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  2. Introduction to Documents, Volume 8: February–November 1841

Joseph Smith Documents from February through November 1841

On 19 January 1841, Joseph Smith dictated a revelation that guided the spiritual development of 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 the physical development of the city 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
, Illinois, the designated gathering place for members of the church. Among its many instructions, the revelation called on the Saints to build a
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
where both doctrine and ritual could be expanded and to construct a boardinghouse called the
Nauvoo House

Located in lower portion of Nauvoo (the flats) along bank of Mississippi River. JS revelation, dated 19 Jan. 1841, instructed Saints to build boardinghouse for travelers and immigrants. Construction of planned three-story building to be funded by fifty-dollar...

More Info
to accommodate visitors to the burgeoning city.
1

Revelation, 19 Jan. 1841 [D&C 124:22–31].


These construction projects promised to strengthen the church and enhance the city—the temple would contain the first font for proxy
baptisms

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
, and the boardinghouse would create a welcoming place for visitors and new arrivals, including curious travelers and immigrating converts, who were already beginning to pour into Nauvoo.
From February through November 1841, hundreds who were not church members visited the city and witnessed its impressive growth as they interacted with Latter-day Saints and their leader, Joseph Smith.
2

See, for example, Storrow, “Journey to the West,” 3 July 1841; “Nauvoo,” Sangamo Journal (Springfield, IL), 9 Feb. 1841, [2]; “Temperance among the Mormons,” North American and Daily Advertiser (Philadelphia), 19 Mar. 1841, [1]; “Jottings Down in Iowa,” New-York Tribune, 6 Aug. 1841, [1]; “The Mormons,” New-York Tribune, 29 Sept. 1841, [1]; and “The Mormons,” New York Herald, 1 Oct. 1841, [1].


Comprehensive Works Cited

Storrow, Thomas Wentworth. “Journey to the West,” no date. Storrow Family Papers, 1762–1999. Massachusetts Historical Society, Boston.

Sangamo Journal. Springfield, IL. 1831–1847.

North American and Daily Advertiser. Philadelphia. 1839–1845.

New-York Tribune. New York City. 1841–1842.

New York Herald. New York City. 1835–1924.

One of these observers, Thomas Wentworth Storrow, a sixty-one-year-old
Boston

Capital city of Massachusetts, located on eastern seaboard at mouth of Charles River. Founded by Puritans, 1630. Received city charter, 1822. Population in 1820 about 43,000; in 1830 about 61,000; and in 1840 about 93,000. JS’s ancestor Robert Smith emigrated...

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merchant on a leisure journey to the West, left a detailed account of his July 1841 visit 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
. With an attentive eye, Storrow described a blossoming city led by Joseph Smith, “the only one who openly exercises the gift of prophecy and professes to have revelation direct with the Deity.”
3

Storrow, “Journey to the West,” 3 July 1841.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Storrow, Thomas Wentworth. “Journey to the West,” no date. Storrow Family Papers, 1762–1999. Massachusetts Historical Society, Boston.

Entries in Storrow’s journal provide a revealing snapshot of Joseph Smith’s Nauvoo. He arrived at a time filled with optimism, but problems were brewing under the calm surface, particularly with neighbors not of the faith.
Covering ten months in 1841, the documents in this volume of The Joseph Smith Papers illustrate both the growth and the mounting tensions of the time. The documents also highlight related topics, such as city building and urban planning, land and financial transactions, the gathering of the Saints, and important doctrinal developments. Managing the church and city spurred an increase in documentary production during 1841—the extant documentary record of Joseph Smith from February through November 1841 includes more than 450 documents. Because of this large number and because most of the documents are routine in nature, this volume of The Joseph Smith Papers is selective, including only ninety-nine documents.
4

The documents not included in this volume can be found on the Joseph Smith Papers website, josephsmithpapers.org.


The volume is divided into four parts, each containing about twenty-five documents. Nearly every document genre from this period is represented. For example, dozens of receipts from 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
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
building committee to Joseph Smith as the trustee-in-trust for the church are extant, and one is featured herein as a representative sample. Other genres represented include ecclesiastical licenses, land deeds, business documents, and legal documents. In addition, a wide variety of unusual document types are reproduced in this volume, including a religious proclamation, a Nauvoo City Council committee report, a memorandum, an interview, and the benediction for the southeast cornerstone of the Nauvoo temple. This volume also contains a selection of meeting minutes. Joseph Smith played a major role in a variety of organizations, including the Nauvoo City Council and 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...

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, and minutes of meetings in which he participated in significant ways are included herein. Finally, this volume presents from this period fifteen of Joseph Smith’s extant discourses, all forty-six extant letters, and all three extant revelations.
In 1841 Joseph Smith was busily engaged in managing lands and encouraging the construction of major buildings in the growing city 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
. Visitors sent observations of Nauvoo to their hometown newspapers, estimating the population (ranging from three thousand to ten thousand Latter-day Saints) and commenting on the hundreds of buildings dotting the bank of 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
.
5

See “Temperance among the Mormons,” North American and Daily Advertiser (Philadelphia), 19 Mar. 1841, [1].


Comprehensive Works Cited

North American and Daily Advertiser. Philadelphia. 1839–1845.

“Before us,” noted one visitor, “is the beginning of a great city—a noble bottom land, already half covered with cabins.”
6

“Mormons and Mormonism,” Daily Missouri Republican (St. Louis), 25 Nov. 1841, [2].


Comprehensive Works Cited

Daily Missouri Republican. St. Louis. 1822–1869.

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
received the most attention. One observer declared that it was “a fac simile of that Temple which was built by Solomon, and trod by the Savior.” Storrow remarked that it promised to be “a very large edifice,” and another account gave its measurements as 127 by 88 feet.
7

“Mormons and Mormonism,” Daily Missouri Republican (St. Louis), 25 Nov. 1841, [2]; Storrow, “Journey to the West,” 3 July 1841; Interview, 3 Nov. 1841.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Daily Missouri Republican. St. Louis. 1822–1869.

Storrow, Thomas Wentworth. “Journey to the West,” no date. Storrow Family Papers, 1762–1999. Massachusetts Historical Society, Boston.

By early April the
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
foundation was ready for the celebratory placement of the cornerstone. Joseph Smith invited many outside the faith from surrounding communities, including
Thomas C. 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 editor of the Warsaw Signal, to attend the 6 April ceremony.
8

Jacob, Reminiscence and Journal, 4; see also Benediction, 6 Apr. 1841.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Jacob, Norton. Reminiscence and Journal, May 1844–Jan. 1852. CHL. MS 9111.

Observers speculated on the cost of building such a structure. Storrow estimated “about $20,000,” while Joseph Smith reportedly told a visitor that he thought it would ultimately be “$200,000 or $300,000.”
9

Storrow, “Journey to the West,” 3 July 1841; Interview, 3 Nov. 1841.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Storrow, Thomas Wentworth. “Journey to the West,” no date. Storrow Family Papers, 1762–1999. Massachusetts Historical Society, Boston.

To lessen the financial burden, Latter-day Saints, both male and female, donated a tenth of their labor, cash, or other resources, directing their contributions to Joseph Smith, the church’s trustee-in-trust, so he could purchase supplies for the temple’s construction.
10

“Mormons and Mormonism,” Daily Missouri Republican (St. Louis), 25 Nov. 1841, [2]; Elias Higbee, “Ecclesiastical,” Times and Seasons, 1 Feb. 1841, 2:296; Letter to Quorum of the Twelve, 15 Dec. 1840; Minutes and Discourse, 3–5 Oct. 1840; see also Receipt from Reynolds Cahoon, 11 Feb. 1841.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Daily Missouri Republican. St. Louis. 1822–1869.

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

Joseph Smith and other church leaders encouraged Latter-day Saints to gather 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
to aid in the ongoing work on the temple and on other public buildings, especially the
Nauvoo House

Located in lower portion of Nauvoo (the flats) along bank of Mississippi River. JS revelation, dated 19 Jan. 1841, instructed Saints to build boardinghouse for travelers and immigrants. Construction of planned three-story building to be funded by fifty-dollar...

More Info
.
New construction signaled population growth and reflected the Saints’ awareness of the call to
gather

As directed by early revelations, church members “gathered” in communities. A revelation dated September 1830, for instance, instructed elders “to bring to pass the gathering of mine elect” who would “be gathered in unto one place, upon the face of this land...

View Glossary
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
. The gathering of the Latter-day Saints to 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
area emerges frequently as a topic in Joseph Smith documents from February through November 1841. As early as May 1839, Nauvoo had become a gathering place for the Saints, and further instruction to build up the city came in January 1841.
11

See Introduction to Part 4: 24 Apr.–12 Aug. 1839; and Revelation, 19 Jan. 1841 [D&C 124:51–55].


A March 1841 revelation directed the Saints to “gather themselves together unto the places which I shall appoint unto them by my servant Joseph, and build up cities unto my name” along 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
near Nauvoo.
12

Revelation, ca. Early Mar. 1841 [D&C 125:2].


At the church’s April 1841
general conference

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...

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, church leaders again spoke strongly about the need for the Saints to come to Nauvoo.
13

Minutes, 7–11 Apr. 1841.


On 24 May 1841, Smith wrote an open letter addressed to all church members residing outside the Nauvoo area, directing them to relocate primarily to
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 ...

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, Illinois.
14

Letter to the Saints Abroad, 24 May 1841.


During his visit in July 1841, Storrow noted in his journal that Joseph Smith “came to this country for the purpose of gathering in the Saints at the latter day.”
15

Storrow, “Journey to the West,” 3 July 1841.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Storrow, Thomas Wentworth. “Journey to the West,” no date. Storrow Family Papers, 1762–1999. Massachusetts Historical Society, Boston.

Even outsiders could see that Smith and other leaders urged the faithful to move to Nauvoo to build the
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
, advance the city’s industries, and support the poor.
16

See Minutes, 7–11 Apr. 1841; and Minutes, 16 Aug. 1841.


Thousands of Latter-day Saints heeded the call. The Cleveland Daily Herald reported that a wagon train from Oswego County, New York, “well rigged for journeying, passed our office yesterday, containing over 100 Mormons, big and little, bound for the Promised Land.” The Herald commented further that the people of the company “appeared to be intelligent and in very comfortable circumstances . . . and that unshaken faith in Joe Smith was enjoyed by all.”
17

“For Nauvoo,” Cleveland Daily Herald, 7 July 1841, [3].


Comprehensive Works Cited

Cleveland Herald. Cleveland. 1843–1853.

Although many followed the counsel to gather, others did not. Smith’s 24 May 1841 letter disbanded all
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
organizations except those 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 in
Lee County

Located in north-central Illinois, with part of northern county boundary formed by Rock River. Fertile agricultural area. French trappers frequented area, by 1780. Second Black Hawk campaign fought in area, 1832. Illinois Central Railroad construction began...

More Info
, Iowa Territory, directly 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
to the west 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
. Yet not all stakes ceased their activities.
Almon Babbitt

Oct. 1812–Sept. 1856. Postmaster, editor, attorney. Born at Cheshire, Berkshire Co., Massachusetts. Son of Ira Babbitt and Nancy Crosier. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, ca. 1830. Located in Amherst, Lorain Co., Ohio, July 1831....

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, the president of the
Kirtland

Located ten miles south of Lake Erie. Settled by 1811. Organized by 1818. Latter-day Saint missionaries visited township, early Nov. 1830; many residents joined Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Population in 1830 about 55 Latter-day Saints and...

More Info
, Ohio, stake, for instance, not only kept the Kirtland stake in operation but also actively encouraged those traveling west through Kirtland to stay and build up the church there instead.
18

At least one hundred members joined the church in Kirtland between late May and mid-October 1841. (Minutes, Kirtland, OH, 22–24 May 1841, in Times and Seasons, 1 July 1841, 2:458–460; Letter from Almon Babbitt, 19 Oct. 1841.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

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

Babbitt’s reluctance to comply exemplifies the difficulties Joseph Smith faced in managing the gathering of a large number of people in an ever-expanding church organization.
To aid in the gathering, missionaries were sent to preach, baptize, and bring converts back 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
. In July 1838 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
had been directed to “go over the great waters” and proselytize in the British Isles.
19

Revelation, 8 July 1838–A [D&C 118:4].


