Darkest
Banned
Named for the dear Sidney Rigdon, who took a path he might have not. He died in righteousness early, when he could have perished in sin later. It was his actions that gave the Mormon Church a chance to create a nation of their own, Deseret, a new Zion, a city upon a hill, in the American Far West. For Sidney Rigdon, who opened the doors to a special divine destiny.
In Our Timeline
The Kirtland Safety Society (KSS) was a quasi-bank organized in 1836 by the leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, specifically Sidney Rigdon. It was intended to serve the banking needs of the growing Mormon community in Kirtland, Ohio. However, to their misfortune, the Panic of 1837 struck the nation just as it was beginning to develop. Nearly four-hundred banks had to close and smaller, privately held financial institutions, (including the KSS), failed in droves. A five-year depression followed throughout the United States. The Kirtland Safety Society failed.
This had a profound effect on the growing Mormon Church. It weakened the people's trust in their prophet, and caused many dissensions. Former follower's blamed Joseph Smith for the depression and the soaring unemployment trend. Some of the founding members and leaders of the Church became disillusioned and left the Church. Heber C. Kimball, OTL future Mormon Prophet, later recalled that "not twenty persons on earth" remained faithful to Smith after the disaster. Later, Joseph Smith and his partner Sydney Rigdon would be chased out of Kirtland, to relocate in Clay County and Far West, to join with the members there and rebuild the Church of the Latter-Day Saints in Missouri.
However, the Church leaders had had a difficult and exhausting time creating the Kirtland Safety Society. The Ohio legislature retarded every move the Mormon Church made to attain a bank charter.
Furthermore, the effort was a waste. The KSS was a blunder from the start. It only focused attention on the Mormons, earning them public scorn throughout Ohio and Kirtland, and did little to help any of them economically. Many higher-ups jailed and fined Smith and Rigdon for their 'illegal' bank, and it remains that only negative results came about because of the KSS.
So…
In an Alternate Timeline…
What if Sidney Rigdon did not feel so enthusiastic about the Kirtland Safety Society?
Without Sidney Rigdon fighting so strongly for a bank that the Mormons could call their own, Joseph Smith would have put little enthusiasm into the project. The idea would have been abandoned if Sidney had put just a little less effort and energy into it.
The year 1836 continues very much the same. The Church's money problems are still present, but there isn't a bank to muddle the situation.
The Mormons, 1837 to 1843
1837
The National Bank Crisis consumes the United States of America. Depression follows. Many members of the Mormon Church lose their jobs during the record unemployment bout, and poverty spreads. In the end, many still become disillusioned of Joseph Smith and the Mormon Church, and emotionally there is little change in the attitude of the Church. Joseph Smith attempted to head efforts into providing jobs, while more and more people left Kirtland to find new prosperity. There was no easy solution. Nearly half of the Church membership in Kirtland would leave during these troubled times.
1838
June – Kirtland experiences its largest departure of the membership. 100 leave the Church. Some publicly announce their disappointment with the Church. Non-Mormon vigilantes are aroused, and believe the time has come to take back the city. Twenty-four Mormons are lynched in the violence that follows.
Joseph Smith calls the membership to relocate en masse to Caldwell County, in Far West, Missouri, where another host of Mormons had grown in considerable influence. The city of Far West is established as the new Church Headquarters.
August – More than one thousand Mormons, the most devout of the membership in Kirtland, make the long trek to Far West in Missouri. The more apathetic remain behind, but a substantial amount would come in the later months or years.
A group of zealous Mormons begin to meet together under the leadership of Sampson Avard, Jared Carter, and George Robinson to discuss the problem of the dissenters. During their meetings under which hard-line measures are proposed, the organization calls itself, “The Daughters of Zion” as well as “The Sons of Dan” after the warrior tribe of Israel, Dan.
September – David Whitmer wants to continue to preside over the Church in Missouri, however, the exiled leadership from Kirtland objects. Charged with multiple crimes of keeping funds for themselves, Whitmer and his followers are eventually excommunicated, leaving for Richmond, Missouri.
October - The Church engages in colonialism in neighboring counties, which had not been done under the Whitmerites. Smith founds the settlements Adam-ondi-Ahman and DeWitt in nearby counties.
Danites begin the process of hunting down and threatening dissenters and anti-Mormons.
Oliver Cowdery, Second Elder of the Church, is excommunicated after he requests resignation.
November - Joseph Smith renames the Mormon Church to the 'Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints '.
December - The Prophet initiates the 'Law of Tithing', encouraging members to give a tenth of all of their produce and profit to the Church.
1839
February - Anti-Mormon organizations and mobs begin to gather throughout Missouri. The rapid Mormon settlement causes many to object to the expansion of the Mormons. Colonel Peniston, an avid anti-Mormon, holds the county seat. His snide comments against the Mormons galvanize the public against the Mormon invasion.
The Mormons, meanwhile, have an excellent trend of conversion, thanks to their expansion. It nevertheless confirms anti-Mormon fears of an invasion.
March – An Anti-Mormon mob converges on the house of David Brown, a Danite known for threatening non-Mormons. The famous card game is played between the leader of the mob, the reputable Bartholomew Carter. David Brown claims victory, though if he had tried to lose during the game, he would have dispersed the mob. Carter moves his mob to begin shooting up the walls. David Brown survives, but his horse is killed and his bard is burned down. These actions hit the press, polarizing Missouri for and against the Mormons. Danites begin to make plans to strike revenge.
Meanwhile, Sydney Rigdon continues to endorse his earlier Resistance Sermon, preaching that the Mormons should resist against these tragedies, and put up a fight instead of fleeing again to the west. Danite membership triples.
