WHO WAS WILLIAM CLAYTON & IS HIS JOURNAL ENTRY IMPORTANT EVIDENCE?
“Beginning in early 1842, William Clayton became involved in nearly every important activity in Nauvoo, including the private concerns of the Prophet. In this respect his life reflects the Nauvoo experience better than does the life of almost anyone else--even better that many church leaders who were often away on missions. He became an intimate friend and confidant of Joseph Smith, writing letters for him, recording revelations, and performing important errands. As a scribe he kept the sacred `Book of the Law of the Lord'; was officially designated to write the history of the Nauvoo Temple; helped prepare the official history of Joseph Smith (indeed, his personal journals became the source for many entries in that history); and kept various other books and accounts as ***igned. He was a member of the temple committee and kept all the financial and other records dealing with the building of the temple, including the collection and recording of ***hes. Later, after the baptismal font was completed, it was up to Clayton to issue receipts certifying that a person was en***led to the privileges of the font (for baptisms for the dead) because he had paid ***hing. He became Nauvoo city treasurer, recorder, and clerk of the Nauvoo City Council, secretary pro tem of the Nauvoo Masonic Lodge, an officer of the Nauvoo Music ***ociation, and a member of the committee responsible for erecting the Music Hall in Nauvoo. He also became a member and clerk of the highly important Council of Fifty, as well as a member of Joseph Smith's private prayer circle. He may have functioned in more public and semi-public capacities than almost any other person in Nauvoo, save Joseph Smith. What is important here, however, is not just the Nauvoo that Clayton saw and helped build, but the Nauvoo that Clayton felt, deep inside. Only by capturing the feelings and emotions of a disciple such as Clayton can we understand the real meaning of Nauvoo in the lives of the Illinois Saints.'' From James B. Allen, ``One Man's Nauvoo: William Clayton's Experience in Mormon Illinois,'' Journal of Mormon History, Vol 6, 1979, pp. 42-3.
[Nauvoo 1] Is the Diary for 27 November 1842 through 28 April 1843 and 25 September 1844
through 31 March 1845. (Original diary in possession of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, Utah.)
[Nauvoo 2] Is the Diary for 27 April 1843 through 24 September 1844. (Original in possession of the LDS Church.)
[Affidavit A] Is a statement made by Clayton and sworn to before a notary on February16, 1874 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Published in Andrew Jenson, The Historical Record, Salt Lake City, Utah, 1888, pp. 224-226. Although not a writing made in Nauvoo, it relates almost exclusively to the Nauvoo period and contains information not found elsewhere, which was possibly taken from Clayton's own diaries. (It was printed as Appendix C in Smith, An Intimate Chronicle, pp. 555-559).
What was Clayton doing on the day he wrote the Journal Entry on the Kinderhook Plates? Here is the entry of 1 May 1843 when Smith & Clayton first saw the Kinderhook Plates:
1 May 1843, Monday [Nauvoo 2]
May 1st. A.M AT THE TEMPLE. at 10. m J to L.W. P.M AT PRES. JOSEPHS ... I have seen 6 br*** plates which were found in Adams County ... Prest J. has translated a portion and says they contain the history of the person with whom they were found & he was a descendant of Ham through the loins of Pharoah king of Egypt, and that he received his kingdom from the ruler of heaven & earth (Allen 2, p. 117)
`I have seen 6 br*** plates which were found in Adams County by some persons who were digging in a mound. They found a skeleton about 6 feet from the surface of the earth which was 9 foot high. [At this
point there is a tracing of a plate in the journal.]
The plates were on the breast of the skeleton. This diagram shows the size of the plates being drawn on the edge of one of them. They are covered with ancient characters of language containing from 30 to 40 on each side of the plates. Prest J. has translated a portion and says they contain the history of the person with whom they were found and he was a descendant of Ham through the loins of Pharoah king of Egypt, and that he received his kingdom from the ruler of heaven and earth.'' (Allen 1, p.44)
Clayton preformed a marriage ceremony between Joseph Smith and Lucy Walker (Blood Atonement and the Origin of Plural Marriage p.31)
May 1st, (1843) A.M. At the Temple. At 10 married Joseph to Lucy Walker. P.M. at Prest. Joseph's; he has gone out with [Flora]Woodworth. [Affidavit], p. 225
On the 1st day of May, 1843, I officiated in the office of an Elder by marrying Lucy Walker to the Prophet Joseph Smith, at his own residence. During this period the Prophet Joseph took several other wives. Amongst the number I well remember Eliza Partridge, Emily Partridge, Sarah Ann Whitney, Helen Kimball and Flora Woodworth. These all, he acknowledged to me, were his lawful, wedded wives, according to the celestial order. His wife Emma was cognizant of the fact of some, if not all, of these being his wives, and she generally treated them very kindly. Letter by Clayton, (Heart Throbs of the West, Vol. 5 (1944): pp. 373-80 p. 78 )
I had the honor to seal one woman /Lucy Walker Smith/ to Joseph under his direction.
So, where was Clayton on that day?
***Officiator for Smith’s secret plural marriage at Smith’s residence in the morning.
***At Smith’s residence & in his company as Smith examined the Kinderhook plates and translated a portion of them.
***House sitting at Smith’s residence while Smith went on a date with Flora Woodworth (who would later become one of Smith’s wives). See, Trials of Discipleship, The Story of William Clayton, James B. Allen, (Urbana and Chicago, University of Illinois Press, 1987), also "One Man's Nauvoo: William Clayton's Experience in Mormon Illinois, Journal of Mormon History, Volume 6, 1979.
We conclude here that Clayton was intimately familiar with Smith and was with him that day, as attested to by many others. He also did a tracing of the plate which he included in his journal. His comments were not rumours, but came from the lips of Smith himself. But was this an isolated incident, a mistake when not acting as a ‘prophet’. Hardly. Here is an example from eyewitnesses of Smith’s overactive imagination at work, this time with the so called "Book Of Abraham":
Josiah Quincy, Charlotte Haven & ‘The Curiosities’
"And now come with me," said the prophet, "and I will show you the curiosities." So saying, he led the way to a lower room, where sat a venerable and respectable-looking lady. "This is my mother, gentlemen. The curiosities we shall see belong to her. They were purchased with her own money, at a cost of six thousand dollars;" and then, with deep feeling, were added the words, "And that woman was turned out upon the prairie in the dead of night by a mob." There were some pine presses fixed against the wall of the room. These receptacles Smith opened, and disclosed four human bodies, shrunken and black with age. "These are mummies," said the exhibitor. "I want you to look at that little runt of a fellow over there. He was a great man in his day. Why, that was Pharaoh Necho, King of Egypt!" Some parchments inscribed with hieroglyphics were then offered us. They were preserved under gl*** and handled with great respect. "That is the handwriting of Abraham, the Father of the Faithful," said the prophet. "This is the autograph of Moses, and these lines were written by his brother Aaron. Here we have the earliest account of the creation, from which Moses composed the first book of Genesis." The parchment last referred to showed a rude drawing of a man and woman, and a serpent walking upon a pair of legs. I ventured to doubt the propriety of providing the reptile in question with this unusual means of locomotion. "Why, that's as plain as a pikestaff," was the rejoinder. "Before the Fall snakes always went about on legs, just like chickens. They were deprived of them, in punishment for their agency in the ruin of man." We were further ***ured that the prophet was the only mortal who could translate these mysterious writings, and that his power was given by direct inspiration.