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Times and Seasons, 1 March 1842

Source Note

Times and Seasons (, Hancock Co., IL), 1 Mar. 1842, vol. 3, no. 9, pp. 703–718; edited by JS. For more complete source information, see the source note for Letter to Isaac Galland, 22 Mar. 1839.

Historical Introduction

The first issue of the -affiliated newspaper Times and Seasons was published near , Illinois, in 1839. Owned jointly by and , the paper was edited at various times by Smith, Robinson, and through summer 1841. Following the deaths of Smith and Thompson in August 1841, Robinson became sole proprietor and editor of the paper. On 28 January 1842 JS dictated a revelation that directed the to assume editorial responsibility for the paper. A week later Robinson sold the newspaper, along with the remainder of his printing establishment, to JS.
Though JS assumed editorship of the Times and Seasons sometime in mid-February, he stated in his first editorial passage that he did not begin reviewing the paper’s content until the 1 March 1842 issue. A 2 March 1842 entry in JS’s journal notes, “Read the Proof of the ‘Times and Seasons’ as Editor for the first time, No. 9[th] Vol 3d. in which is the commencement of the Book of Abraham.” Though JS actively edited the paper at times, apparently assisted him in writing content. Regardless of who penned specific passages of editorial material, JS openly assumed editorial responsibility for all installments naming him as editor except the 15 February 1842 issue.
Included in the 1 March 1842 issue of the Times and Seasons are four editorial passages, which are featured below with introductions. Other JS documents published in this issue of the newspaper, including an excerpt from the Book of Abraham and a rare narrative history of the church, are featured as stand-alone documents in this or other volumes of The Joseph Smith Papers. In the first editorial passage, JS publicly announced his new role as editor of the Times and Seasons to the newspaper’s readership.
Note that only the editorial content created specifically for this issue of the Times and Seasons is annotated here. Articles reprinted from other papers, letters, conference minutes, and notices, are reproduced here but not annotated. Items that are stand-alone JS documents are annotated elsewhere; links are provided to these stand-alone documents.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    Ebenezer Robinson and Don Carlos Smith, “Address,” Times and Seasons, Nov. 1839, 1:1–2.

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

  2. [2]

    Ebenezer Robinson, “To the Patrons of the Times and Seasons,” Times and Seasons, 16 Aug. 1841, 2:511; Ebenezer Robinson, “Items of Personal History of the Editor,” Return, May 1890, 257; July 1890, 302; see also Crawley, Descriptive Bibliography, 1:91–92.

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

    The Return. Davis City, IA, 1889–1891; Richmond, MO, 1892–1893; Davis City, 1895–1896; Denver, 1898; Independence, MO, 1899–1900.

    Crawley, Peter. A Descriptive Bibliography of the Mormon Church. 3 vols. Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 1997–2012.

  3. [3]

    Revelation, 28 Jan. 1842.

  4. [4]

    Agreement with Ebenezer Robinson, 4 Feb. 1842.

  5. [5]

    In the 15 March 1842 issue of the Times and Seasons, Robinson confirmed JS’s declaration. Apprising readers that in early February it had not been “fully decided whether President Smith should take the responsibility of editor, or not,” Robinson stated that the 15 February issue went to press without JS’s “personal inspection.” (Ebenezer Robinson, “To the Public,” Times and Seasons, 15 Mar. 1842, 3:729.)

  6. [6]

    JS, Journal, 2 Mar. 1842.

  7. [7]

    Woodruff, Journal, 19 Feb. 1842.

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

  8. [8]

    JS was listed as editor of the newspaper through the 15 October 1842 issue; John Taylor was listed as editor thereafter. (Masthead, Times and Seasons, 15 Oct. 1842, 3:958; Masthead, Times and Seasons, 1 Nov. 1842, 4:16.)

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

  9. [9]

    Book of Abraham and Facsimiles, 1 Mar.–16 May 1842 [Abraham 1:1–2:18]; “Church History,” 1 Mar. 1842; Letter from Robert Peirce, 28 Feb. 1842; Notice, ca. 1 Mar. 1842; General Orders for Nauvoo Legion, 22–27 Feb. 1842.