The Missourian Mormon War
April – A council in Carroll County is called to decide on the Mormon question. Everyone votes in favor of forceful retaliation. An envoy is sent to tell the Mormons to leave. The message is largely unheard. When the County Council do not witness a mass exodus, vigilante mobs begin to form throughout Carroll County. Stables and houses are torched, and people killed.
June – Vigilantes encircle the town of DeWitt, encamp outside, and continue a siege. The Mormons, especially the Danites, lead raids into the forests, killing many of the vigilantes.
July – After many structures are burned to the ground, Mormon leaders call for members to leave the settlement of DeWitt, beginning a major exodus back to Caldwell County.
August – Colonel Dunn leads militia against the Mormons in Daviess County.
Brother Colonel Hinkle takes up arms and with the backing of the Mormon leaders and the Danites, begins to actively engage the anti-Mormons. Millsport, Gallatin, Grindstone Fork of Daviess County are captured by his actions. Colonel Dunn is repelled. Non-Mormon families flee to other counties. The Mormons plunder and gut each settlement, and the entire county capital of Gallatin is burnt to the ground, not one structure left standing.
The Mormons march upon DeWitt, taking it from the vigilantes. The Danite leadership forces the Mormons onto Richmond. They pillage and systematically raze the city. News of this horrendous act, the Burning of Richmond, travels quickly. The Mormons march upon Liberty, and the city is given the same treatment. The Danite-led Mormon army had begun a reign of revenge and terror for their many years of mistreatment.
August 24 - 27 – Colonel Samuel Bogart leads volunteers into Caldwell County, attacking unarmed Mormons and burning homes to the ground. Church leaders call for retribution from the ‘vigilante mobs’ and a force is quickly sent to challenge them. The Mormons capture the anti-Mormon group unaware, killing more than half, including Bogart, and take the rest to a prison in Far West.
September 2 – After hearing reports of the capture of Bogart’s militia, Generals Atchison, Doniphon and Parks decide they needed to call out the state militia to prevent further violence. Missouri’s governor, Lilburn Boggs issues the Extermination Order, making it legal for any citizen of Missouri to kill, steal from, or rape a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
September 6 – Colonel Jennings of northern Livington County assembles 275 militiamen to strike back at the Mormons. Moving into eastern Caldwell County, unprotected, they assemble to attack Haun’s Mill. The soldiers opened fire for a surprise attack, sending the 80 Mormon families there fleeing for the hills. Women and children attempted to make it into the woods, while the boys and men set up to defend the settlement. Though they managed to kill seven of the militiamen, they were all eventually shot down in the end. 39 Mormons are killed in what would become the Haun’s Mill Massacre.
News would soon reach Far West, where an enraged populace would begin to assemble a vengeful response. However, the Mormons were now clearly on the defensive.
September 9 – 13 - An army of 200 Mormons is assembled in Far West, and under David Patten, move out towards the Haun’s Mill area. They discover a much larger host of militia than supposed. Patten decides only a quick raid would suffice. Firing their guns from the cover of the forest, the Mormons were able to kill 17 men, and then escape unscathed at Patten’s orders.
September 21 - Major General Samuel D. Lucas marches the state militia to Far West to begin the siege of the Mormon headquarters. Once again, inexperienced Mormon militias are unable to prevent the entry of the anti-Mormons into their heartland.
September 22 – Joseph Smith requests Colonel Hinkle to seek terms with Major General Lucas, asking for a treaty on any terms except for bloodshed. Many Mormons, especially Danites, still continue fighting. In Adam-ondi-Ahman, soldiers are assembled to attempt to reinforce Far West. They are surrounded by vigilantes.
September 23 - 24 – Lucas demands harsh terms for peace. The Latter-day Saints were to give up their leaders for trial and to surrender all of their arms. Every Mormon who had taken up arms was to sell his property to pay for the damages to Missourian property and for the muster of the state militia. Finally, the Mormons and the entire Church were told to leave the state. Joseph Smith agreed on the settlement. The prophet Smith was promptly arrested with other leaders of the Church, held in Lucas’ camp overnight, and then imprisoned in Liberty jail.
October – December – The Latter-day Saints sell all of their lands to the determined Missourians for little in return, and make another trek to Quincy, Illinois, where the kind townspeople offer them food and shelter for the winter.
[Overall, a much more bloody and dark little war. The Danites are a little stronger, consisting of some notable new-blooded discontent from Kirtland. In OTL, Richmond was never razed, nor Liberty, the Danites never made it that far.]
1840
The Church regroups in Quincy, Missouri, and is confronted by land agent Isaac Galland, who offers to sell them land in Hancock County, Illinois, including the abandoned town of Commerce, as well as land in Lee County in Iowa Territory. Church leaders buy the land immediately and in the spring begin to settle the land with the Latter-Day Saints.
Enthusiastic member, Israel Barlow is credited within the first month of the settlement of receiving a dream of “a dark and cold death, like the finger of Satan, lurking in the depths of the swamp.” He leads a team to purchase equipment to drain the swamp. Though he would die of malaria during his project, he purged the swamp of the deadly, disease-bearing mosquitoes. Many lives are saved from possible cholera, malaria, and typhoid epidemics.
[In our universe, the swamps of Nauvoo were left untouched for many months, taking a gruesome toll on the first Mormon settlers.]
April – Weak from months of mistreatment, Smith and the other prominent Church leaders held at Liberty jail are allowed to escape, and make their way back to the Church in Hancock County. Joseph Smith renames the city from Commerce to “Nauvoo”, meaning “to be beautiful”, referenced in the book of Isaiah.
