on the other hand, some recent mormon historians accept smith's history as correct and consistent with other historical records showing that other mormons present at the conference dated the restoration of the melchizedek priesthood to 1831. this conference had been a very significant event in the early church history, coming soon after the conversion of sidney rigdon, who believed that mormon missionaries lacked the necessary power to adequately preach the gospel. thus, in january 1831, smith issued a revelation where he wrote that after mormons relocated to kirtland, ohio, they would "be endowed with power from on high" and "sent forth". in a revelation given to an individual, smith assured the man that "at the conference meeting he [would] be ordained unto power from on high". one of smith's associates that was present at the conference expressed the view that this ordination "consisted [of] the endowment--it being a new order--and bestowed authority", and later that year, an early convert who had left the church claimed that many of the saints "have been ordained to the high priesthood, or the order of melchizedek; and profess to be endowed with the same power as the ancient apostles were". in 1835, the historical record was muddled a bit when the first edition of the doctrine and covenants altered pre-1831 revelations to make a distinction between the aaronic and melchizedek priesthoods, and to classify the offices of elder and apostle as part of the melchizedek priesthood.