Karen Lynn Davidson (ed.) - 1832-1844

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Art direction: Richard Erickson. Cover design: Scott Eggers. Interior design: Richard Erickson and Scott M. Mooy. Typography: Riley M. Lorimer and Alison Palmer. E-book: Ben Ellis Godfrey.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Smith, Joseph, 18051844, author.
Joseph Smith histories, 18321844 / Karen Lynn Davidson, David J. Whittaker, Mark R. Ashurst-McGee, Richard L. Jensen, volume editors.
pages cm (The Joseph Smith Papers. Histories; volume 1)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-60641-196-4 (hardbound: alk. paper)<
1. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsHistory19th century. 2. Smith, Joseph, 18051844.
I. Davidson, Karen Lynn, editor. II. Whittaker, David J., editor. III. Ashurst-McGee, Mark, editor. IV.
Jensen, Richard L., editor. V. Title. VI. Series: Smith, Joseph, 18051844. Joseph Smith papers. Histories; volume 1.

BX8611.S655 2012 289.309034dc23 2011048106

Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper.

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Previously Published

Journals, Volume 1: 18321839

Journals, Volume 2: December 1841April 1843

Revelations and Translations: Manuscript Revelation Books, Facsimile Edition

Revelations and Translations, Volume 1: Manuscript Revelation Books

Revelations and Translations, Volume 2: Published Revelations

Staff Page

Executive Committee

Marlin K. Jensen

Marcus B. Nash

Richard E. Turley Jr.

Editorial Board

Richard E. Turley Jr.

Reid L. Neilson

Matthew J. Grow

Max J. Evans

National Advisory Board

Stephen J. Stein

Harry S. Stout

Terryl L. Givens

Susan Holbrook Perdue

Managing Editor

Ronald K. Esplin

Associate Managing Editor

Jeffrey N. Walker

Managing Editor

Ronald O. Barney

Program Manager

David L. Willden

Production Manager

R. Eric Smith

Senior Research and Review Editor

Richard L. Jensen

Project Archivist

Robin Scott Jensen

Editors Contributing to This Volume

Production Editors

Nathan N. Waite, Lead Editor

Constance Palmer Lewis

Rachel Osborne

Kathryn Burnside

Jed Woodworth

Alison Palmer

Research Specialists

Noel R. Barton

Brian P. Barton

Steven Motteshard

Research and Review Specialists

Richard Lloyd Anderson

Larry C. Porter

Steven R. Sorensen

Jill Mulvay Derr

Document Specialists

Dean C. Jesse

Jeffrey G. Cannon

Sharalyn D. Howcroft

Michael Hubbard MacKay

Christy Best

Illustrations and Maps

Textual Illustrations

Contextual Illustrations

Maps

Other Visuals

Series Introduction
Joseph Smiths Historical Enterprise

When historian and publisher Hubert H. Bancroft asked in 1880 how the Latter-day Saints came to have a historians and recorders office, considering that other people, generally, are so careless of recording their proceedings, church historian Franklin D. Richards replied that at the organization of this Church, the Lord commanded Joseph, the Prophet, to keep a record of his doings, in the great, and important work, that he was commencing to perform. It thus became a duty imperative.

The duty imperative that rested on the church founder and his followers resulted in a rich documentary record. Joseph Smith, along with those working under his direction, created and collected minutes of church meetings, priesthood licenses, revelations, journals, correspondence, and other papers. These documents appear in the appropriate series of The Joseph Smith Papers: the Journals series, Documents series, Revelations and Translations series, Legal and Business Records series, and Administrative Records series. In addition to such papers, several important narrative histories were undertaken during Smiths lifetime, and the resulting texts constitute the Histories series. The first volume, Joseph Smith Histories, comprises histories written, dictated, or signed by Smith or created under his direct supervision. The documents in volume 2 of the series, Assigned Histories, have a less direct connection to Joseph Smith. They were begun at his official direction but did not receive his sustained supervision. The balance of the Histories series will present the massive multivolume history that Joseph Smith initiated in Missouri in 1838 and that church historians concluded in Salt Lake City in 1856, more than a decade after Smiths death. Although the Histories series will include only writings conceived as narrative histories, these writings were often based on individual documents, including letters, petitions, and revelations, and in many cases the source documents were copied directly into the histories.

The turbulent conditions of Joseph Smiths life hindered his attempts to write and oversee the creation of a history. Violent opposition threatened the Saints from without and dissension divided them from within. Lawsuits and financial problems were a constant distraction. Smiths history identifies the factors that complicated his literary efforts, describing long imprisonments, vexatious and long continued Law Suits[,] The treachery of some of my clerks; the death of others; and the poverty of myself and brethren from continued plunder and driving. And yet, despite the long list of impediments to history writing, Joseph Smith showed sustained interest in documenting the churchs rise and progress, and his repeated efforts to do so bore fruit. Their necessarily incomplete nature notwithstanding, the histories that were written document significant aspects of his life and of the early days of the church, including some details recorded nowhere else.

The Earliest Historical Accounts

Even before the April 1830 injunction to keep a church record, Joseph Smith began recording sacred texts, including the extensive Book of Mormon translation. In connection with these revelatory documents, Smith produced and published two short narratives. The first, his earliest known historical text, is found in the preface to the first edition of the Book of Mormon. Probably written in mid-August 1829, just before the first pages of the Book of Mormon manuscript were delivered to the printer, the preface explained Smiths response to the loss of the earliest pages of the Book of Mormon translation in summer 1828:

As many false reports have been circulated respecting the following work, and also many unlawful measures taken by evil designing persons to destroy me, and also the work, I would inform you that I translated, by the gift and power of God, and caused to be written, one hundred and sixteen pages, the which I took from the Book of Lehi, which was an account abridged from the plates of Lehi, by the hand of Mormon; which said account, some person or persons have stolen and kept from me, notwithstanding my utmost exertions to recover it againand being commanded of the Lord that I should not translate the same over again, for Satan had put it into their hearts to tempt the Lord their God, by altering the words, that they did read contrary from that which I translated and caused to be written; and if I should bring forth the same words again, or, in other words, if I should translate the same over again, they would publish that which they had stolen, and Satan would stir up the hearts of this generation, that they might not receive this work: but behold, the Lord said unto me, I will not suffer that Satan shall accomplish his evil design in this thing: therefore thou shalt translate from the plates of Nephi, until ye come to that which ye have translated, which ye have retained; and behold ye shall publish it as the record of Nephi; and thus I will confound those who have altered my words. I will not suffer that they shall destroy my work; yea, I will shew unto them that my wisdom is greater than the cunning of the Devil. Wherefore, to be obedient unto the commandments of God, I have, through his grace and mercy, accomplished that which he hath commanded me respecting this thing. I would also inform you that the plates of which hath been spoken, were found in the township of Manchester, Ontario county, New-York.