The Life And Contributions Of Isaac Morley

I found this Thesis by Richard Henrie Morley at the Land Records Office In Nauvoo. Ill ( Terry D. Roper)

THE LIFE AND CONTRIBUTIONS OF ISAAC MORLEY

A Thesis
Submitted to
The College of Religious Instruction
Brigham Young University
Provo, Utah

In Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirement for the Degree
Master of Arts

by
Richard Henrie Morley

July, 1965

ISAAC MORLEY 1786 — 1865

Photograph taken in 1855, when Isaac Morley was 69. At this time he was serving his third term in the Utah Legislative Council. He was also a patriarch in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

[page i] To my son and daughter, Dickson, two years, and Natalie, two months, that they might follow the Christian example set by Isaac Morley.

[page ii] This thesis by Richard H. Morley is accepted in its present form by the College of Religious Instruction of Brigham Young University as satisfying the thesis requirements for the degree of Master of Arts.

Date August 6, 1965

Milton V. Backman, Jr.
Committee Chairman

Howard H. Barron
Committee Member

Chauncey C. Riddle,
Chairman Major Department

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

[page iii] The author was not defeated by the discouraging vicissitudes attending the task of writing this biography on the life of Isaac Morley because he felt the research, when once organized and written, would be valuable to others. Only through the services of some generous people, however, was the completion of this work made possible.

Dr. Milton V. Backman, Jr , my graduate committee chairman, read every chapter, offering valuable suggestions. The time Dr. Backman devoted to this work is deeply appreciated.

Dr. Howard H. Barron read each chapter and, with his profound knowledge of L.D.S. Church history, suggested changes which make the work more accurate.

To Mrs. Edith Allred of the College of Eastern Utah who proofread and made grammatical changes, I offer my gratefulness.

Mrs. Alice King of Manti, Utah; Mr. Monroe C. Tyler of Ucon, Idaho; and Mrs. LaRene I. Andersen of Salt Lake City, Utah, all played a valuable role in the completion of this work by directing its author to original diaries, poems, and genealogical data. To each of these persons the writer expresses gratitude.

And, finally, to my lovely wife, Diane, who has born two children during the process of my graduate studies. Her assistance in typing has been a valuable service. Diane’s faith that I would finish this work, however, and her ever-gentle urging for me to keep writing was more helpful than anything else.

[page iv]
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v
Chapter
I. THE CONVERSION OF ISAAC MORLEY . . . . . . . . . . 1

II. OBEDIENCE TO COMMAND . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

III. ACTION AGAINST MOB VIOLENCE . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

IV. LOVE YOUR ENEMIES . . . BE HAPPY IN
SPITE OF THEM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

V. “YELROME” — “MORLEY’S SETTLEMENT”
IN ILLINOIS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

VI. THE NAUVOO STAKE BECOMES EXILED FROM THE
UNITED STATES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

VII. GATHERING TO THE MOUNTAIN TOPS . . . . . . . . . . . 115

VIII. COLONIZING AMONG THE LAMANITES . . . . . . . . . . . 137

IX. THE FIRST YEAR IN MANTI. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152

X. FIRM AS A MOUNTAIN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173

XI. A DECADE AS PATRIARCH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191

APPENDICES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204

A. Ancestry of Isaac Morley and Lucy Gunn . . . . . . . 204

B. Isaac Morley War Records . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207

C. Complete Listing of Isaac Morley’s Family . . . . . . 212

BIBLIOGRAPHY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
[page v]
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

Figure Page

1. Frontispiece

2. Map of Western Illinois . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96

3. Morley Coat of Arms, and Pictures of
Six Generations of the Morley Family. . . . . . . 201

4. Monument to Original Manti Colonists. . . . . . . . 202

5. A Recent Photograph of the South Side
of the Manti Temple Hill . . . . . . . . . . . . 202

6. Gravestone of Isaac Morley . . . . . . . . . . . . 202

7. Home of Ancient Morley’s. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203

8. St. Pater’s Church with Annex for
Morley Graves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203

v

ISAAC MORLEY APPLIES FOR LAND BENEFITS
FROM SERVICE IN WAR OF 1812

Territory of Utah
Great Salt Lake County} On this day September the 11th eleventh 1852 personally appeared before me W. I. Appleby clerk of the Supreme Court for the Territory above named Isaac Morley who being duly sworn deposeth and & saith that he is the identical Isaac Morley who was a fiften in the Ohio volunteers in the war of 1812 that he enlisted in the month of August 1812 for the term of six months under the order of Generals, Wadsworth & Perkins, and in the company of Captain Darken. That said company was marched to Hulom directly after the surrender of Genl. Hull that he served out his enlistment and was honorably discharged at Hulon agreeable to enlistment or orders of the commanding chief but need no written discharge. Oral depont makes this declaration to obtain from the U. S. “Bounty Sand” and any extra pay or “bounty money, that may be due the said deponet for said service and deponet further states that he knows of no one acquainted with his said service in this Territory & must rely on his own affidavit for his “bounty”.
Sworn to & subscribed before
me this September 11th, 1952.} W. I. Appleby
Isaac Morley
Illustrations
[page via]

Isaac Morley Applies for Additional Land Benefits
From Service in War of 1812
[page vib, vic]

Isaac Morley Applies for Land Benefits
From Service in War of 1812
[page vid]

Isaac Morley, War of 1812 Records

[page 1] CHAPTER I

THE CONVERSION OF ISAAC MORLEY

Conversion is not implanting eyes, for they exist already, but giving a right direction which they have not. –Plato [Note 1. Tryon Edwards, The new Dictionary of Thoughts (New York City: Classic Publishing Company, 1877), p. 102.

Kirtland, Ohio, lies approximately six hundred miles from Montague, Franklin County, Massachusetts, Twenty-six year old Isaac Morley had just made that long trip with a team and wagon. He was hurrying back to Montague to marry his childhood sweetheart, Lucy Gunn, a pretty girl forty-six days older than himself. [Note 2. Family genealogical records, in possession of Mrs. LaRene Ipson Andersen, Salt Lake City, Utah. See Appendix A for the Ancestry of Isaac Morley and Lucy Gunn.] After his return, preparations were made for their wedding which took place on June 20, 1812, just two days after Congress declared war against Great Britain. After the wedding, the newly weds set out for their new house which the groom had built while he was in the Western Reserve. [Note 3. Diary of Cordelia Morley Cox, in possession of Mrs. Alice King, Manti, Utah.]

The Western Reserve was a tract of land in the northeast section of what is now the state of Ohio. At one time this land was claimed by Connecticut in the Northwest Territory. After Great Britain relinquished the territory south [page 2] of the Great Lakes by the Treaty of Paris of 1783, New York, Virginia, Massachusetts, and Connecticut disputed over the right of occupancy of this land. The difficulty was finally settled by the cession of the whole to the Federal Government. Connecticut, however, reserved a tract of nearly 4,000,000 acres on Lake Erie, The state decided to dispose of this property by selling small lots to colonists; hence, a very large school fund was accumulated. [Note 4. Encyclopedia Britannica (Chicago: William Benton, Publisher, 1964), XVI, pp. 730-731.]

