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Minutes, 7–11 April 1841

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Minutes, 7–11 April 1841

Source Note

General Conference of the Church, Minutes, , Hancock Co., IL, 7–11 Apr. 1841. Featured version published in “Minutes of the General Conference of the Church,” Times and Seasons, 15 Apr. 1841, vol. 2, no. 12, 386–388. For more complete source information, see the source note for Letter to Isaac Galland, 22 Mar. 1839.

Historical Introduction

From Wednesday, 7 April, through Sunday, 11 April 1841, JS presided over a general of the in , Illinois. The conference convened the day after a celebration commemorating the eleventh anniversary of the founding of the church. This 6 April celebration, which featured the laying of the cornerstones of the Nauvoo and a parade of the , was attended by thousands of men and women. While some members of the church considered the cornerstone ceremony to be part of the conference itself, the business portion of the conference began at ten o’clock in the morning on Wednesday, 7 April 1841, as the minutes featured here attest.
Due to inclement weather Friday through Sunday, most of the conference took place Wednesday and Thursday. During the conference, was added as an assistant president in the to relieve the ailing , and was unanimously selected, or sustained, to replace the deceased in the . In addition, sermons on the recently revealed doctrine of for the dead were delivered at the conference, along with instructions related to building the temple.
, the clerk for the conference, presumably took rough minutes during the meeting and later prepared them for publication. No original minutes are extant, but a polished version of the minutes was published in the 15 April 1841 issue of the Times and Seasons.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    See Benediction, 6 Apr. 1841. A newspaper from nearby Warsaw, Illinois, reported that the anniversary celebration was attended by “about 7000 or 8000, some say as high as 12,000.” The church’s newspaper reported that there were “probably not less than ten thousand persons present.” (“The Mormons,” Western World [Warsaw, IL], 7 Apr. 1841, [3]; “Celebration of the Aniversary of the Church,” Times and Seasons, 15 Apr. 1841, 2:376.)

    Western World. Warsaw, IL. 1840–1841.

    Times and Seasons. Commerce/Nauvoo, IL. Nov. 1839–Feb. 1846.

  2. [2]

    See Historical Introduction to Discourse, between 6 and 9 Apr. 1841.

Asterisk (*) denotes a "featured" version, which includes an introduction and annotation.
*Minutes, 7–11 April 1841
History, 1838–1856, volume C-1 [2 November 1838–31 July 1842] “History of Joseph Smith” “History of Joseph Smith”

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Minutes of the general of the held at the City of , Hancock Co. Ill. on the seventh day of April, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and forty-one.
Conference convened at 10 o’clock A. M. when the names of the of the several were called, who took their seats on the stand, and their councillors immediately in front. The meeting was then called to order, and the choir under the superintendence of sung a hymn, and the conference was opened by an address to the throne of grace by .
The was then called upon to read the report of the First Presidency, which was read.
On motion. Resolved that the report be printed in the Times and Seasons.
arose and stated, that in consequence of his weakness from his labors of yesterday, he would call upon Gen. to officiate in his place.
then read the revelations from “The Book of the Law of the Lord,” which had been received since the last general Conference, in relation to writing a proclamation to the kings of the earth, building a in , the organization of the church &c.
Pres. Jos. Smith rose and made some observations in explanation of the same, and likewise of the necessity which existed of building the , that the saiints might have a suitable place for worshiping the Almighty, and also the building of the , that suitable accomodations might be afforded for the strangers who might visit this .
The choir sung a hymn, and the meeting adjourned for one hour.
Conference met pursuant to adjournment and was called to order by Pres. .
The choir sung a hymn, and Pres’t. addressed the throne of grace.
, read the charters granted by the Legislature of this state for incorporating the “City of ,” the “,” “The University of the City of Nauvoo,” “The Agricultural and Manufactoring Association” & for the “.”
On Motion; Resolved; That the charters now read be received by the Church.
Carried unanimously.
Pres’t. arose and gave an exhortation to the assembly.
Gen. , then spoke at some length on the present situation, prospects, and condition of the church, and remarked that the hand of God must indeed be visible, in accomplishing the great blessings and prosperity of the [p. 386]
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Document Information

Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Minutes, 7–11 April 1841
ID #
8320
Total Pages
3
Print Volume Location
JSP, D8:109–116
Handwriting on This Page
  • Printed text

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    William Law was designated a counselor in the First Presidency in January 1841. (See Revelation, 19 Jan. 1841 [D&C 124:126].)

