AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF PARLEY P. PRATT
One of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints, Embracing His Life, Ministry and
Travels, With Extracts, in Prose and Verse,
From His Miscellaneous Writings
Edited by his son
Parley P. Pratt
Deseret Book Company
Salt Lake City, Utah
© 1938, 1985
Deseret Book Company
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without permission in writing from the publisher, Deseret Book Company, P.O. Box 30178, Salt Lake City, Utah 84130. This work is not an official publication of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The views expressed herein are the responsibility of the author and do not necessarily represent the position of the Church or of Deseret Book Company.
Deseret Book is a registered trademark of Deseret Book Company.
[Reprinted on the Jared Pratt Family Association Web Site by permission]
Contents
Preface to Classics in Mormon Literature Edition
CHAPTER 1—PARENTAGE—CHILDHOOD—YOUTH—EDUCATION—EARLY IMPRESSIONS—JOURNEY WESTWARD—MAKING A NEW FARM IN THE WILDERNESS OF OSWEGO
CHAPTER 2—THOUGHTS ON RELIGION—JOIN THE BAPTIST CHURCH—STRANGE PERVERSION OF A SCRIPTURE PROMISE
CHAPTER 3—REVERSES—LOSS OF OUR FARM—STRANGE RESOLVE—TRAVELS WEST— FOREST LIFE—ANOTHER NEW FARM
CHAPTER 4—REVISIT CANAAN, N. Y.—INTERESTING MEETING—MARRIAGE—RETURN TO MY FOREST HOME
CHAPTER 5—OUR HOME—NEW SECT—PROGRESSIVE RELIGIOUS VIEWS—UNEXPECTED MEETING—DIALOGUE—FORSAKE MY HOME—JOURNEY TO NEW YORK—PUBLIC MINISTRY—STRANGE BOOK—FIRST INTERVIEW WITH A LATTER-DAY SAINT
CHAPTER 6—INTERESTING MEETINGS—SECOND INTERVIEW WITH HYRUM SMITH—VISIT TO THE CHURCH IN SENECA COUNTY—BAPTISM, CONFIRMATION, AND ORDINATION— MINISTRY AMONG MY KINDRED—BAPTISM OF MY BROTHER ORSON—WONDERFUL SIGN IN THE HEAVENS—RETURN TO WESTERN NEW YORK—FIRST INTERVIEW WITH JOSEPH SMITH—DESCRIPTION OF HIS PERSON AND ABILITIES.
CHAPTER 7—MISSION TO THE WESTERN STATES—VISIT TO THE INDIANS—WONDERFUL SUCCESS IN KIRTLAND, OHIO—JOURNEY WESTWARD—GREAT EXCITEMENT AND ANXIETY TO HEAR THE FULNESS OF THE GOSPEL—IMPRISONMENT—MOCK TRIAL—ESCAPE—PREACHING—SUCCESS—VISIT THE WYANDOTS—JOURNEY RESUMED—GREAT HARDSHIPS—ARRIVAL ON THE FRONTIERS OF MISSOURI
CHAPTER 8—VISIT THE DELAWARES OF KANSAS—INTERVIEW WITH THE CHIEF AND COUNCIL—SPEECH AND REPLY—GREAT EXCITEMENT—OPPOSITION FROM MISSIONARIES—COMPELLED TO LEAVE THE INDIAN COUNTRY—MINISTRY IN JACKSON COUNTY—COUNCIL IN INDEPENDENCE—RETURN EASTWARD—DISGUISE—HOSPITALITY OF A FAMILY OF THE SAINTS—DIALOGUE—SICKNESS—REUNION WITH PRES. JOSEPH SMITH—MISSION TO THE SHAKERS—MINISTRY AMONG THE CHURCHES—FALSE SPIRITS—INQUIRE OF THE LORD—MODE OF RECEIVING REVELATIONS
CHAPTER 9—REVELATION ON FALSE SPIRITS—MINISTRY AMONG THE CHURCHES—REMARKABLE MIRACLE OF HEALING—ARRIVAL OF EMIGRANT SAINTS FROM NEW YORK—SEVERE DISAPPOINTMENT
CHAPTER 10—CONFERENCE AT KIRTLAND—REVELATION OF THE HIGH PRIESTHOOD—ORDINATIONS TO THE SAME—APPOTNTMENT OF MISSIONS THROUGH THE WESTERN STATES—RETURN WESTWARD, ACCOMPANTED BY MY BROTHER ORSON—OUR SUCCESS BY THE WAY—ARRIVAL AT THE FRONTIERS—SICKNESS—REMARKABLE CONVERSION OF NEWEL KNIGHT—A DREAM
CHAPTER 11—ATTEND CONFERENCE—INSTANTANEOUS HEALING—RETURN EASTWARD—DESCRIPTTON OF THE INHABITANTS ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF THE MISSOURI RIVER—STRANGE MANIFESTATION—ARRIVE AT ST. LOUIS—PREACHING AND ENTERTAINMENT—ARRIVE AT VANDALIA—RECEPTION—EXPOSURE IN CROSSING AN OVER-FLOWED BOTTOM—DIALOGUE—HOSPITALITY OF A PREACHER—DEAF LANDLORD—MEET MY WIFE
CHAPTER 12—MISSION IN OHIO—START TO WESTERN MISSOURI—INCIDENTS BY THE WAY—DISCOURSE ON BOARD A STEAMER ON THE 4TH OF JULY—ITS EFFECT—ARRIVAL ON THE FRONTIERS—FARMING—EXTORTION—MISSION IN MISSOURI AND ILLINOIS—TREATMENT BY INFIDELS—GREAT SUCCESS IN ILLINOIS—OPPOSITION FROM BAPTIST MINISTERS—OUTLINES OF MR. PECK’S SPEECH AND MY REPLY—RESULT—RETURN HOME—A VOICE FROM THE DEAD
CHAPTER 13—PROSPERITY OF THE CHURCH—SCHOOL IN ZION—REVELATION—MOB—DESTRUCTION OF PRINTING OFFICE—DEFENCE—PRISONERS—JOURNEY TO LEXINGTON—A DREAM—ITS FULFILLMENT—BATTLE—DEFEAT OF THE ROBBERS—A MIRACLE—DEFENCE CONSTRUED INTO MURDER—GOV. BOGGS AND MILITIA JOIN THE MOB—CHURCH DRIVEN FROM THE COUNTY—PLUNDERINGS AND BURNINGS—INSURRECTIONS—SIGNS IN THE HEAVENS—ACTION OF THE GOVERNOR—ATTORNEY-GENERAL DRIVEN FROM COURT—REFUGEES SETTLE IN THE NORTH—A BANDIT CHIEF MADE GOVERNOR
