Chester County, Pennsylvania

Chester County, Pennsylvania
Chester County, Pennsylvania

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Anger toward the innocent


With a desire to maintain peace the members of the church agreed to abide by the laws of the United States government and not seek revenge for the murder of Joseph and Hyrum Smith. They continued to finish the Nauvoo Temple, build more homes, and increase the beauty of the city. Meanwhile, enemies of the church were busy making speeches, stirring up anger amongst anyone who would listen and banding into mobs. They were trying to remove the church from the county.[1]

There were accusations against church members of rampant theft but Thomas Ford, governor of the state of Illinois, said, “Justice, however, requires me here to say, that I have investigated the charge of promiscuous stealing, and find it to be greatly exaggerated.”[2] Unfortunately, he wrote a letter to the church members to warn them that if a mob should attack them, the state would not protect them.[3] Even Attorney General of the State, Josiah Lamborn, Esq., said, “I have always considered that your enemies have been prompted by religious and political prejudices and by a desire for blood, more than for the common good.”[4] Yet, the murders of Joseph and Hyrum Smith went unpunished.

It became obvious that the church members would have to leave the country if they wanted the freedom to live their religion. Brigham Young promised their enemies that the members would begin removal from Nauvoo to the territory outside the United States in the spring of 1846 if they would stop their lawless litigations.[5] Wagons were being made as fast as possible to move them west.

Despite the efforts of the church members to prepare for an exodus, mobbers began to attack the outlying areas around Nauvoo such as Lima, Yelrome, and Bear Creek, burning homes and grain stacks in September 1845. Brigham Young, the new prophet, in February 1846 announced that those who were prepared for the trip across the plains could head west. The poor were to follow when they could afford to leave. Not satisfied to allow the poor more time to prepare, the mobbers drove out them out of Nauvoo by September 17, 1846 across the Mississippi River into Iowa. [6]



[1] George Q. Cannon, The Historical Record, Vol.5-8, Andrew Jensen, editor (Salt Lake City, Utah: Andrew Jensen, 1889) p. 783.
[2]  Ibid., p. 801.
[3] Ibid.,  p. 784.
[4] Ibid., p. 804.
[5] Ibid., p. 816.
[6] Ibid., p. 838.