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

Appendix 3: Willard Richards, Journal Excerpt, 23–27 June 1844

23 June 1844 • Sunday Page 19 24 June 1844 • Monday Page 20 25 June 1844 • Tuesday Page 21 26 June 1844 • Wednesday Page 28 27 June 1844 • Thursday Page 35

Source Note

Willard Richards

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

View Full Bio
, Journal Excerpt, 23–27 June 1844; handwriting of
Willard Richards

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

View Full Bio
; nineteen pages; in Willard Richards, Journal, CHL. Portions of some entries were written in pencil before they were overwritten in ink.

Historical Introduction

JS’s journal, kept by
Willard Richards

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

View Full Bio
, ended with the entry of 22 June 1844, just before JS left
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, in company with Richards,
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...

View Full Bio
, and
Orrin Porter Rockwell

June 1814–9 June 1878. Ferry operator, herdsman, farmer. Born in Belchertown, Hampshire Co., Massachusetts. Son of Orin Rockwell and Sarah Witt. Moved to Farmington (later in Manchester), Ontario Co., New York, 1817. Neighbor to JS. Baptized into Church of...

View Full Bio
. Richards, who remained with JS until the moment of JS’s death on 27 June, evidently left JS’s journal in Nauvoo when the four men departed for
Carthage

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

More Info
, Illinois. Richards, however, recorded in his own journal many of the events of the last five days of JS’s life. These events include JS’s arrival on 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
bank in
Iowa Territory

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

More Info
on the morning of 23 June and his trip to Carthage, during which JS and Hyrum gave themselves up to authorities on the charge of treason. Richards’s journal also recounts JS’s activities in Carthage during the days preceding his and Hyrum’s deaths. The material Richards recorded in his own journal during this time is in the same format and style as the record he had been keeping for JS. Richards’s hasty, terse notations and precise attention to details—illustrated by his practice of recording the specific times events occurred—indicate that he continuously carried his journal with him and recorded many of the events as he witnessed them, possibly with the intention of using the record to fill in JS’s journal at a later date. Richards’s journal entries for 23–27 June 1844 provide a contemporaneous firsthand account of JS’s activities during the last five days of his life, and they are reproduced here in full.
1

For additional details on the events leading to the deaths of JS and Hyrum Smith, see Oaks and Hill, Carthage Conspiracy.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Oaks, Dallin H., and Marvin S. Hill. Carthage Conspiracy: The Trial of the Accused Assassins of Joseph Smith. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1975.

Richards first inscribed portions of these entries in pencil and then rewrote them in ink. In a few cases, while overwriting, he skipped or altered the original penciled text. The transcription here reproduces the final ink version and does not capture the slight variations in the penciled text.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    For additional details on the events leading to the deaths of JS and Hyrum Smith, see Oaks and Hill, Carthage Conspiracy.

    Oaks, Dallin H., and Marvin S. Hill. Carthage Conspiracy: The Trial of the Accused Assassins of Joseph Smith. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1975.

Page [35]

27 June 1844 • Thursday
Thursday 27 June 1844.— Jail 5— A.M.—
[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
and
Green [John P. Greene]

3 Sept. 1793–10 Sept. 1844. Farmer, shoemaker, printer, publisher. Born at Herkimer, Herkimer Co., New York. Son of John Coddington Greene and Anna Chapman. Married first Rhoda Young, 11 Feb. 1813. Moved to Aurelius, Cayuga Co., New York, 1814; to Brownsville...

View Full Bio
called on their way 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
——
5.30 <​arose— 7—​>— Breakfast. J[S]
H[yrum 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...

View Full Bio
.—
Dr R. [Willard Richards]

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

View Full Bio
&
Makham [Stephen Markham]

9 Feb. 1800–10 Mar. 1878. Carpenter, farmer, stock raiser. Born at Rush (later Avon), Ontario Co., New York. Son of David Markham and Dinah Merry. Moved to Mentor, Geauga Co., Ohio, 1809. Moved to Unionville, Geauga Co., 1810. Married Hannah Hogaboom, before...

