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Source: Church History Vol. 1 Chapter 16 Page: 455 (~1830)

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455 the company, from Kirtland, for Missouri, and on the 6th we arrived, and joined our brethren who had gone before, at New Portage, about fifty miles distance.

"My company from Kirtland consisted of about one hundred, mostly young men, and nearly all elders, priests, teachers, or deacons, and as our wagons were nearly filled with baggage we had mostly to travel on foot.

"On the 7th we made preparations for traveling, gathered all the moneys of every individual of the company, and appointed F. G. Williams Paymaster of the company from the funds thus collected. The whole company now consisted of more than one hundred and fifty men, accompanied by twenty baggage wagons, and we were more than sixty miles on our journey, having left but few men in Kirtland; viz.: Elder Sidney Rigdon and Oliver Cowdery and a few working on the Temple, except the aged. Zerubbabel Snow was appointed Commissary General at the time Williams was appointed Paymaster.

"Through the remainder of this day and a part of the 8th, I continued to organize the company, appoint such other general officers as the case required, and gave such instructions as were necessary for the discipline, order, comfort, and safety of all concerned. I also divided the whole band into companies of twelve, each company electing their own captain, who severally assigned each man, in their respective companies, his part and duty, which was generally in the following order: Two cooks, two firemen, two tentmakers, two watermen, one runner, two wagoners and horsemen, and one commissary. We purchased flour, baked our own bread, and cooked our own provisions, generally, which was good though sometimes scanty; and sometimes we had johnny cake, or corn dodger, instead of flour bread. Every night before retiring to rest, at the sound of the trumpet, we bowed before the Lord in the several tents, and presented our thank offerings with prayer and supplication; and at the sound of the morning trumpet every man was again on his knees before the Lord, imploring his blessing for the day."

-Times and Seasons. vol. 6, pp. 1074, 1075.

(page 455)

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