| Common-stock families
of Kirtland area. Visit of the Lamanite missionaries. 130 baptized in 7
weeks. |
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| Community of Christ
[RLDS] historians report the Lyman Wight journal is no longer extant.
Before it disappeared, however, the following passage was entered into
the RLDS history. |
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May
1829 hears Sidney
Baptized Rigdonite |
¶ |
I resided in this place
[Warrensville, Ohio] till 1829, about the month of May, when I heard Sidney
Rigdon preach what was then called the Rigdonite doctrine. After [152] hearing
him go through the principle of baptism for the remission of sins I went
forward and was baptized by his hands. |
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Ohio preaching,
484n32; RLDS history 1:151–154. Bracketed text and italics in
RLDS history. |
| John
Murdock |
¶ |
August [same year] my
wife was baptized together with John Murdock
and many others by S. Rigdon.
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| All
in common |
¶ |
I now began to look
at the doctrine of the apostles pretty closely, and especially that part
contained in the second chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, where they
had all things common.
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Covenant
with Isaac Morley, Titus Billings
February 1830 to Kirtland |
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In
consideration of this doctrine I went to Kirtland, about twenty miles, to
see Bro. I. Morley and Billings, after some
conversation on the subject we entered [153] into a covenant to make our
interests one as anciently. In conformity to this covenant I moved the next
February [1830] to Kirtland, into the house with Bro. Morley. We commenced
our labors together with great peace and union. |
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| Eight
families at Isaac Morley's farm |
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We were soon joined
by eight other families. Our labors were united both in farming and mechanism,
all of which was prosecuted with great vigor. |
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| Millennium
close |
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We truly began to feel
as if the millennium was close at hand. |
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| Five Mayfield
families to form family |
¶ |
Everything moved smoothly on till about the first of November. About
this time five families concluded to join us in the town of Mayfield,
about seven miles up the river. They owning each a good farm and mills,
it was concluded best to establish a branch there; accordingly I was appointed
to go and take the charge of the same. |
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Parley,
Oliver, Peter, Ziba
Book of Mormon
Good-natured |
¶ |
When I had my goods about half loaded, there came along four men; namely,
P. Pratt (h), O.
Cowdery, P. Whitmer, and Ziba
Peterson, and brought with them the Book of Mormon, which they
wished to introduce to us. I desired they would hold on till I got
away, as my business was of vital importance, and I did not wish to
be troubled with romances nor idle speculators. But nothing daunted
they were not to be put off, but were as good-natured as you please.
Curiosity got uppermost, and I concluded to stop for a short time. |
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| One
saw angels, another saw plates, spiritual gifts |
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We called meeting and one testified that he had seen angels, and another
that he had seen the plates, and that the gifts were back in the church
again, etc. |
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| Long
meeting |
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The meeting became so interesting withal that I did not get away till
the sun was about an hour high at night, and it was dark before I arrived
at my new home. |
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| Destination
Missouri |
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But I amused myself by thinking that the trouble was over, and that I
should not see them again for a long time, supposing they would start
the next morning for the western boundary of the State of Missouri; but
in this I was very much disappointed. |
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| 7
weeks, 130 baptized |
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But to describe the
scenes of the next seven weeks, [in] which one scene would be as interesting
as another, would fill quite a large volume. I shall therefore content myself
by saying, that they brought the Book of Mormon to bear upon us, and the
whole of the common stock family was baptized. And during the seven weeks
they tarried they succeeded in building [154] up a church of one hundred
and thirty members. |
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| November
1830 baptized, confirmed, ordained |
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Myself
and family were baptized by P. Pratt on the 14th of November, 1830, in
Shageen [Chagrin] River, at Kirtland, Ohio. I was confirmed on the 18th by O. Cowdery,
and on the 20th ordained an elder by the same. |
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Lyman Wight
Lyman Wight (swh)
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