The Migration to Ohio
The History and Background of Doctrine and Covenants 37-40
I hope that each one of you enjoyed the Easter and Passover season, and that you were refreshed by the Lord in your faith in Him.
After a brief pause in my writing, I would like to pick up again where we left off, and to continue our study of the Doctrine and Covenants. This week we are studying Doctrine and Covenants 37-40. It is an exciting and important time in the early history of the Church of Jesus Christ. The foundations of truth and faith in Christ were laid, and Mormonism gained great momentum.
During Holy Week, Passover, and Easter Sunday, my faith in Jesus Christ was strengthened in the midst of challenges. I love Jesus Christ and His Gospel, and I love the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. As those who have followed my posts on the Doctrine and Covenants from the beginning understand, however, I have many questions about the modern organization that sprang from the roots that the Prophet Joseph Smith and his friends planted. I know that Jesus Christ lives, that His Gospel is true, that the Book of Mormon is the word of God that the Prophet Joseph Smith translated by the gift and power of God, and that the gifts of the Spirit operate among the latter-day Saints. I know that the roots and the foundations of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are good, because I’ve experienced the love, joy, peace, light, hope, and other fruits of the Spirit that the Lord bestows upon those who diligently seek Him. I know that God loves His children, as Nephi wrote, but I do not know the meaning of all things.
One of the purposes of my study, besides seeking greater conversion to Christ and His Gospel, is to clarify in my own mind what my questions are, or what they should be, and how best to find the answers to my questions. I believe that truth will cut its own way, and like Sister Phebe Rigdon, I have counted the cost, and it is my desire to do the will of God, come life or come death. I pray that in our study of the Doctrine and Covenants we will be led to greater light and truth and greater desire and capacity to serve God and His children. I am confident that through our deep study of the Doctrine and Covenants we will be led to better questions and better answers. I am content to hold on to the things that I know with certainty, namely that God loves His children, while patiently and persistently seeking for greater light and truth on things that are currently perplexing.
The historical context for Doctrine and Covenants 37–38 is simple. Toward the end of 1830 and at the beginning of 1831, before the Church of Jesus Christ was even a year old, the Lord prepared His servant Joseph and His Saints to move to the Ohio. The Lord prepared and gathered His people to Kirtland in order to bless them, endow them with power, and also to visit them in Person. I have begun to read another book on early LDS Church history called The Savior in Kirtland, by Karl Ricks Anderson. Although there are troubling rumors about the author and another LDS scholar and historian with the same last name, from what I understand, this book contains essential material for understanding the development of the early Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
There are still many questions to address regarding the Prophet Joseph Smith, the First Vision, the translation of the Book of Mormon, and so forth, but these are questions that we can address along the way even as we move forward with our study of the Doctrine and Covenants. With the foundations in place, and the deep roots sinking deeper into the Gospel soil, we can begin to explore the history of the rapidly growing Church of Jesus Christ as the Saints migrated to the Ohio.
As mentioned in the LDS Come Follow Me manual, new members of the Church of Jesus Christ made difficult sacrifices to move to Ohio in the winter of 1831. Many of the two or three hundred members of the Church gave up lands, homes, and property to move more than 250 miles to the new gathering place. These early Saints, and especially Joseph Smith’s mother Lucy Mack Smith, exercised great faith in Jesus Christ and were blessed with miracles along the way. The Lord called them to labor in His vineyard, to build up His Church, and to bring forth Zion, and miracles ensued. I especially like this observation by the authors of the LDS Come Follow Me manual:
To the early Saints, the Church was more than a place to hear some preaching on Sunday. The revelations used words like cause, kingdom, Zion, and, quite often, work. That may have been part of what attracted people to the restored Church. As much as they loved the doctrine, many also wanted something holy they could dedicate their lives to. Even so, obeying the Lord’s 1830 command to gather in Ohio was not easy. For many, it meant leaving comfortable homes for an unfamiliar frontier (see “Voices of the Restoration: Gathering to Ohio”). Today we can see clearly what those Saints could see only with the eye of faith: the Lord had great blessings waiting for them in Ohio.
The need to gather to Ohio has long since passed, but Saints today still unite around the same cause: to “bring forth Zion” (Doctrine and Covenants 39:13). Like those early Saints, we are invited to forsake “the cares of the world” (Doctrine and Covenants 40:2) and trust the Lord’s promise: “You shall receive … a blessing so great as you never have known” (Doctrine and Covenants 39:10).
