“A House Unto My Name”

Doctrine & Covenants Lesson 44 (D&C 124)
October 23–29

INTRODUCTION

Quincy—A Refuge in Illinois

Most of the exiled Saints made their way across Missouri to the east, crossing the Mississippi River into the town of Quincy. There, they were received with kindness by the citizens of Quincy, who not only took these refugees into their homes, fed and clothed them, but they were one of the few communities in Western Illinois that never turned against the Saints. In fact, years later, when the Saints were driven out of Nauvoo and were refugees on the western side of the Mississippi River, again the citizens of Quincy came to their rescue, sending them food and blankets.

The Lord has blessed Quincy, which has prospered and grown steadily, while all the surrounding towns have faded into history and become run-down and sparsely populated. In 2002, when the Nauvoo Temple was re-dedicated, the Church held a Tabernacle Choir concert in Quincy to raise funds for local charities and to show our continuing gratitude for their kindness to our people.

Joseph Left Behind in Missouri

Joseph languished behind in Liberty Jail while the body of Saints moved out of the state. His letters reveal much about his state of mind during this trial. The Prophet Joseph Smith wrote to Emma in November 1838: “Oh my affectionate Emma, I want you to remember that I am a true and faithful friend to you; and the children, forever. My heart is entwined around yours forever and ever; Oh, may God bless you all.”—Joseph Smith, Jr.

ESTABLISHING NEW GATHERING PLACES

The Prophet Joseph Smith Escapes to Quincy
On 16 April 1839, while being transferred from Liberty Jail to another location for a hearing, the guards allowed Joseph and some of his companions to escape. Joseph made his way to Quincy, Illinois, where was reunited with his family and friends. He recorded in his journal the feelings of his heart concerning many of those with whom he was reunited at Quincy.

Concerning Emma, he wrote, “With what unspeakable delight, and what transports of joy swelled my bosom when I took by the hand on that night, my beloved Emma, she that was my wife, even the wife of my youth, and the choice of my heart. Many were the reviberations [reverberations] of my mind when I contemplated for a moment the many scenes we had been called to pass through. The fatigues, and the toils, the sorrows, and sufferings, and the joys and consolations from time to time [which] had strewed our paths and crowned our board. Oh! what a commingling of thought filled my mind for the moment. Again she is here, even in the seventh trouble, undaunted, firm and unwavering, unchangeable, affectionate Emma.”1

Gathering to Commerce and Montrose
After the Prophet was freed from prison in Missouri, immediate plans were made to locate the Saints at another gathering place. After viewing properties on both sides of the Mississippi River (in both Iowa and Illinois), Church leaders purchased thousands of unimproved acres in the vicinity of Commerce, Illinois, about 35 miles up the Mississippi River from Quincy. Two cities were planned—one on the east side of the river (in Commerce, Illinois) and one on the west side of the river (in Montrose, Iowa). Nauvoo was very swampy land, but the Saints quickly started draining the swampy land, planting crops, and building homes.

The Cities of Nauvoo and Zarahemla
During the summer of 1839, the Prophet renamed the city “Nauvoo.” Montrose, on the west side of the river, in Iowa, was renamed Zarahemla. The Prophet Joseph Smith said, “The name of our City (Nauvoo) is of Hebrew origin, and signifies a beautiful situation, or place, carrying with it, also, the idea of rest.”2

“A Day of God’s Power”
Thousands of Saints were arriving at Commerce, unaware of the dangers posed by the malaria-bearing mosquitoes that flourished in the as-yet-un-drained swamp lands nearby. That summer, hundreds contracted malaria, including the Prophet. The Prophet’s yard was full of sick people, lying about on quilts and pallets, sweating with fever while a cloud of mosquitoes, gnats, and flies preyed on them. Tents of new arrivals were pitched along the riverbank nearby, and almost every single tent contained the chills and fever of malaria.

On July 22nd, Joseph himself was lying atop his bed sweating with the fever when he said: “I can’t lie here while people die. I must attend to the duties of my office.” He rose up from his sickbed and began administering to the sick, commanding them in the name of Jesus Christ to arise and be healed. One person after another arose and declared himself whole.

Nevertheless, the deadly sickness was tenacious. Those healed by faith and by science were prone to relapse, and death and disease continued to plague Nauvoo even after the swamps were drained and malaria diminished. Other diseases that attacked and often killed the Saints were diarrhea, canker, measles, mumps, whooping cough, bloody flux, consumption, and diphtheria.