Those apostles who went arrived in early 1840 and continued their work into April 1841. Through their efforts, thousands 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
converted to the Latter-day Saint faith, and many of those converts then relocated to Nauvoo. By 1841 those converts were steadily streaming into Nauvoo. More than one hundred arrived in Nauvoo in the winter of 1840 and hundreds more were on the way.
20

Historical Introduction to Letter to Vilate Murray Kimball, 2 Mar. 1841; Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at New York, 1820–1897, roll 44 (16 Sept. 1840–10 May 1841), Manifest 779, microfilm 2,289, U.S. and Canada Record Collection, FHL; John Taylor, Liverpool, England, to Leonora Cannon Taylor, Nauvoo, IL, 6 Sept. 1840, John Taylor, Collection, CHL; Clayton, Diary, 8 Sept. 1840; Letter to Quorum of the Twelve, 15 Dec. 1840; see also News Item, Times and Seasons, 1 Dec. 1840, 2:233; and Orson Pratt, Edinburgh, Scotland to George A. Smith, Burslem, England, 1 Feb. 1841, George Albert Smith, Papers, CHL.


Comprehensive Works Cited

U.S. and Canada Record Collection. FHL.

Clayton, William. Diary, Vol. 1, 1840–1842. BYU.

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

Smith, George Albert. Papers, 1834–1877. CHL. MS 1322.

In January 1841 the
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
called on the British Saints to “dispose of their effects . . . and remove to our city and county.”
21

Proclamation, 15 Jan. 1841.


In response, over eight hundred Saints migrated from the British Isles to Nauvoo by mid-July 1841.
22

“British Emigration to Nauvoo,” 5–6, in Historian’s Office, Church Emigration, CHL.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Historian's Office. Church Emigration, no date. CHL.

As Storrow noted, the Saints in Nauvoo had “chosen a delightful residence 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
& their numbers are increasing, by converts in this country, besides many who frequently come from England.”
23

Storrow, “Journey to the West,” 3 July 1841.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Storrow, Thomas Wentworth. “Journey to the West,” no date. Storrow Family Papers, 1762–1999. Massachusetts Historical Society, Boston.

The New-York Tribune also commented in April 1841 that “the Mormons, at Nauvoo, Illinois, recently had an accession of two hundred disciples from England, via
New-Orleans

Settled by French, 1717. Acquired by U.S. in Louisiana Purchase, 1803. City, port of entry, and parish seat of justice. Population in 1840 about 100,000. Important trade center on Mississippi River. Branch of Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints established...

More Info
.”
24

News Item, New-York Tribune, 20 Apr. 1841, [2]; see also “Mormonism in England,” North American and Daily Advertiser (Philadelphia), 10 Sept. 1841, [2].


Comprehensive Works Cited

New-York Tribune. New York City. 1841–1842.

North American and Daily Advertiser. Philadelphia. 1839–1845.

Only men served as Latter-day Saint missionaries during this period; rarely did a wife or family accompany them. When
apostles

A title indicating one sent forth to preach; later designated as a specific ecclesiastical and priesthood office. By 1830, JS and Oliver Cowdery were designated as apostles. The “Articles and Covenants” of the church explained that an “apostle is an elder...

View Glossary
Brigham Young

1 June 1801–29 Aug. 1877. Carpenter, painter, glazier, colonizer. Born at Whitingham, Windham Co., Vermont. Son of John Young and Abigail (Nabby) Howe. Brought up in Methodist household; later joined Methodist church. Moved to Sherburne, Chenango Co., New...

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and
Heber C. Kimball

14 June 1801–22 June 1868. Blacksmith, potter. Born at Sheldon, Franklin Co., Vermont. Son of Solomon Farnham Kimball and Anna Spaulding. Married Vilate Murray, 22 Nov. 1822, at Mendon, Monroe Co., New York. Member of Baptist church at Mendon, 1831. Baptized...

View Full Bio
left for
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
, their wives, Mary Ann Angell Young and
Vilate Murray Kimball

1 June 1806–22 Oct. 1867. Born in Florida, Montgomery Co., New York. Daughter of Roswell Murray and Susannah Fitch. Moved to Bloomfield, Ontario Co., New York, by 1810. Moved to Victor, Ontario Co., by 1820. Married Heber Chase Kimball, 22 Nov. 1822, at Mendon...

View Full Bio
, remained 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
to help build the
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
, provide for their families, and situate the incoming English converts and others arriving in the city.
25

See Historical Introduction to Letter to Vilate Murray Kimball, 2 Mar. 1841.


This arrangement was typical of most missionaries and their families, though
Parley P. Pratt

12 Apr. 1807–13 May 1857. Farmer, editor, publisher, teacher, school administrator, legislator, explorer, author. Born at Burlington, Otsego Co., New York. Son of Jared Pratt and Charity Dickinson. Traveled west with brother William to acquire land, 1823....

View Full Bio
and his wife,
Mary Ann Frost Pratt

14 Jan. 1809–24 Aug. 1891. Midwife. Born in Groton, Caledonia Co., Vermont. Daughter of Aaron Frost and Susanna Gray Bennett. Moved to Bethel, Oxford Co., Maine, by 1820. Married first Nathan Stearns, ca. Feb. 1832, in Bethel. Husband died, 25 Aug. 1833. ...

View Full Bio
, were a notable exception. While serving his mission in 1840, Pratt sailed from England to
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
, gathered Mary Ann and their children, and sailed back to England with them to resume his mission.
26

Historical Introduction to Letter from Parley P. Pratt, 24 Oct. 1841.


By spring 1841 many of the apostles had ended their proselytizing in England and returned to assist Joseph Smith in managing the growing church in Nauvoo, while Pratt remained in Britain to preside there.
27

See Revelation, 9 July 1841 [D&C 126]; and Minutes, 16 Aug. 1841.


Missionaries were also sent throughout 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
. Letters written to Joseph Smith from locations such as
New York

Located in northeast region of U.S. Area settled by Dutch traders, 1620s; later governed by Britain, 1664–1776. Admitted to U.S. as state, 1788. Population in 1810 about 1,000,000; in 1820 about 1,400,000; in 1830 about 1,900,000; and in 1840 about 2,400,...

More Info
,
Pennsylvania

Area first settled by Swedish immigrants, 1628. William Penn received grant for territory from King Charles II, 1681, and established British settlement, 1682. Philadelphia was center of government for original thirteen U.S. colonies from time of Revolutionary...

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,
Massachusetts

One of original thirteen colonies that formed U.S. Capital city, Boston. Colonized by English religious dissenters, 1620s. Population in 1830 about 610,000. Population in 1840 about 738,000. Joseph Smith Sr. born in Massachusetts. Samuel Smith and Orson Hyde...

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, and elsewhere illustrate the expansion of proselytizing in the eastern United States.
28

See Letter from John E. Page, 1 Sept. 1841; Letter from Benjamin Winchester, 18 Sept. 1841; and Letter from Church Members in New York City, ca. 29 Nov. 1841.


For example,
William Henry 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. ...

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became the first Latter-day Saint missionary to Louisiana. Sagers was assigned to
New Orleans

Settled by French, 1717. Acquired by U.S. in Louisiana Purchase, 1803. City, port of entry, and parish seat of justice. Population in 1840 about 100,000. Important trade center on Mississippi River. Branch of Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints established...

More Info
after church members
Eli Terrill

View Full Bio

and Elam Ludington petitioned Joseph Smith in January 1841 to “send help to this city before the people perish, for it is a time of great excitement here, send us a Peter, or an apostle to preach unto us Jesus.”
29

“Summary,” Times and Seasons, 1 Mar. 1841, 2:339.


Comprehensive Works Cited

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

In a letter to Joseph Smith, Sagers reported good prospects for growth among crowded congregations who were interested in hearing about the church.
While the letters from 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 ...

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and Britain mentioned converts, the letters from apostle
Orson Hyde

8 Jan. 1805–28 Nov. 1878. Laborer, clerk, storekeeper, teacher, editor, businessman, lawyer, judge. Born at Oxford, New Haven Co., Connecticut. Son of Nathan Hyde and Sally Thorpe. Moved to Derby, New Haven Co., 1812. Moved to Kirtland, Geauga Co., Ohio, ...

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en route to
Jerusalem

Capital city of ancient Judea. Holy city of Christians, Jews, and Muslims. Population in 1835 about 11,000; in 1840 about 13,000; and in 1850 about 15,000. Described in 1836 as “greatly reduced from its ancient size and importance.” Control of city changed...

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had a different focus.
30

See Letter from John Taylor, 3 Feb. 1841; and Letter from Orson Hyde, 17 Apr. 1841.


At a church conference in April 1840, apostles Orson Hyde and
John E. Page

25 Feb. 1799–14 Oct. 1867. Born at Trenton, Oneida Co., New York. Son of Ebenezer Page and Rachel Hill. Married first Betsey Thompson, 1831, in Huron Co., Ohio. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by Emer Harris, 18 Aug. 1833, at Brownhelm...

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were called to serve a unique mission—rather than being assigned to proselytize, they were asked to collect information regarding the gathering of the Jews. Hyde and Page were officially appointed to travel to “
London

City in southeast England; located on River Thames about sixty miles west of North Sea. Capital city of England. Population in 1841 about 2,000,000. London conference of British mission organized, 1841.

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,
Amsterdam

Significant maritime and commercial city on western coast of Netherlands. Located at confluence of Amstel and Wye rivers. Small fishing village in twelfth and thirteenth centuries. Population in 1830 about 200,000. Population in 1843 about 210,000. JS appointed...

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, Constantinople and Jerusalem” to converse with “Elders of the Jews” and to publish their findings “throughout the United States.”
31

Recommendation for Orson Hyde, 6 Apr. 1840; Minutes and Discourses, 6–8 Apr. 1840.


Sometime in late August 1840, the two apostles separated in
Cincinnati

Area settled largely by emigrants from New England and New Jersey, by 1788. Village founded and surveyed adjacent to site of Fort Washington, 1789. First seat of legislature of Northwest Territory, 1790. Incorporated as city, 1819. Developed rapidly as shipping...

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, with Page attempting to raise funds for the mission and Hyde venturing on to
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...

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before sailing overseas alone.
32

Letter from Orson Hyde, 28 Sept. 1840; Letter from Orson Hyde, 17 Apr. 1841.


Page, meanwhile, traveled through
Ohio

French explored and claimed area, 1669. British took possession following French and Indian War, 1763. Ceded to U.S., 1783. First permanent white settlement established, 1788. Northeastern portion maintained as part of Connecticut, 1786, and called Connecticut...

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,
Indiana

First settled by French at Vincennes, early 1700s. Acquired by England in French and Indian War, 1763. U.S. took possession of area following American Revolution, 1783. Area became part of Northwest Territory, 1787. Partitioned off of Northwest Territory ...

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, and other locations in the eastern United States before spending time in
Philadelphia

Port city founded as Quaker settlement by William Penn, 1681. Site of signing of Declaration of Independence and drafting of U.S. Constitution. Nation’s capital city, 1790–1800. Population in 1830 about 170,000; in 1840 about 260,000; and in 1850 about 410...

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and New York City. Page ultimately abandoned the mission abroad and wrote to Joseph Smith to explain the situation; church members in
New York

Located in northeast region of U.S. Area settled by Dutch traders, 1620s; later governed by Britain, 1664–1776. Admitted to U.S. as state, 1788. Population in 1810 about 1,000,000; in 1820 about 1,400,000; in 1830 about 1,900,000; and in 1840 about 2,400,...

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vouched for his proselytizing efforts and advocated on his behalf to Joseph Smith, who was displeased with Page’s failure to complete his assignment.
33

Letter from John E. Page, 1 Sept. 1841; Letter from Church Members in New York City, ca. 29 Nov. 1841.


While
Page

25 Feb. 1799–14 Oct. 1867. Born at Trenton, Oneida Co., New York. Son of Ebenezer Page and Rachel Hill. Married first Betsey Thompson, 1831, in Huron Co., Ohio. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by Emer Harris, 18 Aug. 1833, at Brownhelm...

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remained 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
,
Hyde

8 Jan. 1805–28 Nov. 1878. Laborer, clerk, storekeeper, teacher, editor, businessman, lawyer, judge. Born at Oxford, New Haven Co., Connecticut. Son of Nathan Hyde and Sally Thorpe. Moved to Derby, New Haven Co., 1812. Moved to Kirtland, Geauga Co., Ohio, ...

