The Papers
Browse the PapersDocumentsJournalsAdministrative RecordsRevelations and TranslationsHistoriesLegal RecordsFinancial RecordsOther Contemporary Papers
Reference
PeoplePlacesEventsGlossaryLegal GlossaryFinancial GlossaryCalendar of DocumentsWorks CitedFeatured TopicsLesson PlansRelated Publications
Media
VideosPhotographsIllustrationsChartsMapsPodcasts
News
Current NewsArchiveNewsletterSubscribeJSP Conferences
About
About the ProjectJoseph Smith and His PapersFAQAwardsEndorsementsReviewsEditorial MethodNote on TranscriptionsNote on Images of People and PlacesReferencing the ProjectCiting This WebsiteProject TeamContact Us
Published Volumes
  1. Home > 
  2. Introduction to Documents, Volume 14: 1 January–15 May 1844

Joseph Smith Documents from 1 January through 15 May 1844

For Joseph Smith and his family and friends in
Nauvoo

Principal gathering place for Saints following expulsion from Missouri. Beginning in 1839, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints purchased lands in earlier settlement of Commerce and planned settlement of Commerce City, as well as surrounding areas....

More Info
, Illinois, the story of 1844 was one of overriding conflict. During the months treated in this volume—from the beginning of the year to mid-May—tensions continued to escalate between the
Latter-day Saints

The Book of Mormon related that when Christ set up his church in the Americas, “they which were baptized in the name of Jesus, were called the church of Christ.” The first name used to denote the church JS organized on 6 April 1830 was “the Church of Christ...

View Glossary
and their neighbors in
Illinois

Became part of Northwest Territory of U.S., 1787. Admitted as state, 1818. Population in 1840 about 480,000. Population in 1845 about 660,000. Plentiful, inexpensive land attracted settlers from northern and southern states. Following expulsion from Missouri...

More Info
,
Missouri

Area acquired by U.S. in Louisiana Purchase, 1803, and established as territory, 1812. Missouri Compromise, 1820, admitted Missouri as slave state, 1821. Population in 1830 about 140,000; in 1836 about 240,000; and in 1840 about 380,000. Latter-day Saint ...

More Info
, and
Iowa Territory

Area acquired by U.S. in Louisiana Purchase, 1803. First permanent white settlements established, ca. 1833. Organized as territory, 1838, containing all of present-day Iowa, much of present-day Minnesota, and parts of North and South Dakota. Population in...

More Info
. In addition to dealing with regional antipathy, Smith wrestled with internal strife as he confronted increasing animosity from former church and civic leaders, once his friends and associates. Despite these obstacles, he bolstered the church and the Nauvoo community, expanded the Saints’ theological understanding with new doctrine and revelations, corresponded with missionaries in the
United States

North American constitutional republic. Constitution ratified, 17 Sept. 1787. Population in 1805 about 6,000,000; in 1830 about 13,000,000; and in 1844 about 20,000,000. Louisiana Purchase, 1803, doubled size of U.S. Consisted of seventeen states at time ...

More Info
and Great Britain, and participated in the creation of a new theocratic governing body known as the
Council of Fifty

An organization intended to establish the political kingdom of God on the earth. An 1842 editorial in the church newspaper stated that the “design of Jehovah” was to “take the reigns of government into his own hand.” On 10 and 11 March 1844, JS and several...

View Glossary
. After receiving unsatisfactory answers from potential candidates for the
United States

North American constitutional republic. Constitution ratified, 17 Sept. 1787. Population in 1805 about 6,000,000; in 1830 about 13,000,000; and in 1844 about 20,000,000. Louisiana Purchase, 1803, doubled size of U.S. Consisted of seventeen states at time ...

More Info
presidency on how they would address persecution of the Saints if elected, Joseph Smith announced his own campaign for the country’s highest political office. He continued to lead the church, command Nauvoo’s militia unit, and serve as mayor of the city. As mayor, Smith not only sat with the city council on matters of legislation but presided over the mayor’s court and municipal court—all while himself becoming increasingly embroiled in litigation. The ninety-nine letters, deeds, accounts of discourses, minutes of meetings, memorials to the nation’s leaders, poems, and other documents in this volume tell of a tumultuous period in Joseph Smith’s life and depict a region on the brink of civil war.
Fresh conflict ignited between the Saints and their neighbors in the area after church member
Margaret Adams Avery

View Full Bio

brought tidings to
Nauvoo

Principal gathering place for Saints following expulsion from Missouri. Beginning in 1839, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints purchased lands in earlier settlement of Commerce and planned settlement of Commerce City, as well as surrounding areas....

More Info
on 5 December 1843. She bore news that her husband and son,
Daniel

1 July 1797–16 Oct. 1851. Farmer, carpenter. Born in Oswego Co., New York. Son of Daniel Avery and Sarah. Moved to Franklin Co., Ohio, by 1821. Married Margaret Adams, 4 Jan. 1821, in Franklin Co. Moved to Worthington, Franklin Co., by Sept. 1825; to Perry...

View Full Bio
and
Philander

13 June 1822 or 1823–9 May 1907. Farmer. Born in Franklin Co., Ohio. Son of Daniel Avery and Margaret Adams. Moved to Worthington, Franklin Co., by Sept. 1825; to Perry, Franklin Co., by June 1830; to Colwell, Schuyler Co., Illinois, 1832; to Rushville, Schuyler...

View Full Bio
, had been abducted from their homes in
Bear Creek Precinct

Named after stream that rises near Carthage, Illinois, and flows southwest into Mississippi River. JS arrested in area, 5 June 1841, by Adams Co., Illinois, sheriff Thomas King, acting on warrant from Illinois governor Thomas Carlin, who planned to deliver...

More Info
(a small settlement in southern
Hancock County

Formed from Pike Co., 1825. Described in 1837 as predominantly prairie and “deficient in timber.” Early settlers came mainly from mid-Atlantic and southern states. Population in 1835 about 3,200; in 1840 about 9,900; and in 1844 at least 15,000. Carthage ...

More Info
, Illinois) and conveyed across the
Mississippi River

Principal U.S. river running southward from Itasca Lake, Minnesota, to Gulf of Mexico. Covered 3,160-mile course, 1839 (now about 2,350 miles). Drains about 1,100,000 square miles. Steamboat travel on Mississippi very important in 1830s and 1840s for shipping...

More Info
on allegations of horse stealing several years earlier in
Missouri

Area acquired by U.S. in Louisiana Purchase, 1803, and established as territory, 1812. Missouri Compromise, 1820, admitted Missouri as slave state, 1821. Population in 1830 about 140,000; in 1836 about 240,000; and in 1840 about 380,000. Latter-day Saint ...

More Info
.
1

JS, Journal, 5 Dec. 1843.


Although both men returned safely to their homes by the end of the year, the kidnappings set off a flurry of activity in Nauvoo and the surrounding area. Joseph Smith ordered the
Nauvoo Legion

A contingent of the Illinois state militia provided for in the Nauvoo city charter. The Nauvoo Legion was organized into two cohorts: one infantry and one cavalry. Each cohort could potentially comprise several thousand men and was overseen by a brigadier...

View Glossary
, the city’s independent unit of the
Illinois

Became part of Northwest Territory of U.S., 1787. Admitted as state, 1818. Population in 1840 about 480,000. Population in 1845 about 660,000. Plentiful, inexpensive land attracted settlers from northern and southern states. Following expulsion from Missouri...

More Info
state militia, to be ready to defend against possible attack.
2

Historical Introduction to Letter to Thomas Ford, 1 Jan. 1844; Military Order to Wilson Law, 8 Dec. 1843; see also “Part 5: December 1843.”


Later in the month, local state militia leader
Levi Williams

18 Apr. 1794–27 Nov. 1860. Postmaster, farmer, military officer. Born in Madison Co., Kentucky. Married Mary (Polly) Reid. Moved to Hancock Co., Illinois, ca. 1831, eventually settling in Green Plains. Served in Black Hawk War, 1832. Served as captain in ...

View Full Bio
(who was also one of the Averys’ abductors) gathered an opposing force near
Warsaw

Located at foot of Des Moines rapids of Mississippi River at site of three military forts: Fort Johnson (1814), Cantonment Davis (1815–1818), and Fort Edwards (1816–1824). First settlers participated in fur trade. Important trade and shipping center. Post...

More Info
, Illinois.
3

JS, Journal, 18 Dec. 1843; Willard Richards, Affidavit, Nauvoo, IL, 18 Dec. 1843, JS Office Papers, CHL.


Fearing that the Avery abductions foreshadowed yet another attempt by Missouri officials to extradite Smith, the Nauvoo City Council passed extensive legislation that aimed to protect him and other Nauvoo citizens from violence and outside legal process.
4

Missouri officials had already attempted to extradite Joseph Smith three times. The first and third attempts were on the charge of treason in connection with the 1838 conflict between Latter-day Saints and Missourians antagonistic to the church. The second extradition attempt was based on Smith’s alleged complicity in the attempted assassination of former Missouri governor Lilburn W. Boggs in 1842. (See Memorial to the United States Senate and House of Representatives, ca. 30 Oct. 1839–27 Jan. 1840; Lilburn W. Boggs, Requisition, Jefferson City, MO, 1 Sept. 1840, Extradition of JS et al. for Treason and Other Crimes [Warren Co. Cir. Ct. 1841], Joseph Smith Extradition Records, Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library, Springfield, IL; “The Late Proceedings,” Times and Seasons, 15 June 1841, 2:447–449; Petition to Nauvoo Municipal Court, 30 June 1843; and JS, Journal, 8 Aug. 1842.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Times and Seasons. Commerce/Nauvoo, IL. Nov. 1839–Feb. 1846.