CHAPTER 14—LABORS IN CLAY COUNTY—CONFERENCE—APPOINTMENT TO A TEDIOUS JOURNEY—A CASE OF HEALING—ARRIVE AT KIRTLAND—REVELATION—TRAVEL EASTWARD, IN COMPANY WITH PRESIDENT JOSEPH SMITH—CONFERENCE IN GENESEO—PLEASING REMINISCENCE—PRESIDENT SMITH AND OTHERS RETURN HOME—VISIT SACKETT’S HARBOR—CROWDED MEETING—REQUESTED TO VISIT THE SICK—A LITTLE BOY HEALED—BAPTISMS, ETC.—MIRACULOUS GIFTS—LYING PRIESTS AND RABBLE—VISIT MY PARENTS IN CANAAN, N.Y.—RETURN TO KIRTLAND
CHAPTER 15—AN ARMY—A LONG MARCH—RECRUITS—A VOICE—CAMP ARRIVES IN MISSOURI—DELEGATION TO THE GOVERNOR—INTERVIEW—RETURN TO CAMP— COUNCIL—GREAT STORM AND FLOOD—BATTLE PROVIDENTIALLY PREVENTED—CHOLERA—ARMY DISBANDED—SUDDEN DESTRUCTION—LABOR WITH MY HANDS —JOURNEY TO OHIO—LABOR AND MINISTRY—ACCUSATIONS—REPAIR TO KIRTLAND—INTERVIEW WITH THE PRESIDENT—HIS ACTION ON THE MATTER—CALLING AND ORDINATION OF A QUORUM OF TWELVE APOSTLES—MY ORDINATION, BLESSING AND CHARGE—CHARGE TO THE QUORUM
CHAPTER 16—RETURN TO NEW PORTAGE—FIRE—RETURN TO KIRTLAND—MOB—JOURNEY EASTWARD, AS FAR AS MAINE—RETURN TO BOSTON—REMOVAL TO KIRTLAND—A TEMPLE—SCHOOL, ENDOWMENTS, PROPHESYINGS—VISIONS, ETC.—VISIT FROM BROTHER H. C. KIMBALL AND OTHERS—MY WIFE HEALED AND BLESSED—A REMARKABLE PROPHECY AND ITS FULFILMENT—MISSION TO CANADA—FALLS OF NIAGARA—REFLECTIONS
CHAPTER 17—JOURNEY RESUMED—MINISTRY—STRIKING ANSWER TO PRAYER—ARRIVAL AT TORONTO—JOHN TAYLOR—VISIT THE RELIGIOUS MINISTERS, THE SHERIFF, AND THE PUBLIC MARKET. SEEKING FOR AN OPENING, BUT IN VAIN—SECRET PRAYER—ABOUT TO LEAVE THE CITY—GOD SENDS A WIDOW TO RECEIVE ME—GREAT FAITH—EYES OF THE BLIND OPENED—GREAT EXCITEMENT AND GAINSAYINGS— PUBLIC PREACHING—FIND A PEOPLE PREPARED TO RECEIVE THE MESSAGE
CHAPTER 18—CROWDED MEETING—DISCOURSE—BAPTIZE THE PEOPLE AND ORGANIZE A CHURCH—SPREAD OF THE WORK—FIRST VISIT TO THE COUNTRY—OPPOSITION—REMARKABLE SUCCESS—RETURN TO KIRTLAND—RETURN WITH MY WIFE TO TORONTO—MEETINGS AT MR. LAMPHERE’S—A WOMAN HEALED AND EVIL SPIRITS REBUKED—MR. LAMAREUX—A MEETING—A CHALLENGE—DISCUSSION HELD IN THE OPEN AIR—GREAT CROWD—OPENING PROPOSITIONS BY ELDER O. HYDE—RESULT OF THE DISCUSSION
CHAPTER 19—A VISION—REMARKABLE SIGNS IN THE HEAVENS—A FALSE PROPHET—A DREAM—IMPRESSION—PRAYER—INTERPRETATION GIVEN IN A SECOND DREAM—ATTEND MR. CAIRD’S MEETING—HE SHOWS HIMSELF TO BE A RAILER AND A LIAR—WE CHALLENGE HIM TO AN INVESTIGATION—HE VISITS TORONTO—WE RETURN THERE—CONTINUES HIS OPPOSITION—REFUSING TO MEET US—GREAT MEETINGS—EXCITEMENT—TEXT—SUMMARY OF THE DISCOURSE PROVING HIM A FALSE TEACHER—HE RETIRES TO PRIVATE LIFE—RETURN TO KIRTLAND—BIRTH OF MY FIRST BORN
CHAPTER 20—TWO ITEMS OF PROPHECY—DEATH OF MY WIFE—AN OPEN VISION FOREWARNING HER OF HER DEATH—BURIAL—DESCRIPTION OF HER PERSON AND CHARACTER—REFLECTIONS—RETURN TO CANADA—SELECTION FOR AN ENGLISH MISSION—JARRINGS IN THE CHURCH—APOSTASY—TEMPTATION—DELIVERANCE—MISSION TO NEW YORK CITY—THE VOICE OF WARNING—ITS SUCCESS—ENGLISH MISSION—REMARKABLE PROPHECY—SEVERAL INSTANCES OF HEALING—SPREAD OF THE WORK IN THE CITY AND COUNTRY
CHAPTER 21—REMOVE TO MISSOURI—NATIONAL ANNIVERSARY AT FAR WEST—CORNER STONE OF A TEMPLE—INSURRECTIONS—DEFENCE—ATTACK ON DE WITT, CARROLL COUNTY—MOB CHAPLAIN—SURRENDER AND FLIGHT OF THE CITIZENS OF DE WITT—ACTION OF THE GOVERNOR—GENERAL DEFENCE—BATTLE OF CROOKED RIVER—DEATH OF COLONEL PATTEN—DEFENCE CONSTRUCTED INTO MURDER AND TREASON—MUSTER OF STATE FORCES AGAINST THE “MORMONS,” WITH ORDERS FOR EXTERMINATION—GENERAL LUCAS, WITH FOUR THOUSAND MEN, MENACES FAR WEST
CHAPTER 22—EXTERMINATING ORDER—BETRAYAL AND IMPRISONMENT OF JOSEPH SMITH AND OTHERS—CAMP OF THE ENEMY—HOWLINGS OF THE DAMNED—THE ENEMY BOAST OF THE HIGHEST CRIMES—SECRET INQUISITORY TRIAL OF THE PRISONERS—SENTENCE OF DEATH!—HOW REVERSED—A JUDAS—SURRENDER OF FAR WEST—ATTEMPT TO ASSASSINATE THE PRISONERS—FAREWELL SCENES—CAPTIVES REMOVED TO JACKSON COUNTY—GENERAL CLARK DEMANDS THE PRISONERS—REFUSAL TO SURRENDER THEM—CROSS THE MISSOUR! RIVER—VISITORS—PREACHING IN CAMP BY PRESIDENT SMITH—ARRIVE AT INDEPENDENCE—PUBLIC EXHIBITION OF THE PRISONERS
CHAPTER 23—TREATMENT OF THE PRISONERS—VISIT THE TEMPLE LOT—GAIN MY FREEDOM—TEMPTATION—VOLUNTARY RETURN TO BONDAGE—LEAVE INDEPENDENCE—CONDUCT OF THE GUARDS—FALL INTO THE HANDS OF COL. PRICE AND GUARDS—ARRIVE AT RICHMOND—CHAINS—INTERVIEW WITH GEN. CLARK—DIALOGUE—INCONCEIVABLE ABSURDITIES.
