“The Church Moves West Timetable,” Friend, July 1993, 27
The Church Moves West Timetable
1 Kirtland, Ohio
November 1830 Missionaries go to the Kirtland area and baptize 127 in just 3 weeks, more than doubling the Church membership.
January 1831 Joseph is commanded to leave New York immediately. He and Emma make the trip to Kirtland in the dead of winter.
January–May 1831 Most New York Saints migrate to Kirtland. (See “A Gathering of Saints,” March 1993 Friend, page 47.)
April 30, 1831 Emma has twins; both die. She and Joseph adopt the Murdock twins, whose mother has died.
March 24, 1832 Twenty to 30 men drag Joseph from his home, and tar and feather him. The mob leaves the door open, and one of the adopted sons catches a cold, dying five days later.
January 1833 The School of the Prophets begins. Emma complains about cleaning up after the brethren who smoke and chew tobacco. The Word of Wisdom is revealed. (See D&C 89.)
June 6, 1833 Construction on the Kirtland Temple begins.
February 14, 1835 The First Quorum of the Twelve is called.
July 1835 Michael Chandler comes to Kirtland with Egyptian mummies and scrolls, which he sells to the Church.
March 27, 1836 The Kirtland Temple is dedicated. (See D&C 109.)
November 1837 Ten to fifteen percent of Kirtland members apostatize, including many leaders.
March 1838 Because of assassination plots, Joseph Smith leaves Kirtland, hidden inside a box on an oxcart.
July 1838 Most of the Saints leave Kirtland because of persecution, and travel to western Missouri.
2 Independence, Missouri
January 13, 1831 Missionaries arrive in western Missouri to teach the Lamanites.
July 20, 1831 Independence is called the “center place of Zion.” (See D&C 57:1–3.)
August 3, 1831 The temple site in Independence is dedicated.
July 20, 1833 Jackson County residents destroy the Saints’ printing press and most of the unbound sheets of the Book of Commandments. (See “Caroline and Mary Elizabeth Rollins,” January 1989 Friend, page 48.)
1834 Church leaders agree to the Saints leaving Jackson County by 1 April 1834. Many citizens in Clay County help the exiled Saints.
December 1836 Caldwell and Daviess counties are created. Caldwell is to be for the settling of the Saints.
3 Zion’s Camp
February 1834 In Kirtland, Joseph Smith is commanded to organize Zion’s Camp to help the Missouri Saints.
June 8, 1834 Eleven children, 11 women, and 207 men begin the journey. It was not unusual for them to walk 35 miles (56 k) in a day. The camp tests the faith and obedience of its members. (See “March of Zion’s Camp,” May 1993 Friend, page 47.)
4 Far West, Missouri
March 1838 Joseph and Emma arrive and settle here.
April 26, 1838 The name of the Church is revealed, and the Saints are commanded to build a temple at Far West. (See D&C 115.)
October 25, 1838 Exaggerated accounts of a battle lead the governor to order the Saints driven from the state or exterminated. (See “Persecutions in Missouri,” July 1993 Friend, page 47.)
October 31, 1838 Joseph Smith and four other men are taken prisoners. Far West is ransacked by the state militia. Prisoners are jailed in Richmond.
5 Adam-ondi-Ahman, Missouri
1838 Place where Adam will one day come to visit his people. (See D&C 107, 116.) The Saints fleeing Kirtland settle here.
6 Haun’s Mill
October 30, 1838 Haun’s Mill is attacked by 240 men. At least 17 people are killed.
7 Richmond, Missouri
November 1838 The Prophet commands the guards to be silent. (See “Parley P. Pratt,” March 1993 Friend, page 38.) After their trial, Joseph and others are sent to the Liberty, Missouri, jail to await another trial.
8 Liberty, Missouri
November 1838 The prisoners spend four winter months in Liberty Jail awaiting trial. They have little heat, and conditions are poor. (See D&C 121, 122.)
April 1839 The trial is moved to Boone County. The sheriff escorting the prisoners allows them to escape. They flee to Illinois.
9 Quincy, Illinois
February 1839 Emma leaves Far West for Illinois, with Joseph’s translation of the Bible tied in cotton bags under her skirts. Quincy residents take the Saints into their homes and provide for them.
April 22, 1839 Joseph Smith and his fellow prisoners arrive here.
10 Nauvoo, Illinois
April 1839 The prophet purchases land for the Saints to settle.
July 1, 1839 Joseph calls upon all Saints everywhere to move here.
Summer 1839 The new site is named Nauvoo. Many Saints contract malaria. On July 22, 1839, the Prophet arises from his sickbed and administers to many of the stricken Saints.
April 6, 1841 The cornerstones of the Nauvoo Temple are laid.
March 1842 The letter from Joseph Smith to John Wentworth is published. It contains what becomes known as the Articles of Faith.
Spring 1844 Joseph Smith meets with the Quorum of the Twelve every day for two weeks and gives them all the keys and ordinances necessary to preside over the Church.
June 7, 1844 The Nauvoo Expositor is published to stir up anti-Mormon activity. The city council orders the marshal to destroy the press. Enemies of the Church want Joseph Smith and the city council arrested.
June 24, 1844 Joseph and Hyrum travel to Carthage to turn themselves over to authorities.
June 25, 1844 Joseph and Hyrum have new charges brought against them and are put in Carthage Jail.
June 27, 1844 A few minutes after 5:00 P.M. about 100 men attack the jail. Hyrum and Joseph are killed. (See D&C 136.)
August 8, 1844 Sidney Rigdon and Brigham Young speak to the Saints about who should preside over the Church, Rigdon or the Quorum of the Twelve. When Brigham speaks, to many he sounds and looks like Joseph. The congregation votes to sustain the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles to preside over the Church.
September 1844 Anti-Mormons start organizing to drive the Saints from Illinois.
September 24, 1845 The Quorum of the Twelve promises that the Saints will leave Nauvoo the next spring.
December 10, 1845 Saints start receiving endowments in the Nauvoo Temple.
January 1846 Before heading west, 5,612 Saints receive their endowments in the Nauvoo Temple. Brigham Young works in the temple day and night, sleeping on an average 4 hours per night and going home only once per week.
February 4, 1846 The first group of Saints leaves Nauvoo.
April 30, 1846 The Nauvoo Temple is dedicated.
Fall 1846 Anti-Mormon attacks increase against those Saints still in Nauvoo.
September 1846 Almost all remaining Saints flee Nauvoo and suffer in makeshift camps throughout the winter.
11 Winter Quarters, Nebraska
June 1846 The first company arrives at Council Bluffs.
June 1846 Captain James Allen recruits 500 men for the Mormon Battalion. This gives the Saints economic help; they also receive permission to winter in Indian territory on the west side of the Missouri River, where they establish Winter Quarters.
Winter 1846–47 The Saints prepare for the first company to head west in the spring. Leaders talk with trappers and traders about trails and possible locations for settling. (See D&C 136.)
April 16, 1847 The first company starts for the valley of the Great Salt Lake.