  2. [2]

    See Report of the First Presidency to the Church, ca. 7 Apr. 1841.

  3. [3]

    The report was published in “Report of the First Presidency,” Times and Seasons, 15 Apr. 1841, 2:384–386.

    Times and Seasons. Commerce/Nauvoo, IL. Nov. 1839–Feb. 1846.

  4. [4]

    Rigdon, known for being a skilled orator, was a featured speaker at the cornerstone ceremony the previous day. The Western World reported that Rigdon “officiated at the laying of the chief corner stone, and addressed the assembly in a very energetic manner in a speech of about an hour’s length.” The church’s newspaper reported that Rigdon spoke to the large audience, even though he was in “feeble health.” (“The Mormons,” Western World [Warsaw, IL], 7 Apr. 1841, [3]; “Celebration of the Aniversary of the Church,” Times and Seasons, 15 Apr. 1841, 2:376.)

    Western World. Warsaw, IL. 1840–1841.

    Times and Seasons. Commerce/Nauvoo, IL. Nov. 1839–Feb. 1846.

  5. [5]

    The previous general conference was held in October 1840. Between then and 7 April 1841, three revelations were dictated and recorded in the Book of the Law of the Lord. (See Minutes, 3–5 Oct. 1840; Revelation, 19 Jan. 1841 [D&C 124]; Revelation, ca. Early Mar. 1841 [D&C 125]; and Revelation, 20 Mar. 1841.)

  6. [6]

    A revelation dictated by JS on 19 January 1841 declared that a “proclamation shall be made to all the Kings of the world, to the four corners thereof; to the Honorable President Elect, and the high minded Governors of the nation in which you live, and to all the nations of the earth, scattered abroad.” JS worked with Robert B. Thompson to produce a draft of a proclamation prior to Thompson’s death in August 1841. (Revelation, 19 Jan. 1841 [D&C 124:3]; Proclamation, between 19 Jan. and 27 Aug. 1841.)

  7. [7]

    The minutes here point to the 19 January 1841 revelation, which included direction to build the temple and the Nauvoo House. William Clayton wrote in his journal that a March 1841 revelation concerning the settlements in Iowa Territory was also read and explained during this April conference. (Revelation, 19 Jan. 1841 [D&C 124]; Clayton, Diary, 8 Apr. 1841; Revelation, ca. Early Mar. 1841 [D&C 125].)

    Clayton, William. Diary, Vol. 1, 1840–1842. BYU.

  8. [8]

    See Revelation, 19 Jan. 1841 [D&C 124:23–40, 56–61].

  9. [9]

    A proclamation sent to all members of the church on 15 January 1841 detailed the purposes of these institutions: “The ‘Nauvoo Legion,’ embraces all our military power, and will enable us to perform our military duty by ourselves, and thus afford us the power, and privilege, of avoiding one of the most fruitful sources of strife, oppression, and collision with the world. It will enable us to show our attachment to the state and nation as a people, whenever the public service requires our aid—thus proving ourselves obedient to the paramount laws of the land, and ready at all times to sustain and execute them. The ‘University of the City of Nauvoo,’ will enable us to teach our children wisdom—to instruct them in all knowledge, and learning, in the Arts, Sciences and Learned Professions. We hope to make this institution one of the great lights of the world, and by and through it, to diffuse that kind of knowledge which will be of practical utility, and for the public good, and also for private and individual happiness.” (Proclamation, 15 Jan. 1841.)

  10. [10]

    For more on the Nauvoo House Association and its charter, see Agreement with William Law, 26 Apr. 1841.

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