Elder's Conference

The special conference of the 6th of April, was followed by a conference of elders, convened on the 10th inst., at 10 o'clock, A. M., and continued by adjournment from time to time, till the 12th. There were present of the quorum of the Twelve, Brigham Young, President; Heber C. Kimball, William Smith, Orson Hyde, Orson Pratt, Wilford Woodruff, John Taylor, George A. Smith and W. Richards.

The object of the conference was to ordain elders, and send them forth into the vineyard to build up churches; and the following appointments were made, with united voices, by the conference; agreeable to requests which were made by individuals who were acquainted with the several places which they represented.

James Munroe and Truman Gillet; Auburn, New York.

Dominicus Carter; Lockport, Indiana.

Joshua Holman and John Pierce; Madison, Indiana.

Wandle Mace and Isaac Hate; Washingtonville, Orange county, New York.

William O. Clark; Richardson Settlement, Iowa.

Benjamin Clapp, John Bear, Wilson Hewitt and L. O. Littlefield; Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

Alonzo Whitney and J. Goodale; Dublin, Ohio.

William Eaton; Westfield, Sullivan county, New York.

Zebedee Coltrin, Graham Coltrin and James Flanigan; Smith and Tazewell counties, Virginia.

Jonathan Dunham; Lawrenceburgh, Indiana.

Lewis Robbins and Jacob Gates; Have a roving commission for Massachusetts, with leave to take their wives, but to keep out of the churches.

Stephen Markham and Truman Waite; Berlin, Huron county, Ohio.

John D. Chase and A. M. Harding; Pittsfield, Vermont.

Amos Fuller and Cyrus H. Wheelock; Newfane, Williamsville, Windham county, Vermont.

John S. Gleason and Henry Jacobs; West part of the state of New York.

Marcellus L. Bates and Norman B. Shearer; Near Sackets Harbor, New York.

Samuel Brown; Brandywine and Woodville, Maryland.

Lemuel Mallory and George Slater; Saline, Washtenau county, Michigan.

Moses Wade; Some county in New York, where there has been no preaching by the saints.

Chillion Daniels and E. Robinson; Pierpont, St. Lawrence county, New York.

William Brown and Daniel Cathcart; Pensacola, Florida.

Eleazar Willis; Go where he likes.

John Zundall; Muskootau, St. Clair county, Illinois.

Cradall Dunn; some where in Michigan.

George Middow; Waterloo, Canada

Samuel H. Rogers and Harvey Green; Greenwich, Cumberland, New Jersey.

Daniel Spencer; Eardly, Bristol and Clarendon, Lower Canada; March and Fitzroy Harbor, Upper Canada.

Elias Harmar; Green, Chenango county, New York.

Harvey Tate; Fort Wayne, Allen county, Indiana.

Robert D. Foster and Jonathan Allen; Candor, Tioga county, New York.

William Wharton, of Philadelphia; Wilmington, (and vicinity) Delaware.

Leonard Soby; Peru, Miami county, Indiana.

Warner Hoops; York county, Pennsylvania.

F. D. Wilson and G. W. Brandon; Dyer and Montgomery counties, Tennessee.

E. H. Groves and G. P. Dykes; From Terre Haute to Shawneetown and Cairo, on both sides of the Wabash.

P. Sessions; Oxford county, Maine.

John. L. Butler and David Lewis; Lexington and Teesburgh, Kentucky.

Charles C. Rich; Ottowa, Illinois.

W. W. Rust; Worcester county, Massachusetts.

Aaron M. York; Maine.

Asaph Rice; Pontiac, Michigan.

Orson Spencer; New Haven, Connecticut.

Lorin Farr; Connecticut, leave to call at Milwaukie [Milwaukee].

Stephen Perry, Amos B. Tomlinson, E. G. Terrill, Amos P. Rogers, Joseph Outhouse and William Bird; state of Connecticut.

Francis Edwards and Charles Ryan; Overton, Jackson county, Tennessee.

Benjamin Kempton; Wheeling to Mount Vernon, Ohio.

Peter Hess, of Philadelphia; Lancaster and vicinity, Pennsylvania.

Noah Curtis and Luman H. Corkins; Wayne county, New York.

Stratton Thornton and Sandford Porter; South East part of Illinois and Indiana.

Benjamin Leland and Eden Smith; Erie county, Pennsylvania.

Samuel Swarner; Orleans county, New York.

Jacob E. Terry and Err Terry; Niagara District, Upper Canada.

Edward P. Duzette and Elisha Edwards; Loraine and Huron counties, Ohio.

Edwin Williams; New Germantown, Hunterdon county New Jersey.

Jacob G. Bigler; Weston, Lewis county, Virginia.

Orlando Hovey; New Trenton, Franklin county, Indiana.

William B. Brink; Some place in the interior of Pennsylvania, where the elders have not been.

F. B. Jacaway and Samuel Rowland; Adams county, Ohio.

Moses Tracy; Perry county, Illinois.

Alfred Brown; Maysville, Chatauque county, New York.