Construction would begin promptly. Joseph Smith would develop a ‘Plat of Zion’ for the city, involving a generally orderly grid system with ample room for gardens, orchards, and grazing plots.
May – John C. Bennett, the Quarter Master General of the Illinois State Militia, joins the Church. With his experience, the Church is able to craft a city charter for Nauvoo. The document would give the city a number of important powers, including the establishment of municipal court, a university, and an independent militia unit.
The Illinois state government, at that time, was equally balanced between Democrats and Whigs. Both parties were eager to attract Mormon votes and passed the city charter, naming John Bennett as the city’s mayor.
The city grew quickly as Mormons flooded the area. Many were immigrants from England, the result of a successful mission there. Before long, the City of Joseph would become home to more citizens than Quincy’s or Springfield’s.
1841
March 5th – The Nauvoo Legion, a militia unit of the City of Joseph, drills in a great parade to honor the laying of the cornerstone of the new temple, Sydney Rigdon gives the dedicatory speech.
Shortly after his speech at Nauvoo, Sidney Rigdon decides to leave the leadership to serve in a local church presidency in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His relationship with Joseph Smith has deteriorated as of late, and while he still believes strongly in his religion, he cannot cooperate so closely with the Prophet. In October he would catch influenza, and in his bad health, he dies quickly. His body is taken back to Nauvoo, where a lavish city-wide funeral would be held in his honor. Sidney Rigdon would be remembered as a hero, and few think he left with a bad mark to his name.
[In OTL, Sidney Rigdon remained as a significant figure, dying decades later in 1876. When Joseph Smith died, many flocked to a new Mormon sect he arranged in Pittsburgh, the Rigdonites. He died as a heretic to the faith, but here keeps his trappings of heroism, becoming more of a martyr than a stigma within the religion.]
June – The first Masonic Lodge is erected in Nauvoo.
November – In Illinois, anti-Mormon sentiment spreads when a local newspaper in Warsaw declares that there were nearly “twelve thousand Mormons” in Nauvoo. Certainly, the population in Nauvoo was even higher, already bustling with thirteen thousand Mormons, all devoted to building up the city and the surrounding areas. The population was growing so fast buildings could not be erected in time. Little Nauvoo, also named Lehi, would be built in Iowa Territory to hold in the surplus.
[In summary of 1841, the anti-polygamist faction of Rigdon has been severed completely. The Church is much stronger. There are twice as many members of the ‘Mormon Empire’ than in OTL at the same time. However, anti-Mormon opinions are flaring due to the increased population by a much larger factor, only a year after the foundation of Nauvoo.]
1842
Successful missions in Britain and abroad in America cause a boom within the Latter-day Saint movement. [Very similar to OTL, a little more powerful with the extra population.] Some say that Nauvoo is home to 15,000; Lehi, Iowa is climbing steadily as well to 8,000. The anti-Mormon reactionary movement grows elsewhere in the state, in Carthage and Warsaw. The opposition will not truly begin until Joseph Smith begins preaching plural marriage. Mormon colonialism reminiscent of the Missouri Days begins once more, with settlements appearing along the Mississippi, throughout Iowa and Illinois.
April – Joseph Smith begins spreading the teachings of plural marriage, polygamy, in Nauvoo. A few thousands leave, but there is rumored to be 40,000 members within the Church, so it does not hit the Church hard.
1843
January – Farmer and carpenter James W. Marshall is converted into the Mormon Church. He begins to plot to head upriver to Little Nauvoo. [He was living in Illinois at the time. In OTL, he was not converted, and would later move to Oregon and then to California, where his sawmill would become the site of the discovery of gold.]
February - William Mason, an inventor interested in firearms, steam pumps and power looms, joins the Mormons in Illinois. [In OTL, he would have gone off to work for Samuel Colt.]
March 10th – A great mob gathers in Carthage, Illinois; they purport to organizing a “wolf hunt”, though it was widely known the “wolves” were actually Mormons. Governor Ford of Illinois sends militia to break up the disturbance; however, the militia joins the party instead. Rumors that the Mormons were trying to make their own US state from Illinois and Iowa galvanizes the mob.
March 13th – Governor Ford arrives in Carthage in person to try and assert his orders. Much of the group has already left for Nauvoo. Over six hundred men assail settlements outside of the City of Joseph.
March 14th – Elder John C. Bennett, mayor of Nauvoo, declares martial law. John C. Bennett gives power over to Joseph Smith and the First Presidency for this war-time status. 9,000 militia-men in the Nauvoo Legion arm themselves and are sent throughout the land to capture or kill vigilantes.
March 15th – 700 militia-men of the Nauvoo Legion join 400 Carthage vigilantes in battle near a stream. The vigilantes retreat, followed by an organized force. They decide to hold their ground in the woods, but there is a slaughter. The arrival of 100 more anti-Mormons leads to a stalemate, and the Nauvoo Legion retreats. 300 casualties on both sides.
The ‘blood oath’ practice has been popular lately within the Mormon Church. Said to derive from teachings in the Old Testament, it upholds the statute that anyone has permission to kill another who has purposefully murdered a family member or friend, without sin. The 100 left for dead is easily enough to ignite the Mormon population.
March 17th – Another major clash erupts about fifty miles north of Nauvoo, with 200 dead. Many of the vigilantes have returned to their homes, no less agitated, but unwilling to fight now that the powerful Nauvoo Legion is patrolling the forests.
March 18th – William D. Cutler commands a group of anti-Mormons in a massacre of a small Mormon homestead, killing fifteen. Word travels fast. 120 Nauvoo Legion militia-men, mostly Danites, leave for Warsaw, currently heated against the Mormons. They find Cutler, repeat a verse from the Old Testament, and then open up fire, kill him instantly. Anti-Mormon Warsaw converges on the Mormons. A small battle sees 100 casualties on both sides, and the surviving fifty are imprisoned.
