[Joseph Smith Diary] Sunday, June 9th 1844 At home. Health not very good. Lungs wearied. Hyrum preached at the stand.
2 P.M. Several passengers of the "Osprey" from St. Louis and Quincy put up at the Mansion. I helped carry in their trunks and chatted with them in the bar room.
Meeting at Mansion [at] 6 o'clock. (1)
-- Jun 15, 1844
The Presiding Patriarch publishes an announcement signed as "HYRUM SMITH, President of the Church." William Clayton writes in his journal: "A.M. [Joseph Smith was] conversing with Dr. [Joseph] Wakefield and others in the Bar Room, telling a dream concerning his father killing a man who attempted to stab him. He also spoke concerning key words. The g[reat] key word was the first word Adam spoke and is a word of supplication. He found the word by the Urim and Thummim. It is that key word to which the heavens is opened." (2)
-- Aug 5, 1844
[Apostle Wilford Woodruff Journal] Aug 5th Monday This is the day of election in this state. Their will probably be some fighting and perhaps some blood shed as men are geting wicked and about ripe for judgment. Their was some fighting in the bar room below last evening but nothing vary serious. Elder Kimball had a dream last evening. Thought he was preaching to a large Congregation. Said the Prophet Joseph Smith had laid the foundation for a great work and it was now for us to build upon it. He thought Br Joseph was present and appeared natural. We took the steemer st Croix and left Galena for Nauvoo. We had a plesant sail through the day and evening, though some unplesant feelings during the evening. (3)
James J. Strang announces to his Michigan branch that he is Joseph Smith's successor through a letter of appointment. The branch president denounces the letter as a forgery and excommunicates Strang. William Clayton writes in his journal: "This last night I dreamed that Joseph and Emma came to me and appeared very much dissatisfied and displeased because I had kept back the money sent by Brother [Heber C.] Kimball. I thought I explained the reason and told them I had been councilled to do so." On Tubuai, an island in the South Pacific, missionary Addison Pratt administers the sacrament: "for wine I substituted cocoa nut milk, that was a pure beverage, which never had come to the open air, till we broke the nut for that purpose." (2)
-- Aug 18, 1844
[Apostle Wilford Woodruff Journal] ...President Young arose and said that he had many things to speak of. ... And as to the doctors who are in our midst who are our enemies I would say let them alone, for I have no boubt but that three to one who have died in this place had a doctor and I would say wo unto ye Lawyers for their whole Study is to put down truth and put a lie in its stead. I want the Lawyers to know that we have common sens. They want to make you believe that when you spell Baker it means Cider or whiskey.... (3)
Footnotes:
1 - Faulring, Scott (ed.), An American Prophet's Record: The Diaries and Journals of Joseph Smith: Joseph Smith Diary, 1844, http://amzn.to/jsdiaries
2 - On This Day in Mormon History, http://onthisdayinmormonhistory.blogspot.com
3 - Wilford Woodruff's Journal: 1833-1898 Typescript, Volumes 1-9, Edited by Scott G. Kenney, Signature Books 1993, http://amzn.to/newmormonstudies
LDS History Chronology: the Word of Wisdom
Mormon Timeline: the Word of Wisdom
http://lds-church-history.blogspot.com/