The first home built by Isaac Morley was located where the city of Kirtland, Ohio, was later established. When this energetic young man brought his new bride to this place, it was little more than a cabin in a wilderness. Life there was difficult and the young couple proved to be pioneers in providing most of the necessities of life. They must have expected many hardships in that virgin land; –yet it was impossible to know how soon they would come, or the exact nature of them. The words of the preacher, “for better or for worse” would surely test them in a land so new.

Scarcely had they become settled when Isaac was called to serve his country in the War of 1812. He served in active military service in the Ohio Militia under Captain Clark Parker.

[page 3] Florence Harriet Allen Cheney, a surviving granddaughter of Isaac Morley, has penned the following verses which express Lucy’s monumental courage in the face of such great danger.

ALONE, LUCY MORLEY

Her husband, Isaac Morley, was drafted
in the war of 1812.
Like a sculptured marble statue standing
silently in fear;
Heaving breast and tears like freshets
With no human comfort near.

Silent arms, all hanging limply,
Thrilling still from his embrace;
Laden feet stood in the wood-lot
Trail, she could not yet retrace.

Forest gloomed as prison,
Even now her call seemed locked:
God in Heaven, her one comfort;
Wretched grief, her whole frame
shocked.

This place late, enhanced by love
dreams,
Home, and health and sweet content;
Now so suddenly a doom-cell,
Every way where danger went!

Redmen’s knives and wolf’s fierce
snarling;
Winter! should he not return!
Seemed her very mind would turn!

Hands all wrapped up in her apron,
Bonnet pushed back from her brow;
She’d no heart to move or struggle,
Thinking of their wedding vows.

Thoughts went winging out there to him,
How the blood surged in her veins,
Heart and nerve and every fiber
Cried and cried for him, in vain.
Climbing sun bespoke the hour,
Azure! dome, a silent sea;
None to whisper words of comfort,
Alone! alone! in misery!

[page 4] Echoes throbbed within her ear drums,
Of departing wagon wheels.
His kind words–“Be Brave” –now choked her,
Mockingly where danger steals!

Now she stumbled to the cabin,
Took a bucket to the spring,
Watered fouls and fed the creatures,
With no heart for anything.

If a fire she built, its smoke plume
Might betray, she was alone;
Some wild savage might be sneaking
To wrest from her the last bone.

Day hung like a pall through hours
Till the night winked down through stars,
She hung blankets o’er the window,
Closed the door with heavy bars.

With her fear her heart went pounding
Seemed the tromp of Indian feet;
How she prayed for God’s protection,
And–the enemy’s defeat!

War waged on and fever claimed him,
Chills and fever, day by day,
But no letter could he send her,
From the mails too far away.

All she had was wild’s companion
And God’s comfort through the nights.
Weeks and months and almost winter–
Desolate! her lonely plight!

Then almost too ill to travel,
Yet with gladness in his heart;
Friendly buddy did his teaming
Till he reached his wooded part.

Ears alert, Lucy heard rumbling,
Faintly telling wagon wheels;
Eyes astare, she gave quick heeding,
Heart outdistancing her heels!

Stumbling, falling in her speeding
Joy was gushing out in tears,
“Lucy! Lucy! I am coming.
Was the welcome to her ears.

[Note 5. Florence Harriet Allen Cheney, “An Intimate Collection of Poems” (Provo: Reproduced by Monroe Tyler, 1962), pp. 20-21. (Mimeographed) See Appendix B.

[page 5] During the absence of Isaac Morley his young wife lived alone in the wild woods, never seeing a human face and continually in fear of Indians and wild beasts. [Note 6. Vera Morley Ipson, “History and Travels of the Life of Isaac Morley, Sr.” p. 1, in possession of Mrs. LaRene Ipson Andersen, Salt Lake City, Utah.] There were no settlers near the home where Lucy lived: no store, post office, neighbors, or church existed in the wilderness in that year of 1812. [Note 7. Cheney, op. cit., p. 21. Citizens of Ohio took an active part in the War of 1812. During the conflict Commander Oliver H. Parry won an important Naval victory against the British in the Battle of Lake Erie. After the war, thousands of persons moved to Ohio from the states along the Atlantic Coast. Many came from New England, Pennsylvania, and New York. Immigrants came from England, Scotland, Ireland, Germany, and France. The World Book Encyclopedia, (Chicago: Field Enterprises Educational Corporation, 1960, XIII, p. 532.

The war in which Lucy’s husband had just served was a setback for them. He returned home ill with chills and fever after having served from August 22, until October 2, 1812. He soon recovered, however, and the two young people, working together, began to prosper. After clearing their land, they cultivated a large farm. In a few years they built a larger and better frame house. They planted an orchard and a grove of maple trees, later called Morley’s Grove, from which they produced their own maple syrup. They raised everything from buckwheat to rye. They also made their own sugar, molasses, vinegar and extracted honey from their beehives. Isaac made and sold barrels which were in great demand. From a peppermint plant which grew on the hills north of their home, he was able to mow it, distill [page 6] the oil taken from the plant and sell the product. He also made lye from the ashes burnt and collected in the neighborhood. From the flax they raised, Lucy made linen cloth and thread. They bought cotton yarn from which she was able to make family clothing. The wool from their sheep was taken to the mills and made into rolls from which Lucy could also make her family’s woolen clothing. She became quite expert in clothes making, but mens suits were beyond her talent. Note 8. Ipson, op. cit., p. 1.]

Of the nine children born to Isaac and Lucy Morley while they lived in this cabin in the wilderness, seven grew to maturity. The six oldest surviving children were girls, and the baby was a boy, Isaac, Jr. The girls from oldest to youngest were Philena; Lucy Diantha, being named after her mother; Editha Ann; Calista; Cordelia; and Theresa Arathusa. These children learned good principles from their parents and gained an education such as their frontier settlement afforded. The Morley family attended Presbyterian church services on the Sabbath day. The church did not solicit membership, however, and finally in 1828 the whole family was baptized into the Campbellite church by Pastor Sidney Rigdon. [Note 9. Idem.]

The birth dates of children born to Isaac and Lucy Morley are: [Note 10. Family genealogical records, in possession of Mrs. LaRene Ipson Andersen, Salt Lake City, Utah.]
[page 7]
Name Date Place
Philena 2 October, 1813 Kirtland, Ohio
Lucy Diantha 4 October, 1815 Kirtland, Ohio
Editha Ann 25 January, 1818 Kirtland, Ohio
Calista 11 May, 1820 Kirtland, Ohio
Cordelia 28 November, 1823 Kirtland, Ohio
Theresa Arathusa 18 July, 1825 Kirtland, Ohio
Isaac 2 May, 1829 Kirtland, Ohio

On April 6, 1830, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was organized in the home of Peter Whitmer, Sr., in Fayette, Seneca County, New York. Five months after
the organization, during September 26, 27, and 28, another important conference was held in Mr. Whitmer’s home. [Note 11. Joseph Smith, History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Salt Lake City: Deseret News Press, 1948), I, p. 115, hereafter cited as Smith, D.H.C.] At this conference a number of the elders manifested a great desire to preach the restored gospel to the Lamanites residing in the West. Undoubtedly, from their study of the Book of Mormon, these brethren had learned of God’s eventual intent for the American Indian and they hoped the time was now at hand. Four of these elders: Oliver Cowdery, Parley P. Pratt, Peter Whitmer, Jr., and Ziba Peterson were called to go west. The Lord, speaking through Joseph Smith, said to them:

And from this place ye shall go forth into the regions westward; and inasmuch as ye shall find them that will receive you ye shall bind up my church in every region.[ Note 12. Doctrine and Covenants (Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1956), 42:8, hereafter cited as D. & C.]

