Green; 2, Asahel Smith; 3, Samuel H. Smith; 4, Mayhew Hillman; 5, William Marks; 6, Noah Packard; 7, Oliver Granger; 8, David Dort; 9, Jared Carter; 10, Phinehas Richards; 11, Henry G. Sherwood; 12, Harlow Redfield. Assembly An assembly of the whole church was held on the 10th, when Luke Johnson, Lyman Johnson, and John F. Boynton, of the Twelve, made satisfactory confession, and were by vote restored to fellowship, and permitted to retain their Apostleship. Counselor John P. Green was, upon his confession, also forgiven and retained in his office. At a conference held at Kirtland, September 17, 1837, William Marks was appointed agent for Bishop pointed agent. N. K. Whitney, in order to relieve the Bishop that he might travel. Marks ap George W. Robinson was elected Church Recorder, in place of Oliver Cowdery, who had removed to Missouri. Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon were requested to locate other stakes for the gathering of the saints. The elders in a situation to labor as missionaries were called upon to volunteer, and one hundred and nine Appointment responded. These were divided into eight comof elders. panies of thirteen and fourteen each, and sent out as follows: fourteen were to go east, fourteen southeast, fourteen south, fourteen southwest, thirteen west, thirteen. northwest, fourteen north, thirteen northeast. On September 18 Bishop N. K. Whitney and his counselors, Reynolds Cahoon and Vinson Knight, sent sends epistle. out a general epistle to the church. Bishop On September 27 Joseph Smith, Sidney Rigdon, William Smith, and Vinson Knight started for Missouri. On October 1 Elder Lyman Sherman was elected to the High Council of Kirtland, in place of Jared Carter, who had removed to Missouri; and on the 2d, Samuel H. Smith was appointed president of the council. Death of Mrs. On October 13 Jerusha Smith, wife of Hyrum Smith, died at Kirtland, while he was absent in Missouri. Of Hyrum Smith. her, Lucy Smith, her husband's mother, wrote a touching tribute of respect. 2 2 About one year after my husband returned from this mission a About this time Parley P. Pratt published from New York City a work of 116 pages entitled, "A Voice of Warning." This work has since become quite popular, and is now published and extensively circulated by the Voice of church. On October 18, 1837, the High Council of Kirtland resolved to commence a reform by pruning the church of unruly members. On the 22d the church in Kirtland disfellowshiped twentytwo members, until satisfaction should be made, for uniting with the world in a dance. On the 23d the High Council resolved that all unruly children should be reported to their parents, and in case the parents neglect to take suitable notice of it, the parents be reported to church authorities. They also passed the following resolution: "That we discountenance the use of ardent spirits, in any way, to sell, or to be brought into this place for sale or Ardent spirits. use." On the 29th nine more members were reported to the church for having taken part in the dance referred to, and eleven of the thirty-one made confession. Arrival at About the last of October Joseph Smith and his companions arrived at Far West, Missouri. Immediately upon their arrival a series of councils and conferences was held for the purpose of regulating and more fully organizing the church in Missouri. In addition to the local authorities the following officials from Kirtland, Ohio, engaged in this work: Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon, of the First Presidency; Thomas B. Marsh, William E. McLellin, Lyman E. Johnson, and William Smith, of the Tweive; and Hyrum Smith, of the High Priests. calamity happened to our family that wrung our hearts with more than common grief. Jerusha, Hyrum's wife, was taken sick, and, after an illness of perhaps two weeks, died while her husband was absent on a mission to Missouri. She was a woman whom everybody loved that was acquainted with her, for she was every way worthy. The family were so warmly attached to her that, had she been our own sister, they could not have been more afflicted by her death.-Joseph Smith, the Prophet, page 225. CHAPTER 7. 1837. BRIGHT PROSPECTS -SETTLEMENTS OUTSIDE CALDWELL COUNTYCOMMITTEE ON TOWN LOTS-BUILDING COMMITTEE-WORD OF WISDOM-LIQUOR TRAFFIC-THE FOURTH AT FAR WEST-CALDWELL MILITIA-RESOLVE TO BUILD A TEMPLE-GENERAL ASSEMBLY-BISHOP REIMBURSED-AFFAIRS AT KIRTLAND. Bright prospects. THE year 1837 dawned upon the saints' of Missouri with bright hopes and flattering prospects, though some apprehension was doubtless felt because of the change of administration in the State government. The term of office of Governor Daniel Dunklin had expired, and he was succeeded by their cruel and relentless enemy, Lil. burn W. Boggs, of Independence; yet under the agreement that they were to have a county, and a county organization of their own, free from molestation, they were encouraged in the thought that peace had at last come to them. The first three months of the year they were as busy as the season of the year would admit, building their homes and preparing for the future. Their numbers were almost daily