Church. The subject of the emigration of the poor to Zion, and their settlement there, from the churches abroad, was considered and motions were passed accordingly.

On the 2nd of January, 1837, Sidney Rigdon was chairman at a special meeting of the "Kirtland Safety Society," when the old constitution, adopted November 2, 1836, was annulled and a "preamble and articles of agreement" were adopted of the "Kirtland Safety Society Anti-Banking Company."

During the winter, many well attended meetings were held by the different quorums in the house of the Lord. The Kirtland high school was taught in the attic story.

On the 1st of February, the firm of O. Cowdery & Co., was dissolved by mutual consent, and the entire establishment was transferred to Joseph Smith, Jr., and Sidney Rigdon, Warren O. Cowdery to act as agent in the printing office and book-bindery and as editor of the Messenger and Advocate.

Preparatory meetings, with washings and anointings, having been had on April 3, 4, and 5, a solemn assembly of official members of The Church was held in the Lord's house, Kirtland, at which Presidents Joseph and Hyrum Smith, Sidney Rigdon and Oliver Cowdery addressed the assembly.

In May, the Messenger and Advocate office and contents were transferred to Wm. Marks, of Portage. Presidents Smith and Rigdon continued the office by power of attorney.

About this time a spirit of speculation crept into the quorums. On or about the 1st of June, the First Presidency set apart Heber C. Kimball and Orson Hyde to a mission to England, and on the 12th, Hyrum Smith and Sidney Rigdon set apart Willard Richards to that mission.

July 27, Presidents Joseph Smith, Sidney Rigdon, and T. B. Marsh left Kirtland for Canada, but Joseph was stopped at Painsville by malicious lawsuits, so all returned to Kirtland. Next day they started again for Ashtabula, thence by steamer for Buffalo, going thence to Toronto, and returning the last of August to Kirtland.

At a conference held at Kirtland, September 3, Joseph Smith was presented as president and Sidney Rigdon and F. G. Williams as his counselors, the three to constitute the First Presidents of

The Church. F. G. Williams was not sustained. Other officers were presented and sustained.

On the 10th, in an assembly in the Lord's house, Kirtland, President Rigdon read the rules and regulations of the house of the Lord, as passed January 18, 1836, which were received. Some misunderstandings and incorrect reports were corrected.

September 17, at a conference in the house of the Lord, Kirtland, it was voted that Joseph and Sidney "go and appoint other stakes, or places of gathering." On the 27th, Joseph and Sidney accompanied by William Smith and Vinson Knight, started on that mission, arriving at Terre Haute, Indiana, October 12, and at Far West, Missouri, in the latter part of October, or early in November, and attending a meeting in that place on November 6.

Next day at a general assembly or conference, President Rigdon introduced the business. Joseph Smith was accepted as president, and Sidney Rigdon as one of his counselors. F. G. Williams was objected to and rejected, and Hyrum Smith was chosen as counselor in place of Williams. President Rigdon and congregation called on the Lord to dedicate the land for the gathering of the Saints and for their inheritances.

President Rigdon attended a general meeting at Far West on the 10th, when the subjects of laying off cities, consecrating for public purposes, and the prospectus of the Elders' Journal, were considered. It was also voted that the city of Far West be enlarged to contain four square sections, or two miles square.

In November, Joseph left Far West for Kirtland, arriving there on or about December 10. Sidney was probably with him.

"On the 22nd of December," says Joseph, "Brigham Young left Kirtland in consequence of the fury of the mob, the spirit that prevailed in the apostates who had threatened to destroy him, because he would proclaim publicly and privately that he knew by the power of the Holy Ghost that I was a prophet of the Most High God, that I had not transgressed and fallen as the apostates declared.

"Apostacy, persecution, confusion and mobocracy strove hard to bear rule at Kirtland, and thus closed the year 1837."

Joseph continues: "A new year dawned upon the Church in Kirtland in all the bitterness of the spirit of apostate mobocracy; which continued to rage and grow hotter and hotter, until Elder

Rigdon and myself were obliged to flee from its deadly influence, as did the apostles and prophets of old, and as Jesus said, 'when they persecute you in one city, flee to another.' And on the evening of the 12th of January, about 10 o'clock, we left Kirtland on horseback, to escape mob violence, which was about to burst upon us under the color of legal process to cover their hellish designs, and save themselves from the just judgment of the law. We concontinued our travels during the night, and at 8 o'clock on the morning of the 13th, arrived among the brethren in Norton township, Medina county, Ohio, a distance of sixty miles from Kirtland, where we tarried about thirty-six hours, when our families arrived, and on the 16th pursued our journey with our families, in covered wagons, toward the city of Far West, in Missouri, passing through Dayton, Eaton, etc., to Dublin, Indiana, where we tarried nine days and refreshed ourselves.