Almost half of the reported deaths in Nauvoo were among children under the age of ten. Death often hit a family more than once, sometimes taking both parents. During that first summer, nearly half the population of the new city died, including the Prophet’s own father, his brother, and his infant son.

Joseph’s Example of Forgiveness
Many times in Kirtland and thereafter, the Prophet Joseph Smith emphasized the need to forgive those who offend us, especially when they sincerely repent. He now demonstrated what he taught with his remarkable forgiveness of W. W. Phelps. Phelps had personally participated in the atrocities at Far West, directing the mobs to the Prophet’s home, where they threw Emma and the children into the street and took everything of value. He now came humbly to the Prophet and begged his forgiveness for what he had done. The Prophet responded with a heartfelt letter.

The Prophet Joseph Smith said:

“It is true, that we have suffered much in consequence of your behavior—the cup of gall, already full enough for mortals to drink, was indeed filled to overflowing when you turned against us. One with whom we had oft taken sweet counsel together, and enjoyed many refreshing seasons from the Lord—‘had it been an enemy, we could have borne it’. . . .

“However, the cup has been drunk, the will of our Father has been done, and we are yet alive, for which we thank the Lord. And having been delivered from the hands of wicked men by the mercy of our God, we say it is your privilege to be delivered from the powers of the adversary, be brought into the liberty of God’s dear children, and again take your stand among the Saints of the Most High . . .

“Believing your confession to be real, and your repentance genuine, I shall be happy once again to give you the right hand of fellowship, and rejoice over the returning prodigal . . . ‘Come on, dear brother, since the war is past, for friends at first, are friends again at last.'”3

LIFE IN NAUVOO

We do not have sufficient time or space in this article to summarize every aspect of life in Nauvoo during this period. But suffice it to say that it was a thriving, growing, prosperous city, full of industrious and faithful people.

THE TWELVE SERVE THEIR MISSIONS

Obedience with Exactness
The Twelve were told to prepare for a mission the following spring (1839) (D&C 114:1–2).
They were told to cross the “great waters” and preach the gospel (D&C 118:1–6), and they were to leave from the temple site at Far West, Missouri, on 26 April 1839. By March 1839 most of the Saints had fled from Missouri to Illinois, and mobs threatened any leaders who returned to Far West. Nevertheless, President Brigham Young, four other Apostles, and several others returned to the Far West temple site shortly after midnight on the morning of 26 April 1839.

The Sacrifice of the Twelve and Their Families
These brethren made great sacrifices as they left their homes and families to respond to their calls to serve the Lord.

—Many members of the Twelve were struck with ague as they prepared to depart for England.

—President Wilford Woodruff, who was very ill, left his wife, Phoebe, almost without food and the necessities of life.

—George A. Smith, the youngest Apostle, was so sick that he had to be carried to the wagon, and a man who saw him asked the driver if they had been robbing the graveyard.

—Only Parley P. Pratt, who took his wife and children with him, his brother Orson Pratt, and President John Taylor were free from disease as they left Nauvoo, although Elder Taylor later became terribly ill and almost died as they traveled to New York City.

—President Brigham Young was so ill that he was unable to walk even a short distance without assistance, and his companion, Heber C. Kimball, was no better.

—Heber C. Kimball was so ill that he could not even make it to the river without losing his strength. The Prophet Joseph Smith urged him to rise up and proceed on his mission.

Their wives and families, too, lay suffering. When the Heber C. Kimball and President Brigham Young reached the crest of a hill a short distance from their homes, both lying in a wagon, they felt they could not endure leaving their families in so pitiful a condition.

At Heber’s suggestion, they struggled to their feet, waved their hats over their heads, and shouted three times, “Hurrah, Hurrah, for Israel.” Their wives, Mary Ann and Vilate, gained strength enough to stand and, leaning against the door frame, cried out, “Goodbye, God bless you.”

Their Extraordinary Success in England
Within a few months after arriving in England, President Wilford Woodruff baptized and confirmed many people. He traveled south until he came to the farm of John Benbow in Herefordshire. Mr. Benbow and his wife, Jane, received him gladly and said that there was a company of over 600 men and women who had formed their own congregation called the United Brethren.

