| |
Joseph Smith III Comes to the Reorganization
RLDS History of the Church
3:242–273
The year 1860 opened with new hope born of manifestations and
testimonies pointing to the new year as destined to be one of
great importance to the church.
The expected periodical appeared in January, bearing the title
of “The True Latter Day Saints’
Herald.” It contained a statement from the “publishing
committee” setting forth the purpose and position of the
paper,1 while
the issues between the Reorganization and other organizations
were freely discussed in its pages. This silent messenger found
its way into many of the homes of latter-day Israel. It brought
joy, comfort, and hope to many honest humble ones, while it sounded
a note of warning to the usurper and transgressor.
Taken
in connection with subsequent events an address written by Z.
H. Gurley, Sen., and Reuben Newkirk, of the apostolic quorum,
at Zarahemla, Wisconsin, February 8, 1860, and published in the
March number of the Herald, is very
significant, and bears the marks of prophetic foresight. It is
as follows:—
Bro. Sheen:—Since our last
communication we have been commanded to write again,
again, and again, upon the necessity of our immediate
obedience to the commandment given us nearly seven years since,
to organize, that the way may be prepared for the coming forth
of the legitimate heir, to the Presidency of the Melchisedec
Priesthood; and cause the flame to be published and forwarded
to all who are with us in the faith, calling upon them in
the name of the Lord Jesus to give heed to and obey the same.
Brethren, by reference to the Book of Covenants, section 100
(101), you will see that as far back as the year 1834, the calamity
that has since come upon the church was plainly foreseen, and
the means by and through which our redemption and the redemption
of our brethren should come is there plainly spoken of; and
had we understood what was written, none of us need to have
been in darkness in relation to this all-important matter; for
the Lord said, "after much tribulation and the tribulation
of your brethren cometh your redemption and the redemption of
your brethren." He said, “I will raise up unto my
people a man, who shall lead them like as Moses led the children
of Israel." You are aware that at the time this revelation
was given, Bro. Joseph was raised up and was the Lord’s
mouthpiece to the church, as Moses was in his day to the church
in the wilderness. See Book of Covenants 104 (3):42. Hence if
the Lord did not design to take Joseph from the church, that
they might go into darkness,—that they might learn obedience
by the things that they should suffer,—why did he tell
us so many years since that this event should happen, and show
us the means through which our deliverance and the deliverance
of our brethren will come? The Lord foresaw it all, and has
virtually told us of it, and we knew it not until it pleased
him to open our understanding, that we with you might go forward
and prepare the way for that deliverance that was promised us
so many years ago.
Our duty at the next conference is to organize and set in
order all the quorums in the church under the First Presidency.
With that quorum we have nothing to do. God will, in his own
time, raise up the man like unto Moses. The church can easily
give him his counselors, and then the organization will be completed.
 |
| Zenos H. Gurley |
To organize acceptably it will require all the faith, talent,
and experience amongst us. We want twelve of the best men (men
of sound minds, that will not turn either to the right or left,
but will in the fear of God discharge their duty) to fill the
High Council. In a word, we want the best men among us to fill
important offices in the priesthood, that from henceforth this
work may be under the guidance of men of experience, who fear
God and will work righteousness. This can be done as we have
proposed in a former letter; viz., by each church or branch
sending up delegates. It will require the presence at conference
of as many of the elders of the church as can possibly get there,
hence thus hath the Lord God of Israel said to us by the voice
of his Spirit, "I command you to call upon all the elders
of my church to assemble themselves together at the next April
Conference, to be held at Amboy, commencing on the 6th of April,
1860, that you may organize yourselves even as I have told you
in a former commandment, and inasmuch as circumstances prevent,
send up your names and places of abode. Delay not the work,
for my people are crying unto me day and night for deliverance,
therefore organize yourselves that deliverance may come."
Brethren, will you obey the call? If you say yes, then put
yourselves in readiness; and if you have to preach your way
up to the conference, then start in time. You know how to travel
without purse or scrip. You have often done it. You can do it
again. Are we the blood of Ephraim? If we are, let us show our
blood by our works. Is there any sacrifice too great for us
to make for this work? "From Ephraim was my fruit found,"
saith the Lord by the prophet. Come on, brethren, and you shall
realize far more than you anticipate. Our time to do this work
is limited. We knew it not, until recently. If we fail through
neglect, "seven men must perish," saith the Lord our
God.
We are aware that our position and declarations to the church
have caused many of the wise ones of the church to smile at
our (supposed) folly; brethren, heed them not:—
"We know that we know,
For the Spirit of Christ
Tells his servants they cannot be wrong."
Their laughter will soon be turned to mourning. While they
mourn you will rejoice; not in their calamity, but in the fulfillment
of all the promises of God to us.
You are aware, brethren, that the rejection of the church
produced an effect on the dead as well as the living; so will
its reorganization. In Book of Covenants, section 58 (18) ,you
will read about a feast provided for all nations. The first
invitation was to the learned and noble, etc. That has already
been. Now comes the day of the Lord’s power. This is the
work that now lies before you. Shall we not go forward? As Brother
Joseph said, "On, on, to victory." If the elders,
as a body, will give heed to the commandment to assemble, and
by their faith, wisdom, and patience help to accomplish the
organization as commanded, they shall know ere long why the
figures 1860 were seen inscribed upon the heavens, several years
ago, as testified to by many creditable witnesses living in
Washington County, Indiana.2
This work, brethren, is of vast importance. Suffer us to exhort
you to seek the Lord by fasting and prayer. Rest not until you
receive the Holy Spirit which leadeth into all truth, and from
this time forward until you reach the conference make it a special
subject of prayer, that you may know the mind and will of God
concerning this matter, that you may act in faith, nothing doubting;
and ere we close we say again to all the elders of the church,
Come, come, meet us at conference, that you may take your places
in your respective quorums. Farewell.
Z. H. GURLEY.
REUBEN NEWKIRK.
ZARAHEMLA, FEBRUARY
8, 1860.
—True Latter
Day Saints’ Herald, vol. 1, pp. 60–62.
On April 6, 1860, an anxious and expectant people gathered at
Amboy, Illinois. For several years they had relied upon a promise
that the Lord would send a prophet to the church, and many now
felt assured that the time had come. So the convening of this
conference was looked forward to with more than usual anxiety
and anticipation.