CHAPTER 24—MASSACRE AT HAUN’S MILL
CHAPTER 25—SPEECH OF MAJOR-GENERAL CLARK, DELIVERED AT FAR WEST WHILE ITS CITIZENS WERE HELD AS PRISONERS, NOVEMBER, 1838
CHAPTER 26—THE PRISONERS—SECOND INTERVIEW WITH GENERAL CLARK—INQUISITION—SICKNESS OF ELDER RIGDON—COLONEL PRICE AND GUARDS—THEIR CONDUCT—REBUKE BY JOSEPH SMITH—TRIAL—SIMILARITY BETWEEN KING HEROD AND GOVERNOR BOGGS—JUDGE AUSTIN A. KING IN OPEN COURT THREATENS A WHOLESALE EXTERMINATION OF THE “MORMONS”—OTHER PRISONERS OBTAINED BY STRATAGEM—ADVICE OF GENERAL DONIPHAN, ATTORNEY FOR THE PRISONERS—DECISION—DISPOSAL OF THE PRISONERS—FLIGHT OF THE CHURCH TO ILLINOIS—CONDUCT OF THE OUTLAWS—MY FAMILY VISITS ME IN PRISON
CHAPTER 27—LEGISLATIVE ACTION ON THE SUBJECT
CHAPTER 28—JOSEPH SMITH AND HIS FELLOW PRISONERS IN CLAY COUNTY—MOCK TRIAL IN THE COUNTY OF DAVIES—FINAL ESCAPE—THEIR ARRIVAL IN ILLINOIS
CHAPTER 29—FAREWELL SCENES—DEPARTURE OF THE LAST REMNANT OF THE EXILES—COURT—RELEASE OF TWO OF THE PRISONERS—REFLECTIONS IN PRISON
CHAPTER 30—LETTER TO JUDGE AUSTIN A. KING
CHAPTER 31—THE PRISON—FARE—CONDUCT OF THE GUARDS—A STRANGE COUPLE—MY WIFE VISITS THE PRISON—FASTING AND PRAYER—AN IMPORTANT QUESTION—VISION—A MINISTERING SPIRIT—THE QUESTION ANSWERED—VISIT FROM JUDGE KING—CHANGE OF VENUE—HANDCUFFS—DEPARTURE FROM THE PRISON—JOURNEY—ARRIVAL IN COLUMBIA, BOONE COUNTY—ENTER ANOTHER PRISON—TREATMENT—ARRIVAL OF FRIENDS—NEWS FROM MY FAMILY—IMPRESSIONS OF THE SPIRIT—PLAN AND PREPARATIONS FOR ESCAPE—FOURTH OF JULY CELEBRATION—FLAG—PUBLIC DINNER—NOW’S THE DAY—OUR FRIENDS TAKE LEAVE—RENDEZVOUS
CHAPTER 32—DESCRIPTION OF THE PRISON—LADIES IN THE PRISON—EVENING OF A PUBLIC DAY—SONG—OBSTINATE COFFEE POT—ORDER OF ATTACK—ESCAPE—RACE—GREAT EXCITEMENT—OUR FRIENDS IN THE THICKET—PRISONERS GAIN THE THICKET—FLIGHT—ENCOUNTER—CLIMB A TREE—FAINT—PRAYERS—NIGHT FAVORS US AT LAST—LOSS OF MY HORSE—JOURNEY ON FOOT—REFLECTIONS
CHAPTER 33—DAWN—BEWILDERED IN A FOREST—BEAUTIFUL VALLEY—ESCAPE OF PHELPS—DIALOGUE—HIS FINAL ESCAPE AND ARRIVAL IN ILLINOIS—FATE OF OUR TWO FRIENDS—INTERVIEW BETWEEN MY BROTHER ORSON AND MY WIFE—SHE PREPARES FOR MY RECEPTION— DISAPPOINTMENT— EXCITEMENT —SEARCH—SUSPENSE—SCENES AT THE PRISON—TREATMENT OF MRS. PHELPS—MR. FOLLETT, RETAKEN—HIS RETURN TO PRISON—CHAINS—ESCAPE OF MRS. PHELPS—FINALE OF LUMAN AND PHILA
CHAPTER 34—REMINISCENCE—RESUME MY WANDERINGS—LOST AGAIN—STORM-CONVERSATION—SUSPICIOUS CHARACTERS—LOST IN A SWAMP—STRANGE RIVER—RETRACE MY STEPS—CROSS THE RIVER—WILD SCENERY—STRANGE BEDFELLOW—DAWN—REACH THE MISSISSIPPI—CROSS THE RIVER IN A CANOE—LAND ON AN ISLAND—ENTANGLED IN THE THICKETS—REEMBARK—LAND IN ILLINOIS—AN OLD ACQUAINTANCE—ARRIVE AT QUINCY
CHAPTER 35—OPINIONS OF THE PRESS—EXTRACTS FROM THE “COLUMBIA PATRIOT”—“BANNER OF LIBERTY”—“BOONE’S LICK DEMOCRAT”—“SATURDAY NEWS”—“MISSOURI REPUBLICAN”—“NEW YORK SUN”—“QUINCY ARGUS”—MINUTES OF A PUBLIC MEETING IN QUINCY—“NEW YORK COMMERCIAL ADVERTISER”—PUBLIC MEETTNG IN NEW YORK—CLOSING REMARKS
CHAPTER 36—CONGRATULATIONS—REMOVE TO NAUVOO—MEET WITH PRESIDENT SMITH AND OTHER FELLOW SUFFERERS—PRESIDENT SMITH’S REPROOF FOR THE ELDERS—TOILS—START FOR ENGLAND—ARRIVAL IN DETROIT—VISIT MY BROTHER ANSON AND PARENTS—ARRIVE IN NEW YORK—VISIT PHILADELPHIA AND WASHINGTON—MEET PRESIDENT SMITH—GREAT MEETING—PREACHING BY S. RIGDON AND PRESIDENT SMITH—SUCCESS IN NEW YORK—FAREWELL SONG—SAIL FOR ENGLAND—REFLECTIONS
