1836.
THE SAINTS IN CLAY COUNTY--CITIZENS ASK THEM TO LEAVE--CALDWELL COUNTY
FORMED--JOHN TAYLOR--LORENZO SNOW--WILLARD RICHARDS.
While the winds of bleak November, in the fall of 1833, were howling
through the forest, stripping from the branches the few remaining
leaves, twelve hundred robbed and beaten souls made their way from the
ashes of their former home down to the banks of the Missouri river.
They crossed, carrying over the things they could save, and placed
themselves on the mercy of the people on the other side. Their landing
place was Clay county and the inhabitants proved to be kind--something
new for the Saints to meet in western Missouri.
The Clay county people showed considerable sympathy for the strangers
during this winter, and permitted them to make their home with them.
For three years the Saints were there, hoping all the time to return to
Jackson county and using all lawful means--from trials in a justice's
court to an appeal to the President of the United States--to gain their
homes and rights. All efforts seemed to be useless. Governor Dunklin
was as weak as a child, and more trouble seemed to be growing. The Clay
county people thought that the Saints could never go back and that
if they did not go away somewhere at once, civil war would arise. In
those days feeling was very bitter between slave holders and those who
did not hold slaves. The Saints were not slave holders, and they were
coming into Missouri very fast. The Missourians held slaves and were
very jealous of the strangers. Then their religion, though the purest
and best in the world, held them from the sympathy of their neighbors.
It did look as though war might begin between the Saints and their
enemies, for though our people would have made no attack, they would
have defended their wives and children to the death.
On the 29th of June, 1836, the citizens of Clay county held a meeting
and adopted resolutions asking the Saints to leave. They did it in a
gentle manner, saying that they had no right to command the Saints
to go, but asked it for the good of all. They suggested that our
people move to Wisconsin or some other place where they could be by
themselves, but they did not expect them to set out before they had
sold their property without loss. They offered to help them find a
place and appointed a committee to raise funds to aid the poor. They
also promised to use their influence in causing persecution to cease.
A number of prominent men carried these resolutions to the Saints, and
two days later the leading Elders met and acted on them. They agreed
to leave, but declared that they were innocent of any lawlessness or
crime whatever. They thanked the people of Clay for their kindness in
the past and for their offer of help, and in accepting the resolutions
asking them to leave, they offered their act as a covenant of peace
between the two people forever. What could show more gratitude? Clay
county had been kind to them, though no kinder than one Christian
should be to another. But the Saints--they were leaving their homes and
moving into the barren wilderness to repay that kindness.
Word was at once sent to the Prophet at Kirtland, and he with his
counselors wrote letters to the Saints and to the citizens of Clay.
He told our people that they should sell their property at as small
a sacrifice as possible, defend their families in case of attack,
and stand by the Constitution of our country. The letter to the Clay
county citizens was an eloquent defense of the Missouri Saints. It was
free from bitterness, though filled with deep sorrow that the innocent
people should again find it necessary through the lies of their enemies
to become homeless wanderers.
Less than three months after they had consented to leave, the Saints
were on the move. They did not go up into Wisconsin, but found a region
in the northern part of Ray county where they could settle. Seven men
who gathered the honey of wild bees lived there, but they were willing
to sell out, since the honey was about gone. The settlement was made
along Shoal creek, and though the country was not fertile or beautiful,
the Saints knew it would become so through their labors and the
blessing of God.
By December so many had come that they prayed the legislature to make a
new county of the Shoal creek district. This was done, and it was named
Caldwell. By April of the year 1837 a townsite for Far West had been
chosen and surveyed, and lots were put up for sale. In July the ground
was broken and prepared for the building of a temple. It was never
finished; Missouri was not worthy of a temple then, but not long hence
and the great House of God will be built there. In November, Far West
was enlarged to include two square miles, and by this time the country
was being rapidly settled and put under cultivation.
While the Saints in Missouri were showing the world an example of
courage and industry seldom equaled, matters were not at a standstill
at Kirtland. Few years in the history of the Church had been happier
than the year 1836--the temple was dedicated, the Elders endowed and
sent out to preach, Joseph went on a successful mission to the east,
and converts were being made very fast. Among these were John Taylor,
Lorenzo Snow and Willard Richards.
Elder Taylor received the truth from Parley P. Pratt who had been sent
to Toronto, Canada. Previous to starting upon this mission, Heber C.
Kimball, filled with the spirit of prophecy, came to Brother Pratt's
house one night, woke him up, and made a prediction concerning the
success that would attend him. He also promised that if he obeyed, his
wife would be healed and bear a son. Brother Pratt did obey, and this
was all fulfilled. Elder Taylor had been a Methodist minister, but
refused to stop preaching what he believed to be true, and was reduced
to the position of a member. After a thorough investigation of the
Gospel he was baptized and never once wavered in his faith. John Taylor
was born November 1, 1808, in Milinthorpe, England. He received a good
education and when only seventeen years old he became a preacher. He
came to America when he was about twenty-four, and settled in Canada,
where he heard and accepted the Gospel.
Lorenzo Snow was born April 3, 1814, in Mantua, Portage county, Ohio.
He was on his way to Oberlin college when he was first impressed with
the Gospel. He happened to meet David W. Patten, and in talking with
him grew much interested in religious ideas. After Elder Snow had
finished his work at college, on the advice of his sister, Eliza R.
Snow, who had already joined the Church, he came to Kirtland to study
Hebrew. Soon after this he became convinced of the truth of the Gospel,
and joined the Church. He was baptized by Apostle John F. Boynton, in
June, 1836, and not long after was ordained an Elder and began his life
work in the ministry of our Savior.
Dr. Willard Richards, who became an Apostle and also second counselor
to Brigham Young, was baptized on the last day of the year 1836.
Heber C. Kimball and others spent the afternoon in chopping a large
hole in the ice, and Brigham Young performed the ceremony. Brother
Richards first heard of the Gospel when he happened to pick up and open
carelessly a Book of Mormon. Before he read half a page he declared,
"God or the devil had a hand in that book, for man never wrote it." He
read it twice in about ten days and then, after selling his medicine
and settling his accounts, traveled seven hundred miles to Kirtland to
study the Gospel more closely. He soon came to the knowledge of the
truth and asked for baptism though in the dead of winter.
And thus the fruitful boughs were being found and they soon brought
forth blossoms that ripened into richest harvest.