Revelation, 10 June 1831 [D&C 54]
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Source Note
Revelation, [, OH], to , 10 June 1831. Featured version, titled “57th. Commandment June 10th. 1831,” copied [ca. June 1831] in Revelation Book 1, pp. 90–91; handwriting of ; CHL. Includes redactions. For more complete source information, see the source note for Revelation Book 1.
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Historical Introduction
This revelation provided instructions to the church members from , New York, after they encountered difficulties settling in , Ohio. In May 1831, shortly after they arrived in in compliance with revelations directing all members to gather there, JS instructed to settle the Colesville members in Thompson on land offered by convert , a former Shaker.When JS moved to in early February, had invited JS and to live with him at , offering to “furnish them houses & provisions &c.” While both JS and Rigdon made other living arrangements for their families, , who accompanied JS to Ohio, recalled that in March he and JS went to Thompson, presumably to see about settling the soon-to-be-emigrating congregation on Copley’s property. Once the Colesville members arrived in Ohio, JS sent them to Thompson to live on Copley’s extensive landholdings.The arrangement with apparently granted the members the privilege to live on the property in return for making improvements upon it, and according to , they “all went to work and made fence and planted and sowed the fields.” On 7 May Copley was called to preach, along with and , to the Shaker settlement in nearby North Union, Ohio. However, the missionary expedition failed to convert any of the Shakers, and the resulting confrontation between the Mormon elders and the Shakers apparently disturbed Copley. He soon went back to North Union, where he apparently reconciled with the Shaker community, and he then returned to with Shaker leader Ashbel Kitchell, perhaps intending to evict the Mormons. During his visit to Thompson, Kitchell held a meeting with the Mormons on Copley’s farm, was involved in a contentious altercation, and initiated efforts to remove them. recalled, “We had to leave his [Copley’s] farm and pay sixty dollars damage,” adding bitterly that the payment was for “fitting up his houses and planting his ground.”Because of the difficulties with , , the presiding over the group, went to to consult with JS before the held in early June. Knight later explained that as a result of a revelation on 6 June, the last day of that conference, “we now understood that this [] was not the land of our inheritance—the land of promise, for it was made known in a revelation, that was the place chosen for the gathering of the Church, and several were called to lead the way to that state.” Though that 6 June revelation addressed the church generally, the 10 June revelation responded specifically to the concerns of the Colesville members living in . Knight later introduced the revelation with these words: “As I had come to see brother Joseph concerning our position in Thompson, he enquired of the Lord and received the following revelation.” similarly recalled, “At this time the Church at Thompson Ohio was involved in difficulty, becaus of the rebellion of Leman Copley. Who would not do as he had previously agreed. Which thing confused the whole church and finally the Lord spake unto Joseph Smith Jr the prophit.”
Footnotes
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1
See Revelation, 30 Dec. 1830 [D&C 37:3]; and Revelation, 2 Jan. 1831 [D&C 38:32].
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2
See Historical Introduction to Revelation, 20 May 1831 [D&C 51].
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3
See Revelation, 4 Feb. 1831 [D&C 41].
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4
Knight, Reminiscences, 9.
Knight, Joseph, Sr. Reminiscences, no date. CHL. MS 3470.
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5
Geauga County tax records from 1832 show Copley in possession of 759 acres in Thompson. (Geauga Co., OH, Duplicate Tax Records, 1832–1833, p. 282, microfilm 506,577, U.S. and Canada Record Collection, FHL.)
U.S. and Canada Record Collection. FHL.
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6
Knight, Reminiscences, 9.
Knight, Joseph, Sr. Reminiscences, no date. CHL. MS 3470.
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7
Revelation, 7 May 1831 [D&C 49:1].
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8
See “Mormon Interview,” 4–15. Although Newel Knight explained that the problems with Copley occurred before the important conference in early June 1831, Copley was reportedly present at the conference, perhaps to learn how the land dispute would be resolved. His name is not among church office holders listed in the conference minutes, but Levi Hancock’s account of the conference describes not only Copley’s presence but his apparent possession by the devil, which was reportedly cast out by Lyman Wight. (Knight, Autobiography and Journal, 30; Minutes, ca. 3–4 June 1831; Hancock, Autobiography, 91–92.)
“A Mormon Interview. Copied from Brother Ashbel Kitchell’s Pocket Journel,” 1856. Elisha D. Blakeman copy of Ashbel Kitchell, Reminiscences. Photocopy in editors’ possession. Original at Shaker Museum and Library, Old Chatham, NY. Also available as Lawrence R. Flake, “A Shaker View of a Mormon Mission,” BYU Studies 20, no. 1 (Fall 1979): 94–99.
Knight, Newel. Autobiography and Journal, ca. 1846. CHL. MS 767.
Hancock, Levi. Autobiography, ca. 1854. Photocopy. CHL. MS 8174.
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9
“Mormon Interview,” 15–17.
“A Mormon Interview. Copied from Brother Ashbel Kitchell’s Pocket Journel,” 1856. Elisha D. Blakeman copy of Ashbel Kitchell, Reminiscences. Photocopy in editors’ possession. Original at Shaker Museum and Library, Old Chatham, NY. Also available as Lawrence R. Flake, “A Shaker View of a Mormon Mission,” BYU Studies 20, no. 1 (Fall 1979): 94–99.
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10
Knight, Autobiographical Sketch, 2–3.
Knight, Joseph, Jr. Autobiographical Sketch, 1862. CHL. MS 286.
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11
Revelation, 6 June 1831 [D&C 52:2].
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12
Knight, History, 290.
Knight, Newel. History. Private possession. Copy in CHL. MS 19156.
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13
Knight, History, 307.
Knight, Newel. History. Private possession. Copy in CHL. MS 19156.
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14
Whitmer, History, 29.
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1
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