JS, History, 1838–1856, vol. F-1, created 9 Apr.–7 June 1856 and 20 Aug. 1856–6 Nov. 1856; handwriting of and Jonathan Grimshaw; 304 pages, plus 10 pages of addenda; CHL. This is the final volume of a six-volume manuscript history of the church. This sixth volume covers the period from 1 May to 8 Aug. 1844; the remaining five volumes, labeled A-1 through E-1, go through 30 Apr. 1844.
Historical Introduction
History, 1838-1856, volume F-1, constitutes the last of six volumes documenting the life of Joseph Smith and the early years of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The series is also known as the Manuscript History of the Church and was originally published serially from 1842 to 1846 and 1851 to 1858 as the “History of Joseph Smith” in the Times and Seasons and Deseret News. This volume contains JS’s history from 1 May 1844 to the events following his 27 June 1844 death, and it was compiled in Utah Territory in 1856.
The material recorded in volume F-1 was initially compiled under the direction of church historian , who was JS’s cousin, and also assistant church historian . Smith collaborated with in collecting material for the volume and creating a set of draft notes, which Smith dictated to Bullock and other clerks. Woodruff gathered additional material concerning the death of Joseph Smith as a supplement to George A. Smith’s work recording that event. Jonathan Grimshaw and , members of the Historian’s Office staff, transcribed the draft notes into the volume along with the text of designated documents.
According to the Historian’s Office journal, Jonathan Grimshaw initiated work on the text of volume F-1 on 9 April 1856, soon after Robert L. Campbell had completed work on volume E-1. (Historian’s Office, Journal, 5 and 9 Apr. 1856.) Grimshaw’s scribal work begins with an entry for 1 May 1844. Unlike previous volumes in which the numbering had run consecutively to page 2028, Grimshaw began anew with page 1. He transcribed 150 pages by June 1856, and his last entry was for 23 June 1844. Though more of his writing does not appear in the volume, he continued to work in the office until 2 August, before leaving for the East that same month. (Historian’s Office, Journal, 2 and 10 Aug. 1856.)
assumed the role of scribe on 20 August 1856. (Historian’s Office, Journal, 20 Aug. 1856.) He incorporated ’s draft notes for the period 24–29 June 1844 on pages 151–189, providing an account of JS’s death and its immediate aftermath. He next transcribed a related extract from ’s 1854 History of Illinois on pages 190–204. Pages 205–227 were left blank.
provided the notes for the final portion of the text. This account begins with an entry for 22 June 1844 and continues the record through 8 August 1844, ending on page 304. (The volume also included ten pages of addenda.) The last specific entry in the Historian’s Office journal that captures at work on the history is for 6 November 1856. A 2 February 1857 Wilford Woodruff letter to indicates that on 30 January 1857, the “presidency sat and heard the history read up to the organization of the church in , 8th. day of August 1844.” (Historian’s Office, Journal, 6 Nov. 1856; Wilford Woodruff, Great Salt Lake City, Utah Territory, to George A. Smith, 2 Feb. 1857, Historian’s Office, Letterpress Copybooks, vol. 1, p. 410; see also Wilford Woodruff, Great Salt Lake City, Utah Territory, to Amasa Lyman and Charles C. Rich, 28 Feb. 1857, Historian’s Office, Letterpress Copybooks, vol. 1, pp. 430–431.)
The pages of volume F-1 contain a record of the final weeks of JS’s life and the events of the ensuing days. The narrative commences with and arriving at , Illinois, on 1 May 1844 from their lumber-harvesting mission in the “” of Wisconsin Territory. As the late spring and summer of 1844 unfold, events intensify, especially those surrounding the suppression of the Nauvoo Expositor in mid-June. Legal action over the Expositor leads to a charge of riot, and subsequently JS is charged with treason and is incarcerated at the jail in , Illinois. The narrative of volume F-1 concludes with an account of the special church conference convened on 8 August 1844 to consider who should assume the leadership of the church.
<June 24> they might commit some overt act which the could construe into treason, and thus have a shadow of excuse for his mob militia to destroy the Mormons.
requested the company to return to to assist in collecting the arms, and pledged his word as a military man that Joseph Smith and his friends should be protected even if it were at the expense of his own life, [HC 6:555] and his men responded to that pledge by three cheers. no doubt feared that the order of the would excite the inhabitants of beyond endurance, and therefore chose rather to depend upon the well known integrity of Gen. Smith than to risk the chances of exciting the wounded feelings of a much abused people. -[T & S., and ]-At the same time Joseph sent a messenger to the with the following letter:
“Four Miles West of Carthage Mound
Hancock Co., Ill. Monday, 10 o’clock.
“His Excellency , Dear Sir,
On my way to to answer your request, this morning I here met who has made known to me your order to surrender the State arms in possession of the Nauvoo Legion, which demand I shall comply with, and that the same may be done properly and without trouble to the , I shall return with to , see that the arms are put into his possession, and shall then return to head quarters in his company, when I shall most cheerfully submit to any requisition of the of our .
“With all due respect to your , I remain
Your Obdt. Servt.
Joseph Smith.”
He also issued the following order:
“Head Quarters, Nauvoo Legion
Prairie 4 Miles West of
June 24. 1844 10 o’clock and 10 minutes
“To Major Gen. and all commissioned and non commissioned officers and privates of the Nauvoo Legion.
“You are hereby ordered to comply strictly and <without delay> with the within order of the commander in Chief, Governor .
Joseph Smith
Lieut. Gen. Nauvoo Legion.” [HC 6:556]
and requested that the State Arms should be taken to the without delay.
then said to , “you go on to , and see what is going on, and hear what is said on this matter.” Joseph and his Company then returned with , and arrived in at 2½ P. M. When arrived at he met with the Rev. Mr. Dodge, who had some time previoiusly been very kindly treated by ; he warned that as sure as Joseph and came to they would be killed. also saw the Innkeeper, who, pointing to the Carthage Greys said, “, there are the boys that will settle you Mormons.” replied “we can take as many men as there are there out of the Nauvoo Legion, and they would not be missed.” [p. 152]
James W. Woods, Statement, Times and Seasons, 1 July 1844, 5:563; Albert G. Fellows, Report, 30 Nov. 1854, Historian’s Office, JS History Documents, 1839–1860, CHL.
Times and Seasons. Commerce/Nauvoo, IL. Nov. 1839–Feb. 1846.
Historian’s Office. Joseph Smith History Documents, 1839–1860. CHL. CR 100 396.
JS, "Prairie 4 Miles W Carthage," IL, to Jonathan Dunham, Nauvoo, IL, 24 June 1844, appended to Thomas Ford, Carthage, IL, to JS et al., 24 June 1844, JS Collection, CHL.
Smith, Joseph. Collection, 1827–1846. CHL. MS 155.