"History of Decatur County and Its People" Volume I

Prof. J. M. Howell and Heman C. Smith, Supervising Editors

The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company, Chicago IL, 1915.
 
Chapter XII ~ The Beginning of the Latter Day Saints Church
Pages 136 - 142
By Heman C. Smith
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, sometimes called the "Mormon Church," was organized in Fayette, N. Y., on the 6th of April, 1830. Joseph SMITH was chosen its first presiding officer, which position he held until his death in 1844.

In the autumn of 1830 missionaries were sent from headquarters in New York to the western country, principally to preach to the Indians, but to also preach to others by the way. These missionaries were Oliver COWDERY, Parley P. PRATT, Peter WHITMER, Jr., and Ziba PETERSON.

PRATT had previously been associated with the Disciples, in what was known as the Western Reserve, Ohio, and was personally acquainted with one Sidney RIGDON, the pastor at Mentor, Ohio, so called upon Mr. RIGDON en route. After a few weeks spent in that vicinity they baptized Mr. RIGDON and many others and organized a flourishing church in the vicinity of Mentor and Kirtland.

In 1831 Joseph SMITH and a large part of the church in New York moved to Ohio, and Kirtland became the headquarters of the church.

The missionaries before mentioned moved on to Western Missouri, and a portion of the church soon followed them there, locating at Independence, in Jackson County, from whence they were expelled by a religious persecution in the autumn of 1833. The body of the church located in Clay County, but subsequently the County of Caldwell was set apart or organized with the understanding that the Latter Day Saints were to have control. Consequently they bought out the few settlers there, entered the land, and rapidly settled up the county, and founded the City of Far West, which soon became quite a flourishing place.

All this time the organization at Kirtland was maintained.

Joseph SMITH removed to Missouri in 1838, and the settlement at Far West was then considered the central church or headquarters.

Soon after this friction again arose which resulted in the church again being driven by mob force from their homes. (I am not entering into the causes of these disturbances, real or supposed, as I suppose that is not the subject in which you are interested.)

In the winter of 1838 and 1839 the great body of the Latter Day Saints left the State of Missouri and found a temporary asylum near Quincy, I11inois.

Soon after they purchased two large farms in the vicinity of Commerce, subsequently called Nauvoo, in Hancock County, and there enjoyed a season of great prosperity, the City of Nauvoo at one time having a population of about thirty thousand, and was said at the time to have been the largest city in the State of Illinois.

Large portions of the surrounding country were also possessed by members of the church and extensive settlements made on the Iowa side of the river.

Their former enemies in Missouri were industrious in stirring up their new neighbors against them and after a few years of comparative prosperity they were again beset by violent opposition.

This culminated in the murder of Joseph SMITH and his brother, Hyrum, by a mob of ruffians at Carthage, Illinois, on June 27, 1844. The church then broke up into many factions, following different leaders. One of the most bold and unscrupulous was Brigham YOUNG, who with his faction afterwards settled in Utah and has been a continual source of trouble to the Government on account of the practice of polygamy and other questionable things. This practice, by the way, was not taught, nor indulged in during the lifetime of Joseph SMITH, as the evidence abundantly shows, though YOUNG and his followers have dated the practice back to 1843, doubtless to give this criminal practice the prestige of Joseph SMITH'S name among those who believed in his claims. It was this faction under Brigham YOUNG who first settled at Mount Pisgah in Jones Township.

The Latter Day Saints, with headquarters at Lamoni, have always strongly advocated the original faith on the marriage question, and ever since 1862 have maintained a mission in Salt Lake City, Utah, protesting earnestly against the doctrine of polygamy practiced there. One of the articles of faith of the Latter Day Saints reads: "We believe that marriage is ordained of God and that the law of God provides for but one companion in wedlock for either man or woman, except in case of death or where the marriage contract is broken by transgression."

THE PRESENT STATUS OF THE CHURCH

The little City of Lamoni, Iowa, is the headquarters, the center, of the Latter Day Saints Church in the world. Here are located the general offices, the main church and the official publications. Besides the church at Lamoni there are in Decatur County branches of the church at the following places: Six miles southwest of Lamoni, four miles north of Lamoni, seven miles east of Lamoni, one at Davis City, one at Pleasanton and one at Leon.