Conference organized by selecting Elders Z. E. Gurley, Sen.,
and William Marks to preside, and A. G. Jackson and Isaac Sheen
to act as clerks.
The forenoon was devoted to preaching by Elders Z. H. Gurley,
Sen., Samuel Powers, and E. C. Briggs.
In the afternoon, after remarks by President Gurley, Horace
Bartlett, Frederick Squires, and Joseph Robinson were by vote
admitted to fellowship.
Joseph Smith, son of Joseph Smith, the Seer, was then introduced
to the conference, and delivered an address, explaining in brief
his position and the causes which brought him there. He said:—
 |
| Joseph Smith III |
I would say to you, brethren, as I hope you may be, and in
faith I trust you are, as a people that God has promised his
blessings upon, I came not here of myself, but by the influence
of the Spirit. For some time past I have received manifestations
pointing to the position which I am about to assume.
I wish to say that I have come here not to be dictated by
any men or set of men. I have come in obedience to a power not
my own, and shall be dictated by the power that sent me.
God works by means best known to himself, and I feel that for
some time past he has been pointing out a work for me to do.
For two or three years past deputations have been waiting
on me, urging me to assume the responsibilities of the leadership
of the church; but I have answered each and every one of them
that I did not wish to trifle with the faith of the people.
I do not propose to assume this position in order to amass
wealth out of it, neither have I sought it as a profit.
I know opinions are various in relation to these matters.
I have conversed with those who told me they would not hesitate
one moment in assuming the high and powerful position as the
leader of this people. But I have been well aware of the motives
which might be ascribed to me,—motives of various kinds,
at the foundation of all which is selfishness,—should
I come forth to stand in the place where my father stood.
I have believed that should I come without the guarantee of
the people, I should be received in blindness, and would be
liable to be accused of false motives. Neither would I come
to you without receiving favor from my heavenly Father.
I have endeavored as far as possible to keep myself unbiased.
I never conversed with J. J. Strang, for in those days I was
but a boy, and in fact am now but a boy. I had not acquired
a sufficient knowledge of men to be capable of leading myself,
setting aside the leading of others.
There is but one principle taught by the leaders of any faction
of this people that I hold in utter abhorrence; that is a principle
taught by Brigham Young and those believing in him. I have been
told that my father taught such doctrines. I have never believed
it and never can believe it. If such things were done, then
I believe they never were done by divine authority. I believe
my father was a good man, and a good man never could have promulgated
such doctrines.
I believe in the doctrines of honesty and truth. The Bible
contains such doctrines, and so do the Book of Mormon and the
Book of Covenants, which are auxiliaries to the Bible.
I have my peculiar notions in regard to revelations, but am
happy to say that they accord with those I am to associate with,
at least those of them with whom I have conversed. I am not
very conversant with those books, [pointing to a volume before
him,] not so conversant as I should be and will be. The time
has been when the thought that I should assume the leadership
of this people was so repulsive to me, that it seemed as if
the thing could never be possible.
The change in my feelings came slowly, and I did not suffer
myself to be influenced by extraneous circumstances, and have
never read the numerous works sent me which had a bearing on
this subject, for fear they might entice me into wrongdoing.
It is my determination to do right and let Heaven take care
of the result. Thus I come to you free from any taint of sectarianism,
taints from thoughts of the varied minds I have come in contact
with; and thus hope to be able to build up my own reputation
as a man.
It has been said that a Mormon elder, though but a stripling,
possessed a power unequalled [unequaled] by almost any other
preacher. This arises from a depth of feeling, and the earnestness
with which they believe the doctrines they teach; and it is
this feeling that I do not wish to trifle with.
I know that Brigham Young is considered a man of talent, by
some a bold and fortunate man, and by others an unscrupulous
and bad man, accordingly as circumstances differ.
Should you take me as a leader, I propose that all should
be dealt by in mercy, open as to Gentile or Jew; but I ask not
to be received except as by the ordinances of the church.
Some, who had ought to know the proprieties of the church,
have told me that no certain form was necessary in order for
me to assume the leadership—that the position came by
right of lineage; yet I know that if I attempted to lead as
a prophet by these considerations, and not by a call from Heaven,
men would not be led to believe who do not believe now. And
so I have come not of my own dictation to this sacred office.
I believe that we owe duties to our country and to society,
and are amenable to the laws of the land, and have always considered
it my duty to act upon this principle; and I do say that among
the people where I live I have as many good and true friends
as I could desire among those of any society.
The people of Hancock County have been strongly anti-Mormon,
and there I know of no enemies. I have been engaged in business
with anti-Mormons, I have mingled with them, and have not only
been obliged not to make any remarks which might give offense,
but also to smother my own feelings, if I had any. I hold no
enmity to any man living who has fought this doctrine; nor do
I know any who hold enmity towards me. I hope there are none.
In conclusion, I will come to you if you will receive me,
give my ability, and the influence my name may bring, together
with what little power I possess; and I trust by your prayers
and faith to be sustained. I pledge myself to promulgate no
doctrine that shall not be approved by you or the code of good
morals.
I have my shortcomings, but I trust as a leader I shall do
nothing to lead astray. If I do so, I shall expect condemnation;
for I am satisfied that this people, governed by the same policy,
would serve me worse than they have Brigham Young before, for
I would be wholly deserted.
A gentleman from Utah informs me that a majority of Brigham
Young’s people were restive—not satisfied with their
condition—but dared say nothing. That those who preached
and those who practiced his teachings were, in reality, the
old fogies of the institution, the younger taking a different
view of matters.
I do not care to say any more at present, but will simply
add that if the same Spirit which prompts my coming, prompts
also my reception, I am with you.—True
Latter Day Saints’ Herald, vol. 1, pp. 102–104.
 |
| Emma Hale Smith Bidamon |
On motion of Isaac Sheen it was “resolved, that Brother
Joseph Smith be chosen Prophet, Seer, and Revelator of the Church
of Jesus Christ, and the successor of his father.” His mother,
Mrs. Emma Bidamon, widow of Joseph Smith the Martyr, was also
received into fellowship by unanimous vote. Joseph Smith was then
ordained President of the High Priesthood of the Church, under
the hands of Elders Z. H. Gurley, Sen., of the Quorum of Twelve,
and William Marks, of the High Priests, according to the minutes
of the conference.3
This ordination was previously ordered by the unanimous vote of
the conference.
