Josiah Jones provides a glimpse
into the religious life of Kirtland Saints. Internal evidence indicates it was written by mid-January 1831. |
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Kirtland, 1831 |
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Mormonites. Source |
Duty to dislose |
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Feeling it to be a duty I owe to myself and to the community
to take some notice of the transactions of that sect of men known by [133] the
name of the Mormons, which has lately sprung up here and in the vicinity,
I shall from time to time (living in their midst) commit to writing whatever
I already know, and may in future hear about them, in order that the world
may know of their rise and their proceedings. What I shall write of their
proceedings from the commencement of them until this time, must be mostly
from recollection; hereafter, however, it is my intention to note down some
things in the form of a diary. |
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Four arrived late
October 1830 with Book of Mormon
Joseph translated
Stone or stones (spectacles)
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In the last part of October, 1830, four
men appeared here by the names of Cowdery, Pratt, Whitmer and Peterson;
they stated they were from Palmyra, Ontario County, N.Y. with a book, which
they said contained what was engraven on gold plates found in a stone box
in the ground in the town of Manchester, Ontario County, N.Y., and was found
about three years ago by a man named Joseph Smith, Jr. who had translated
it by looking into a stone or two stones, when put into a dark place, which
stones he said were found in the box with the plates. They affirmed while
he looked through the stone spectacles another sat by and wrote what he
told them, and thus the book was all written. The doctrines which they taught
are contained in the book which the world may have recourse to. |
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Evangelist (Carthage, Ohio) 9, no. 3, (June 1, 1841): 132–36. |
Arrival
in Mentor |
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These men appeared in the town of Mentor at
Elder Sidney
Rigdon's on Thursday evening about the 6th [sic] of October last. |
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All accounts agree the missionaries arrived in late October. Jones may have mistakenly used the 6th, the day he first heard Sidney preach. The last Thursday of October was the 28th.
Sunday following: October 31
This is the only source for a meeting Euclid. |
Euclid meeting |
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On Sunday following the elder [Sidney Rigdon] with two
or three of these men attended a meeting at Euclid.
I also attended and here I was first informed by I.
Morley that such men and
such a book had appeared. |
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Missionaries preach at Methodist hall |
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The next Wednesday evening
they held a meeting at the Methodist meetinghouse in this place [Kirtland],
at which time they read some in their new book, and exhorted the people
to repent of their pride and priestcraft and all other sins, and be baptized
by them for the remission of them, for they said that if they had been
baptized it was of no avail, for there was no legal administrator, neither
had been for fourteen hundred years, until God had called them to the office,
and had sent them into the world to publish it to this generation. |
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next Wednesday: November
3
Cowdery dates the baptisms Thursday, the 4th.
The Methodist meetinghouse was on the southeast corner of the cemetery block,
across the street from where the House of the Lord would later
be built. See Kirtland map at back of PWJS. |
Baptize 17 |
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The next day we heard that after they went
home, or to the family where they put up, they baptized seventeen into the
faith which they published. |
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Isaac Morley
Community of goods
Big Family |
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Perhaps it will be necessary to give some account
of the family which I have mentioned. For nearly two years past, Isaac
Morley had contended that in order to restore the ancient order of things in the
Church of Christ, it was necessary that there should be a community of goods
among the brethren; and accordingly a number of them removed to his house
and farm, and built houses, and worked and lived together, and composed
what is here called the "Big Family," which at this time consisted
of perhaps 50 or 60, old and young. |
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Mayfield branch |
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They also had another branch of the family in the town of Mayfield,
about eight miles from this, but the number was small at that time. |
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¶ Lyman
Wight Journal |
Saturday Sidney weeps |
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To return—on Friday evening they held
meeting at the family, and on Saturday evening also, at which time I attended,
and saw Elder Rigdon much affected and shedding tears. |
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Friday: November 5
the family:
Isaac Morley's "Big
Family" or "common-stock family" in Kirtland. |
Sidney unable to preach at family
farm
Missionaries preach at school
Sidney recants |
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The next day, Sunday, Elder Rigdon had
an appointment to preach in this place, and attended having these four men
with him; he opened the meeting as usual, and arose to address the congregation
but was so affected that he could not; he said all that he had to say to
us was to repent and humble ourselves before God. After a short exhortation
he sat down and the [133] new teachers exhorted us at the school house; at this
meeting or in the daytime Elder Rigdon told us that for two years past his
preaching had been of no use to us; it was more to please our fancy and
tickle our ears, than to affect our hearts. |
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Sunday: November 7 |
Cowdery describes translation
process |
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A few days after these men appeared again, a few of us went
to see them and Cowdery was requested to state how the plates were found,
which he did. He stated that Smith looked into or through the transparent
stones to translate what was on the plates. I then asked him if he had ever
looked through the stones to see what he could see in them; his reply was
that he was not permitted to look into them. I asked him who debarred him
from looking into them; he remained sometime in silence, then said that
he had so much confidence in his friend Smith, who told him that he must
not look into them, that he did not presume to do so lest he should tempt
God and be struck dead. |
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Jones digresses. This refers
to a time after Sidney's visit to Kirtland in December 1830. |
Sidney baptized on
Monday |
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On Monday, Elder Rigdon was rebaptized, and additions
have continued to be made almost daily to them since that time. Sidney Rigdon
said in private conversation that no one could tell what virtue there was
in Cowdery's hands for when he took hold of him to baptize him he felt a
shock strike through him. |
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Monday:
November 8 |
Laying on of hands |
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They pretend to give the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands, many of
them receive it so that it makes them fall prostrate to the ground; some