March 21st – A group rallied in Warsaw converges on Little Nauvoo from the south. Before the Nauvoo Legion can force them to flee, another 150 are dead.
March 25th – Illinois militia by the orders of Governor Ford approach Nauvoo to take into their custody Joseph Smith and a few other members, to be detained. Ford hopes this will appease the anti-Mormons, and be used as a bargaining chip to get the Mormons to accept some tighter laws about their expansion. Nauvoo bows before state authority, and reluctantly allow their prophet to leave with the militia.
Joseph Smith, the Martyr, and his Succession
March 27th – At a roadhouse, Joseph Smith discusses gospel tenets with some friendly Illinois militia. What could have been a conversion story, or perhaps a story of escape, becomes actually a sad tale of a conflict escalated too far. 300 anti-Mormon vigilantes surround the roadhouse and demand for Joe Smith to come out and face the consequences of the war he started. When the Illinois militia decides to open up fire on the brigands, a battle begins throughout the roadhouse. Joseph Smith is killed by a stray bullet, along with most of the men in the roadhouse. The vigilantes vanish into the night.
March 29th – Word of the assassination of their prophet leads to uproar throughout the Mormon Church. Small groups of Mormons leave to terrorize nearby non-Mormon settlements. The Mormons are vilified by terrified Illinoisans. Governor Ford himself approaches Nauvoo to demand peace, but returns without a treaty. The Mormon leaders grit their teeth, reporting that they’ll solve their own problems.
April 10th – A conference is held in Nauvoo to determine the successor to Joseph Smith. The unanimous choice is Brigham Young, President of the Quorum of the Twelve, the most influential personalities. He is elected by the Church leadership as the president of the Church, though not the prophet, to lead the Church during the crisis. [This is in contrast to the death of Joseph Smith in OTL, in 1844, when numerous people rose to fill his void, leading to a succession crisis that severely divided the Mormon Church. Thanks to the lack of Sidney Rigdon, and also to butterflies, and a more unified Mormon Church (thanks to the numerous more violent conflicts), Brigham Young immediately took the entire Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints under his leadership.]
May – President Brigham Young begins to reform the First Presidency, especially with pro-polygamist and pro-peace personalities.
May 4th – Governor Ford, though he dislikes the Mormon’s overly violent minority, respects the majority as citizens of Illinois. He fears that the Illinois legislature will repeal the Nauvoo city charter, provoking a new war with the Mormons. Brigham Young accepts a large force of 1,500 Illinois militia men to keep martial law over the Mormon counties, assisted by the Nauvoo Legion. Brigham Young reluctantly agrees to downgrade the Nauvoo Legion to 5,000 souls, disheartening the Mormons.
August – As much as 500 of the Illinoisan militiamen have been converted into the Mormon Church. The rest, fearing that their friends have been abducted by evil spirits, panic and many dissert. Nevertheless, the area has become more peaceful, with the resumption of trade with Nauvoo, though factions still roam the state looking to punish one person or another.
August 19th – 300 half-drunken anti-Mormon vigilantes approach Nauvoo in the dead of night. They demand the Illinois militia guard to let them enter the city, so that they can check for evil spirits. The superstitious guard, eager to finally root out any evil, allows them in. They approach the Nauvoo temple, under construction, searching for spirits; many claim that they see things in the night. Working themselves into a terror, the vigilantes become brash and careless. A torch is thrown upon the temple, which quickly catches aflame. Meanwhile, the Nauvoo Legion had been organized and sent to confront the vigilantes. Something of a shooting conflict begins, waking the entire city, but a large majority of the anti-Mormons flee from the city. The flames are eventually put out, but not without significant damage to the temple.
August 20th – The Nauvoo Legion confronts the Illinois militia men, ordering them to leave on grounds of letting vandals into the city. The lieutenant in charge does nothing, though he sends a letter to Governor Ford about the predicament.
August 23rd – The Illinois militia, under orders of Brigham Young, are forced out of the city, with only a few troubles. President Young orders the Nauvoo Legion to be doubled back to pre-May levels.
September – Unrest continues after the expulsion of the Illinois militia. A few heady Mormons venture out, seeking out those who burnt down the Nauvoo Temple. Larger vigilante groups, the established Carthage Greys and the Warsaw Whites, grow in strength and continue terrorizing outlying Mormon settlements.
September 14th – Battle of Nauvoo – One thousand anti-Mormons march through the night from Warsaw to Nauvoo and engage the Nauvoo Legion. The surprise battle leads to more than a thousand casualties and many Mormon soldiers dead. The anti-Mormons eventually retreat to Warsaw, their numbers somewhat crippled, but nevertheless they make a declaration of war against the Mormons.
September 22nd – Brigham Young fears intervention from Illinois, or for that matter, the United States of America, into this new Mormon War. He believes that the enemies of God will send armies to purge the saints from the land. Young holds a week of fasting for guidance. On the seventh day, President Brigham Young claims to his First Presidency that God directed him to call the Saints to organize and head westward, beyond the border of the United States, into Mexico.
September 25th – Brigham Young meets with Governor Ford at Chicago, and signs a treaty recognizing the Mormon’s intentions to abandon Nauvoo and their areas in Illinois. In return, Young is obliged a detachment of militia to protect Mormon interests, and the freedom for Mormons to purchase goods in Chicago for the move. The treaty also allows for land to be sold for fair prices.
