Circular, to the whole Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. First meeting in the temple. [Nauvoo, 1845]
Broadside 42.5 x 30 cm.

View Document

Two days after Hardin and his associates wrote to the Twelve that the anti–Mormons from Hancock and the nine surrounding counties had accepted the propositions outlined by Brigham Young on October 1, the Saints began a series of meetings in the Nauvoo Temple—an implicit statement that it was finished enough for them to consider evacuating Nauvoo.  On Sunday October 5, they gathered for worship services in the main story, prepared with a temporary floor and seats.  During the morning and afternoon meetings, the Twelve called the first companies which would make the westward trek in the spring.  The next day they convened the general conference and here formally presented the proposition to move west to the Church membership.  Thomas Bullock and William Clayton took minutes of these meetings.  On October 11, for most of the day, Clayton met with the Twelve and others at John Taylor’s house and helped prepare Circular to the Whole Church “for the agents to take abroad with them.” 

Circular to the Whole Church opens with some comments on the temple and a short outline of the October 5 meeting.  This is followed by “Extract from the minutes of a general conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, held in the House of the Lord in the City of Joseph, Oct. 6th, 7 & 8, 1845,” which is a summary of the October 6 meetings, which is a summary of the October 6 meetings only.  At the end of this summary is the most important business of the conference:  “On motion, it was unanimously resolved that this people move, en masse, to the West.  On motion, it was unanimously resolved that we take all of the Saints with us to the extent of our ability, that is, our influence and property.”

Excerpted and edited from Peter Crawley, A Descriptive Bibliography of the Mormon Church.  Volume One, 1830-1847. (Provo, Utah: Brigham Young University, Religious Studies Center, [1997]).  Item 284, p. 326-27.

Used by permission of the author and the Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University