Minutes, 2 April 1836
-
Source Note
F. G. Williams & Co., Minutes, , Geauga Co., OH, 2 Apr. 1836. Featured version copied [between ca. 4 Apr. and ca. 16 May 1836] in Minute Book 1, p. 199; handwriting of ; CHL. For more complete source information, see the source note for Minute Book 1.
-
Historical Introduction
On 2 April 1836, JS met with other members of , the ’s printing firm. The company’s principals, and , had been in charge of the church’s printing operations in , Ohio, beginning with its organization on 11 September 1833. Since its inception, F. G. Williams & Co. had taken on several publishing endeavors, including the publication of church newspapers, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the church’s first hymnal. By fall 1835, monthly expenditures exceeded the company’s receipts, and F. G. Williams & Co. had to rely on donations and loans from church members to remain solvent.In spring 1836, after the dedication of the in , church leaders turned their attention to temporal needs, including the church’s printing efforts and fund raising for the redemption of . On 29 March 1836, JS, , , , and met in the House of the Lord and “sought for a revelation from Him, to teach us concerning our going to Zion.” The next day, they resolved to “let the redemtion of Zion be our object, and strive to affect it by sending up all the strength of the Lords house whereever we find them.” Then, three days later, JS met with “many brethren” on temporal and spiritual business, and the next day, 2 April 1836, he and the other members of F. G. Williams & Co. met to transact temporal business that would “have a bearing upon the redemption of Zion.” At the 2 April meeting, the members of the firm designated JS and Cowdery to raise money to purchase land in Zion and contribute “all in [their] power” for its redemption. Although noted that JS and Oliver Cowdery had great success initially, which gave them “pleasing anticipations,” they appear to have encountered difficulties in finding members willing to give their money or land for the cause of Zion.In the 2 April meeting, and , members of the who would soon leave to return to Missouri, were released from future responsibilities and debts of the firm. and were charged with collecting on the firm’s “outstanding claims” as a way to “discharge the company debts.” Collecting funds from those who were in arrears for their newspaper subscriptions would have likely helped keep the printing establishment afloat and alleviated the church’s poor financial circumstances as church leaders focused on diverting resources to the redemption of Zion.F. G. Williams & Co. eventually dissolved on 7 June 1836, when “purchased the entire establishment.”
Footnotes
- 1
-
2
Church newspapers included The Evening and the Morning Star, which was replaced by the Latter Day Saints’ Messenger and Advocate in 1834, and the Northern Times, a periodical dedicated to political issues.
-
3
See Covenant, 29 Nov. 1834; F. G. Williams & Co., Account Book, 3 (second numbering); and JS, Journal, 6 Oct. 1835.
F. G. Williams & Co. Account Book, 1833–1835. CHL. In Patience Cowdery, Diary, 1849–1851. CHL. MS 3493.
-
4
JS, Journal, 29 Mar. 1836.
-
5
JS, Journal, 30 Mar. 1836.
-
6
JS, Journal, 1 and 2 Apr. 1836.
-
7
JS, Journal, 2 Apr. 1836. Several unwilling individuals were brought before the Kirtland high council in summer 1836. (See Minutes, 16 June 1836.)
-
8
In the March 1836 issue of the Messenger and Advocate, which was likely published sometime after the meeting featured here, the editors published the following notice in an effort to collect on debts: “Those who are in arrears for the Messenger and Advocate, will please forward the amount to Oliver Cowdery; with the exception of those who reside in Missouri, they will please settle their arrears with John Whitmer. We hope that our friends will bear in mind, that paper, ink, and labor, cannot be obtained without the money; therefore, we are under the necessity to call on those who are indebted to us for assistance, which will be thankfully received.” (Notice, LDS Messenger and Advocate, Mar. 1836, 2:288.)
Latter Day Saints’ Messenger and Advocate. Kirtland, OH. Oct. 1834–Sept. 1837.
-
9
“Notice,” LDS Messenger and Advocate, June 1836, 2:329. After the purchase, Cowdery named the firm O. Cowdery & Co., which appears to have included JS and Rigdon by February 1837. The printing office changed hands twice more in the next year. (“Notice,” LDS Messenger and Advocate, Feb. 1837, 3:458; “Notice,” LDS Messenger and Advocate, Apr. 1837, 3:496.)
Latter Day Saints’ Messenger and Advocate. Kirtland, OH. Oct. 1834–Sept. 1837.
Cite this page