The ordination of Joseph Smith has been considered irregular
upon the assumption that it was a case where the lesser ordained
the greater, but the defenders of this ordination reply by citing
that in 1831 elders ordained high
priests. (See this work, vol. 1, pp. 193, 194.) Again,
the first President of the Church was ordained, as President of
the High Priesthood, in a very similar manner to the ordination
now under consideration. It was in a conference where no higher
authority was present than that of high priest. (This work, vol.
1, p. 244.) In the case now in question, though the apostolic
authority be denied, it cannot be denied that William Marks was
a high priest in the days of the Martyr, and hence held the same
authority by which Joseph the Martyr was ordained. The objector
has replied that William Marks was expelled from the church, but
the evidence of this expulsion has been and is challenged by the
Reorganized Church. The vision of Joseph Smith is also cited as
evidence that William Marks was to triumph and receive the approval
of God. (See this work, vol. 2, p. 147.)
To prove that the lesser cannot ordain the greater, the objector
sometimes uses the argument that a stream cannot rise higher than
its fountain. It is answered, that to locate the fountain of the
priesthood in the man ordaining, is a mistake, as he is only the
channel through which the priesthood flows. The fountain is in
God. A stream can be forced upward in a channel, providing the
fountain is higher than the point to be reached. Hence as God
is higher than the President of the church, the objector does
not prove by this analogy what he seeks to prove.
 |
| Bishop Israel L. Rogers |
On separate motions the following were chosen members of the
High Council; viz.: John C. Gaylord, William Aldrich, George Morey,
Edwin Cadwell, Calvin Beebe, Jacob Doan, Oliver P. Dunham, Zenos
Whitcomb, Lyman Hewitt, Dwight Webster, W. H. Blair, and A. G.
Jackson. The first six named were ordained by William Marks and
Z. E. Gurley, Sen., the others by William W. Blair and Samuel
Powers. Isaac Sheen was ordained President of the High Priests’
Quorum, by William Marks and William W. Blair. James Blakeslee,
Edmund C. Briggs, Crowell G. Lanphear, William D. Morton, and
Archibald M. Wilsey were ordained Presidents of Seventy, by Elders
William Marks and Z. E. Gurley, Sen. George Rarick and John A.
McIntosh were chosen Presidents of Seventy, and subsequently ordained.
Stephen J. Stone was chosen and ordained President of the Elders’
Quorum. On the 7th Israel L. Rogers was ordained Bishop of the
Church, under the hands of Elders Blair, Gurley, and Powers, as
directed by President Joseph Smith. On the 8th William Livingston
and John Robinson were baptized by Elder W. W. Blair, and George
A. Blakeslee was ordained an elder.
On the 9th the following branches were reported: Farm Creek,
Union Grove, Belvidere, Little River, Galland’s Grove, and
Franklin, Iowa; Sandwich, Batavia, Amboy, and Fox River, Illinois;
Galien, Michigan; Blanchardville, Wisconsin.
Wilson Sellers was ordained President of Priests’ Quorum,
Charles Williams President of Teachers’ Quorum, and L. D.
Rogers President of Deacons’ Quorum. These were ordained
by Elders Blair and Powers.
The following missions were assigned: W. W. Blair, Cincinnati,
Kirtland, and vicinities; A. M. Wilsey, Northern Illinois, Wisconsin,
and Minnesota; Samuel Powers, Fox River, Illinois, and vicinity;
C. G. Lanphear, George Rarick, J. A. McIntosh, Calvin Beebe, John
Landers, and Andrew Cairns, as circumstances permit.
The following comment from the Amboy Times,
copied by Saints’ Herald, will
indicate how this movement was considered locally:—
THE MORMON CONFERENCE.
We devote considerable space to the proceedings of this body,
believing that they are of great importance to us, even as a
nation. There is a great body of these people scattered through
the States, who, unwilling to follow the fortunes and doctrines
of Brigham Young, have been quietly waiting for the time to
come when they could organize under a lineal descendant of Joseph
Smith, as their prophet. That time has at length arrived. Joseph
Smith, Jr., occupies the position which his father once held.
A new era in the history of Mormonism has dawned, an era which
we hope will greatly improve the name of this despised people.
Whatever ideas we may entertain in relation to the doctrines
of the Mormons, we must look with approbation and satisfaction
upon any movement on their part which look towards a radical
reformation in their practices as a people.
For many years past Brigham Young had been looked upon as
the embodiment of Mormonism, and those professing to be Mormons
have been regarded as no better than he. Henceforth, they, or
at least one branch of them, are to be judged by a different
standard. The eyes of the world will now be turned upon young
Joseph. Hitherto this man has borne a good name. His talents
are of no mean order; and it is earnestly to be hoped that he
will use them for good, and not a bad purpose.”—The
True Latter Day Saints’ Herald, vol. 1, p. 101.
It would be well to give here some of the causes leading up to
the action of Joseph Smith in rejecting the people in Utah and
in accepting the Reorganization. This can best be done in his
own language, and so we quote extracts from his autobiography
as published in the “Life of Joseph the Prophet,”
by Tullidge:—
It was during this summer [1853] and fall that I had the first
serious impressions concerning my connection with the work of
my father. That spring, if my memory is correct, there was a
large emigration to Utah; a part of which was camped at Keokuk,
twelve miles below Nauvoo, on the Iowa side of the Mississippi
River. A delegation of them visited Nauvoo, and with one of
them, whose name if I learned it, I do not now remember, I had
a long conversation respecting Mormonism. I had talked with
many upon the matter; but had never taken the subject into very
earnest consideration. This person urged that I was possibly
doing a great wrong in allowing the years to pass by unimproved.
