The Latter-Day Prophet: History of Joseph Smith Written for Young People

by George Q. Cannon

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.