Lyman Wight: Convicted of public intoxication by high council 29 June 1838, confessed (1)
-- Jul 26, 1838
First presidency, high council, bishop's council set First Presidency prerogatives: can sell their properties at a profit and consecrate the rest, direct bishop in expenditures. Stop sale of liquor, petition to move county seat to Far West. (2)
[Joseph Smith Diary] July 26th 1838 This day the First Presidency, High Council, and Bishop's Court met to take into concideration the disposing of the publick properties in the hands of the Bishop in Zion, for the people of Zion have commenced liberally to consecrate agreeably to the revelations and commandments of the Great I Am of their surpluss properties &c.
It was agreed that the First Presidency keep all their properties that they can dispose of to their advantage and Support and the remainder be put into the hands of the Bishop or Bishops agreeably to the commandments and revelations.
1st Mooved, Seconded, and carried unanymously That the First Presidency shall have their expences defrayed in going to Adam Ondi Awman and also returning therefrom. That the Bishop of Zion pay one half and the Bishop of Adam Ondi Awman the other half.
2nd Mooved, Seconded, and carried unanymously that all the traveling expences of the First Presidency Shall be defrayed in traveling at any time or place.
3rd Mooved, Seconded, and carried unanymously That the Bishop be authorised to pay orders coming from the east inasmuch as they will consecrate liberally, but this to be done under the inspection of the First Presidency.
4th That the First Presidency Shall have the prerogative to say to the Bishop whose orders shall or may be paid by him in this place or in his Jurisdiction. Carried unanymously.
5th Mooved, Seconded and carried That the Bishop of Zion receive all consecrations, east, west, and south, who are not in the Jurisdiction of a Bishop of any other Stake.
6th Mooved and carried that we use our influence to put a stop to the selling of Liquiors in the City [of] Far West or in our midst, That our streets may not be filled with drunk[e]ness. And that we use our influence to bring down the price of provisions.
7th Mooved, Seconded and carried unanymously that Br[other] W[illia]m W. Phelps be requested to draw up a petition to remove the county seat to Far West. (3)
-- 1838: 31 July
[Patriarchal Blessings] Loren W. Babbitt. (Given by Joseph Smith, Sen.)
"Dear Brother thou art in thy youth and meight yet do much good if thou wilt be faithful yet Satein desires that he may have the[e] and sift the[e] as wheat for menny are his devides and graet are his temptations and I seal the Patricarchial blessing upon thee that thou meight have power to escape his grasp and be an insteriment in the hand of thy god of doing much good in the earth for thou art a decendant of Jacob and an hear [heir] of god jointly with Jesus Christ who is Dear to all the Children of god and if thou wilt keep the commandments of god and observe the word of wisdom thou shalt live to see thy three score years and ten and be satisfied with life and receive blessings even all and more then my tong[u]e can tell or thy heart conceave and for this if thou wilt lay aside all thy little prejidices and [?] thou shalt be mighty in word and in deed and do a work which none but thyself can do the heavens shall be opened unto thee and the glory of thy god shall be shone
unto thee and thou shall be usfull unto thy felowmen throught [throughout] the seventy years of thy life which thou might Live on the earth if thou disire but if not thou mayist sleep a little season in the dust and then rise with the just when the trumpet shall sound to call the sleeping saints from thare tombs to enjoy the kingdom with Christ on mount Zion a thousand years and thou mayest [take?] thare thy kindred [sic] also to be with thee if thou will claim them by faith and be faithful in discharging thy Duty unto them then there blesings shall be yours in time and in eterinety for I seal them upon thee on these conditions in the name of Jesus Amen." (From photocopy of manuscript; Ms 7039, LDS Archives.) [Age, 32; Scribe, ?] (4)
Footnotes:
1 - 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
2 - Kenny, Scott, Saints Without Halos, "Mormon History 1830-1844," http://saintswithouthalos.com/dirs/d_c.phtml
3 - Faulring, Scott (ed.), An American Prophet's Record: The Diaries and Journals of Joseph Smith: Joseph Smith Diary, 1838, http://amzn.to/jsdiaries
4 - Selected LDS Patriarchal Blessings, New Mormon Studies CD ROM, Signature Book, 2009, http://amzn.to/newmormonstudies
LDS History Chronology: the Word of Wisdom
Mormon Timeline: the Word of Wisdom
http://lds-church-history.blogspot.com/