At the same time, the Saints and others in the community petitioned the federal government for military protection and territorial powers for the city.
The new year dawned with Joseph Smith in continued correspondence with
Illinois

Became part of Northwest Territory of U.S., 1787. Admitted as state, 1818. Population in 1840 about 480,000. Population in 1845 about 660,000. Plentiful, inexpensive land attracted settlers from northern and southern states. Following expulsion from Missouri...

More Info
governor
Thomas Ford

5 Dec. 1800–3 Nov. 1850. Schoolteacher, newspaperman, lawyer, politician, judge, author. Born in Uniontown, Fayette Co., Pennsylvania. Son of Robert Ford and Elizabeth Logue Forquer. Moved to St. Louis, 1804; to New Design (later American Bottom), Randolph...

View Full Bio
about the kidnappings and how the Saints should respond to the threat of armed conflict.
5

For Smith’s earlier correspondence with Ford, see Letter to Thomas Ford, 11 Dec. 1843; and Letter from Thomas Ford, 12 Dec. 1843.


Smith promised Ford that if violence ensued the aggressors would be Missourians and “disaffected Illinoisans” and swore that
Nauvoo

Principal gathering place for Saints following expulsion from Missouri. Beginning in 1839, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints purchased lands in earlier settlement of Commerce and planned settlement of Commerce City, as well as surrounding areas....

More Info
’s citizens would not “move without counsel, and not then but for self defence.”
6

Letter to Thomas Ford, 1 Jan. 1844.


Apparently receiving correspondence from community leaders on both sides of the conflict, Governor Ford responded with a plea to all citizens of
Hancock County

Formed from Pike Co., 1825. Described in 1837 as predominantly prairie and “deficient in timber.” Early settlers came mainly from mid-Atlantic and southern states. Population in 1835 about 3,200; in 1840 about 9,900; and in 1844 at least 15,000. Carthage ...

More Info
to keep the peace and a warning that he would take action against any assailants. Although Ford’s letter seems to have been addressed to the editor of the Warsaw Signal, it was soon printed in both of Nauvoo’s newspapers, the Times and Seasons and the Nauvoo Neighbor, with a laudatory introduction in an article titled “Pacific Innuendo.”
7

Thomas Ford, Letter, Springfield, IL, 29 Jan. 1844, Collection of Manuscripts about Mormons, 1832–1954, Chicago History Museum; Editorial, 16–17 Feb. 1844.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Manuscripts about Mormons at Chicago History Museum, Research Center, ca. 1832–1954. Microfilm. Chicago Historical Society.

Seeing in Ford’s instruction an opportunity for the region to rest from hostility, the editorial proclaimed, “Our motto then, is, peace with all. If we have joy in the love of God, let us try to give a reason of that joy, which all the world cannot gainsay or resist.”
8

Editorial, 16–17 Feb. 1844, italics in original.


The
county

Formed from Pike Co., 1825. Described in 1837 as predominantly prairie and “deficient in timber.” Early settlers came mainly from mid-Atlantic and southern states. Population in 1835 about 3,200; in 1840 about 9,900; and in 1844 at least 15,000. Carthage ...

More Info
settled into a tenuous peace, and in early February the
Nauvoo

Principal gathering place for Saints following expulsion from Missouri. Beginning in 1839, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints purchased lands in earlier settlement of Commerce and planned settlement of Commerce City, as well as surrounding areas....

More Info
City Council passed an ordinance repealing two of the protective ordinances it had passed in December 1843. Originally created because of the “
Missouri

Area acquired by U.S. in Louisiana Purchase, 1803, and established as territory, 1812. Missouri Compromise, 1820, admitted Missouri as slave state, 1821. Population in 1830 about 140,000; in 1836 about 240,000; and in 1840 about 380,000. Latter-day Saint ...

More Info
difficulties,” the first of these ordinances stipulated that any law officers coming to Nauvoo intending to arrest Joseph Smith based on charges stemming from the earlier Missouri conflicts would themselves be subject to arrest. If found guilty, the offenders would be imprisoned for life, subject to pardon only by the governor with the consent of the mayor of Nauvoo, who, at the time, was Smith.
9

Ordinance, 8 Dec. 1843.


The second ordinance required that any warrant issued outside of Nauvoo be examined and approved by the mayor prior to being executed within the city.
10

Ordinance, 21 Dec. 1843.


The city council deemed these radical ordinances necessary due to an apparent “determined resolution by the State of Missouri to continue these unjust, illegal, and murderous demands for the body of General Joseph Smith.”
11

Ordinance, 8 Dec. 1843.


The two ordinances quickly met with opposition in the region.
12

See, for example, “Nauvoo City Council—Gen. Joseph Smith—Special Privileges, &c,” Quincy (IL) Whig, 27 Dec. 1843, [2]; “Meeting of Citizens at Carthage,” Warsaw (IL) Message, Extra, 17 Jan. 1844, [2]–[3]; and “The Mormons and Their Prophet—Legislation at Nauvoo—The Temple,” Quincy Whig, 21 Feb. 1844, [1].


Comprehensive Works Cited

Quincy Whig. Quincy, IL. 1838–1856.

Warsaw Message. Warsaw, IL. 1843–1844.

Possibly fearing that the criticism would engender antipathy among Nauvoo’s neighbors, the city council repealed the ordinances in February 1844, stating that the ordinances “have had their desired effect in preserving the peace happiness, persons and property of the Citizens of Nauvoo according to their intent and meaning.”
13

Ordinance, 12 Feb. 1844.


A desire for government protection stayed foremost in the minds of
Nauvoo

Principal gathering place for Saints following expulsion from Missouri. Beginning in 1839, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints purchased lands in earlier settlement of Commerce and planned settlement of Commerce City, as well as surrounding areas....

More Info
’s citizens due to the perennially unresolved issue of redress for the
Saints

The Book of Mormon related that when Christ set up his church in the Americas, “they which were baptized in the name of Jesus, were called the church of Christ.” The first name used to denote the church JS organized on 6 April 1830 was “the Church of Christ...

View Glossary
’ losses when they were expelled from
Missouri

Area acquired by U.S. in Louisiana Purchase, 1803, and established as territory, 1812. Missouri Compromise, 1820, admitted Missouri as slave state, 1821. Population in 1830 about 140,000; in 1836 about 240,000; and in 1840 about 380,000. Latter-day Saint ...

More Info
as well as recent tensions within
Illinois

Became part of Northwest Territory of U.S., 1787. Admitted as state, 1818. Population in 1840 about 480,000. Population in 1845 about 660,000. Plentiful, inexpensive land attracted settlers from northern and southern states. Following expulsion from Missouri...

More Info
. During the first half of 1844, Joseph Smith and other church and civic leaders simultaneously sought to enlist the aid of the
United States

North American constitutional republic. Constitution ratified, 17 Sept. 1787. Population in 1805 about 6,000,000; in 1830 about 13,000,000; and in 1844 about 20,000,000. Louisiana Purchase, 1803, doubled size of U.S. Consisted of seventeen states at time ...

More Info
government and to explore options for relocating outside the country, if necessary. In late 1843, Smith wrote to five men expected to run for the United States presidency, asking each what he would do for the Saints if elected.
14

Historical Introduction to Letter to John C. Calhoun, 4 Nov. 1843.


John C. Calhoun

18 Mar. 1782–31 Mar. 1850. Lawyer, politician. Born near Hutchinson’s Mill, Ninety-Sixth District (later Calhoun Mill, Mount Carmel, McCormick Co.), South Carolina. Son of Patrick Calhoun and Martha Caldwell. Graduated from Yale, 1804, in New Haven, New Haven...

View Full Bio
,
Lewis Cass

9 Oct. 1782–17 June 1866. Teacher, lawyer, soldier, author, politician. Born in Exeter, Rockingham Co., New Hampshire. Son of Jonathan Cass and Mary Gilman. Attended Phillips Academy, 1792–1799, in Exeter, where he also taught. Teacher in Wilmington, New ...

View Full Bio
, and
Henry Clay

12 Apr. 1777–29 June 1852. Lawyer, public speaker, professor, statesman, politician. Born in Hanover Co., Virginia. Son of John Clay and Elizabeth Hudson. Episcopalian. Admitted to Virginia bar, Nov. 1797. Moved to Lexington, Fayette Co., Kentucky, Nov. 1797...

View Full Bio
responded but did not commit to assist the Saints.
15

Letter from John C. Calhoun, 2 Dec. 1843; Letter from Lewis Cass, 9 Dec. 1843; Letter from Henry Clay, 15 Nov. 1843.