I stated to him that I was ready to do any work that might fall
to my lot, or that I might be called to do. I had no fellowship
with the leadership in the Salt Lake Church, and could not then
give my sanction to things there; my prejudices were against
them. In the summer and fall several things occurred that served
to bring the question up; my sickness brought me near to death;
my coming of age, and my choice of a profession were all coincident
events; and during my recovery I had opportunity for reflection,
as for weeks I could do no work. One day, after my return to
health was assured, I had lain down to rest in my room; the
window was open to the south and the fresh breeze swept in through
the trees and half closed blinds, I had slept and woke refreshed;
my mind recurred to the question of my future life and what
its work should be. I had been and was still reading law under
the care of a lawyer named William McLennan, and it was partially
decided that I should continue that study. While weighing my
desires and capabilities for this work, the question came up,
Will I ever have anything to do with Mormonism? If so, how and
what will it be? I was impressed that there was truth in the
work my father had done. I believed the gospel so far as I comprehended
it. Was I to have no part in that work as left by him? While
engaged in this contemplation and perplexed by these recurring
questions, the room suddenly expanded and passed away. I saw
stretched out before me towns, cities, busy marts, courthouses,
courts, and assemblies of men, all busy and all marked by those
characteristics that are found in the world, where men win place
and renown. This stayed before my vision till I had noted clearly
that choice of preferment here was offered to him who would
enter in, but who did so must go into the busy whirl and be
submerged by its din, bustle, and confusion. In the subtle transition
of a dream I was gazing over a wide expanse of country in a
prairie land; no mountains were to be seen, but far as the eye
could reach, hill and dale, hamlet and village, farm and farmhouse,
pleasant cot and homelike place, everywhere betokening thrift,
industry, and the pursuits of a happy peace were open to the
view. I remarked to him standing by me, but whose presence I
had not before noticed, "This must be the country of a
happy people." To this he replied, "Which would you
prefer, life, success, and renown among the busy scenes that
you first saw, or a place among these people, without honors
or renown? Think of it well, for the choice will be offered
to you sooner or later, and you must be prepared to decide.
Your decision once made you cannot recall it, and must abide
the result."
No time was given me for a reply, for as suddenly as it had
come, so suddenly was it gone, and I found myself sitting upright
on the side of the bed where I had been lying, the rays of the
declining sun shining athwart the western hills and over the
shimmering river, making the afternoon all glorious with their
splendor, shone into my room instinct with life and motion,
filling me with gladness that I should live. From that hour,
at leisure, at work or play, I kept before me what had been
presented, and was at length prepared to answer when the opportunity
for the choice should be given.
I pursued my legal studies at intervals with other reading,
some of it solid and meritorious and some of it worthless, without
any further thing of note occurring to bring the matter up again
till sometime in the early part of the winter of 1855, I think,
when William Walker, an elder from Utah, on his way from Utah
to Cape Good Hope, called on me. I had known him when I was
a boy. He worked for my father, and I think was engaged in teaming
at the time of Father’s death, having that year married
a Miss Olive Farr, and living at the Mansion. With him I had
the first serious disagreement about polygamy. It is not needful
here to repeat the dispute; he affirmed, I denied.
In January of 1855 I went to Canton, Illinois, there to prosecute
my study of the law in the office of Hon. William Kellogg, at
that time an able and influential lawyer of Fulton County. I
remained here the better part of a year, visiting home in the
spring and being present at the death of Grandmother Smith in
May. In June I was chosen clerk of the City Council, and was
also employed by Postmaster Parley C. Stearns in the post office,
to fill his place when legal duties called him away. During
my stay I boarded part of the time at Christian Bidamon’s,
a brother to my stepfather, and the remainder with Abel H. White,
whose wife was a sister to the Major, my stepfather. I made
many friends during my stay in Canton, who still express themselves
warmly towards me.
I returned home in 1856, owing to the want of means to continue
my studies at Canton, and began farm life with my brother Frederick
as my partner. October 22 of this year I was married to Miss
Emaline Griswold, the daughter of the widow of Elias Griswold,
who had moved into Nauvoo soon after the saints had left, and
who had afterwards died while in Texas on a business venture
there. Some of her friends had tried to induce her not to comply
with her contract to marry me, but failed; and, on the evening
of that day, left alone by her every relative, in the presence
of Mathew Waldenmeyer, a Presbyterian clergyman, she pledged
herself to me in marriage.
In the fall of this year three events transpired that had
much to do with deciding my course religiously and aiding me
to answer the question, What part in my father’s work,
if any, I was to take. For a number of years I had been more
or less intimate with the family of Christopher E. Yates, a
friend to the saints, who at the time of the disturbances in
Hancock County, for his outspoken denunciation of mob violence
and mob law, had suffered the loss of a fine barn, a lot of
grain, hay, and a number of horses by fire, set by incendiaries
out of revenge as it is supposed, and who had removed with other
citizens into Nauvoo and bought property there. With one of
his sons, Putnam, circumstances had made me well acquainted.
He had crossed the plains a number of times, had been in Salt
Lake City and other parts of Utah, and in California. He and
I had frequently discussed Mormonism; that is, some parts of
it, and he had persistently insisted that I could do a great
and an excellent work by going to Utah, and as he put it, ‘taking
the lead away from Brigham; breaking up that system of things
there,’ or to ‘fall in with the style of things
there, become a leader, get rich, marry three or four wives
and enjoy yourself.’ Though not a religious man himself,
he thought it might be a duty that I owed the people of Utah.
He further thought, that from his experience in Utah, and the
expressions he had heard among the people there, that I would
be received with open arms and could succeed.
To this I replied as best I could, until the question, Why
not go to Utah? There are the men who were with my father, or
a great many of them. There, a large part of the family; there,
also, seem to be the only ones making profession of belief in
Mormonism who appear to be doing anything. Does not duty demand
that I go there and clear my name and honor of the charge of
ingratitude to my father’s character? Is not polygamy,
against which you object, a correct tenet? Is not your objection
one of prejudice only? These and a thousand others of similar
import were suggested, and added their weight to the difficulty
of the situation. In the height of it, the words suggested to
one who had gone before me came to me with force; "If any
lack wisdom, let him ask of God." Why not I? Was I not
in a position to need wisdom? And was I not destitute of sufficient
to enable me to properly decide? I had for three or four years
been investigating spiritual phenomena; had read some of the
productions of Andrew J. Davis; had also read a little of Dr.
Emanuel Swedenborg’s philosophy; but I found no good in
spiritualism; the phenomena were physical and gross; no response
from the departed spirits of any of the family, though severally
appealed to in turn ever came; and the manifestations though
strange and material were altogether inadequate for the deductions
spiritists drew from them. I did not give credence to the philosophy.
