Minutes, , Geauga Co., OH, 14 July 1835. Featured version copied [not before 25 Feb. 1836] in Minute Book 1, pp. 93–95; handwriting of ; CHL. For more complete source information, see the source note for Minute Book 1.
Historical Introduction
On 14 July 1835, a “Council of the presidency” convened in , Ohio, to review charges brought against and . The council consisted of members of the and the presidency of the ; a handful of individuals who testified in the proceedings were also present. Disciplinary matters in Kirtland were normally the purview of the high council and the , but these cases included factors that may have necessitated a hearing before the presidencies instead. Bosley’s case involved a financial covenant he had made with JS, while Bishop was charged with speaking ill of the Kirtland high council.
In September 1834, promised to any property in excess of the needs of his family to the church to help fund the printing of the Doctrine and Covenants. Since he still owed $400 on land in at the time he made the promise, he pledged to make the donation to JS after the property was paid off, which was supposed to be in a year’s time. testified that he had “framed” the original agreement, and stated that he had witnessed it. However, Bosley apparently paid off his debt and then failed to follow through with the donation, leading to the hearing. Bosley’s failure to execute his commitment came as a blow to the church’s efforts to publish the Doctrine and Covenants. On 15 June 1835, JS composed a letter to a group of unnamed “brethren in the Lord” stating that the church was “in want of funds to go on with so great and glorious a work.” The council decided that unless Bosley followed through on his commitment, he would be excommunicated from the church.
The council then discussed the charges against , which indicated that he had publically “spoken evil” of the high council in regard to some unspecified circumstance. The council stated that and Bishop would both be cursed unless they repented in “sack[c]loth and ashes.” Bosley and Bishop apparently followed this direction, as they were both active members of the church and served in various priesthood positions in the years that followed.
The clerk for the meeting is not identified. later copied the minutes into Minute Book 1.
JS History / Smith, Joseph, et al. History, 1838–1856. Vols. A-1–F-1 (original), A-2–E-2 (fair copy). Historian’s Office, History of the Church, 1839–ca. 1882. CHL. CR 100 102, boxes 1–7. The history for the period after 5 Aug. 1838 was composed after the death of Joseph Smith.
Geauga Co., OH, Deed Records, 1795–1921, vol. 18, pp. 326–327, 2 June 1834, microfilm 20,237, U.S. and Canada Record Collection, FHL; Geauga Co., OH, Deed Records, 1795–1921, vol. 20, pp. 302–303, 2 June 1834, microfilm 20,238, U.S. and Canada Record Collection, FHL.
See Minutes, LDS Messenger and Advocate, Mar. 1837, 3:476; Kirtland Elders Quorum, “Record,” 30 Jan. 1836 and 13 Dec. 1837; Minute Book 1, 16 May 1836 and 7 Oct. 1837; Elder’s Certificate for Isaac Bishop, 16 June 1836, in Kirtland Elders’ Certificates, 137; Record of Seventies, bk. A, 18 May 1838, 51; JS History, vol. C-1 Addenda, 3; and Temple Records Index Bureau, Nauvoo Temple Endowment Register, 22.
Latter Day Saints’ Messenger and Advocate. Kirtland, OH. Oct. 1834–Sept. 1837.
Kirtland Elders Quorum. “A Record of the First Quorurum of Elders Belonging to the Church of Christ: In Kirtland Geauga Co. Ohio,” 1836–1838, 1840–1841. CCLA.
Kirtland Elders’ Certificates / Kirtland Elders Quorum. “Record of Certificates of Membership and Ordinations of the First Members and Elders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints Dating from March 21st 1836 to June 18th 1838 Kirtland Geauga Co. Ohio,” 1836–1838. CHL. CR 100 401.
Record of Seventies / First Council of the Seventy. “Book of Records,” 1837–1843. Bk. A. In First Council of the Seventy, Records, 1837–1885. CHL. CR 3 51, box 1, fd. 1.
JS History / Smith, Joseph, et al. History, 1838–1856. Vols. A-1–F-1 (original), A-2–E-2 (fair copy). Historian’s Office, History of the Church, 1839–ca. 1882. CHL. CR 100 102, boxes 1–7. The history for the period after 5 Aug. 1838 was composed after the death of Joseph Smith.
Temple Records Index Bureau of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Nauvoo Temple Endowment Register, 10 December 1845 to 8 February 1846. Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1974.
Page 94
opened by singing, awake my soul in joyful lay &c.
Prayer by .