October – The process of planning for the migration to the west begins. Brigham Young buys many maps of the West, including California, Mexico, Oregon, and the Great Basin. He sends members to find guides and explorers who have been on those trails. Young also orders for the entire Church to mobilize in the selling of land and the movement to Iowa to prepare for a move west.
In Our Timeline
The Kirtland Safety Society (KSS) was a quasi-bank organized in 1836 by the leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, specifically Sidney Rigdon. It was intended to serve the banking needs of the growing Mormon community in Kirtland, Ohio. However, to their misfortune, the Panic of 1837 struck the nation just as it was beginning to develop. Nearly four-hundred banks had to close and smaller, privately held financial institutions, (including the KSS), failed in droves. A five-year depression followed throughout the United States. The Kirtland Safety Society failed.
This had a profound effect on the growing Mormon Church. It weakened the people's trust in their prophet, and caused many dissensions. Former follower's blamed Joseph Smith for the depression and the soaring unemployment trend. Some of the founding members and leaders of the Church became disillusioned and left the Church. Heber C. Kimball, OTL future Mormon Prophet, later recalled that "not twenty persons on earth" remained faithful to Smith after the disaster. Later, Joseph Smith and his partner Sydney Rigdon would be chased out of Kirtland, to relocate in Clay County and Far West, to join with the members there and rebuild the Church of the Latter-Day Saints in Missouri.
However, the Church leaders had had a difficult and exhausting time creating the Kirtland Safety Society. The Ohio legislature retarded every move the Mormon Church made to attain a bank charter.
Furthermore, the effort was a waste. The KSS was a blunder from the start. It only focused attention on the Mormons, earning them public scorn throughout Ohio and Kirtland, and did little to help any of them economically. Many higher-ups jailed and fined Smith and Rigdon for their 'illegal' bank, and it remains that only negative results came about because of the KSS.
So…
In an Alternate Timeline…
What if Sidney Rigdon did not feel so enthusiastic about the Kirtland Safety Society?
Without Sidney Rigdon fighting so strongly for a bank that the Mormons could call their own, Joseph Smith would have put little enthusiasm into the project. The idea would have been abandoned if Sidney had put just a little less effort and energy into it.
The year 1836 continues very much the same. The Church's money problems are still present, but there isn't a bank to muddle the situation.
The Mormons, 1837 to 1843
1837
The National Bank Crisis consumes the United States of America. Depression follows. Many members of the Mormon Church lose their jobs during the record unemployment bout, and poverty spreads. In the end, many still become disillusioned of Joseph Smith and the Mormon Church, and emotionally there is little change in the attitude of the Church. Joseph Smith attempted to head efforts into providing jobs, while more and more people left Kirtland to find new prosperity. There was no easy solution. Nearly half of the Church membership in Kirtland would leave during these troubled times.
1838
June – Kirtland experiences its largest departure of the membership. 100 leave the Church. Some publicly announce their disappointment with the Church. Non-Mormon vigilantes are aroused, and believe the time has come to take back the city. Twenty-four Mormons are lynched in the violence that follows.
Joseph Smith calls the membership to relocate en masse to Caldwell County, in Far West, Missouri, where another host of Mormons had grown in considerable influence. The city of Far West is established as the new Church Headquarters.
August – More than one thousand Mormons, the most devout of the membership in Kirtland, make the long trek to Far West in Missouri. The more apathetic remain behind, but a substantial amount would come in the later months or years.
A group of zealous Mormons begin to meet together under the leadership of Sampson Avard, Jared Carter, and George Robinson to discuss the problem of the dissenters. During their meetings under which hard-line measures are proposed, the organization calls itself, “The Daughters of Zion” as well as “The Sons of Dan” after the warrior tribe of Israel, Dan.
September – David Whitmer wants to continue to preside over the Church in Missouri, however, the exiled leadership from Kirtland objects. Charged with multiple crimes of keeping funds for themselves, Whitmer and his followers are eventually excommunicated, leaving for Richmond, Missouri.
October - The Church engages in colonialism in neighboring counties, which had not been done under the Whitmerites. Smith founds the settlements Adam-ondi-Ahman and DeWitt in nearby counties.
Danites begin the process of hunting down and threatening dissenters and anti-Mormons.
Oliver Cowdery, Second Elder of the Church, is excommunicated after he requests resignation.
November - Joseph Smith renames the Mormon Church to the 'Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints '.
December - The Prophet initiates the 'Law of Tithing', encouraging members to give a tenth of all of their produce and profit to the Church.
1839
February - Anti-Mormon organizations and mobs begin to gather throughout Missouri. The rapid Mormon settlement causes many to object to the expansion of the Mormons. Colonel Peniston, an avid anti-Mormon, holds the county seat. His snide comments against the Mormons galvanize the public against the Mormon invasion.
The Mormons, meanwhile, have an excellent trend of conversion, thanks to their expansion. It nevertheless confirms anti-Mormon fears of an invasion.
March – An Anti-Mormon mob converges on the house of David Brown, a Danite known for threatening non-Mormons. The famous card game is played between the leader of the mob, the reputable Bartholomew Carter. David Brown claims victory, though if he had tried to lose during the game, he would have dispersed the mob. Carter moves his mob to begin shooting up the walls. David Brown survives, but his horse is killed and his bard is burned down. These actions hit the press, polarizing Missouri for and against the Mormons. Danites begin to make plans to strike revenge.
Meanwhile, Sydney Rigdon continues to endorse his earlier Resistance Sermon, preaching that the Mormons should resist against these tragedies, and put up a fight instead of fleeing again to the west. Danite membership triples.
The Missourian Mormon War
April – A council in Carroll County is called to decide on the Mormon question. Everyone votes in favor of forceful retaliation. An envoy is sent to tell the Mormons to leave. The message is largely unheard. When the County Council do not witness a mass exodus, vigilante mobs begin to form throughout Carroll County. Stables and houses are torched, and people killed.
