1836–1837 Summary, Written Sometime After March 6, 1837

Willard Richard's Journal (volume 1), 1836 December-1840 April, page 7

I was baptized at| Kirtland under the hand of Elder Brigham Young Decem|ber 31 1836 after the sun| had set in the west. ⊕1| From this time I enjoyed| uninterrupted peace of mind| & continued improvement of bodily health until the eve| of the 6th of March <1837>, when| I was ordained to the office| of an Elder in the Church of | “Lat[t]er Day Saints” under the| hand of President Beman2 &| Council, at his house.

1 Symbol in manuscript seems to be a circle (○) intersected by an extended plus (+) sign/cross. This symbol appears multiple times throughout Richard’s journal, although its precise meaning is unknown.

2 Alvah Beman (1775–1837) was an early member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and a close associate of Joseph Smith. He is noted for his support during the Church's formative years, including assisting Joseph Smith in concealing the gold plates during the translation of the Book of Mormon. Appointed to preside over the Kirtland elders quorum on January 15, 1836, Beman frequently hosted councils and ordinations at his home.
Editoralized and Formatted Entry

I was baptized at Kirtland under the hand of Elder Brigham Young [on] December 31, 1836, after the sun had set in the west. From this time I enjoyed uninterrupted peace of mind and continued improvement of bodily health until the eve of the 6th of March 1837, when I was ordained to the office of an Elder in the Church of "Latter Day Saints" under the hand of President [Alvah] Beman and Council, at his house.

Image (full sized)

Source: Willard Richards journals and papers, 1821-1854; Journals; Journal (volume 1), 1836 December-1840 April; Church History Library, https://catalog.churchofjesuschrist.org/assets/53d252e7-a5a9-4e9e-b22b-ac6e1d12ea3d/0/6

Citation

Richards, Willard. "1836–1837 Summary, Written Sometime After March 6, 1837." Willard Richards Journals Project, http://willardrichardspapers.org/journals/v1/entries/summary. Archived at Internet Archive, https://web.archive.org/web/https://willardrichardspapers.org/journals/v1/entries/summary.