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arrived on 3 March 1841 in
Liverpool

Seaport, city, county borough, and market-town in northwestern England. Experienced exponential growth during nineteenth century. Population in 1830 about 120,000. Population in 1841 about 290,000. First Latter-day Saint missionaries to England arrived in...

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, England, where he began sending intermittent reports to Joseph Smith 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....

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.
34

Letter from Orson Hyde, 17 Apr. 1841.


Following the directives given in his original appointment, Hyde sought information regarding the “views and movements of the Jewish people.”
35

Recommendation for Orson Hyde, 6 Apr. 1840.


He attempted to visit the Chief Rabbi of Great Britain,
Solomon Hirschell

1761–31 Oct. 1842. Rabbi. Born in London, England. Son of Rabbi Hirsch Levin Berliner. Moved with father to Halberstadt, Province of Saxony, Prussia (later in Germany), 1765. Married, ca. 1778. Became chief rabbi of Prenzlau, Province of Brandenburg, Prussia...

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. However, when he called on Hirschell at the Great Synagogue of
London

City in southeast England; located on River Thames about sixty miles west of North Sea. Capital city of England. Population in 1841 about 2,000,000. London conference of British mission organized, 1841.

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, Hyde was informed that the rabbi had suffered injuries from a recent accident and was unable to grant him an audience. Hyde then wrote Hirschell a letter concerning the gathering of the Jews and copied it into his correspondence with Joseph Smith.
36

Letter from Orson Hyde, 15 June 1841.


Undeterred, Hyde pressed on to the Netherlands,
Germany

Inhabited anciently by Teutonic peoples. Included in Holy Roman Empire. Became confederation of states, 1815. Between 1843 and 1856, population estimates range from about 30,000,000 to about 51,000,000. Orson Hyde traveled through Germany during his missionary...

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, and Turkey before eventually reaching
Jerusalem

Capital city of ancient Judea. Holy city of Christians, Jews, and Muslims. Population in 1835 about 11,000; in 1840 about 13,000; and in 1850 about 15,000. Described in 1836 as “greatly reduced from its ancient size and importance.” Control of city changed...

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, where on 24 October 1841 he prayed over the land, dedicating Palestine for the “gathering together of Judah’s scattered remnants.”
37

Orson Hyde, Alexandria, Egypt, to Parley P. Pratt, [Manchester], England, 22 Nov. 1841, in Millennial Star, Jan. 1842, 2:133.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Latter-day Saints’ Millennial Star. Manchester, England, 1840–1842; Liverpool, 1842–1932; London, 1932–1970.

Throughout his journey, Hyde sought opportunities to gather information and to compose and translate materials on church doctrine and history. His writings were among the first church materials published in languages other than English.
38

See Letter from Orson Hyde and John E. Page, 1 May 1840; JS History, vol. C-1 Addenda Book, 49; and “Highly Interesting from Jerusalem,” Millennial Star, Mar. 1842, 2:167.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Latter-day Saints’ Millennial Star. Manchester, England, 1840–1842; Liverpool, 1842–1932; London, 1932–1970.

As the success of the missionaries brought an influx of Saints 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....

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, Joseph Smith and other leaders faced the challenge of managing land purchases and distributing land to new arrivals. A major part of this land management involved handling impending debt payments owed by Joseph Smith and the church. Debts incurred in
Kirtland

Located ten miles south of Lake Erie. Settled by 1811. Organized by 1818. Latter-day Saint missionaries visited township, early Nov. 1830; many residents joined Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Population in 1830 about 55 Latter-day Saints and...

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from 1835 through 1838 periodically resurfaced as debtors and collectors sought out Joseph Smith, but most pressing in 1841 was the debt on the “Hotchkiss Purchase.”
39

Until his death in August 1841, Oliver Granger was tasked with settling the Kirtland-era debts. (See Letter to Oliver Granger, 4 May 1841; and Letter to Oliver Granger, 30 Aug. 1841.)


In August 1839,
Horace Hotchkiss

15 Apr. 1799–21 Apr. 1849. Merchant, land speculator. Born in East Haven, New Haven Co., Connecticut. Son of Heman Hotchkiss and Elizabeth Rowe. Moved to New Haven, New Haven Co., by 1815. Married Charlotte Austin Street, 22 Feb. 1824, in East Haven. Purchased...

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,
Smith Tuttle

12 Mar. 1795–7 Mar. 1865. Shipping merchant, land speculator. Born in East Haven, New Haven Co., Connecticut. Son of Christopher Tuttle and Abigail Luddington. Moved to Wallingford, New Haven Co., by 1810. Married first Rachel Gillett. Married second Amarilla...

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, and
John Gillet

2 Aug. 1796–17 July 1848. Likely born in Connecticut. Son of Benoni Gillett and Phoebe Dean. Moved to Commerce (later Nauvoo), Hancock Co., Illinois, by May 1837. In Aug. 1839, with land-speculating partners Horace Hotchkiss and Smith Tuttle, sold land in...

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—land speculators from
Connecticut

Originally inhabited by native Algonquin tribes. Among first thirteen colonies that formed U.S., southernmost state in New England. First permanent European settlements established by members of Massachusetts Bay Colony, ca. 1635. Population in 1820 about...

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—sold Joseph Smith,
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...

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, and
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; back to Tunbridge, before May 1803; to Royalton, Windsor Co., Vermont, 1804; to Sharon, Windsor Co...

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nearly five hundred acres in the
Commerce

Located near middle of western boundary of state, bordering Mississippi River. European Americans settled area, 1820s. From bank of river, several feet above high-water mark, ground described as nearly level for six or seven blocks before gradually sloping...

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, Illinois, area (later Nauvoo). The agreement with Hotchkiss stated that annual interest payments of $3,000 were due beginning in 1840.
40

See Historical Introduction to Bond from Horace Hotchkiss, 12 Aug. 1839–A.


Apparently, Hotchkiss agreed to defer the 1840 payment for a year, which brought the first interest payment due in August 1841.
Because church members in western
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...

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lacked liquid assets, Joseph Smith formulated a plan whereby members in the eastern
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 ...

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could help ease the church’s land debt and support the growth 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
. The same 19 January 1841 revelation that called for the gathering of the Saints to Nauvoo also directed
Isaac Galland

15 May 1791–27 Sept. 1858. Merchant, postmaster, land speculator, doctor. Born at Somerset Co., Pennsylvania. Son of Matthew Galland and Hannah Fenno. Married first Nancy Harris, 22 Mar. 1811, in Madison Co., Ohio. Married second Margaret Knight, by 1816....

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and
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; back to Tunbridge, before May 1803; to Royalton, Windsor Co., Vermont, 1804; to Sharon, Windsor Co...

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to “accomplish the work my servant Joseph shall point out.”
41

Revelation, 19 Jan. 1841 [D&C 124:79].


In February, Joseph Smith gave them written authorization to collect donations, to sell stock in the
Nauvoo House

Located in lower portion of Nauvoo (the flats) along bank of Mississippi River. JS revelation, dated 19 Jan. 1841, instructed Saints to build boardinghouse for travelers and immigrants. Construction of planned three-story building to be funded by fifty-dollar...

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, and to promise church members in the eastern United States land in
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 ...

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, Illinois, in exchange for their land in the East.
42

Authorization for Hyrum Smith and Isaac Galland, 15 Feb. 1841.


The deeds to those eastern lands were then to be used as payment toward the debt owed to
Hotchkiss

15 Apr. 1799–21 Apr. 1849. Merchant, land speculator. Born in East Haven, New Haven Co., Connecticut. Son of Heman Hotchkiss and Elizabeth Rowe. Moved to New Haven, New Haven Co., by 1815. Married Charlotte Austin Street, 22 Feb. 1824, in East Haven. Purchased...

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and his partners.
43

See Letter from William Smith, 5 Aug. 1841; and Letter to Horace Hotchkiss, 25 Aug. 1841.


Documents reveal that
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; back to Tunbridge, before May 1803; to Royalton, Windsor Co., Vermont, 1804; to Sharon, Windsor Co...

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and
Galland

15 May 1791–27 Sept. 1858. Merchant, postmaster, land speculator, doctor. Born at Somerset Co., Pennsylvania. Son of Matthew Galland and Hannah Fenno. Married first Nancy Harris, 22 Mar. 1811, in Madison Co., Ohio. Married second Margaret Knight, by 1816....

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left in March 1841 to acquire land in the eastern
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 ...

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that could then be transferred to
Hotchkiss

15 Apr. 1799–21 Apr. 1849. Merchant, land speculator. Born in East Haven, New Haven Co., Connecticut. Son of Heman Hotchkiss and Elizabeth Rowe. Moved to New Haven, New Haven Co., by 1815. Married Charlotte Austin Street, 22 Feb. 1824, in East Haven. Purchased...

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as debt payment. For unknown reasons, however, Hyrum returned 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....

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in late April.
44

Philadelphia Branch Record Book, 6 Apr. 1841; News Item, Times and Seasons, 1 May 1841, 2:403; Letter from Smith Tuttle, ca. 15 Sept. 1841; Clayton, Diary, 2 May 1841.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Philadelphia Branch, Record Book, 1840–1854. CCLA.

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

Clayton, William. Diary, Vol. 1, 1840–1842. BYU.

Galland also failed to meet with Hotchkiss or transfer any property; it is unknown why Galland did not meet with Hotchkiss, but Joseph Smith mentioned that Galland might have been suffering from partial blindness.
45

Letter to Horace Hotchkiss, 25 Aug. 1841.


In June, Hyrum was sent again from Nauvoo, this time with
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...

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, to procure land and settle with Hotchkiss, but no apparent progress was made from this second initiative. Illness forced Hyrum to return to Nauvoo in August.
46

“The Late Proceedings,” Times and Seasons, 15 June 1841, 2:447; George A. Smith, Journal, 21 June 1841; Letter from John M. Bernhisel, 12 July 1841; Letter to Horace Hotchkiss, 25 Aug. 1841.


Comprehensive Works Cited

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

Smith, George A. Journal, 22 Feb. 1841–10 Mar. 1845. George Albert Smith, Papers, 1834–1877. CHL. MS 1322, box 2, fd. 4.

After his second return to Nauvoo, Hyrum informed JS that he had left Galland with “nearly enough” real estate to settle with Hotchkiss.
47

Letter to Horace Hotchkiss, 25 Aug. 1841.


Without having settled any of the debt, however, Galland informed Hotchkiss in July that he was returning to the West; he referred Hotchkiss to
William Smith

13 Mar. 1811–13 Nov. 1893. Farmer, newspaper editor. Born at Royalton, Windsor Co., Vermont. Son of Joseph Smith Sr. and Lucy Mack. Moved to Lebanon, Grafton Co., New Hampshire, 1811; to Norwich, Windsor Co., 1813; and to Palmyra, Ontario Co., New York, 1816...

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for payment on the debt.
48

While Hotchkiss stated that Galland was “leaving for the west,” Smith Tuttle clarified that Galland had stated he was “on his way to Nauvoo,” as William Smith confirmed in his 5 August 1841 letter. (Letter from Horace Hotchkiss, 24 July 1841; Letter from Smith Tuttle, ca. 15 Sept. 1841.)


While the church’s
agents

A specific church office and, more generally, someone “entrusted with the business of another.” Agents in the church assisted other ecclesiastical officers, especially the bishop in his oversight of the church’s temporal affairs. A May 1831 revelation instructed...

View Glossary
worked to secure payment, Joseph Smith and
Hotchkiss

15 Apr. 1799–21 Apr. 1849. Merchant, land speculator. Born in East Haven, New Haven Co., Connecticut. Son of Heman Hotchkiss and Elizabeth Rowe. Moved to New Haven, New Haven Co., by 1815. Married Charlotte Austin Street, 22 Feb. 1824, in East Haven. Purchased...

View Full Bio
corresponded, each expressing frustration with the lack of payment on the looming debts and each declaring his hope that arrangements could be made to facilitate payment.
49

Letter from Horace Hotchkiss, 24 July 1841; Letter to Horace Hotchkiss, 25 Aug. 1841; Letter from Horace Hotchkiss, 13 Sept. 1841; Letter from Horace Hotchkiss, 11 Oct. 1841; Letter from Horace Hotchkiss, 9 Nov. 1841; see also Letter from Smith Tuttle, ca. 15 Sept. 1841; and Letter to Smith Tuttle, 9 Oct. 1841.


