Mormon History, Aug 21, 1844

-- Aug 21, 1844
Poetry: Reply to "Nauvoo" - Foolery and Knavery -- Editorial -- Speaks highly of Nauvoo and the Saints, in reply to the St. Louis Reveille's unflattering poem titled "Nauvoo." (1)

Story: "Citizens of Nauvoo!" - Labor and Do Great Things -- Editorial -- States that Adam replenished the earth with great effort, and encourages the Saints to continue in their works. (1)

Story: "One Day and a Half in the Life of a Tobacco Chewer" -- Editorial -- Humorous description of the problems associated with chewing tobacco. (1)

-- Aug 21,1844
"Evening Ers Young, Kimball, Taylor, Whitney, Woodruff & Richards called to take a drink of wine. They blessed D. Adelber who is very sick." (2)

-- Aug 22, 1844
[Apostle Wilford Woodruff Journal] 22d I spent the fore part of the day setling accounts and the latter part of the day writing. (3)

-- Aug 23, 1844
[Apostle Wilford Woodruff Journal] 23d + (I met) with the quorum of the Twelve in council, a little time or some of them. I visited Emma Smith the widow of the prophet. She let me have a peace of oak for a Staff * out of the Coffin of the Prophet Joseph who was inhumanly martered in Carthage Ill in company with his brother Hiram. Emma also let me have a Pair of gloves composed of white cotton and Mrs Woodruff a cotton hankerchief both of which the Prophet wore while living.

We called upon Sister Mary Smith widow of Hiram Smith the Patriarch. She gave us some hair from the head of Joseph Smith, Hiram Smith, Samuel Smith, & Don Carloss Smith, all brothers of the same Parents. I also obtained some hair of the quorum of the Twelve Apostles in the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints. My object was in putting a portion of each in the top of my staff as a relick of those noble men, master spirits of the nineteenth centaury, to hand down to my posterity, to deposit in the most Holy and Sacred place in the Holy temple of GOD, on the consecrated Hill of Zion.

I next visited Mother Lucy Smith, the mother of those noble men even the Lords anointed, whose names were Joseph, Hiram, Samuel and Don Carloss, and the wife of Joseph Smith sen. the first Patriarch of the last dispensation. All those men fell directly or indirectly as matters for the cause of truth and of God, Joseph and Hiram being shot in Cold Blood.

The Old Mother and Prophetess felt most heart broaken at the loss of her Children and the wicked and Cruel treatment she had recieved from the hands of the gentile world. She begged a blessing at my hands. I lade my hands upon her head and proclaimed the following by the Spirit of God.

The following blessing was proclaimed upon the head of Mother Lucy Smith (the Mother of the Prophet seer and Revelator Joseph and his brethren) on the 23d day of August 1844 under the hands of Elder Wilford Woodruff of the quorum of the Twelve:

Beloved Mother in Israel according to your request I lay my hands upon your head, in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth and by virtue of the Holy Priesthood and the of the kingdom of God to bestow a blessing upon you for thou art worthy of all blessings.

As I lade my hands upon thy husband Joseph Smith sen. the Patriarch of the Church by his request to bless him as he lay upon his bed like Jacob of old ready to gather up his feet and sleep with his fathers, and I about to take my departure over the sea to visit foreign nations, which was the last time we ever met on earth in like manner do I essteem it a blessing and a privilege to lay my hands upon your head, in your decline of life to leave with you my parting blessing as I am again Called to bid farewell to my native Country and visit foreign Climes to bear record of the word of God.

We may never meet again on earth. But I thank my God that I have this privilege of blessing thee, for my heart is full of blessings for thee for thou art the greatest Mother in Israel. The sons thou hast bourn and Cherished are the most noble spirits that ever graced humanity or tabernacled in flesh. Their work shall be had in honorable remembrance through all generations of men. Though counted among transgressors, they like the Messiah have shed their blood for the sins of the people, and freely offered their lives and sealed their testimony.

Thou hast lived and stood to see the fall of thy sons by the rage of gentile hands. And like an impenatrible rock in the midst of the mighty deep thou hast remained unmoved untill God has given thee [the] desires of thy heart in seeing the keys of the Kingdom of God held in the hands of thy Posterity so planted in the earth that they shall never be taken from it untill he reigns whose right it is to reign.

Let thy heart be Comforted in the midst of thy sorrow, for thou shalt be had in honorable remember-ance forever in the Congregations of the righteous. Thou shalt be remembered in thy wants during the remainder of thy day. And when thou art called to depart thou canst lie down in peace having seen the salvation of God, in laying an everlasting foundation for the deliverance /of Israel/ through the instrumentality of thy sons.

I seal upon your head all the blessings of the fulness of the gospel and of the Church of the first born, and all those blessings that have been sealed upon you heretofore. If we meet no more on earth we will meet in the morn of the first resurrection whare you shall recieve thrones, powers, a dominion and kingdom, in Connexion with thy husband in his high exhaltation in the linage of his fathers. I seal all these blessings upon your head in the name of Jesus Christ and by virtue of the Holy Priesthood, Amen. (3)


Footnotes:
1 - Nauvoo Neighbor article, http://boap.org/LDS/Nauvoo-Neighbor
2 - William Clayton Diary
3 - Wilford Woodruff's Journal: 1833-1898 Typescript, Volumes 1-9, Edited by Scott G. Kenney, Signature Books 1993, http://amzn.to/newmormonstudies


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