See also Saints, 1:109–11.
In essence, Joseph Smith and the early Saints responded to the Lord’s call: “Come, follow me.” They sought first the Kingdom of God, and they built up the Kingdom of God on the earth and established Zion. Or, at least, they laid the foundations for Zion.
Honestly, I can’t think of anything else in which I would rather participate, or anything else that is of greater worth, or anything else that is nearly as exciting as the cause of Zion, which is the cause of Jesus Christ. I’ll repeat Joseph Smith’s declaration near the end of his life because he best articulated the way that I feel about the Lord’s work:
The cause of God is one common cause, in which all the Saints are alike interested, we are all members of the one common body, and all partake of the same spirit, and are baptized into one baptism, and possess alike the sa[m]e glorious hope.
The advancement of the cause of God and the building up of Zion is as much one man’s business as another. The only differance is that one is called to fulfil one duty and another another duty; “but if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it, and if one member is honored all the rest rejoice with it, and the eye cannot say to the ear I have no need of thee, nor the head to the foot I have no need of thee; party feelings, separate interests, exclusive designs should be lost sight off in the one common cause, in the interest of the whole.
The building up of Zion is a cause that has interested the people of God in every age; it isa theme upon which prophets, priests, and kings have dwelt with peculiar delight; they have looked forward with joyful anticipation to the day in which we lived; and fired with heavenly and joyful anticipations they have sung, and wrote, and prophesied of this our day;—but they died without the sight; we are the favored people that God has made choice of to bring about the Latter Day glory; it is left for us to see, participate in, and help to roll forward the Latter Day glory; “the dispensation of the fulness of times, when God will gather together all things that are in heaven, and all things that are upon the earth, even in one,” when the saints of God will be gathered in one from every nation, and kindred, and people, and tongue, when the Jews will be gathered together into one, the wicked will also begathered together to be destroyed, as spoken of by the prophets; the spirit of God will also dwell with his people, and be withdrawn from the rest of the nations, and all things whether in heaven or on earth will be in one, even in Christ.
The heavenly priesthood will unite with the earthly, to bring about those great purposes; and whilst we are thus united in the one common cause to roll forth the kingdom of God, the Heavenly Priesthood are not idle spectators; the spirit of God will be showered down from above, it will dwell in our midst. The blessings of the Most High will rest upon our tabernacles, and our name will be handed down to future ages; our children will rise up and call us blessed; and generations yet unborn will dwell with peculiar delight upon the scenes that we have passed through, the privations that we have endured; the untirtng [untiring] zeal that we have manifested; the insurmountable difficulties that we have overcome in laying the foundation of a work that brought about the glory and blessings which they will realize; a work that God and angels have contemplated with delight, for generations past; that fired the souls of the ancient patriarchs and prophets—a work that is destined to bring about the destruction of the powers of darkness, the renovation of the earth, the glory of God, and the salvation of the human family.
This is the greatest cause. This is the greatest purpose. It is God’s purpose to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man, and each one of us has a role to play in this great cause. The early Saints began to flock to Kirtland for this very cause.
Joseph Smith the Prophet and Seer was the Lord’s chosen servant and leader in this cause, like Enoch, Moses, and others before him, and he received the spirit of all the prophets who preceded him. But as Joseph Smith himself declared, the advancement of the cause of God and the building up of Zion is as much one man’s business as another. We each have different duties, and everyone is needed.
Why did Joseph Smith and the early Saints move to Ohio?
The Call to Gather
Rigdon and Partridge’s arrival in New York brought with it word of how deeply the restored gospel had taken root in Ohio.9 And even as the number of converts in Ohio rapidly grew, the Church in New York faced increasing opposition. A few months previously, Joseph Smith had received a revelation declaring that the Church should be gathered in one place, though that location had not yet been revealed (see D&C 29:7–8).
Joseph’s mother, Lucy, later remembered that Joseph had received word that the fledgling congregations in Ohio were badly in need of direction, as the number of converts had ballooned to 300.10 Then, as Joseph and Sidney Rigdon traveled from Fayette to Canandaigua, New York, in late December, they received a revelation directing the Church to “go to the Ohio.”11 In the revelation, the men were also directed to temporarily stop working on the Bible revision in order to strengthen the congregations in New York in preparation for the move.