Despite the correspondence and Joseph Smith’s continued efforts to send agents, the interest payment was still outstanding in August when
William Smith

13 Mar. 1811–13 Nov. 1893. Farmer, newspaper editor. Born at Royalton, Windsor Co., Vermont. Son of Joseph Smith Sr. and Lucy Mack. Moved to Lebanon, Grafton Co., New Hampshire, 1811; to Norwich, Windsor Co., 1813; and to Palmyra, Ontario Co., New York, 1816...

View Full Bio
arranged to meet
Hotchkiss

15 Apr. 1799–21 Apr. 1849. Merchant, land speculator. Born in East Haven, New Haven Co., Connecticut. Son of Heman Hotchkiss and Elizabeth Rowe. Moved to New Haven, New Haven Co., by 1815. Married Charlotte Austin Street, 22 Feb. 1824, in East Haven. Purchased...

View Full Bio
and facilitate the transfer of property in
New Egypt

Small village in Monmouth Co. Became part of Ocean Co., New Jersey, by 1854. Located about twenty miles southeast of Trenton. Population ca. 1854 about 600. JS authorized William Smith to trade land owned near New Egypt in payment on debt.

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, New Jersey, that had belonged to church members
Charles Ivins

16 Apr. 1799–29 Jan. 1875. Merchant, hotelier, ferry owner, farmer. Born in Burlington Co., New Jersey. Son of Israel Ivins and Margaret Woodward. Married Elizabeth Lippencott Shinn, 1 May 1823, in Burlington Co. Moved to Monmouth Co., New Jersey, before ...

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and
James Ivins

22 Mar. 1797–3 Apr. 1877. Farmer. Born in Upper Freehold Township, Monmouth Co., New Jersey. Son of Israel Ivins and Margaret Woodward. Married Mary Schenk. Presumably baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Moved to Nauvoo, Hancock Co....

View Full Bio
. Hotchkiss agreed on 11 October to accept the property in New Egypt to settle the interest payment.
50

Letter from Horace Hotchkiss, 11 Oct. 1841; Letter from William Smith, 5 Aug. 1841.


At the conclusion of 1841, the payment had not been made to Hotchkiss, but negotiations were underway to determine the value of the Ivinses’ property in
New Jersey

Located in northeast region of U.S. First European settlements made by Dutch, Swedes, and English, early 1600s. Admitted to U.S. as state, Dec. 1787. Population in 1830 about 321,000. Population in 1840 about 373,000. First Latter-day Saint missionaries preached...

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and whether it would be sufficient to cover the first interest payment.
51

The transfer of the property did not take place until February 1842. (Letter from Horace Hotchkiss, 9 Nov. 1841; Horace Hotchkiss et al., Receipt, Fair Haven, CT, to James Ivins, 28 Feb. 1842, JS Collection, CHL.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Smith, Joseph. Collection, 1827–1846. CHL. MS 155.

Even while he struggled to pay
Hotchkiss

15 Apr. 1799–21 Apr. 1849. Merchant, land speculator. Born in East Haven, New Haven Co., Connecticut. Son of Heman Hotchkiss and Elizabeth Rowe. Moved to New Haven, New Haven Co., by 1815. Married Charlotte Austin Street, 22 Feb. 1824, in East Haven. Purchased...

View Full Bio
for real estate the church had purchased, Joseph Smith began looking for new land on which incoming Saints could settle. On 16 August, Smith convened a special church conference during which he announced that the church would build up a number of new settlements, including a town just south 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....

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that was to be named
Warren

Platted on school section number 16, one mile south of Warsaw, summer 1841. Quorum of Twelve wrote epistle to Saints, 26 Aug. 1841, inviting immigrants to settle in Warren. Willard Richards moved to Warsaw and sold lots in Warren, Sept. 1841. Joseph Fielding...

More Info
, Illinois.
52

“Conference Minutes,” Times and Seasons, 1 Sept. 1841, 2:522; Letter from Calvin A. Warren, 31 Aug. 1841; JS, Journal, 13 Dec. 1841.


Comprehensive Works Cited

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

The Warsaw Signal reported on the Latter-day Saints’ efforts to buy land for the settlement and commented, “We sincerely hope, this curse will be spared us.”
53

News Item, Warsaw (IL) Signal, 14 July 1841, [2], italics in original.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Warsaw Signal. Warsaw, IL. 1841–1853.

Due to opposition from neighboring citizens, the Warren settlement ended almost as soon as it began, but Joseph Smith, the apostles, and other church leaders continued to plan how best to accommodate the influx of Latter-day Saints in 1841.
At the same 16 August 1841 conference, weary of his multiplying responsibilities, Joseph Smith altered the management of the church’s temporal affairs. Members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles had recently returned from their successful mission to
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 Smith was eager to have them help with the church’s administrative and financial business so that he could focus more on spiritual matters.
54

“The Twelve,” Times and Seasons, 2 Aug. 1841, 2:487.


Comprehensive Works Cited

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

Since at least June 1840, Smith had sought to be relieved from his duties in the development of the city 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
, including land sales.
55

Memorial to Nauvoo High Council, 18 June 1840.


At the 16 August conference, which was held in part so that Nauvoo Saints would understand and sustain the new administrative responsibility of the apostles, Joseph Smith gave the apostles direct responsibility to “manage the affairs of the kingdom” in Nauvoo.
56

Minutes, 16 Aug. 1841.


Though he eventually shifted some of his church administrative responsibilities, Joseph Smith was active in civic affairs and played a significant role on the city council. 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 began work two days after the first general election in Nauvoo on 1 February 1841.
57

Act to Incorporate the City of Nauvoo, 16 Dec. 1840; Historical Introduction to Minutes, 3 Feb. 1841. The Act to Incorporate the City of Nauvoo, also known as the Nauvoo charter, was an Illinois state legislative act that, among other things, authorized a city council. The council was granted the power to establish and execute city ordinances so long as they were “not repugnant to the Constitution of the United States” or to the Illinois state constitution. The council was also authorized to create any legislation it deemed “necessary for the peace, benefit, good order, regulation, convenience, and cleanliness, of said city; for the protection of property therein from destruction by fire, or otherwise, and for the health, and happiness, thereof.” The First Presidency stated the charter was the most liberal, “with the most plenary powers, ever conferred by a legislative assembly on free citizens.” (Proclamation, 15 Jan. 1841; see also News Item, Western World [Warsaw, IL], 13 Jan. 1841, [2].)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Western World. Warsaw, IL. 1840–1841.

He introduced numerous city ordinances and shaped many of the debates found in the minutes of the council’s meetings. In a 1 March 1841 city council meeting, for instance, Smith proposed an ordinance “in relation to religious Societies,” providing for “free toleration and equal Privilieges” for all religious sects and denominations. This ordinance, which the council passed, highlighted his and the council’s commitment to guarantee civil, political, and religious liberty to all in Nauvoo.
58

Minutes, 1 Mar. 1841.


Other city ordinances had far-reaching implications. For example, in the city council’s first meeting, Smith presented an ordinance to organize 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
, a militia body authorized in the Nauvoo charter. This independent municipal militia met for the first time on 4 February 1841, and Joseph Smith was appointed lieutenant general, the highest rank in the legion.
59

Minutes, 4 Feb. 1841.


Independent of the greater state militia, yet still subject to the governor, the legion was a symbol of empowerment for the city.
60

The Nauvoo Legion’s official relationship to the state government mirrored that of other city militias. That the legion was still answerable to the governor can be seen in Joseph Smith’s commission as lieutenant general. This commission came from Governor Thomas Carlin and stated, “I do strictly require all officers and soldiers under [Joseph Smith’s] command to be obedient to his orders; and he is to obey such orders and directions as he shall receive from time to time, from the Commander-in-Chief, or his superior officer.” (Commission from Thomas Carlin, 10 Mar. 1841.)


That symbolism was not lost on visitors and commentators outside the faith. Thomas Storrow wrote at length in his journal about the Nauvoo Legion:
The Mormons have suffered in their formation and progress so much from open violence that they have been forced to enrol themselves into a “Mormon Legion” which numbers 1500 men all armed and subject to monthly drills. . . . The officers seemed to know their military duty and the men were evidently under better discipline than any of the militia at the East. The Mormons do not depend wholly on spiritual weapons, but are preparing to use the arm of flesh for defense, and some people think, even for attack, tho this assertion may be a calumny raised by their enemies, who are rather numerous.
61

Storrow, “Journey to the West,” 3 July 1841.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Storrow, Thomas Wentworth. “Journey to the West,” no date. Storrow Family Papers, 1762–1999. Massachusetts Historical Society, Boston.

The Daily National Intelligencer, a
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
newspaper, reported that the legion was a protective measure because the Latter-day Saints did “not intend to be driven out of
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
as they were 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
.”
62

“Progress of the Mormons,” Daily National Intelligencer (Washington DC), 7 Apr. 1841, [3].


Comprehensive Works Cited

Daily National Intelligencer. Washington DC. 1800–1869.

The New-York Tribune similarly reported: “What appears to excite particular aversion or alarm, is the organization of what is called the Nuuvoo Legion—who muster every few days, ‘all harnessed for war.’ . . . Our belief has been, that the Mormon Legion has been organized for defence, as in case of an attack, as in Missouri.”
63

“The Mormons,” New-York Tribune, 15 July 1841, [1].


Comprehensive Works Cited

New-York Tribune. New York City. 1841–1842.

Though Joseph Smith and others worked to ensure the security of the Saints’ growing gathering place, the potential power of the independent municipal militia raised concern among neighbors outside the faith, including the outspoken editor of the Warsaw Signal,
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
, who would become a primary antagonist of Smith and the church.
64

In June 1841, Sharp wrote: “Ask yourselves what means this array of military force which is paraded under the direction of this church. Is an army necessary to propagate religion?” ([Thomas Sharp], “The Mormons,” Warsaw [IL] Signal, 9 June 1841, [2]; see also “The Mormons,” Western World [Warsaw, IL], 24 Feb. 1841, [2]; and General Orders for Nauvoo Legion, 4 May 1841.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Warsaw Signal. Warsaw, IL. 1841–1853.

Western World. Warsaw, IL. 1840–1841.

In addition to military and governmental advances 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
, the documents in this volume present developments in Latter-day Saint doctrine and religious instruction. Nearly one-fifth of the documents featured in this volume are discourses delivered by Joseph Smith. None of these discourse texts capture a complete sermon, word for word, nor do any derive from speaking notes created by Smith himself. Rather, various individuals recorded portions or summaries of the discourses, and Smith most likely did not oversee or review these written accounts. The resulting texts reflect only a fraction of the words spoken or ideas put forth by Joseph Smith. These incomplete sermon texts are further filtered by what the scribes decided was worth recording, the length of time between when the words were spoken and when the scribe recorded them, and the purpose for which the notes of the sermon were produced and preserved. Thus, there is no complete discourse—one that captures all or nearly all of the church president’s spoken words at any given meeting—featured in this volume. In fact, no record survives for most of the discourses delivered by Joseph Smith.
65

For instance, Alexander Neibaur noted in his journal on 30 May 1841 that “J Smith preachet from the last 2 ch Cronicls.” Neibaur provided no other details, and no other record of this sermon—its contents, length, or text—is known to exist. (Neibaur, Journal, 30 May 1841.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Neibaur, Alexander. Journal, 1841–1862. CHL. MS 1674.

He frequently lectured and preached in diverse settings throughout 1841, but this volume is limited to those for which a record survives.
One of the more extensive discourse texts featured in this volume is the account of a May 1841 sermon that was printed in the church newspaper Times and Seasons. Though the paper provided nearly nine hundred words of Joseph Smith’s sermon, the account was only a brief, “imperfect sketch” of what Smith had said in the discourse, which reportedly lasted more than two hours.
66

See Discourse, 16 May 1841.


The balance of this sermon, undoubtedly thousands more words, has been lost to history. Despite these limitations, the fragments of these sermons provide an invaluable glimpse not only of Joseph Smith’s beliefs but also of how he instructed his listeners.
Throughout the period covered in this volume, Joseph Smith spoke on a variety of religious, political, and economic matters. Eleven of the fifteen discourse texts featured in this volume were recorded by church member
William P. McIntire

29 May 1813–5 Jan. 1882. Tailor. Born in Wheatfield, Indiana Co., Pennsylvania. Son of George McIntire and Sarah Davis. Married Anna Patterson, ca. 1833, in Pennsylvania. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by Erastus Snow, 23 Nov. 1836...