My human intelligence was at fault, I could not decide. I believed
that He who had enabled my father to decide which of all should
receive his attention, could, if he would, enable me to decide
whether I should, or should not, have anything to do with Mormonism;
and if so, what. I proceeded upon this conclusion.
A year or two before this we had raised an excellent crop
of wheat, upon a piece of land lying in the south of our meadow,
and this man Yates had assisted in doing some of the work. While
engaged in it we had some conversation about Utah. After this,
I did not see him for some months. One day, while pondering
these questions, (and here, unlike some, I cannot certainly
state whether morn or even, only that the sun was shining,)
I suddenly found myself sowing this piece of land to wheat.
My brother and this Mr. Yates I saw harrowing the wheat after
my sowing. In passing over the land I met Mr. Yates as he drove
to and fro, and our conversation was upon this Utah subject;
and the same arguments and statements were repeated by him.
To these I was urging again my reluctance to move, and the question
was again presented, Why not go to Utah? I paused, rested the
bag of grain that I was carrying across my shoulder, upon my
knee, and turned to answer him. I heard a slight noise like
the rush of the breeze, that arrested my speech and my attention.
I turned my gaze slightly upward and saw descending towards
me a sort of cloud, funnel shaped, with the wide part upward.
It was luminous, and of such color and brightness that it was
clearly seen, though the sun shone in its summer strength. It
descended rapidly and settling upon and over me enveloped me
completely, so that I stood within its radiance.
As the cloud rested upon the ground at my feet, the words
"Because the light in which you stand is greater than theirs,"
sounded in my ears clearly and distinctly. Slowly the cloud
passed away and the vision closed. A few days after this occurred
I met this man Putnam Yates, and had a conversation with him
in which he again urged upon me the idea of going to Utah; and
my answer was in exact accordance with what I had seen. The
other question, "Is polygamy of God?" was as distinctly
and definitely answered to me, as was the one referred to above;
and the answer was, "No," and I was directed that
I was to have nothing to do with it, but was to oppose it.
Much of my opposition to polygamy has been charged to my mother’s
teaching and influence. Mother’s influence may have had
something to do with controlling my youth; but she did not trouble
herself to teach me anything specially in regard to that tenet.
I knew what she had said at times to others, and that she was
opposed to it. I never questioned her upon the subject until
near the close of her life. I relied upon what was given me
concerning my own action in the premises, and trusted to my
own judgment upon the records of the church as published. I
heard her replies to questions put by Elder Jason W. Briggs
before his mission to England; and interpreted the events of
my childhood, remembered by me, in the light of the record.
The question of my going to Utah in order to fill the destiny
appointed me was now disposed of, and I was prepared for two
events that occurred subsequently to what is here related.
A week after my marriage my wife went with me to the farm
and here we began our married life. We had hardly been settled
more than a month when I was visited by George A. Smith and
Erastus Snow. They came to visit and chat with me, and to discharge
a commission intrusted to them by Mr. Fred Piercy, the artist
to whom I had sat for a crayon sketch for his work "Route
to Salt Lake," referred to elsewhere; he had sent me a
copy of that work by them. I made them as welcome as my means
permitted, set before them something to eat, and did my best
to answer their inquiries and entertain them. Elder George A.
talked but little, leaving the burden of conversation to Elder
Snow. I was at this visit asked if I did not intend to come
to Utah to see them there, the question being supplemented by
the statement that they were looking for me to come; that I
had many friends there, who had been friends to my father; that
they thought I ought to be with them, and felt a great desire
to see me among them.
To this I replied that I might some day visit them when a
railway was completed that I could go and come without let or
hindrance.
"But," said Elder Snow, "we want you to come
and stay." In reply to this I stated that "I could
not do that in the sense conveyed, so long as such things were
taught and practiced there as I had reason to believe were taught
and practiced."
"You refer to plurality," said Elder Snow; and I
answered him, "Yes, I refer to the doctrine of polygamy
as it is called in the States."
"Why, you believe in the Book of Mormon, do you not?"
inquired Elder Smith.
I replied to him, "I believe in the book; but do not
believe the construction that you Utah people put upon it."
Other conversation took place of a general character, mainly
between Elder Snow and myself, until they left, the interview
lasting some two and a half or three hours.
Not more than three or four weeks elapsed after the visit
of Elders Snow and Smith when I was visited by Elders Samuel
H. Gurley and Edmund C. Briggs, sent as delegates from the Reorganized
Church at Zarahemla, Wisconsin, with a commission to deliver
what they believed to be the word of the Lord to me:—
THE CHURCH IN ZARAHEMLA, WISCONSIN, TO JOSEPH
SMITH.
Our faith is not unknown to you, neither our hope in the
regathering of the pure in heart enthralled in darkness, together
with the means, to the accomplishment of the same; viz., that
the seed of him to whom the work was first committed should
stand forth and bear the responsibility (as well as wear the
crown) of a wise masterbuilder—to close up the breach,
and to combine in one a host, who, though in captivity and
sorely tried, still refuse to strengthen the hands of usurpers.
As that seed, to whom pertains this right, and heaven-appointed
duty, you cannot be unmindful nor indifferent. The God of
Abram, Isaac, and Jacob covenanted with them and their seed.
So the God of Joseph covenanted with him and his seed, that
his word should not depart out of the mouth of his seed, nor
out of the mouth of his seed’s seed, till the end come.
A Zerubbabel in Israel art thou. As a nail fastened in a sure
place, so are the promises unto thee to make thee a restorer
in Zion—to set in order the house of God. And the Holy
Spirit that searcheth the deep things of God, hath signified
to us that the time has come. For, through fasting and prayer,
hath the answer from God come; unto us, saying, Communicate
with my servant Joseph Smith, son of Joseph the Prophet. Arise,
call upon God and be strong, for a deliverer art thou to the
Latter Day Saints. And the Holy Spirit is thy prompter. The
apostles, elders, and saints who have assembled with us, have
beheld the vacant seat and the seed that is wanting. And like
Ezra of old with his brethren, by the direction of the Holy
Spirit have we sent faithful messengers to bear this our message
to you, trusting that you will by their hands notify us of
your readiness to occupy that seat, and answer to the name
and duties of that seed. For this have our prayers been offered
up without ceasing for the last five years. We are assured
that the same Spirit that has testified to us, has signified
the same things to you. Many have arisen perverting the work
of the Lord. But the good and the true are throughout the
land waiting the true successor of Joseph the Prophet, as
President of the Church and of the priesthood. In our publications—sent
to you—we have shown the right of successorship to rest
in the literal descendant of the chosen seed, to whom the
promise was made, and also the manner of ordination thereto.