Consequently, on 29 January 1844, Joseph Smith met with members of the
Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

Members of a governing body in the church, with special administrative and proselytizing responsibilities. A June 1829 revelation commanded Oliver Cowdery and David Whitmer to call twelve disciples, similar to the twelve apostles in the New Testament and ...

View Glossary
and other Nauvoo leaders to discuss the upcoming election. The assembled men determined to put forward their own presidential candidate and selected Smith as their nominee.
16

Minutes and Discourse, 29 Jan. 1844.


Scribe
Willard Richards

24 June 1804–11 Mar. 1854. Teacher, lecturer, doctor, clerk, printer, editor, postmaster. Born at Hopkinton, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts. Son of Joseph Richards and Rhoda Howe. Moved to Richmond, Berkshire Co., Massachusetts, 1813; to Chatham, Columbia Co...

View Full Bio
recorded Smith’s response to his nomination: “Tell the people we have had whig & democrats presidnts long enough we want a Presedint of the Unitd States If I ever get in the presedental [presidential] chair— I will protect the people in their rights & libe[r]ties.”
17

JS, Journal, 29 Jan. 1844.


Joseph Smith’s campaign features prominently in the documents produced during the final months of his life—in correspondence with missionaries and interested outsiders, in discourses and meeting minutes, and in his published platform. The twelve-page pamphlet General Smith’s Views of the Powers and Policy of the Government of the United States outlined plans for constitutional, economic, and social reform. His proposals included the abolition of slavery, the expansion of the
United States

North American constitutional republic. Constitution ratified, 17 Sept. 1787. Population in 1805 about 6,000,000; in 1830 about 13,000,000; and in 1844 about 20,000,000. Louisiana Purchase, 1803, doubled size of U.S. Consisted of seventeen states at time ...

More Info
’ territorial holdings, and the bolstering of federal authority in state affairs.
18

General Smith’s Views of the Powers and Policy of the Government of the United States, ca. 26 Jan.–7 Feb. 1844.


In Smith’s call for constitutional reform, he primarily advocated for empowering the president of the United States to dispatch the army to suppress mobs in individual states without first receiving a request from a state’s governor to do so. Smith’s proposal for economic reform centered on banking. He recommended the establishment of a national bank with branches in every state and territory. Regarding slavery, Joseph Smith proposed that the federal government phase out the practice by 1850 through gradual manumission and the compensation of slaveholders with money raised by the federal government through the sale of its public lands in the West. As soon as the pamphlet was printed, citizens of
Nauvoo

Principal gathering place for Saints following expulsion from Missouri. Beginning in 1839, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints purchased lands in earlier settlement of Commerce and planned settlement of Commerce City, as well as surrounding areas....

More Info
held a meeting on the second floor of Smith’s
store

Located in lower portion of Nauvoo (the flats) along bank of Mississippi River. Completed 1841. Opened for business, 5 Jan. 1842. Owned by JS, but managed mostly by others, after 1842. First floor housed JS’s general store and counting room, where tithing...

More Info
, during which they prayed that the pamphlet “might be [s]pread far & wide— & be the means of op[en]ing the hea[r]ts of th[e] people.”
19

JS, Journal, 25 Feb. 1844.


A large force of hundreds of missionaries was soon appointed to canvass the country, campaigning for Smith and spreading information about his political platform.
20

Church clerk Thomas Bullock recorded the names of over 270 electioneering missionaries appointed at a meeting on 9 April 1844. The 15 April 1844 issue of the Times and Seasons listed 339 names and assignments. Ultimately, the church sent out nearly 400 of these missionaries. (Historian’s Office, General Church Minutes, 6–9 Apr. 1844, 34–39; “Special Conference,” Times and Seasons, 15 Apr. 1844, 5:504–506; Robertson, “Campaign and the Kingdom,” 177–180.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Historian’s Office. General Church Minutes, 1839–1877. CHL

Times and Seasons. Commerce/Nauvoo, IL. Nov. 1839–Feb. 1846.

Robertson, Margaret C. “The Campaign and the Kingdom: The Activities of the Electioneers in Joseph Smith’s Presidential Campaign.” BYU Studies 39 no. 3 (2000): 147–180.

In addition to seeking to elect Joseph Smith as president, the Saints continued to appeal to the federal government for more immediate protections. The
Nauvoo

Principal gathering place for Saints following expulsion from Missouri. Beginning in 1839, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints purchased lands in earlier settlement of Commerce and planned settlement of Commerce City, as well as surrounding areas....

More Info
City Council sent apostle
Orson Pratt

19 Sept. 1811–3 Oct. 1881. Farmer, writer, teacher, merchant, surveyor, editor, publisher. Born at Hartford, Washington Co., New York. Son of Jared Pratt and Charity Dickinson. Moved to New Lebanon, Columbia Co., New York, 1814; to Canaan, Columbia Co., fall...

View Full Bio
—a city councilor—to
Washington DC

Created as district for seat of U.S. federal government by act of Congress, 1790, and named Washington DC, 1791. Named in honor of George Washington. Headquarters of executive, legislative, and judicial branches of U.S. government relocated to Washington ...

More Info
to deliver a memorial to Congress requesting that Nauvoo be granted the rights and powers belonging to a territory of the
United States

North American constitutional republic. Constitution ratified, 17 Sept. 1787. Population in 1805 about 6,000,000; in 1830 about 13,000,000; and in 1844 about 20,000,000. Louisiana Purchase, 1803, doubled size of U.S. Consisted of seventeen states at time ...

More Info
. The memorial also requested that federal troops be made available to protect Nauvoo citizens in case of aggression from their neighbors.
21

Authorization for Orson Pratt, 12 Mar. 1844; Memorial to the United States Senate and House of Representatives, ca. 16 Dec. 1843–12 Feb. 1844.


Another memorial proposed a bill that would authorize Smith “to raise a Company of one hundred thousand armed volunteers, in the United States and Territories,” to protect American interests on the western frontier.
22

Memorial to the United States Senate and House of Representatives, ca. 24–26 Mar. 1844.


As part of the effort to secure the Saints’ position in the
Illinois

Became part of Northwest Territory of U.S., 1787. Admitted as state, 1818. Population in 1840 about 480,000. Population in 1845 about 660,000. Plentiful, inexpensive land attracted settlers from northern and southern states. Following expulsion from Missouri...

More Info
region, Smith commissioned scribe
William W. Phelps

17 Feb. 1792–7 Mar. 1872. Writer, teacher, printer, newspaper editor, publisher, postmaster, lawyer. Born at Hanover, Morris Co., New Jersey. Son of Enon Phelps and Mehitabel Goldsmith. Moved to Homer, Cortland Co., New York, 1800. Married Sally Waterman,...

View Full Bio
to write an open letter to the citizens of
Missouri

Area acquired by U.S. in Louisiana Purchase, 1803, and established as territory, 1812. Missouri Compromise, 1820, admitted Missouri as slave state, 1821. Population in 1830 about 140,000; in 1836 about 240,000; and in 1840 about 380,000. Latter-day Saint ...

More Info
extolling the virtues of peace and requesting that they make restitution.
23

Letter to Citizens of Missouri, 8 Mar. 1844.


Even as Joseph Smith and other leaders sought to protect the Latter-day Saints in
Nauvoo

Principal gathering place for Saints following expulsion from Missouri. Beginning in 1839, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints purchased lands in earlier settlement of Commerce and planned settlement of Commerce City, as well as surrounding areas....

More Info
, they began to explore options for relocating the Saints outside of the
United States

North American constitutional republic. Constitution ratified, 17 Sept. 1787. Population in 1805 about 6,000,000; in 1830 about 13,000,000; and in 1844 about 20,000,000. Louisiana Purchase, 1803, doubled size of U.S. Consisted of seventeen states at time ...

More Info
.
Bishop

An ecclesiastical and priesthood office. JS appointed Edward Partridge as the first bishop in February 1831. Following this appointment, Partridge functioned as the local leader of the church in Missouri. Later revelations described a bishop’s duties as receiving...

View Glossary
George Miller

25 Nov. 1794–after July 1856. Carpenter, mill operator, lumber dealer, steamboat owner. Born near Stanardsville, Orange Co., Virginia. Son of John Miller and Margaret Pfeiffer. Moved to Augusta Co., Virginia, 1798; to Madison Co., Kentucky, 1806; to Boone...

View Full Bio
and apostle
Lyman Wight

9 May 1796–31 Mar. 1858. Farmer. Born at Fairfield, Herkimer Co., New York. Son of Levi Wight Jr. and Sarah Corbin. Served in War of 1812. Married Harriet Benton, 5 Jan. 1823, at Henrietta, Monroe Co., New York. Moved to Warrensville, Cuyahoga Co., Ohio, ...

View Full Bio
, the leaders of the church’s lumber operations in
Wisconsin Territory

Area settled by French, before 1700. Became part of U.S. by Treaty of Paris, 1783. Territory officially formed, 1836, with Belmont established as capital. Capital moved to present-day Burlington, Iowa, 1837. Territory initially included all or part of present...

More Info
, wrote to Smith recommending that the church send an expedition to scout the
Republic of Texas

France established colony in area, 1685. First Spanish settlement created, 1718. After Mexican War of Independence from Spain, 1821, area became part of Mexico and immigration increased. Conflict between Mexican government and Texian residents resulted in...