Three days later, the third conference of the Church convened in Fayette, and Joseph announced to the members the Lord’s charge to leave their homes and gather in Ohio. In connection with the announcement, Joseph dictated another revelation that elaborated on the command to gather and promised members that in Ohio they would receive God’s “law & there you shall be endowed with power from on high.”12
Newel Knight later wrote that the members present were “instructed as a people, to begin the gathering of Israel, and a revelation was given to the Prophet on this subject.”13 Though some Church members balked at the commandment to abandon their homes and gather to a new place, after a night of fasting and prayer, the young Church committed to obey the charge.14
This is part of the background for the revelations that we are studying this week in Doctrine and Covenants 37-40. The Prophet Joseph Smith was the first to depart for Ohio. He and Emma Smith traveled with Sidney Rigdon and Edward Partridge who were returning to their homes near Kirtland. They preached the Gospel of Jesus Christ along the way, and several souls were converted. In Joseph Smith and the Doctrine and Covenants, Milton V. Backman, Jr. and Richard O. Cowan shed more light on the background for these sections:
Joseph and his companions arrived in Kirtland about the first of February 1831. When the sleigh pulled up in front of a store owned by Sidney Gilbert and Newel Whitney, the Prophet sprang out, “walked into the store and to where the junior partner was standing. ‘Newel K. Whitney! thou are the man!’ he exclaimed, extending his hand cordially, as if to an old and familiar acquaintance. ‘You have the advantage of me,’ replied the merchant, as he mechanically took the proffered hand, ‘I could not call you by the name as you have me.’ ‘I am Joseph the Prophet,’ said the stranger smiling. ‘You’ve prayed me here, now what do you want of me?’” (History of the Church, 1:146 n.) The Whitneys kindly extended hospitality to the Prophet and his wife.
Other groups of Saints followed, and by the summer of 1831 about two hundred New York and Pennsylvania Saints had migrated to Ohio. Some of the challenges, trials, and unusual experiences that accompanied this migration were recorded by two participants, Newel Knight and Lucy Mack Smith. (pp. 46-47)
Newel Knight noted in his journals that the gathering of Israel had begun, and that in obedience to the revelation, he and the Saints of the Colesville branch of the Church of Jesus Christ journeyed to Ohio. He also recorded a healing miracle for his aunt Electa Peck.
Lucy Mack Smith, the Prophet’s mother, recorded one of my favorite stories about the gathering to Ohio. She was a woman of great faith in Christ and undaunted determination. She was a true believer. I’ve read her biography of her son, and there’s simply no way anyone, let alone an aging woman who had endured many hardships, could have made up these stories. Consider the following account and decide for yourself if she was an honest and faithful woman or a co-conspirator with her son:
History of the Prophet Joseph, by His Mother by Lucy Smith
CHAPTER XXXIX.
THE DIFFERENT BRANCHES OF THE CHURCH REMOVE TO KIRTLAND—MIRACLE AT BUFFALO.
Soon after my husband and Joseph left for Kirtland, William, being one of the teachers, visited the church; and calling upon each family, he remained with them until each individual belonging to the house had prayed in his hearing.
When the brethren considered the spring sufficiently open for traveling on the water, we all began to prepare for our removal to Kirtland. We hired a boat of a certain Methodist preacher, and appointed a time to meet at our house, for the purpose of setting off together; and when we were thus collected, we numbered eighty souls. The people of the surrounding country came and bade us farewell, invoking the blessing of heaven upon our heads.
A few minutes before we started, an old brother by the name of Humphry, arrived from Stockholm. This man was convinced by Don Carlos, at the time that he visited his grandfather in company with my husband.
On account of Brother Humphry's age, I wished him to take charge of the company, but he refused, saying that everything should be done, just as mother Smith said; and to this the whole company responded, "yes." At that instant, one Esquire Chamberlain came on board, and asked me, if I had what money I wanted to make my family comfortable. I replied, that I had an abundance for myself and children, but he might, perhaps, find some on board, who stood in need of assistance. "Well," said he, "here is a little money, and you can deal it out as you like," and, handing me seventeen dollars, he left the boat. Soon after this, we were pushed off and under fine headway.