CHAPTER 37—GENERAL CONFERENCE AT PRESTON, ENGLAND—PUBLISHING COMMITTEE—EDITORIAL APPOINTMENT—FIRST NUMBER OF THE “MILLENNIAL STAR” ISSUED—MY OWN MINISTRY IN MANCHESTER AND VICINITY—NEW HYMN BOOK—ACTION OF CONGRESS ON THE MISSOURI TRAGEDIES
CHAPTER 38—GENERAL CONFERENCE AT MANCHESTER—ORDINATIONS AND APPOINTMENTS—RETURN TO NEW YORK—MEET WITH MY FAMILY—VISIT TO THE STATE OF MAINE—A DREAM AND ITS FULFILLMENT—EMBARK AGAIN FOR ENGLAND—CONSEQUENCE OF LOOKING BACK—SAFE ARRIVAL IN ENGLAND—RESUME THE EDITORIAL DUTIES—REFLECTIONS
CHAPTER 39—VISIT AND MINISTRY IN BOLTON—CONDUCT OF TWO METHODIST PRIESTS—ARREST AND TRIAL—EMIGRATION—GENERAL CONFERENCE AT MANCHESTER—COUNCIL OF THE TWELVE—CHARTER THE SHIP “TYREAN”—“PHILOSOPHY OF THE RESURRECTION”—EMIGRATION ON THE SHIP “CHAOS”—VISIT TO THE ISLE OF MAN—VISIT TO NORWICH—MOB
CHAPTER 40—NOTICE FOR A GENERAL CONFERENCE—EXTRACT OF A LETTER FROM ELDER ORSON HYDE IN JERUSALEM—EXTRACTS FROM MY FAREWELL ADDRESS
CHAPTER 41—VESSELS CHARTERED—EMIGRATION—SAIL FOR NEW ORLEANS ON THE “EMERALD”—PASSAGE—LAND IN NEW ORLEANS—CHARTER OF A STEAMER—HISTORICAL LETTER—JOURNEY AND ARRIVAL AT NAUVOO—MISSION WITH JOSEPH SMITH—VISIT TO CHESTER
CHAPTER 42—MISCELLANEOUS WRITINGS—MISSION TO THE EAST—IMPRESSIONS OF THE SPIRIT—MARTYRDOM OF JOSEPH AND HYRUM SMITH—SPIRIT OF EXULTATION—RETURN TO NAUVOO—SIDNEY RIGDON DISFELLOWSHIPPED
CHAPTER 43—EASTERN MISSION—RETURN—MOBOCRACY—LABOR IN THE TEMPLE—EXPULSION FROM NAUVOO—CROSS THE MISSISSIPPI—GARDEN GROVE—MOUNT PISGAH—COUNCIL BLUFFS—MORMON BATTALION—WINTER QUARTERS—MISSION TO ENGLAND WITH ELDERS ORSON HYDE AND JOHN TAYLOR—CONFERENCE AT MANCHESTER—TOUR THROUGH THE KINGDOM
CHAPTER 44—An Apostle of the Church of Jesus Christ, of Latter-day Saints, was in the Island of Great Britain for the Gospel’s sake; and being in the Spirit on the 24th of November, 1846, addressed the following words of comfort to his dearly beloved Wife and Family, dwelling in tents, in the Camp of Israel, at Council Bluffs, Missouri Territory, North America; where they and twenty thousand others were banished by the civilized Christians of the United States for the word of god and the testimony of Jesus
CHAPTER 45—RETURN WITH ELDER JOHN TAYLOR TO AMERICA—ARRIVAL AT WINTER QUARTERS—CAMP STARTS FOR THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS—MEET THE PIONEERS—ARRIVAL IN GREAT SALT LAKE VALLEY—VISIT TO UTAH AND GREAT SALT LAKE
CHAPTER 46—SPRING OF 1848—SCARCITY OF PROVISIONS—“HARVEST FEAST”—ARRIVAL OF PRESIDENT YOUNG AND COMPANY—GOLD FEVER—EXPLORE SOUTHERN UTAH
CHAPTER 47—START ON MY PACIFIC MISSION—SKETCH OF THE JOURNEY—ATTACKED BY INDIANS—CROSSING THE DESERT—ARRIVAL AT LOS ANGELES
CHAPTER 48—LOS ANGELES—CATHOLIC CELEBRATION OF CORPUS CHRISTI—ARRIVAL IN SAN FRANCISCO—LETTER TO PRESIDENT B. YOUNG—FAMILY LETTER
CHAPTER 49—VALPARAISO—QUILLOTA—LETTER TO PRESIDENT BRIGHAM YOUNG
CHAPTER 50—ARRIVAL IN SAN FRANCISCO—RETURN TO SALT LAKE CITY—SECOND MISSION TO THE PACIFIC—ARTICLES FROM THE PRESS
CHAPTER 51—REPLY TO THE REV. MR. BRIGGS ON THE SUBJECT OF THE EXPEDIENCY OF THE REAPPOINTMENT OF HIS EXCELLENCY GOVERNOR YOUNG, OF UTAH
CHAPTER 52—STATEMENTS PERTAINING TO THE HISTORY OF JOSEPH SMITH—RETURN TO UTAH—HOME MISSION—ATTEND THE LEGISLATURE AT FILLMORE—THE STANDARD OF ZION—RETURN TO SALT LAKE CITY
CHAPTER 53—JOURNAL OF EASTERN MISSION
CHAPTER 54—FAMILY LETTERS—“MY FIFTIETH YEAR”—RESPONSE BY JOHN TAYLOR
Preface to the First Edition
In publishing this volume I am discharging a duty solemnly imposed upon me by my lamented father, just before his departure on his last mission to the United States.
