Documents, Volume 7, Part 5 Introduction: 7 July–30 September 1840
Part 5: 7 July–30 September 1840
In summer 1840, the continued their efforts to develop the
area around , Illinois—the
gathering place of the church. By July 1840, approximately three
thousand Saints lived in Nauvoo, and an additional two thousand
lived across the in , Iowa Territory; many
more Saints resided in surrounding areas in , Illinois, and
in . As more people moved to the region, land sales
continued. Because so many Mormons purchased land on credit, church
leaders had ongoing concerns about paying off the debts they had
accrued obtaining the land. In July
JS
wrote to ,
one of the church’s creditors, to inform him of a new arrangement JS
made in April for approximately ninety acres
previously purchased from Hotchkiss and to affirm that church
leaders were committed “to meet all our engagements.”
Even as continued to
develop, the ague—later identified as malaria—still plagued the
area. JS delivered a discourse on 30 July 1840 attributing the
Saints’ illness partly to disunity and backbiting. He called on
church to fast and pray for power and then administer to
the sick for their healing. Despite having to
cope with disease, the church continued to progress. In July 1840, JS announced that the
church intended to build a in Nauvoo and declared that he foresaw Nauvoo
becoming a place where “the curious” would “come from all parts of
the world.” The authorized the creation of a at ,
Illinois, thirty miles east of Nauvoo, and welcomed back into the
fold , a once
prominent member who had been excommunicated in 1839.
During these months, oversaw the
printing and stereotyping of a new
edition of the Book of Mormon in , a task
for which
members and were
appointed to raise money. Such endeavors
reflected church leaders’ optimism during this period. In a letter to “the Saints Scattered Abroad,” the First
Presidency declared that, having “secured a location upon which we
have again commenced opperations for the good of” God’s people, they
felt “disposed to go forward and unite our energies for the
upbuilding of the kingdom.”
Even individuals who were not members of the church expressed interest in
’s development.
For example, , the quartermaster
general of the state militia, wrote a series of
letters to JS in July and August 1840,
declaring his desire to relocate to Nauvoo and join the church. JS
encouraged Bennett to come to Nauvoo, “the best & most beautiful
site for a city on the ,”
which Bennett did in early
September.
During summer 1840, JS also received letters from some
of the who were serving
missions. In September
wrote to JS from and informed him of the progress of his
mission and of ’s work producing the new
edition of the Book of Mormon. Page’s missionary
companion, , left Page in August and traveled east to . There he wrote
to church leaders to update them on his proselytizing efforts as
well as those of and in New Jersey and . Seven of the
apostles were proselytizing in , where
there were over 3,600 church members by October 1840. Some converts were
already migrating to the ,
hoping to gather with the Saints at . In July, , one of the
apostles in England, sent a lengthy letter to JS that provided an
update on the church’s progress in England as well as a detailed
account of Kimball’s journey there and his struggles with poor
health along the way. In September
and sent another report
on the social conditions, including the great poverty, in
England. Such
communications highlighted the success of the apostles’ efforts as
well as the challenges the missionaries—and new British members—were
facing.
JS received letters that were less positive from church
leaders in , Ohio. , the
presiding authority there, informed JS that , a member of the
, had been disparaging JS, , and some of the Kirtland Saints. Together with
other communications, Granger’s letter resulted in Babbitt appearing
before the high council
in September.
also wrote
from Kirtland to inform JS that missionary had, while passing
through the city, preached unusual doctrines and caused
consternation among non-Mormons by declaring his intention to preach
to the (American Indians). Some of
Dunham’s teachings reflected statements from a discourse JS delivered in July 1840 that had not yet reached
Kirtland.
Part 5 comprises twenty-four documents, most of which are correspondence
either to or from JS. This part also contains minutes
of meetings, reports of discourses, and a recommendation. Many of these documents were produced in
, but letters
came from other locations, including , , , and , Illinois.