I then called the brethren and sisters together, and reminded them that we were traveling by the commandment of the Lord, as much as Father Lehi was, when he left Jerusalem; and, if faithful, we had the same reason to expect the blessings of God. I then desired them to be solemn, and to lift their hearts to God continually in prayer, that we might be prospered. We then seated ourselves and sang a hymn. The captain was so delighted with the music, that he called to the mate, saying, "Do, for God's sake come here, and steer the boat; for I must hear that singing." He afterwards expressed his pleasure and surprise at seeing such an appearance of devotion among us, stating that his wife had refused to accompany him, on account of her prejudice against us, which he very much regretted.
At the approach of sunset, we seated ourselves, and sang another hymn. The music sounded beautifully upon the water, and had a salutary effect upon every heart, filling our souls with love and gratitude to God, for his manifold goodness towards us.
The services of the evening being ended, I inquired of the brethren concerning the amount of provisions which they had on hand for the journey; and, to my surprise, I ascertained that we had on board, besides twenty grown persons, thirty children, who were almost destitute of food. This was unaccountable to me at first, but I afterwards learned that they had converted their substance into clothing, expecting that those who were in better circumstances would support them, as well as defray their traveling expenses; those, however, from whom they expected the most assistance, disappointed them, consequently, the burden was thrown entirely upon my shoulders. From this time forward, I furnished the whole fifty persons with food from day to day.
I soon discovered among the mothers, a kind of carelessness with regard to their children, even when their lives were in danger. So I called them together, and endeavored to impress upon their minds the importance of doing their duty to their children; that in such a place as this, especially, they ought to keep them constantly by their side; that they should consider that children were given to them for a blessing, and if they did not treat them as such, they would be taken from them. Still they were negligent, and excused themselves by saying, that their children were disobedient. I told the sisters that I could manage their children, and if they were not better controlled by their mothers, I should take the control of them.
I then called the children around me, and said to them, "Now, children, mark what I say to you. When I come up stairs, and raise my hand, you must, every one of you, run to me as fast as you can. Will you do as I tell you?"
"Yes," they replied, with one unanimous voice. And they strictly kept their faith to the end of the journey.
On getting about half way to Buffalo, the canal broke. This gave rise to much murmuring and discontentment, which was expressed in terms like the following:
"Well, the canal is broke now, and here we are, and here we are likely to be, for we can go no further. We have left our homes, and here we have no means of getting a living, consequently we shall have to starve."
"No, no," said I, "you will not starve, brethren, nor anything of that sort; only do be patient and stop your murmuring. I have no doubt but the hand of the Lord is over us for good; perhaps it is best for us to be here a short time. It is quite probable that the boats cannot leave Buffalo harbor on account of the ice; if so, the town must inevitably be crowded with families, in which case it would be next to impossible for us to get into a comfortable house. Are we not in far better circumstances in our present situation?"
"Well, well," returned the sisters, "I suppose you know best; but it does seem as if it would have been better for us to have staid where we were, for there we could sit in our rocking chairs, and take as much comfort as we pleased, but here we are tired out, and have no place to rest ourselves."
Whilst this was passing, a citizen of the place came on board, and after inquiring what denomination we belonged to, he requested that, if there were any preachers on board, a meeting would be appointed in the neigborhood. I introduced him to Elders Humphry and Page, who appointed a meeting for the next day, which was held on a beautiful green, bordering on the canal, and of sufficient size to accommodate a hundred persons. They listened with attention, and requested that another meeting might be appointed for the succeeding day, but, as the canal was repaired by eleven o'clock, we proceeded on our journey, and arrived at Buffalo on the fifth day after leaving Waterloo.
Here we found the brethren from Colesville, who informed us that they had been detained one week at this place, waiting for the navigation to open. Also, that Mr. Smith and Hyrum had gone through to Kirtland by land, in order to be there by the first of April.
I asked them if they had confessed to the people that they were "Mormons." "No, indeed," they replied, "neither must you mention a word about your religion, for if you do you will never be able to get a house, or a boat either."
I told them I should tell the people precisely who I was; "and," continued I, "if you are ashamed of Christ, you must not expect to be prospered; and I shall wonder if we do not get to Kirtland before you."
While we were talking with the Colesville brethren, another boat landed, having on board about thirty brethren, among whom was Thomas B. Marsh, who immediately joined us, and, like the Colesville brethren, he was decidedly opposed to our attending to prayer, or making known that we were professors of religion. He said that if our company persisted in singing and praying, as we had hitherto done, we should be mobbed before the next morning.
