1837, 3:545.
Elders’ Journal of the Church of Latter Day Saints. Kirtland, OH, Oct.–Nov. 1837; Far West, MO, July–Aug. 1838.
[5]
See Minutes, 17 Sept. 1837–B.
[6]
Travel Account and Questions, Nov. 1837; Minutes, 6 Nov. 1837.
[7]
JS also noted that the members of this committee “started on their mission before we left.” By December 1837 the committee included Cowdery, Wight, David W. Patten, and Frederick G. Williams. Cowdery reported his efforts to survey land and determine new locations for the Saints in a 21 January 1838 letter. (Travel Account and Questions, Nov. 1837; Minute Book 2, 6–7 Dec. 1837; Letter from Oliver Cowdery, 21 Jan. 1838.)
Asterisk (*) denotes a "featured" version, which includes an introduction and annotation. *Minutes, 10 November 1837 Minute Book 2 Elders’ Journal, November 1837 History, 1838–1856, volume B-1 [1 September 1834–2 November 1838] “History of Joseph Smith”
Page 86
Hide editing marks

Far West
More Info
. Tuesday, Nov. 10. 1837.

At a general meeting of the
ordained
The conferral of power and authority; to appoint, decree, or set apart. Church members, primarily adults, were ordained to ecclesiastical offices and other responsibilities by the laying on of hands by those with the proper authority. Ordinations to priesthood...
View Glossary

members
Male church members ordained to a priesthood office. Records of conferences occasionally listed the number of official members present. In March 1836, a gathering of priesthood quorums and councils met in the House of the Lord in Kirtland, Ohio, and approved...
View Glossary
of the
Church of Latter Day Saints
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...
View Glossary
in this place,
Elder
A male leader in the church generally; an ecclesiastical and priesthood office or one holding that office; a proselytizing missionary. The Book of Mormon explained that elders ordained priests and teachers and administered “the flesh and blood of Christ unto...
View Glossary

Thomas B. Marsh
1 Nov. 1800–Jan. 1866. Farmer, hotel worker, waiter, horse groom, grocer, type foundry worker, teacher. Born at Acton, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts. Son of James Marsh and Molly Law. Married first Elizabeth Godkin, 1 Nov. 1820, at New York City. Moved to ...
View Full Bio
opened the meeting by prayer, and Pres’t.
S[idney] Rigdon
View Full Bio
read the memorial of the
Bishop
3/5 Feb. 1795–23 Sept. 1850. Trader, merchant. Born at Marlborough, Windham Co., Vermont. Son of Samuel Whitney and Susanna Kimball. Moved to Fairfield, Herkimer Co., New York, 1803. Merchant at Plattsburg, Clinton Co., New York, 1814. Mercantile clerk for...
View Full Bio
of
Kirtland
More Info
, and his counsellors, to the churches abroad of Sept. 18th. 1837. He then laid before the meeting the subject of laying off Cities, of consecrating for public purposes, and for remunerating those who appoint and lay them off, &c. When it was unanimously voted that all city plotts hereafter laid off, after remunerating those for their labors who may be engaged in appointing and laying off the same, shall be consecrated for the public benefit of the church— for building houses for public worship, or such other purposes as the church shall say.

President Rigdon
View Full Bio
then read the prospectus of the “Elders’ Journal,”— which was unanimously received. It was then also unanimously voted that the persons present use their exertions to support said paper.
1
The same request for support is found in the prospectus for the Elders’ Journal. Rigdon may have emphasized the need for support because of the debts of the printing office, many of which were the result of subscribers of the Messenger and Advocate failing to make payments. (Sidney Rigdon, Elders’ Journal Prospectus, LDS Messenger and Advocate, Sept. 1837, 3:573; Elders’ Journal, Oct. 1837; Elders’ Journal, Nov. 1837.)

It was then voted that the town of
Far West
More Info
be enlarged so that it contain four sections— that is, two miles square.