It affords me great pleasure to present the Autobiography of the late Author to his relatives, his numerous friends, and to the general reader.
The writer is well and favorably known through his Voice of Warning, his Key to Theology, and other productions of his pen, as well as through his personal labors. He was one of the first Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, having been called by revelation and ordained to that office by the Prophet Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery. He was intimately associated with the martyrs Joseph and Hyrum, with Presidents B. Young and H. C. Kimball, and other leading men, almost from the first rise of the Church: his history, therefore, was so interwoven with that of the Church, that many of the most interesting sketches of Church history will be found therein.
The following pages, which embrace his life, ministry and travels, and some of his best miscellaneous writings in prose and verse, are the productions of his own pen.
He spared no pains to make the work a reliable record, and one that would be acceptable to all lovers of truth. It is written in the author’s happiest style. He was an early pioneer of the Great West, and travelled extensively in different countries.
His life was one of indefatigable labor, varied and complicated, crowded with public labors and responsibilities, and full of strange and extraordinary events—a life mingled with the extremes of joy and sorrow—or, in the writer’s own words, “a truly eventful one.”
With confidence and satisfaction I submit this work to the reader, feeling assured that it will stand upon its own merits. I also have an earnest and sincere desire that it may be the means, through the blessing of God, of accomplishing much good.
In editing the work I have been kindly assisted by the author’s personal friend, Elder John Taylor, to whom I feel deeply indebted.
The work embraces a period of history of fifty years—from the author’s boyhood to the time of his betrayal, by apostates, into the hands of his enemies, and martyrdom.
The writer, in his second preface to his Voice of Warning, in 1846, gave expression to the following sentiment: “Should the author be called to sacrifice his life for the cause of truth, he will have the consolation that it will be said of him, as it was said of Abel, “He being dead yet speaketh.”
EDITOR.
Salt Lake City, Dec., 1873.
To the Public
The circumstances attending the death of our beloved and much esteemed Apostle, Parley Parker Pratt, rendered it impossible for him to complete and prepare for publication the work in which he had for many years been engaged, which is now presented to the public.
The general history and incidents were recorded in various forms of manuscript, some in book form, some in loose leaves, whilst others were extracts from the Millennial Star and other publications, yet they needed collating and revising preparatory to their publication.
The deceased, as appears above, had laid upon his eldest son, P. P. Pratt, the responsibility of publishing his history in case anything should happen to prevent himself from doing it.
At the solicitation of Brother Pratt I undertook the task of assisting to collate and revise the work preparatory to publication. I found, as I expected it to be, quite an undertaking. But, as Bro. Parley brought the gospel to and baptized me, and as I have always entertained for him the most profound regard, I esteemed it a duty, due alike to gratitude and respect, to assist in having him properly presented before the community.
In the revision the changes are very few and unimportant, the meaning being rigidly adhered to, and the original, so far as possible, preserved intact. His doctrines and general views are left unchanged, as he was always considered sound in doctrinal points.
The multitudinous reminiscences manifested in his eventful life exhibit a true and living faith in God and his religion—an honesty of purpose, an inflexible will, and an unflagging, indefatigable industry and perseverance. He possessed a comprehensive mind, coupled with a sound judgment. He manifested an indomitable fortitude under the most trying circumstances, and in adversity and trials, as well as in prosperity, exhibited an example worthy of praise and emulation. He was indeed a true Latter-day Saint, an honorable Apostle, a good and kind husband, an affectionate father, a true friend, and an honest man.
From various premonitions which he had during his last visit with me in New York, I was satisfied that, when I took my last sad leave of him in that city, I should never see his face again in the flesh. These presentiments were but too speedily and sadly fulfilled. He has gone— but has left a name and a fame that will live throughout time and burst forth in eternity; and in the morning of the first resurrection, when the opening heavens shall reveal the Son of God, and he shall proclaim, “I am the resurrection and the life,” when Death shall deliver up the dead, I expect to meet Bro. Parley in the resurrection of the just.
JOHN TAYLOR.
Preface to Classics in Mormon Literature Edition
One of the most significant of the Mormon proselyters, writers, and thinkers to emerge during the early years of the Restoration was Parley Parker Pratt. In that initial period of Church growth and development, a body of sacred literature, unique in its dimensions, was generated. Elder Pratt was a central figure in expounding the doctrines of the faith as introduced by the Prophet Joseph Smith. He published some thirty-one separate works during his lifetime (1807-1857). Of this number his two primary texts, A Voice of Warning and Key to the Science of Theology, are still in print. After Elder Pratt’s untimely death in 1857, his son Parley Parker Pratt, Jr., published his father’s autbiographical materials as they appear in this singular volume, The Autobiography of Parley Parker Pratt.
Publication of A Voice of Warning in 1837 set the standard for future Mormon pamphleteers. The textual format, which employed descriptions of basic Mormon doctrines and biblical references, arguments, and examples, was utilized as a guide by virtually all Latter-day Saint writers during the century that followed. A Voice of Warning can be classified as the first use of a book other than the standard works to spread the Latter-day Saint message. It was probably the most effective nineteenth century Mormon missionary tract and acted as a catalyst for the conversion of thousands. The tract continued to serve as a basic proselyting tool well into the twentieth century.
Elder Pratt began work on Key to the Science of Theology while he was in San Francisco, just prior to departing for his mission to Chile in the latter part of 1851. By March 1855 the volume was available for public sale. It is considered Mormonism’s earliest comprehensive and synthetical text. Commencing with a definition of theology, it examines the loss of the true gospel, the nature of the Godhead, the origin of the universe, the Restoration, how to gain the presence of God, the Resurrection, degrees of glory, and the ultimate status of exalted men and women. Key to the Science of Theology proved to be Elder Pratt’s last major work, published just two years before his assassination. (Peter Crawley, “Parley P. Pratt: Father of Mormon Pamphleteering,” Dialogue 15 [Autumn 1982]: 13-31.)
