| Manifestations of divine displeasure—and
the lessons drawn from them—in the church's first nine years. |
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| Lucy Mack Smith |
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Death for rejecting missionary |
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| Samuel selling Books
of Mormon |
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On June 30, 1830
Samuel H. Smith leaves for Livonia, New York,
to "preach, and make sale of the books if possible." After twenty-five
miles he starts knocking on doors "in order to sell his books."
Refused in his first four tries, Samuel approaches an inn that is "surrounded
with every appearance of plenty." He asks the innkeeper "if he
did not wish to purchase a history of the origin of the Indians." |
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Lucy
Lucy's Book: A Critical Edition of Lucy Smith's Family Memoir, edited by Lavina Fielding Anderson (Salt Lake City: Signature Books), 2001.
, 479–480
(1853 version published by Orson Pratt, based on the 1845 Coray manuscript).
This is traditionally portrayed as the "first mission" of Mormon
history.
Samuel's Books |
| Rejected by innkeeper |
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When told the book was translated
from gold plates found in the ground, the proprietor calls Samuel a damned
liar and kicks him out. |
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Samuel was sick at heart, for this was the fifth time he
had been turned out of doors that day. He left the house, and travelled
a short distance, and washed his feet in a small brook, as a testimony against
the man. |
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He proceeds on a mission, the principal achievement
of which is leaving a copy of the book with Rev. John P. Greene, an itinerant
Methodist preacher who lives in Mendon, New York. |
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| Small pox kills innkeeper and
family |
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Two weeks later, Samuel, accompanied by his parents,
start out for the Greenes. Passing by the infamous inn, they notice that
it is quarrantened—small pox. The innkeeper and two of his family have
died. |
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| Moral |
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This is a specimen of the peculiar disposition
of some individuals, who would purchase their death for a few shillings,
but sacrifice their soul's salvation rather than give a Saint of God a meal
of victuals. According to the Word of God, it shall be more tolerable for
Sodom and Gomorrah, in the day of judgment, than for such persons. |
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| Joseph |
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Cholera in the East, Indians in the West |
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| Cholera strikes in the East |
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[God] is streaching forth his hand in awful Judgment upon all the face
of the earth … the cholera is cutting down its hundreds in the city
of New York pr day also is raging in Boston, Charleston Rocheste[r] Albany
& Buffalo and in all the large citys in the eastern country …
[Elmira Scobey in Detroit writes that] hundreds of families are a fleeing
to the country and the country people have become alarmed and torn up the
bridges and stopped all communication and even shot peoples horses down
under them who attempt to cross the river … [people are] a dying in
the sheds and fields and nobody to bury them |
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To W. W. Phelps, 31 July 1832
in
JS personal
Personal Writings of Joseph Smith, 1st ed., compiled and edited by Dean C. Jessee (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company, 1984).
, 2nd ed., 274–275; also, Joseph
to W. W. Phelps, July 31, 1832 |
| Indians rampage |
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while between us and you the Indians are a spreading death
and devestation wherever they go no force has as yet been brought sufficient
to stand before them … |
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Chief Black Hawk
led several hundred Sauk and Fox warriors across the Mississippi River and
attacked frontier settlements in an effort to recover lost lands. They were
massacred on August 3 attempting to retreat from southern Wisconsin into
Iowa.
JS personal
Personal Writings of Joseph Smith, 1st ed., compiled and edited by Dean C. Jessee (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company, 1984).
, 2nd ed., 274n13. |
| Let Zion be a refuge |
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in this day of calamity the saints & sinner[s] hearts
are almost failing them for fear and are crying to whom shall we go or whethe[r]
shall we flee O my God spare Zion that it may be a place of Reffuge and
of safety. |
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| Mary Fielding |
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Death for opposing the Prophet |
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Around September 1, 1837, Mary Fielding, writes to her sister Mercy—who
is on a mission to Canada with her husband, Robert
B. Thompson—describing conditions in Kirtland. |
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Women's Voices
Women's Voices: An Untold History of the Latter-day Saints, 1830-1900, compiled and edited by Kenneth W. Godfrey, Audrey M. Godfrey, and Jill Muvay Derr (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company), 1982.
, 66.
The letter is undated. |
Mr. Clarke refuses to sell, opposes church
Joseph curses |
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The church wanted to purchase the property of a Mr. W. Clarke, a miller.
Mr. Clarke, being "a great opposer of our Church," refused to
sell "on any reasonable terms." In the late fall or early winter
of 1836–1837, Joseph "told Mr. C that the curse of God would be
upon him for his conduct towards him and the Church." |
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| Clarke prospers, ready for another curse |
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But instead, the miller prospered. So much so, that he "told a person
some time ago that he was ready for another of Joseph Smiths Curses."
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| Carriage accident |
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Then, on August 20 ("the Sunday before last"), as the Clarke
family and friends return home from Prebyterian services in a "very
nice carriage", they passed the House of the Lord, when suddenly the
horses startled and ran down the hill, overturning the carriage and seriously
injuring Mr. and Mrs. Clarke and one child. |
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| Death of Mrs. Clarke |
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Mrs. Clarke was buried three days later, leaving six children
"and a mourning Husband indeed." |
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It is said that the day before the accident, Mrs. Clarke "was heard
to speak very unfavourabley of our Church but is now gone to prove whether
it is the Church of Christ or not." |
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| Visitation [of punishment] |
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Mary "greatly desire[s] that the visitation may be sanctified to
the Family." Referring to Mr. Clarke's remarks about being ready for
another curse, Mary adds: |
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| No trifling sin |
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May the Lord forgive and save him and all others who raise their hand
against the Lords anointed for I see more clearly than ever that this is
no trifling sin in the sight of God. No it is as great as ever it was in
any age of the world. I sincerely wish that all the members of the Church
had a proper sense of their duty and privilege in this respect. |
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