June – Vigilantes encircle the town of DeWitt, encamp outside, and continue a siege. The Mormons, especially the Danites, lead raids into the forests, killing many of the vigilantes.
July – After many structures are burned to the ground, Mormon leaders call for members to leave the settlement of DeWitt, beginning a major exodus back to Caldwell County.
August – Colonel Dunn leads militia against the Mormons in Daviess County.
Brother Colonel Hinkle takes up arms and with the backing of the Mormon leaders and the Danites, begins to actively engage the anti-Mormons. Millsport, Gallatin, Grindstone Fork of Daviess County are captured by his actions. Colonel Dunn is repelled. Non-Mormon families flee to other counties. The Mormons plunder and gut each settlement, and the entire county capital of Gallatin is burnt to the ground, not one structure left standing.
The Mormons march upon DeWitt, taking it from the vigilantes. The Danite leadership forces the Mormons onto Richmond. They pillage and systematically raze the city. News of this horrendous act, the Burning of Richmond, travels quickly. The Mormons march upon Liberty, and the city is given the same treatment. The Danite-led Mormon army had begun a reign of revenge and terror for their many years of mistreatment.
August 24 - 27 – Colonel Samuel Bogart leads volunteers into Caldwell County, attacking unarmed Mormons and burning homes to the ground. Church leaders call for retribution from the ‘vigilante mobs’ and a force is quickly sent to challenge them. The Mormons capture the anti-Mormon group unaware, killing more than half, including Bogart, and take the rest to a prison in Far West.
September 2 – After hearing reports of the capture of Bogart’s militia, Generals Atchison, Doniphon and Parks decide they needed to call out the state militia to prevent further violence. Missouri’s governor, Lilburn Boggs issues the Extermination Order, making it legal for any citizen of Missouri to kill, steal from, or rape a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
September 6 – Colonel Jennings of northern Livington County assembles 275 militiamen to strike back at the Mormons. Moving into eastern Caldwell County, unprotected, they assemble to attack Haun’s Mill. The soldiers opened fire for a surprise attack, sending the 80 Mormon families there fleeing for the hills. Women and children attempted to make it into the woods, while the boys and men set up to defend the settlement. Though they managed to kill seven of the militiamen, they were all eventually shot down in the end. 39 Mormons are killed in what would become the Haun’s Mill Massacre.
News would soon reach Far West, where an enraged populace would begin to assemble a vengeful response. However, the Mormons were now clearly on the defensive.
September 9 – 13 - An army of 200 Mormons is assembled in Far West, and under David Patten, move out towards the Haun’s Mill area. They discover a much larger host of militia than supposed. Patten decides only a quick raid would suffice. Firing their guns from the cover of the forest, the Mormons were able to kill 17 men, and then escape unscathed at Patten’s orders.
September 21 - Major General Samuel D. Lucas marches the state militia to Far West to begin the siege of the Mormon headquarters. Once again, inexperienced Mormon militias are unable to prevent the entry of the anti-Mormons into their heartland.
September 22 – Joseph Smith requests Colonel Hinkle to seek terms with Major General Lucas, asking for a treaty on any terms except for bloodshed. Many Mormons, especially Danites, still continue fighting. In Adam-ondi-Ahman, soldiers are assembled to attempt to reinforce Far West. They are surrounded by vigilantes.
September 23 - 24 – Lucas demands harsh terms for peace. The Latter-day Saints were to give up their leaders for trial and to surrender all of their arms. Every Mormon who had taken up arms was to sell his property to pay for the damages to Missourian property and for the muster of the state militia. Finally, the Mormons and the entire Church were told to leave the state. Joseph Smith agreed on the settlement. The prophet Smith was promptly arrested with other leaders of the Church, held in Lucas’ camp overnight, and then imprisoned in Liberty jail.
October – December – The Latter-day Saints sell all of their lands to the determined Missourians for little in return, and make another trek to Quincy, Illinois, where the kind townspeople offer them food and shelter for the winter.
[Overall, a much more bloody and dark little war. The Danites are a little stronger, consisting of some notable new-blooded discontent from Kirtland. In OTL, Richmond was never razed, nor Liberty, the Danites never made it that far.]
1840
The Church regroups in Quincy, Missouri, and is confronted by land agent Isaac Galland, who offers to sell them land in Hancock County, Illinois, including the abandoned town of Commerce, as well as land in Lee County in Iowa Territory. Church leaders buy the land immediately and in the spring begin to settle the land with the Latter-Day Saints.
Enthusiastic member, Israel Barlow is credited within the first month of the settlement of receiving a dream of “a dark and cold death, like the finger of Satan, lurking in the depths of the swamp.” He leads a team to purchase equipment to drain the swamp. Though he would die of malaria during his project, he purged the swamp of the deadly, disease-bearing mosquitoes. Many lives are saved from possible cholera, malaria, and typhoid epidemics.
[In our universe, the swamps of Nauvoo were left untouched for many months, taking a gruesome toll on the first Mormon settlers.]
April – Weak from months of mistreatment, Smith and the other prominent Church leaders held at Liberty jail are allowed to escape, and make their way back to the Church in Hancock County. Joseph Smith renames the city from Commerce to “Nauvoo”, meaning “to be beautiful”, referenced in the book of Isaiah.
Construction would begin promptly. Joseph Smith would develop a ‘Plat of Zion’ for the city, involving a generally orderly grid system with ample room for gardens, orchards, and grazing plots.