View Full Bio
— Mr crane
103

Possibly Michael Crane, who accompanied JS and others on a short trip to Shokokon, Illinois, in February 1843. Alternatively, this may have been the person who earlier in the month had reported that several boxes of arms had arrived in Warsaw. (JS, Journal, 16 Feb. 1843; JS, Journal, 15 June 1844.)


ate with us wanted to know if Joseph fainted 3 times on tuesday rev[ie]wing the Troops.— currently reported——
8.20 wrote
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
— (on file)
104

In his letter, which is in Richards’s handwriting, JS told Emma Smith that he and his companions had heard that Thomas Ford would not visit Nauvoo with his troops “as was anticipated last Evening” but that if Ford did visit, she would be protected. JS also told her to tell Jonathan Dunham, acting major general of the Nauvoo Legion, to “instruct the people to stay at home and attend to their own business and let there be no groups or gathering together unless by permission of the Gov. . . . Bro Dunham of course, will obey the orders of the Government officers, and render them the assistance they require.” JS assured his wife that there was “no dander [danger] of any ‘exterminating order’” and that he did not anticipate a mutiny among Ford’s troops. “There is one principle which is Eternal,” JS closed. “It is the duty of all men to protect their lives and the lives of their household . . . should the last extreme arrive,— but I anticipate no such extreme,— but caution is the parent of safety.” In a postscript in his own hand, JS wrote, “I am very much resigned to my lot knowing I am justified and have done the best that could be done give my love to the children and all my Friends . . . as for treason I know that I have not commited any and they cannot prove one apearance of any thing of the kind So you need not have any fears that any harme can happen to us on that score may God bless you all Amen.” (JS, Carthage, IL, to Emma Smith, Nauvoo, IL, 27 June 1844, JS Materials, CCLA, underlining in original.)


9.40 mi[nutes]—
Mr Wood [James Woods]

Ca. 1800–1886. Lawyer. Born near Boston, in Middlesex Co., Massachusetts. Son of Nehemiah Woods and Mary. Moved to Lincoln, Grafton Co., Massachusetts, by Feb. 1802. Moved to Virginia, 1824. Admitted to bar, 1827, in Lewisburg, Greenbrier Co., Virginia (later...

View Full Bio
called, said
Gov

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

View Full Bio
was about to disband the troops. all but a guard,
105

Governor Thomas Ford’s decision to discharge the troops rather than march with a show of force on Nauvoo as originally planned was based on his learning “that there was a plan to get the troops into Nauvoo, and there to begin the war, probably by some of our own party, or some of the seceding Mormons, taking advantage of the night, to fire on our own force, and then laying it on the Mormons.” Ford opposed the plan on both moral and practical grounds and met with a “council of officers” on the morning of 27 June to discuss the situation. “Many of the officers admitted that there might be danger of collision,” he wrote. “But such was the blind fury prevailing at the time . . . that a small majority of the council adhered to the first resolution of marching into Nauvoo.” Refusing to “be governed by the advice of this majority,” Ford ordered most of the troops assembled at both Carthage and Warsaw to be discharged. The Carthage Greys remained on duty in Carthage to guard JS and Hyrum, and James Dunn’s company of dragoons accompanied Ford to Nauvoo. (Ford, History of Illinois, 340–345.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Ford, Thomas. A History of Illinois, from Its Commencement as a State in 1818 to 1847. Containing a Full Account of the Black Hawk War, the Rise, Progress, and Fall of Mormonism, the Alton and Lovejoy Riots, and Other Important and Interesting Events. Chicago: S. C. Griggs; New York: Ivison and Phinney, 1854.

that the
Governor

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

View Full Bio
will go to Nauvoo & make a speech to the people
106

Militia officers, Thomas Ford later wrote, had insisted that a large number of troops march to Nauvoo to “terrify the Mormons from attempting any open or secret measures of vengeance against the citizens of the county, who had taken a part against them or their leaders.” To “ease their terrors on this head,” in light of his decision to discharge the troops, Ford suggested to the officers that he go to Nauvoo with a small force “and deliver an address to the Mormons, and tell them plainly what degree of excitement and hatred prevailed against them in the minds of the whole people, and that if any open or secret violence should be committed on the persons or property of those who had taken part against them, that no one would doubt but that it had been perpetrated by them, and that it would be the sure and certain means of the destruction of their city and the extermination of their people.” (Ford, History of Illinois, 342.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Ford, Thomas. A History of Illinois, from Its Commencement as a State in 1818 to 1847. Containing a Full Account of the Black Hawk War, the Rise, Progress, and Fall of Mormonism, the Alton and Lovejoy Riots, and Other Important and Interesting Events. Chicago: S. C. Griggs; New York: Ivison and Phinney, 1854.