"The weather was extremely cold, and we were obliged to secret ourselves in our wagons, sometimes to elude the grasp of our pursuers, who continued their race more than two hundred miles from Kirtland, armed with pistols, etc., seeking our lives. They frequently crossed our track, twice they were in the houses where we stopped, once we tarried all night in the same house with them, with only a partition between us and them; and heard their oaths and imprecations and threats concerning us, if they could catch us; and late in the evening they came in our room and examined us, but decided we were not the men. At other times we passed them in the streets, and gazed upon them, and they on us, but they knew us not. One Lyons was one of our pursuers."

At Dublin, Indiana, Joseph and Sidney separated, meeting again at Terre Haute. After resting, they again separated, and continued their journey.

Joseph crossed the Mississippi river at Quincy, Illinois, and arrived at Far West, March 14, being met a hundred and twenty miles on the way by brethren with teams and money and received at Far West with open arms, warm hearts, and great hospitality. Sidney was detained near Paris, Illinois, by sickness in his family, and afterwards at Huntsville, through his wife's ill health. Brigham Young, Daniel S. Miles, and Levi Richards arrived with Joseph at Far West; Sidney and family reached there April 4, having

had a tedious journey, and his family having suffered many afflictions." Joseph and Sidney presided at a meeting in Far West, April 6, "to celebrate the anniversary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints," etc. Various officers were appointed.

On the 7th and 8th of April the general authorities of The Church held the first quarterly conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, at Far West, which was attended by Presidents Smith and Rigdon.

Early in April, Joseph and Sidney wrote a letter to John Whitmer in consequence of his withholding the records of The Church in the city of Far West, asking him to give up his notes of Church history.

A revelation was given, April 26, through Joseph to the First Presidency and all the officers and members of The Church, concerning Zion and the building of a house of the Lord at Far West, and directing the First Presidency not to get into debt any more for the building of a house to His name, also concerning the appointing and building up of other stakes around there.

On the 28th, Presidents Smith and Rigdon attended the High Council by invitation, and acted as counselors in an appeal case from the branch near Gymon's mill.

For several days the first Presidency were largely engaged in writing Church history, and on May 5th, in writing for the Elders' Journal.

On the 10th, President Rigdon, although suffering from a severe cold and hoarseness, delivered an address at the school house, elucidating the policy of both the Federal and Democratic parties, by which address Joseph said, "I was highly edified."

On the 12th, Presidents Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon attended a meeting of the High Council, concerning their pecuniary affairs, they being very poor. The Council made over to Joseph and Sidney each an eighty-acre lot, and also appointed a committee of three, who agreed that Joseph and Sidney should receive a just remuneration for their services for the year in the printing establishment, and in translating ancient records, etc.

On the 13th, Sidney preached the funeral sermon of Swain Williams, son of F. G. Williams, and on the next day was preparing and correcting matter for the press.

On the 18th, Joseph, Sidney and others left Far West to visit the north country and lay off a stake of Zion, making locations and laying off claims for the gathering of the Saints, the benefit of the poor, etc. They traveled to the mouth of Honey Creek, camping there for the night.

On the 19th, they crossed Grand River, at the mouth of Honey Creek and Nelson's Ferry, then went eighteen miles up Grand River to Lyman Wight's, at the foot of Tower Hill, so named by Joseph because they found there the remains of an old Nephite altar or tower. There they camped. Then Joseph and Sidney went up the river to Wight's Ferry, which the brethren called Spring Hill, but, said Joseph, "by the mouth of the Lord it was named Adam-ondiahman, because," said he, "it is the place where Adam shall come to visit his people, or the Ancient of days shall sit, as spoken of by Daniel the prophet."

On the evening of Sunday, 20th, they went six miles north and camped. On the 21st, they made some locations, and returned to Robinson's Grove, two miles, to secure some land near Grand River. In council they voted to secure the land between there and Far West, especially on Grand River.

On the 22nd, President Rigdon went east with a company and selected some of the best locations in the country. Next day all traveled east locating lands on Grove Creek and near Adam-ondiahman. Joseph and Sidney went to Col. Wight's toward evening.

On the 24th, Sidney and company went to Grove Creek to finish surveying, returning on the 28th to Far West. The company kept surveying, making locations, also building houses, etc., for several days.

A conference was held near Lyman Wight's, Adam-ondi-ahman, on the 28th, and that stake was organized, with John Smith as president, and Reynolds Cahoon and Lyman Wight as counselors. Adam-ondi-ahman is beautifully situated, immediately on the north side of Grand River, Daviess County, Missouri, about twenty-five miles north of Far West.

On the 4th of July, at Far West, there was a fine celebration, with a grand procession. The corner stones of the temple were laid, with much rejoicing, after which an oration was delivered by President Rigdon.