May – John C. Bennett, the Quarter Master General of the Illinois State Militia, joins the Church. With his experience, the Church is able to craft a city charter for Nauvoo. The document would give the city a number of important powers, including the establishment of municipal court, a university, and an independent militia unit.
The Illinois state government, at that time, was equally balanced between Democrats and Whigs. Both parties were eager to attract Mormon votes and passed the city charter, naming John Bennett as the city’s mayor.
The city grew quickly as Mormons flooded the area. Many were immigrants from England, the result of a successful mission there. Before long, the City of Joseph would become home to more citizens than Quincy’s or Springfield’s.
1841
March 5th – The Nauvoo Legion, a militia unit of the City of Joseph, drills in a great parade to honor the laying of the cornerstone of the new temple, Sydney Rigdon gives the dedicatory speech.
Shortly after his speech at Nauvoo, Sidney Rigdon decides to leave the leadership to serve in a local church presidency in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His relationship with Joseph Smith has deteriorated as of late, and while he still believes strongly in his religion, he cannot cooperate so closely with the Prophet. In October he would catch influenza, and in his bad health, he dies quickly. His body is taken back to Nauvoo, where a lavish city-wide funeral would be held in his honor. Sidney Rigdon would be remembered as a hero, and few think he left with a bad mark to his name.
[In OTL, Sidney Rigdon remained as a significant figure, dying decades later in 1876. When Joseph Smith died, many flocked to a new Mormon sect he arranged in Pittsburgh, the Rigdonites. He died as a heretic to the faith, but here keeps his trappings of heroism, becoming more of a martyr than a stigma within the religion.]
June – The first Masonic Lodge is erected in Nauvoo.
November – In Illinois, anti-Mormon sentiment spreads when a local newspaper in Warsaw declares that there were nearly “twelve thousand Mormons” in Nauvoo. Certainly, the population in Nauvoo was even higher, already bustling with thirteen thousand Mormons, all devoted to building up the city and the surrounding areas. The population was growing so fast buildings could not be erected in time. Little Nauvoo, also named Lehi, would be built in Iowa Territory to hold in the surplus.
[In summary of 1841, the anti-polygamist faction of Rigdon has been severed completely. The Church is much stronger. There are twice as many members of the ‘Mormon Empire’ than in OTL at the same time. However, anti-Mormon opinions are flaring due to the increased population by a much larger factor, only a year after the foundation of Nauvoo.]
1842
Successful missions in Britain and abroad in America cause a boom within the Latter-day Saint movement. [Very similar to OTL, a little more powerful with the extra population.] Some say that Nauvoo is home to 15,000; Lehi, Iowa is climbing steadily as well to 8,000. The anti-Mormon reactionary movement grows elsewhere in the state, in Carthage and Warsaw. The opposition will not truly begin until Joseph Smith begins preaching plural marriage. Mormon colonialism reminiscent of the Missouri Days begins once more, with settlements appearing along the Mississippi, throughout Iowa and Illinois.
April – Joseph Smith begins spreading the teachings of plural marriage, polygamy, in Nauvoo. A few thousands leave, but there is rumored to be 40,000 members within the Church, so it does not hit the Church hard.
1843
January – Farmer and carpenter James W. Marshall is converted into the Mormon Church. He begins to plot to head upriver to Little Nauvoo. [He was living in Illinois at the time. In OTL, he was not converted, and would later move to Oregon and then to California, where his sawmill would become the site of the discovery of gold.]
February - William Mason, an inventor interested in firearms, steam pumps and power looms, joins the Mormons in Illinois. [In OTL, he would have gone off to work for Samuel Colt.]
March 10th – A great mob gathers in Carthage, Illinois; they purport to organizing a “wolf hunt”, though it was widely known the “wolves” were actually Mormons. Governor Ford of Illinois sends militia to break up the disturbance; however, the militia joins the party instead. Rumors that the Mormons were trying to make their own US state from Illinois and Iowa galvanizes the mob.
March 13th – Governor Ford arrives in Carthage in person to try and assert his orders. Much of the group has already left for Nauvoo. Over six hundred men assail settlements outside of the City of Joseph.
March 14th – Elder John C. Bennett, mayor of Nauvoo, declares martial law. John C. Bennett gives power over to Joseph Smith and the First Presidency for this war-time status. 9,000 militia-men in the Nauvoo Legion arm themselves and are sent throughout the land to capture or kill vigilantes.
March 15th – 700 militia-men of the Nauvoo Legion join 400 Carthage vigilantes in battle near a stream. The vigilantes retreat, followed by an organized force. They decide to hold their ground in the woods, but there is a slaughter. The arrival of 100 more anti-Mormons leads to a stalemate, and the Nauvoo Legion retreats. 300 casualties on both sides.
The ‘blood oath’ practice has been popular lately within the Mormon Church. Said to derive from teachings in the Old Testament, it upholds the statute that anyone has permission to kill another who has purposefully murdered a family member or friend, without sin. The 100 left for dead is easily enough to ignite the Mormon population.
March 17th – Another major clash erupts about fifty miles north of Nauvoo, with 200 dead. Many of the vigilantes have returned to their homes, no less agitated, but unwilling to fight now that the powerful Nauvoo Legion is patrolling the forests.
March 18th – William D. Cutler commands a group of anti-Mormons in a massacre of a small Mormon homestead, killing fifteen. Word travels fast. 120 Nauvoo Legion militia-men, mostly Danites, leave for Warsaw, currently heated against the Mormons. They find Cutler, repeat a verse from the Old Testament, and then open up fire, kill him instantly. Anti-Mormon Warsaw converges on the Mormons. A small battle sees 100 casualties on both sides, and the surviving fifty are imprisoned.