We cannot forbear reminding you that the commandments, as
well as the promises given to Joseph, your father, were given
to him, and to his seed. And in the name of our Master, even
Jesus Christ, as moved upon by the Holy Ghost we say, Arise
in the strength of the Lord and realize those promises by
executing those commandments. And we, by the grace of God,
are thy helpers in restoring the exiled sons and daughters
of Zion to their inheritances in the kingdom of God and to
the faith once delivered to the saints.
Holding fast that which is good and resisting evil, we invoke
the blessings of the God of Israel upon thee and upon all
saints, for whom we will ever pray.
J. W. BRIGGS,
Representative President of the Church
and the Priesthood in Zarahemla.
ZARAHEMLA, November 18, 1856.
The reception that these brethren met with was not a flattering
one. Elder Gurley stated their mission, and presented the document
containing the message to me. I heard what he had to say; I
read the message that they brought, but could not accept it
as they had hoped. It was not to me the word of the Lord. Elder
Briggs vehemently urged the matter upon me; and announced the
culmination of the message in tones of thunder, and almost dictatorially
directed me to accept the message, and do as directed therein;
or reject it at my peril.
I met this vehemence indignantly, and almost turned these
messengers out of doors. But, through the calmer, humbler efforts
of Elder Gurley and the interposition of my wife, the storm
abated; I invited them to stay over night, and that when the
morning came, I would accompany them to town and would then
give them a final answer. In the morning I went with them to
Nauvoo, introduced them to my mother and stepfather, went with
them into a room, where quietly and peaceably Elder Gurley and
I talked the situation over. I gave them my answer which was
this: What they came to bring might be the word of the Lord;
I could not say that it was not. I had, however, no testimony
that it was. That I was prepared to do what God required of
me, if he would make it known to me what it was; that I believed
that he could reveal himself if he would; that I believed that
my father was called of God to do a work; and that I was satisfied
that that work was true, whether I ever had anything to do with
it or not, that I did not then know whether I should ever be
called to take any part in that work; but that if I were, I
was ready, and that it would have to be made clear to me, in
person, as well as to others what that work was; that I could
not move upon the evidence given to others only. That they might
be assured that I should not go to Salt Lake to affiliate with
them there. And finally, that if it should be made clear to
me that it was my duty to cast the fortunes of my life and my
labor with the work and the people that they were representing,
I should without hesitation do it, but that I could not then
do so. Upon this understanding we parted, Elder Gurley returning
to report the result of their mission; Elder Briggs declining
to accompany him home, for reasons known to himself; and I to
my farmer’s work. Elder Briggs stopped in the city and
neighborhood for nearly a year, worked for me a part of the
time, and returned at his leisure.—Life of Joseph the
Prophet, pp. 756–769.
This makes clear the reasons of Joseph Smith for rejecting the
Utah faction; also his reason for postponing a decisive answer
to the Reorganization.
Again, he wrote concerning his decision to accept the Reorganization,
and of subsequent events, as follows:—
 |
| William Marks |
During the year 1859 the question of my connection with my
father’s work was finally determined. I became satisfied
that it was my duty. The queries heretofore referred to were
one by one being settled; until the final one, where and with
whom should my life-labor lie? was the only one left. This was
determined by a similar manifestation to others that I had received
to this effect: "The Saints reorganizing at Zarahemla and
other places, is the only organized portion of the church accepted
by me. I have given them my Spirit, and will continue to do
so while they remain humble and faithful."
This was in the fall of 1859, and in the winter I resolved
to put myself in communication with the brethren of the Reorganized
Church. In accordance with this resolution I wrote the following
letter to Elder William Marks, then residing at Shabbona Grove,
DeKalb County, Illinois, announcing my intention to make the
effort to take up the work left by my father, and asking for
a correspondence:—
NAUV00,
March 5, 1860.
Mr. William Marks; Sir.—I am soon going to take my
father’s place at the head of the Mormon Church, and
I wish that you, and some others, those you may consider the
most trustworthy, the nearest to you, to come and see me;
that is, if you can and will. I am somewhat undecided as to
the best course for me to pursue, and if your views are, upon
a comparison, in unison with mine, and we can agree as to
the best course, I would be pleased to have your cooperation.
I would rather you would come previous to your conference
in April at Amboy. I do not wish to attend the conference,
but would like to know if they, as a body, would indorse my
opinions. You will say nothing of this to any but those who
you may wish to accompany you here.
With great regard, I subscribe myself,
Yours most respectfully,
Joseph Smith.
 |
| William W. Blair and Joseph Smith
III at the Amboy Conference |
I was moved to this course, because Elder Marks was the President
of the Stake at Nauvoo, and also of the High Council, at the
time of my father’s death. He had retained his faith in
Mormonism, as taught by Joseph and Hyrum, and his counsel would
now be valuable. I announced my intention to my mother and my
stepfather. The former approved my determination; the latter
took a speculative view of it, and straightway built castles
in the air, which he felt warranted in doing, from his point
of observation.
At an early date after receiving my letter, Elders William
Marks, Israel L. Rogers, and William W. Blair, all of them interested
in the movement of reorganization, visited Nauvoo, and the conclusion
of their interview with me was that my mother and myself should
attend the next ensuing conference to be held at Amboy, Lee
County, Illinois, when the matter was to be laid before the
brethren, and a decision arrived at; for, said Elder Marks,
"We have had enough of man-made prophets, and we don’t
want any more of that sort. If God has called you, we want to
know it. If he has, the church is ready to sustain you; if not,
we want nothing to do with you."4
 |
| Captain James Gifford and Alexander Smith
rowed Young Joseph and Emma across the Mississippi River
during a fierce storm on their way to the Amboy Conference. |
My mother and myself made the necessary preparation and started
from Nauvoo to Amboy, on the 4th of April, 1860, in the face
of one of the fiercest tempests that had blown that spring.
My mother made the characteristic remark, that thus it had been
all through her life; that whenever she set out to do anything
for the gospel’s sake, the old boy seemed to be in the
elements trying to prevent. We crossed the Mississippi, James
Gifford and another resolute man in the small boat at the oars.
