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| The 1834–1836 History includes genealogy,
Oliver Cowdery's eight letters of church history, and ??. Its 553 pages
were written between September 22, 1835 and January 17, 1836. |
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A-1 |
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| Volume A-1 |
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Joseph and his scribes often refer
to the first volume as "the large journal." It is labeled A-1
on the spine and includes two accounts. The first, which I refer to as
the 1834 –1836 History, contains
191 numbered pages. The second, which I refer to as MHC
A-1, is the beginning
of the Manuscript History of the Church. |
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Only 187 of the 191 numbered
pages contain text. |
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1834 –1836 History |
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The 1834 –1836 History is
not titled in the manuscript (Dean Jessee titles his transcript, "History,
1834 –1836" in the Papers of Joseph Smith, Volume
1: Autobiographical and Historical Writings). |
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| Begins with genealogy |
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Oliver Cowdery was
the first to write in the large journal, in 1834. He began with a genealogy
of each member of the First Presidency (Joseph Smith, Oliver
Cowdery, Sidney
Rigdon, Frederick G. Williams). Joseph's and Oliver's genealogies were
completed. Page headings supplied for Sidney's and Frederick's genealogies
but otherwise their pages are blank. |
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First Presidency
Ordination of Oliver, Hyrum |
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Then Oliver writes "Chapter
1," dated
December 5, 1834. On this day, he explains, Joseph, Sidney, and Frederick
ordain him "to the office of assistant President of the High and Holy
Priesthood in the Church of Latter-Day Saints." Then he explains the
offices of president and assistant president and why he wasn't ordained
assistant president earlier (he was out of town), so Sidney and Frederick
were ordained to assist the president. The importance of addressing brethren
by their titles instead of by given names. On December 6, the First Presidency
meet with Joseph Sr., Hyrum, William, and Don Carlos. Hyrum is ordained
a president to assist Joseph, and the others are blessed. |
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Minutes
of December 5, 1834
Minutes of December 6, 1834 |
| Oliver's eight letters |
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After Oliver's entries follow twenty-four
blank pages. Then Frederick G. Williams begins
writing under the heading "September
1834." He introduces Oliver's eight letters to W.
W. Phelps, which
were published in the Messenger and Advocate between October 1834
and October 1835. The first letter is dated September 7, 1834. The "September
1834" refers to the date the letter was composed, not the date Frederick
copies it. Near the end of the second letter, Warren
Parrish takes over
and completes the set of letters. Altogether, the letters take fifty-eight
manuscript pages. Warren Parrish writes from October 29, 1835 to September
1835. |
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is in the handwriting of Oliver
Cowdery, Frederick G. Williams, Warren Parrish, Warren A. Cowdery. Oliver
begins the account on October 29, 1835 with Joseph's genealogy and his
own, and an entry for December 5–6. After a few blank pages, Frederick
G. Williams begins copying Oliver's letters that were published in the Evening
and Morning Star beginning in October 1834 about the Book of Mormon
and the beginning of the church. |
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History
of Joseph Smith: Contents
Handwriting is identified by Dean Jessee in footnotes of "Journal, 1835–1836," JS personal,
rev. ed., 82–225. |
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