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April 17, 1838

On December 22, 1837, apostle Brigham Young fled Kirtland, Ohio, fearing for his life. Throughout the fall, he had testified against a number of former members of the Church who had lost confidence in the Prophet Joseph Smith. As he later recalled, “I left Kirtland on consequence of the fury of the mob, and the spirit that prevailed in the apostates, who had threatened to destroy me because I would proclaim, publicly and privately, that I knew by the power of the Holy Ghost, that Joseph Smith was a Prophet of the Most High God, and had not transgressed and fallen as apostates declared.”[1]

After fleeing Kirtland, Brigham stayed for a time with his brother Lorenzo in Dublin, Indiana. The Prophet eventually met up with him, and after waiting for a while they traveled over two hundred miles together, arriving at Far West, Missouri, on March 14, 1838.[2] However, in Brigham’s haste to escape Kirtland months early, he had to leave his family. In his absence, his wife, Mary Ann Angell Young, and five young children (two from Young’s then deceased wife, Miriam Works) were harassed by dissenters. The mob would come to their home using “threats and vile language,” believing that Brigham was “hid up there.” This vicious treatment left Mary Ann gravely ill. Emmeline B. Wells later wrote how this harrowing experience was the “severest trial of [Mary Ann’s] life.” In January, with her health failing, she traveled with her children to meet up with Brigham and the other exiled Saints in Far West. When she was finally reunited with Brigham, he was so shocked at her frail condition that he said, “You look as if you were almost in your grave.”[3]

Fortunately, Brigham had prepared a home for his family to live in a few miles outside Far West. However, on April 6 he was called, along with Thomas B. Marsh and David W. Patten (the two apostles ahead of him in seniority), to be in the pro tempore presidency of the Church in Zion.[4] Understanding the strain of fulfilling his calling and caring for his family, the Prophet received this revelation from the Lord, counseling him to “provide for” and “support” his family until he was commanded otherwise. This revelation was undoubtedly a great relief and blessing for the Young family.

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Revelation given to Brigham Young at Far West, Missouri, April 17, 1838.

Verily, thus saith the Lord—let my servant Brigham Young go unto the place which he has bought on Mill Creek and there provide for his family until an effectual door is opened for the support of his family—until I shall command him to go hence—and not to leave his family until they are amply provided for. Amen.

Notes

[1] “History of Brigham Young,” Deseret News, February 17, 1858, 393; see also Leonard J. Arrington, Brigham Young: American Moses (Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 1985), 61; John G. Turner, Brigham Young: Pioneer Prophet (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2012), 53–54.

[2] Arrington, Brigham Young, 62; Turner, Brigham Young, 55.

[3] Emmeline B. Wells, “Biography of Mary Ann Angell Young,” Juvenile Instructor 26, no. 1 (January 1, 1891): 18–19; see also Arrington, Brigham Young, 61–63; Turner, Brigham Young, 53–54.

[4] JSP, D6:107.