The crossing was made in safety, and wet with spray, but strong
in purpose we pursued our journey by boat and rail, arriving
at Amboy on the 5th in time to attend the evening prayer meeting
held at the house of Sr. Experience Stone, when for the first
time I learned that it had been prophesied among them that I
should come to the Amboy conference of 1860. Whether these sayings
had been known to Brethren Marks, Rogers, and Blair at the time
of their visit to me, I do not know; but if so, they had not
so stated to me; though there was a general expectancy that
I would be there. A strange thrill pervaded the air, and when
Elder Z. H. Gurley, Sen., in one of his impulsive, impassioned
exhortations, referred to the fulfillment of the "word
of the Lord to them," by the fact of my being there, the
whole people sobbed aloud in their joy and gratefulness. The
story of the next day, April 6,1860, has been told, and my life
since that day has been spent for and with the church, and what
that life has been remains with the saints.
At my return to my home, after the sitting of the Amboy conference,
the news of what I had done spread rapidly. My action was commented
upon largely in the newspapers, nearly everywhere, and various
speculations in regard to motive, object, and method of procedure
were offered, among them the following:—
An attorney of Quincy, Illinois, by the name of Godfrey, whose
specialty appeared to be the securing of obscure claims, presented
to me the subject of reinstating the claims to Missouri lands
forfeited and abandoned by the saints in their expulsion from
that State. He had secured by vigorous research a list of names
of those whose claims he believed could be made good, and offered
to perfect the titles, being at all the expense and trouble,
for a specific share of the lands, titles to which should be
so perfected; my part of the business was to assist him to the
names of others who might be entitled to lands there, secure
their cooperation, powers of attorney, consent, etc. Besides
this, there were some lands to which it was supposed Mother
and her children might be entitled, to which we were to present
our personal claims. The agreement was consummated between Mr.
Godfrey and myself, and, in keeping with this agreement, Major
Lewis C. Bidamon, my stepfather, started to Independence, Missouri,
to look the matter up. Before starting, my mother, the Major,
and myself, held a council, in which the idea of removing from
Nauvoo, to some eligible spot to which a colony of saints might
gather and build a town was discussed; and when the Major departed
he was requested by me to look at various points in his line
of travel, and report their eligibility at his return. He was
not told, nor authorized to make any selection, and was not
to make his business in this regard known. He went to Jackson
County, but made no discoveries of value touching our claims
to Missouri lands; but assuming extra powers, he proceeded to
Weston, Missouri, Council Bluffs, Iowa, and to Florence, Nebraska,
at the last-named places stating that he was looking for a place
for the Josephite Mormons to settle. Men of wealth and enterprise
interested in both these places presented the claims of their
respective localities, and made him offers thought by them to
be advantageous inducements for the Mormons to settle there.
What statements he made to these men I never knew from them;
but at his return, he stated to us that he had given them partial
promises at Florence. He had exceeded his instructions and had
apparently put the movement before the speculative world for
bids to settle in their respective domains. To this, neither
Mother nor myself could agree, and therefore did not entertain
the propositions.
In the meantime events were transpiring in Nauvoo, and the
county of Hancock, of a different character. Persons interested
in the welfare of Nauvoo, and some who believed that the town
was the gathering place for the saints, wished us to agree to
remain. I therefore entered into an agreement with Mr. George
Edmunds, Jr., not to remove from Nauvoo for five years, it being
thought that that length of time would determine whether the
place would attract the attention of the saints enough to rebuild
it again; or still permit the clouds of decay to rest upon it.
This agreement I kept, the circumstances and the work of the
church not requiring my removal till January, 1866.
In antagonism to this idea of remaining at Nauvoo, to rebuild
again this once waste place of Zion, some of the inhabitants
of the county met at Carthage, the county seat, and in Basco
and Montebello townships, and after the necessary inflammatory
speeches about the dreadful consequences to accrue to the county
if the Mormons were allowed to settle in it again, adopted resolutions
opposing such settlement. The following proceedings were had
at Carthage, the minutes of which were sent to me:—
Pursuant to call a meeting of the citizens of Carthage and
vicinity assembled at the courthouse, on Thursday evening,
August 21,1860. Jesse C. Williams was called to the chair,
and Henry P. Harper and Jacob B. Strader were appointed secretaries.
David Mack having explained the object of the meeting to the
persons assembled, who densely filled the entire courtroom,
and were of all political parties, Judge Couchman then offered
the following resolutions, which were, upon motion, unanimously
adopted; to-wit:—
Whereas, a report is in circulation that the Mormons have
an idea of returning to Nauvoo, in Hancock County, Illinois,
for the purpose of resettling at that place, which resettlement
in the unanimous opinion of this community would be a great
calamity to the future prospects of said county; therefore
Resolved, by this mass meeting assembled, without respect
to political parties, that we earnestly protest against the
return of the Mormons to Nauvoo; that they will not be allowed
by the people of Hancock County to return and make such settlement.
Resolved, that the secretary of this meeting be directed
to forward without delay a copy of the proceedings of this
meeting to Joseph Smith, Jr., and also one copy for each of
the newspapers in Hancock County, with request to publish
the same.
JESSE
C, WILLIAMS, President.
HENRY HARPER,
JACOB B. STRADER, |
 |
Secretaries. |
The minutes and resolutions of the meetings at Basco and Montebello
were similar to those held at Carthage.5
The minutes and resolutions of the meeting at Montebello were
not signed, but those of Carthage and Basco were.
About the same time a meeting of the citizens of Nauvoo was
called, and presided over by the mayor, then Robert W. McKinney,
Esquire; of which meeting John Bernard Risse, a rising young
lawyer, was secretary. This meeting passed resolutions of a
similar nature, with an additional one recommending Joseph Smith
to go to other parts to preach, pray, and practice his religion.
These minutes were presented to me by Mr. Risse, who was an
old acquaintance and a then office mate, having his lawyer’s
office in the same room and building occupied by me as a justice
of the peace. Upon looking to see by whom they were signed,
I discovered that there were no signatures; I then requested
him as secretary to put the chairman’s name and his own
to them. This he declined to do, and I refused to accept them
without signatures. The other minutes came by mail, hence I
had no choice but to receive them.
