Show historical L JP na 0 abeto followings follow ingi succinct wel wei 1 het bet lasea junaid dunand ju jun nand and of the thi church of jesus christ of latter day saints yas wab was written in march 1835 1855 for public publication 1 atlon in the tho peopled journal in compliance with a request made maje by the publish publishers era and arid corinto Co Preal president dent brigham young but inasmuch as it didiot appear in that paper it was by consent deseret odthe anthor author published in the NEWS sept oth 1855 ot of late there haa has be absen en much inquiry by strangers and sojourners jour ners in relation to the history of the latter day S lints from the rise of the church till and subsequent to their location in these mountain valleys and upon suggestion we ire have for the benefit of those thus inter sted ia the matter bought proper to republish lt it correcting corr carr ecUng a few errors that were inadvertently made in the first instance tn in setting from the original 11 joseph smith ann was born in sharon windsor windson co county nt 1 nt mt december 1835 moved 11 with lt his father to county and in the year 1819 resided in manchester dmn AWn chester chesier he wa wat by occupation a fanner andhiv advantages ot of education were limited at the a age e ot lot 15 he began to reflect seriously ant on the e necessity of being pe prepared pared ter far a future state of existence lie he went among imong the different ahti rent denominations that existed in that state and his mind became perplexed with the clashing and arid contention which existed among those who professed the name came of christ disgusted with the conta contagion sion slon which iris his researches disclosed and encouraged by he the ae promise of saint james gilt IE ary avy aly aay of 0 you lack wisdom in let him ask of god who unto irnen men liberally and deth net nit and it shallie sh shail allbe ailbe be given him he retired to a gro e and in earnest grayr pray T besought the lord to reveal the way of 0 salvation and while thus on 1 adi aei beheld wrapped ia and glorious light who informed him that all the religious I 1 loua sects of he the present age bad departed f om am the ancient gospel g of jesus christ and his apostles ap sties stieg with its gifts which should he be made known to him in due beason season many glor gior gl orlou loas things were shown him in this vision on the september 1823 while engaged in prayer and striving to exercise faith the room was filled with I 1 ight light surpassing that of noonday in the midst of which whick was a person whose countenance was as lightning and ye BO so ful fui of innocence and g goodness coldness cod nebs ness and of such a glorious appearance as to banish all apprehension hen slon blon he was an angel commissioned of god to inform him that the covenants with ancient israel touching their thele p et erity v soon boon be fu u filled and ani ani that the great work to prepare for the second coming of christ should koiv commence the falness of the gospel be made known kno to all natie nati cne ne that the native inhabitants inh abitanta of america were a remnant of israel who bad anciently enjoyed the ministry of inspired men that records containing the their r history had bail been preserved to he the period of f degeneracy and that these records had been concealed in the earth and the lord promised they should eoon soon be revealed d on the following day the angel returned and a showed bowed him tra the spot where the sacred record decord was deposited A small rock projecting a little above the ear earths thila surface covered a a stone stong one box ha he opened it and beheld the plates the angel said you cannot al at chis this time tume ob tain lain them aud when they are obtain d must musi b be by prayer and faithfulness in the lord they thay are not debost ed here for ekke of accumulating gain or wealth or the glory of this world they are of no to the children of me men only for tor the th know they contain which is the falness of the gospel of jesus christ ag as it was given to 0 o the ancient people of this land the stature of this personage was a little above the com corn lon ion buze bize bize size of at men in this ace aee his garments were perfect perfectly white and they appeared to be without be senna Ms much instruction was given iven by the angel ane to mr smith dur n ng a period of four year years and catbe n the september 1827 the anel angel of the lord delivered the records into bis lis hand engrav engrav d on plates h had bad the appearance oe of gold each plate was not far from 7 i 1 ches by in width and arid length not qui teas thick as common tin beau liu iru ly y en grayed prayed on both bides sides in reformed egyptian characters bound together ia in a volume as the tsie leaves leares of a book fastened at the e ipe ige with three ains running through the book with the reco ds was found a curious insera called by the ancients anci enta the urlin urina aud and Thum mim by the gift and of god gaits means he translated th tb record which ia the book of IN mormon lormon ane first edi tion of or coiles copies was published by joseph smith at palaia pal Pa lyla iyla lyia new york te T e church of jesus jesua christ of latter day saint was vias organized at the house of peter sen fayett