More Info
as a possible gathering place.
24

Letter from Lyman Wight and Others, 15 Feb. 1844–A; Letter from Lyman Wight and Others, 15 Feb. 1844–B.


The day following the receipt and discussion of these letters, Smith and other Nauvoo leaders formally established an organization that would soon be known as the
Council of Fifty

An organization intended to establish the political kingdom of God on the earth. An 1842 editorial in the church newspaper stated that the “design of Jehovah” was to “take the reigns of government into his own hand.” On 10 and 11 March 1844, JS and several...

View Glossary
.
25

JS, Journal, 10–11 Mar. 1844; Council of Fifty, “Record,” 11 Mar. 1844.


Joseph Smith chaired the growing assembly of men—eventually numbering approximately fifty—whose purpose was to form the nucleus of a theocratic government meant to secure the protection of the Saints’ religious and civil rights and to prepare the world for the millennial return of Jesus Christ.
Sidney Rigdon

19 Feb. 1793–14 July 1876. Tanner, farmer, minister. Born at St. Clair, Allegheny Co., Pennsylvania. Son of William Rigdon and Nancy Gallaher. Joined United Baptists, ca. 1818. Preached at Warren, Trumbull Co., Ohio, and vicinity, 1819–1821. Married Phebe...

View Full Bio
, Smith’s first counselor in the church’s
First Presidency

The highest presiding body of the church. An 11 November 1831 revelation stated that the president of the high priesthood was to preside over the church. JS was ordained as president of the high priesthood on 25 January 1832. In March 1832, JS appointed two...

View Glossary
, articulated a key component of the council’s intent: “We will hunt a spot somewhere on the earth where no other government has jurisdiction and cannot interfere with us and there plant our standard.”
26

Council of Fifty, “Record,” 11 Apr. 1844.


Joseph Smith stated that the council “was designed to be got up for the safety and salvation of the saints by protecting them in their religious rights and worship.”
27

Council of Fifty, “Record,” 18 Apr. 1844.


He met frequently with the council over the following months, pursuing different options for leaving the country as the church’s situation became increasingly precarious.
Threats to the Saints’ security were not purely external. Longstanding rivalries and newly hostile relationships between Joseph Smith and other church and community leaders brought continual conflict during the first half of 1844. In early January,
Nauvoo

Principal gathering place for Saints following expulsion from Missouri. Beginning in 1839, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints purchased lands in earlier settlement of Commerce and planned settlement of Commerce City, as well as surrounding areas....

More Info
’s city council investigated rumors that First Presidency member
William Law

8 Sept. 1809–12/19 Jan. 1892. Merchant, millwright, physician. Born in Co. Tyrone, Ireland. Son of Richard Law and Ann Hunter. Immigrated to U.S. and settled in Springfield Township, Mercer Co., Pennsylvania, by 1820. Moved to Delaware Township, Mercer Co...

View Full Bio
and Nauvoo
stake

Ecclesiastical organization of church members in a particular locale. Stakes were typically large local organizations of church members; stake leaders could include a presidency, a high council, and a bishopric. Some revelations referred to stakes “to” or...

View Glossary
president
William Marks

15 Nov. 1792–22 May 1872. Farmer, printer, publisher, postmaster. Born at Rutland, Rutland Co., Vermont. Son of Cornell (Cornwall) Marks and Sarah Goodrich. Married first Rosannah R. Robinson, 2 May 1813. Lived at Portage, Allegany Co., New York, where he...

View Full Bio
were among a group of dissidents opposed to Smith and the church. At one council meeting,
Francis M. Higbee

1820–after 1850. Attorney, merchant. Born in Tate, Clermont Co., Ohio. Son of Elias Higbee and Sarah Elizabeth Ward. Moved to Fulton, Hamilton Co., Ohio, by 1830. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1832. Moved to Jackson Co., Missouri...

View Full Bio
testified that Law, Marks, and others “could not subscribe to all things in the church, and it might make trouble.”
28

Nauvoo City Council Rough Minute Book, 5 Jan. 1844, 36–40. In an address to forty newly sworn Nauvoo policemen in December 1843, Joseph Smith said he felt as if he were in more “danger from some little doe head of a fool” or a “Brutus” in the city than from the state of Missouri or other outside threats. Within a few days, rumors were circulating that he was referring to either Law or Marks. (Nauvoo City Council Rough Minute Book, 29 Dec. 1843, 30–31; 3 Jan. 1844, 32–36; 5 Jan. 1844, 36–40; JS, Journal, 3–5 Jan. 1844.)


After Higbee left the meeting unceremoniously, Joseph Smith criticized his behavior and character, addressing allegations of Higbee’s immoral actions as well as rumors that he was “conniving with
Missouri

Area acquired by U.S. in Louisiana Purchase, 1803, and established as territory, 1812. Missouri Compromise, 1820, admitted Missouri as slave state, 1821. Population in 1830 about 140,000; in 1836 about 240,000; and in 1840 about 380,000. Latter-day Saint ...

More Info
.”
29

Law, Record of Doings, 5 Jan. 1844, in Cook, William Law, 45–46; Letter from Francis M. Higbee, 8 Sept. 1843.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Cook, Lyndon W. William Law: Biographical Essay, Nauvoo Diary, Correspondence, Interview. Orem, UT: Grandin Book, 1994.

A report of Smith’s comments later reached Higbee. In response, Higbee sent a letter expressing his indignation and launched into a series of legal actions that spanned the remainder of Joseph Smith’s life.
30

Letter from Francis M. Higbee, 10 Jan. 1844.


This disagreement was but one facet of a conflict raging during these months between Smith and other Nauvoo leaders and erstwhile friends.
As Joseph Smith continued introducing plural marriage to trusted associates through private
sealing

To confirm or solemnize. In the early 1830s, revelations often adopted biblical usage of the term seal; for example, “sealed up the testimony” referred to proselytizing and testifying of the gospel as a warning of the approaching end time. JS explained in...

View Glossary
ceremonies, rumors spread of the practice, and the quietly unfolding marital system broke some relationships even as it formed others. While the practice appears only infrequently in the documents featured in this volume, it was at the heart of some of the discord between Joseph Smith and his former associates. Only days after the city council investigation at which
Higbee

1820–after 1850. Attorney, merchant. Born in Tate, Clermont Co., Ohio. Son of Elias Higbee and Sarah Elizabeth Ward. Moved to Fulton, Hamilton Co., Ohio, by 1830. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1832. Moved to Jackson Co., Missouri...

View Full Bio
testified, Smith approached
Law

8 Sept. 1809–12/19 Jan. 1892. Merchant, millwright, physician. Born in Co. Tyrone, Ireland. Son of Richard Law and Ann Hunter. Immigrated to U.S. and settled in Springfield Township, Mercer Co., Pennsylvania, by 1820. Moved to Delaware Township, Mercer Co...

View Full Bio
and informed him that he had been removed from the First Presidency and the “quorum of anointing”
31

This was a name given to the group on one occasion by William Clayton, who also became a member. (Clayton, Journal, 2 Dec. 1843; see also “Nauvoo Journals, May 1843–June 1844.”)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Clayton, William. Journals, 1842–1845. CHL.

—a prayer group that participated in sacred ordinances. Law’s concerns with the legitimacy of plural marriage were at the root of his increasing opposition to Joseph Smith. Law recorded in his journal, “I thank God that he opened my understanding to know between truth and error, in relation to plurality & community of wives . . . and that I had fortitude to tell Joseph that it was of the Devil.”
32

Law, Record of Doings, 8 Jan. 1844, in Cook, William Law, 46–47.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Cook, Lyndon W. William Law: Biographical Essay, Nauvoo Diary, Correspondence, Interview. Orem, UT: Grandin Book, 1994.

Plural marriage also played a role in some of the litigation in which Joseph Smith became involved. In February,
Nauvoo

Principal gathering place for Saints following expulsion from Missouri. Beginning in 1839, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints purchased lands in earlier settlement of Commerce and planned settlement of Commerce City, as well as surrounding areas....

More Info
resident
Orsamus F. Bostwick

2 Mar. 1801–9 Aug. 1869. Blacksmith. Born in Hinesburg, Chittenden Co., Vermont. Son of Heman Bostwick and Belinda Palmer. Married first Sarah Eddy, 26 Mar. 1820. Moved to Onondaga, Onondaga Co., New York, by 1829. Married second Sarah Bardwell, 26 Mar. 1830...

View Full Bio
alleged that Joseph Smith’s brother
Hyrum Smith

9 Feb. 1800–27 June 1844. Farmer, cooper. Born at Tunbridge, Orange Co., Vermont. Son of Joseph Smith Sr. and Lucy Mack. Moved to Randolph, Orange Co., 1802; to Tunbridge, before May 1803; to Royalton, Windsor Co., Vermont, 1804; to Sharon, Windsor Co., by...

View Full Bio
had several “spiritual wives” and that many Nauvoo women lived as prostitutes.
33

John Scott, Deposition, Nauvoo, IL, 26 Feb. 1844, City of Nauvoo v. Bostwick (Nauvoo Mayor’s Ct. 1844), Nauvoo, IL, Records, CHL; see also Historical Introduction to City of Nauvoo v. Bostwick.