President Wilford Woodruff said:

“This body of United Brethren were searching for light and truth, but had gone as far as they could, and were calling upon the Lord continually to open the way before them and send them light and knowledge, that they might know the true way to be saved. When I heard these things I could clearly see why the Lord had commanded me, while in the town of Hanley, to leave that place of labor and go to the south; for in Herefordshire there was a great harvest-field for gathering many saints into the Kingdom of God.”

Elder Woodruff’s efforts in this area of England enabled him “to bring into the Church, through the blessings of God, over 1,800 souls during 8 months, including all of the 600 United Brethren except one person.”4

President Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, Parley P. Pratt, and others of the Twelve also had great success.

President Harold B. Lee said, “In one year, 1840 to 1841—one year and fourteen days, to be exact—nine members of the twelve were called to labor in the British Mission. If you remember the history [in Nauvoo], those years marked the period of some of the severest persecution that the Church was to undergo in this dispensation. In that one year and fourteen days the nine members of the twelve, with their associates, established churches in every noted town and city in the kingdom of Great Britain. They baptized between 7000 and 8000 converts. They printed 5000 copies of the Book of Mormon, 3000 hymn books, and 50,000 tracts, . . . and [they] emigrated 1000 souls to America.”5

A NEW REVELATION (D&C 124)

A Proclamation to the World

Section 124, the first known revelation since July 1838, was received on January 19, 1841, about four weeks after the Prophet Joseph’s return from Washington, D.C.

● D&C 124:1–6   The Lord commanded the Prophet Joseph Smith to write a proclamation to the kings of the world, the president of the United States, and the rulers and people of all nations. It was to be a warning, written in the spirit of meekness and with the guidance of the Holy Ghost, about those things that will befall them in a time to come.

● D&C 124:7–11   This was to be a warning concerning coming calamities for the nations of the earth. The proclamation was addressed The leaders of the Church proclaimed that God had again spoken from the heavens and that the kingdom of God and the holy priesthood had been restored to prepare the way for the Second Coming of the Savior.

Instructions to Individuals in Nauvoo

● D&C 124:12–14   To Robert B. Thompson. He is to assist the Prophet in writing this proclamation and is promised great blessings if he fulfills his stewardship.

● D&C 124:15   To Hyrum Smith. The Lord loves him because of the integrity of his heart, and because he loves that which is right before the Lord.

The Office of Patriarch to the Church

● D&C 124:91–92   Hyrum Smith is called to serve as the Patriarch, replacing his father Joseph Smith Sr. who had passed away. In this office, he will hold “the keys of the patriarchal blessings upon the heads of all my people.”

Instructions That Went Unheeded

At Nauvoo, most of the Saints remained faithful. However, John C. Bennett, Lyman Wight, William Law, and Sidney Rigdon were among those who fell into apostasy and forfeited their blessings. This revelation gave forewarning to these future apostates.

● D&C 124:16–17   To John C. Bennett. These promises emphasize the importance of obeying the Lord and enduring to the end regardless of previous good works. He did not do this, becoming a bitter apostate and enemy of the Church

● D&C 124:18–19   To Lyman Wight. Is advised to be humble and then the Lord will exalt him. After the Prophet’s death, Lyman rebelled against the Twelve and started his own Church which went to and failed in Texas.

● D&C 124:84   To Almon Babbitt. The Lord chastises him for his disobedience and greed, which the Lord likened to setting up a golden calf. His chief ambition was to make money, and he advised the Saints to leave Nauvoo, contrary to the counsel of the Church leaders. When they did leave and he was put in charge of disposing of their property, he pocketed many of those funds.6

● D&C 124:87–90, 97–122   To William Law. Wonderful opportunities were offered to him, which he neglected to embrace. He failed to obey the Lord, and even his appointment in the First Presidency could not save him. He lost the Spirit of God and became one of the most bitter enemies of the Church. Apostates and persecutors rallied around him, and he tried to form a church of his own.”7

● D&C 124:103–110   To Sidney Rigdon. By this time, he was more or less in a spirit of apostasy. In Liberty jail, he declared to his fellow prisoners that the sufferings of the Lord were nothing compared with his, and while the faithful Saints were straining every nerve to complete the Nauvoo Temple, he had no word of encouragement to them. As a consequence of his disposition, he did not have good health. The Lord, therefore, points out to him the cause of his ailments and promises to heal him, if he will do his duty.