do not receive the spirit until a number of days after the laying on of
hand; some have not yet received it at all. |
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Three attempted healings |
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They laid hands on the sick, and in the name of Jesus
told them to recover. Two cases occurred in this place, one man that had
fits, by the name of Luke, whom they commanded not to let it be known; but
he not receiving any benefit from it told of it. Another was a boy about
twelve years old that had fits daily whose father and mother had joined
them; his father said that he had no more doubt that his son would get well
then he had of his existence; but he is no better yet. One other case was
in Painesville, on a man by the name of Champney, who is no better; another
was a sick woman in Mayfield that has been confined these two or three years
and who, they still say, will yet get well. |
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Healings |
Late November or early December
Lyman Wight (illuminated) sings in tongues |
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About five or six weeks ago some of them began to have visions and revelations,
and to prophesy, as they say. They said a man by the name of Wight (h)
(swh), who was ordained their elder with
authority to lay on hands, one night in meeting, had what they call "the
Power of God," and that his face and hands shone so that it was plain
to be seen by all in the room, and that he sung a song which no one ever
heard before, and which they said was the most melodious that they ever
listened to. It was sung in another tongue. |
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Member Prophecies |
Transported to Lamanites |
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While in these visions they say they are carried away in the spirit to
the Lamanites, the natives of this country, which are our Western Indians,
which are the lost Jews, and which are now to be brought in with the fullness [135]
of the Gentiles. |
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Waiting for baptism
Imitate |
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While in these visions they say that they can see the Indians on the banks
of the streams at the West waiting to be baptized; and they can hear them
sing and see them perform many of the Indian manoeuvres, which they try
to imitate in various ways; those that have these visions are mostly young
men and girls from twelve to twenty years old. |
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Fulfillment of Joel
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They say that they know they have the spirit of prophecy, and this is
some of that which was spoken by Joel the prophet, that in the last days
it shall come to pass that, "I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh,
and they shall prophesy" &—. |
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Joel 2 |
Lie lifeless for hours
Low voice prayers |
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These young men and women will lay sometimes for hours almost lifeless
to appearance, and when they begin to recover, they begin to pray in a low
voice or whisper, and after a little time, to act, they say, as the Indians
did where they were carried by the spirit. |
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13-year-old girl chains scriptures
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One girl about thirteen years old, while under the influence
of the spirit of prophecy, as they term it, would select passages of prophecy
from the Bible both old and new Testament, and also from the Mormon book,
and put them all together and make a complete chain or connection of prophecy,
which they say "they defy Scott or Campbell to connect with equal perfection." |
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¶ False
Spirits
¶ Ezra Booth Letters 8 |
Writings on hands
Indian imitations |
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While in these visions, they say they have writing come onto their hands
which no one can read but one in the same situation; if any one of their
brethren or sisters talk to them in Indian it will so please them that they
will laugh and set out many Indian capers and motions. |
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Running, falling down
Stump preaching |
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But of late their prophesying seems to have ceased, and they have taken
to running; the young men after falling down and recovering will start and
run half a mile, and then get upon a stump and begin to preach and pray
as loud as they can bawl. They have been seen to run to the river or brook
and make as though they were baptizing some person. Sometimes they call
out in these scenes—"There I have baptized one, then two, then
three," and so on. |
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Visionary mission calls |
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They also have a way of receiving a commission from
the Lord to go and preach. They are first warned and called while in a vision
that they must go into the world and preach; at another time they receive
a commission on a roll of paper handed to them from above in the presence
of all in the room; but what is contained on the paper I have not yet learned;
three of the young men that have received their commission in this way have
gone to preach; one by the name of Heman Basset,
one Edson Fuller, and Burr Riggs; they have been gone about ten days and
I have not yet heard from them. |
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Member Visions
Aerial Commissions
gone about ten days: ¶ Levi
Hancock indicates they arrived in Rome, Ashtabula
county (32 miles east of Kirtland) in January 1831. |
Baptisms at night
Night lights |
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They also see a great many lights in the night; one of their foremost
men in this place, while baptizing in the evening, (for they perform this
ceremony mostly in the night,) said he saw across the river a light as large
as the palm of his hand, which stood there while [he] was baptizing, which
he knows was a supernatural light; they have now become quite common and
they all see the lights; but others standing by do not see them. |
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Father Morley's vision of a ball of fire |
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I. Morley [136] said while in meeting at Mayfield, he saw a ball of fire about
the size of a dollar, come into the room and light upon a woman's clothes
near her feet, and from her come to him, and then to another person, and
so disappeared, to the astonishment of some others that saw it— |
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Edson Fuller jumping |
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E. Fuller while lying on the floor has been seen to jump up and cling
to a beam for a while and then drop like a log on the floor;—at other
times they will reach up until they touch a certain beam and then fall flat
on the floor; |
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Eyewitnesses |
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these accounts I have received from information a few hours after they
transpired, not have been an eye witness of many of them myself. And many
other signs and wonders and fanatical exhibitions, truly were done by this
people, which are not written, but these are written that you might believe,
and that believing you might remain firm in the doctrines of the New Testament
and not turn aside to Mormonism.—Observer. |
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Aerial Commissions
Kirtland 1830–1831
Ohio Opposition
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