Hyrum Smith responded by making a complaint against Bostwick for using “slanderous language,” and Bostwick was tried by the Nauvoo mayor’s court, presided over by Joseph Smith, who ruled against Bostwick.
Higbee

1820–after 1850. Attorney, merchant. Born in Tate, Clermont Co., Ohio. Son of Elias Higbee and Sarah Elizabeth Ward. Moved to Fulton, Hamilton Co., Ohio, by 1830. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1832. Moved to Jackson Co., Missouri...

View Full Bio
, serving as Bostwick’s attorney, stated his intent to appeal the ruling to the
Hancock County

Formed from Pike Co., 1825. Described in 1837 as predominantly prairie and “deficient in timber.” Early settlers came mainly from mid-Atlantic and southern states. Population in 1835 about 3,200; in 1840 about 9,900; and in 1844 at least 15,000. Carthage ...

More Info
Circuit Court in
Carthage

Located eighteen miles southeast of Nauvoo. Settled 1831. Designated Hancock Co. seat, Mar. 1833. Incorporated as town, 27 Feb. 1837. Population in 1839 about 300. Population in 1844 about 400. Site of acute opposition to Latter-day Saints, early 1840s. Site...

More Info
, Illinois. Joseph Smith believed that Higbee possessed an ulterior motive to “stir up the mob— & bring them upon us.”
34

JS, Journal, 26 Feb. 1844.


Although there is no record that Bostwick’s appeal was brought before the circuit court, Smith’s fear that litigation would be used as a tool to turn public sentiment against the Saints was warranted. According to Hancock County Circuit Court records, Smith was the defendant during the May term of the court in at least seven cases, several of which were filed in response to charges made by Higbee,
William

8 Sept. 1809–12/19 Jan. 1892. Merchant, millwright, physician. Born in Co. Tyrone, Ireland. Son of Richard Law and Ann Hunter. Immigrated to U.S. and settled in Springfield Township, Mercer Co., Pennsylvania, by 1820. Moved to Delaware Township, Mercer Co...

View Full Bio
and
Wilson Law

26 Feb. 1806–15 Oct. 1876. Merchant, millwright, land speculator, farmer. Born in Ireland. Son of Richard Law and Ann Hunter. Immigrated to U.S. and settled in Springfield Township, Mercer Co., Pennsylvania, by 1820. Moved to Delaware Township, Mercer Co....

View Full Bio
, and other dissenters.
35

Hancock Co., IL, Circuit Court Records, 1829–1897, vol. D, pp. 64–161, microfilm 947,496, U.S. and Canada Record Collection, FHL.


Comprehensive Works Cited

U.S. and Canada Record Collection. FHL.

To answer
Bostwick

2 Mar. 1801–9 Aug. 1869. Blacksmith. Born in Hinesburg, Chittenden Co., Vermont. Son of Heman Bostwick and Belinda Palmer. Married first Sarah Eddy, 26 Mar. 1820. Moved to Onondaga, Onondaga Co., New York, by 1829. Married second Sarah Bardwell, 26 Mar. 1830...

View Full Bio
’s claims and combat rumors that might turn regional sympathy against the Saints, one of Joseph Smith’s clerks,
William W. Phelps

17 Feb. 1792–7 Mar. 1872. Writer, teacher, printer, newspaper editor, publisher, postmaster, lawyer. Born at Hanover, Morris Co., New Jersey. Son of Enon Phelps and Mehitabel Goldsmith. Moved to Homer, Cortland Co., New York, 1800. Married Sally Waterman,...

View Full Bio
, wrote a tract titled “The Voice of Innocence from
Nauvoo

Principal gathering place for Saints following expulsion from Missouri. Beginning in 1839, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints purchased lands in earlier settlement of Commerce and planned settlement of Commerce City, as well as surrounding areas....

More Info
.” The piece urged that “polygamy bigamy, fornication, adultery and prostitution, be frowned out of the hearts of honest men.”
36

JS, Journal, 28 Feb. 1844; “The Voice of Innocence from Nauvoo,” 29 Feb. 1844, JS Collection, CHL.


Phelps read the text before “six or eight thousand saints” near the
Nauvoo temple

Located in portion of Nauvoo known as the bluff. JS revelation dated Jan. 1841 commanded Saints to build temple and hotel (Nauvoo House). Cornerstone laid, 6 Apr. 1841. Saints volunteered labor, money, and other resources for temple construction. Construction...

More Info
construction site on 7 March 1844, and apostle
Willard Richards

24 June 1804–11 Mar. 1854. Teacher, lecturer, doctor, clerk, printer, editor, postmaster. Born at Hopkinton, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts. Son of Joseph Richards and Rhoda Howe. Moved to Richmond, Berkshire Co., Massachusetts, 1813; to Chatham, Columbia Co...

View Full Bio
recorded in Joseph Smith’s journal that on hearing the document “all the assembly said amen. Twice.”
37

Woodruff, Journal, 7 Mar. 1844; JS, Journal, 7 Mar. 1844.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Woodruff, Wilford. Journals, 1833–1898. Wilford Woodruff, Journals and Papers, 1828–1898. CHL. MS 1352.

The women of the
Female Relief Society of Nauvoo

A church organization for women; created in Nauvoo, Illinois, under JS’s direction on 17 March 1842. At the same meeting, Emma Smith was elected president, and she selected two counselors; a secretary and a treasurer were also chosen. The minutes of the society...

View Glossary
considered the document and unanimously approved it in a series of four meetings in March.
38

Nauvoo Relief Society Minute Book, 9 and 16 Mar. 1844, [123]–[126], in Derr et al., First Fifty Years of Relief Society, 127–131.


It was then published with slight revisions in the Nauvoo Neighbor over society president
Emma Smith

10 July 1804–30 Apr. 1879. Scribe, editor, boardinghouse operator, clothier. Born at Willingborough Township (later in Harmony), Susquehanna Co., Pennsylvania. Daughter of Isaac Hale and Elizabeth Lewis. Member of Methodist church at Harmony (later in Oakland...

View Full Bio
’s name and titled “Virtue Will Triumph.”
39

“Virtue Will Triumph,” Nauvoo Neighbor, 20 Mar. 1844, [2].


Comprehensive Works Cited

Nauvoo Neighbor. Nauvoo, IL. 1843–1845.

Public denials of plural marriage, appearing at the same time that rumors and firsthand knowledge of the practice were becoming more widespread, brought increased scrutiny on the church.
Some of the criticism of plural marriage came from church members who had little direct access to information about the practice. In April 1844, church member
Lucinda Madison Sagers

1819–?. Born in Ohio. Married William Henry Harrison Sagers, 22 Dec. 1834, in Clay Co., Missouri. Moved to Hancock Co., Illinois, by 1840. Submitted charges of teaching polygamy against her husband to First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, ca...

View Full Bio
brought a complaint to the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles against her husband,
Harrison Sagers

3 May 1814/1815–19 June 1886. Painter, farmer. Born in LeRoy, Genessee Co., New York. Son of John Sagers and Amy Sweet. Moved to Elk Creek Township, Erie Co., Pennsylvania, by 1830. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 27 Jan. 1833. ...

View Full Bio
, on the grounds that he was teaching the principle of plural marriage and had abandoned his family.
40

Charges against Harrison Sagers Preferred to the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, ca. 10 Apr. 1844.


Lucinda requested that church leaders take punitive action against Harrison, though the
Nauvoo

Principal gathering place for Saints following expulsion from Missouri. Beginning in 1839, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints purchased lands in earlier settlement of Commerce and planned settlement of Commerce City, as well as surrounding areas....

More Info
high council

A governing body of twelve high priests. The first high council was organized in Kirtland, Ohio, on 17 February 1834 “for the purpose of settling important difficulties which might arise in the church, which could not be settled by the church, or the bishop...

View Glossary
heard Harrison’s case and ultimately determined that he should retain his church membership.
41

Nauvoo Stake High Council Minutes, 13 Apr. 1844, 28–29.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Nauvoo Stake High Council Minutes, ca. 1839–ca. 1843. Fair copy. In Oliver Cowdery, Diary, Jan.–Mar. 1836. CHL.

Negative public perception of the Saints within the region was exacerbated by conflict among prominent
Nauvoo

Principal gathering place for Saints following expulsion from Missouri. Beginning in 1839, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints purchased lands in earlier settlement of Commerce and planned settlement of Commerce City, as well as surrounding areas....

More Info
citizens. Longstanding differences between Joseph Smith and
Robert D. Foster

14 Mar. 1811–1 Feb. 1878. Justice of the peace, physician, land speculator. Born in Braunston, Northamptonshire, England. Son of John Foster and Jane Knibb. Married Sarah Phinney, 18 July 1837, at Medina Co., Ohio. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of ...

View Full Bio
, a prominent land speculator and physician, flared into open hostility in April, in part because Smith believed that Foster’s brother
Charles

Sept. 1815–1904. Physician, pharmacist. Born in England, likely in Braunston, Northamptonshire. Son of John Foster and Jane Knibb. Immigrated to U.S., arriving in New York on 27 June 1831. Moved to Hancock Co., Illinois, by Feb. 1843. Publisher of Nauvoo ...