View Full Bio
.
67

For more on McIntire, see Historical Introduction to Discourse, ca. 2 Feb. 1841.


Smith participated in lyceum meetings 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
, in which people gathered to learn about and discuss social, scientific, political, and religious ideas. McIntire provided accounts of several lyceum meetings, briefly noting the topics and occasionally some of the words spoken by the presenters. For example, in one meeting, Joseph Smith lectured about the Millennium, teaching that not every wicked person would be destroyed at the second coming of Christ. He also taught that “
satan

A fallen angel, or son of God, known by many names, including Lucifer, the devil, the father of lies, the prince of darkness, perdition, and the adversary. In the Bible, the Book of Mormon, and JS’s Bible revisions, Satan was described as a tempter of men...

View Glossary
cannot seduce us By his enticements unless we in our h[e]arts Consent & yeald— our organization [is] such that we can Resist the Devil If we were Not organized so we would Not be free agents.”
68

Discourse, ca. 16 Mar. 1841.


He delivered other sermons in church conference settings or at weekly Sunday meetings. One of the discourses in this volume was delivered at a celebration of Independence Day, though very little of what was apparently an extensive speech was recorded.
69

See Account of Meeting, 3 July 1841.


For followers of Joseph Smith, one form of communication proved more authoritative than sermons delivered by their prophet: revelations. For the period covered by this volume, the revelations dictated by the church president are both few and brief. Two revelations in March dealt with practical considerations about settlement and the financing of construction projects 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
.
70

Revelation, ca. Early Mar. 1841 [D&C 125]; Revelation, 20 Mar. 1841.


Another revelation was directed to
Brigham Young

1 June 1801–29 Aug. 1877. Carpenter, painter, glazier, colonizer. Born at Whitingham, Windham Co., Vermont. Son of John Young and Abigail (Nabby) Howe. Brought up in Methodist household; later joined Methodist church. Moved to Sherburne, Chenango Co., New...

View Full Bio
, commending him for his years of missionary service.
71

Revelation, 9 July 1841 [D&C 126].


As with sermon texts, Joseph Smith may have dictated more revelations than these three, but no other texts are known. Two of the revelations found herein were later canonized and widely published among Latter-day Saints.
Doctrinal developments emphasized the binding of families together in eternity, particularly through baptisms for the dead. In August 1840, Joseph Smith taught about and later authorized the performance of baptisms for the dead, in which living male and female church members could be baptized vicariously for deceased individuals.
72

“Obituary for Seymour Brunson,” Times and Seasons, Sept. 1840, 1:176; Jane Harper Neyman and Vienna Jaques, Statement, 29 Nov. 1854, Historian’s Office, JS History Documents, 1839–1860, CHL.


Comprehensive Works Cited

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

Historian’s Office. Joseph Smith History Documents, 1839–1860. CHL. CR 100 396.

At the October 1840 general conference, Joseph Smith taught the Saints about the opportunity they had to “liberate their friends from bondage” and provide their dead ancestors “the privilege of comeing forth in the first resurrection.”
73

Vilate Murray Kimball, Nauvoo, IL, to Heber C. Kimball, London, England, 11 Oct. 1840, photocopy, Vilate Murray Kimball, Letters, 1840, CHL; Minutes and Discourse, 3–5 Oct. 1840.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Kimball, Vilate Murray. Letters, 1840. Photocopy. CHL.

Latter-day Saints praised this new doctrine and, as
Vilate Kimball

1 June 1806–22 Oct. 1867. Born in Florida, Montgomery Co., New York. Daughter of Roswell Murray and Susannah Fitch. Moved to Bloomfield, Ontario Co., New York, by 1810. Moved to Victor, Ontario Co., by 1820. Married Heber Chase Kimball, 22 Nov. 1822, at Mendon...

View Full Bio
and
Vienna Jaques

10 June 1787–7 Feb. 1884. Laundress, nurse. Born in Beverly, Essex Co., Massachusetts. Daughter of Henry Jaques and Lucinda Hughes. Lived in Boston, 1827–1830. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by E. Harris, 12 July 1831. Moved to ...

View Full Bio
observed, church members went often into the waters of the
Mississippi

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
to perform vicarious baptismal ordinances.
74

Minutes, Kirtland, OH, 22–24 May 1841, in Times and Seasons, 1 July 1841, 2:459; Vilate Murray Kimball, Nauvoo, IL, to Heber C. Kimball, London, England, 11 Oct. 1840, photocopy, Vilate Murray Kimball, Letters, 1840, CHL; Vienna Jaques, Salt Lake City, Utah Territory, to Brigham Young, 2 July 1870, Brigham Young Office Files, CHL.


Comprehensive Works Cited

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

Kimball, Vilate Murray. Letters, 1840. Photocopy. CHL.

Brigham Young Office Files, 1832–1878. CHL. CR 1234 1.

The practice of baptism for the dead made national news in the summer of 1841 when the New-York Tribune, among other papers, reported that Latter-day Saints had performed a vicarious baptism for the nation’s first president, George Washington, and for its most recently deceased president, William Henry Harrison, who died on 4 April 1841.
75

“Baptism for the Dead,” Warsaw (IL) Signal, 14 July 1841, [2]; “Baptism for the Dead,” New-York Tribune, 4 Aug. 1841, [1]; T. Coe, “Mormon Interpretation of 1 Cor. 15: 29,” Ohio Observer (Hudson), 26 Aug. 1841, [2]. For more on the Latter-day Saint response to Harrison’s death, see Letter from Isaac Galland, 5 Apr. 1841.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Warsaw Signal. Warsaw, IL. 1841–1853.

New-York Tribune. New York City. 1841–1842.

Ohio Observer. Hudson. 1827–1855.

The Ohio Observer commented:
The Mormon doctrine is, that all who are so unhappy as to leave the world without embracing the fulness of the gospel, or the Mormon faith, will have a second probation after death, and have the gospel preached to them again. . . . Many of the spirits in prison do repent and believe, but being disembodied they cannot literally comply with the command of our Savior to be baptised.— Hence if they have living friends in the body, the duty of these friends is to come and be baptised in their stead. Neither is this an idle speculation or dead faith among them.— Many have actually been baptised for their deceased friends.
76

T. Coe, “Mormon Interpretation of 1 Cor. 15: 29,” Ohio Observer (Hudson), 26 Aug. 1841, [2].


Comprehensive Works Cited

Ohio Observer. Hudson. 1827–1855.

While some baptisms took place in other locations, including in
Kirtland

Located ten miles south of Lake Erie. Settled by 1811. Organized by 1818. Latter-day Saint missionaries visited township, early Nov. 1830; many residents joined Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Population in 1830 about 55 Latter-day Saints and...

More Info
under
Almon Babbitt

Oct. 1812–Sept. 1856. Postmaster, editor, attorney. Born at Cheshire, Berkshire Co., Massachusetts. Son of Ira Babbitt and Nancy Crosier. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, ca. 1830. Located in Amherst, Lorain Co., Ohio, July 1831....

View Full Bio
’s leadership, the vast majority were performed in 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
, where such proxy baptisms continued for most of 1841.
77

Bitton, “The Waning of Mormon Kirtland,” 456–457; Minutes, Kirtland, OH, 23 May 1841, in Times and Seasons, 1 July 1841, 2:459; Baugh, “For This Ordinance Belongeth to My House,” 52. For more on baptism for the dead, see Minutes, 7–11 Apr. 1841.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Bitton, Davis. “The Waning of Mormon Kirtland.” BYU Studies 12 (Summer 1972): 455–464.

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

Baugh, Alexander L. “‘For This Ordinance Belongeth to My House’: The Practice of Baptism for the Dead Outside the Nauvoo Temple.” Mormon Historical Studies 3 (Spring 2002): 47–58.

Although baptisms for the dead were performed at a rapid pace—more than six thousand occurred in the
Mississippi

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
in 1841 alone—Joseph Smith sought to move the practice to the location he taught was its proper place: the
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
.
78

Bishop, “Baptism for the Dead at Nauvoo,” 88–89.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Bishop, M. Guy. “‘What Has Become of Our Fathers?’: Baptism for the Dead at Nauvoo.” Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought 23, no. 2 (Summer 1990): 85–97.

According to a January 1841 revelation, the
ordinance

A religious rite. JS taught that ordinances were covenants between man and God, in which believers could affirm faith, gain spiritual knowledge, and seek blessings. Some ordinances were considered requisite for salvation. The manner in which ordinances were...

View Glossary
of baptism for the dead belonged in the temple, and the Saints would be allowed to perform the ordinance outside the temple for only a limited time. Joseph Smith declared at the October 1841 general conference, “There shall be no more baptisms for the dead, until the ordinance can be attended to in the font of the Lord’s House; and the church shall not hold another general conference, until they can meet in said house.”
79

Revelation, 19 Jan. 1841 [D&C 124:29–32]; Minutes and Discourse, 1–5 Oct. 1841.


Church members were thus counseled to direct their energies to completing the baptismal font. The visitor Storrow commented on components of the font’s physical appearance. He wrote that a large well in the temple’s basement would supply the water source for the font, which he noted was made in the imitation of the “brazen sea in Solomon’s temple which is to be supported by twelve golden oxen.”
80

Storrow, “Journey to the West,” 3 July 1841.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Storrow, Thomas Wentworth. “Journey to the West,” no date. Storrow Family Papers, 1762–1999. Massachusetts Historical Society, Boston.

The New-York Tribune also noted that the Latter-day Saints were “engaged in building a large temple, containing a baptismal font supported by twelve oxen overlaid with gold!”
81

“Mormonism,” New-York Tribune, 18 Aug. 1841, [2]; see also “Mormons,” Illinois Free Trader and LaSalle County Commercial Advertiser (Ottawa), 30 July 1841, [2]; “Baptism for the Dead,” Warsaw (IL) Signal, 14 July 1841, [2]; and “Baptism for the Dead,” New-York Tribune, 4 Aug. 1841, [1].


Comprehensive Works Cited

New-York Tribune. New York City. 1841–1842.

Illinois Free Trader and LaSalle County Commercial Advertiser. Ottawa. 1840–1843.

Warsaw Signal. Warsaw, IL. 1841–1853.

Indeed, Latter-day Saint
Elijah Fordham

12 Apr. 1798–9 Sept. 1879. Carpenter. Born at New York City. Son of George Fordham and Mary Baker. Married first Jane Ann Fisher, 23 Nov. 1822. Married second Bethiah Fisher, 12 Apr. 1830. Lived at Pontiac, Oakland Co., Michigan Territory, 1831–1833. Baptized...

View Full Bio
carved twelve oxen, which were then leafed with gold, as the foundation for the font. On 8 November 1841, though the temple was not yet completed, this font was placed in the temple basement and dedicated. Baptisms for the dead began again on 21 November in the Nauvoo temple.
82

Bushman, Rough Stone Rolling, 424–425.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Bushman, Richard Lyman. Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling. With the assistance of Jed Woodworth. New York: Knopf, 2005.

Another, more controversial doctrine that developed in 1841 was plural marriage. Although no documents in this volume address it, later documents attest that Joseph Smith married two plural wives during the months covered in this volume. Joseph Smith’s understanding of plural marriage seems to have developed over time, perhaps beginning as early as 1831 in
Kirtland

Located ten miles south of Lake Erie. Settled by 1811. Organized by 1818. Latter-day Saint missionaries visited township, early Nov. 1830; many residents joined Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Population in 1830 about 55 Latter-day Saints and...

More Info
. There is evidence that Smith began discussing with close associates some form of plural marriage in the early 1830s and that he first married a plural wife,
Fanny Alger

Ca. 1818–29 Nov. 1889. Born in New York. Daughter of Samuel Alger and Clarissa Hancock. Family moved to Lebanon, Ashtabula Co., Ohio, by 1820. Moved to Mayfield, Cuyahoga Co., Ohio, by 1828. Resided in Chagrin, Cuyahoga Co., 1830. Lived with JS’s family, ...

