| Organization of the Church
of Christ |
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| Location: Fayette |
| BCR |
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Revelation dated April 6, 1830 at Fayette, New York. Copied into BCR [ 1831]. |
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D&C 21 |
| Fayette |
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Minutes of a May 3,
1834 conference that Joseph Smith, Frederick
G. Williams, and Oliver
Cowdery submitted to the Evening
and Morning Star specify Fayette (Peter Whitmer Sr.'s home): |
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See Dean Jessee on discrepancies of location of meeting. Papers 1:242n2. |
| Joseph: Fayette |
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MINUTES of a Conference
of the Elders of the church of Christ, which church was organized in the
township of, Seneca county, New-York, on the 6th of April, A. D.
1830. … |
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EMS 2, no. 20 (May 1834): 160.
Minutes of May 3, 1834 |
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David Whitmer's 1887
pamphlet states the church was organized in his father's home: |
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David Whitmer |
| David Whitmer |
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Now, when April 6, 1830
had come, we had then established three branches of the "Church of
Christ," in which three branches were about seventy members: One branch
was at Fayette, N. Y.; one at Manchester N. Y., and one at Colesville, Pa.
It is all a mistake about the church being organized on April 6,
1830, as I will show. We were as fully organized—spiritually—before
April 6th as we were on that day. The reason why we met on that day was
this; the world had been telling us that we were not a regularly organized
church, and we had no right to officiate in the ordinances of marriage,
hold church property, etc., and that we should organize according to the
laws of the land. On this account we met at my father’s house in Fayette,
N. Y. on April 6, 1830, to attend to this matter of organizing according
to the laws of the land; you can see this from Sec. 17 [sic] Doctrine and
Covenants: the church was organized on April 6th "agreeable to
the laws of our country." |
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Address to believers, 33.
Articles and Covenants,
later BC 24:2, 1835 D&C 2:1, and current D&C 20:1. (These texts
do not specify a location.) |
| Location: Manchester |
Manchester, New York |
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1833 Evening
and Morning Star and Book of Commandments have the church organized in Manchester: |
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H. Michael Marquardt
and Wesley P. Walters favor the Manchester site (Inventing, 154,
155 –156, 157); as does Dan Vogel (Early documents 1:92n82). |
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It will be three years the sixth
of April next, since the church of Christ was organized, in Manchester,
New York, with six members. |
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EMS
1, no. 10 (Mar. 1833): [4]. |
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Soon after the Book of Mormon came
forth, containing the fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the church
was organized on the sixth of April, in Manchester; soon after, a branch
was established in Fayette, and the June following, another in Colesville,
New York. |
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EMS
1, no. 11 (Apr. 1833): [4]. |
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Headings in the Book of Commandments
17–22 for the revelations of April 6, 1830, state "given in Manchester,
New York." |
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1835 D&C 45 combines all six into one
revelation "given April, 1830." No location is mentioned. |
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Draft History (1839)
Papers, 241–244. |
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Manuscript History
MH-A, 37–38. |
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For a more extensive comparison of these two documents, see Early documents 1:54–144. |
Book of Mormon at press
Organization April 6, 1830
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Whilst the Book of Mormon was in
the hands of the printer, we still continued to bear testimony and preach
to such as would hear as far as we had opportunity. And <We>
made known also to those
[-] who had already been baptized, that we had received commandment
to organize the Church <Revelation Page 177—>:
and accordingly we <met> to gether, <(being about 30 <six>
in number) besides a number who were beleiving—[242]
met with us> on Tuesday the Sixth of Aprile
in the year of our A.D. A thousand E One thousand, Eight hundred and
thirty, |
¶ |
Whilst the Book of Mormon was in the hands of
the printer, we still continued to bear testimony, and
give information, as far as we had opportunity; And
Also made known to our brethren, that
we had received commandment to organize the Church And accordingly we met
together for that purpose, at the house of the above
mentioned Mr Whitmer (being six in number) on Tuesday the sixth
day of April, A.D. one thousand, eight hundred
and thirty. |
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HC 1:76 omits the
above mentioned. |
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and proceded, as follows, at the
house of the above mentioned Mr. Whitmer—Having opened the meeting
by solemn prayer to our Heavenly Father <and the meeting Ch brethren & Sisters having by uninimous vote, accepted us as &c> |
¶ |
Having opened the meeting by solemn prayer to
our heavenly Father we proceeded, (according to previous commandment) to
Call on our brethren to know whether they accepted us as their teachers
in the things of the Kingdom of God, And whether they were satisfied that
we should proceed and be organized as
a Church according to said commandment which we had received. |
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To these
they consented by an unanimous vote. |
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"To these several
propositions they consented by a unanimous vote." HC 1:77. |
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I proceeded
to lay my hands upon Oliver Cowdery—and ordained him an Elder
of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, after which he ordained
me also to the office of an Elder of said Church. |
¶ |
I then laid my
hands upon Oliver Cowdery and ordained him an Elder of the "Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints." after which he ordained me also
to the office of an Elder of said Church.