[page 8] The Lamanite missionaries first visited the Catteraugus tribe, located about sixty miles south of Buffalo, New York. The missionaries remained there one day, leaving two copies of the Book of Mormon with members of the tribe that could read. As they resumed their travel, they preached along the way. [Note 13. B. H. Roberts, A Comprehensive History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Salt Lake City: Deseret News Press, 1930), I, p. 225. Hereafter cited as Roberts, C. H.C.] Parley P. Pratt, who was formerly associated with Sidney Rigdon in the ministry, induced the other elders to visit. Mentor, Ohio, in the northeastern part of the state. [Note 14. Smith, D.H.C., I, p. 121.] Pastor Rigdon received these men and a copy of the Book of Mormon with some reservation but was happy to let them use his chapel in which to preach. The advice Sidney Rigdon gave his congregation, after listening to the elders preach, was the same that Paul gave the Thessalonians; “Prove all things; hold fast to that which is good.” [Note 15. I Thessalonians 5:21.] He likewise followed his own advice as he diligently studied the Book of Mormon. At the end of two weeks, Sidney, having fully convinced himself that “Flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto me, but my Father which is in heaven,” [Note 16. Smith, D.H.C., I, p. 125.] presented himself to the elders for baptism. The wife of Sidney Rigdon was baptized the same day.

[page 9] While Mr. Rigdon was studying the Book of Mormon, meditating and praying for understanding, the four missionaries from New York preached to others of his congregation. These, too, were ready to hear the message the “Mormon” elders expounded. Lyman Wight, who later took charge of a “common stock family” in Mayfield, Ohio, and Captain Isaac Morley presided over this group of Christians who lived on the Morley farm which was located near Kirtland, Ohio, about four miles southeast of Mentor. [Note 17. Roberts, C.H.C., I. P. 226.] This little band followed the example of the early Christians by “hav[ing] all things in common.” “Neither said any [one] of them that.. .[anything]he possessed was his own;” but all lived as one family. [Note 18. Acts 4:32.]

In the true sense of the word, this “common stock” order of things was not the same system as described in scripture. Nevertheless, when Joseph Smith received the “law of consecration and stewardship” from the Lord, he had only to direct the “family” living on the Morley farm into the appropriate patterns. Here the stage was already prepared for the principles revealed through the Prophet Joseph Smith.

Lyman Wight, when writing about the origin of the “common stock family,” said:

[page 10] I now began to look at the doctrine of the Apostles pretty closely, especially that part contained in the second chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, where they had all things common. In consideration of this doctrine I went to Kirtland, almost 20 miles, to see Br. Isaac Morley and Br. [Titus] Billings After some conversation on the subject we entered into covenant to make our interests one as anciently. I in conformity to this covenant, moved the next February [1830] to Kirtland; into the house with Br. Morley. We commenced our labors together in great peace and union; we were soon joined by eight other families. Our labors were united both in farming and mercantile, all of which was prosecuted with great vigor. We truly began to feel as if the Millennium was close at hand; everything moved smoothly on till about the first of November [1830]. About this time five families concluded to join us in the town of Mayfield, about five miles up the Chagrin river. They each owning a good farm and mills, it was concluded best to establish a branch there. Accordingly, I was appointed to go and take charge of this branch. [Note 19. Personal sketch of his life, by Lyman Wight, written to Wilford Woodruff enclosed with a letter dated at Mountain Valley, Texas, August 24, 1857. Original document on file at the Church Historian’s Office, Salt Lake City, Utah.]

After Lyman Wight moved to Mayfield, Isaac Morley, his wife Lucy and their children were taught of Moroni’s visits to Joseph Smith. Each member of the family who was eight years or older was baptized November 15, 1830, by Parley P. Pratt. [Note 20. Ipson, op. cit., p. 1.] The elders remained in the Kirtland Mentor area for approximately three weeks during which time they baptized one hundred twenty-seven persons. [Note 21. Parley P. Pratt, Jr. ed., The Autobiography of Parley Parker Pratt (New York City: Russell Brothers, 1874), p. 50.] The Morley family were some of the very first converts in the Church in that area. [Note 22. Thomas C. Romney, The Gospel in Action (Salt Lake City: Deseret Sunday School Union Board, 1949), 113-118.] All seventeen souls, living as a “common stock [page 11] family” on Isaac Morley’s farm, were brought into the Restored Church. [Note 23. Roberts, C.H.C., I, p. 226.] Before the elders continued their mission westward, they ordained several of the newly converted brethren to the ministry. Those who became best known, as time went on, were Sidney Rigdon, Isaac Morley and Lyman Wight. President Joseph Smith was notified by mail of the elders’ success in Kirtland and sent John Whitmer to preside there. When Elder Whitmer arrived from Fayette, New York, the Lamanite Missionaries added Dr. Frederick G. Williams to their number, and traveled deeper into Lamanite country. [Note 24. Ibid., p. 231.] Because the number of Saints in the Kirtland area soon reached one thousand, these newly ordained brethren were left to care for the various branches of the Church and minister the gospel. [Note 25. Pratt, Jr., op. cit., p. 26.]

After becoming acquainted with the situation in Ohio, John Whitmer, who could see the weakness of this uninspired method of living together as a single family, wrote:
The disciples had all things in common and were going to destruction very fast as to temporal things, for they considered from reading the scriptures that what belonged to one brother, belonged to any of the [page 12] brethren. Therefore they would take each other’s clothes and other property and use it without leave, which brought confusion and disappointment. [Note 26. “Book of John Whitmer,” Brigham Young Journal History, January, 1908, p. 50, in possession of the Church Historian’s Office, Salt Lake City, Utah.]

Levi Hancock, a new convert to the Church who was not familiar with the “common stock” way of living, was approached by a certain “family” member who took his watch “and walked off as though it was his” own. Said Hancock:

I did not like such family doings and I would not bear it. I thought he would bring it back soon but was disappointed as he sold it. I asked him what he meant by selling my watch. “Oh,” said he, “I thought it was all in the family.” [Note 27. “Autobiography of Levi W. Hancock, p. 44, typewritten copy from the original, in possession of the Brigham Young University Library.]

Within six months after the organization of the Church, in the last dispensation, Hiram Page, one of the Eight Witnesses of the Book of Mormon, received spurious revelations through a certain stone he had in his possession. [Note 28. Smith, D.H.C., I, p. 109.] Oliver Cowdery, as well as the Whitmer family, believed many of the things brought forth from the stone. In the presence of those living at the Whitmer home, Joseph Smith inquired of the Lord concerning so important a matter, and the answer he received was directed to Oliver Cowdery:

[page 13] No one shall be appointed to receive commandments and revelations in this church excepting. my servant Joseph Smith, Jun., for he receiveth them even as Moses. . . For I have given him the keys of the mysteries, and the revelations which are sealed, until I shall appoint unto them another in his stead. [Note 29. D. & C., 28:2,7.]