View Full Bio
, sometime in the mid-1830s.
83

For more on Fanny Alger, see Historical Introduction to Letter from Thomas B. Marsh, 15 Feb. 1838. Regarding Joseph Smith’s early teachings on plural marriage, see Bachman, “Ohio Origins of the Revelation on Eternal Marriage,” 24–26; and Hales, Joseph Smith’s Polygamy, 1:85–91.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Bachman, Danel W. “New Light on an Old Hypothesis: The Ohio Origins of the Revelation on Eternal Marriage.” Journal of Mormon History 5 (1978): 19–32.

Hales, Brian C. Joseph Smith’s Polygamy. 3 vols. SLC: Greg Kofford Books, 2013.

However, Smith did not begin practicing it extensively until the church was headquartered 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
. It appears that plural marriage was part of a broader restoration of Old Testament concepts and practices that included covenants, priesthoods, and temples. Although he had already been married to his wife
Emma

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
for fourteen years, Joseph Smith privately married
Louisa Beman

7 Feb. 1815–16 May 1850. Born in Livonia, Ontario Co., New York. Daughter of Alvah Beman and Sarah Burtts. Moved to Kirtland, Geauga Co., Ohio, after Oct. 1835. Left Kirtland for Far West, Caldwell Co., Missouri, after Apr. 1838. Moved to Nauvoo, Hancock ...

View Full Bio
on 5 April 1841 and
Zina Huntington Jacobs

31 Jan. 1821–28 Aug. 1901. Midwife, civic leader. Born in Watertown, Jefferson Co., New York. Daughter of William Huntington and Zina Baker. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by Hyrum Smith, 1 Aug. 1835, in Watertown. Moved to Kirtland...

View Full Bio
on 27 October 1841.
84

For a general discussion of plural marriage, see Nauvoo Journals, December 1841–April 1843. According to a later affidavit by Joseph Bates Noble, the man who reportedly performed the marriage, Joseph Smith was sealed to Louisa Beman in a private ceremony in a grove near Main Street. Zina Huntington Jacobs signed a detailed affidavit stating that she was sealed to Smith on 27 October 1841 in Nauvoo and that her brother Dimick Huntington officiated, with his wife, Fanny Allen Huntington, in attendance. (Joseph Bates Noble, Affidavit, Salt Lake Co., Utah Territory, 26 June 1869, in Joseph F. Smith, Affidavits about Celestial Marriage, 1:3; Walker, Journal, 17 June 1883; Zina Diantha Huntington Young, Affidavit, Salt Lake Co., Utah Territory, 1 May 1869, Joseph F. Smith, Affidavits about Celestial Marriage, 1:5.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Smith, Joseph F. Affidavits about Celestial Marriage, 1869–1915. CHL. MS 3423.

Walker, Charles L. Journal, May 1866–Jan. 1873. Charles L. Walker, Papers, 1854–1899. CHL.

Although few knew of Smith’s practice of plural marriage in 1841, his introduction of it eventually led to tensions within his inner circle of church leaders and confidants, within church society generally, and with neighbors and observers outside the church.
While
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
appeared to be a place of relative security, calm, and optimism, friction and unrest—from sources other than plural marriage—were building as early as 1841. According to Thomas Storrow, the Saints in Nauvoo and their neighbors were “at perpetual feud, they accuse each other of all sorts of crimes, rob each other when good chances occur & vary the monotony of their lives by an occasional fight.”
85

Storrow, “Journey to the West,” before 3 July 1841.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Storrow, Thomas Wentworth. “Journey to the West,” no date. Storrow Family Papers, 1762–1999. Massachusetts Historical Society, Boston.

Indeed, as documents in this volume attest, theft committed by some Latter-day Saints led to conflict in 1841. One document in particular highlights Joseph Smith’s efforts to disavow thefts and other crimes.
86

Affidavit, 29 Nov. 1841; see also Macedonia Branch, Record, 12 Nov. 1841.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Macedonia Branch, Record / “A Record of the Chur[c]h of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints in Macedonia (Also Called Ramus),” 1839–1850. CHL. LR 11808 21.

Disputes between Latter-day Saints and their neighbors arose for a variety of reasons but can perhaps be distilled into the categories of legal entanglements, politics, and power. The first evidence in this volume of Joseph Smith’s legal trouble arose from charges dating back to 1838, when Smith was arrested and incarcerated following the conflict between Latter-day Saints and Missourians antagonistic to the church. Since his escape from custody in 1839,
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
officials had hoped to extradite Smith and try him for treason and other criminal charges stemming from the conflict.
87

See Historical Introduction to Promissory Note to John Brassfield, 16 Apr. 1839; Requisition for JS, 1 Sept. 1840, State of Missouri v. JS for Treason (Warren Co. Cir. Ct. 1841), JS Extradition Records, Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, Springfield, IL; Alanson Brown, Affidavit, Hancock Co., IL, 13 July 1840, in Times and Seasons, July 1840, 1:141; Editorial, Times and Seasons, Sept. 1840, 1:169–170; and “The Mormons,” Quincy (IL) Whig, 12 Sept 1840, [2].


Comprehensive Works Cited

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

Quincy Whig. Quincy, IL. 1838–1856.

On 5 June 1841, Smith was arrested at the Heberlin Hotel in
Bear Creek

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
, Illinois, on a September 1840 extradition writ from Missouri.
88

Bushman, Rough Stone Rolling, 425.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Bushman, Richard Lyman. Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling. With the assistance of Jed Woodworth. New York: Knopf, 2005.

Smith was conveyed to
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, where
Stephen A. Douglas

23 Apr. 1813–3 June 1861. Lawyer, politician. Born at Brandon, Rutland Co., Vermont. Son of Stephen Arnold Douglass and Sarah Fisk. Moved to Ontario Co., New York, 1830. Moved to Jacksonville, Morgan Co., Illinois, 1833. Served as attorney general of Illinois...

View Full Bio
, a Democrat and member 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 Supreme Court, agreed to hear his case, though Douglas changed the venue to
Monmouth

Post village about 120 miles northwest of Springfield. Made county seat, 1831. Population in 1858 about 900.

More Info
, Illinois, some forty miles northeast 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
.
89

“Joe Smith Arrested,” Warsaw (IL) Signal, 9 June 1841, [2].


Comprehensive Works Cited

Warsaw Signal. Warsaw, IL. 1841–1853.

The judge had visited Nauvoo approximately one month earlier, in May 1841, and had spoken favorably about the Saints, their industry, and the development of the city. Smith had conferred the “freedom of the city” upon Douglas because he had “proved himself friendly to this people” in direct contrast to the officials of Missouri.
90

Letter to Editors, 6 May 1841.


On 10 June 1841, Douglas heard Smith’s case and declared the writ of extradition void on a technicality. He determined that the arrest was made on the same writ issued in September 1840 even though that writ had been invalidated when it was returned to the governor of Missouri unserved.
91

“The Habeas Corpus,” Warsaw (IL) Signal, 16 June 1841, [3]; “The Late Proceedings,” Times and Seasons, 15 June 1841, 2:448.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Warsaw Signal. Warsaw, IL. 1841–1853.

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

Douglas discharged Smith; critics, including vocal Whig
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
, argued that the Latter-day Saint leader should have been delivered to Missouri to be tried for treason and that Douglas had shown preferential treatment to the Latter-day Saints, perhaps hoping to make them his political allies.
92

“To All Office-holders and Office-seekers in the State of Illinois,” Warsaw (IL) Signal, 7 July 1841, [1].


Comprehensive Works Cited

Warsaw Signal. Warsaw, IL. 1841–1853.

The discharge of Joseph Smith was only one of many issues on which
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...

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, editor of the Warsaw Signal, sparred with the Latter-day Saints. Initially neutral in his approach to the Saints, Sharp shifted his rhetoric and published increasingly negative and antagonistic articles against the Latter-day Saints in 1841. Some of this vitriol may have originated in party politics—Sharp was an ardent and devoted Whig, while Joseph Smith and the Latter-day Saints vacillated in their party allegiance. But Sharp also feared the growing social, political, economic, and military power of the Saints and the consequences he believed could result from such power.
93

“Our Position—Again,” Warsaw (IL) Signal, 16 June 1841, [2]; “Address,” Warsaw Signal, 7 July 1841, [2]; “Difficulty at Montrose,” Warsaw Signal, 15 Sept. 1841, [2].


Comprehensive Works Cited

Warsaw Signal. Warsaw, IL. 1841–1853.

He wrote, “Whenever they, as a people, step beyond the proper sphere of a religious denomination, and become a political body, as many of our citizens are beginning to apprehend will be the case, then this press stands pledged to take a stand against them.— On religious questions it is and shall remain neutral; but it is bound to oppose the concentration of political power in a religious body, or in the hands of a few individuals.”
94

“The Mormons,” Warsaw (IL) Signal, 19 May 1841, [2].


Comprehensive Works Cited

Warsaw Signal. Warsaw, IL. 1841–1853.

Sharp and others believed that the Saints held concentrated ecclesiastical, civil, and military authority and would use that power to deprive others of their “dearest rights,” notwithstanding the Nauvoo ordinance on religious freedom. He also believed that Joseph Smith could instruct and control Latter-day Saints in all aspects of their lives, and as evidence of this control, Sharp pointed to Smith’s open letter instructing the Saints to gather 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
.
95

“The Mormons,” Warsaw (IL) Signal, 9 June 1841, [2]; “Read and Ponder,” Warsaw Signal, 9 June 1841, [2]; “Our Position—Again,” Warsaw Signal, 16 June 1841, [2].


Comprehensive Works Cited

Warsaw Signal. Warsaw, IL. 1841–1853.

To oppose the “further progress of political Mormonism,” Sharp organized an anti-Mormon political party in
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
. In the midst of Sharp’s contemptuous campaign, Joseph Smith canceled his subscription to the Signal, notifying its editor that “its contents are calculated to pollute me, and to patronize the filthy sheet—that tissue of lies—that sink of iniquity—is disgraceful to any moral man.”
96

Letter to Thomas Sharp, 26 May 1841.


Such an acerbic statement did nothing to quell the growing animosity. Other Latter-day Saints followed Smith’s example. In the fall of 1841,
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
and
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
also discontinued their subscriptions to the Warsaw Signal, Phelps having charged the paper with printing “deliberate and wilful falsehood.”
97

See “A Mistake,” Warsaw (IL) Signal, 8 Sept. 1841, [3]; and “The Affair at Montrose,” Warsaw Signal, 13 Oct. 1841, [2].


Comprehensive Works Cited

Warsaw Signal. Warsaw, IL. 1841–1853.

The documents for the ten-month period represented in this volume provide a window through which to view and understand Joseph Smith, the Latter-day Saints and their neighbors, 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
and its environs in 1841. Many visitors from outside the church commented on aspects of life in and around Nauvoo, providing significant material for insight into Joseph Smith texts. Though some outside observers expressed apprehension regarding the growing influence of Latter-day Saints in the area, not all impressions were negative. Thomas Storrow noted the “morality, piety, virtue, honesty and righteousness” of the Saints.
98

Storrow, “Journey to the West,” 3 July 1841.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Storrow, Thomas Wentworth. “Journey to the West,” no date. Storrow Family Papers, 1762–1999. Massachusetts Historical Society, Boston.

Whether curious or antagonistic, an increasing number of outsiders began taking note of Joseph Smith’s religious movement and its prosperity.
Compared to previous volumes of The Joseph Smith Papers, this volume contains fewer revelations from the man Latter-day Saints regarded as a prophet. Nevertheless, his role as leader of the Latter-day Saints remained firm as he led and managed the growing church, continued to instruct its people, and supported the building up 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
as the church’s gathering place. Progress on the
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
, particularly the baptismal font, continued even as Joseph Smith engaged in shaping Nauvoo city government and managing the gathering of the Latter-day Saints to the Nauvoo area. Despite being heavily preoccupied with civic and business matters, Joseph Smith persevered in his spiritual leadership of the Latter-day Saints, preaching, blessing, and receiving revelation for members of the growing church. For Joseph Smith and the Saints, a sense of optimism buoyed Nauvoo at the end of 1841 because of the progress on the temple, the additional church administrative responsibilities undertaken by the Twelve Apostles, and the increasing number of members coming to the shores of the Mississippi. But tensions—both among church members and with those outside the church—continued to surface. Those pressures would result in new challenges for Joseph Smith and the church in the months and years to come.
  1. 1

    Revelation, 19 Jan. 1841 [D&C 124:22–31].