In company with William W. Phelps and Eliza R. Snow, Parley P. Pratt was one of the most important and fruitful writers of verse in the early Church. He wrote verses to commemorate many signal events in the history of Mormondom and in his own personal life. His most frequent themes were the restoration of the gospel and the eventual millennial reign of Jesus Christ. When Emma Smith compiled the first LDS hymnal, A Collection of Sacred Hymns, for the Church of the Latter Day Saints, in 1835, the work included three hymns written by Elder Pratt. At the time of his mission to the eastern states with the Twelve in the summer of 1835, he published eleven of his hymns in conjunction with a long narrative poem in six chapters entitled “The Millennium.” This volume became the first book of Mormon poetry in the Church. (The Millennium, a Poem. To Which Added Hymns and Songs, Boston: Printed for Elder Parley P. Pratt, Author and Proprietor, 1835.) Eight of the eleven hymns later appeared in the first Mormon hymnal published in Europe, A Collection of Sacred Hymns, published at Manchester in 1840.
The printed wrapper of the initial issue of the Millennial Star in 1840 carried one of his most powerful hymns, “The Morning Breaks”:
The morning breaks; the shadows flee;
Lo! Zion’s standard is unfurled.
The dawning of a brighter day
Majestic rises on the world.
The clouds of error disappear
Before the rays of truth divine;
The glory, bursting from afar,
Wide o’er the nations soon will shine.
These two verses from that immortal hymn are indelibly set for all generations not only on the hearts of the Saints, but they also grace the monument erected at Elder Pratt’s gravesite near Van Buren, Arkansas. Among other Pratt hymns still readily recognizable in today are “An Angel from on High,” “Come, O Thou King of Kings,” “Jesus, Once of Humble Birth,” and “As the Dew from Heaven Distilling.” One of Parley’s grandsons, Samuel Russell, collected a majority of his progenitor’s verses on restoration themes and set fifty of them to traditional hymn tunes. These were published by Cambridge University Press in 1913 in a work entitled The Millennial Hymns of Parley Parker Pratt.
Immediately prior to his leaving for his last mission, Parley met with his twenty-year-old son and namesake, Parley P. Pratt, Jr., for some final words of counsel. Of that event Parley stipulated, “[I] gave instructions and strict charge to my son . . . concerning my business, and the duties that would devolve upon him in my absence.” (Autobiography, p. 000.) Included in those directions was the solemn duty for the son to publish Elder Pratt’s autobiography should the author be unable to do so himself. His announced premonitions to his family and friends were realized. Parley did not live to finish his autobiography or to make revisions in the later notes that appeared under the editorship of Parley P. Pratt, Jr., in 1874. The last eight chapters appear to be journal entries added by his son.
Parley said that he was attracted to the gospel through reading the Book of Mormon. In 1857 he narrated an account of the witness that came to him while reading that sacred scripture for the first time years before: “As I read, I was convinced that it was true; and the Spirit of the Lord came upon me, while I read, and enlightened my mind, convinced my judgment, and rivetted the truth upon my understanding, so that I knew that the book was true, just as well as a man knows the daylight from the dark night, or any other thing that can be implanted in his understanding. I did not know it by any audible voice from heaven, by any ministration of an angel, by any open vision; but I knew it by the spirit of understanding in my heart—by the light that was in me. I knew it was true, because it was light, and had come in fulfilment of the Scriptures; and I bore testimony of its truth to the neighbours that came in during the first day that I sat reading it, at the house of an old Baptist deacon, named Hamblin.” (Journal of Discourses 5:194.)
On a very hot August day in 1830 Elder Pratt wore blisters on his feet in an attempt to reach the Prophet at Manchester, New York. He felt compelled to meet the proprietor of the Book of Mormon. Instead, he found Hyrum Smith, who reported that Joseph was away in Harmony, Pennsylvania. Soon after their first meeting, Hyrum presented Parley with a copy of the Book of Mormon and took him home to the Peter Whitmer farm in Fayette, New York. There he was introduced to the Three Witnesses and also the Eight Witnesses. The day following this meeting, September 1, 1830, Parley was baptized in Seneca Lake by Oliver Cowdery, was confirmed a member of the Church, and was ordained an elder. That same month he went on to Canaan, Columbia County, New York, where he presented the gospel message to his family and was successful in converting his brother, Orson Pratt, on September 19, 1830.
The conversion of Parley Parker Pratt to the gospel of Jesus Christ added a veritable giant to Mormon leadership. His exceptional character traits manifested themselves in a literal galaxy of personal endowments. Andrew Love Neff observed: “Parley’s soul was full of romance, poetry and song, imagery, delight and enthusiasm. Emotionalism here found its exemplar. . . . Deeds of romance and achievement exuded from his knightly spirit. Gracious Parley P. was one of the most brilliant as well as one of the most exotic characters of Mormonism.” (Andrew Love Neff, History of Utah, 1847 to 1869, Salt Lake City: Deseret News Press, 1940, p. 577.)
John Henry Evans stylized Parley’s abilities in these superlatives: “Abounding in vital energy, . . . Parley possessed a vivid imagination, was addicted to Popean cuplet and florid prose, had a vocabulary equal to his fancy, [and] kept himself always on the frontiers of life and thought.” (John Henry Evans, Joseph Smith, An American Prophet, New York: The Macmillan Company, 1946, p. 60.)
While describing her husband’s public stance “as an Orator, Author, Statesman and able expounder of the Gospel,” Ann Agatha Pratt also shared a glimpse into Parley’s private nature as a householder. She affirmed:
“He had an inate reverence and respect for woman as the mother of the souls of men. . . . As a father he was kind and gentle and hailed each new comer with as much pleasure and delight as if it were the only one. One of the greatest pleasures of his life was to gather them around his knees, holding as many as he could, and have them sing their sweet childish songs, often trying to join in with them as he dearly loved music and singing and always when possible he would have his family gather together for family worship; we would sing a suitable hymn then kneel down and dedicate his family, himself and all he had to the Lord. . . .
