George Laub’s Journal
You don’t have to be a prominent figure to provide valuable information to the historical record. In this post, Steven Hepworth describes the uniquely valuable journals of George Laub, an average Church member during the Nauvoo era.
The Church History Library contains many records that can be helpful to researchers. In a previous blog post, Keith Erekson reviewed some different record types. Local unit records, manuscripts, oral histories, published items, and other materials in the library give researchers a unique glimpse at Church history by providing access to the religious experiences, activities, and reminiscences of Church members around the world.
One such collection contains George Laub’s journals, which he donated to the Church Historian’s Office around 1858. Laub was a Pennsylvanian convert to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Although he never rose to prominent positions in Church leadership and is not well known in Church history, his Nauvoo-era journal highlights important scenes and pivotal moments of the period found nowhere else. The library has two copies of his journal covering the Nauvoo period: the original (MS 9628) and a revised copy (MS 1983).
On April 7, 1844, George Laub was present during Joseph Smith’s general conference address to the Church. Joseph spoke on the recent passing of King Follett, an elder of the Church, and used the occasion to speak about death, eternal progression, and the nature of Deity (for more information on this sermon, see the article “Accounts of the ‘King Follett Sermon’” on the Joseph Smith Papers website). Laub, among others, recorded the sermon. Some 20 days later, Hyrum Smith gave a sermon on the plurality of Gods, echoing much of what his brother the Prophet had taught. Laub recorded this sermon as well, and his account is the only known extant copy.
Laub chronicled the events leading up to the murders of Joseph and Hyrum Smith as well as community reactions afterward. He detailed the deliberations Joseph Smith made with the Nauvoo City Council regarding the destruction of a printing press. Laub wrote of the Prophet’s address to the Nauvoo Legion and captured the intense spirit of that gathering. He noted the incarceration and murder of Joseph and Hyrum, stating, “Here fell Two as good men as Ever trod, this Earth Save Jesus Christ our Elder Brother.”1
Laub was a front-row observer of the leadership succession crisis that took place after the death of the Prophet. He recorded Sidney Rigdon’s speech, given in the Seventies Hall in Nauvoo, in which Rigdon argued why Church leadership was his prerogative. Laub captured the moment that Rigdon called for a vote: “Just about the time that the Vote was to be taken for him [Rigdon] to be president & guardien, . . . I felt to praise God to See Bro Brigham Young walk upon the stand then. . . . Now when President Young arose to address the congregation his Voice was the voice of Bro. Joseph and his face appeared as Joseph’s face & Should I not have seen his face but herd his Voice I Should have declared that it was Joseph.”2
Laub’s observation of the transfiguration of Brigham Young into Joseph Smith is one of the earliest existing accounts of this phenomenon. However, it was not included in his original journal. He added it to his revised journal written for and donated to the Church Historian’s Office around 1858. This journal gives a boots-on-the-ground view of the stage and the actors vying for leadership and control of a church bereft of its prophet.
A final, important contribution Laub made to his Nauvoo-era journal was the transcription of a speech given by Brigham Young in December 1844 at the Seventies Hall. Four months after Rigdon had made his case for leadership in the very same building, Young declared to those gathered, “Follow me & I will lead you into the Kingdom & If I do not then my Soul for yours.”3 Laub’s recording again demonstrates his knack for recording sermons no one else did; his is the only known copy of the speech.
George Laub’s journal concludes with his preparations for and experience during his exodus from Nauvoo as well as entries about settling Utah. It captures significant words and significant moments from the concluding years of Mormon life in Nauvoo. Laub migrated to the Salt Lake Valley and later helped settle St. George, Utah. He remained faithful to the Church his entire life.
Laub’s journal is representative of the journals and manuscripts housed at the Church History Library and is a good case study in the fascinating and important resources found at the library. Journals like this one grant researchers a peek into Nauvoo life from the view of its common citizens. Search the Church History Catalog or come to the library and see how our collections can meet your research needs.
For more information about George Laub, you can read his third journal (MS 20209), which contains entries about his life in Utah, or read his page on the Mormon Pioneer Overland Travel database.
[1] George Laub journal (MS 1983), 54, Church History Library, Salt Lake City. All quotations from Laub’s journal retain the original spelling, punctuation, and capitalization.
[2] George Laub journal (MS 1983), 90–91.
[3] George Laub journal (MS 1983), 60.