Noah Rogers, Peter Lemons, Joseph Mount, B. W. Wilson, Addison Pratt and John Brown; State of Vermont.

Samuel C. Brown; To labor on the Temple.

James Carroll; New Castle, Henry county Indiana.

Levi Steward and James Pace; Williamson and Gallatin counties, Illinois.

Edwin Clegg; Rock Island, Illinois.

John Carns; Richmond, Indiana.

Edward Bosley and Rodman Clark; Gennessee, Livingston county, New York.

James Hutchins and Daniel Tyler; Natchez, Mississippi.

George M. Chase; Auburn, Geauga county, Ohio.

John Royce; Singsing, New York.

Lyman Whitney; Franklin county, Vermont.

Twenty-two were ordained elders.

Almon Babbitt was restored to fellowship by unanimous acclamation of the conference.

Elder Curtis Hodges, (who has a wife in this place) was cut off from the church for his anti-christian conduct, in Warrick county, Indiana.

Elder James Alread, John Snider, and Aaron Johnson, were appointed to administer baptism for the dead, in the river, while the font could not be used.

President Young instructed the elders not to go from church to church, for the purpose of living themselves, or begging for their families, or for preaching; but to go to their places of destination, journeying among the world, and preaching by the way as they have opportunity; and if they get any thing for themselves they must do it in those churches they shall build up, or from the world, and not enter into other men's labors.

Several elders have been represented to us as having travelled [traveled] extensively the past season, preaching but little, or none, living on the brethren, and begging for their own emolument. Such elders, be they where they may, far or near, are instructsd [instructed] to repair forthwith to Nauvoo, and give an account of their stewardship, and report the amount of leg service performed by them; and on their return be sure to keep out of the churches.

It is wisdom for the elders to leave their families in this place, when they have any thing to leave with them; and let not the elders go on their mission, until they have provided for their families. No man need say again "I have a call to travel and preach," while he has not a comfortable house for his family-a lot fenced, and one year's provisions in store, or sufficient to last his family during his mission.

The Lord will not condemn any man for following counsel, and keeping the commandments; and a faithful man will have dreams about the work he is engaged in. If he is engaged in building the Temple, he will dream about it; and if in preaching he will dream about that, and not, when he is laboring on the temple, dream that it is his duty to run off preaching, and leave his family to starve; such dreams are not of God.

When I was sick last winter, some of the sisters came and whispered in my ear, "I have nothing to eat." Where is your husband?" "He is gone a preaching." Who sent him? said I, for the Lord never sent him to leave his family to starve.

When the twelve went to England, they went on a special mission, and by special commandment; and they left their families sick and destitute, God having promised that they should be provided for; but God does not require the same thing of the elders now, neither does he promise to provide for their families when they leave them contrary to counsel. The elders must provide for their families.

I wish to give a word of advice to the sisters, and I will give it to my wife. I have known elders who had, by some means, got in debt, but had provided well for their families during their contemplated mission, and after they had taken their departure their creditors would teaze [tease] their wives for the pay due from their husbands till they would give them the last provision they had left them, and they were obliged to subsist on charity or starve till their husbands returned. Such a course of conduct on the part of the creditor is anti-christian, and criminal, and I forbid my wife from paying one cent of my debts while I am absent attending to the things of the kingdom; and I want all the sisters to act on the same principle.

Elder Hyde said, if there is an elder who does not provide for his family in the unrighteous mammon, shall we commit to him the true riches, the priesthood, missions, &c.? No!

Elder Woodruff requested the elders to remember in their travels, that there was a printing press in Nauvoo, and that it is in the hands of the church; and wished the elders would procure subscribers for the papers, collect pay for the same, and forward it to the editor, in cash.

Elder Kimball instructed the elders that when they found a place where the people wanted preaching, they must stay themselves and preach, and not run away somewhere else, and write to Nauvoo to have elders sent to the place they had left.

Elders Woodruff and Taylor requested that when the elders had built up a church, they would write a brief statement of facts, unincumbered [unencumbered] with useless matter, and forward their communication to the editor of the "Time and Seasons," post paid.

The elders were reminded that they need not expect any attention would be given to unpaid letter, directed to the Presidency.

The elders were also reminded that although they were not sent out to be taught, but to teach, yet if they would prosper in their missions, they must be careful to teach those things alone which would be profitable to their hearers; that they must bear their testimony of the truth of the fulness [fullness] of the gospel, and preach nothing but faith and repentance to this generation; and that if they presumed to teach to babes those things which belong to men, they might expect to return to Nauvoo as destitute as they went out; but if they adhered closely to the first principles and taught the "word of wisdom, " more by example than by precept, walking before God and the world, in all meekness and lowliness of heart, living by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord, they might expect an abundant harvest; and as doves return to their windows in flocks, when they see the storm approaching, so will multitudes, by listening to their voices, learn of the things which await the earth, and arise and flee, and return unto Mount Zion,. and her stakes with them, who shall be seals of their ministry in the day of celestial light and glory. Brigham Young, Prest.

W. Richards, Cl'k.