"Mob it is, then," said I, "we shall attend to prayer before sunset, mob or no mob." Mr. Marsh, at this, left considerably irritated. I then requested brothers Humphry and Page to go around among the boatmen, and inquire for one Captain Blake, who was formerly captain of a boat belonging to my brother, General Mack, and who, upon my brother's decease, purchased the boat, and still commanded the same. They went in search of the man, and soon found him, and learned from him that his boat was already laden with the usual amount of passengers and freight. He said, however, that he thought he could make room for us if we would take a deck passage. As this was our only opportunity, we moved our goods on board the next day, and by the time that we fairly settled ourselves, it began to rain. This rendered our situation very uncomfortable, and some of the sisters complained bitterly because we had not hired a house till the boat was ready to start. In fact their case was rather a trying one, for some of them had sick children; in consequence of which, Brother Page went out for the purpose of getting a room for the women and sick children, but returned unsuccessful. At this the sisters renewed their complaints, and declared that they would have a house, let the consequences be what they might. In order to satisfy them, I set out myself, with my son William, although it was still raining very fast, to see if it were possible to procure a shelter for them and their children.
I stopped at the first tavern, and inquired of the landlord if he could let me have a room for some women and children who were sick. The landlord replied that he could easily make room for them. At this, a woman who was present turned upon him very sharply, saying, "I have put up here myself, and I am not a-going to have anybody's things in my way. I'll warrant the children have got the whooping cough or measles, or some other contagious disease, and, if they come, I will go somewhere else."
"Why, madam," said the landlord, "that is not necessary, you can still have one large room."
"I don't care," said she, "I want 'em both, and if I can't have 'em, I won't stay—that's it."
"Never mind," said I, "it is no matter; I suppose I can get a room somewhere else, just as well."
"No, you can't though," rejoined the lady, "for we hunted all over the town, and we could not find one single one till we got here."
I left immediately, and went on my way. Presently I came to a long row of rooms, one of which appeared to be almost vacant. I inquired if it could be rented for a few days. The owner of the buildings, I found to be a cheerful old lady, near seventy years of age. I mentioned the circumstances to her, as I before had done to the landlord.
"Well, I don't know," said she; "where be you going?"
"To Kirtland," I replied.
"What be you?" said she. "Be you Baptists?"
I told her that we were "Mormons."
"Mormons!" ejaculated she, in a quick, good-natured tone. "What be they? I never heard of them before."
"I told you that we were 'Mormons,'" I replied, "because that is what the world call us, but the only name we acknowledge is Latter-day Saints."
"Latter-day Saints!" rejoined she, "I never heard of them either."
I then informed her that this Church was brought forth through the instrumentality of a prophet, and that I was the mother of this prophet.
"What!" said she, a "prophet in these days! I never heard of the like in my life; and if you will come and sit with me, you shall have a room for your sisters and their children, but you yourself must come and stay with me, and tell me all about it."
This I promised to do, and then returned to the boat, and had the sisters, and their sick children removed to the old lady's house; and after making them comfortable, I went into her room. We soon fell into conversation, in which I explained to her, as clearly as I could, the principles of the gospel. On speaking of the laying on of hands for the reception of the Holy Ghost, she was as much surprised as those disciples were whom Paul found at Ephesus, and she asked me, "What do you mean by the Holy Ghost?" I continued my explanations until after two o'clock the next morning, when we removed to the boat again. On arriving there, Captain Blake requested the passengers to remain on board, as he wished, from that time, to be ready to start at a moment's warning; at the same time he sent out a man to measure the depth of the ice, who, when he returned, reported that it was piled up to the height of twenty feet, and that it was his opinion that we would remain in the harbor at least two weeks longer.
At this, Porter Rockwell started on shore to see his uncle. His mother endeavored to prevent him, but he paid no attention to her, and she then appealed to me, saying, "Mother Smith, do get Porter back, for he won't mind anybody but you." I told him that, if he went, we should leave him on shore, but he could do as he liked. He left the boat, and several others were about following him; but when I spoke to them, they replied, "we will do just as you say, Mother Smith," and returned immediately.
Just then, William whispered in my ear, "Mother, do see the confusion yonder; won't you go and put a stop to it!"