  10. [10]

    See “Editorial Method”.

Asterisk (*) denotes a "featured" version, which includes an introduction and annotation. *Notice, circa 1 March 1842–B *Letter from Robert Peirce, 28 February 1842 *“Church History,” 1 March 1842 *General Orders for Nauvoo Legion, 22–27 February 1842

Page 713

The books that you left here I found to be very useful in circulating our appointments, and in spreading information concerning our doctrines, among the people. We have left Mr. Barret’s Academy, and have obtained a commodious chapel to worship in. . . . . We have proven the advice of and to be very salutary to us, and have endeavored to follow it on all occasions. . . .
I am sorry to be under the painful necessity of having to communicate the intelligence of the death of our beloved sister, E[lizabeth] Morgan; she died of a complaint with which she had been afflicted many years; the whole mourn her loss, and tears of grief are seen filling the eyes, not only of a bereaved husband and children, but of the Saints in general, and a large circle of friends by whom she was known and beloved. It is unnecessary for me to dwell upon her virtues, or to recount her acts of kindness and benevolence to you, when you first came to this to raise the standard of truth: you found a home with her: you were always made welcome at the fire-side and table of deacon Morgan and his wife, our deceased sister. From that time forth she was your friend, till she became a Saint, since which time she has been an ornament to society, and a pattern of righteousness, and she died as she lived, the friend of virtue, of truth, and of God; and manifested to an astonishing degree a strong and unshaken assurance of a glory, which caused our hearts to rejoice, and was a subject of deep interest to many of her worldly friends. In her dying moments she requested me to inform you that she blessed the day that the came to her house, and blessed the hour in which she was by you.
She refused to have her doctor attend her, in consequence of which she was refused a burial until a Coroner’s Inquest was called, and held over her. In the inquest the jury sought very industriously to bring us in guilty of “manslaughter,” but finally decided that the evidence for that purpose was not quite strong enough; so you see that we very fortunately escaped Newgate this time, but how we shall fare the next time we are ignorant of, and careless about. If the work of God be furthered we will content ourselves in being used as instruments in any way that the Lord may see proper, and say amen to his decisions, whether free, or bound in chains, or in the company of kings and nobles. An account of the inquest has been published by most of the Journals. I enclose with this communication an article upon this subject, which I have taken from the “Despatch,” one of the most popular periodicals in .
After this inquest was held, I delivered sister Morgan’s funeral sermon. The chapel was crowded to excess, and I have not had a more attentive congregation while in . There were many present, who, if they had been prepared with change of clothes, would have been baptized as soon as I had closed my discourse, although they had entered the chapel with minds darkened by false reports.
The Tower of London now lays low in ashes; it was burned down about a week since.
All the Saints send their love to you.
Yours, in the e.
.
To .
 
————
For the Times and Seasons.
OBITUARY.
It is with deep regret that we announce the death of our highly esteemed and worthy sister, Laura [Clark] Phelps, consort of Morris Phelps, who departed this life Feb. 2d, in the 36th year of her age. She was warned of her approaching dissolution, and desired her companion to have her remains conveyed to , and there be interred with her old tried friends, who, with her, had passed through many trials, and afflictions, and had their days shortened by the unparallelled cruelties which had been heaped upon them. She was one of the first who embraced the gospel, consequently suffered much persecution from her friends; but by leaving them, and also her father’s family, to be with the Saints, she manifested to the world that no sacrifice was too great for her to make for the cause which she had espoused. She was one of the number driven from , in 1833, at which time she suffered many privations, but her mind was calm and unruffled, for she had a firm reliance on Him whose arm is able to save all who put their trust in Him. During our persecutions in in ’39, she endeared herself to many of her friends by her acts of kindness, and in many instances her con [p. 713]
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Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Times and Seasons, 1 March 1842
ID #
8487
Total Pages
16
Print Volume Location
JSP, D9:192–202
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