Minutes of November 28, 1834

Mormon History 1830-1844

Minutes of November 28, 1834

Representatives of a branch in northeast New York arrive with funds to buy land in Missouri and are advised to remain in Kirtland for the winter and turn assets over to Joseph.
Date		November 28, 1834					Kirtland council, 77– 80.
Location		Kirtland, Ohio
Description		A council convened this evening to transact business according to the regulations of the church
Presiding		Sidney Rigdon, Joseph Smith, Frederick G. Williams
Clerk		Oliver Cowdery
Counselors present		John Johnson Jared Carter Oliver Cowdery Orson Johnson		Hyrum Smith Joseph Smith Sr. Orson Hyde Luke Johnson			8 counselors + 3 presidency = 11
		John Johnson and Hyrum Smith are appointed to speak.
Cash and property		John H. and Joseph H. Tippets present a letter from the church in Lewis, Essex County, New York. They have $473.29 in cash, and "other property" valued at $375.11 to be used to purchase land in Missouri, and want to know "whether they had better pursue their journey or not."
		John Johnson and Hyrum Smith speak, followed by Frederick G. Williams, Orson Hyde, and Oliver Cowdery.
Sidney decides they should stay		Sidney decides, "after looking at all parts of the question," that they should remain "here" for the winter.
		[78] Council decides that Joseph should:
Assets to Joseph		take such amount of said money as those brethren can part with for the present by giving sufficient security, to be paid, with interest, by the 15th of April 1835.
	¶	It was ascertained by the council [that] sister Caroline Tippets held $149.75 of the money mentioned in said letter, She was accordingly called into the council and expressed a willingness to loan the same, A note of $280. was drawn in favor of John H. Tippets, due April 15th 1835 and signed by Joseph Smith Junr. Oliver Cowdery & F. G. Williams and another in favor of Caroline Tippets of $150. due April 15th 1835 signed by Joseph Smith Jr. Oliver Cowdery & F. G. Williams.
		Joseph closes the council meeting with prayer.
		The next Counsellors will be arranged as follows.
		Jared Carter Oliver Cowdery Orson Johnson Samuel H. Smith John Johnson John Smith		Joseph Smith Sr. Orson Hyde Luke Johnson Martin Harris Joseph Coe Hyrum Smith
		The letter carried by the Tippets brothers to Joseph and the Kirtland high council is as follows:
Letter from Alvah Tippits		Brother Joseph will recollect the time I left Kirtland last winter in order to come for to dispose of the property I had in possession, which I have been striving to do, from that time till about the first of Sept. last.
		[79] But I have felt very uneasy, while the commandment has gone forth for the Eastern churches to flee unto the West. The first, or about the first of Sept I with 2 of my brethren, took the revelation concerning the redemption of Zion, and read it and then we agreed to ask God to enable us to obey the same. as we live in the Eastern States our minds lit over these important lines,
			Therefore a commandment I give unto all the churches, that they shall continue to gather together unto the places which I have appointed, nevertheless, as I have said unto you in a former commandment, let not your gathering be in haste nor by flight, but let all things be prepared before you, & in order that all things be prepared before you, observe the commandments which I have given concerning these things which saith or teacheth to purchase all the lands by money, which can be purchased for money in the region round about the land which I have appointed to be the land of Zion. for the beginning of the gathering of my saints; all the land which can be purchased in Jackson County, and the counties round about and leave the residue in mine hand. Now verily I say unto you, let all the churches gather together all their monies, let these things be done in their time be not in haste, and observe to have all things prepared before you, and let honorable men be appointed even wise men and send them to purchase these lands and every church in the Eastern countries, when they are built up, if they will hearken unto this council, they may buy lands and gather together upon them, and in this way they may establish Zion,				¶ D&C 101:67–74
		And after further consideration and much prayer, we carried the case before the church in this place. which met the approbation of the same. Accordingly we strove to become of one heart and one mind, appointed a day for fasting & prayer, and asked the Lord to enable [80] us to collect all our monies, and appointed a day for the church to come together for council.
		Accordingly we came together and after consecration chose a moderator & clerk to keep the record of the church, counselled together concerning property owned by the church, and commenced to make sale, and collect pay according to the voice of the church in order to collect all the monies owned by the church & send by the hands of wise men, which were appointed by the voice of the church: one Elder and the other a Priest according to the will of God.
	¶	Alvah L. Tippits
	¶	Lewis, County of Essex N. Y. Oct. 20 1834.
	¶	A branch of the church of the Latter Day Saints, agreeable to the requirements of heaven, have strove to unite their hearts and views in order to be found spotless before the blazing throne of the great Jehovah, when he comes to make up his jewels, and for this end do send property by the hands of wise men appointed by the voice of the church, (agreeable to the revelation concerning the redemption of Zion) for the purpose of purchasing land in Jackson County or counties, round about, for the inheritance of the church. Agreeable to this we give out names with the affix[ed] sums annexed.
	¶	Alvah H. Tippits		(Cash	Property	One hundred dollars to be left in Kirtland in boots & shoes.
	¶	Joseph H. Tippits		$98.67	120.37
	¶	Alvah Tippits		34.63	80.00
	¶	John H. Tippits		171.05	51.93
	¶	Henry Adams		11.13	8.75
	¶	David Bragg		5.00	1.06
	¶	Zebulon Adams		1.75		[Sideways, in the margin:] The wise men are John H. Tippits Joseph H. Tippits
	¶	Caroline Tippits		151.06	107.00
	¶	Gustavus A. Perry		00.00	6.00
	¶					aggregate $848.40
		Minutes of December 5, 1834 Minutes of November 5, 1834 Ohio Minutes