Minutes of the April 1847 Winter Quarters General Conference

Transcription status

This is a source-integrated draft and conservative manuscript transcription, not a polished verbatim discourse transcript. The preferred CHL witness consists of four manuscript images. It has now been read directly from reconstructed CHL image tiles, but difficult handwriting, ink bleed-through, and minute-style compression leave several words uncertain. Those uncertainties are retained in brackets. ¶

Do not expand this file with invented content. Do not split it into individual talk files unless a later witness preserves real discourse boundaries. The surviving source is a conference-minutes record with summarized remarks and sustaining/business actions. ¶

CHL Manuscript Transcription

Source: Historian's Office general Church minutes, "General Conference minutes, Winter Quarters" (CR 100 318), four leaves, recorded by Thomas Bullock. Transcribed directly from reconstructed CHL DZI images; bracketed readings mark uncertainty. ¶

Leaf 1

Cold N. W. wind - sky clear. April 6, 1847. ¶

General conference at Winter Quarters at the stand called to order by Pres't John Smith at 20 min. to 11. ¶

Pres't B. Young, E. T. Benson, W. Woodruff, O. Pratt, G. A. Smith, A. Lyman, H. C. Kimball. ¶

Choir sung hymn 152, written by W. W. Phelps. Choir sung another hymn. ¶

B. Young had but a few remarks to make. I trust we shall meet 1000s of faces that we never met over. Mormonism is in the world—[it's?] in the hearts of the honest—is inherit [possibly meant "inherent"] in them—it is congenial with their feelings and [in?] all their days it is their prerogative or right [w?/to?] Jesus to reign as K. of Nations as well as K. of Saints. These principles always were in the world and always will be, [illegible] the P[riesthood] was not among them, and the [Priest.?] with those who were slain. I [feel?/bet?] that K. will increase until J[esus] takes the K. We rej[oice] that we can go to the nations of the Earth and gather into it. I am anxious to leave this place and be about my errand. I feel my garments are clean from the blood of this [people?]. I don't know my acts [illegible] [illegible] [illegible] [illegible] what it has been [illegible]. I don't feel J. could better my last W's services[?]. The principal[sic] of eternally preaching and never practicing is folly. It is once telling to me is enough. ¶

If I [illegible] taught[?] you good and riteous[sic] prin[ciples], follow them out and all will be well with us. If I [illegible] said, done or taut[sic] any thing that people thinks[sic] is wrong, let the people pardon the wrong. It is for God and myself to settle any wrong. I love every body in the truth, but to say that I love the ppl who do wickedly I do not. As to charity I'll apply it to those who need charity. It is written, "charity covers a multitude of sins." I do not wish to [excuse?] iniquity if there is any chance of them quitting their iniquity. ¶

It is [on cold?] days and times as this, that hurts me, I am sick. I want the [brethren] and [sisters] to observe and keep the laws and ordinances of the house of the Lord. Pray for yourselves and your enemies. Pray that God may soften their hearts until we are out of their grasp. They are hunting us and want to destroy us. They want us to go away. Get away from here, Mormons; go to Missouri or Illinois or any [other?] state. They say come, until you build good farms and then get away, Mormons. I say to our enemies, if the state of Missouri would hand over the 100th part of what they owe us, it would carry us all over the mountains. ¶

Pray that we may [illegible] influence over the red man of the West, that God will sustain us until all Israel is gathered, that the Lord will sustain you in righteous[ness], have power over disease and temptation, hold your own salvation, hang on to the promises of the Almighty, and the [man?] will inc[rease?] until the day of perfection. I expect [as?] many times to see you again. Do as you have been told. [In regard to dancing], it is a snare that will entangle the feelings of the young, and the enemy has power to entice them. It is delitsome[sic] of itself. When the [illegible] passions are incited, the ppl would rather be at a [hall?/ball?] than praying. I now say let it alone here, and when places of righteous men govern, it is proper. I had rather ¶

Leaf 2

there is consolation when we feel and are [brought?] to feel the mortality[?] of man and see our dependence on the Almighty. Understand the principle of [eternal] lives, and that we are connected with those prin[ciple]s. We go away rejoicing. What do you get from going to a place of mirth? What do you learn? Its nothing but a [illegible], a drop, a man that's contemplated worlds com[ing] into existence, glorified and [brought?] into glory. I say the dance is a snare; if you are merry, sing psalms; but if you want to kick up your heels, do it, and then stop. It does me good, for it's good [to?/for?] nothing but exercise the body and let the mind rest a season. It is necessary to have chaff in order to save the wheat. It is an almighty prin[ciple] and eternal prin[ciple]. Let the very [snow?] [illegible] and the chaff be blown away by the wind. ¶

John Smith is [illegible] for this prin[ciple] and feels thankful to my [Heavenly Father]. My health is not good. I call on bro. Phelps to do the talking. I want you all to vote one way or the [other], and let us act for the good and prosperity of the [Saints?]. ¶

W. W. Phelps [said] the first business is to continue the Twelve. ¶

Moved and seconded that Brigham Young be continued as the President of the Twelve and of this Church. Carried. ¶