I went to that part of the boat where the principal portion of our company were. There I found several of the brethren and sisters engaged in a warm debate, others murmuring and grumbling, and a number of young ladies were flirting, giggling, and laughing with gentlemen passengers, who were entire strangers to them, whilst hundreds of people on shore and on other boats were witnessing this scene of clamor and vanity among our brethren with great interest. I stepped into their midst. "Brethren and sisters," said I, "we call ourselves Saints, and profess to have come out from the world for the purpose of serving God at the expense of all earthly things; and will you, at the very onset, subject the cause of Christ to ridicule by your own unwise and improper conduct? You profess to put your trust in God, then how can you feel to murmur and complain as you do! You are even more unreasonable than the children of Israel were; for here are my sisters pining for their rocking chairs, and brethren from whom I expected firmness and energy, declare that they positively believe they shall starve to death before they get to the end of their journey. And why is it so? Have any of you lacked? Have not I set food before you every day, and made you, who had not provided for yourselves, as welcome as my own children? Where is your faith? Where is your confidence in God? Can you not realize that all things were made by him, and that he rules over the works of his own hands? And suppose that all the Saints here should lift their hearts in prayer to God, that the way might be opened before us, how easy it would be for him to cause the ice to break away, so that in a moment we could be on our journey!"
Just then a man on shore cried, "Is the Book of Mormon true?"
"That book," replied I, "was brought forth by the power of God, and translated by the gift of the Holy Ghost; and, if I could make my voice sound as loud as the trumpet of Michael, the Archangel, I would declare the truth from land to land, and from sea to sea, and the echo should reach to every isle, until every member of the family of Adam should be left without excuse. For I do testify that God has revealed himself to man again in these last days, and set his hand to gather his people upon a goodly land, and, if they obey his commandments, it shall be unto them for an inheritance; whereas, if they rebel against his law, his hand will be against them to scatter them abroad, and cut them off from the face of the earth: and that he has commenced a work which will prove a savor of life unto life, or of death unto death, to every one that stands here this day—of life unto life, if you will receive it, or of death unto death, if you reject the counsel of God, for every man shall have the desires of his heart; if he desires the truth, he may hear and live, but if he tramples upon the simplicity of the word of God, he will shut the gate of heaven against himself." Then, turning to our own company, I said, "Now, brethren and sisters, if you will all of you raise your desires to heaven, that the ice may be broken up, and we be set at liberty, as sure as the Lord lives, it will be done." At that instant a noise was heard, like bursting thunder. The captain cried, "Every man to his post." The ice parted, leaving barely a passage for the boat, and so narrow, that as the boat passed through, the buckets of the waterwheel were torn off with a crash, which, joined to the word of command from the captain, the hoarse answering of the sailors, the noise of the ice, and the cries and confusion of the spectators, presented a scene truly terrible. We had barely passed through the avenue, when the ice closed together again, and the Colesville brethren were left in Buffalo, unable to follow us.
As we were leaving the harbor, one of the by-standers exclaimed, "There goes the 'Mormon' company! That boat is sunk in the water nine inches deeper than ever it was before, and, mark it, she will sink—there is nothing surer." In fact, they were so sure of it, that they went straight to the office and had it published that we were sunk, so that when we arrived at Fairport, we read in the papers the news of our own death.
After our miraculous escape from the wharf at Buffalo, we called our company together, and had a prayer meeting, in which we offered up our thanks to God for his mercy, which he had manifested towards us in our deliverance; but before our meeting was broken up, the captain's mate came to me and said, "Mrs. Smith, do, for God's sake, have your children stop praying, or we shall all go to hell together; we cannot keep one single man to his post, if we should go to the devil, for they are so taken up with your praying." Therefore, our meeting was broken up.
Soon after leaving Buffalo, some of our company began to feel the effects of the motion of the boat, and were overcome with sea-sickness. I went to the cook, and, handing him twenty-five cents, asked him if he could let me have some hot water for the sick folks. He complied with my request, and I was thus furnished with the means of making them comfortable.
Upon further acquaintance with the captain, I made myself known to him as the sister of General Mack. He seemed highly pleased to find in me a relative of his old friend; and I was treated with great attention and respect, both by himself and crew, while I remained on the boat.