Fayet tc seneca Se leca ieca county new york on the oth gin april 1830 1930 arld and was hen com composti of six members who bo were baatz d by immersion under the hands at 06 joseph smith and oliver com dery who received the apostleship by bly commandment from god and the tha a ministration of heavenly roes toes sen and were the first elders eldera of the church the JB ok of mormon being printed the began beran to attract the attention of newspaper r editor idl idi tors A ho imme lately opened their pau jakat joseph Swit smithy lj itulid aj the flao hand band 0 bad rele Tele teheled lea iea led bib bis testimony ny the ile t tocsin b bt 1 t immediately ely sounded e aa and continued contina ed to t 44 increase ditl w th scarce a ca r 61 y rid any ady cessation on during durina his whole life though th ough the labors labor s of joseph smith hyrum smith oliver cowdery and 0 her elders eiders who had bad been ordained branches ocre mete m ere cre established in new york pennsylvania ohio ille betish provinces Pro vincee and arid new england states A laree larae branch of the church was established in kirtland geauga geaugh county ohio and the bf f persecution pursuing all lii lil bran chesto a very great extent the t e S iguls coar rence I gathering to kirtland and soon after af cr joseph smith with witt several of the elders visited jackson county missouri and commenced ed settlements of the saints appe missouri beida at that time but thinly inhabited babl babi ted in ili june 1831 1931 a conference was held at Ki kirtland riland a number of the elders were ordained lila ilig high gh pries 8 by joseph smith he being bein i president of the high priesthood and f the whole church bein being called of the lord like un 0 moses a seer revelator Reve Hevel latr translator and Pr orbet anait and it ws wis w is s his hia privilege to have two ivio counselors to act as assistant preal tents lents which form foria the first presidency of the church jn in jone june 1832 IV W phelps co commenced prin printing a monthly bly periodical in ili in debence de pence missouri Il liu ilu devoted pressly to the he spread PJ u g of the princ ples pies of ille tile gospel and arid publishing published tiie the revelations of god to the church A mercantile house was established by the firm of A S gilbert co and several hun hurt dreos dregs of farms were opened and mills arid and many extensive improvements improve ments menta comine ced the elders continued to preach with unabated zea ze A they ere were eie con scantly subjected to abuse ddn on march via yla cil 23 1832 joseph smith and edar sidney no r don d tagged dragged from their beds at mian midnight in the town of hiram portage county 0 ohio 0 daubed with tar and feathers ard severely injured aqua fortis was poured into president smiths modail and arid he was held beld by the throat until left for dead one of his children was vick sick r with the bein being in in bed with him at the itin of the outrage was waa thereby ex exposed poked to the night air and died almost immediately she may therefore be tie called the first martyr of this tuia dispensation in june 1833 a commencement wae was made for the building of a temple in kirtland on the July ialy 1831 t e printing office of W Y W V phelps at independence Mis mib missouri was surrounded burro by a mob ot at about leve hundred bundred men the press was destro destroyed ved ibe the type pled pied and the house a two boro ettory blick build ing in pulled down loss of property prop ft ty Q jais this mob violence con inked from froal d y to da day jay y edwatd edward raring paring dge the pr tabling bishop of 0 the church was publicly stripped and tarred and feathe rd on the gullic sq aien aren areu aren arvn the presence of several funded apeci ator mr charles allen alien a mem noe roe dierof ber of the church the same bame compliment the tar was mixed with some borne corrosive substance the store of gilbert whitney was broken open their goods promiscuous proun y scattered in the streets lives lires threatened individuals lri iri duals whipped and a great number of houses by parties tie dif dLf derent different settlements upwards ot of JO houses were e es troyed b bv fire and ago persona persons driven from their homes and ard scattered ino inlo the ada in lri c D 11 coun ties pr into cl clay ay without any nearis means 1 of s subsistence s i stence a great number dumber hatin bain perished from wound wounds bruises and exposure As am tho tha saints were scattered along the banks of the missouri river a plot piot was laid by a party parly of the mob to murder all who should be kt left on an the jackson side on the morning rooming ot at nnie the 0 ol 01 or october very early they beheld the mon won deir deit ul phenomenon of the st stars ars fal ing fi aiom orn heaven which caused the hearts of the saints to rejoice and the mob to abaslon aban fon ion their heir t atu ptiip pose odie orie some of the mob were so afflicted by the baht that they wept believing the day of judgment at hand I 1 am sorry to say bay that ct cf various denominations a neli neti notified bied fied theme thebe deeds at 0 cruelty cruelly by their presence and participation parti cipa in the fall fali of 1833 a printing p rss pbs was wab etab lithen in kirtland Ki ohio whee ahee 