With the conference assembled, the subject of this stone was discussed again. Hiram Page, as well as the whole Church, could now see the Lord’s will in the matter of revelation. All those who had previously been taken in by Satan’s attempt to steal away their hearts renounced the said stone.

In attempting to drag the righteous down to hell, according to the founder of Mormonism, Satan and his forces sometimes perform miracles closely representing the sacred works of the priesthood of God. [Note 30. Joseph Fielding Smith, ed., Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company, 1961), p. 214.] After the Lamanite missionaries left Kirtland, evil spirits vividly manifested themselves among the Saints living on the farm owned by Isaac Morley and in the surrounding area. Satan began to give manifestations which were mistaken for revelations and signs from a heavenly source. A few years after the incident occurred, Apostle George Albert Smith said,

There was at this time in Kirtland, a society that had undertaken to have a community of property; it has sometimes been denominated the Morley family, as there [page 14] was a number of them located on a farm owned by Captain Isaac Morley. These persons had been baptized, but had not yet been instructed in relation to their duties. A false spirit entered into them, developing their singular, extravagant and wild ideas. They had a meeting at the farm, and among them was a negro known generally as Black Pete, who became a revelator. Others also manifested wonderful developments; they could see angels, and letters would come down from heaven, they said, and they would be put through wonderful unnatural distortions. Finally on one occasion, Black Pete got sight of one of those revelations carried by a black angel, he started after it, and ran off a steep wash bank twenty-five feet high, passed through a tree top into the Chagrin River beneath. He came out with a few scratches, and his ardor somewhat cooled.

Joseph Smith came to Kirtland and taught that people in relation to their error. . . . When Joseph came to instruct these Saints in relation to the true spirit, and the manner of determining the one from the other, in a short time a number of those who had been influenced by those foul manifestations, apostatized. Among the number was Wycom Clark; he got a revelation that he was to be the prophet, that he was the true revelator, and himself Northrup Sweet and four other individuals. . . composed of six members, and commenced having meetings, and preaching, but that was the extent of the growth of this early schism. [Note 31. Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses (Los Angeles Lithographed Printing and Litho Company, Inc., 1956), XI, pp. 2.]

In December, 1830, Sidney Rigdon and Edward Partridge went to Fayette to meet the Prophet Joseph Smith, and to inquire of the Lord regarding the work He had for them to do. Both brethren were given blessings and callings by the Lord and while there, the Prophet and his wife, Emma, decided to [page 15] return to Kirtland with them. [Note 33. D. & C. 35, 36.] This little party left Fayette, New York, the latter part of January, 1831, and arrived in Kirtland about the first of February.

. . .a sleigh containing four persons drove through the streets of Kirtland and drew up at the door of Gilbert and Whitney’s mercantile establishment . . . One of the men, a young and stalwart personage, alighted, and, springing up the steps, walked into the store and to where the junior partner was standing.

“Newel K. Whitney! Thou art the man!” he exclaimed, extending his hand cordially, as if to an old and familiar acquaintance.

“You have the advantage of me,” replied the one addressed, as he mechanically took the proffered hand,a half amused, half mystified look overspreading his countenance. “I could not call you by name, as you have me.”

“I am Joseph, the Prophet,” said the stranger. “You have prayed me here; now what do you want of me?”

Mr. Whitney astonished, but no less delighted, as soon as his surprise would permit, conducted the party. . . across the street to his house on the corner, and introduced them to his wife. She shared fully his surprise and ecstasy. [Note 34. Hyrum M.Smith and Janne N. Sjodahl, Doctrine and Covenants Commentary (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company, 1960), p. 215.]

Joseph and Emma were kindly received into the home of Brother and Sister Newel K. Whitney where they lived for several weeks. [Note 35. Smith, D.H.C., I, p. 145.]

One of the first matters of business the Prophet attended to in Kirtland was to instruct, [page 16] with caution and wisdom, the “common stock family” residing on the Morley farm. These members “were striving to do the will of God, so far as they knew it, but strange notions and false spirits had crept in among them.” [Note 36. Ibid., pp. 146-147.] The practice of “the family” was readily abandoned for the more perfect law of the Lord and the false spirits were easily discerned and rejected by the light of revelation. Through Joseph Smith’s labors with the Morley’s, he and Isaac became such close friends that Isaac asked the Prophet and his wife, Emma, to move into his home. [Note 37. Cordelia Morley Cox to Isaac Morley, Jr., June, 1907, in possession of Mrs. LaRene Ipson Andersen, Salt Lake City, Utah.] The farm house was large enough to accommodate the needs of both families until spring. These two families lived as one during the remainder of that winter. Isaac fed the Smith’s at his own table, while the Prophet enlightened the Morley’ on some of the deeper doctrines of the kingdom not taught them by the Lamanite missionaries. [Note 38. Idem.] This home on the Morley farm was always opened to everyone who wished to hear the gospel. At other times meetings were held in the house, and when the occasion called for it, parties were held to entertain and enliven the group. [Note 39. Idem.]

[page 17] The Prophet’s father came to Kirtland, Ohio, from New York State temporarily leaving his wife behind. After members of the Colesville branch reached Painsville, Ohio, being en route for Thompson, Ohio, the Prophet met his mother who was traveling with this group and escorted her to Kirtland. Joseph Smith, Sr. was living with his son, Joseph, in the Morley home when he joyously reunited with his wife. Shortly after the arrival of Lucy Smith on May 8, 1831, the nine-day-old twins of John Murdock were brought to the Morley farm and given to the Prophet’s wife, Emma. She had given birth to twins, a boy and girl, on April 30, 1831 the same day the Murdock children were born. Her own twins lived but three hours and, therefore, she took the Murdock babies, their mother having died following childbirth, in the fond hope that they would fill the void in her life occasioned by the loss of her own. [Note 40. Smith, D.H.C., I, p. 260.] The Murdock twins were also a boy and girl named Joseph S. and Julia. At least four members of the Smith family resided in the Morley home during the first two weeks of May, 1831; namely the Prophet, his wife, and parents. [Note 41.“Brigham Young Journal History,” May 16, 1831, in possession of the Church Historian’s Office, Salt Lake City, Utah]

On February 4, 1831, while the Prophet was living in the Newel K. Whitney home, he received a revelation which suggested that he move to a place where he could live in peace and translate. The verse that indirectly bears [page 18] significance in the life of the principal character of this work is verse seven of Section forty-one. Since the Whitney home was in the busiest section of Kirtland and the Morley farm was beyond the city limits, Joseph decided to move to the farm where more privacy could be enjoyed for the purpose of translating the Bible. The Saints were commanded to build a house for their Prophet; and, therefore, his residence with the Morley family was only a temporary arrangement. There was extra property and timber on the Morley farm, and for this reason Brother Morley’s land holdings became an important factor in the fulfillment of this revelation. Verse seven reads: “And again, it is meet that my servant Joseph Smith, Jun., should have a house built, in which to live and translate.” [Note 42. D. & C. 41:7.]