P.S. to
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
—
107

In this postscript, written in Richards’s hand and added to the letter and postscript to Emma Smith written earlier in the day, JS told his wife that he had just learned that Thomas Ford was about to discharge all the militia troops (except for a small guard) and go to Nauvoo to deliver a speech. “This is right as I suppose,” he closed. (JS, Carthage, IL, to Emma Smith, Nauvoo, IL, 27 June 1844, JS Materials, CCLA.)


S[e]nt Letter by
Joel S Miles

25 Oct. 1816–in/after 1862. Constable, carpenter, justice of the peace. Born in Rutland Co., Vermont. Son of Samuel Miles and Sarah Simonds. Moved to Freedom, Cattaraugus Co., New York, ca. 1830. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by...

View Full Bio
.—
[Cyrus] wheelock

28 Feb. 1813–11 Oct. 1894. Steamboat captain, farmer, lawyer, minister. Born in Henderson, Jefferson Co., New York. Son of Asa Wheelock and Lucy Hibbard. Lived in Ellisburg, Jefferson Co., 1820. Moved to Lyme, Jefferson Co., by 1830. Married Olive Parrish...

View Full Bio
108

According to his own later account, Wheelock also carried several verbal messages, including the “wish of bro. Joseph, also of Governor Ford, that there should be no display of military parade, or any excitement whatever,” when Ford addressed them. (Cyrus Wheelock, London, England, to George A. Smith, 29 Dec. 1854, Historian’s Office, JS History Documents, ca. 1839–1860, CHL.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

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

——
John S. Ful[l]mer

21 July 1807–8 Oct. 1883. Farmer, newsman, postmaster, teacher, merchant. Born at Huntington, Luzerne Co., Pennsylvania. Son of Peter Fullmer and Susannah Zerfass. Moved to Nashville, Davidson Co., Tennessee, spring 1832. Married Mary Ann Price, 24 May 1837...

View Full Bio
went home about 8 oclok.—
109

Fullmer “left for Nauvoo with instructions from Joseph and Hiram to aid in hunting up and forwarding witnesses to Carthage.” (John S. Fullmer, Preston, England, to George A. Smith, 27 Nov. 1854, Historian’s Office, JS History Documents, ca. 1839–1860, CHL.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

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

<​
Gov [Thomas] Ford

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

View Full Bio
went 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
some time this fore noon so reportd——​>
110

Ford later wrote that he “immediately departed for Nauvoo” after discharging the militia. (Ford, History of Illinois, 345.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Ford, Thomas. A History of Illinois, from Its Commencement as a State in 1818 to 1847. Containing a Full Account of the Black Hawk War, the Rise, Progress, and Fall of Mormonism, the Alton and Lovejoy Riots, and Other Important and Interesting Events. Chicago: S. C. Griggs; New York: Ivison and Phinney, 1854.

10.30 sent request to the
Gov

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

View Full Bio
— by
[Dan] Jones

4 Aug. 1811–6 Jan. 1862. Steamboat owner and captain, farmer, mayor. Born in Flintshire, Wales. Son of Thomas Jones and Ruth. Married Jane Melling, 3 Jan. 1837, in Denbigh, Denbighshire, Wales. Immigrated to U.S., ca. 1840. Moved to Nauvoo, Hancock Co., Illinois...

View Full Bio
. for a pass for private se[c]retary— Dr.
W. Richards

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

View Full Bio
.—
11.30 11.20
Jones

4 Aug. 1811–6 Jan. 1862. Steamboat owner and captain, farmer, mayor. Born in Flintshire, Wales. Son of Thomas Jones and Ruth. Married Jane Melling, 3 Jan. 1837, in Denbigh, Denbighshire, Wales. Immigrated to U.S., ca. 1840. Moved to Nauvoo, Hancock Co., Illinois...

View Full Bio
returnd. with
Dr Richads

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

View Full Bio
’s pass.—
111

As indicated here, Thomas Ford was still in Carthage at ten thirty in the morning. Richards’s pass, signed by “Thomas Ford Commander in Chief,” instructed the guard to “permit Doct Richards the private secretary of Joseph Smith to be with him if he disires it and to pass and repass the guard.” (Thomas Ford, Permit for Willard Richards, 27 June 1844, Willard Richards, Papers, CHL.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Richards, Willard. Journals and Papers, 1821–1854. CHL. MS 1490.

