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Source: Church History Vol. 1 Chapter 25 Page: 658 (~1830-1835)

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658 his wife, he left their Ohio home and returned to New York. where he first saw the Book of Mormon. After some travel and diligent inquiry he was baptized in Seneca Lake, New York, by Oliver Cowdery, September 1, 1830, and the same evening he was ordained an elder.

In October, 1830, a revelation was given directing Elder Pratt with others to go on a mission to the West; accordingly in the same month, accompanied by Oliver Cowdery, Peter Whitmer, and Ziba Peterson, he started on that eventful mission, an account of which has been recorded in these pages. From this mission he returned alone to report their labor, and in 1831 was ordained a high priest. Again he went up to Missouri, accompanied by his brother Orson.

He afterwards settled in Jackson County, Missouri, and was among those banished from the county in 1833 by the violence of the mob. On July 7,1834, he was ordained a member of the High Council in Zion, in Clay County, Missouri.

In February, 1835, he was ordained an apostle at Kirtland, Ohio, and in the following summer went with his quorum on its eastern mission. In 1836 he did missionary work in Canada. On March 25,1837, his wife died at Kirtland, Ohio. In the summer of 1837, when so many turned away from the faith at Kirtland, he was to some extent affected by this spirit of apostasy; but he subsequently recovered from it, and made confession of his wrong. In this year he published from New York the first edition of the "Voice of Warning." Though he afterwards published other works, this was his masterpiece. Sometime during this year, or early in 1838, he was the second time married, espousing Mrs. Mary Ann (Frost) Stearns, widow of Nathan Stearns.

In May, 1838, he settled in Caldwell County, Missouri, and in October of the same year was among those demanded by General Lucas and delivered as prisoners by Colonel Hinkle. With Joseph Smith and his fellow prisoners he was taken to Independence, and thence to Richmond, where they had a mock trial before Judge King; but when others were sent to Liberty he was retained at Richmond. He afterward obtained a change of venue to Boone County and

(page 658)

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