01 ver er cowd ry commenced the republication of the eca leoning leonine n in a ail t i d aj scorn 0 o rn ng v star siar r la in ifal 1831 joseph accompanied by men meu visited clay counts misshun Mis nis soun and a tempted to bring ab uta ut a reconciliation with ith the people of jackson his nis excellency ddniel daniel P D anklin then governor of missouri notified citified i he in his annual message that the ibe means of enforcing the lawn laws both civil attil and military were so t that the bior Alor mormons cormons mons mors could not riot be protected krotec ed ili in the sate sate he h b ot i previously col J thornton Thor riton under date nt athe the oth ceh june 1834 as tol fol follose follo lowe wc 1 I am fully ps pe that the accent icily 0 the religious tei rel gous opinions and atul practices pact ices odthe ollie AN mons is n at the got tot om urn of the tha outrages committed against them thein 1 econom lesal ts in cly arld arid the counties biad begun to acquit acquine e wealth and aud to en oy prosper r ty an i were enabled to purchase considerable tracts of land this aided the jackson county mob lo 10 raie an excitement ili in clay county public meetings were held beld and the saints notified by ohl ohi cial clai resolutions resola ions lons that they must cease to make inake improvements improve ments menta it in clay cou coutin tily or 0 to o purchase other lands janes ard aid aid required lo 10 leave lease the county of clay A locution was oas A as accordingly made in anew a new tin uninhabited inhabited naked prairie county destitute of timber by the un anit consent of the mob who baid said it was fife elte tor for nothing eibo elto eh W 1 wic wie TU 0 saints of clax clay beanda be ands of ine ifie immediately ely into ioto ca caldwe 1 vve t kik kil in fit 1834 sm I 1 b senior was set apart as patriarch cli cil over oser the tue hole hoie bole church to bless the 0 the xyth february joseph smith bya command mem uc of god goj ii elected arid and or dallied twelve apostles to be special wit nesses in all the world orthe fullness fulti ful liess pbs cBS of the dospel eosue and t preside ove the church in all canses cases chii tiie we presidency pi were absent during the year ma they visited all ali all alt th ill states east ot ohio and nd also alao he baltish trox provinces 1 aces in the scat ered branches pe preaching piea plea achim ching the gospel and bunding building up tip new branches blaty diary luary hun hur hundred dred were baptised baptized sed dureg the fea sea seaon on about the ame mme si me time ti me he lie alse also als ais ordained a quorum of seventy elders for the same purpose many mahy of whom devoted fue the i to dui ani and dul 1 most f their time lime preaching going forth wiil wit hill I 1 out oat lurbe furse auree or scrip 2 tie tle the temple in kirt completed as to be dedica delica d n the march 1830 1836 elders being present in a general counch council on the evening of the dedication tinb tins I 1 knipe emple ia is a stone stove buildt building q 80 feet by 56 59 the walis walla 50 60 1 feet high and ani the loer feet hi hilb b there are t two 0 main ball lall 55 feet by bv 05 65 in the biner tuner coart court four vestries in the fiant and five school roo rs in the attic attics the building la is well finished aill bill a fine specimen ot architecture in june 1837 heber C kimball orson llyde hyde willar willara wll Wil larul taril A rici Kici aids aid ald hid hd joseph field ng jig with three others 0 barted fi aiom am kirtland on oil a in ta tu tv the british islands they arrived in eid LID england eidland land on or the mh of july without a farthing ili in their pockets poc keib keis and arid on commenced p n preston Pi estop at christmas the he chuich chinch lad bad extended from preston to Pe Pen northa wortha i r Longto longton ij sou liport eccleston Wb whittle whittie ittle ittie and hunters hill bill the number of members amounting to 10 about oie use thousand in lit 1837 the gre ter portion it cf the saints in kit kii kniland fiand fland moved to missouri and arid settled in caldwell Calt lwell daviess clinton carroll and ray ilay counties I 1 J lie he county of caldwell had been organize organized dand and aad the city of far west established I 1 in De december rember th tb printing office lne lle ink artland was waa destroyed by fire the vork work of all an incendiary i in the spring of 1833 the emigration io to i nil Ali missouri continued most of the saints siinto lea iea kirtland the f un dation of or a town as baidon laid on grand river jn in dav ess esi es county called ada adamandi m ondi abinan several yi verai veral hundred thousand acres of land ha hai hat I 1 been entered at the land office and soma eoma two ITO teo thousand large add and flourishing farm opened thereon A village was also commenced in lii carroll coun lyon the missouri sour mer river called de witt cald caid caldwell well weli county in three years from a naked prairie had become one of the most flourishing counties in the state A foundation as laid for a temple tempie at far west feet long icing i y 80 ade w cie tic a printing office lishers ilis ills hed bed and arid a monthly paper called the elders journal Io p in august 1833 a an all election held in Gil Ga latin jatin daviess javi ess ebs |