Voted, that
Bishop
An ecclesiastical and priesthood office. JS appointed Edward Partridge as the first bishop in February 1831. Following this appointment, Partridge functioned as the local leader of the church in Missouri. Later revelations described a bishop’s duties as receiving...
View Glossary

Edward Partridge
27 Aug. 1793–27 May 1840. Hatter. Born at Pittsfield, Berkshire Co., Massachusetts. Son of William Partridge and Jemima Bidwell. Moved to Painesville, Geauga Co., Ohio. Married Lydia Clisbee, 22 Aug. 1819, at Painesville. Initially a Universal Restorationist...
View Full Bio
and his counsellors be appointed a committee to appraise the land adjacent to the present Town Plott, see that it is enlarged according to the above vote,
2
The original town plot purchased by John Whitmer and William W. Phelps was one square mile and was divided into 121 blocks of land. Phelps and Whitmer signed and acknowledged a plat for the town plot before Elias Higbee, a justice of the Caldwell County court, on 13 April 1837. (See “Description of Far West Plat,” copy, Brigham Young University and Church History and Doctrine Department, Church History Project Collection, CHL; and Cannon and Cook, Far West Record, 121.)
“Description of Far West Plat,” 1837. Brigham Young University and Church History and Doctrine Department, Church History Project Collection, 1977–1981. Photocopy. CHL. Original at State Historical Society of Missouri, Columbia.
Cannon, Donald Q., and Lyndon W. Cook, eds. Far West Record: Minutes of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1830–1844. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1983.
provided the present holders of the lands will take such a price for the same, as the above appraisers shall think worth, and that the same be then disposed of as is voted above.

A call was then made for those whose circumstances were such as to permit, to go out to preach, to present themselves. These were twenty-three who arose.

Sylvester H. Earl,
Henry Jackson
Ca. 1798–1887. Basket maker. Born in Ohio. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and ordained an elder, before 1831. Moved to Indiana, by 1831. Disciplined at church conference at Winchester, Randolph Co., Indiana, and subsequently reordained...
View Full Bio
,
Harrison Sagers
3 May 1814/1815–19 June 1886. Painter, farmer. Born in LeRoy, Genessee Co., New York. Son of John Sagers and Amy Sweet. Moved to Elk Creek Township, Erie Co., Pennsylvania, by 1830. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 27 Jan. 1833. ...
View Full Bio
and John W. Clark, were ordained Elders, and William J. Lemans was ordained a
Priest
An ecclesiastical and priesthood office. In the Book of Mormon, priests were described as those who baptized, administered “the flesh and blood of Christ unto the church,” and taught “the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.” A June 1829 revelation directed...
View Glossary
.

President Rigdon
View Full Bio
then closed the meeting by prayer.

Oliver Cowdery
View Full Bio
Clerk—. [p. 86]
View entire transcript
|
Cite this page
Source Note
Document Transcript
Page 86
Document Information
Footnotes
[1]
The same request for support is found in the prospectus for the Elders’ Journal. Rigdon may have emphasized the need for support because of the debts of the printing office, many of which were the result of subscribers of the Messenger and Advocate failing to make payments. (Sidney Rigdon, Elders’ Journal Prospectus, LDS Messenger and Advocate, Sept. 1837, 3:573; Elders’ Journal, Oct. 1837; Elders’ Journal, Nov. 1837.)
[2]
The original town plot purchased by John Whitmer and William W. Phelps was one square mile and was divided into 121 blocks of land. Phelps and Whitmer signed and acknowledged a plat for the town plot before Elias Higbee, a justice of the Caldwell County court, on 13 April 1837. (See “Description of Far West Plat,” copy, Brigham Young University and Church History and Doctrine Department, Church History Project Collection, CHL; and Cannon and Cook, Far West Record, 121.)
“Description of Far West Plat,” 1837. Brigham Young University and Church History and Doctrine Department, Church History Project Collection, 1977–1981. Photocopy. CHL. Original at State Historical Society of Missouri, Columbia.
Cannon, Donald Q., and Lyndon W. Cook, eds. Far West Record: Minutes of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1830–1844. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1983.