A short time before I arrived at Fairport, Brother Humphry and myself went on shore to do some trading for the company. While on shore, this brother told me that I was making a slave of myself unnecessarily; that those sisters whose families I had the care of could as well wait upon their own husbands and children, as for me to do it; that, as for himself, he was not going to stay on board much longer. I thanked him for his kindness, but told him that I thought I could get along with the work, without injuring myself. Nothing further passed between us upon the subject. At the next landing, he left, and whither he went I did not know.
On drawing near Fairport, where we were to land, the captain, passengers, and crew, bade me farewell in tears. After landing, our company were more disheartened than ever, and the brethren came around me and requested that I should set their wives to sewing blankets together, and making tents of them, that the men might camp by their goods and watch them, for they had no hopes of getting any further.
I told them I should do nothing of the kind. As for the sisters, some of them were crying, some pouting, and a few of them were attending to the care of their families. As I passed among them, my attention was attracted by a stranger, who sat a short distance from us on the shore of the lake. I inquired of him the distance to Kirtland. He, starting up, exclaimed, "Is it possible that this is Mother Smith? I have sat here looking for you these three days."
Replying to his question in the affirmative, I asked him if it would be possible to procure teams to take our goods to Kirtland. He told me to give myself no uneasiness about the matter, that Joseph was expected every hour, and in less than twenty-four hours there would be teams sufficient to take all our company to houses that were waiting to receive them. When he mentioned Joseph's name, I started, for I just began to realize that I was so soon to see both my husband and my sons. I turned from the stranger, and met Samuel, who was coming towards me, closely followed by Joseph. I extended my right hand to Samuel and my left to Joseph. They wept for joy upon seeing me—Samuel, because he had been warned of God in a dream to meet the company from Waterloo, and feared that some disaster had befallen me; and Joseph, because of the information which he had received that he apprehended, from the fatigue I was undergoing, my life was in danger.
After they informed me of these things, Joseph said he should take me from the company. As the sisters begged to go with me, he took them as far as Painsville, where we stopped at the house of Brother Partridge. Here we found a fine supper prepared for the whole company.
Soon after partaking of this refreshment, I was taken to Brother Kingsbury's, in his own carriage, where I was treated with great kindness and respect. From this place I went with Joseph to Kirtland. The first house that I entered was Brother Morley's. Here I met my beloved husband, and great was our joy. Many of my readers may know my present situation. These can imagine with what feelings I recite such scenes as that which followed the reunion of our family; but let it pass—imagination must supply the ellipsis. Were I to indulge my feelings upon such occasions as this, my strength would not support me to the end of my narrative.
Soon after arriving at Kirtland, a pair of twins were brought to Emma, which were given to her to fill the place of a pair of her own that had died. (pp. 202-205)
Lucy Mack Smith had faith like Moses. She knew that the Lord could break the ice or do any miracle on their behalf because they were following the Lord’s revelation to them. I love her biography of the Prophet Joseph Smith and I recommend it to everyone.
This is the entry on Smith, Lucy Mack in Hoyt W. Brewster Jr.’s Doctrine and Covenants Encyclopedia:
To be the mother of the prophets, one must surely have a great depth of personal spirituality and a capacity for instilling this same characteristic in her children. Such was Lucy Mack Smith, mother of the Prophet Joseph Smith and his patriarch-prophet brother, Hyrum.
Her prophet-son saw her in vision as a future inhabitant of the celestial kingdom of God (D&C 138:5). Lucy’s writings reveal a deep spirituality and commitment to the Lord. She was a regular reader of the Bible and at a relatively young age had a spiritual experience which had a lasting impact on her. In 1802, as the mother of two small children, she was confined to bed with what the doctors diagnosed as “confirmed consumption.” Men of medicine and the ministry gave her no chance of surviving, but the God of heaven had different ideas.
The special events of one restless night she recorded in her journal: “During this night I made a solemn covenant with God that if He would let me live I would endeavor to serve him according to the best of my abilities.” Shortly thereafter a voice from heaven gave her the comfort she sought, and from that moment she gained both physical and spiritual strength. (LMS, 33-34.) She lived to bear eight more children, including he who was foreordained to be the prophet of the Restoration.
It is of interest that the mother of the man selected to restore God’s Church should be born just four days after the day which gave birth to the nation that should host that church. Lucy was born on July 8, 1776, in New Hampshire, one of the original thirteen colonies of the United States.