Since the lawgiver, Jesus Christ, appointed Joseph Smith His mouthpiece, the least the Saints could do was build a humble dwelling in which the Prophet could perform his labors. While other Saints helped to build the structure, Isaac Morley donated the property, timber, and other materials. This small frame house was similar to the larger house on the farm. It was completed in the spring of 1831, and the Prophet intermittently lived in it until 1837. [Note 43. Cordelia Morley Cox to Isaac Morley, Jr., June, 1907, in possession of Mrs. LaRene Ipson Andersen, Salt Lake City, Utah. As is a well-known fact, Joseph Smith also lived in Hyrum [Hiram], Ohio, with John Johnson, as well as in Kirtland, Ohio, with Newel K. Whitney during this same period.]

[page 19] One can assume the Prophet moved from the Whitney home to the Morley farm about the middle of February, 1831, inasmuch as the revelation commanding him to begin the work of translation was given February 4. Joseph, his wife and father were still residing there in May, 1831, when Lucy Smith arrived with the Colesville Saints. After her arrival the Prophet’s mother wrote “We remained two weeks at Mr. Morley’s, then removed our family to a farm which had been purchased by Joseph for the Church.” This “farm” in all probability has reference to the house the Saints built for Joseph to continue his revision of the Bible. There was land adjacent to this house, for Lucy Smith continues, “On this farm my family were all established with this arrangement, that we were to receive our support; but all over and above this was to be used for the comfort of strangers or brethren who were traveling through this place. [Note 44. B.Y.J.H., May 16, 1831.]

The precise period during which the Prophet lived in this house before moving to the home of John Johnson in Hyrum [Hiram], Ohio, is not certain. The fact that he did not move to the Johnson home until his adopted twins were nearly eleven months old, however, seems to indicate that the Prophet was working at the revision of the Bible while living in the home built on the Morley farm. [Note 45. Smith, D.H.C., I, p. 260.]

[page 20] Between February, 1831, and July, 1837, the Prophet Joseph Smith received forty-six revelations which are contained as separate sections in the present Doctrine and Covenants. It is not impossible, although no evidence has been uncovered, that Joseph Smith was living on the Morley Farm the day he received section sixty-four, wherein Isaac Morley and Ezra Booth are rebuked for keeping “not the law, neither the commandment,” [Note 46. D. & C. 64:15.] and Morley is commanded to sell his farm. [Note 47. D. & C. 64:20.] As has already been pointed out, however, Isaac Morley’s conversion was “not implanting eyes, for they exist[ed] already; but giving them a right direction, which they [had] not.” [Note 48. Edwards, op. cit., p. 102.]

Isaac Morley was baptized and confirmed a member of the Restored Church on November 15, 1830. He was one of the earliest converts in the Kirtland-Mentor area. His family was united in the same new faith; they had met and were able to assist God’s living Prophet. From this early beginning, Isaac Morley was willing to give of his material wealth and talents to assist in the Kingdom the Prophet Joseph described in revelation. He truly believed that,

The keys of the Kingdom of God are committed unto man on the earth, and from thence shall the gospel roll forth unto the ends of the earth, as the stone which is cut out of the mountain without hands shall roll forth, until it has filled the whole earth . . . Wherefore, may the Kingdom of God go forth, that the kingdom of [page 21] heaven may come, that thou, 0 God, mayest be glorified in heaven so on the earth, that thine enemies may be subdued; for thine is the honor, power and glory, forever and ever. Amen. [Note 49. D. & C. 65:2, 6.]

CHAPTER II

OBEDIENCE TO COMMAND

[page 22] Between September 21, 1823, and January 14, 1847, the one hundred thirty-six sections which comprise the current edition of the Doctrine and Covenants were received. In this work, reference is made to one hundred six contemporaries of Joseph Smith of whom Isaac Morley is one. Many of these individuals eventually apostatized from the Church; others remained faithful until death. The parable of the Sower depicts the types of persons who were to come in contact with the seeds of the gospel in the latter days, as well as the dispensation of the meridian of time. Some seeds fell by the way side and others fell upon stony places, where early social pressures caused them to wither away. Some seeds fell among thorns and were choked by public opinion. “But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirtyfold.” [Note 1. Matthew 13:8.] This work is primarily concerned with the fruits of Isaac Morley.

On June 3, 1831, seven months after his baptism, Isaac Morley was ordained a high priest, being one of the [page 23] first to be ordained to this office in the latter days. Lyman Wight, later to be numbered with the Twelve Apostles, ordained him; and the same day Morley was called to be first counselor to Bishop Edward Partridge. [Note 2. Andrew Jenson, LDS Biographical Encyclopedia (Salt Lake City: Andrew Jenson History Company, 1901), I, pp. 235-236.] Elder Parley P. Pratt was present at this ordination and recorded the following:

Several were selected by revelation through President Smith and ordained to the high priesthood after the order of the Son of God; . . .This was the first occasion in which this priesthood had been revealed and conferred upon the elders in this dispensation, although the office of an Elder is the same in a certain degree, but not in the fulness. [Note 3. Parley P. Pratt, Jr., ed., The Autobiography of Parley Parker Pratt (New York City: Russe1l Brother, 1874), p. 72.]

Believing that Edward Partridge was a competent leader, Brother Morley accepted his call to labor as counselor to the new bishop with gratefulness and determination to prove himself a worthy servant.

According to the conference clerk, John Whitmer, Isaac Morley and John Corrill spoke to those assembled at this, the fourth general conference of the Church, then Bishop Edward Partridge arose and during his talk asked God to bless himself and his counselors. [Note 4. B.Y.J.H., June 3, 1831.]

The first time Joseph Smith met Brother Partridge, the Mormon prophet commented that he was a “pattern of piety, and one of the Lord’s great men;” [Note 5. Smith, D.H.C., I, p. 128.] thus, on February 14, 1831, [page 24] after receiving the word of the Lord, Joseph Smith selected Edward Partridge to be the first bishop in this dispensation. He was to be the bishop over the Church, and receive his appointment by the voice of the Church. Like Nathaniel of old, there was no guile in his personality; and in order that his talents might be exercised to their fullest extent, Partridge was commanded to leave his merchant business and devote all his time to working for the Church. [Note 6. D. & C., 41:9, 11.]

With zeal, Isaac Morley entered the work to which he had been called by the Lord. Four days after his ordination in the high priesthood, this forty-five-year-old gentleman received a divine call to leave his farm and family and travel to Missouri. Accompanied by Ezra Booth, he was instructed to preach the plainness of the gospel wherever the opportunity arose. [Note 7. D. & C., 52:23.] Brother Booth was a former Methodist priest who had witnessed the Prophet Joseph Smith’s healing of the wife of John Johnson in Kirtland. [Note 8. Joseph Fielding Smith, Essentials in Church History (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1953), p. 138.] He was converted through this miraculous healing and was soon called into the ministry of his newly found religion. Along with brothers Morley and Booth, fourteen other pairs of missionaries were to “go two by two . . preach[ing] by the way in [page 25] every congregation, baptizing by water, and the laying on of hands by the water’s side.” [Note 9. D. & C., 52:10.] None of these elders followed the same route to Missouri. John Murdock and Hyrum Smith, for example, were instructed by the prophet to travel by way of Detroit. These traveling missionaries were instructed by revelation: “One man shall not build upon another’s foundation, neither journey in another’s track.” [Note 10. D. & C., 52:33.]

