Oliver Cowdery's Covenant; Possible Connection to Calls

21 June 2010

Dear Elder Call:

I am reading a book about Oliver Cowdery and this one chapter has a copy of the covenant that Oliver, Parley P. Pratt, Peter Whitmer, and Ziba Peterson made as they set out on their mission to the Lamanites in 1831. You may recall that this was the first major missionary effort in this dispensation, and on their way through Ohio they came upon Sydney Rigdon and the other Campbellites who were in the Kirtland area, ended up staying there for about six weeks, and baptized about 130 individuals.

As I read this I thought of you and feel to share it with you:

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I, Oliver, being commanded of the Lord God to go forth unto the Lamanites to proclaim glad tidings of great joy unto them by presenting unto them the fullness of the gospel of the only begotten son of God, and also to rear up a pillar as a witness where the temple of God shall be built in the glorious New Jerusalem; and having certain brothers with me who are called of God to assist me, whose names are Parley, Peter, and Ziba, do therefore most solemnly covenant before God that I will walk humbly before him and do this business and this glorious work according as he shall direct me by the Holy Ghost, ever praying for mine and their prosperity and deliverance from bonds and from imprisonments and whatsoever may befall us, with all patience and faith. Amen.

Oliver Cowdery

We, the undersigned, being called and commanded of the Lord God, to accompany our brother Oliver Cowdery to go to the Lamanites and to assist in the above mentioned glorious work and business; we do therefore most solemnly covenant before God that we will assist him faithfully in this thing by giving heed unto all his words and advice which are or shall be given him by the spirit of truth, ever praying with all prayer and supplication for our and his prosperity and our deliverance from bonds and imprisonments and whatsoever may come upon us, with all patience and faith. Amen.

P.P. Pratt
Ziba Peterson
Peter Whitmer

Signed in presence of
Joseph Smith, Jr.
David Whitmer

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Love,
Dad

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21 June 2010

Dear Dad,

That is way cool. Thank you for sharing it. I wish I could get back to reading Church History again. I really miss it a lot. But I am loving the scriptures more and more.

That mission really catapulted the spreading of the gospel. It is really neat.

I have always wondered about what kind of connection the Calls had to Sydney Rigdon and those that joined the Church. Cyril's daughter Samantha said that Sidney Rigdon, Almon Babbitt, and other early Church members were all good friends with Cyril Call's family. We know Cyril's father, Joseph, was a baptist preacher in the Grand River Baptist Association and taught with Sidney. Joseph Call died about 1821/22. Cyril's brother, Cyrus, was a Campbellite preacher also about the same time (but he never joined the Church). His other brother Rufus and his son Orvis were a part of Sidney's congregation. As far as we can tell Rufus never joined the Church but Orvis did. Orvis, I believe, was baptized in 1837. I can't remember where I read that. He could have been baptized earlier, and had a re-baptism. They did that sometimes back then.

Cyril and his sons Harvey and Anson (the two oldest) went and bought land in Missouri in 1838. Then Cyril left them there and went back to get the families in Ohio. They were making their way back in the winter of 1838 but stopped in Palmyra, MO (west of Quincey) due to the persecution. Then Anson came from Far West and they all went up to the Warsaw area. Orvis was with Cyril and the families on the trip to Missouri, but it looks like he died in Quincey about 1839, if I remember correctly. I was working on this family a little when I left so this is kind of sketchy. But it looks like Orvis' wife (Phoebe Tiffany- sister to Cyril's wife Sally) possibly remarried a man by the name of Star (or Starr). I think Orvis and Phoebe had two daughters. I don't think any of that family stuck with the Church, if they were even members.

I just love family history.

Thanks,
Elder Call

P.S. Some of that info could be off a bit because I haven't really done anything with family history for so long now.