View Full Bio
had authored a letter that severely berated the Saints. The letter had been written to and recently published in a
New York City

Dutch founded New Netherland colony, 1625. Incorporated under British control and renamed New York, 1664. Harbor contributed to economic and population growth of city; became largest city in American colonies. British troops defeated Continental Army under...

More Info
newspaper.
42

JS, Journal, 7 Mar. 1844; “The Mormons and Their Prophet—Legislation at Nauvoo—The Temple,” New-York Daily Tribune (New York City), 27 Jan. 1844, [1].


Comprehensive Works Cited

New-York Daily Tribune. New York City. 1841–1924.

Despite his efforts to bring about a reconciliation in each of the cases mentioned previously, Smith learned in late March of a rumored conspiracy against his life involving several prominent members of Nauvoo society:
William Law

8 Sept. 1809–12/19 Jan. 1892. Merchant, millwright, physician. Born in Co. Tyrone, Ireland. Son of Richard Law and Ann Hunter. Immigrated to U.S. and settled in Springfield Township, Mercer Co., Pennsylvania, by 1820. Moved to Delaware Township, Mercer Co...

View Full Bio
, a former counselor in the church’s First Presidency; his brother
Wilson Law

26 Feb. 1806–15 Oct. 1876. Merchant, millwright, land speculator, farmer. Born in Ireland. Son of Richard Law and Ann Hunter. Immigrated to U.S. and settled in Springfield Township, Mercer Co., Pennsylvania, by 1820. Moved to Delaware Township, Mercer Co....

View Full Bio
, a major general in the
Nauvoo Legion

A contingent of the Illinois state militia provided for in the Nauvoo city charter. The Nauvoo Legion was organized into two cohorts: one infantry and one cavalry. Each cohort could potentially comprise several thousand men and was overseen by a brigadier...

View Glossary
; Robert D. Foster;
Joseph H. Jackson

?–? Moved to Nauvoo, Hancock Co., Illinois, by fall 1842. Moved to Carthage, Hancock Co., winter 1842–1843. Returned to Nauvoo, spring 1843. Hired to sell land for JS, 20 May 1843. Appointed aide-de-camp to lieutenant general in Nauvoo Legion, by 5 Jan. 1844...

View Full Bio
, a new arrival to Nauvoo; and
Francis M. Higbee

1820–after 1850. Attorney, merchant. Born in Tate, Clermont Co., Ohio. Son of Elias Higbee and Sarah Elizabeth Ward. Moved to Fulton, Hamilton Co., Ohio, by 1830. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1832. Moved to Jackson Co., Missouri...

View Full Bio
’s brother
Chauncey

7 Sept. 1821–7 Dec. 1884. Lawyer, banker, politician, judge. Born in Tate Township, Clermont Co., Ohio. Son of Elias Higbee and Sarah Elizabeth Ward. Lived in Fulton, Hamilton Co., Ohio, 1830. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1832...

View Full Bio
, who had been excommunicated in 1842. Two Nauvoo residents swore affidavits in late March saying that Chauncey L. Higbee, Jackson, and Robert D. Foster had given them information about the “spiritual wife system.” These residents reported Jackson saying that “he should not be surprised if in two weeks there should not be one of the Smith family left alive in Nauvoo.”
43

Merinus G. Eaton, Affidavit, Hancock Co., IL, 27 Mar. 1844, and Abiathar Williams, Affidavit, Hancock Co., IL, 27 Mar. 1844, in Nauvoo Neighbor, 17 Apr. 1844, [2]; see also JS, Journal, 24 Mar. and 16 Apr. 1844.


Robert D. Foster, the Law brothers, and William’s wife,
Jane Silverthorn Law

2 Apr. 1815–8 Sept. 1882. Born in York, Upper Canada. Daughter of Thomas Silverthorn and Mary Anderson. Married William Law, 11 June 1833, in York. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1836. Briefly resided in Mercer Co., Pennsylvania...

View Full Bio
, were excommunicated the following month for “unchristianlike conduct,” as was Francis M. Higbee in May.
44

JS, Journal, 18 Apr. 1844; see also Council of Fifty, “Record,” 6 May 1844.


These dissidents and their supporters organized a new church, with William Law as its president.
45

JS, Journal, 28 Apr. 1844.


Meanwhile, problems with public perception of the church in
Illinois

Became part of Northwest Territory of U.S., 1787. Admitted as state, 1818. Population in 1840 about 480,000. Population in 1845 about 660,000. Plentiful, inexpensive land attracted settlers from northern and southern states. Following expulsion from Missouri...

More Info
were aggravated by the return of Smith’s nemesis,
Thomas Sharp

25 Sept. 1818–9 Apr. 1894. Teacher, lawyer, newspaper editor and publisher. Born in Mount Holly, Burlington Co., New Jersey. Son of Solomon Sharp and Jemima Budd. Lived at Smyrna, Kent Co., Delaware, June 1830. Moved to Carlisle, Cumberland Co., Pennsylvania...

View Full Bio
. The young editor of the newspaper in
Warsaw

Located at foot of Des Moines rapids of Mississippi River at site of three military forts: Fort Johnson (1814), Cantonment Davis (1815–1818), and Fort Edwards (1816–1824). First settlers participated in fur trade. Important trade and shipping center. Post...

More Info
, who had been vociferously antagonistic toward Smith and the Latter-day Saints, resumed control of the paper from the more moderate
Thomas Gregg

14 Dec. 1808–11 Feb. 1892. Printer, newspaper and magazine editor and publisher, poet, author, horticulturist. Born in Belmont Co., Ohio. Son of Jacob Gregg and Mary Sinclair. Founded, edited, and published monthly magazine Literary Cabinet and Western Olive...

View Full Bio
in February 1844 and renamed it the Warsaw Signal.
46

“Valedictory,” and “Proposals for Resuscitating the Warsaw Signal,” Warsaw (IL) Message, Second Edition, 7 Feb. 1844, [1], [3]; Masthead, Warsaw (IL) Signal, 14 Feb. 1844, [1].


Comprehensive Works Cited

Warsaw Message. Warsaw, IL. 1843–1844.

Warsaw Signal. Warsaw, IL. 1841–1853.

Sharp thereafter renewed his attacks on Joseph Smith and
Nauvoo

Principal gathering place for Saints following expulsion from Missouri. Beginning in 1839, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints purchased lands in earlier settlement of Commerce and planned settlement of Commerce City, as well as surrounding areas....

More Info
in almost every issue of the weekly paper, inciting further animosity among the Saints’ neighbors. For Sharp and other critics, Smith’s repeated successes in avoiding the state of
Missouri

Area acquired by U.S. in Louisiana Purchase, 1803, and established as territory, 1812. Missouri Compromise, 1820, admitted Missouri as slave state, 1821. Population in 1830 about 140,000; in 1836 about 240,000; and in 1840 about 380,000. Latter-day Saint ...

More Info
’s extradition attempts made him seem beyond the reach of the legal system. His control of Nauvoo’s legislative and judicial bodies, command of a large military force, economic influence, political ambition, and rumored teaching of culture-threatening religious doctrines were seen as evidence of too much power.
Amid legal battles and opposition from inside and outside the community, Joseph Smith continued to lead the church and his people, meeting with and preaching to them often. Accounts of fifteen discourses he gave between January and mid-May are featured herein. Most of these discourses either were political in nature or centered on conflict within
Nauvoo

Principal gathering place for Saints following expulsion from Missouri. Beginning in 1839, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints purchased lands in earlier settlement of Commerce and planned settlement of Commerce City, as well as surrounding areas....

More Info
and the region. Smith spoke about unfaithfulness among some of the Saints, rumored conspiracies to take his life and the lives of his family members, editorial attacks on the church in national newspapers, and criticisms of his leadership.
47

See, for example, Account of Meeting and Discourse, 8 Feb. 1844; Discourse, 7 Mar. 1844–A; Discourse, 24 Mar. 1844–A; Minutes and Discourse, 4 Apr. 1844; and Discourse, 12 May 1844.


In a few sermons, he expanded on earlier religious teachings and introduced new doctrinal concepts, but even these discourses were laced with tension. On a cold Sunday in January, for example, Smith spoke to several thousand Saints gathered on Mulholland Street regarding the prophecy about Elijah in the book of Malachi. “My ownly trouble at the present time,” he stated, “is concerning ourselves that the Saints will be divided & broken up & scattered before we get our salvation secure.”
48

Discourse, 21 Jan. 1844.


Notable among Joseph Smith’s discourses was a sermon he delivered at the church’s semiannual conference in
Nauvoo

Principal gathering place for Saints following expulsion from Missouri. Beginning in 1839, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints purchased lands in earlier settlement of Commerce and planned settlement of Commerce City, as well as surrounding areas....

More Info
on 7 April 1844. Before what was reportedly the largest congregation ever assembled in the city—estimates of attendees varied between ten and twenty thousand—he preached a funeral sermon for church member
King Follett

24/26 July 1788–9 Mar. 1844. Born at Winchester, Cheshire Co., New Hampshire. Son of John Follett and Hannah Oak (Oake) Alexander. Married Louisa Tanner, by 1815. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, spring 1831. Member of Whitmer branch...