She married the man whose name was known to at least one ancient prophet (2 Ne. 3:15) [6-15], a spiritual giant himself. Joseph Smith, Sr., married Lucy on January 24, 1796. They lived as worthy companions until Joseph’s death. Lucy rejoined her eternal companion upon her death on May 5, 1855. (pp. 534-535)
In Saints, Volume I, we learn more about the migration to Ohio:
At the end of December, the Lord instructed Joseph and Sidney to pause their work on the translation. “A commandment I give unto the church,” He declared, “that they should assemble together at the Ohio.” They were to gather with the new converts in the Kirtland area and wait for the missionaries to return from the West.
“Here is wisdom,” the Lord stated, “and let every man choose for himself until I come.”20
The call to move to Ohio seemed to bring the Saints closer to fulfilling ancient prophecies about the gathering of God’s people. The Bible and Book of Mormon both promised that the Lord would gather together His covenant people to safeguard them against the perils of the last days. In a recent revelation, the Lord had told Joseph that this gathering would soon begin.21
But the call still came as a shock. At the church’s third conference, held at the Whitmers’ home soon after the new year, many of the Saints were troubled, their minds full of questions about the commandment.22 Ohio was sparsely settled and hundreds of miles away. Most church members knew little about it.
Many of them had also worked hard to improve their property and cultivate prosperous farms in New York. If they moved as a group to Ohio, they would have to sell their property quickly and would probably lose money. Some might even be ruined financially, especially if the land in Ohio proved less rich and fertile than their land in New York.
Hoping to ease concerns about the gathering, Joseph met with the Saints and received a revelation.23 “I hold forth and deign to give unto you greater riches, even a land of promise,” the Lord declared, “and I will give it unto you for the land of your inheritance, if you seek it with all your hearts.” By gathering together, the Saints could flourish as a righteous people and be protected from the wicked.
The Lord also promised two additional blessings to those who gathered to Ohio. “There I will give unto you my law,” He said, “and there you shall be endowed with power from on high.”24
The revelation calmed the minds of most of the Saints in the room, although a few people refused to believe it came from God. Joseph’s family, the Whitmers, and the Knights were among those who believed and chose to follow it.25
As the leader of the Colesville branch of the church, Newel Knight returned home and began to sell what he could. He also spent much of his time visiting church members. Following the example of Enoch’s people, he and other Saints in Colesville worked together and sacrificed to ensure the poor could make the journey before spring.26
Joseph, meanwhile, felt an urgent need to get to Kirtland and meet the new converts. Although Emma was pregnant with twins and was recovering from a long bout of sickness, she climbed aboard the sleigh, determined to go with him.27
In his book The Revelations of the Prophet Joseph Smith, Lyndon W. Cook shares the following background information about D&C Section 37:
Date. December 1830 (after 7 December).
Place. (Canadaigua, Ontario County, New York, as per Book of Commandments).
Historical Note. Section 37 is the first revelation which addressed the need of the Church membership to move to Ohio. The revelation also instructed Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon to stop the work of translating the Bible until they moved to “the Ohio.”
Having learned from the Book of Mormon that many plain and precious things had been taken out of the Bible, and having divine direction, the Prophet commenced an inspired translation of the Bible (which was intended to be published). Although the translation may have begun as early as June 1830, the earliest established date is October 21 1830 (in Fayette, New York). Despite many interruptions, the major work of translation continued from 21 October 1830 to 2 July 1833. In this work of revision Joseph Smith was assisted by at least three scribes: Oliver Cowdery, John Whitmer, and Sidney Rigdon (the last having done most of the scribal work). Although Joseph Smith placed much importance on this project of translation, many duties and pressures precluded its completion or publication during the Prophet’s lifetime.
Numerous sections of the Doctrine and Covenants have a direct or indirect association with the inspired translation of the bible. Consider the following: appointing of scribes: sections 25, 35, and 47; ceasing and beginning translation: sections 37, 45, 73, 91, and 93, printing the translation: sections 94, 104, and 124; doctrinal revelations received as a direct result of the translation: sections 76, 77, and 86; doctrinal revelations apparently received in conjunction with the translation: sections 74, 84, 88, 93, 102, 107, 113, and 132; and other related revelations: sections 26, 41, 42, and 90.
Publication Note. Section 37 was first published as chapter 39 in the Book of Commandments in 1833. (pp. 54-55)
In the following post we will examine and expound upon Doctrine and Covenants 37.