<​could not get one for himself​>
11—30
Almon Babbit[t]

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
arrivd
112

In a reminiscent account, Jones reported that he had met Babbitt “in the street” and “informed him that Mr. Smith wished to see him.” (Jones, Martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum Smith, 13.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Jones, Dan. The Martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum Smith, 1855. CHL. MS 153.

read a letter from
O[liver] Cowdery

3 Oct. 1806–3 Mar. 1850. Clerk, teacher, justice of the peace, lawyer, newspaper editor. Born at Wells, Rutland Co., Vermont. Son of William Cowdery and Rebecca Fuller. Raised Congregationalist. Moved to western New York and clerked at a store, ca. 1825–1828...

View Full Bio
.—
113

This letter has not been located.


12—30— wrote for
Lawyer [Orville] Browning

10 Feb. 1806–10 Aug. 1881. Lawyer, politician. Born at Cynthiana, Harrison Co., Kentucky. Son of Micajah Browning and Sarah Brown. Attended Augusta College, in Augusta, Bracken Co., Kentucky. Moved to Quincy, Adams Co., Illinois, ca. 1831, and practiced law...

View Full Bio
of
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
. to come up on satu[r]day as my attorn[e]y
114

In the letter, written by Richards, JS told Browning that he and Hyrum Smith were in jail on the charge of treason and requested his services for their defense at the “examination” scheduled for 29 June. “There is no cause of action,” JS wrote, “for we have not been guilty of any crime; neither is there any just cause of suspicion agai[n]st us,— but certain circumstances make your attendance very necessary.” (JS, Carthage, IL, to Orville Browning, Quincy, IL, 27 June 1844, JS Materials, CCLA.)


——
A. Babbit

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
— took the letter— and left. Mr Southwick
115

Possibly Wall Southwick. (JS, Journal, 20 June 1844; Richards, Journal, 26 June 1844.)


called at the gate gave him— a letter to
Gov Ford

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

View Full Bio
or
Gen Deming

24 Feb. 1810–10 Sept. 1845. Teacher, farmer. Born in Sharon, Litchfield Co., Connecticut. Son of Stephen Deming and Sarah Buel. Moved to Cincinnati, 1836. Married Abigail Barnum, 2 Aug. 1836, in Danbury, Fairfield Co., Connecticut. Moved to St. Mary’s Township...

View Full Bio
to get a pass
<​
Jones

4 Aug. 1811–6 Jan. 1862. Steamboat owner and captain, farmer, mayor. Born in Flintshire, Wales. Son of Thomas Jones and Ruth. Married Jane Melling, 3 Jan. 1837, in Denbigh, Denbighshire, Wales. Immigrated to U.S., ca. 1840. Moved to Nauvoo, Hancock Co., Illinois...

View Full Bio
116

TEXT: Possibly “James”.


passed Jail— going 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
probably with
Browni[n]g

10 Feb. 1806–10 Aug. 1881. Lawyer, politician. Born at Cynthiana, Harrison Co., Kentucky. Son of Micajah Browning and Sarah Brown. Attended Augusta College, in Augusta, Bracken Co., Kentucky. Moved to Quincy, Adams Co., Illinois, ca. 1831, and practiced law...

View Full Bio
s Letter.​>
117

Dan Jones later recalled that he “was handed a letter from Mr. Smith, with a request to take it to Mr. Browning of Quincy forthwith.” Believing that the letter contained orders for the Nauvoo Legion to come and rescue JS, several men demanded the letter from Jones, who was able to escape on a horse. Jones rode to Nauvoo and boarded a steamer for Quincy late that night. (Jones, Martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum Smith, 13–15.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Jones, Dan. The Martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum Smith, 1855. CHL. MS 153.

1.15 mi[nutes] Joseph.
Hyrum

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...

View Full Bio
&
Willad

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

View Full Bio
din[e]d in their room—— &
Markham

9 Feb. 1800–10 Mar. 1878. Carpenter, farmer, stock raiser. Born at Rush (later Avon), Ontario Co., New York. Son of David Markham and Dinah Merry. Moved to Mentor, Geauga Co., Ohio, 1809. Moved to Unionville, Geauga Co., 1810. Married Hannah Hogaboom, before...

View Full Bio
&
[John] Taylor

1 Nov. 1808–25 July 1887. Preacher, editor, publisher, politician. Born at Milnthorpe, Westmoreland, England. Son of James Taylor and Agnes Taylor, members of Church of England. Around age sixteen, joined Methodist church and was local preacher. Migrated ...