● D&C 124:115–118   To Robert D. Foster. “Unfortunately, Foster was another man who disregarded the Lord’s counsel. After all the Prophet did to help him from time to time, he was one of the disloyal men who had Joseph Smith indicted on false charges, and he even conspired to bring about the Prophet’s death.”8

THE NAUVOO HOUSE HOTEL

● D&C 124:22–24   The Saints are commanded to build the Nauvoo House Hotel.

— The Nauvoo House was to be a kind of visitor’s center as well as a hotel.

— In order for those strangers who would come there to “contemplate the word of the Lord,” it was necessary that this house not be polluted, that nothing unclean come into it.

— This principle also applies to our homes. To have the Spirit of the Lord in our homes, we must prevent pollution from coming into them by way of TV, music, books, newspapers, magazines, behavior, or language.

● D&C 124:56–83   Directions for the building of the Nauvoo House.

— 1841, October 2 The cornerstone of the Nauvoo House was laid.

— 1846 The building was not finished when the Saints left Nauvoo in 1846 and was left, in its uncompleted state, to Emma Smith, widow of the Prophet Joseph Smith.

— 1872 Mr. Lewis C. Bidamon, Emma’s second husband, finished it, in part, as a hotel and called it “The Bidamon House.”

THE COMMANDMENT TO BUILD A TEMPLE

● D&C 124:25–27   Only 15 months after the founding of Nauvoo, the Lord commanded the Saints to build a temple.

● D&C 124:28, 40–41   The temple provides a place to receive the “fullness of the priesthood”—additional ordinances.

The Prophet Joseph Smith said, “If a man gets a fulness of the priesthood of God, he has to get it in the same way that Jesus Christ obtained it, and that was by keeping all the commandments and obeying all the ordinances of the house of the Lord.”9

President Joseph Fielding Smith said, “You cannot receive the fullness of the priesthood and the fullness of eternal reward unless you receive the ordinances of the house of the Lord; and when you receive these ordinances, the door is then open so you can obtain all the blessings which any man can gain.”10

President Joseph Fielding Smith also said, “If we want to receive the fullness of the priesthood of God, then we must receive the fullness of the ordinances of the house of the Lord and keep His commandments . . . Let me put this in a little different way. I do not care what office you hold in this Church, you may be an Apostle, you may be patriarch, a high priest, or anything else, and you cannot receive the fullness of the priesthood unless you go into the temple of the Lord and receive these ordinances of which the Prophet speaks. No man can get the fullness of the priesthood outside of the temple of the Lord.”11

● D&C 124:29–30, 33   The temple provides a place to perform baptisms for the dead.

● D&C 124:55   The temple provides a way for the Saints to prove their faithfulness in keeping His commandments so He can bless them with honor, immortality, eternal life.

What About the Temples Not Built in Missouri?

● D&C 124:45–55   The Saints had been commanded to build temples in Jackson County, Far West, and Adam-ondi-Ahman but were “hindered by their enemies” (v. 51).

Elder Charles W. Penrose said, “The Lord says that whenever he gives a commandment, no matter what it is about, to the children of man, and they go to with their might and endeavor to fulfil his commandment, and do that which is required of ‘ them, and they are prevented by their enemies, or by any other means, from accomplishing it, he does not require it any more at their hands. He accepts of their offering. That has applied in the past, and will apply in the future, and we should remember it. If God gives a commandment, and We do not obey it, why he revokes it, and he revokes the blessings. If he gives us a commandment to do certain things, and we find ourselves unable to do them either by restricted laws or any other obstacles in the way of physical force, the Lord requires them no more but accepts our offering, and he will visit his wrath and indignation upon those who prevent his people from accomplishing that which he required at their hands.”12

DOCTRINAL DEVELOPMENTS IN NAUVOO

● The Book of Abraham. Early in March (1842), the Book of Abraham was published in the Times And Seasons. The Book of Abraham was a translation of the papyrus scrolls that Joseph had obtained in Kirtland, Ohio. Persecution and imprisonment had kept him from translating the document, but the work had finally been completed.

● The Book of Joseph. The Prophet also indicated that he also had in his possession and intended to translate “The Book of Joseph,” but by the time of his martyrdom, this book was never given to the Saints.

● The Wentworth Letter. In March 1842, John Wentworth, editor of the Chicago Democrat, asked Joseph for a brief history of the Church and a statement of its beliefs. The letter contained the first published account of the prophet’s early spiritual experiences and concluded with thirteen statements of belief that are now known as the Articles of Faith.