Isaac Morley did not travel with Bishop Edward Partridge to Missouri, even though he was the Bishop’s counselor. The second counselor, John Corrill, who was also called on a mission to Missouri, did not travel with either member of the bishopric. According to the word of the Lord to Joseph Smith, John Corrill was to travel with Lyman Wight; Edward Partridge, Martin Harris and Joseph Smith, Jr. were to travel in each others company; and Isaac Morley and Ezra Booth were to “take their journey, also preaching the word by way unto this same land.” [Note 11. D. & C., 52:7, 23-24.]

On June 15, 1831, eight days after Joseph Smith received the revelation calling a group of elders to travel to Missouri, Morley and Booth left Kirtland, Ohio. Except for [page 26]
the ferry crossings of the rivers, these two men made very good time walking the entire distance. [Note 12. Diary of Cordelia Morley Cox, pp. 3-10, in possession of Mrs. Alice King, Manti, Utah.] They took several opportunities to preach along the way. Ezra Booth reported having preached twice in Ohio, three times in Indiana, once in Illinois, and once in Missouri, but no record has been discovered revealing Isaac Morley’s activities during this journey. Although the date for the arrival of Booth and Morley in Independence is also unknown, these men were present for the dedication of the “Land of Zion.” [Note 13. Thomas C. Romney, The Gospel In Action (Salt Lake City:Deseret Sunday School Union Board, 1949), pp. 113-118.] This dedication took place August 2, 1831, when the first log was laid for a house which was considered the foundation of Zion. The ceremony was held in Kaw township, and Isaac Morley was one of the fourteen elders present. One month later another conference was held in the same place, and on this occasion Elder Morley spoke. The congregation comprised Saints from Colesville, New York, and the elders from Ohio. During his remarks, Elder Morley exhorted the Saints to pray, “for Joseph Smith, Jr., Sidney Rigdon, and Bishop Partridge and himself.” [Note 14. B.Y.J.H., September 2, 1831.]

[page 27] In the mean time, Ezra Booth, Elder Morley’s missionary companion apostatized. Shortly after his falling away, he wrote letters against the Church which were first printed at Ravenna, Ohio, in the Ohio Star. Later, nine of these letters were published in an anti-Mormon book, Mormonism Unveiled. Booth denounced the Church, made excuses for his past blindness, and revealed details of the hardships and disappointments he underwent in his journey to Missouri and back to Ohio. The light of the gospel was eventually shut out completely; and then, in collusion with other wayward men, Ezra Booth attempted an assassination of the Prophet Joseph Smith in Hyrum [Hiram], Ohio. [Note 15. Hubert Howe Bancroft, The Works of Hubert Howe Bancroft (San Francisco:. The History Company, 1889), XXVI, p. 89.]

By September 11, 1831, Joseph Smith returned to Kirtland, Ohio. On that date, he received an important revelation dealing with the principle of forgiveness. This same revelation contained a rebuke to Ezra Booth and Isaac Morley:

Behold, I, the Lord, was angry with him who was my servant Ezra Booth, and also my servant Isaac Morley, for they kept not the law, neither the commandment; they sought evil in their hearts, and I, the Lord, withheld my spirit. They condemned for evil that thing in which there was no evil; nevertheless I have forgiven my servant Isaac Morley. [Note 16. D. & C., 64:15-16.]

Brother Roy W. Doxey gives this explanation of the Lord’s rebuke to these two men:

[page 28] As if to present an object lesson in the principles that had just been made known, [forgiveness] section 64 continues by referring to two individuals, Ezra Booth and Isaac Morley. The former is known as one “who was my servant,” while the latter retains his membership in the Church. for “I have forgiven my servant Isaac Morley. Both of these men “kept not the law, neither the commandment . . .” It is evident, from the counsel concerning forgiveness in this revelation that Brother Morley repented of his sins, while Ezra Booth decided to leave the Kingdom of God. . .

An indication of the depth of their conversion to the gospel and of the character of these two men is plainly apparent for the Lord’s acceptance of one and his rejection of the unrepentant. Isaac Morley accepted the meaning “ye are on the Lord’s errand.” When Brother Morley accepted the gospel in 1830, his life thereafter was dedicated to the furtherance of the cause of Zion. One can believe that he accepted the commandment to sell his farm, as mentioned in verse 20 of section 64. He is described as a man of loyalty to God’s servants who was willing to consecrate all of his wealth to building up Zion while participating in numerous Church positions. [Note 17. R. W. Doxey, “Ye Are on the Lord’s Errand.” The Relief Society Magazine, L, Number 8, (August, 1963), pp.616-617.]

Isaac Morley was a very industrious person who always acquired a large stewardship wherever he settled. He was not selfish with anything he owned, but often gave assistance to someone in need. The quality he looked for in persons in need of help was desire, on their part, to establish Zion. A case in point is related by Parley P. Pratt, who shows how Elder Morley’s property was shared with many other people.

. . .a young lady, by the name of Chloe Smith, being a member of the Church, was lying very low with a lingering fever, with a family who occupied one of the houses on the farm of Isaac Morley, in Kirtland. . .She seemed at the point of death, but would not consent to having a physician. This greatly enraged her relatives, who had cast her out because she belonged to the Church, . . . saying, “These wicked deceivers will let her lie and [page 29] die without a physician, because of their superstitions; and if they do, we will persecute them for so doing.

. . .President Smith and myself, with several other elders, called to see her, She was so low that no one had been allowed for some days previous to speak above a whisper. . .
. . .we kneeled down and prayed. . . after which President Smith arose, went to the bedside, took her by the hand, and said unto her with a loud voice, “in the name of Jesus Christ arise and walk!” She immediately arose, was dressed. . . seated and joined in singing a hymn. . . The young lady arose and shook hands with each [many] as they came in; and from that minute she was perfectly restored to health. [Note 18. Pratt, Jr., op. cit., pp. 70-71.]

Sometime before September 11, 1831, this large farm of Isaac Morley’s was sold, and the money collected from this sale was consecrated to the Church for the establishment of Zion. This transaction was carried out in obedience to a commandment issued by the Lord, wherein He said through Joseph Smith,

And again, I say unto you, that my servant Isaac Morley may not be tempted above that which he is able to bear, and counsel wrongfully to your hurt, I gave commandment that his farm should be sold. [Note 19. D. & C., 64:20.]