  2. 2

    See, for example, Storrow, “Journey to the West,” 3 July 1841; “Nauvoo,” Sangamo Journal (Springfield, IL), 9 Feb. 1841, [2]; “Temperance among the Mormons,” North American and Daily Advertiser (Philadelphia), 19 Mar. 1841, [1]; “Jottings Down in Iowa,” New-York Tribune, 6 Aug. 1841, [1]; “The Mormons,” New-York Tribune, 29 Sept. 1841, [1]; and “The Mormons,” New York Herald, 1 Oct. 1841, [1].

    Storrow, Thomas Wentworth. “Journey to the West,” no date. Storrow Family Papers, 1762–1999. Massachusetts Historical Society, Boston.

    Sangamo Journal. Springfield, IL. 1831–1847.

    North American and Daily Advertiser. Philadelphia. 1839–1845.

    New-York Tribune. New York City. 1841–1842.

    New York Herald. New York City. 1835–1924.

  3. 3

    Storrow, “Journey to the West,” 3 July 1841.

    Storrow, Thomas Wentworth. “Journey to the West,” no date. Storrow Family Papers, 1762–1999. Massachusetts Historical Society, Boston.

  4. 4

    The documents not included in this volume can be found on the Joseph Smith Papers website, josephsmithpapers.org.

  5. 5

    See “Temperance among the Mormons,” North American and Daily Advertiser (Philadelphia), 19 Mar. 1841, [1].

    North American and Daily Advertiser. Philadelphia. 1839–1845.

  6. 6

    “Mormons and Mormonism,” Daily Missouri Republican (St. Louis), 25 Nov. 1841, [2].

    Daily Missouri Republican. St. Louis. 1822–1869.

  7. 7

    “Mormons and Mormonism,” Daily Missouri Republican (St. Louis), 25 Nov. 1841, [2]; Storrow, “Journey to the West,” 3 July 1841; Interview, 3 Nov. 1841.

    Daily Missouri Republican. St. Louis. 1822–1869.

    Storrow, Thomas Wentworth. “Journey to the West,” no date. Storrow Family Papers, 1762–1999. Massachusetts Historical Society, Boston.

  8. 8

    Jacob, Reminiscence and Journal, 4; see also Benediction, 6 Apr. 1841.

    Jacob, Norton. Reminiscence and Journal, May 1844–Jan. 1852. CHL. MS 9111.

  9. 9

    Storrow, “Journey to the West,” 3 July 1841; Interview, 3 Nov. 1841.

    Storrow, Thomas Wentworth. “Journey to the West,” no date. Storrow Family Papers, 1762–1999. Massachusetts Historical Society, Boston.

  10. 10

    “Mormons and Mormonism,” Daily Missouri Republican (St. Louis), 25 Nov. 1841, [2]; Elias Higbee, “Ecclesiastical,” Times and Seasons, 1 Feb. 1841, 2:296; Letter to Quorum of the Twelve, 15 Dec. 1840; Minutes and Discourse, 3–5 Oct. 1840; see also Receipt from Reynolds Cahoon, 11 Feb. 1841.

    Daily Missouri Republican. St. Louis. 1822–1869.

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

  11. 11

    See Introduction to Part 4: 24 Apr.–12 Aug. 1839; and Revelation, 19 Jan. 1841 [D&C 124:51–55].

  12. 12

    Revelation, ca. Early Mar. 1841 [D&C 125:2].

  13. 13

    Minutes, 7–11 Apr. 1841.

  14. 14

    Letter to the Saints Abroad, 24 May 1841.

  15. 15

    Storrow, “Journey to the West,” 3 July 1841.

    Storrow, Thomas Wentworth. “Journey to the West,” no date. Storrow Family Papers, 1762–1999. Massachusetts Historical Society, Boston.

  16. 16

    See Minutes, 7–11 Apr. 1841; and Minutes, 16 Aug. 1841.

  17. 17

    “For Nauvoo,” Cleveland Daily Herald, 7 July 1841, [3].

    Cleveland Herald. Cleveland. 1843–1853.

  18. 18

    At least one hundred members joined the church in Kirtland between late May and mid-October 1841. (Minutes, Kirtland, OH, 22–24 May 1841, in Times and Seasons, 1 July 1841, 2:458–460; Letter from Almon Babbitt, 19 Oct. 1841.)

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

  19. 19

    Revelation, 8 July 1838–A [D&C 118:4].

  20. 20

    Historical Introduction to Letter to Vilate Murray Kimball, 2 Mar. 1841; Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at New York, 1820–1897, roll 44 (16 Sept. 1840–10 May 1841), Manifest 779, microfilm 2,289, U.S. and Canada Record Collection, FHL; John Taylor, Liverpool, England, to Leonora Cannon Taylor, Nauvoo, IL, 6 Sept. 1840, John Taylor, Collection, CHL; Clayton, Diary, 8 Sept. 1840; Letter to Quorum of the Twelve, 15 Dec. 1840; see also News Item, Times and Seasons, 1 Dec. 1840, 2:233; and Orson Pratt, Edinburgh, Scotland to George A. Smith, Burslem, England, 1 Feb. 1841, George Albert Smith, Papers, CHL.

    U.S. and Canada Record Collection. FHL.

    Clayton, William. Diary, Vol. 1, 1840–1842. BYU.

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

    Smith, George Albert. Papers, 1834–1877. CHL. MS 1322.

  21. 21

    Proclamation, 15 Jan. 1841.

  22. 22

    “British Emigration to Nauvoo,” 5–6, in Historian’s Office, Church Emigration, CHL.

    Historian's Office. Church Emigration, no date. CHL.

  23. 23

    Storrow, “Journey to the West,” 3 July 1841.

    Storrow, Thomas Wentworth. “Journey to the West,” no date. Storrow Family Papers, 1762–1999. Massachusetts Historical Society, Boston.

  24. 24

    News Item, New-York Tribune, 20 Apr. 1841, [2]; see also “Mormonism in England,” North American and Daily Advertiser (Philadelphia), 10 Sept. 1841, [2].

    New-York Tribune. New York City. 1841–1842.

    North American and Daily Advertiser. Philadelphia. 1839–1845.

  25. 25

    See Historical Introduction to Letter to Vilate Murray Kimball, 2 Mar. 1841.

  26. 26

    Historical Introduction to Letter from Parley P. Pratt, 24 Oct. 1841.

  27. 27

    See Revelation, 9 July 1841 [D&C 126]; and Minutes, 16 Aug. 1841.

  28. 28

    See Letter from John E. Page, 1 Sept. 1841; Letter from Benjamin Winchester, 18 Sept. 1841; and Letter from Church Members in New York City, ca. 29 Nov. 1841.

  29. 29

    “Summary,” Times and Seasons, 1 Mar. 1841, 2:339.

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

  30. 30

    See Letter from John Taylor, 3 Feb. 1841; and Letter from Orson Hyde, 17 Apr. 1841.

  31. 31

    Recommendation for Orson Hyde, 6 Apr. 1840; Minutes and Discourses, 6–8 Apr. 1840.

  32. 32

    Letter from Orson Hyde, 28 Sept. 1840; Letter from Orson Hyde, 17 Apr. 1841.

  33. 33

    Letter from John E. Page, 1 Sept. 1841; Letter from Church Members in New York City, ca. 29 Nov. 1841.

  34. 34

    Letter from Orson Hyde, 17 Apr. 1841.

  35. 35

    Recommendation for Orson Hyde, 6 Apr. 1840.

  36. 36

    Letter from Orson Hyde, 15 June 1841.

  37. 37

    Orson Hyde, Alexandria, Egypt, to Parley P. Pratt, [Manchester], England, 22 Nov. 1841, in Millennial Star, Jan. 1842, 2:133.

    Latter-day Saints’ Millennial Star. Manchester, England, 1840–1842; Liverpool, 1842–1932; London, 1932–1970.

  38. 38

    See Letter from Orson Hyde and John E. Page, 1 May 1840; JS History, vol. C-1 Addenda Book, 49; and “Highly Interesting from Jerusalem,” Millennial Star, Mar. 1842, 2:167.

    Latter-day Saints’ Millennial Star. Manchester, England, 1840–1842; Liverpool, 1842–1932; London, 1932–1970.

  39. 39

    Until his death in August 1841, Oliver Granger was tasked with settling the Kirtland-era debts. (See Letter to Oliver Granger, 4 May 1841; and Letter to Oliver Granger, 30 Aug. 1841.)

  40. 40

    See Historical Introduction to Bond from Horace Hotchkiss, 12 Aug. 1839–A.

  41. 41

    Revelation, 19 Jan. 1841 [D&C 124:79].

  42. 42

    Authorization for Hyrum Smith and Isaac Galland, 15 Feb. 1841.

  43. 43

    See Letter from William Smith, 5 Aug. 1841; and Letter to Horace Hotchkiss, 25 Aug. 1841.

  44. 44

    Philadelphia Branch Record Book, 6 Apr. 1841; News Item, Times and Seasons, 1 May 1841, 2:403; Letter from Smith Tuttle, ca. 15 Sept. 1841; Clayton, Diary, 2 May 1841.

    Philadelphia Branch, Record Book, 1840–1854. CCLA.

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

    Clayton, William. Diary, Vol. 1, 1840–1842. BYU.

  45. 45

    Letter to Horace Hotchkiss, 25 Aug. 1841.

  46. 46

    “The Late Proceedings,” Times and Seasons, 15 June 1841, 2:447; George A. Smith, Journal, 21 June 1841; Letter from John M. Bernhisel, 12 July 1841; Letter to Horace Hotchkiss, 25 Aug. 1841.

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

    Smith, George A. Journal, 22 Feb. 1841–10 Mar. 1845. George Albert Smith, Papers, 1834–1877. CHL. MS 1322, box 2, fd. 4.

  47. 47

    Letter to Horace Hotchkiss, 25 Aug. 1841.

  48. 48

    While Hotchkiss stated that Galland was “leaving for the west,” Smith Tuttle clarified that Galland had stated he was “on his way to Nauvoo,” as William Smith confirmed in his 5 August 1841 letter. (Letter from Horace Hotchkiss, 24 July 1841; Letter from Smith Tuttle, ca. 15 Sept. 1841.)

  49. 49

    Letter from Horace Hotchkiss, 24 July 1841; Letter to Horace Hotchkiss, 25 Aug. 1841; Letter from Horace Hotchkiss, 13 Sept. 1841; Letter from Horace Hotchkiss, 11 Oct. 1841; Letter from Horace Hotchkiss, 9 Nov. 1841; see also Letter from Smith Tuttle, ca. 15 Sept. 1841; and Letter to Smith Tuttle, 9 Oct. 1841.

  50. 50

    Letter from Horace Hotchkiss, 11 Oct. 1841; Letter from William Smith, 5 Aug. 1841.

  51. 51

    The transfer of the property did not take place until February 1842. (Letter from Horace Hotchkiss, 9 Nov. 1841; Horace Hotchkiss et al., Receipt, Fair Haven, CT, to James Ivins, 28 Feb. 1842, JS Collection, CHL.)

    Smith, Joseph. Collection, 1827–1846. CHL. MS 155.

  52. 52

    “Conference Minutes,” Times and Seasons, 1 Sept. 1841, 2:522; Letter from Calvin A. Warren, 31 Aug. 1841; JS, Journal, 13 Dec. 1841.

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

  53. 53

    News Item, Warsaw (IL) Signal, 14 July 1841, [2], italics in original.

    Warsaw Signal. Warsaw, IL. 1841–1853.

  54. 54

    “The Twelve,” Times and Seasons, 2 Aug. 1841, 2:487.

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

  55. 55

    Memorial to Nauvoo High Council, 18 June 1840.

  56. 56

    Minutes, 16 Aug. 1841.

  57. 57

    Act to Incorporate the City of Nauvoo, 16 Dec. 1840; Historical Introduction to Minutes, 3 Feb. 1841. The Act to Incorporate the City of Nauvoo, also known as the Nauvoo charter, was an Illinois state legislative act that, among other things, authorized a city council. The council was granted the power to establish and execute city ordinances so long as they were “not repugnant to the Constitution of the United States” or to the Illinois state constitution. The council was also authorized to create any legislation it deemed “necessary for the peace, benefit, good order, regulation, convenience, and cleanliness, of said city; for the protection of property therein from destruction by fire, or otherwise, and for the health, and happiness, thereof.” The First Presidency stated the charter was the most liberal, “with the most plenary powers, ever conferred by a legislative assembly on free citizens.” (Proclamation, 15 Jan. 1841; see also News Item, Western World [Warsaw, IL], 13 Jan. 1841, [2].)

