Wilford Woodruff’s Witness of Joseph Smith’s Final Charge and Bestowal of Keys on the Apostles

In the spring of 1844 in Nauvoo, Joseph Smith met with the Twelve Apostles and gave what became known as his final charge. Wilford Woodruff later testified that Joseph stood for about three hours, “clothed upon with the Spirit and power of God,” and declared that he had laid the foundation of the kingdom, organized the Church, and conferred the keys and ordinances of the last dispensation upon the Apostles. Joseph charged them to carry on the work and bear off the kingdom. The meeting was confidential, and participants had been placed under an oath of secrecy. Woodruff’s later recollections describe the meeting as a powerful spiritual manifestation and affirm that responsibility for the work devolved upon the Twelve. A further account, published after an excursion of Salt Lake Temple workers, records Woodruff’s testimony of receiving his temple endowments and priesthood keys from Joseph Smith, and identifies him as the only then-living man who had done so. Zina D. Young and thirteen others were also reported to have corroborated hearing Joseph state that responsibility for the work devolved upon the Twelve. Woodruff additionally recalled that he and Brigham Young were in Boston when they learned of Joseph’s death, describing the spiritual darkness and grief that followed; these recollections provide context for his testimony but concern the same final charge and bestowal of keys. People named across the accounts include Joseph Smith, Wilford Woodruff, the Twelve Apostles, Zina D. Young, Brigham Young, Lorenzo Snow, George Q. Cannon, and Joseph F. Smith.