“His confidence in God was unbounded and he would go to Him and ask Him for what he needed, as a child would go to the father, with the same childlike simplicity. I have seen his prayers answered almost before he had finished his supplication.” (“Reminiscences of Mrs. A. Agatha Pratt, January 07,” F564, #16, LDS Church Archives.)
From 1830 to 1857, Elder Pratt was constantly engaged in a variety of missionary assignments. During this period he experienced more than a score of specific calls to the field. Among his areas of labor was a fifteen-hundred-mile journey to the western boundaries of Missouri (the Lamanite Mission). He was among the first of the Saints to stand upon the land where the City of Zion was to be built. In the summer of 1831 Parley served a mission in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri, and on February 21, 1835, he was ordained one of the original Twelve Apostles in this dispensation. Serving in that capacity, he became one of the chosen few who were ready to spend their time, their means, and even their lives, to assist in the establishment of the kingdom and spread the gospel at home and abroad as special witnesses. His brother Orson was likewise ordained to the Twelve a short time later, April 26, 1835. That same year saw the brothers expounding the gospel through Pennsylvania, New York, and several of the New England states.
Parley performed extensive proselyting in Canada. While working in Toronto and vicinity during 1836, he was successful in the conversion of such respected individuals as John and Leonora Taylor, Joseph Fielding, and Joseph’s sisters, Mary and Mercy Fielding. Elder Pratt founded a large branch of the Church in New York during 1837. In 1838 he was caught up in the dreadful persecution of the Saints in Missouri. As a participant in the Battle of Crooked River, he was committed to prison for trial, along with other leading brethren who were being detained on a variety of charges.
During the committing trial before Judge Austin King, Parley was incarcerated with the Prophet Joseph at Richmond, Missouri. He was a witness to the Prophet’s stinging reproof of the guards as with a voice of thunder Joseph cried, “SILENCE, ye fiends of the infernal pit. In the name of Jesus Christ I rebuke you, and command you to be still; I will not live another minute and hear such language. Cease such talk, or you or I die THIS INSTANT!” Greatly moved by that exalting experience, Elder Pratt responded, “Dignity and majesty have I seen but once, as it stood in chains, at midnight, in a dungeon in an obscure village of Missouri.” (Autobiography, p. 180.)
In fulfillment of Joseph’s prophetic revelation to the Twelve contained in Doctrine and Covenants, section 118, Parley and Orson Pratt started from Nauvoo on August 29, 1839, for the British Isles. At a conference of the Church held in the Temperance Hall at Preston, Lancashire, England, on April 15, 1840, authorization was given for the publication of a monthly periodical under the “direction and superintendence of the Twelve.” Parley was to be the editor and publisher of the newly created Latter-day Saints Millennial Star. Initially the publication was printed in the town of Manchester at No. 47 Oxford Street. Elder Pratt’s first issue, dated May 1840, is indicative of the millennial perspective that dominated his thinking and the entire missionary thrust in England. The prospectus of the Star stipulated:
“Its columns will be devoted to the spread of the fulness of the gospel—the restoration of the ancient principles of Christianity—the gathering of Israel—the rolling forth of the kingdom of God among the nations—the signs of the times—the fulfilment of prophecy—recording the judgments of God as they befall the nations, whether signs in the heavens or in the earth, ‘blood, fire, or vapour of smoke’—in short whatever is shown forth indicative of the coming of the Son of Man, and the ushering in of his universal reign on the earth.” (Latter-day Saints Millennial Star 1:5.)
Parley P. Pratt had given birth to what would evolve as the Church’s oldest continuous periodical, enduring from 1840 until its discontinuation at the end of 1970 (the Deseret News now excepted). When other of the Twelve returned to America in 1841, Elder Pratt stayed on in his new appointment as “President over all the British Conferences,” holding this post until the autumn of 1842.
Early in 1845 Elder Pratt was again called to leave Nauvoo and preside over branches of the Church in New England and the mid-Atlantic states with headquarters in New York City. Here he worked on the publication of a periodical entitled The Prophet. That summer he returned to Nauvoo and completed preparations for the mass exodus of the Saints from the City of Joseph. February 1846 found him in the vanguard of Mormons as they strung out across Iowa in a forced move from Illinois. At Council Bluffs, President Brigham Young assigned Elder Pratt to perform a short-term mission to England, where he was to regulate some important matters among the branches and to strengthen the Saints throughout the British Isles. By April 1847, Elder Pratt had returned to America and rejoined his family “dwelling in tents, in the Camp of Israel, at Council Bluffs.” During the summer and autumn he and his household immigrated to the Salt Lake Valley.
In March 1851 the First Presidency directed Elder Pratt to preside over a “General Mission to the Pacific.” He established his headquarters in San Francisco. While he was there, a sense of duty to the peoples of South America drew his attention to the prospects of a proselyting endeavor in that land. With his wife Phebe Soper and Elder Rufus Allen, he set sail for Valparaiso, Chile, on September 5, 1851. During a lengthy voyage of sixty-four days on the ship Henry Kelsey, Elder Pratt found time to do some writing. One item of correspondence, a letter to his family, might be singled out, as its contents demonstrate his extraordinary sensitivity and is a sample of the finest quality of composition. He mused:
“Just imagine sundown, twilight, the shades of evening, the curtains of the solitary night gathering in silent gloom and lone melancholy around a father who loves his home and its inmates; his fireside and the family altar! Behold him standing leaning over the vessel’s side as it glides over waters of the lone and boundless Pacific, gazing for hours in succession into the bosom of its dark abyss, or watching its white foam and sparkling spray! What are his thoughts? Can you divine them? Behold, he prays! For what does he pray? For every wife, for every child, for every near and dear friend he has on earth, he prays most earnestly! most fervently! He calls each by name over and over again, before the altar of remembrance. And when this is done for all on earth, he remembers those in Heaven; calls their names; communes with them in spirit; wonders how they are doing; whether they think of him. He calls to mind their acts and sufferings in life, their death, and the grave where sleeps their precious dust.” (Autobiography, p. 000.)
Frustrated by language difficulties, financial poverty, the death of an infant son born to Phebe, and the state of the religion and politics in Chile, the missionaries returned to San Francisco in March 1852.