Morley’s responsibility increased with his call into the bishopric; consequently, he was given the alternative either to permit his farm to be sold or, to forfeit his calling in the bishopric. Logic dictates that his knowledge and leadership talents could be more fully utilized if this portion of his stewardship, which was time consuming, was taken [page 30] from him. [Note 20. Personal interview with A. William Lund.] We learn that not all farms owned by Latter-day Saints in Kirtland were to be sold, for in the same revelation in which Isaac Morley was commanded to sell his farm, Frederick G. Williams was commanded to retain his farm. Brother Titus Billings, later to be Morley’s son-in-law, was placed in charge of the farm and was instructed to dispose of the property as soon as possible, “that he [Billings] may be prepared in the coming spring to take his journey up unto the Land of Zion, with those that dwell upon the face thereof.” [Note 21. D. & C., 63:39.] Although great concern was manifested for the other families residing on the Morley farm, the word of the Lord counseled, “Wherefore, let my disciples in Kirtland arrange their temporal concerns, who dwell upon this farm.” [Note 22. D. &. C., 63:38.]

The Lord’s will regarding those who should “journey up to the land of Zion.” and those who should tarry in Kirtland, came to the Prophet in these words: “Joseph Smith, Jun.,” shall be given “power that he shall be enabled to discern by the Spirit those who shall go up unto the land of Zion, and those of my disciples who shall tarry.” [Note 23. D. & C., 63:41.] Any money which [page 31] could be spared by the Saints living in Kirtland was to be sent to the land of Zion “. . . it mattereth not unto me whether it be little or much,” send what you can,“unto them whom I have appointed to receive” it. [Note 24. D & C., 63:40.] This money with that received from the sale of the Morley farm would, of course, be used to further establish Zion in Missouri.

In the discerning power which the Prophet Joseph Smith exercised, the Saints in Kirtland were encouraged not to gather in Missouri at once. Joseph Smith gave it as the word of the Lord that they should all, eventually, go to the land of Zion, but “not in haste, lest there should be confusion, which bringeth pestilence.” [Note 25. D. & C., 63:24, (Italics Added.) Some Saints were required to remain in Kirtland for at least “the space of five years.” for Joseph learned,

I, the Lord, will to retain a strong hold in the land of Kirtland, for the space of five years, in the which I will not overthrow the wicked, that thereby I may save some. And after that day, I, the Lord, will not hold any guilty that shall go with an open heart up to the land of Zion: for I, the Lord, require the hearts of the children of men. [Note 26. D. & C., 64:21-22.]

Undoubtedly one reason the Lord desired a portion of his people to remain in Kirtland was so that the first temple in this dispensation could be built and the [page 32] essential keys of restoration could be revealed The construction of such an edifice would have been frustrated by the enemies of the Church if more of the Saints had moved to Missouri before its completion. Even though the keys of the Aaronic and Melchizedek priesthood were restored in 1829, outside of a temple, the Lord decreed that His holy house should be built where other keys of past dispensations could be restored. The elders, working with their might, had the Kirtland Temple ready for dedication on March 27, 1836. Hundreds of Latter-day Saints attended the dedicatory services of the temple, coming from surrounding branches, and also traveling on foot and horseback from Missouri. [Note 27. William Edwin Berrett, The Restored Church (Salt Lake City: 10th ed ., Deseret Book Co., 1961), pp. 126-127.] Isaac Morley was one who walked from Missouri to attend the Kirtland Temple dedication.

Several keys were restored to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery on April 39, 1836, in this holy temple. The occasion for such a spiritual experience was that of a Sabbath day meeting. The Lord’s supper was distributed to the Church, having been administered to by the First Presidency and passed by the Twelve Apostles. After the sacrament ordinance, Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery retired to the pulpit, the veils being dropped, and bowed themselves in silent but solemn prayer. After rising from prayer, several visions were [page 33] opened to them. Jesus the Christ first appeared to them, standing upon the breastwork of the pulpit from which place He said,
Let the hearts of your brethren rejoice, and let the hearts of all my people rejoice, who have, with their might, built this house to my name

Yea the hearts of thousands and tens of thousands shall greatly rejoice in consequence of the blessings which shall be poured out, and the endowment with which my servants have been endowed in this house.

And the fame of this house shall spread to foreign lands; and this is the beginning of the blessing which shall be poured out upon the heads of my people. [Note 28. D. & C., 110:6, 9-10.]

Next Moses appeared, he being followed by Elias, and Elijah who, in that order, restored the essential keys of their dispensations, that additional blessings might be poured out upon the heads of the faithful believers in Christ. [Note 29. D. & C., 110:5, 7, 11, 12-16.]

The revelation in which the Lord called upon the Saints to keep a stronghold in Kirtland was given on September 11, 1831. Five years later, on April 3, 1836, the keys were restored. Shortly thereafter, the Saints who had not joined in the apostasy from the Church were compelled to flee to Zion for protection from their enemies. The Spirit [page 34] of the Lord prevailed in Kirtland, Ohio, until the appointed time had elapsed, and then the area was abandoned by all the Saints of God. [Note 30. Joseph Fielding Smith, Church History and Modern Revelation (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1953), pp. 236-237.]

During the last five years that the branch of the Church. was operated in Kirtland, several farms were purchased by the Church. Joseph Coe and Moses Daily, who were set apart by Elder Sidney Rigdon as purchasing agents for the Church in that region, purchased a smaller farm from Isaac Morley for twenty-one hundred dollars. Two other farms were purchased from Elijah Smith and Peter French, one for four thousand dollars and the latter for five thousand dollars. [Note 31. Times and Seasons, Nauvoo, Illinois, V, p. 738.]

In the fall of 1831, Sister Morley and the children prepared to leave Kirtland, Ohio, to make their way to Missouri. Isaac Morley had been in Missouri since mid-summer, along with a group of elders which included the Prophet Joseph Smith The Prophet, in the meantime, returned to Kirtland and informed Lucy Morley of her husbands safety together with Isaac’s desire to have her and the children unite with him. Lucy’s husband was occupying land near Independence, Missouri, probably in Kaw township, and was building a cabin for his family in a peaceful clearing. [page 35] Sister Morley, her six daughters, and one son left Kirtland late in October, Isaac, Jr., at this time was two years old, he being the youngest member of the family,

Lucy and the children were not traveling alone, for Bishop Partridge’s wife and children made arrangements to travel with them. Their plan was to travel the first one hundred miles by land. At a designated landing they would take passage on a steamboat and travel on the Ohio River most of the way to Independence, This plan failed to materialize, however, for when they reached the river there was not sufficient water in it to float the vessel. After renting a cabin near the landing, they waited for one week hoping for something to happen that might cause more water to fill the river’s channel, Finally, when travel on a steamship seemed impossible, a decision was reached wherein they would charter a keel boat. Although the boat was small and would not have normally been considered practical for such a long journey, rather than make the trip by wagon, the two families boarded the light craft.

After being aboard the boat for a short time, the clouds grew dark and very heavy, A drenching rain, and a darkened sky made visibility impossible, and the boat rammed a sand bar where it remained until the next morning. Sheets of rain mixed with wind drenched everything on board, And although the boat was leaking, for some unknown reason no one was allowed to light the lanterns. Young Isaac was cold, [page 36] afraid, and would allow no one to hold him but his mother, who held him on her lap until daylight.