View Full Bio
. Smith spoke on the topic of death broadly and then focused his message on the nature of God and humankind. He taught that God was once mortal and progressed to godhood and that men and women could similarly become deities.
49

Discourse, 7 Apr. 1844.


The response to the Follett sermon was divided, with some attendees afterward claiming that Smith’s nontraditional instruction at the conference was evidence that he was a fallen prophet and others remarking on powerful manifestations of his inspired leadership.
50

Historical Introduction to Discourse, 7 Apr. 1844.


Directing church affairs occupied much of Joseph Smith’s time during these months. His incoming and outgoing correspondence reveals the myriad issues that required his attention. In the fifty-seven letters featured in this volume, the most frequently recurring topics of business are his presidential campaign, land transactions, the affairs of the
Council of Fifty

An organization intended to establish the political kingdom of God on the earth. An 1842 editorial in the church newspaper stated that the “design of Jehovah” was to “take the reigns of government into his own hand.” On 10 and 11 March 1844, JS and several...

View Glossary
, and the efforts of proselytizing missionaries. Particularly noteworthy among these letters are Joseph Smith’s responses to missives from presidential hopefuls
John C. Calhoun

18 Mar. 1782–31 Mar. 1850. Lawyer, politician. Born near Hutchinson’s Mill, Ninety-Sixth District (later Calhoun Mill, Mount Carmel, McCormick Co.), South Carolina. Son of Patrick Calhoun and Martha Caldwell. Graduated from Yale, 1804, in New Haven, New Haven...

View Full Bio
and
Henry Clay

12 Apr. 1777–29 June 1852. Lawyer, public speaker, professor, statesman, politician. Born in Hanover Co., Virginia. Son of John Clay and Elizabeth Hudson. Episcopalian. Admitted to Virginia bar, Nov. 1797. Moved to Lexington, Fayette Co., Kentucky, Nov. 1797...

View Full Bio
and a mission report from
Reuben Hedlock

1809–5 July 1869. Printer, carpenter, journeyman. Born in U.S. Married first Susan Wheeler, 1827. Married second Lydia Fox. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, by 1836. Moved to Kirtland, Geauga Co., Ohio, and ordained an elder, by ...

View Full Bio
in Great Britain.
51

Letter to John C. Calhoun, 2 Jan. 1844; Letter to Henry Clay, 13 May 1844; Letter from Reuben Hedlock, 10–21 Jan. 1844.


Serving as president of the church’s British mission, Hedlock sent Smith a twenty-four-page letter recounting his activities in
England

Island nation consisting of southern portion of Great Britain and surrounding smaller islands. Bounded on north by Scotland and on west by Wales. Became province of Roman Empire, first century. Ruled by Romans, through 447. Ruled by Picts, Scots, and Saxons...

More Info
and Scotland. Reporting on the many
conferences

A meeting where ecclesiastical officers and other church members could conduct church business. The “Articles and Covenants” of the church directed the elders to hold conferences to perform “Church business.” The first of these conferences was held on 9 June...

View Glossary
he had visited, Hedlock included detailed notes on the tremendous growth of the church in the British Isles, where over 8,500 members remained despite thousands emigrating to the
United States

North American constitutional republic. Constitution ratified, 17 Sept. 1787. Population in 1805 about 6,000,000; in 1830 about 13,000,000; and in 1844 about 20,000,000. Louisiana Purchase, 1803, doubled size of U.S. Consisted of seventeen states at time ...

More Info
each year. He estimated that over 4,600 individuals had joined the church in the past two years. Hedlock also wrote at length about the tragic accidental drowning of convert Sarah Cartwright during her
baptism

An ordinance in which an individual is immersed in water for the remission of sins. The Book of Mormon explained that those with necessary authority were to baptize individuals who had repented of their sins. Baptized individuals also received the gift of...

View Glossary
in Crewe, England, and the challenges the church faced amid the ensuing trial of her husband and the
branch

An ecclesiastical organization of church members in a particular locale. A branch was generally smaller than a stake or a conference. Branches were also referred to as churches, as in “the Church of Shalersville.” In general, a branch was led by a presiding...

View Glossary
president who performed the baptism.
52

Letter from Reuben Hedlock, 10–21 Jan. 1844.


Some of Joseph Smith’s correspondence during this period addressed the typical mundane business or personal matters he always managed as a religious and civic leader. In early February, for example, church member
Joseph L. Heywood

1 Aug. 1815–16 Oct. 1910. Merchant, postmaster, U.S. marshal, hatter, farmer, lawyer. Born in Grafton, Worcester Co., Massachusetts. Son of Benjamin Heywood and Hannah R. Leland. Moved to Illinois, spring 1838. Moved to Quincy, Adams Co., Illinois, fall 1839...

View Full Bio
wrote a friendly letter to Smith inviting the prophet and his family to visit him in
Quincy

Located on high limestone bluffs east of Mississippi River, about forty-five miles south of Nauvoo. Settled 1821. Adams Co. seat, 1825. Incorporated as town, 1834. Received city charter, 1840. Population in 1835 about 800; in 1840 about 2,300; and in 1845...

More Info
, Illinois.
53

Letter from Joseph L. Heywood, 7 Feb. 1844.


Smith reciprocated Heywood’s kindness, thanking him warmly for the invitation, updating him on affairs in
Nauvoo

Principal gathering place for Saints following expulsion from Missouri. Beginning in 1839, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints purchased lands in earlier settlement of Commerce and planned settlement of Commerce City, as well as surrounding areas....

More Info
, and passing along his and
Emma Smith

10 July 1804–30 Apr. 1879. Scribe, editor, boardinghouse operator, clothier. Born at Willingborough Township (later in Harmony), Susquehanna Co., Pennsylvania. Daughter of Isaac Hale and Elizabeth Lewis. Member of Methodist church at Harmony (later in Oakland...

View Full Bio
’s respects to Heywood and his family. But Joseph Smith’s rationale for politely declining the invitation reflected an undercurrent of anxiety that can be traced in the documents presented in this volume. Smith expressed to Heywood his ongoing fear of abduction to
Missouri

Area acquired by U.S. in Louisiana Purchase, 1803, and established as territory, 1812. Missouri Compromise, 1820, admitted Missouri as slave state, 1821. Population in 1830 about 140,000; in 1836 about 240,000; and in 1840 about 380,000. Latter-day Saint ...

More Info
should he leave the protections of
Nauvoo

Principal gathering place for Saints following expulsion from Missouri. Beginning in 1839, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints purchased lands in earlier settlement of Commerce and planned settlement of Commerce City, as well as surrounding areas....

More Info
and his concern for the growing hostility in surrounding communities. However, Smith also tried to reassure Heywood: “Although the mobocrats of this county breath[e] out their shame with a continual foam and threaten extermination &c the citizens of Nauvoo are at peace.”
54

Letter to Joseph L. Heywood, 13 Feb. 1844.


Despite Joseph Smith’s expressions of optimism and his efforts to protect his people and expand the power of his city and community, the thread of conflict is woven inextricably throughout these pages. These were weighty months of escalating regional hostility, disputes within the city and the church, and friendships broken beyond repair. But the documents in this volume also present Joseph Smith leading his people as he fought through these challenges—promoting peace, unfolding new doctrines, building up the young city, and seeking to prepare his people for the kingdom of God.
  1. 1

    JS, Journal, 5 Dec. 1843.

  2. 2

    Historical Introduction to Letter to Thomas Ford, 1 Jan. 1844; Military Order to Wilson Law, 8 Dec. 1843; see also “Part 5: December 1843.”

  3. 3

    JS, Journal, 18 Dec. 1843; Willard Richards, Affidavit, Nauvoo, IL, 18 Dec. 1843, JS Office Papers, CHL.

  4. 4

    Missouri officials had already attempted to extradite Joseph Smith three times. The first and third attempts were on the charge of treason in connection with the 1838 conflict between Latter-day Saints and Missourians antagonistic to the church. The second extradition attempt was based on Smith’s alleged complicity in the attempted assassination of former Missouri governor Lilburn W. Boggs in 1842. (See Memorial to the United States Senate and House of Representatives, ca. 30 Oct. 1839–27 Jan. 1840; Lilburn W. Boggs, Requisition, Jefferson City, MO, 1 Sept. 1840, Extradition of JS et al. for Treason and Other Crimes [Warren Co. Cir. Ct. 1841], Joseph Smith Extradition Records, Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library, Springfield, IL; “The Late Proceedings,” Times and Seasons, 15 June 1841, 2:447–449; Petition to Nauvoo Municipal Court, 30 June 1843; and JS, Journal, 8 Aug. 1842.)

    Times and Seasons. Commerce/Nauvoo, IL. Nov. 1839–Feb. 1846.

  5. 5

    For Smith’s earlier correspondence with Ford, see Letter to Thomas Ford, 11 Dec. 1843; and Letter from Thomas Ford, 12 Dec. 1843.

  6. 6

    Letter to Thomas Ford, 1 Jan. 1844.

  7. 7

    Thomas Ford, Letter, Springfield, IL, 29 Jan. 1844, Collection of Manuscripts about Mormons, 1832–1954, Chicago History Museum; Editorial, 16–17 Feb. 1844.