March 21st – A group rallied in Warsaw converges on Little Nauvoo from the south. Before the Nauvoo Legion can force them to flee, another 150 are dead.
March 25th – Illinois militia by the orders of Governor Ford approach Nauvoo to take into their custody Joseph Smith and a few other members, to be detained. Ford hopes this will appease the anti-Mormons, and be used as a bargaining chip to get the Mormons to accept some tighter laws about their expansion. Nauvoo bows before state authority, and reluctantly allow their prophet to leave with the militia.
Joseph Smith, the Martyr, and his Succession
March 27th – At a roadhouse, Joseph Smith discusses gospel tenets with some friendly Illinois militia. What could have been a conversion story, or perhaps a story of escape, becomes actually a sad tale of a conflict escalated too far. 300 anti-Mormon vigilantes surround the roadhouse and demand for Joe Smith to come out and face the consequences of the war he started. When the Illinois militia decides to open up fire on the brigands, a battle begins throughout the roadhouse. Joseph Smith is killed by a stray bullet, along with most of the men in the roadhouse. The vigilantes vanish into the night.
March 29th – Word of the assassination of their prophet leads to uproar throughout the Mormon Church. Small groups of Mormons leave to terrorize nearby non-Mormon settlements. The Mormons are vilified by terrified Illinoisans. Governor Ford himself approaches Nauvoo to demand peace, but returns without a treaty. The Mormon leaders grit their teeth, reporting that they’ll solve their own problems.
April 10th – A conference is held in Nauvoo to determine the successor to Joseph Smith. The unanimous choice is Brigham Young, President of the Quorum of the Twelve, the most influential personalities. He is elected by the Church leadership as the president of the Church, though not the prophet, to lead the Church during the crisis. [This is in contrast to the death of Joseph Smith in OTL, in 1844, when numerous people rose to fill his void, leading to a succession crisis that severely divided the Mormon Church. Thanks to the lack of Sidney Rigdon, and also to butterflies, and a more unified Mormon Church (thanks to the numerous more violent conflicts), Brigham Young immediately took the entire Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints under his leadership.]
May – President Brigham Young begins to reform the First Presidency, especially with pro-polygamist and pro-peace personalities.
May 4th – Governor Ford, though he dislikes the Mormon’s overly violent minority, respects the majority as citizens of Illinois. He fears that the Illinois legislature will repeal the Nauvoo city charter, provoking a new war with the Mormons. Brigham Young accepts a large force of 1,500 Illinois militia men to keep martial law over the Mormon counties, assisted by the Nauvoo Legion. Brigham Young reluctantly agrees to downgrade the Nauvoo Legion to 5,000 souls, disheartening the Mormons.
August – As much as 500 of the Illinoisan militiamen have been converted into the Mormon Church. The rest, fearing that their friends have been abducted by evil spirits, panic and many dissert. Nevertheless, the area has become more peaceful, with the resumption of trade with Nauvoo, though factions still roam the state looking to punish one person or another.
August 19th – 300 half-drunken anti-Mormon vigilantes approach Nauvoo in the dead of night. They demand the Illinois militia guard to let them enter the city, so that they can check for evil spirits. The superstitious guard, eager to finally root out any evil, allows them in. They approach the Nauvoo temple, under construction, searching for spirits; many claim that they see things in the night. Working themselves into a terror, the vigilantes become brash and careless. A torch is thrown upon the temple, which quickly catches aflame. Meanwhile, the Nauvoo Legion had been organized and sent to confront the vigilantes. Something of a shooting conflict begins, waking the entire city, but a large majority of the anti-Mormons flee from the city. The flames are eventually put out, but not without significant damage to the temple.
August 20th – The Nauvoo Legion confronts the Illinois militia men, ordering them to leave on grounds of letting vandals into the city. The lieutenant in charge does nothing, though he sends a letter to Governor Ford about the predicament.
August 23rd – The Illinois militia, under orders of Brigham Young, are forced out of the city, with only a few troubles. President Young orders the Nauvoo Legion to be doubled back to pre-May levels.
September – Unrest continues after the expulsion of the Illinois militia. A few heady Mormons venture out, seeking out those who burnt down the Nauvoo Temple. Larger vigilante groups, the established Carthage Greys and the Warsaw Whites, grow in strength and continue terrorizing outlying Mormon settlements.
September 14th – Battle of Nauvoo – One thousand anti-Mormons march through the night from Warsaw to Nauvoo and engage the Nauvoo Legion. The surprise battle leads to more than a thousand casualties and many Mormon soldiers dead. The anti-Mormons eventually retreat to Warsaw, their numbers somewhat crippled, but nevertheless they make a declaration of war against the Mormons.
September 22nd – Brigham Young fears intervention from Illinois, or for that matter, the United States of America, into this new Mormon War. He believes that the enemies of God will send armies to purge the saints from the land. Young holds a week of fasting for guidance. On the seventh day, President Brigham Young claims to his First Presidency that God directed him to call the Saints to organize and head westward, beyond the border of the United States, into Mexico.
September 25th – Brigham Young meets with Governor Ford at Chicago, and signs a treaty recognizing the Mormon’s intentions to abandon Nauvoo and their areas in Illinois. In return, Young is obliged a detachment of militia to protect Mormon interests, and the freedom for Mormons to purchase goods in Chicago for the move. The treaty also allows for land to be sold for fair prices.
October – The process of planning for the migration to the west begins. Brigham Young buys many maps of the West, including California, Mexico, Oregon, and the Great Basin. He sends members to find guides and explorers who have been on those trails. Young also orders for the entire Church to mobilize in the selling of land and the movement to Iowa to prepare for a move west.
Last edited:
