Part 2: 5 April–15 June 1841

Progress in developing the city of , Illinois, continued through late spring and into summer 1841. Both the city council and the militia had been formally organized and were functioning efficiently. JS had sent to the eastern to attend to debt repayment on lands in and , and plans for repayment appeared to be proceeding. A celebratory spirit pervaded the city in April when JS presided over two significant events: on 6 April, the eleventh anniversary of the , a ceremony was held to lay the cornerstones for the Nauvoo , and the church’s general followed over the next five days. During the same month, JS and the Saints mourned the untimely death of William Henry Harrison, president of the United States, who had died on 4 April 1841. JS continued to be involved in land management, and in April he began corresponding with , a church member in who sought JS’s help in acquiring land in Nauvoo for his relocation. Meanwhile, JS continued to participate actively in both the and the Nauvoo City Council.

Missionary efforts abroad continued during this time period. was among those serving overseas, and he documented his trek to Palestine in his letters to JS. JS corresponded with individual church members outside of , and he also sent a general letter to the Saints abroad, encouraging them to gather to . Recognizing growing opposition to the church, JS canceled his subscription to ’s Warsaw Signal after Sharp published antagonistic articles about the Latter-day Saints. JS’s financial and familial responsibilities expanded in early June, when he took on the guardianship of the estate and children of , a recent convert who lived in , Illinois, but had passed away shortly after moving there in 1839. After Lawrence’s death, his eldest children, and , chose JS to be their guardian, and probate judge Andrew Miller officially appointed JS as guardian for all seven of the Lawrence children. Also in early June, JS was arrested and then released during an attempt by former governor to have JS extradited from .