Joseph Smith's Visionary Manifestation and Instruction Regarding the Appointment of the Twelve Apostles

On 14 February 1835, in Kirtland, Ohio, Joseph Smith convened a meeting of the veterans of the 1834 Camp of Israel (Zion's Camp) to announce that it was the will of God that the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles be established, noting that the time had arrived to implement the June 1829 revelation regarding their choosing. Joseph Smith stated that the meeting was commanded by God and made known to him by vision and the Holy Spirit. While the initial record of this meeting was brief, historical records confirm it was a foundational event where the Apostles were called and ordained. Subsequent meetings, such as the one on 27 February 1835, were held to instruct the new quorum on the importance of maintaining accurate records of their proceedings as law, covenant, and doctrine, leading to the formal appointment of William E. McLellin and Orson Hyde as clerks. These quorum members were eventually sent on their first mission to the eastern states to 'unlock the kingdom of heaven to foreign nations,' a mission established through further visionary instruction and organizational oversight by Joseph Smith.

Fuller account of this event (as retold in The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star, Vol. 15, No. 13, 26 March 1853):

President Smith then stated that the meeting had been called, because God had commanded it; and it was made known to him by vision and by the Holy Spirit, that the Twelve Apostles were to be chosen, and that they were to be chosen from among those who had stood up for the redemption of Zion, and had endured great tribulation for the cause of God. He then said that the Twelve were to be chosen from among the members of the Camp of Israel. The Presidency then proceeded to select the Twelve, and they were chosen as follows: Lyman E. Johnson, Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, Orson Hyde, David W. Patten, Luke S. Johnson, William E. McLellin, John F. Boynton, Orson Pratt, William Smith, Thomas B. Marsh, and Parley P. Pratt.