310 receive a revelation in which he was told: "I have chosen thee from before the foundation of the world to be a mighty man, yea, to be a prophet in Israel; and thou shalt prophesy to many nations, and peoples, and kings, and tongues."
A few other communications were presented by him between this and 1860, purporting to be revelation from God. After the last date these manifestations became very frequent, often amounting to several in a day. A vigorous opposition was urged against him by members and officers of the Utah Church from the time of his earliest revelation until his tragic death in June, 1862.
This opposition amounted in some cases to persecution and drove him from place to place, until, in October, 1860, he took up his abode at South Weber, Utah, where his claims were received by the Bishop of Weber, Richard Cook, and his brother, John Cook.
They established a camp on Weber River below Weber Cañon and above Ogden City. Here he gathered quite a large following and an organization was in time perfected with Joseph Morris President., John Banks and Richard Cook his counselors.
The names of the following men appear in the revelations through Mr. Morris as having been called to the apostleship: John Parson, M. H. Forscutt, John E. Jones, John Trolsen, Gudmund Gudmundsen, Niels Jacobsen, James Cowan, James Dove, James Mather, John R. Eardley, Abraham Taylor, Hans P. Smith, R. J. Livingstone, and John O. Mather.
Just when these men were ordained, and how long each of them served in this capacity, we have not determined.
After the camp was formed at Weber and the excitement concerning it was spreading through the Territory, John Taylor and Wilford Woodruff, two of the apostles under Brigham Young, visited Weber Fort, called the people together, and endeavored to persuade them to reject the claims and leadership of Joseph Morris. The people generally refused to comply with their direction, for which the most of them were subsequently disfellowshiped.
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