April 26th 1839. The events of this day are worthy of record for a Revelation of God & commandment is this day fulfilled & that to under circumstances which to all human appearance could not have been done The Lord had given a commandment to the Twelve to assemble upon the building spot of the house of the Lord in far west Caldwell Co Mo on the 26th day of April & there take the parting hand with the Saints to go to the nations of the earth. [Doctrine and Covenants 118:4-5] (See Aug 10th 1838) But persecution had arisen to such an highth that about ten thousand souls of the Saints had been driven from the state, & the city far west almost made desolate & lade waste; while at the same time the presidency Joseph & his council with other Elders were in prision & they had been under the sentance of death several times because of their religion & they would have been put to death had not the Lord saved them for their lives were in his hands & notwithstanding the lives of those men were preserved yet there were about thirty five souls martered & put to death David W. Patten one of the Twelve Apostles were among the marterd. And not ownly so but the Missourians had sworn that the revelation above alluded to should not be fulfilled. It was in the midst of these imbaressments that we mooved forward to the building spot of the house of the Lord in the city of far west & held a council & fulfilled the revelation & commandment & took our leave of the Saints & rode 32 miles & camped 32 miles
At a council held at Far West by the Twelve, High Priests, Elders, & Priests on the
The following resolutions were adopted
Resolved that the following persons should be no more fellowshiped in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints but excommunicated from the same, viz Isaac Russel, Mary Russel, John Goodson & wife, Jacob Scott senr & wife, Isaac Scott, Jacob Scott jun Ann Scott, Sister Walton, Robert Walton, Sister Cavanaugh, Ann Wanlass, William Dawson Sen & wife, George Nelson, Joseph Nelson & wife & Mother, Wm Warnock & wife, Jotham Magnard, Nelson Magnard, George Miller, Br Griggs & wife, George Walters, Luman Gibbs, Simeon Gardner, & Freeborn Gardner.
The council then proceded to the building spot of the Lords house when the following business was transacted. Part of a Hymn was sung on the mission of the Twelve. Elder Cutler the Master workman of the house then recommenced laying the foundation of the LORD'S house agreeable to revelation by rooling up a large stone near the south east corner. [Doctrine and Covenants 115:11] The following of the Twelve were present Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimble, Orson Pratt, John E. Page, & John Taylor, who proceded to ordain (on the chief corner stone of the building) Willford Woodruff & George A. Smith, (who had been previously nominated by the first Presidency, accepted by the Tlwelve; & acknowledged by the Church) to the office of the Twelve to fill the place of those who had fallen. Darwin Chase & Norman Shearer (who had Just been liberated from Richmond prison whare they had been confined for the cause of Jesus Christ) were then ordained to the office of the seventies. The Thwelve then offered up vocal prayer in the following order Brigham Young, Heber C Kimble, Orson Pratt, John E. Page, John Taylor, Willford Woodruff & George A. Smith, after which we sung Adamondi awohmon, & then the Twelve took (the parting hand) their leave of the following Saints agreeable to revelation. [Doctrine and Covenants 118:4-5] Alpheus Butler, Elias Smith, Norman Shearer, Wm Berton, Stephen Markham, Shedrick Roundy, Wm C. Clark, John W. Clark, Hezekiah Peck, Darwin Chase, Richard Howard, Mary Ann peck, Artimisha Grainger, Martha Peck, Sarah Granger, Theadore Turley, Hiram Clark & Daniel Shearer. Elder Alpheus Cutler then placed the stone before alluded to in its regular position after which in consequence of the peculiar situation of the Saints he thought it wisdom to adjourn untill some future time when the Lord should open the way expressing his determination then to procede with the building [FIGURES] See Sept 25th 1838