-- 1838
[Membership] Church Membership at end of year: 17,881
New Converts : 1,599
Percent Change from previous year: 9.82% (1)
-- During December 1838
[Missouri War] - February 1839 Missouri legislature debates whether to investigate the disturbances and allow the Mormons to remain. Legislation to investigate is tabled until July, after the Mormons have already left the state. (2)
-- During 1838 December
[Wilford Woodruff] Winters in Rochester, Illinois 1:312f (3)
-- During 1838-1839
James Mulholland -- primary scribal author for this period. Writings used in assembling The History of the Church (often cited as HC) (originally entitled History of Joseph Smith; first published under the title History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; nicknamed Documentary History of the Church or DHC) (4)
-- During 1838
[John Taylor] Ordained an Apostle at Far West, Missouri, on 19 December, by Brigham Young and Heber C. Kimball, under the direction of Joseph Smith, who was in Liberty Jail. (5)
-- January 1, 1839
[Joseph Smith] Liberty, Missouri. Joseph Smiths history proclaimed the irony that he was imprisoned in a land of liberty due to his worship of God. (6)
-- January 16, 1839
[Joseph Smith] Liberty, Missouri. Joseph Smith wrote a letter to Heber C. Kimball and Brigham Young from Liberty Jail. (6)
-- 21 Jan. 1839
[Lucy Mack Smith] Emma takes Hyrum's wife Mary and her baby, Joseph F., to visit Joseph Jr. and Hyrum at Liberty Jail. It is Emma's third visit. Mercy Fielding Thompson (Mary Fielding Smith's sister), Mercy's own eight-month-old baby, and Joseph III also were in the group. (7)
-- January 31, 1839
[Joseph Smith] Liberty, Missouri. Joseph Smiths history records: I sent the poor brethren [in Far West, Missouri] a hundred dollar bill from jail, to assist them in their distressed situation. (6)
-- 5 Feb. 1839
[Lucy Mack Smith] Sidney Rigdon, who was ordered discharged from jail, leaves by night. Phebe, after accompanying him on the first leg of the journey, returns to Far West for the children, meeting Sidney at Tinney's Grove a few days later. (7)
-- February 7, 1839
[Joseph Smith] Liberty, Missouri. After much rude treatment in jail and lack of due respect from the law, Joseph Smith considered escaping from Liberty Jail and received a confirmation that he and the brethren could go that night if they all assented. Lyman Wight objected, however, so they delayed the attempt. (6)
-- 7 Feb. 1839
[Lucy Mack Smith] With the aid of Stephen Markham, Emma starts from Far West with her four children. She reaches Quincy, Illinois, on 15 February. (7)
-- 1839 Feb 7
[Lucy Mack Smith] Emma and the children leave Far West for Ill. (8)
Footnotes:
1 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Church_of_Jesus_Christ_of_Latter-day_Saints_membership_history
2 - Stephen C. LeSueur: The 1838 Mormon War in Missouri, Appendix: Chronology of Events in Missouri, 1838-1839
3 - Wilford Woodruff's Journals 1833-1898: Typescript Edited by Scott G. Kenney, Signature Books, Midvale, Utah. Chronology
4 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Church
5 - Teachings of Presidents of the Church: John Taylor, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, Utah
6 - BYU Studies Journal, volume 46, no. 4: A Chronology of the Life of Joseph Smith
7 - Lucy's Book: A Critical Edition of Lucy Mack Smith's Family Memoir, Edited by Lavina Fielding Anderson, 2001, Signature Books
8 - History of Joseph Smith by His Mother: Revised and Enhanced by Scot Facer Proctor Maurine Jensen Proctor