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¶ Articles
and Covenants
Oliver Cowdery
HC 1:78, Latter-day |
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We then took bread, blessed it, & brake it
with them, also wine, blessed it, and drank it with them. |
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We then took bread, blessed it, and brake it
with them, also wine, blessed it, and drank it with them. |
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We then laid our hands on each individual member
of the Church present, to confirm them members of
the Church of Jesus Christ, and that they might receive the Holy
Ghost, when immediately |
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We then laid our hands on each individual member
of the Church present that they might receive the gift
of the Holy Ghost, and be confirmed members of the Church of Christ. |
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the Holy Ghost was poured out upon
the [243] whole community us all in a miraculous
manner <to a greater or less degree.>
Some prophecied, many spoke with new tongues, and some <several>
of our number were <so> completely overpowered for a time, that we
were obliged to lay them upon beds &c &c, and when bodily sensibility
was restored to them they shouted Hosannas to God and the Lamb—and
declared that the Heavens had been opened unto them, <especialy N Knights>
that they had seen Jesus Christ sitting at the right hand of the Majesty
on high, and many other great and glorious things. |
¶ |
The Holy Ghost was poured out upon us to a very
great degree. Some prop<h>esied, whilst we all
praised the Lord and rejoiced exceedingly. |
Across the bottom of the draft
pages: "Father Smith Martin Harris baptized this evening 6th April.
Mother Smith & Sister Rockwell 2 or 3 days afterward." |
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Whilst yet together I received
the following commandment. |
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Revelation to Joseph Smith Jr,
Given at Fayette, Seneca Co, N Y. April 6th 1830. |
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HC 1:78, "Revelation
to Joseph Smith, Jun., given at Fayette, Seneca County, New York, April
6th, 1830." |
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Either at this time or very shortly after was
the following were (with others) called to the priesthood & ordained
to the respective offices, according as the Spirit made it manifest, viz
Joseph Smith Senior, Hyrum Smith, John Whitmer, Peter Whitmer, Christian
Whitmer Samuel Martin Smith, Martin Harris. |
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We afterwards
called out and ordained Several <some
others> of the brethren to the respective
offices of the Priesthood, according as the Spirit made
manifest unto us. <Revelation> |
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[38] …We now proceeded to call
out and ordain some others of the brethren to different
offices of the Priesthood, according as the Spirit manifested
unto us; |
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As may reasonably
<be> expected, such scenes as these were calculated, to inspired our
hearts with Joy unspeakable, at the same time that we felt our ourselves
almost over whelmed, with awe and reverence for that Almighty Being, by
whose grace we had been called to be instrumental in bringing about for
the Children of men, the enjoyment of such glorious blessings, as were now
at this time poured out upon us. |
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To find ourselves engaged
in the very same order of things which were observed by the Holy Apostles
of old, To realize the importance and solemnity of the above mentioned proceedings,
and to witness <& feel> with our own natural senses, the like
glorious manifest[at]ions of the powers of the Priesthood; the gifts and blessings
of the Holy Ghost, which we had often read of as a things and the goodness
and grace of a merciful God, unto such as obey the [244] everlasting gospel
of our Lord Jesus Christ, combined to create within us sensations of rapturous
gratitude, which may be felt, but whi cannot be described. |
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After a considerable
time spent in such <a> happy manner, |
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And after a happy
time spent in witnessing And feeling for ourselves
the [-] powers <&> the blessings of the Holy Ghost, through the grace of God
bestowed upon us, |
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we dismissed; with the pleasing knowledge, that
we now individually were members of—and had been acknowledged of God,
The organized Church of Jesus Christ, organized in accordance with
commandments and revelations given by him to ourselves, in these
last days; as well as according to the order of the Church of
Christ, as found recorded in the New
Testament. |
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we dismissed with the pleasing knowledge that we were
now individually members of, and acknowledged of God, "The Church of
Jesus Christ," organized in accordance with commandments and revelations,
given by him to ourselves, in these last days,
as well as according to the order of the Church as recorded in the New Testament. |
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Along the bottom of the draft pages: "Father Smith Martin Harris baptized this evening 6th April. Mother Smith & Sister Rockwell 2 or 3 days afterward." Early documents 1:97n89. |
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Several persons who attended this
meeting, but who had <not> as yet been baptized,
came forward shortly after, and were received into the Church having
on that occasion got entirely convinced of the truth of the work.
Among the rest Father Smith, Martin Harris Mother Smith. |
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Several persons who had
attended the above meeting, And
got convinced of the truth. came forward shortly after, and were
received into the Church, Among the rest My own
father and mother were
baptized to my great joy and consolation, and about the same time
Martin Harris And a <Orrin Porter> Rockwell. |
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"Joseph stood on the shore
when his father came out of the water and as he took him by the hand he
cried out Oh! my God I have lived to see my father baptized into the true
church of Jesus christ and <he> covered his face with and wept like
an infant sobbed upon his father's bosom like an infant <in his fathers
bosom and wept aloud like for joy as did> Joseph of old when he beheld
his father coming up into the land of Egypt this took pla<ace> on
the sixth of April 1830. the d[a]y on which the church was organized"
Lucy, rough draft, 477.
"I had Ben there several Days. Old Mr Smith and Martin Harris Come forrod
to Be Babtise for the first. They found a place in a lot a small Stream
ran thro and they ware Babtized in the Evening Because of persecution. …
Joseph was fild with the Spirrit to a grate Degree to see his Father and
Mr Harris that he had Bin with so much he Bast [burst] out with greaf and
Joy and seamed as tho the world Could not hold him. He went out into the
Lot and appeard to want to git out of site of every Body and would sob and
Crie and seamed to Be so full that he could not live. Oliver and I went
after him and Came to him and after a while he Came in. But he was the most
wrot upon that I ever saw any man. But his joy seemed to Be full. I think
he saw the grat work he had Begun and was Desirus to Carry it out." ,
37.
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Revelation page 176—& Revelation 178 [of the 1835 Doctrine and Covenants] |
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Revelation to the Church of Christ, which was established in these last days, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and thirty: Given <at> Manchester New York, April 1830, in consequence of some desiring to unite with the Church without re-baptism, who had previously been baptized. |
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D&C 23
and 22. |
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Account of April 11, 1830
Minutes of June 9, 1830
New York Minutes
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