[Council of Fifty Members] Coolidge, Joseph W. (1814 ). Admitted 18 April 1844. Dropped after 1848. (1)
[Council of Fifty Members] Hollister, David S. (1808-1858). Admitted 18 April 1844. Possibly dropped after 25 December 1846. (1)
Willam Law planned to shoot Joseph Smith but didn't get a chance [per affidavit of Jesse Price]. (2)
William Law: Excommunicated 18 Apr. 1844 as regular member, which he regarded invalid (3)
Joseph Smith declares that his theocratic council is not complete with its requirement of fifty members and it takes the ecclesiastical step of voting to condemn religious dissenters. Church authorities excommunicate William Law (who becomes president of a "Reformed Church" three days later), his wife Jane and his brother Wilson Law for "unchristlike conduct." William Law had been Joseph's Second Counselor but differed strongly with Joseph over the doctrine of polygamy. Twenty-four members of the Council of Fifty join with eight other local church leaders in holding an extraordinary court to excommunicate the Laws from the church. (4)
[Joseph Smith] Joseph meets with 32 leading Church brethren (22 of whom belong to the Council of Fifty) to make a ruling about certain Church dissidents. Robert D. Foster, Wilson Law, William Law, Jane Law, and Howard Smith are excommunicated for "unchristianlike conduct." These men did not reject Mormonism, but regarded Joseph as a fallen, not a false, prophet, and planned to set up their own church. They made various charges against Joseph's character. William Law accused Joseph of propositioning Law's wife. Joseph claimed that when he told Jane Law that her husband, William, was unworthy of celestial sealing due to admitted adultery, she then begged to be sealed to Joseph. Several months later Jesse Price would testify that on April 18, 1844, William Law had gone out with pistols determined to blow Joseph's "infernal brains out," saying that he was determined to kill Joseph at first opportunity. (History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (7 volumes) 7:227.
) (5)
[Joseph Smith Diary] Thursday, April 18th 1844 9 A.M. Council [of Fifty] till 12 noon. At dinner made mention of the report that Foster, Higbee, &c. were paying some one's board at my table to catch something against me, so that if true they might have some thing to carry back.
2 P.M. to 5 1/2 in council [again]. 6 [P.M.] B[righam]Young, W[illard] Richards, J[ohn] Taylor, G[eorge] A. Smith, H[eber] C. Kimball, W[ilford] Woodruff of the 12 [and] A[lpheus]. Cutler, S[amuel] Bent, G[eorge] W. Harris, A. Johnson, Willliam]. Marks, C[harles] C. Rich, A[masa] Lyman of the High Council, [and] W[illiam] W. Phelps, N[ewel] K. Whitney, Jno [John] Smith, J[ohn] M. Bernhisel, Jos[eph] Fielding, G[eorge] J. Adams, E[rastus]. Snow, R[eynolds] Cahoon, J. W. Coolidge, Jno [John] Scott, J[ohn]. D. Lee, L[evi]. W. Hancock, S. Williams, Jos[eph] Young, J[ohn] P. Green, J[ohn]. D. Parker, A[lexander]. McRae, Geo[rge] Watt, W[illiam] Clayton held council and unanimous cut off ananimously R[obert] D. Foster, Wilson Law, W[illia]m Law, Jane Law, and Howard Smith of Scott Co[unty], Ill[inois,] from the Church for unchristian like conduct. (6)
Levi Ward Hancock: Probable member of Council of Fifty 18 April 1844. (7)
[Lucy Mack Smith] After a series of minor lawsuits against Joseph by the Higbees and Fosters, from 1-13 April, Robert Foster is excommunicated, along with Wilson and William Law, Jane (William's wife), and Howard Smith. (8)
[Quorum of Twelve] Twelve — High Council, Presidents 70's. April 18th 1844 Father Cutler of said Wm Law & wife were at the temple yesterday and scorned and there was more than $200,000 their due [?] which they agreed to [turn ?] [on ?] the temple and tithings on his hill lot if the chu[r]ch would sell them.
Object of the meeting to take in consideration the two laws and foster ... = "Kimball said men on the Hill say Foster has spoke of Joseph as murdered, Bogus maker, counterfeiter, adu[l]terer and [publicized ?]
H. Kimball — moved R. D. Foster be cut off from the church [2nd ?] by Wm Clayton and [J. ?] P. Green.--
Cahoon — Foster had stated on the hill he had been called to women when/where the father was Joseph.
Woodruff — Foster [continually ?] [made ?] his [?] to [?] out against Joseph in the [?]
Pa — Saints not to purchase land of Joseph.
Vote [?] and unanimously 32 present, — Geo[rge] A. Smith moved Wilson Law be cut off --
[Jak Scot ?] = Law yesterday Gods. [man ?} wifes full Mormons — spoke against Joseph = [?] rights, — went to Wm wife to attempt to seduce him. Joseph wanted her to come into the order. not privilege to seld [sic] unless he obed [sic]
Privilege sealed to him — watch his opportunity Wm out in bedroom attempt to take [her or him ?] abed. — [repent or serpent ?] & kill him spare his life she told her husband — got [time ?] told William. — Joseph swore [?] Wm told Joseph Wm wife some [lied ?] when. Joseph said you did Joseph acknowledged & seal[e]d William & wife
Was not a more gallant scoundrel ever hung between the heavens and the earth
Vote carried unanimously, — Wilson Law, Clayton moved Wm Law be cut off 2nd J. P. Green, Wm Clayton, - spoke
C. C. Rich. said [?] Wm Law made a statement at wedding last winter Joseph had revelations for the [?]
Snow testified about Laws statement at City Council
Clayton moved [?} Law be cut off & [Jane ?] (9)
Footnotes:
1 - Quinn, D. Michael, Council of Fifty Members, 1844-1945, BYU Studies 20, #2 (1980)
2 - Tidd, N. R., "Mormon Chronology"
3 - Quinn, D. Michael, The Mormon Hierarchy: Origins of Power, Appendix 6, Biographical Sketches of General Officers of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1830-47, http://amzn.to/origins-power
4 - On This Day in Mormon History, http://onthisdayinmormonhistory.blogspot.com
5 - Conklin, Christopher J., Joseph Smith Chronology
6 - Faulring, Scott (ed.), An American Prophet's Record: The Diaries and Journals of Joseph Smith: Joseph Smith Diary, 1844, http://amzn.to/jsdiaries
7 - Cook, Lyndon W., The Revelations of the Prophet Joseph Smith: A Historical and Biographical Commentary of the Doctrine and Covenants, Seventy's Mission Bookstore, Provo UT, 1985, http://amzn.to/RevelationsofJosephSmith
8 - Anderson, Lavina Fielding, Editor, Lucy's Book: A Critical Edition of Lucy Mack Smith's Family Memoir, 2001, Signature Books, http://bit.ly/lucys-book
9 - Quorum of the Twelve Apostles: Minutes of Meetings and Other Documents--Excerpts, 1835-1896, http://amzn.to/newmormonstudies
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