augmented by accessions from the East. In some instances settlements were made outside of Caldwell County, but always by written consent, as provided in the agreement. Settlements ou side Caldwell County. On this point we quote from the "History of Caldwell and Livingston Counties, Missouri, as follows: "The most desirable locations in Caldwell having been taken, the Mormon settlement extended into other counties. In the spring of 1837 quite a detachment went up into Daviess, and by written permission of the few Gentile settlers there, made locations in that county. Three miles above Gallatin, on the east bluffs of Grand River, they laid out a town which they called Diahman (pronounced Di-a-mon). The locality was named 'Adam-ondi ahman,' signifying, it is said, 'the grave of Adam,' as certain of the Mormon wise men claimed it to be the burial place of the progenitor of the human race! Some of the Mormons located at Gallatin and elsewhere throughout the county. Over in Clinton County there were perhaps fifty Mormon families in 1833. Down in Carroll County, at DeWitt, on the Missouri, in the spring of 1838, General George M. Hinkle and John Murdock, as trustees for the Mormons, purchased the town site, laid it off into lots, and soon a thriving village of one hundred houses was built. De Witt was designed to be a steamboat landing and a point from which goods and immigrants could be forwarded to Caldwell County. "It is claimed that all the Mormon settlements outside of this county were made with the prior consent of the inhabitants. then living where the settlements were made; the consent was obtained, in nearly every instance, by the payment of money, either for the lands of the pioneer Gentiles or for some articles of personal property they owned. Money was scarce at that day, and although the pioneers did not approve Mormon doctrines, they did approve of Mormon gold and silver, and they were willing to tolerate the one if they could obtain the other. But afterward certain of the Gentiles claimed that the Mormon occupation had been by stealth and fraud, and perhaps in some instances this was true. "By far the majority of the Mormon settlers in this quarter were poor. Many of them were able to enter and improve but forty acres of land, and nearly all their houses were cabins. Like other pioneers they had come to the country to better their condition; to worship as they pleased, and to be with their brethren, were of course considerations. Every head of family was guaranteed a home, and if he was unable to buy one it was given him from the lands held by the trustees of the church. Among so many, however, there could but be those of some wealth, as well as craftsmen of various kinds, skilled mechanics and artisans. There were also many persons of education and accomplishment. School-teachers were plenty and schools were numerous."--History of Caldwell County, pp. 118, 119. Committee At a meeting of the High Council of Far West and the Bishop's Council held at Far West, April 7, 1837, a committee on appraising and selling town lots was on town lots. appointed, consisting of W. W. Phelps, John Whitmer, Edward Partridge, Isaac Morley, and John Cor. rill. Jacob Whitmer, Elisha H. Groves, and Geo. Building committee. M. Hinkle were appointed a building committee to build the house of the Lord in Far West. About May 28, 1837, at a general meeting of the church the following was passed: "Resolved unanimously, that we will not fellowship any ordained member who will Wisdom. not or does not observe the Word of Wisdom according to its literal reading."-Millennial Star, vol. 16, p. 9. Word of Liquor On June 11, 1837, the High Council at Far West passed a resolution in regard to the liquor traffic, which is in strict harmony with the one passed at Kirtland, and leaves no doubt as to where the church stood on that question, which had not then agitated the public mind to the extent it has since. 1 traffic. The Fourth On July 4 an excavation was made for the proposed temple, and quite a gathering of saints was had at Far West. Concerning this and other items, W. W. Phelps writes: at Far West. "FAR WEST, Missouri, July 7, 1837. "Monday, the 3d of July, was a great and glorious day in Far West. More than fifteen hundred saints assembled at this place, and at half past eight in the morning, after prayer, singing, and an address, proceeded to break the ground for the Lord's house. The day was beautiful; the Spirit of the Lord was with us. A cellar for this great edifice, one hundred and ten feet long by eighty feet broad, was nearly finished. On Tuesday, the 4th, we had a large meeting and several of the Missourians were baptized; our meetings, held in the open prairie, were larger than they were in It was reported that certain individuals, not of the church, were desirous or were about to establish themselves as grocers, retailers of spirituous liquors, and so forth, in Far West, whereupon it was resolved that we will not uphold any man or men to take a partner out of the church to trade or traffic in this line of business, or sell for any man or men out of the church, in his name, or on commission. -Millennial Star, vol. 16, p. 11. |