Doctrine and Covenants Historical Resources: Frederick G. Williams, Doctrine and Covenants Historical Resources (2025)
Frederick G. Williams, Doctrine and Covenants Historical Resources (2025)
Frederick G. Williams
(1787–1842)
Frederick G. Williams, ca. 1836, oil on canvas, Church History Museum.
Frederick G. Williams was born in Suffield, Connecticut. In 1815 he married Rebecca Swain, and in 1830 he moved to Kirtland, Ohio, where he was baptized into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and ordained an elder. He promptly joined Oliver Cowdery on a mission to Missouri. Williams was ordained a high priest in 1831 and subsequently became a clerk and scribe to Joseph Smith (see Doctrine and Covenants 90:19). In 1833, Williams attended the organizational meeting of the School of the Prophets, became a member of the United Firm (Doctrine and Covenants 92:1–2), and began serving as an assistant president or counselor in the presidency of the Church (Doctrine and Covenants 81:1; 90:6; 102:3). In 1834, he participated in the Camp of Israel expedition to Missouri. Williams served on the publications committee that printed the Doctrine and Covenants and Emma Smith’s A Collection of Sacred Hymns in 1835. He was a stockholder in the Kirtland Safety Society. In 1837 a general assembly of the Church voted to remove Williams from the Church presidency and replace him with Hyrum Smith. He was excommunicated from the Church in March 1839 but was restored to fellowship a year later. He died at Quincy, Illinois, in October 1842.
References in the Doctrine and Covenants
Doctrine and Covenants 56, 64, 81, 90, 92, 93, 102, 103, 104