Simultaneously with these movements, as I was credibly informed
at the time, two men prominently engaged in the crusade against
the Mormons in 1845–46, prepared a letter notifying me
to leave the country, or to remain at my peril. This letter
they presented, so ran the story, to Judge Roosevelt, one of
the most influential men of the county, living at Warsaw, asking
him to sign it, that his influence might secure them the signatures
of others to whom they designed to present it. His reply to
them was, "No, gentlemen, I shall not sign it. And my advice
to you is to put that letter away. If you send it to Mr. Smith
you will get into trouble." It was stated that they also
presented the letter to Thomas C. Sharp, who refused to sign
it, stating that he had "lived through one Mormon war,"
and did not choose to get into another. Mr. Roosevelt sent word
to me by a trustworthy messenger, that if a letter of the description
stated was sent me, to present the men whose names were affixed
to it, to the Grand Jury at its first sitting thereafter, and
I would find a host of friends that I knew nothing about.
What influence these meetings and the published minutes of
them, had upon the immigration of Mormons to the county, I need
not state. The letter referred to was never sent me. Friends
in different parts of the county were prompt and positive in
their denunciation of such measures; while some radical anti-Mormons
took equally strong ground against my propagating Mormonism
in the county, one interior township passing a resolution that
"no Mormon should be permitted to preach, or pray in the
county." The minutes of this meeting did not reach me,
possibly for the want of moral courage on the part of chairman
and secretary to sign them. The Carthage Republican
opened its columns to articles against the resettlement of Nauvoo
by the Mormons; one writer, over a fictitious name, wrote a
series of articles against me personally; but was betrayed to
me to be the mayor of the city of Nauvoo, before named. I was
warned frequently to be on my guard; to avoid traversing the
county, and to be as quiet as possible. A Mr. John J. Middleton,
a friend at that time, subsequently married to Mrs. Julia Dixon,
formerly Murdock, my adopted sister, waited upon me in great
anxiety, stating the inflamed condition of the public mind in
the county, and almost imploring me to get away. To him I made
the offer, if he dared to risk the venture, to go into the county,
wherever necessary, and there publicly to state my views, believing
that the grossest exaggeration prevailed; but as for leaving
I would not unless compelled, and of that I was in doubt.
Under this condition of things the summer, fall, and winter
of 1860 wore away. I was not disturbed. In the year following
I continued to preach in the City and the country adjoining,
Illinois and Iowa; went to and fro in the county of Hancock
as business or caprice dictated, unarmed and alone, as well
as in company. I met and conversed with numbers, citizens of
the county of more or less prominence, and was assured that
mob violence would hardly again be tolerated to any extent.
Many of the citizens of Nauvoo and near vicinity expressed their
opinion that the "driving out of the Mormons had left a
curse upon the county that would not be removed until they should
be permitted to return."
The temple, after the burning in 1848, had fallen, wall after
wall, until but a small portion remained. The French, Prussian,
and other German element into whose possession the ruins fell,
sold them, and under the charge of one Sellers, a German of
some local genius and enterprise, they became a quarry, whence
stone for buildings, churches, stores, and wine cellars were
digged; until there was not one stone left above another. The
relics put into the corner stone were for a time in the office
of the French community, but where they may now be the writer
cannot say; as the community broke up soon after the commencement
of the war, Monsieur Cabet, the founder, going to St. Louis,
with one part, where he soon after died; and the remainder going
with Monsieur Girard, to Icaria, Iowa. The Methodists, who had
long worshiped [worshipped] in the old Music Hall, north and
east of the temple lot, purchased a lot on Mulholland Street
a little more than a quarter of a mile from the temple east,
and built them a small chapel, using temple stones for corners,
window ledges, and caps; but disaster attached to the stones
and the society slowly faded away.
The temple was not finished. One stairway, on the south of
the entry way, the basement assembly room, and a few rooms in
the third story only were finished; and these it is said were
not completed in the style agreed upon prior to my father’s
death. David LeBarron, long had charge of it, and the writer
has often been over it from basement to cupola with tourists
of every shade of religious belief.
 |
| Alexander and David Smith |
The first meeting room occupied by the saints of the Reorganized
Church, in Nauvoo, was a small one in the rented premises of
Benjamin Austin, who was among the first to move into the city
from abroad. Here for nearly a year and a half we kept up our
Sunday worship, afterwards in the premises once owned by Elder
William Marks, corner of Water and Granger streets; then as
our congregation grew by the moving in of brethren Thaddeus
Cutler, Henry Cuerden, Thomas Revell, William Redfield, and
others, together with local baptisms, until we had to find larger
quarters. We then fitted up the large room in the Brick Store,
built and occupied by my father as a store and office. In 1864
we numbered seventy five, and were exerting an excellent influence
upon the neighborhood. Of my brothers, Alexander and David received
the work, and soon engaged with me. Frederick died April 13,
1862, expressing contrition and belief, but without baptism.
The others began to teach almost simultaneously with myself,
and did excellent work.
There came no "Thus saith the Lord," upon which to
make Nauvoo a rallying place. The site was not an advantageous
one for poor people dependent upon daily labor or agriculture
for subsistence. The few of the saints who came in there with
their means, bought property cheap; but the same property cheapened
still and still more upon their hands; their substance wasted,
and out of necessity first one, then another left. The Olive
branch, once flourishing, was plucked off. The Fall Conference
of 1865 required me to remove to Plano, Kendall County, Illinois,
to take active charge of the Herald,
the church paper, first published in Cincinnati, Ohio, in January,
1860, by Elder Isaac Sheen, who removed to Plano, in 1863, with
his family, to still continue as editor in the office purchased
and established there by the church. I therefore made the necessary
preparation, resigned my office of Justice of the Peace, and
also School Director, each of which I had held for seven and
a half years, having been reelected Justice in 1862 by a majority
over my competitor of two to one, and in January, 1866, I removed
with my wife and children, three in number, to Plano. I arrived
January 3, and was within a week located in a house purchased
for my use by the Bishop of the Church, Israel L. Rogers.—Life
of Joseph the Prophet, pp. 772–783.
Reports from the elders in the field during the summer of 1860
were very encouraging, and the universal testimony was that the
Spirit of God attended the preaching; while the gifts of the gospel
were richly enjoyed by the reviving saints.
|
|
