The Know

In December 1830, the Lord first called on the Saints to “assemble together at the Ohio”, a state in the midwestern United States of America (Doctrine and Covenants 37:3). Up until this time, the Church was primarily organized into three branches in Fayette, Manchester, and Colesville, New York, and the call to move to new lands was a testament to the faith of the early Saints. Many of the Saints sailed west through Lake Erie and arrived at Fairport Harbor, Ohio. There, they settled in a nearby town named Kirtland, which had been formally organized in 1818.1 Although the town was small at the time, it would soon become one of the most important locations in the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Northwestern Ohio, especially the area around Kirtland, was already home to many restorationist Christians such as the congregations of Alexander Campbell and one of his protégés, Sidney Rigdon.2 These Christians “were looking for the restoration of the primitive church of New Testament Christianity” by seeking what could firmly be established through the Bible.3 Many of these individuals had been prepared for the restored gospel, and in the fall of 1830, many accepted it as they listened to Oliver Cowdery, Parley P. Pratt, Peter Whitmer Jr., and Ziba Peterson preach about the Book of Mormon and restoration of the gospel in Kirtland and Mentor, Ohio, where Sidney Rigdon’s congregation was located.

After only four weeks, the missionaries had already baptized at least 130 individuals and established a branch in Kirtland.4 Many of those early converts included future leaders of the Church such as Sidney Rigdon and Frederick G. Williams, members of the First Presidency, and the Apostles Orson Hyde, Luke S. Johnson, Lyman E. Johnson, and Lyman Wight.5 Additionally, members of the first bishopric were converted in Ohio, as was the future prophet Lorenzo Snow.6 Once Joseph and Emma arrived in Ohio, it became the headquarters of the Church between 1831 and 1838. As a result, many important doctrinal developments happened in Ohio that deeply shaped the Church beyond the missionary work that had occurred in the area.

Many of these developments began shortly after Joseph and Emma had settled on the Morley farm in northern Kirtland. Isaac and Lucy Morley were faithful members who had previously attempted to lead a small community that had all things common, as many early Christians lived according to the New Testament (Acts 4:32). While this attempt did not succeed for long, it prepared many of the members for the law of consecration that would be revealed. The Morley farm hosted several early conferences of the Church, including the June 1831 conference, at which high priests were first ordained in this dispensation.7 Isaac Morley ultimately sold his farm at the Lord’s command to help provide funds for Saints traveling to Missouri.8

After the Morley farm was sold, Joseph and Emma moved south of Kirtland to Hiram, Ohio, at the request of John and Elsa Johnson. Damon Bahr and Thomas Aardema observed, “The time Joseph and Emma lived in the Johnson home was a period of divine guidance and direction. During the year they stayed at the Johnson Farm, Joseph received sixteen sections of the Doctrine and Covenants, received five additional revelations, and completed about half of the inspired translation of the Bible”.9 One of the most important revelations given at this time was Doctrine and Covenants 76, which revealed many important truths about the plan of salvation. Joseph and Emma also faced intense persecution here, and this is where Joseph and Sidney Rigdon were tarred and feathered and almost killed in the process.10

To escape more persecution, in September 1832 Joseph and Emma moved back to Kirtland and lived in the Newel K. Whitney store. Newel K. Whitney and his wife Elizabeth Ann were some of the first to welcome the Prophet into Kirtland and into their home in 1831. Before Joseph and Emma moved back to Kirtland, the Whitneys had also been working on converting the second floor of their store into an apartment for Joseph and Emma.11 According to Bahr and Aardema, while living here, “Joseph received many revelations and sixteen sections of the Doctrine and Covenants, . . . he also completed the inspired Bible revision”.12 At the Whitney store, Joseph also organized the School of the Prophets, during which time many significant events occurred, including the organization of the First Presidency in March 1833. At this event, both God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ were seen by members of the school.13

Three years later, the Kirtland Temple was completed and dedicated. It was the first temple of this dispensation. The Lord had previously told Joseph, “For this cause I gave unto you the commandment that ye should go to the Ohio; and there I will give unto you my law; and there you shall be endowed with power from on high” (Doctrine and Covenants 38:32). It quickly became apparent that this endowment of power could be given only in a temple; the Lord would later express, “I gave unto you a commandment that you should build a house, in the which house I design to endow those whom I have chosen with power from on high” (Doctrine and Covenants 95:8).

The Lord commanded in January 1833 that the temple be built and in June of that year emphasized again the command to build the temple (see Doctrine and Covenants 88:119–136; 95:1–17). The temple was completed at great sacrifice to the Saints. Beginning in January 1836, ordinances of washings and anointings were performed, preparing the Saints to receive the endowment of power that had been promised and strengthening them to go out and preach the gospel to all the world.14 Then the temple was dedicated on March 27, 1836. Just a week later, on April 3, 1836 (which was Easter Sunday), the Lord Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery, accepting the temple and the Saints’ hard work. Moses, Elijah, and Elias also appeared, restoring important priesthood keys to Joseph and Oliver.15 In many ways, the Kirtland Temple stands as a firm witness of the important work the Lord has performed in this dispensation and of the ongoing Restoration.

The Why

When Joseph first received the command that the Saints should gather in Ohio, he likely did not realize how important Ohio would be for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or for the world as a whole. Here in Kirtland, divine power and manifestations were given in abundance to many members of the Church. Some of the most important leaders of the Church were converted in Kirtland, and those who remained faithful to the Lord through the tribulations they faced would lead the Church for years to come.

Important doctrinal developments happened while in Kirtland, including the reception of many new scriptures.16 Karl Ricks Anderson observed that while living in Ohio, Joseph “received eighty-four separate revelations. Sixty-five of these revelations appear in the Doctrine and Covenants and represent almost half of this volume of scripture”.17 Joseph’s inspired translation of the Bible was almost entirely done in Ohio, as was the translation of the Book of Abraham.18 Furthermore, the first edition of the Doctrine and Covenants would be printed in 1835 and a second edition of the Book of Mormon would be printed in 1837 while the Saints were living in Kirtland. In this way, the promise that the Lord would “give unto you my law” was abundantly fulfilled through this outpouring of revelation (Doctrine and Covenants 38:32).

The Lord’s first temple in this dispensation was also built in Kirtland, giving the Saints a divine endowment of power that would help them through the persecution they would face while in Missouri and strengthen them to preach the gospel in all parts of the world. The significance of Kirtland cannot be understated, as it provided the Saints with an important place to worship the Lord and follow His commandments in relative peace for a time. Noting the importance of Kirtland, Anderson observed,

More first-person words of Christ have gone to the world from Kirtland than from any other location in history. Through His direct voice of revelation, Christ comprehensively taught the world about Himself, His mission of atonement, and the premortal and postmortal worlds. He structured His Church in Kirtland and called its leaders by personal revelation. He taught them in vision as well as through the Spirit. He commanded His poverty-stricken Saints to build His first temple in two thousand years. . . . In Kirtland the very heavens thundered many additional witnesses of Christ’s visions and voice. He sent angels, heavenly choirs, and divine messengers . . . with keys and authority.19

Furthermore, while in Kirtland, Joseph prophesied, “It is only a little handful of Priesthood you see here tonight, but this Church will fill North and South America—it will fill the world”.20 Thanks to the important work the Lord has done in Kirtland, this prophecy continues to be fulfilled as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints takes the blessings of the restored Gospel to all people.