Among the general church officers at Lamoni are: Elbert A. SMITH, one of the presidency of three men; R. S. SALYARDS, secretary; Heman C. SMITH, historian, and Claude I. CARPENTER, recorder. These officers are located in the Herald Building. The present church building, a handsome and commodious structure, was built in 1882-83.

The church in Lamoni maintains two homes for old folks and one home for homeless or unfortunate children. The old folks' homes are under the charge of a board of control, consisting of Joseph ROBERTS, Richard J. LAMBERT and Lorenzo HAVER. The Children's Home is incorporated as such, approved by the state authorities, and is under the control of a board of trustees. Heman C. SMITH is president of this board; Oscar ANDERSON is secretary; Joseph ROBERTS, treasurer; Richard BULLARD, Mrs. L. L. RESSEGUIE, Mrs. C. B. STEBBINS and Mrs. Minnie NICHOLSON. There are forty acres of land in connection with this latter home, and over one hundred acres connected with the homes for the aged.

THE SAINTS' HERALD

At the semi-annual conference of the Church of Latter Day Saints of 1859, October 6th to 10th, it was resolved that the church publish a monthly church paper and continue it six months, called the True Latter Day Saints' Herald.

This publication was inaugurated at Cincinnati, Ohio, where it was continued as a monthly until March, 1863. At this time the office was removed to Plano, Kendall County, Illinois, and the first issue from this place was in April, 1863. Beginning in July of the same year the Herald was issued as a semi-monthly and continued so until the end of the year 1882. Then, beginning with the first week in January, 1883, it was issued weekly.

In the latter part of the year 1881 the plant was removed from Piano to Lamoni, Decatur County, Iowa, and the first issue from this place was run off the pesses November 1, 1881.

The first editor of this paper was Isaac SHEEN, and he served until May 1, 1865. Then Joseph SMITH took charge of the editorial department of the paper. Associated with him at different times as assistant editors have been: M. H. FORSCUTT, I. B. OLIVER, H. A. STEBBINS, Daniel F. LAMBERT, W. W. BLAIR, R. S. SALYARDS, F. M. SMITH, Leon A. GOULD and E. A. SMITH.

In April, 1803, the office of corresponding secretary was created and Joseph LUFF took the position, to be succeeded by Heman C. SMITH, and later by David A. WIGHT and T. M. SHEEHY. Joseph SMITH came to his death on December 10, 1914. The board of publication consists of Edwin A. BLAKESLEE, president; Albert CARMICHAEL, business manager; Thomas A. HOUGAS, Oscar ANDERSON and Frederick B. BLAIR; J. A. GUNSOLLEY, secretary. Elbert A. SMITH and John F. GARVER are editors of the Herald; Heman C. SMITH is editor of the Journal of History; E. A. SMITH is editor of Autumn Leaves; Mrs. Estella WIGHT is editor of Stepping Stones, a juvenile paper; Ethel I. SKANK and Miss WIGHT are editors of Zion's Hope.

The first Herald monthly was a 24-page paper, 4 by 7 inches; then was reduced to sixteen pages. In 1876 it was made a 32-page paper, and the next year again reverted to sixteen pages. The name has now been changed to the Saints' Herald, and each issue comprises twenty-four pages, 8 by 10 1/2 inches.

The Herald office as first erected in Lamoni during the summer of 1881 was built of bricks burned in Lamoni. During tHe years 1891-92 a wing was added on the west, consisting of two stories and a basement. On the morning of January 5, 1907, this building was completely destroyed by fire, but before the day was done steps were taken toward rebuilding.

At a citizens' meeting in Lamoni the following Sunday $17,000 was subscribed toward a new structure. The work of rebuilding began during the last week in May, considerable work in excavating and cleaning away debris having been prior to that date.

The new building consists of two stories and basement. The top floor is used by the editors, proofreaders, church library and offices of general church officers; the ground floor contains the manager's office, composing room, mailing room and bindery; in the basement are the presses, repair shops and storerooms. The power, heating and lighting plant is in a separate building. This plant not only supplies Lamoni with electricity, but also Kellerton and Davis City. The new building was dedicated in November, 1907.

The present circulation of the Herald is about ten thousand, these papers going all over the world.

In the Herald Building there is located the general church library. This library is controlled by a library commission and is open to the public. The number of volumes in the institution is small, owing to the fact that the most of the valuable books were destroyed by the fire of January, 1907, when the whole Herald Building was consumed.
 
 
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