After more than twenty-five years of constant missionary labors, Elder Pratt had some personal expectations of remaining closer to home and family for a season. Such imaginations were short-lived. In 1856 President Brigham Young directed him to carry out an extended proselyting tour in the eastern states. Elder Pratt’s love of the Lord and respect for priesthood authority generated philosophical—even prophetic—reflections, as he gave his last discourse to the Saints assembled at the Bowery, Great Salt Lake City, September 7, 1856:
“I am now about to start to the States, to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ and bear testimony of those things which I most assuredly do know; for this is my calling. I have desired, after travelling for twenty-five or twenty-six years, mostly abroad, to stay at home and minister among the people of God, and take care of my family; but God’s will be done, and not mine. If it is the will of God that I should spend my days in proclaiming this Gospel and bearing testimony of these things, I shall think myself highly privileged and honoured. And when the Spirit of God is upon me, I think it matters but very little what I suffer, what I sacrifice—whether I secure the honour or dishonour of men, or where I die, if it so be that I can keep the faith, fight the good fight, and finish my course with joy.
“I have all eternity before me, in which to enjoy myself; and though I am a stranger and a pilgrim on this earth, and whether I be rich or poor, or live long or short, I shall yet plant gardens and eat the fruit of them, plant vineyards and drink the wine thereof, build houses and inhabit them, and, as one of the elect of God, shall long enjoy the works of my hands. All this shall I do, though worms eat the body that I now have.” (Journal of Discourses 5:196-97.)
Leaving Salt Lake City on September 11, 1856, Elder Pratt traveled extensively among the branches in Philadelphia, New York City, Cincinnati, and elsewhere. While he was engaged in that calling, a man by the name of Hector McLean actively began to trace his whereabouts, blaming Elder Pratt for the estrangement between him (McLean) and his former wife, Eleanor. McLean nearly caught him in St. Louis. Fortunately, Elder Pratt eluded the man and managed to escape to Indian Territory (Oklahoma), where Elder George B. Higginson was working among the Indians of the Creek and Cherokee nations. Here Elder Pratt was arrested by a Captain Little of the U.S. Cavalry on a warrant emerging from the charges filed by Hector McLean at Fort Gibson (Oklahoma).
Elder Pratt was transferred under guard to Van Buren, Crawford County, Arkansas, where the nearest federal court convened. Judge John B. Ogden, U.S. Commissioner, presided over the examining session on Tuesday, May 12, 1857. Evidence presented against Elder Pratt was not considered sufficient to warrant holding him, and he was acquitted. However, the judge purposely did not announce the decision to release Elder Pratt at that time, hoping to dissuade McLean from his avowed determination to kill him. Elder Pratt was kept at the jailhouse overnight in protective custody. Early the next morning Judge Ogden brought his horse to him at the jail, saw that he was discharged, and at the same time offered him a knife and a pistol as a means of self-defense. But Elder Pratt declined, saying, “Gentlemen, I do not rely on weapons of that kind, my trust is in my God. Good-bye, gentlemen.”
Although Elder Pratt rode a circuitous route to escape his pursuers, a light rain allowed Hector McLean and two accomplices, James Cornell and Amasa Howell, to track him. They caught up with the fleeing man some twelve miles northeast of Van Buren (near Alma, Arkansas) in front of the Winn farm. Shots were fired by McLean, but they failed to take effect. Riding up to Elder Pratt, McLean stabbed him in the left breast with his bowie knife. The wounded man fell from his horse while his assailants rode off. About ten minutes later McLean returned and, placing a gun next to Elder Pratt’s neck, deliberately fired into the prostrate figure. Mr. Winn was a witness to the entire scene. He and some of his neighbors attended to the apostle in his dying moments. Before Elder Pratt died approximately two and a half hours later, he instructed those gathered about him on how to notify his family and the disposition of his personal effects. He then shared his final testimony: “I die a firm believer in the Gospel of Jesus Christ as revealed through the Prophet Joseph Smith, and I wish you to carry this my dying testimony. I know that the Gospel is true and that Joseph Smith was a prophet of the living God, I am dying a martyr to the faith.” (Steven Pratt, “Eleanor McLean and the Murder of Parley P. Pratt,” BYU Studies 15 [Winter 1975]: 248.)
While imprisoned at Richmond, Missouri, Joseph Smith had spoken of being bound to Parley P. Pratt “in chains as well as the cords of everlasting love.” (Letter of Joseph Smith to Emma Smith, November 12, 1838.) With his dying breath, he reaffirmed that love and devotion to the Prophet.
Elder Pratt’s body was “shrouded in fine linen” and placed in a pine casket prepared by William T. Steward. The remains were then driven by John B. Steward to Sterman’s graveyard (now known as Fine Springs), where Elder George Higginson buried them at about ten o’clock on the evening of Thursday, May 14, 1857, “without the presence of a brother or a sister.” (Steven Pratt, op. cit.; letter of George B. Higginson to Andrew Kimball, March 1892, LDS Church Archives; Journal of James Duffin, “Journal History,” May 16, 1857.)
At the time of his death, Elder Pratt was fortified with a more certain knowledge that robbed death of its sting. He had affirmed on numerous occasions the fact that “man is an eternal being, both in regard to his material organization, and his mind and affections. The resurrection from the dead (if quickened by the celestial glory) restores him to life with all his bodily and mental powers and faculties, and consequently associates him with his family, friends, and kindred, as one of the necessary links of the chain which connects the great and royal family of heaven and earth, in one eternal body of kindred affection, and association.” (Parley P. Pratt, “Celestial Family Organization,” The Prophet [New York City], March 1, 1845, p. 1.)
In the Territory of Utah, Brigham Young declared, concerning Elder Pratt’s death, “Nothing has happened so hard to reconcile my mind to since the death of Joseph.” (“Reminiscences of Mrs. A. Agatha Pratt, January 07,” F564, #16, LDS Church Archives.) Elder Pratt was just one month over fifty years of age when he died. Nearly thirty of those years had been spent in the selfless service of preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. His careful chronicling of associated events makes the Autobiography one of the most valuable works extant on the subject of Mormon missions.
Through the great and enduring legacy of his writings, hymns, songs, and poems, Parley Parker Pratt continues to inspire each new generation with the image of his indominable spirit. The vibrancy of his testimony and the motivational factors that shaped his life are captivatingly expressed in this particular work. The reader will discover an example of living faith personified in Elder Pratt that is both uplifting and worthy of emulation.
DR. LARRY C. PORTER
Director of Church History
Religious Studies Center
Brigham Young University