“What is man that the serv[a]nt of God should fear him. or the son of man that he should tremble at him. Neither think strange concerning the fiery trials with which we are tried as though some strange thing had happened unto us. Remember that all have be[e]n p[a]rtakers of like afflictions. Therefore rejoice in our afflictions by which you are perfected and through which the captain of our salvation was perfected also.” — Joseph Smith¹

In Missouri, the Saints faced severe harassment from mobs and threats from the militia. General Clark allowed them to stay in Far West until spring, warning them not to reorganize or they would face extermination.² At Hawn’s Mill, survivors of a massacre were threatened with death if they didn't leave.³ The Saints, led by Brigham Young and Heber C. Kimball in Joseph Smith’s absence, organized an evacuation effort centered in Far West, Caldwell County.⁴ Brigham urged the saints to help each other in the evacuation, creating a committee to gather supplies and plan routes to Illinois. The Saints supported each other to ensure everyone could escape Missouri by the spring of 1839.⁵

1. Letter to Heber C. Kimball and Brigham Young, 16 January 1839, josephsmithpapers.org

2. Letterbook 2, 1, josephsmithpapers.org

3. Saints, Volume 1, Chapter 32, 371-372

4. “Far West, Missouri,” josephsmithpapers.org; History, 1838–1856, volume C-1, 881-882, josephsmithpapers.org

5. Saints, Volume 1, Chapter 32, 375-382