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.
<May 29> and giving further information to those who sought it. After tea, the Methodist priest was, by much persuasion, induced to preach; but, to the astonishment of all, he never once mentioned Mormonism. By the by<e> we had a beautiful specimen of treatment to the saints on board; while I was speaking, I referred to the <many> false statements which found their way to the public through the papers; a case in point was that of Joseph Smith having just discarded his wife. After I had finished speaking, and was standing on the guard of the Boat, a Missourian stepped up to me asking me if I wished to be understood that all who said Jo Smith had discarded his wife were liars . On my answering him in the affirmative, he drew his bowie knife on me; but some passengers, who had heard him threaten my life were watching, and caught him as he was in the act of striking, and I in the act of pitching him overboard; but they saved him, and I am glad of it. The whole affair turned much to my advantage; it was an occular demonstration to the crowd, of Missourians’ feeling towards the Church of Christ.
“By this time the way was pretty well paved for introducing national matters, and from this on to our arrival at Wheeling, the time was principally occupied on that subject, reading your views on political economy &c. On arriving at Wheeling, a stranger might have imagined me to be a man of some consequence; for it was ‘will you take a seat in our coach?’ ‘Go with us in this stage’; ‘hold on and take a seat with us’, says the third. In fact the Mormon was quite a lion among the passengers. But passing the minutiae, I arrived in this city two days after the great Whig Convention. All is joy and enthusiasm among the Whigs, while doubt and consternation is manifest among the democrats. This Convention has been got up at an immense expense— hundreds of thousands of dollars have been expended. The Democratic Convntion comes off on the 27th. inst; in the mean time I shall do what is in my power for the promotion of the good cause, and endeavor to be well accoutred for that occasion. I expect to co-operate with , , and , though as yet I have not heard from them. [HC 6:417]
“I shall expect to receive from you the proceedings of the Convention held at on Monday last, together with such instructions as you may deem proper to give.
<30> Thursday 30 Municipal Court met at 10 A. M., over which I presided <as Mayor and Chief Justice>. Present , , , , and , Alderman Associate Justices. was brought up on Habeas Corpus, from the custody of the complainant.
being called by the Court answered that he did not acknowledge the jurisdiction of this court; that his writ was only to keep until he could get another writ for him; that had a writ from , and he considered his prisoner, and he attended this Court as a matter of courtesy, and if any one offered resistance he was instructed by government to give their names &c; and wrote the names of the Court &c.
’s Counsel replied to such a subterfuge writ.
The Court thought it due the Court to hear the reasons why the jurisdiction of the Court was not regarded.
said he did not come to make a speech, but was instructed to arrest the man. He intended to make no defence; he was an Agent of the . “Your writ of Habeas Corpus has nothing more to do with this case than a man [p. 63]
Nauvoo Municipal Court Docket Book / Nauvoo, IL, Municipal Court. “Docket of the Municipal Court of the City of Nauvoo,” ca. 1843–1845. In Historian's Office, Historical Record Book, 1843–1874, pp. 51–150 and pp. 1–19 (second numbering). CHL. MS 3434.