View Full Bio
below—
1.30
Markham

9 Feb. 1800–10 Mar. 1878. Carpenter, farmer, stock raiser. Born at Rush (later Avon), Ontario Co., New York. Son of David Markham and Dinah Merry. Moved to Mentor, Geauga Co., Ohio, 1809. Moved to Unionville, Geauga Co., 1810. Married Hannah Hogaboom, before...

View Full Bio
went after a pipe
118

According to Markham’s reminiscent account, JS sent Markham, who had a pass from Ford, to get “a Pipe & Tobacco” to settle the stomach of Richards, who was ill. (Stephen Markham, Fort Supply, Utah Territory, to Wilford Woodruff, 20 June 1856, Historian’s Office, JS History Documents, ca. 1839–1860, CHL.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

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

[p. [35]]
View entire transcript

|

Cite this page

Source Note

Document Transcript

Page [35]

Document Information

Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Appendix 3: Willard Richards, Journal Excerpt, 23–27 June 1844
ID #
7059
Total Pages
19
Print Volume Location
JSP, J3:303–330
Handwriting on This Page
  • William Clayton

Footnotes

  1. [103]

    Possibly Michael Crane, who accompanied JS and others on a short trip to Shokokon, Illinois, in February 1843. Alternatively, this may have been the person who earlier in the month had reported that several boxes of arms had arrived in Warsaw. (JS, Journal, 16 Feb. 1843; JS, Journal, 15 June 1844.)

  2. [104]

    In his letter, which is in Richards’s handwriting, JS told Emma Smith that he and his companions had heard that Thomas Ford would not visit Nauvoo with his troops “as was anticipated last Evening” but that if Ford did visit, she would be protected. JS also told her to tell Jonathan Dunham, acting major general of the Nauvoo Legion, to “instruct the people to stay at home and attend to their own business and let there be no groups or gathering together unless by permission of the Gov. . . . Bro Dunham of course, will obey the orders of the Government officers, and render them the assistance they require.” JS assured his wife that there was “no dander [danger] of any ‘exterminating order’” and that he did not anticipate a mutiny among Ford’s troops. “There is one principle which is Eternal,” JS closed. “It is the duty of all men to protect their lives and the lives of their household . . . should the last extreme arrive,— but I anticipate no such extreme,— but caution is the parent of safety.” In a postscript in his own hand, JS wrote, “I am very much resigned to my lot knowing I am justified and have done the best that could be done give my love to the children and all my Friends . . . as for treason I know that I have not commited any and they cannot prove one apearance of any thing of the kind So you need not have any fears that any harme can happen to us on that score may God bless you all Amen.” (JS, Carthage, IL, to Emma Smith, Nauvoo, IL, 27 June 1844, JS Materials, CCLA, underlining in original.)

  3. [105]

    Governor Thomas Ford’s decision to discharge the troops rather than march with a show of force on Nauvoo as originally planned was based on his learning “that there was a plan to get the troops into Nauvoo, and there to begin the war, probably by some of our own party, or some of the seceding Mormons, taking advantage of the night, to fire on our own force, and then laying it on the Mormons.” Ford opposed the plan on both moral and practical grounds and met with a “council of officers” on the morning of 27 June to discuss the situation. “Many of the officers admitted that there might be danger of collision,” he wrote. “But such was the blind fury prevailing at the time . . . that a small majority of the council adhered to the first resolution of marching into Nauvoo.” Refusing to “be governed by the advice of this majority,” Ford ordered most of the troops assembled at both Carthage and Warsaw to be discharged. The Carthage Greys remained on duty in Carthage to guard JS and Hyrum, and James Dunn’s company of dragoons accompanied Ford to Nauvoo. (Ford, History of Illinois, 340–345.)

    Ford, Thomas. A History of Illinois, from Its Commencement as a State in 1818 to 1847. Containing a Full Account of the Black Hawk War, the Rise, Progress, and Fall of Mormonism, the Alton and Lovejoy Riots, and Other Important and Interesting Events. Chicago: S. C. Griggs; New York: Ivison and Phinney, 1854.

  4. [106]

    Militia officers, Thomas Ford later wrote, had insisted that a large number of troops march to Nauvoo to “terrify the Mormons from attempting any open or secret measures of vengeance against the citizens of the county, who had taken a part against them or their leaders.” To “ease their terrors on this head,” in light of his decision to discharge the troops, Ford suggested to the officers that he go to Nauvoo with a small force “and deliver an address to the Mormons, and tell them plainly what degree of excitement and hatred prevailed against them in the minds of the whole people, and that if any open or secret violence should be committed on the persons or property of those who had taken part against them, that no one would doubt but that it had been perpetrated by them, and that it would be the sure and certain means of the destruction of their city and the extermination of their people.” (Ford, History of Illinois, 342.)