’s case charge for unchristian like conduct in breaking a certain sacred made Sept. 24th 1834
J. Smith Junr. addressed the council in points of duty such as observing covenants &c. President Smith testified to the truth of the above covenant. President testified that he himself framed the above covenant, and that at the time, said that he had a witness that it was the will of the Lord that he should the surplus of what would be for his and his family’s support. stated agreed to let President J. Smith Junr. & others have money on loan, for the printing of the Revelations, if he could control his property in one year, or as soon as he obtained it.
Decided that Elder broke the covenant which he made Sept. 4th 1834, therefore he is not a member of this , unless he make satisfaction to those whom he injured.
is complained of as having spoken evil of dignities: Whereas Michael the Archangel, durst not bring a railing accusation against the Devil. Who said that the had the wrong tree to bark up. Brother J. M. Corrill [James M. Carrel] states that he heard say the council had barked up the wrong tree. says that brother Spearer says the same thing that J. M. Corrill did. [p. 94]
The text of this English hymn was originally published in London in 1782. In the 1830s, it was printed in American hymnals and sung to the tune of “Loving Kindness.” (Meyer, Collection of Hymns, 412–413; Leavitt, Christian Lyre, 1:22–23; see also Hatchett, Companion to the “New Harp of Columbia,” 156–157.)
Meyer, John Henry. A Collection of Hymns, Principally Design’d for the Use of the Congregation Assembling at Cumberland-Chapel, in Cumberland-Street, Shoreditch, London. London: W. Gilbert, 1782.
Leavitt, Joshua. The Christian Lyre. 3rd ed. 2 vols. New York: Jonathan Leavitt, 1831.
Hatchett, Marion J. A Companion to “The New Harp of Columbia.” Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 2003.
Early revelations dictated by JS were replete with language concerning the solemnity of making covenants and the gravity of breaking them. An 1831 revelation, for example, declared it would have been better for an individual to have “been drownded in the depth of the sea” than to have broken sacred covenants. A September 1832 revelation also noted that individuals who received the priesthood and then broke that covenant by “altogether turn[ing] therefrom shall not have forgiveness in this world nor in the world to come.” Revelations also promised blessings of mercy, protection, and support upon those who honored covenants. (Revelation, 10 June 1831 [D&C 54:5–6]; Revelation, 22–23 Sept. 1832 [D&C 84:41]; see also Revelation, ca. Early 1830; and Revelation, 7 Dec. 1830 [D&C 35:24].)
Various offenses, including breaking covenants, could result in an individual being cut off from the church. For example, a March 1832 revelation discussing the organization of the church’s mercantile and publishing enterprises stated that those individuals involved would be put under an “everlasting covinent” that, if broken, would cause them to “loose [their] office & standing in the church.” (Revelation, 1 Mar. 1832 [D&C 78:11–12]; see also Revelation, 26 Apr. 1832 [D&C 82:11].)
In other words, while the archangel Michael refrained from speaking ill of even the devil, Isaac Bishop dared to criticize the high council. The phrase “railing accusation” is taken from Jude 1:9, in which the author uses the apocryphal conversation between Michael and the devil to counsel the saints to not speak ill of their leaders.
TEXT: Possibly “Shearer”. There is no record of a Brother “Spearer” in church records for Kirtland in the mid-1830s. Likewise, searches for alternate spellings such as Spear, Spears, Spiers, and others did not yield any results for the time period and location. The “p” is written with a clear descending stroke, but given other errors in the document, it is possible that this letter could be a hastily written “h.” If that is the case, this could refer to a member of the Shearer family, namely, twin brothers Joel and Daniel Shearer. Both were active church members at the time. In 1834, they may have resided in Indiana. Daniel also appears in later documents related to Missouri and Nauvoo. While their presence in Kirtland is possible, no documentary evidence confirms they were there at this time. (Chase, “Events in the Life of Daniel Shearer,” 1–2; see also JS History, vol. C-1, 881, 899; Report, Times and Seasons, Feb. 1840, 1:61; and Temple Records Index Bureau, Nauvoo Temple Endowment Register, 285.)
Chase, Sherwin. “Events in the Life of Daniel Shearer,” July 1983. Information concerning Daniel Shearer, ca. 1983. CHL. MS 7673.
JS History / Smith, Joseph, et al. History, 1838–1856. Vols. A-1–F-1 (original), A-2–E-2 (fair copy). Historian’s Office, History of the Church, 1839–ca. 1882. CHL. CR 100 102, boxes 1–7. The history for the period after 5 Aug. 1838 was composed after the death of Joseph Smith.
Times and Seasons. Commerce/Nauvoo, IL. Nov. 1839–Feb. 1846.
Temple Records Index Bureau of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Nauvoo Temple Endowment Register, 10 December 1845 to 8 February 1846. Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1974.