    Manuscripts about Mormons at Chicago History Museum, Research Center, ca. 1832–1954. Microfilm. Chicago Historical Society.

  8. 8

    Editorial, 16–17 Feb. 1844, italics in original.

  9. 9

    Ordinance, 8 Dec. 1843.

  10. 10

    Ordinance, 21 Dec. 1843.

  11. 11

    Ordinance, 8 Dec. 1843.

  12. 12

    See, for example, “Nauvoo City Council—Gen. Joseph Smith—Special Privileges, &c,” Quincy (IL) Whig, 27 Dec. 1843, [2]; “Meeting of Citizens at Carthage,” Warsaw (IL) Message, Extra, 17 Jan. 1844, [2]–[3]; and “The Mormons and Their Prophet—Legislation at Nauvoo—The Temple,” Quincy Whig, 21 Feb. 1844, [1].

    Quincy Whig. Quincy, IL. 1838–1856.

    Warsaw Message. Warsaw, IL. 1843–1844.

  13. 13

    Ordinance, 12 Feb. 1844.

  14. 14

    Historical Introduction to Letter to John C. Calhoun, 4 Nov. 1843.

  15. 15

    Letter from John C. Calhoun, 2 Dec. 1843; Letter from Lewis Cass, 9 Dec. 1843; Letter from Henry Clay, 15 Nov. 1843.

  16. 16

    Minutes and Discourse, 29 Jan. 1844.

  17. 17

    JS, Journal, 29 Jan. 1844.

  18. 18

    General Smith’s Views of the Powers and Policy of the Government of the United States, ca. 26 Jan.–7 Feb. 1844.

  19. 19

    JS, Journal, 25 Feb. 1844.

  20. 20

    Church clerk Thomas Bullock recorded the names of over 270 electioneering missionaries appointed at a meeting on 9 April 1844. The 15 April 1844 issue of the Times and Seasons listed 339 names and assignments. Ultimately, the church sent out nearly 400 of these missionaries. (Historian’s Office, General Church Minutes, 6–9 Apr. 1844, 34–39; “Special Conference,” Times and Seasons, 15 Apr. 1844, 5:504–506; Robertson, “Campaign and the Kingdom,” 177–180.)

    Historian’s Office. General Church Minutes, 1839–1877. CHL

    Times and Seasons. Commerce/Nauvoo, IL. Nov. 1839–Feb. 1846.

    Robertson, Margaret C. “The Campaign and the Kingdom: The Activities of the Electioneers in Joseph Smith’s Presidential Campaign.” BYU Studies 39 no. 3 (2000): 147–180.

  21. 21

    Authorization for Orson Pratt, 12 Mar. 1844; Memorial to the United States Senate and House of Representatives, ca. 16 Dec. 1843–12 Feb. 1844.

  22. 22

    Memorial to the United States Senate and House of Representatives, ca. 24–26 Mar. 1844.

  23. 23

    Letter to Citizens of Missouri, 8 Mar. 1844.

  24. 24

    Letter from Lyman Wight and Others, 15 Feb. 1844–A; Letter from Lyman Wight and Others, 15 Feb. 1844–B.

  25. 25

    JS, Journal, 10–11 Mar. 1844; Council of Fifty, “Record,” 11 Mar. 1844.

  26. 26

    Council of Fifty, “Record,” 11 Apr. 1844.

  27. 27

    Council of Fifty, “Record,” 18 Apr. 1844.

  28. 28

    Nauvoo City Council Rough Minute Book, 5 Jan. 1844, 36–40. In an address to forty newly sworn Nauvoo policemen in December 1843, Joseph Smith said he felt as if he were in more “danger from some little doe head of a fool” or a “Brutus” in the city than from the state of Missouri or other outside threats. Within a few days, rumors were circulating that he was referring to either Law or Marks. (Nauvoo City Council Rough Minute Book, 29 Dec. 1843, 30–31; 3 Jan. 1844, 32–36; 5 Jan. 1844, 36–40; JS, Journal, 3–5 Jan. 1844.)

  29. 29

    Law, Record of Doings, 5 Jan. 1844, in Cook, William Law, 45–46; Letter from Francis M. Higbee, 8 Sept. 1843.

    Cook, Lyndon W. William Law: Biographical Essay, Nauvoo Diary, Correspondence, Interview. Orem, UT: Grandin Book, 1994.

  30. 30

    Letter from Francis M. Higbee, 10 Jan. 1844.

  31. 31

    This was a name given to the group on one occasion by William Clayton, who also became a member. (Clayton, Journal, 2 Dec. 1843; see also “Nauvoo Journals, May 1843–June 1844.”)

    Clayton, William. Journals, 1842–1845. CHL.

  32. 32

    Law, Record of Doings, 8 Jan. 1844, in Cook, William Law, 46–47.

    Cook, Lyndon W. William Law: Biographical Essay, Nauvoo Diary, Correspondence, Interview. Orem, UT: Grandin Book, 1994.

  33. 33

    John Scott, Deposition, Nauvoo, IL, 26 Feb. 1844, City of Nauvoo v. Bostwick (Nauvoo Mayor’s Ct. 1844), Nauvoo, IL, Records, CHL; see also Historical Introduction to City of Nauvoo v. Bostwick.

  34. 34

    JS, Journal, 26 Feb. 1844.

  35. 35

    Hancock Co., IL, Circuit Court Records, 1829–1897, vol. D, pp. 64–161, microfilm 947,496, U.S. and Canada Record Collection, FHL.

    U.S. and Canada Record Collection. FHL.

  36. 36

    JS, Journal, 28 Feb. 1844; “The Voice of Innocence from Nauvoo,” 29 Feb. 1844, JS Collection, CHL.

  37. 37

    Woodruff, Journal, 7 Mar. 1844; JS, Journal, 7 Mar. 1844.

    Woodruff, Wilford. Journals, 1833–1898. Wilford Woodruff, Journals and Papers, 1828–1898. CHL. MS 1352.

  38. 38

    Nauvoo Relief Society Minute Book, 9 and 16 Mar. 1844, [123]–[126], in Derr et al., First Fifty Years of Relief Society, 127–131.

  39. 39

    “Virtue Will Triumph,” Nauvoo Neighbor, 20 Mar. 1844, [2].

    Nauvoo Neighbor. Nauvoo, IL. 1843–1845.

  40. 40

    Charges against Harrison Sagers Preferred to the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, ca. 10 Apr. 1844.

  41. 41

    Nauvoo Stake High Council Minutes, 13 Apr. 1844, 28–29.

    Nauvoo Stake High Council Minutes, ca. 1839–ca. 1843. Fair copy. In Oliver Cowdery, Diary, Jan.–Mar. 1836. CHL.

  42. 42

    JS, Journal, 7 Mar. 1844; “The Mormons and Their Prophet—Legislation at Nauvoo—The Temple,” New-York Daily Tribune (New York City), 27 Jan. 1844, [1].

    New-York Daily Tribune. New York City. 1841–1924.

  43. 43

    Merinus G. Eaton, Affidavit, Hancock Co., IL, 27 Mar. 1844, and Abiathar Williams, Affidavit, Hancock Co., IL, 27 Mar. 1844, in Nauvoo Neighbor, 17 Apr. 1844, [2]; see also JS, Journal, 24 Mar. and 16 Apr. 1844.

  44. 44

    JS, Journal, 18 Apr. 1844; see also Council of Fifty, “Record,” 6 May 1844.

  45. 45

    JS, Journal, 28 Apr. 1844.

  46. 46

    “Valedictory,” and “Proposals for Resuscitating the Warsaw Signal,” Warsaw (IL) Message, Second Edition, 7 Feb. 1844, [1], [3]; Masthead, Warsaw (IL) Signal, 14 Feb. 1844, [1].

    Warsaw Message. Warsaw, IL. 1843–1844.

    Warsaw Signal. Warsaw, IL. 1841–1853.

  47. 47

    See, for example, Account of Meeting and Discourse, 8 Feb. 1844; Discourse, 7 Mar. 1844–A; Discourse, 24 Mar. 1844–A; Minutes and Discourse, 4 Apr. 1844; and Discourse, 12 May 1844.

  48. 48

    Discourse, 21 Jan. 1844.

  49. 49

    Discourse, 7 Apr. 1844.

  50. 50

    Historical Introduction to Discourse, 7 Apr. 1844.

  51. 51

    Letter to John C. Calhoun, 2 Jan. 1844; Letter to Henry Clay, 13 May 1844; Letter from Reuben Hedlock, 10–21 Jan. 1844.

  52. 52

    Letter from Reuben Hedlock, 10–21 Jan. 1844.

  53. 53

    Letter from Joseph L. Heywood, 7 Feb. 1844.

  54. 54

    Letter to Joseph L. Heywood, 13 Feb. 1844.

Contact UsFAQFollow Us on Facebook

Request for Documents

Do you know of any Joseph Smith documents that we might not have heard about? Tell us

The Church Historian’s Press is an imprint of the Church History Department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, Utah, and a trademark of Intellectual Reserve, Inc.

© 2024 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.Terms of UseUpdated 2021-04-13Privacy NoticeUpdated 2021-04-06