Revelation, , OH, [25] Jan. 1832. Featured version copied [ca. 25 Jan. 1832]; handwriting of ; one page; Newel K. Whitney, Papers, BYU. Includes dockets and archival marking.
One leaf, measuring 12¼ × 7⅞ inches (31 × 20 cm). The top and bottom of the leaf, as well as the left side of the recto, have the square cut of manufactured paper. The right side, however, has been unevenly cut. The leaf may have been excised from a blank book. The text was apparently inscribed before the right edge was cut because some of the inscription seems to be cut off. The document was docketed by after being folded for filing: “A Command Given to the | at in | Jan.y 1832”. This docket is written over his previous docket: “ [2 words illegible] | [3 words illegible] | in Conference”. The document’s dimensions when folded are 3 × 2⅝ inches (8 × 7 cm). The folds are partially broken.
This document and several other revelations, along with many other personal and institutional documents kept by , were inherited by his daughter Mary Jane Whitney, who married Isaac Groo. This collection was passed down in the Groo family and donated by members of the family to the Harold B. Lee Library at Brigham Young University during the period 1969–1974.
Andrus et al., “Register of the Newel Kimball Whitney Papers, 1825–1906,” 5–6.
Andrus, Hyrum L., Chris Fuller, and Elizabeth E. McKenzie. “Register of the Newel Kimball Whitney Papers, 1825–1906,” Sept. 1998. BYU.
Historical Introduction
This is the second of two revelations dictated at a general of held on 25 January 1832 in , Ohio. As with the first revelation, this revelation called several individuals to serve missions. It is unclear why these individuals were not included in the appointments made in the first 25 January revelation. The elders appointed in that revelation were expressly described as those who volunteered to travel to preach. The elders in this second revelation are described as those who requested to know the Lord’s will concerning them, perhaps indicating that they did not volunteer with the first group but nevertheless desired counsel.
This revelation also instructed the recipients on ways to provide for the families of absent elders, a previous topic of concern in the church. The February 1831 “Laws of the ” instructed the to ensure that the families of those elders who were “proclaiming repentance” were “supported out of the property which is to the Lord,” but some families still struggled. For example, , one of those appointed to preach in this 25 January revelation, was in during the summer and fall of 1831. While he was away, his family was “somewhat destitute,” according to the minutes of an October 1831 conference. After a discussion about the family’s situation at that conference, JS emphasized that “the Lord held the Church bound to provide for the families of the absent Elders while proclaiming the Gospel.” This 25 January revelation suggested that one way of providing this support was by having other church members take the families of those preaching into their own homes to care for them. Recently appointed bishop , who had been commanded to administer to the wants of the elders, was likely responsible for coordinating aid for these families. Perhaps because of this assignment, Whitney was given a copy of the revelation.
’s copy of the revelation, which was inscribed by , is transcribed here. Although manuscript copies, including Whitney’s, present the 25 January 1832 revelations as separate revelations, both were combined into a single text upon publication.
For more information on the presentation of these revelations in manuscript and published form, see Historical Introduction to Revelation, 25 Jan. 1832–A [D&C 75:1–22].
And again thus saith the Lord unto you o ye of my who have given your names that you might know his will concerning you behold I say unto you that it is the duty of the church to assist in supporting the families of those and also to support the families of those who are called and must needs be esent unto the world to proclaim the gospel unto the world wherefor I the Lord give unto you this that ye obtain places for your families inasmuch as your breatheren are willing to open their hearts and let all such as can obtain places for their families and support of the church for them not fail to go into the world wheather to the east or to the west or to the north or to the South let them ask and they shall receive knock and it shall be opened unto them and made known from on high even by the comforter whether they shall go And again verily I say unto you <that> every man who is obliged to provide for his own family let him provide and he shall in no wise loose his crown and let him labour in the church let every man be dilligent in all things and the idler shall not have place in the church except he repents and mends his ways Wherefore let my servent and my servent be united in their ministry and also my servent and my servent also my servent and my servent and also my servent and my servent , and also my servent and my servent and also my servent and my servent and also my servent and also my servent even so Amen [1/4 page blank] [p. [1]]
This apparently meant that those whose families might suffer in their absence would be allowed to preach in the vicinity of their own homes. Eden Smith, for example, continued to preach in the vicinity of Northampton, Ohio, returning after weeklong trips to labor at home, as he wrote, “for the support of my famley.” This may also explain why these men, in contrast to those called in the earlier 25 January 1832 revelation, were not assigned to travel in any specific direction. (Eden Smith, Journal, 19 Feb. 1832.)
Smith, Eden. Journal, Sept. 1831–Aug. 1832. CHL. MS 1940.