H. C. Kimball be his 1st continued in his office as one of the Twelve. Orson Hyde, Parley P. Pratt, Orson Pratt, Willard Richards, John Taylor, Wilford Woodruff, Amasa Lyman, George A. Smith, Ezra T. Benson: ditto. ¶

Father John Smith be the President over the meetings in this place, that we acknowledge him in that office and as a Patriarch. Ditto. ¶

Alpheus Cutler retain his station as President of the High Council. George W. Harris, Isaac Morley, Reynolds Cahoon, Daniel Russell, Clawson Yarrington, Thomas Grover, Henry G. Sherwood, Cornelius P. Lott, Winslow Farr, Ezra Chase: ditto. Phinehas Richards excused. ¶

Leaf 3

Moved and seconded that the first seven Presidents of the Seventies be continued in office. Carried. ¶

[Motioned and seconded that] We continue Bishop Whitney in his office, and that we give him a vote of thanks. ¶

H. C. Kimball said there is one of the hidden mysteries of the Kingdom not yet brought before the people, and that is, motioned that the pioneers leave this conference, that they be fitted out with some corn and a horse to go before the cannon. Seconded. Carried. ¶

O. Pratt expected some person to [illegible] seen my family, during absence, and nobody but women to see them; wants some man to see to them and he will board and clothe them. ¶

John Smith: if our [brethren?] scatter all over creation to farm it who is going to stop attending to the women and [stockade] the city, wished the field [adjoining?] the city fenced in, be united and [illegible] together? Take care of the needy. If you would fence a field down here, there would be enough for the whole camp. ¶

R. Cahoon requested the brethren to give in their names to [illegible] Morley who wanted land to farm. ¶

B. Young: Give up all farming and fencing until this place is fenced in and make a good stockade. ¶

W. W. Phelps: if there is a [illegible], it will be same as at Nauvoo and perfect Swamp of Com[merce?]. They that gather not with us scatter, saith the Savior. If they make their farms round about, they will lose their labor. ¶

Erastus Snow spoke some complicated ideas; wants the place stockaded. If I come back in the fall and don't find this place stockaded, I shall be mad, because the people are not followed suit. Some say it is a trick of the devil and prevents the raising of their cows. If the Indians don't crawl over they cannot take horses out. The ground should be used for securing our milk cows and horses and not make all the ground into gardens. I want people, if they will not do anything themselves, don't discourage others from working. If you don't push a plow into the ground until the 10th [of] May, may you will have better crops and more cows and horses. ¶

Motioned that this meeting adjourn sine die. Seconded and carried. ¶

The choir sung "The Spirit of God like a fire is burning." ¶

N. K. Whitney rose to say he felt like a child this morning. If the brethren go not away from us, we are lost. I feel by the grace of God to give heed to the counsel given us. [If?/And?] I feel we ought to humble ourselves and the Spirit of God [all the time?] that we may be led right and then there will be no danger of our doing wrong. If we [do?] it, we shall go according to the counsel given us; give strict heed to the counsel of God as given to us. As to this scattering, there is no preservation for them. If we stay together we can protect each other. We ought to stockade this city. There is safety in it. If all do not see the propriety of it, some may see it's too late.. ¶

Dismissed the meeting by prayer. ¶

B. Young [stood?/said?]: I feel to bless you in the name of the Lord. ¶

Leaf 4

April 6, 1847. ¶

Conference minutes. ¶

[Cover/title leaf. No additional conference text was transcribed from this image beyond the docket/title text. The remaining writing visible through the paper appears to be bleed-through from the other leaves.] ¶

What else is known, per Jenson's Church Chronology

Source: Andrew Jenson, Church Chronology (Salt Lake City: Deseret News, 1899), p. viii. ¶

John Smith, brother of the late Joseph Smith, Sen., who had previously been ordained a Patriarch at Nauvoo, had been sustained as "a Patriarch in the Church" as early as the general conference held at Winter Quarters, April 6, 1847. (He was later ordained presiding Patriarch in the Church on January 1, 1849, at Great Salt Lake City, under the hands of Brigham Young and Heber C. Kimball.) ¶

Collation notes

• This conference fell about ten days before the vanguard pioneer company (which included Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, and most of the Twelve Apostles present at Winter Quarters) departed for the Salt Lake Valley in mid-April 1847.
• John Smith's sustaining as Patriarch here (per Jenson) is consistent with the manuscript's catalog description naming John Smith as one of the conference's speakers, though the manuscript's own text has not been checked for the actual sustaining language.
• The leaf 1 attendee line found in this pass (Kimball, Erastus Snow, Woodruff, Pratt, G. A. Smith, Lyman, Benson) does not exactly match the catalog's speaker list (Brigham Young, Kimball, Erastus Snow, John Smith, Orson Pratt, Newel K. Whitney) -- most likely because one lists who was present and the other who spoke, but this has not been confirmed and should not be assumed without re-checking against a clearer scan.
• Leaves 2-4 of this manuscript remain unread; that is the clear next step for this conference, and given the manuscript's short length (4 leaves total), a full transcription should be achievable in a single future pass.