— The Wentworth Letter enhances our understanding of Church history. In relation to the First Vision, the Prophet recalled that he was expressly commanded not to join any of the existing churches but was promised that the fullness of the gospel should at some future time be made known unto me.”13

— The Wentworth Letter speaks boldly of the ultimate destiny of the Church. The Prophet Joseph Smith wrote, “The Standard of Truth has been erected; no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing; persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame, but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done.”14

— The Articles of Faith. In the Wentworth Letter, the Prophet Joseph Smith summarized the beliefs of the Latter-day Saints into thirteen basic statements that have come to be known as the Articles of Faith. These answered many of the pressing religious questions of Joseph Smith’s day, and also shed light on religious questions of our own day. Today, we accept the Articles of Faith as part of our official standard works because they are included in the Pearl of Great Price, which was approved as one of the Church’s standard works of scripture by the 50th Semiannual General conference on 10 October 1880.

THE RED BRICK STORE

● In January 1842, the Prophet Joseph Smith opened the “Red Brick Store” in Nauvoo. Emma worked long and hard helping Joseph unload wagons of supplies for the store. She stocked the shelves and helped run the store. On February 6, 1842, Emma gave birth to a son who did not live.

● The Red Brick Store was one of the most important buildings in the Church during the Nauvoo period.

— It was a general store.
— It had large rooms upstairs that became a center of religious, social, and civic activity.
— The Saints established a public school there.
— They also used the building for Church and civic meetings and youth gatherings.
— The Relief Society was organized in this store on 17 March 1842.
— Before the temple was completed, the upper floor was used as an ordinance room.
— The first endowments in this dispensation were given there.

RELIEF SOCIETY ORGANIZED

Some Sisters Organize Themselves for Charity

● Sarah Granger Kimball, the wife of Hiram Kimball, one of the city’s wealthiest citizens, hired a seamstress named Margaret A. Cooke. Desiring to further the Lord’s work, Sarah donated cloth to make shirts for the men working on the temple, and Margaret agreed to do the sewing.

● Shortly thereafter, some of Sarah’s neighbors also desired to participate in the shirt-making. The sisters met in Sister Kimball’s parlor and decided to formally organize.

Sarah M. Kimball said:

“In the spring of 1842, a maiden lady (Miss Cook) was a seamstress for me, and the subject of combining our efforts for assisting the Temple hands came up in conversation. She desired to be helpful but had no means to furnish. I told her I would furnish material if she would make some shirts for the workmen. It was then suggested that some of the neighbors might wish to combine means and efforts with ours, and we decided to invite a few to come and consult with us on the subject of forming a Ladies’ Society. The neighboring sisters met in my parlor and decided to organize.

“I was delegated to call on Sister Eliza R. Snow and ask her to write for us a constitution and by-laws and submit them to President Joseph Smith prior to our next Thursday’s meeting. She cheerfully responded, and when she read them to him he replied that the constitution and by-laws were the best he had ever seen. ’But,’ he said, ‘this is not what you want. Tell the sisters their offering is accepted of the Lord, and He has something better for them than a written constitution. Invite them all to meet me and a few of the brethren in the Masonic Hall over my store next Thursday afternoon, and I will organize the sisters under the priesthood after a pattern of the priesthood.’”15

Formal Organization of the Relief Society

● On Thursday, March 17, 1842, the Female Relief Society of Nauvoo was founded under the direction of the Prophet Joseph Smith.

The Prophet Joseph Smith said, “ I assisted in commencing the organization of ‘The Female Relief Society of Nauvoo’ in the Lodge Room. Sister Emma Smith, President, and Sister Elizabeth Ann Whitney and Sarah M. Cleveland, Counselors. I gave much instruction, read in the New Testament, and Book of Doctrine and Covenants [25:1–8], concerning the Elect Lady, and showed that the elect meant to be elected to a certain work . . . and that the revelation was then fulfilled by Sister Emma’s election to the Presidency of the Society, she having previously been ordained [set apart] to expound the Scriptures. Emma was blessed, and her counselors were ordained by Elder John Taylor.”16

Purpose of the Relief Society

● On April 28, 1842, the Prophet and Willard Richards were present at the sixth meeting of the society, held in the upper room (Lodge Room) of the Red Brick Store.

● The Prophet Joseph Smith said on that occasion:

“This is a charitable Society and according to your natures; it is natural for females to have feelings of charity and benevolence. You are now placed in a situation in which you can act according to those sympathies which God has planted in your bosoms. If you live up to these principles, how great and glorious will be your reward in the celestial kingdom! If you live up to your privileges, the angels cannot be restrained from being your associates. . .

“Let this Society teach women how to behave towards their husbands, to treat them with mildness and affection. When a man is borne down with trouble, when he is perplexed with care and difficulty, if he can meet a smile instead of an argument or a murmur—if he can meet with mildness, it will calm down his soul and soothe his feelings; when the mind is going to despair, it needs a solace of affection and kindness. . . .

“You will receive instructions through the order of the priesthood which God has established, through the medium of those appointed to lead, guide and direct the affairs of the Church in this last dispensation; and I now turn the key in your behalf in the name of the Lord, and this Society shall rejoice, and knowledge and intelligence shall flow down from this time henceforth; this is the beginning of better days to the poor and needy, who shall be made to rejoice and pour forth blessings on your heads.”17

Provoking Their Husbands to Righteousness

● The Prophet Joseph Smith said to the sisters on March 17, 1842: “The object of the Society [is] that the Society of Sisters might provoke the brethren to good works in looking to the wants of the poor-searching after objects of charity, and in administering to their wants—to assist by correcting the morals and strengthening the virtues of the community, and save the Elders the trouble of rebuking; that they may give their time to other duties, & etc., in their public teaching.”18

Charitable Activities of the Relief Society

● The Prophet Joseph Smith wrote one month later on March 24: “I attended by request, the Female Relief Society, whose object is the relief of the poor, the destitute, the widow and the orphan, and for the exercise of all benevolent purposes. . . . There was a very numerous attendance at the organization of the society . . . of some of our most intelligent, humane, philanthropic and respectable ladies; and we are well assured from a knowledge of those pure principles of benevolence that flow spontaneously from their humane and philanthropic bosoms, that with the resources they will have at command, they will fly to the relief of the stranger; they will pour in oil and wine to the wounded heart of the distressed; they will dry up the tears of the orphan and make the widow’s heart to rejoice.”19

— Soon after the society came into existence, a committee visited all of Nauvoo’s poor, assessed their needs, and solicited donations to help them.

— Cash donations and proceeds from the sale of food and bedding provided schooling for needy children. Flax, wool, yarn, shingles, soap, candles, tinware, jewelry, baskets, quilts, blankets, onions, apples, flour, bread, crackers, and meat were donated to help those in need.

Spiritual Activities of the Relief Society

President Joseph F. Smith said, “At the fifth meeting, April 19, the Society members were invited to bear their testimonies, to ‘speak their sentiments freely.’ One by one they arose to their feet and opened their hearts. . . . In these eloquent and sincere beginnings of testimony among the women, the pattern of a continued rejoicing may be seen.”20

Eliza R. Snow said, [In one meeting] “nearly all present arose and spoke, and the spirit of the Lord like a purifying stream, refreshed every heart.”21

These sisters prayed for each other, strengthened each other’s faith, and consecrated their lives and resources to help further the cause of Zion.

Notes:

1.  S.H. Faulring (Ed.), The Diaries and Journals of Joseph Smith: An American Prophet’s Record, 246–248.
2.  Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, sel. Elder Joseph Fielding Smith [1976], 182.
3.  Letter to W.W. Phelps, July 22, 1840, History of the Church, 4:162–164.
4.  President Wilford Woodruff: History of His Life and Labors, ed. Matthias F. Cowley, 116–119.
5.  In Conference Report, Apr. 1960, 108.
6.  In Journal of Discourses, 7:350.
7.  Doctrine and Covenants Commentary, rev. ed. [1972], 785.
8.  Sperry, Compendium, 664.
9.  History of the Church, 5:424.
10. In Conference Report, Apr. 1970, 58.
11. Elijah the Prophet, 45–46.
12. In Conference Report, Apr. 1924, 13–14.
13. History of the Church, 4:536.
14. History of the Church, 4:540.
15. “Story of the Organization of the Relief Society,” Relief Society Magazine, Mar. 1919, 129.
16. History of the Church, 4:552–553.
17. History of the Church, 4:605–607.
18. History of the Relief Society: 1842–1966, 18.
19. History of the Church, 4:567.
20. History of the Relief Society: 1842–1966, 21-22.
21. Minutes of the Female Relief Society of Nauvoo, 28 Apr. 1842, 33.