    Ford, Thomas. A History of Illinois, from Its Commencement as a State in 1818 to 1847. Containing a Full Account of the Black Hawk War, the Rise, Progress, and Fall of Mormonism, the Alton and Lovejoy Riots, and Other Important and Interesting Events. Chicago: S. C. Griggs; New York: Ivison and Phinney, 1854.

  5. [107]

    In this postscript, written in Richards’s hand and added to the letter and postscript to Emma Smith written earlier in the day, JS told his wife that he had just learned that Thomas Ford was about to discharge all the militia troops (except for a small guard) and go to Nauvoo to deliver a speech. “This is right as I suppose,” he closed. (JS, Carthage, IL, to Emma Smith, Nauvoo, IL, 27 June 1844, JS Materials, CCLA.)

  6. [108]

    According to his own later account, Wheelock also carried several verbal messages, including the “wish of bro. Joseph, also of Governor Ford, that there should be no display of military parade, or any excitement whatever,” when Ford addressed them. (Cyrus Wheelock, London, England, to George A. Smith, 29 Dec. 1854, Historian’s Office, JS History Documents, ca. 1839–1860, CHL.)

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

  7. [109]

    Fullmer “left for Nauvoo with instructions from Joseph and Hiram to aid in hunting up and forwarding witnesses to Carthage.” (John S. Fullmer, Preston, England, to George A. Smith, 27 Nov. 1854, Historian’s Office, JS History Documents, ca. 1839–1860, CHL.)

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

  8. [110]

    Ford later wrote that he “immediately departed for Nauvoo” after discharging the militia. (Ford, History of Illinois, 345.)

    Ford, Thomas. A History of Illinois, from Its Commencement as a State in 1818 to 1847. Containing a Full Account of the Black Hawk War, the Rise, Progress, and Fall of Mormonism, the Alton and Lovejoy Riots, and Other Important and Interesting Events. Chicago: S. C. Griggs; New York: Ivison and Phinney, 1854.

  9. [111]

    As indicated here, Thomas Ford was still in Carthage at ten thirty in the morning. Richards’s pass, signed by “Thomas Ford Commander in Chief,” instructed the guard to “permit Doct Richards the private secretary of Joseph Smith to be with him if he disires it and to pass and repass the guard.” (Thomas Ford, Permit for Willard Richards, 27 June 1844, Willard Richards, Papers, CHL.)

    Richards, Willard. Journals and Papers, 1821–1854. CHL. MS 1490.

  10. [112]

    In a reminiscent account, Jones reported that he had met Babbitt “in the street” and “informed him that Mr. Smith wished to see him.” (Jones, Martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum Smith, 13.)

    Jones, Dan. The Martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum Smith, 1855. CHL. MS 153.

  11. [113]

    This letter has not been located.

  12. [114]

    In the letter, written by Richards, JS told Browning that he and Hyrum Smith were in jail on the charge of treason and requested his services for their defense at the “examination” scheduled for 29 June. “There is no cause of action,” JS wrote, “for we have not been guilty of any crime; neither is there any just cause of suspicion agai[n]st us,— but certain circumstances make your attendance very necessary.” (JS, Carthage, IL, to Orville Browning, Quincy, IL, 27 June 1844, JS Materials, CCLA.)

  13. [115]

    Possibly Wall Southwick. (JS, Journal, 20 June 1844; Richards, Journal, 26 June 1844.)

  14. [116]

    TEXT: Possibly “James”.

  15. [117]

    Dan Jones later recalled that he “was handed a letter from Mr. Smith, with a request to take it to Mr. Browning of Quincy forthwith.” Believing that the letter contained orders for the Nauvoo Legion to come and rescue JS, several men demanded the letter from Jones, who was able to escape on a horse. Jones rode to Nauvoo and boarded a steamer for Quincy late that night. (Jones, Martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum Smith, 13–15.)

    Jones, Dan. The Martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum Smith, 1855. CHL. MS 153.

  16. [118]

    According to Markham’s reminiscent account, JS sent Markham, who had a pass from Ford, to get “a Pipe & Tobacco” to settle the stomach of Richards, who was ill. (Stephen Markham, Fort Supply, Utah Territory, to Wilford Woodruff, 20 June 1856, Historian’s Office, JS History Documents, ca. 1839–1860, CHL.)

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

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