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Day in the Life

Feb 3, 1844

Journal Entry

February 03, 1844 ~ Saturday

Feb 3rd 1844 I walked into President Joseph
Smith
store or office over the store & spent a few
moments in conversing with Elders W Richards
And Wm W. Phelps & President Joseph Smith
Smith came into the room & said he had a dream
& related it to us which was as follows

[FIGURE] I was standing on a peninsula in the midst
of a vast body of water whare their appears
to be a large harbor or a peer built out for boats
to come into. I was surrounded by my friends
& while looking at this harbor I saw a steem
boat approaching the harbour. their was bridges
on the peer for persons to cross & there
came up a wind & drove the steem boat
under one of the bridges & upset it. I run
up to the boat expecteing the persons would all
drowne And wishing to do sumthing to assist
them I put my hand against the side of the
boat & with one surge I shoved it under the bridge
& righ[t]ed it up & then told them to take care of
themselves but it was not long before I saw
them starting out into the channel or main body
of the water again. the storms were raging &
the waters rough I said to my friensds that if
they did not understand the signs of the times
& the spirit of prophecy they would be

apted to be lost. It was but a few moments after
when we saw the waves break over the boat &
she soon founderd & went down with all on
board & perished. the storm & waters were still
vary rough, yet I told my friends around me
that I believed I scould stem those waves & storm
& swim in the waters better than the steem
boat did & at any rate I was determined to
try it but my friends laughed at me & told
me I could not stand the storm at all but should
be drouned. the waters looked clear & beautif-
ul though exeeding rough, & I I ssaid I believed I
could swim & I would try it anyhow they said
I would drown I said I would have a frolic in
the water first if i did, & I dove of[f] into the
raging waves. I had swum but a short distance
when a towering wave overwhelmed me for
a time but I soon found myself on the top
of it & soon I met the second wave in
the same way & for a while I struggled hard to
live in the midst of the storm & waves But
I soon found I gained upon evry wave &
stemmed the torrent better & better
& I soon had power to swim with my
head out of water so the waves did
not break over me at all, & I found I had
swam a great distance & in looking about me
I saw Br Samuel by my side I asked him
how he liked it he said first rate & I thought
so to. I was soon enabled to swim with my
head & sholdiers out of water & I could
swim as fast as any steem Boat, & in a
little time it becaim calm & I could rush
through the water & ownly go in to my loins
& so[o]n I ownly went in to my knees & finall[y]

could tread on the top of the water & went
almost with the speed of an arrow & I
said to Samuel see how swift I can go & i though[t]
it was great sport & pleasure to travel with
such speed & I awoke


^Jos said^ what the interpetation of the foregoing
dream was the spirit of God or time must
determin

[unknown writer]
I think "SB" referes {to the} U S she {will} get into trouble
{I} can save it, but they {will} not let me {and} they {will} go {to}
{the} devil

[rest of page blank]

In the evening of this day [FIGURE] the quorum
met at Joseph store. Brothers Wm W Clayton &
Joseph Young met with them But I was not
present. Elder Kington came after me with
a waggon to go to his house & hold a meeting
so I took my family & rode 6 miles across
the prarie in the storm & spent the night
at his house Joseph Young & wife & Wm Clayton
received their endowments &c 6 mile

People

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Young, Jane Adeline Bicknell
14 Aug 1814 - 15 Jan 1913
1 mention
Smith, Joseph (Jr.)
23 Dec 1805 - 27 Jun 1844
2227 mentions
Young, Joseph
7 Apr 1797 - 16 Jul 1881
304 mentions
Smith, Samuel Harrison
13 Mar 1808 - 30 Jul 1844
41 mentions
Kington, Thomas
30 Nov 1795 - 1 Jul 1874
180 mentions
1840 British Convert, United Brethren
Richards, Willard
24 Jun 1804 - 11 Mar 1854
519 mentions
Apostle
Clayton, William
17 Jul 1814 - 4 Dec 1879
105 mentions
Phelps, William Wines
17 Feb 1792 - 7 Mar 1872
161 mentions

Places

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Related Documents

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Autobiography 1883 Tullidge's Quarterly Magazine Notes 2
In the office of the Prophet on the 3rd of Feb I was conversing with Willard Richards when Joseph came in with W. W. Phelps and he related to us the following dream "I was standing on a peninsula in the midst of a large body of water where there appeared to be a large harbour or a pier built out for boats to come into. I was surrounded by my friends and while looking at this harbour I saw a steam- boat approaching it. There were bridges on the pier for persons to cross and there came up a wind and drove the steam-boat under one of the bridges and upset it. I ran up to the boat expecting the persons would all drown^ed^ and wishing to do something to assist them. I put my hand to the side of the boat and with one surge I pushed it under the bridge and it righted it up and I told them to take care of themselves.

Events

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Publication of "The History of Joseph Smith" in the Times and Seasons covering period up to January 7, 1832.

Feb 3, 1844