    Western World. Warsaw, IL. 1840–1841.

  58. 58

    Minutes, 1 Mar. 1841.

  59. 59

    Minutes, 4 Feb. 1841.

  60. 60

    The Nauvoo Legion’s official relationship to the state government mirrored that of other city militias. That the legion was still answerable to the governor can be seen in Joseph Smith’s commission as lieutenant general. This commission came from Governor Thomas Carlin and stated, “I do strictly require all officers and soldiers under [Joseph Smith’s] command to be obedient to his orders; and he is to obey such orders and directions as he shall receive from time to time, from the Commander-in-Chief, or his superior officer.” (Commission from Thomas Carlin, 10 Mar. 1841.)

  61. 61

    Storrow, “Journey to the West,” 3 July 1841.

    Storrow, Thomas Wentworth. “Journey to the West,” no date. Storrow Family Papers, 1762–1999. Massachusetts Historical Society, Boston.

  62. 62

    “Progress of the Mormons,” Daily National Intelligencer (Washington DC), 7 Apr. 1841, [3].

    Daily National Intelligencer. Washington DC. 1800–1869.

  63. 63

    “The Mormons,” New-York Tribune, 15 July 1841, [1].

    New-York Tribune. New York City. 1841–1842.

  64. 64

    In June 1841, Sharp wrote: “Ask yourselves what means this array of military force which is paraded under the direction of this church. Is an army necessary to propagate religion?” ([Thomas Sharp], “The Mormons,” Warsaw [IL] Signal, 9 June 1841, [2]; see also “The Mormons,” Western World [Warsaw, IL], 24 Feb. 1841, [2]; and General Orders for Nauvoo Legion, 4 May 1841.)

    Warsaw Signal. Warsaw, IL. 1841–1853.

    Western World. Warsaw, IL. 1840–1841.

  65. 65

    For instance, Alexander Neibaur noted in his journal on 30 May 1841 that “J Smith preachet from the last 2 ch Cronicls.” Neibaur provided no other details, and no other record of this sermon—its contents, length, or text—is known to exist. (Neibaur, Journal, 30 May 1841.)

    Neibaur, Alexander. Journal, 1841–1862. CHL. MS 1674.

  66. 66

    See Discourse, 16 May 1841.

  67. 67

    For more on McIntire, see Historical Introduction to Discourse, ca. 2 Feb. 1841.

  68. 68

    Discourse, ca. 16 Mar. 1841.

  69. 69

    See Account of Meeting, 3 July 1841.

  70. 70

    Revelation, ca. Early Mar. 1841 [D&C 125]; Revelation, 20 Mar. 1841.

  71. 71

    Revelation, 9 July 1841 [D&C 126].

  72. 72

    “Obituary for Seymour Brunson,” Times and Seasons, Sept. 1840, 1:176; Jane Harper Neyman and Vienna Jaques, Statement, 29 Nov. 1854, Historian’s Office, JS History Documents, 1839–1860, CHL.

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

    Historian’s Office. Joseph Smith History Documents, 1839–1860. CHL. CR 100 396.

  73. 73

    Vilate Murray Kimball, Nauvoo, IL, to Heber C. Kimball, London, England, 11 Oct. 1840, photocopy, Vilate Murray Kimball, Letters, 1840, CHL; Minutes and Discourse, 3–5 Oct. 1840.

    Kimball, Vilate Murray. Letters, 1840. Photocopy. CHL.

  74. 74

    Minutes, Kirtland, OH, 22–24 May 1841, in Times and Seasons, 1 July 1841, 2:459; Vilate Murray Kimball, Nauvoo, IL, to Heber C. Kimball, London, England, 11 Oct. 1840, photocopy, Vilate Murray Kimball, Letters, 1840, CHL; Vienna Jaques, Salt Lake City, Utah Territory, to Brigham Young, 2 July 1870, Brigham Young Office Files, CHL.

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

    Kimball, Vilate Murray. Letters, 1840. Photocopy. CHL.

    Brigham Young Office Files, 1832–1878. CHL. CR 1234 1.

  75. 75

    “Baptism for the Dead,” Warsaw (IL) Signal, 14 July 1841, [2]; “Baptism for the Dead,” New-York Tribune, 4 Aug. 1841, [1]; T. Coe, “Mormon Interpretation of 1 Cor. 15: 29,” Ohio Observer (Hudson), 26 Aug. 1841, [2]. For more on the Latter-day Saint response to Harrison’s death, see Letter from Isaac Galland, 5 Apr. 1841.

    Warsaw Signal. Warsaw, IL. 1841–1853.

    New-York Tribune. New York City. 1841–1842.

    Ohio Observer. Hudson. 1827–1855.

  76. 76

    T. Coe, “Mormon Interpretation of 1 Cor. 15: 29,” Ohio Observer (Hudson), 26 Aug. 1841, [2].

    Ohio Observer. Hudson. 1827–1855.

  77. 77

    Bitton, “The Waning of Mormon Kirtland,” 456–457; Minutes, Kirtland, OH, 23 May 1841, in Times and Seasons, 1 July 1841, 2:459; Baugh, “For This Ordinance Belongeth to My House,” 52. For more on baptism for the dead, see Minutes, 7–11 Apr. 1841.

    Bitton, Davis. “The Waning of Mormon Kirtland.” BYU Studies 12 (Summer 1972): 455–464.

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

    Baugh, Alexander L. “‘For This Ordinance Belongeth to My House’: The Practice of Baptism for the Dead Outside the Nauvoo Temple.” Mormon Historical Studies 3 (Spring 2002): 47–58.

  78. 78

    Bishop, “Baptism for the Dead at Nauvoo,” 88–89.

    Bishop, M. Guy. “‘What Has Become of Our Fathers?’: Baptism for the Dead at Nauvoo.” Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought 23, no. 2 (Summer 1990): 85–97.

  79. 79

    Revelation, 19 Jan. 1841 [D&C 124:29–32]; Minutes and Discourse, 1–5 Oct. 1841.

  80. 80

    Storrow, “Journey to the West,” 3 July 1841.

    Storrow, Thomas Wentworth. “Journey to the West,” no date. Storrow Family Papers, 1762–1999. Massachusetts Historical Society, Boston.

  81. 81

    “Mormonism,” New-York Tribune, 18 Aug. 1841, [2]; see also “Mormons,” Illinois Free Trader and LaSalle County Commercial Advertiser (Ottawa), 30 July 1841, [2]; “Baptism for the Dead,” Warsaw (IL) Signal, 14 July 1841, [2]; and “Baptism for the Dead,” New-York Tribune, 4 Aug. 1841, [1].

    New-York Tribune. New York City. 1841–1842.

    Illinois Free Trader and LaSalle County Commercial Advertiser. Ottawa. 1840–1843.

    Warsaw Signal. Warsaw, IL. 1841–1853.

  82. 82

    Bushman, Rough Stone Rolling, 424–425.

    Bushman, Richard Lyman. Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling. With the assistance of Jed Woodworth. New York: Knopf, 2005.

  83. 83

    For more on Fanny Alger, see Historical Introduction to Letter from Thomas B. Marsh, 15 Feb. 1838. Regarding Joseph Smith’s early teachings on plural marriage, see Bachman, “Ohio Origins of the Revelation on Eternal Marriage,” 24–26; and Hales, Joseph Smith’s Polygamy, 1:85–91.

    Bachman, Danel W. “New Light on an Old Hypothesis: The Ohio Origins of the Revelation on Eternal Marriage.” Journal of Mormon History 5 (1978): 19–32.

    Hales, Brian C. Joseph Smith’s Polygamy. 3 vols. SLC: Greg Kofford Books, 2013.

  84. 84

    For a general discussion of plural marriage, see Nauvoo Journals, December 1841–April 1843. According to a later affidavit by Joseph Bates Noble, the man who reportedly performed the marriage, Joseph Smith was sealed to Louisa Beman in a private ceremony in a grove near Main Street. Zina Huntington Jacobs signed a detailed affidavit stating that she was sealed to Smith on 27 October 1841 in Nauvoo and that her brother Dimick Huntington officiated, with his wife, Fanny Allen Huntington, in attendance. (Joseph Bates Noble, Affidavit, Salt Lake Co., Utah Territory, 26 June 1869, in Joseph F. Smith, Affidavits about Celestial Marriage, 1:3; Walker, Journal, 17 June 1883; Zina Diantha Huntington Young, Affidavit, Salt Lake Co., Utah Territory, 1 May 1869, Joseph F. Smith, Affidavits about Celestial Marriage, 1:5.)

    Smith, Joseph F. Affidavits about Celestial Marriage, 1869–1915. CHL. MS 3423.

    Walker, Charles L. Journal, May 1866–Jan. 1873. Charles L. Walker, Papers, 1854–1899. CHL.

  85. 85

    Storrow, “Journey to the West,” before 3 July 1841.

    Storrow, Thomas Wentworth. “Journey to the West,” no date. Storrow Family Papers, 1762–1999. Massachusetts Historical Society, Boston.

  86. 86

    Affidavit, 29 Nov. 1841; see also Macedonia Branch, Record, 12 Nov. 1841.

    Macedonia Branch, Record / “A Record of the Chur[c]h of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints in Macedonia (Also Called Ramus),” 1839–1850. CHL. LR 11808 21.

  87. 87

    See Historical Introduction to Promissory Note to John Brassfield, 16 Apr. 1839; Requisition for JS, 1 Sept. 1840, State of Missouri v. JS for Treason (Warren Co. Cir. Ct. 1841), JS Extradition Records, Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, Springfield, IL; Alanson Brown, Affidavit, Hancock Co., IL, 13 July 1840, in Times and Seasons, July 1840, 1:141; Editorial, Times and Seasons, Sept. 1840, 1:169–170; and “The Mormons,” Quincy (IL) Whig, 12 Sept 1840, [2].

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

    Quincy Whig. Quincy, IL. 1838–1856.

  88. 88

    Bushman, Rough Stone Rolling, 425.

    Bushman, Richard Lyman. Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling. With the assistance of Jed Woodworth. New York: Knopf, 2005.

  89. 89

    “Joe Smith Arrested,” Warsaw (IL) Signal, 9 June 1841, [2].

    Warsaw Signal. Warsaw, IL. 1841–1853.

  90. 90

    Letter to Editors, 6 May 1841.

  91. 91

    “The Habeas Corpus,” Warsaw (IL) Signal, 16 June 1841, [3]; “The Late Proceedings,” Times and Seasons, 15 June 1841, 2:448.

    Warsaw Signal. Warsaw, IL. 1841–1853.

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

  92. 92

    “To All Office-holders and Office-seekers in the State of Illinois,” Warsaw (IL) Signal, 7 July 1841, [1].

    Warsaw Signal. Warsaw, IL. 1841–1853.

  93. 93

    “Our Position—Again,” Warsaw (IL) Signal, 16 June 1841, [2]; “Address,” Warsaw Signal, 7 July 1841, [2]; “Difficulty at Montrose,” Warsaw Signal, 15 Sept. 1841, [2].

    Warsaw Signal. Warsaw, IL. 1841–1853.

  94. 94

    “The Mormons,” Warsaw (IL) Signal, 19 May 1841, [2].

    Warsaw Signal. Warsaw, IL. 1841–1853.

  95. 95

    “The Mormons,” Warsaw (IL) Signal, 9 June 1841, [2]; “Read and Ponder,” Warsaw Signal, 9 June 1841, [2]; “Our Position—Again,” Warsaw Signal, 16 June 1841, [2].

    Warsaw Signal. Warsaw, IL. 1841–1853.

  96. 96

    Letter to Thomas Sharp, 26 May 1841.

  97. 97

    See “A Mistake,” Warsaw (IL) Signal, 8 Sept. 1841, [3]; and “The Affair at Montrose,” Warsaw Signal, 13 Oct. 1841, [2].

    Warsaw Signal. Warsaw, IL. 1841–1853.

  98. 98

    Storrow, “Journey to the West,” 3 July 1841.

    Storrow, Thomas Wentworth. “Journey to the West,” no date. Storrow Family Papers, 1762–1999. Massachusetts Historical Society, Boston.

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