The following are some interesting excerpts from:
Women’s
Voices: An Untold History of the Latter-day Saints, 1830-1900, ed. Kenneth W. Godfrey, Audrey M. Godfrey,
and Jull Mulvay Derr (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1982)
Mary
Fielding Smith’s (1801-1852) positive description of Thomas B. Marsh, July
1837:
Elders [Thomas B.] Marsh & [David
W.] Patten have arrived from missouri. They met Elder [Parley P.?] Pratt 300
miles or his way thither and brought him back with them. Elder Marsh is a most
excellent Man. He seems to be a Man of great faith. He seems to be a man of
great faith. He says he believs the difficultys between the Presidency &
the twelve will very shortly be settled. (Mary Fielding Smith, letter to Mercy
Smith, July 8, 1837, in Women’s Voices: An Untold History of the Latter-day
Saints, 1830-1900, ed. Kenneth W. Godfrey, Audrey M. Godfrey, and Jull
Mulvay Derr [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1982], 62)
Drusilla
Dorris Hendricks (1810-1881) Recalling David W. Patten’s Final Words
There was a woman in the house that I
had taken care of for weeks. I told her to do the best she could with the
children and I mounted the horse behind Mr. Snider. We had four miles to ride,
and on reaching there we met nine of the brethren that were wounded and they
were pale as death. They were just going to get into the wagon to be taken to
their homes. I went into the house. Sister [Ann] Patten had just reached the
bed where her husband [David Patten] lay, and I heard him say, “Ann, don’t
sleep, I have kept the faith, and my work is done.” My husband lay within three
feet of Brother Patten, and I spoke to him. He could speak but could not move
any more than if he were dead. I tried to get him to move his feet but he could
not. This was Thursday, October 25, 1838, and the next Tuesday
was the battle of Haun’s Mill where men and boys were slaughtered and thrown
into a dry well eighteen or forty-eight in number, out of which one (Benjamin
Lewis) received a decent burial. (Drusilla Dorris Hendricks, as quoted in Henry
Hendricks Genealogy, comp. Marguerite H. Allen [Salt Lake City: The Hendricks
Family Organization, 1963], in Women’s Voices: An Untold History of the
Latter-day Saints, 1830-1900, ed. Kenneth W. Godfrey, Audrey M. Godfrey,
and Jull Mulvay Derr [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1982], 91)
David Patten was a member of the
Council of the Twelve. Another account indicates that his last words were : “Whatever
you do else, O! do not deny the faith.” History of the Church 3:171.
(Ibid., 404 n. 8)
In
History Draft [6 August 1838–30 December 1839], p. 30, it reads:
“Whatever you do else O! do not deny
the faith.”
In
History, 1838–1856, volume B-1 [1 September 1834–2 November 1838], p 840,
we read:
Whatever you do else O! do not defy
<deny> the faith”
Sally
Carlisle Randall (1805-?) applying Revelation 6:8-12 for Joseph and Hyrum Smith
If you can imagine to yourselves how
the apostles and saints, felt when the Savior was crucified you can give something
of a guess how the Saints felt here when they heard that their prophet and
patriarch were both dead and murdered, too, by a lawless mob. Never has there
been such a horrible crime committed since the day Christ was crucified. It
seems that all nature mourned. The earth is deprived of the two best men there was
on it. They have sealed their testimony with their blood.
‘Joseph sent word to the Church after
he went to prison to read the 6[th] chapter of Revelations and taken particular
notice from the 8[th] to the 12[th] verse. I have no doubt but that he knew he
should be killed when he gave himself up. He told his wife when he left her he
was going as a lamb to the slaughter and many other things give us reason to
believe he knew what would be fall him. He gave himself up to die for the
Church that they might not be destroyed for it seemed all they [the mob] wanted
was to kill him and they have done it. But I don’t know as they will let us
alone now, but I hope they will be easy a little while. They say there is nine
more they are determined to have, and when it will end I don’t know I expect. (Sally
Carlisle Randall, letter to Dear Friends, July 1, 1844, in Women’s Voices: An
Untold History of the Latter-day Saints, 1830-1900, ed. Kenneth W. Godfrey,
Audrey M. Godfrey, and Jull Mulvay Derr [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1982], 141-42)
Sally
Carlisle Randall (1805-?) on the Nauvoo Temple and J. J. Strang
You think there is no need of going from
here, but the mob are threatening continually to come upon us. We heard they
were coming today but I have not seen anything in the least, for I believe
there is faith enough in the city to keep them back until the Saints all get
away. We have to make a great sacrifice in order to get away. The most of the
Saints are selling out although at a very low price. I expect the temple will
be sold. The Roman Catholics talk of buying it. . . . I intend to follow the
body of the Church and not be led about by every wind of doctrine nor by any
false prophet that shall arise in these last days. (Sally Carlisle Randall,
letter to Dear Parents and Brothers and Sisters, June 1, 1846, in Women’s
Voices: An Untold History of the Latter-day Saints, 1830-1900, ed. Kenneth W.
Godfrey, Audrey M. Godfrey, and Jull Mulvay Derr [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book,
1982], 146)
From fall 1845 through summer 1847,
Church agents conferred with leading Catholic priests regarding the same of the
temple. The sale, due t legal entanglements, failed, and before the end of 1848
the temple interior was destroyed by fire. French Icarians started to rebuild
the gutted structure in 1849, but the remains were destroyed by a tornado in
1850. Colvin, “The Mormon Temple at Nauvoo, Illinois,” pp. 161-86. (Ibid.,
407-8 n. 25)
The ”false prophet” referred to is
James J. Strang, who, following the martyrdom of Joseph Smith, produced a
letter purportedly written by the Prophet designating Strang his successor and
Voree, Wisconsin, as a new gathering place for the Saints. See Doyle C.
Fitzpatrick, The King Strang Story: Vindication of James J. Strang, the
Beaver island Mormon King (Lansing, Mich.: National Heritage, 1970).
(Ibid., 408 n. 26)
Jean
Rio Griffiths Baker (Pearce) (1810-1883) on Slavery:
Our ship is at anchor at New Orleans,
170 miles from the mouth of the river. . . . There is an endless variety of landscape.
The only thing which detracts from its beauty is the sight of the hundreds of
Negroes working in the sun. Oh Slavery: how I hate thee! (Jean Rio Griffiths
Baker (Pearce), Journal, March 20, 1851, in Women’s Voices: An Untold History
of the Latter-day Saints, 1830-1900, ed. Kenneth W. Godfrey, Audrey M.
Godfrey, and Jull Mulvay Derr [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1982], 213)