When daybreak finally came, three sailors swam to shore and after locating some long poles, were successful in prying the boat off the sand bar. The trip was then uninterrupted until about noon when a steamboat was observed coming down the river Because of the rain the night before, the river had risen sufficiently for the larger boat to navigate safely, The passengers changed from the keel boat to the steamer and smooth passage was enjoyed to within one hundred miles of their destination. They might have gone farther by way of the river except it was now late in November, and the river was ice-filled,

Another small house was rented at this landing, and after a delay of several days, a man with a span of mules was hired to complete the journey for them, This teamster’s wagon carried a large Pennsylvania box with a tightly drawn cover which rendered it impossible for the passengers to observe where they were going. After three or four days of bumping along and being very annoyed at the long hours spent in darkness, they were met by Father Morley, who had been advised of their journey. After an exchange of baggage from one wagon to another, the Partridge family was taken home and The Morley family moved into the small cabin Brother Morley had built for them. [Note 32. Cordelia Morley Cox to Isaac Morley, Jr,, June, 1907, in possession of Mrs. LaRene Ipson Andersen, Salt Lake City, Utah]

[page 37] The beautiful location for the Morley home, scenic as it was, required much development. Immediately after the arrival of his family, Isaac set to work clearing the land so the ground would be ready for planting in the spring. During the summer of 1832, he built a larger house out of hewed logs for his family. The crops matured very well that year, with the economical outlook being optimistic once again, not only for the Morley family but for other Saints as well. [Note 33. Idem.]

The one year of Isaac Morley’s life which this chapter covers, from June 3, 1831, to the fall of 1832, indicates that he learned his lesson in obedience. Not without faltering, however, for the Lord, as his instructor, had to chasten him for keeping “not the law, neither the commandment.” [Note 34. D. & C., 64:15.] The Master Teacher wanted his student to recognize his folly, and spelled it out for him. “[You] sought evil in [your] heart, and I, the Lord, withheld my spirit. [You] condemned for evil that thing in which there was no evil.” [Note 35. D. & C., 64:16.] Our student committed a grievous sin on one occasion, but was forgiven because of his repentant [page 38] spirit. The teacher speaking to the pupil said: “Nevertheless, I have forgiven my servant Isaac Morley.” [Note 36. D. & C., 64:16.]

Morley’s earthly inheritance had to be sacrificed before he could comprehend the principle of obedience. While associating with Ezra Booth, he experienced two powerful forces, the strength of Satan and the guiding influence of God. When he was called by the Mormon Prophet to leave his family for a season, he accepted the call and, at the first opportunity, labored conscientiously to provide a home for his family in Zion. Then he anxiously awaited the arrival of his beloved wife and children.

[page 39] CHAPTER III

ACTION AGAINST MOB VIOLENCE

Human affairs are not so happily arranged that the best things please the most men.
–It is the proof of a bad cause when it is applauded by the mob.
— Seneca [Note 1. Tryon Edwards, The New Dictionary of Thoughts (New York City: Classic Publishing Company, 1877), p. 400.]

An integral part of this biography took place in 1833 when members of the Latter-day Saint Church were fighting to remain in Jackson County, Missouri. Because of mob violence, however, the Mormon people were forced to leave Jackson County in November of that year. Brother Morley was an eye witness to many acts of cruelty inflicted upon the Saints and was imprisoned and made to suffer hunger and neglect for his religious belief. When not in jail, he was often away from his family filling the Church obligations assigned to him as first counselor to Edward Partridge in the Presiding Bishopric. He was one of the participants in many significant events which pertained to the Church in Missouri. [Note 2.Thomas C. Romney, The Gospel in Action (Salt Lake City: Deseret Sunday School Union Board, 1949), p. 113-118.]

On December 3, 1832, in the home of Sidney Gilbert at Independence Missouri, a meeting was held in which,

[page 40] It was resolved that John Corrill and Isaac Morley be appointed to go forth and set in order the different branches of the Church of Christ in the land of Zion, and see that there are high priests or elders set apart: That meetings are held and that the officers and members do their duties according to the revelations and commandments. [Note 3. B.Y.J.H., December 3, 1882.]

During this meeting Morley was also given the responsibility to examine the worthiness and ability of men who bore the priesthood relative to their filling missions. [Note 4. Ibid.]
On June 25, 1833, one month before intense persecution erupted in Jackson County, Elder Morley was informed that he would be the “second Bishop in Zion.” A letter from Joseph Smith, written in behalf of the Church leaders in Kirtland, Ohio, gave in detail suggestions for two new bishoprics in Missouri:

We commend the plan highly of your choosing a teacher to instruct the High Priests that they may be able to silence gainsayers. Concerning Bishops, we recommend the following. Let Brother Isaac Morley be ordained second Bishop in Zion, and let Brother John Corrill be ordained the third.

Let Brother Edward Partridge choose as counselors in their place, Brother Parley P. Pratt and Brother Titus Billings, ordaining Brother Billings to the High Priesthood.

Let Brother Morley choose for his counselors, Brother Christian Whitmer, whom ordain to the High Priesthood, and Brother Newel Knight. Let Brother Corrill choose Brother Daniel Stanton and Brother Hezekiah Peck, for his counselors; let Brother Hezekiah also, be ordained to the High Priesthood. [Note 5. Smith, D.H.C., I, p. 363.]

[page 41] Early in July, 1833, citizens of Jackson County threatened the life of Isaac Morley and any member of his family who insisted on improving his farm. [Note 6. Cordelia Morley Cox to Isaac Morley, Jr, June, 1907, in possession of Mrs. LaRene Ipson Anderson, Salt Lake City, Utah,] On July 20, between four and five hundred Jackson citizens met to plan a means of ridding their society of what they termed “fanatical Mormons.” When plans were made, seven committeemen were sent to inform the Saints of their impending fate. Plans for excluding the Mormons stated that from this time forth no Mormon would be permitted to move into Jackson County, and those residing within its boundaries would have to move in a reasonable time. [Note 7. Smith, D.H.C.,I, p. 398.]

Shortly after the first committee spread the word among the Saints, another visited the leading elders to learn how the proposal was being accepted. The elders, although they wanted to protect the Saints, could not answer the mob on such short notice; therefore, the type in the printing office was ruined and the two story brick building leveled, Sidney Gilbert, the owner of a general store, agreed to close his business or it, too, would have been razed. The beloved Bishop Edward Partridge was disrobed by the mob and given a coat of hot tar and feathers. One can see the unreasonableness of the committee’s demand from the excerpt which follows:

[page 42] [A committee of thirteen came] to Edward Partridge, A. S. Gilbert, John Corrill, Isaac Morley, John Whitmer, and W. W. Phelps, and demanded that we should immediately stop the publication of the Evening and Morning Star, and close printing in Jackson County; and that we, as Elders of said Church, should agree to remove out of the county forthwith. We asked for three months for consideration. They would not grant it, but said fifteen minutes was the longest, and refused to hear any reason. [Note 8. Ibid, p. 411: B.Y.J.H., July 22, 1833.]
Because of Morley’s strong influence on the people, his house was set up as the target at which the mob aimed. On Tuesday, July 23, the mob reassembled with a force of about five hundred men and proceeded to the home of Isaac Morley where they seized Morley and several other Church