Joseph, to become its President. He was a member of the quorum of the Twelve at the death of the prophet, though for some time his conduct had been

e prophet that at a general conference of the church held near Quincy, Illinois, May 4th, 1839, he was suspended from fellowship; b

it that he had been appointed and ordained patriarch "over the Church." Whereupon a number of persons of a disposition ever ready to take advantage of a word or make men an offender because of it, begun to ask if William was Patriarch "over" the church, did not that also make him President of the c

asons, Vol. VI, No. 9 and

over the Church," to bring forward claims to the Presidency which he had previously entertained, may not be accurately determined; but most likely it was the latter, because on the occasion of the writer's visit to William Smith, at

s brother's position. He claimed to find a precedent for this in scripture. In the council which convened in the early Christian church to consider how far the Gentile converts were under obligati

s have turned unto God; but that we write unto them; that they abstain from poll

A: Acts xv

n the president of the council; and if president of the council, then President of the church; and since James was the Lord's brother and succeeded him in the Presi

confronted by the stub

e Apostle Peter in t

eys of the kingdom of

rth shall be bound in

n earth shall be l

e A: Mat

ncy over the entire church. In modern revelation, too, the order in which the Apostles have been named who have adminis

Priesthood (May 15, 1829) said that "he acted under the direction of Peter, James and John, who held

Zacharias...and also with Peter. James and John whom I have sent unto you, by whom I have ordained

ing themselves as possessing the keys of the kingdom," (Doc. and Cov., sec. cxxviii, 20), and so throughout. It is scarcely probable

casion resulted only in violent denunciations of those who would not receive him, and his final expulsion from the church. At the general conference held on the 6th of October, 1845, he was disfellowshipped from the quorum of the Twelve, and on the 12th of the same

nd actions of the mother of Joseph and Hyrum, of Don Carlos and Samuel H. Smith. She was a woman who had suffered much for the work of God and the testimony of Jesus; who in addition to toil, sickness, poverty and exile had lived to see her two noblest sons murdered, and two other sons and her husband laid away in premature graves, indirectly the victims of that relentless persecution which followed her family and the church from the beginning. These suffer

ter Lucy Smith sustai

esidency and not those

e journal of the late P

f the Twelve Apostles

June 27t

of the Priesthood) to pray, several of the Twelve were present. When I returned [home] in the evening, Mrs. Taylor showed me

T VI

o was Prophet and Seer, and my servants Samuel, William and Don Carlos-they were the first founders, fathers and heads of this Church, raised up in these last days, and thou art the mother, and thy daughters have helped, and they are the daughters in Israel, and have helped raise up this Church. Arise, arise, arise, and take thy place, you know not what has been in the hearts of some; but he said thou shalt know. He told me what it was; but I shall not tell. (I saw William in a room full of armed men and he having no weapons. They would have cru

urch. He is President over all the Church, they cannot take his apostleship away from him. The Presidency of the Church belongs to William, he being the last of the heads of the Church, according to the lineage, he having inherited it from the family from before the foundation of the world. Thou art a mother in Israel.

u to take notice that the burden

ND V

r of power over my enemies. Be patient my brothers and sisters, the day is c

D VI

ou again to tell you one thing certain, which I have told you many times before. It is my prayer and the prayers of our sons that you live to take care of William and

s were present at th

la

iam

illi

Sali

d El

Camp

s Sm

ph C

Strin

. Ke

McL

Tay

Mil

Salis

McL

. K

She

, met at her house to talk over these visions in respect to William. Several members of her family were present. It was also a

ch wanted to have William Smith, he would mention it to them, and they should have their choice. This, however, neither the Church, nor the Twelve would consent to; for if it had been put to them-I do not suppose that twenty would have voted for him, out of the many thousands there are in

righam Young which was read at the above meeting. After complaining about the art

d to all of the ordinances of God, no man being my head, I will reconcile all difficulties, and Elder Young can stand as the President of the Church, and by my most hearty wish and consent. This will settle all difficulties and restore peace and good order, and farther than this, I cannot say, only that I w

M SMIT

's Journal under da

f Mother Smith. In said letter the brethren regretted not having had

of this place at present, but must be done here. As to having the right to administer all ordinances in the world and no one standing at your head, we could not sanction, because the President of the Church, and each one of our quorum are amenable to the quorum of which you are a me

ng postscri

nd Arthur, and they express their satisfaction with it

lor's journal, under

des his account of this

ngs. I am sorry the old lady should be troubled, she is a good woman and has passed through m

ote A:

also taught in connection with this that it was his right as the only surviving brother of the former President, uncle and natural guardian of the "seed" of Joseph the prophet, to stand, in the interim, as president pro tem of the church. There seemed to be a general acquiescence with this by the members of the church remaining in the districts where he labored-most of whom were either apostates or weak in the faith-and in

rum of the Twelve, sanctioned this use of his name, or that he ever wa

by Tullidge in his supplement to the Lif

ome of William Smith. At the October conference held at Palestine that year, there was a confession of belief in and the practice of polygamy, which resul

be regarded as favorably disposed to the "Josephites," as he became identified with that move

t, as its President, he became nominally connected with that movement, but he was never prominent or influential. In the summer of 1880, the writer, then on

to become President of the church, and, failing in that, attempting to lead away a party, then organizing a faction from the remnants of the

the Church after them, let them do it