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Letter from Clark Leal, 15 April 1844

Source Note

Clark Leal

10 Aug. 1805–21 Apr. 1845. Farmer, land agent. Born in Kortright, Delaware Co., New York. Son of Alexander Leal and Lydia Rose. Married Jane McClaughry, 16 Dec. 1830. Moved to Fountain Green, Hancock Co., Illinois, 1837. Acted as agent for New York investor...

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, Letter,
Fountain Green

Unincorporated village (originally named Lick Grove, then Horse Lick Grove). Located about twenty miles east of Nauvoo, Illinois, and ten miles northeast of Carthage, Illinois. Area settled by Ute Perkins, 1826. Post office established, 1833. Named changed...

More Info
, Hancock Co., IL, to JS,
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
, Hancock Co., IL, 15 Apr. 1844; handwriting and signature presumably of
Clark Leal

10 Aug. 1805–21 Apr. 1845. Farmer, land agent. Born in Kortright, Delaware Co., New York. Son of Alexander Leal and Lydia Rose. Married Jane McClaughry, 16 Dec. 1830. Moved to Fountain Green, Hancock Co., Illinois, 1837. Acted as agent for New York investor...

View Full Bio
; one page; Helen Vilate Bourne Fleming, Collection, CHL. Includes address, postal notation, and docket.
Single leaf measuring 9⅝ × 7¾ inches (24 × 20 cm). Embossed in the upper left corner of the recto is “J. AMES” surrounded by an oval decorative border.
1

The embossment may be that of D. & J. Ames, a paper mill. (Whiting, “Paper-Making in New England,” 309; Gravell et al., American Watermarks, 235.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Whiting, William. “Paper-Making in New England.” In The New England States: Their Constitutional, Judicial, Educational, Commercial, Professional and Industrial History, edited by William T. Davis, vol. 1, pp. 303–333. Boston: D. H. Hurd, 1897.

Gravell, Thomas L., George Miller, and Elizabeth Walsh. American Watermarks: 1690–1835. 2nd ed. New Castle, DE: Oak Knoll Press, 2002.

The letter was inscribed in blue ink on the recto. The letter was trifolded in letter style, addressed, and sealed with a red adhesive wafer, the remnants of which are on the verso. There is a tear on the top of the leaf, likely from when the letter was opened. The letter has undergone conservation.
The letter was docketed by
William Clayton

17 July 1814–4 Dec. 1879. Bookkeeper, clerk. Born at Charnock Moss, Penwortham, Lancashire, England. Son of Thomas Clayton and Ann Critchley. Married Ruth Moon, 9 Oct. 1836, at Penwortham. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by Heber...

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, who served as scribe to JS from 1842 to 1844.
2

JS, Journal, 29 June 1842; “Clayton, William,” in Jenson, Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia, 1:718.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Jenson, Andrew. Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia: A Compilation of Biographical Sketches of Prominent Men and Women in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 4 vols. Salt Lake City: Andrew Jenson History Co., 1901–1936.

In late 1844, following JS’s death,
Bishop

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

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Newel K. Whitney

3/5 Feb. 1795–23 Sept. 1850. Trader, merchant. Born at Marlborough, Windham Co., Vermont. Son of Samuel Whitney and Susanna Kimball. Moved to Fairfield, Herkimer Co., New York, 1803. Merchant at Plattsburg, Clinton Co., New York, 1814. Mercantile clerk for...

View Full Bio
became one of the interim church trustees and was appointed “first bishop” among other
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
bishops.
3

Richards, Journal, 9 Aug. 1844; “Conference Minutes,” Times and Seasons, 1 Nov. 1844, 5:693; see also Minutes, Times and Seasons, Dec. 1839, 1:30.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Richards, Willard. Journals, 1836–1853. Willard Richards, Papers, 1821–1854. CHL. MS 1490, boxes 1–2.

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

It was presumably during this time that many of the church’s financial and other administrative records passed into his possession. This document, along with some other personal and institutional documents that may have been kept by Whitney, was inherited by Whitney’s great-granddaughter Helen Vilate Bourne Fleming, who passed these and other family papers down to her daughter Helen Marian Fleming Petersen. In 1988, shortly after Petersen’s death, this collection was found in a box in her home, and later that year family members donated it to the Church Historical Department (now CHL).
4

See the full bibliographic entry for Helen Vilate Bourne Fleming, Collection, 1836–1963, in the CHL catalog.


Footnotes

  1. [1]

    The embossment may be that of D. & J. Ames, a paper mill. (Whiting, “Paper-Making in New England,” 309; Gravell et al., American Watermarks, 235.)

    Whiting, William. “Paper-Making in New England.” In The New England States: Their Constitutional, Judicial, Educational, Commercial, Professional and Industrial History, edited by William T. Davis, vol. 1, pp. 303–333. Boston: D. H. Hurd, 1897.

    Gravell, Thomas L., George Miller, and Elizabeth Walsh. American Watermarks: 1690–1835. 2nd ed. New Castle, DE: Oak Knoll Press, 2002.

  2. [2]

    JS, Journal, 29 June 1842; “Clayton, William,” in Jenson, Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia, 1:718.

    Jenson, Andrew. Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia: A Compilation of Biographical Sketches of Prominent Men and Women in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 4 vols. Salt Lake City: Andrew Jenson History Co., 1901–1936.

  3. [3]

    Richards, Journal, 9 Aug. 1844; “Conference Minutes,” Times and Seasons, 1 Nov. 1844, 5:693; see also Minutes, Times and Seasons, Dec. 1839, 1:30.

    Richards, Willard. Journals, 1836–1853. Willard Richards, Papers, 1821–1854. CHL. MS 1490, boxes 1–2.

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

  4. [4]

    See the full bibliographic entry for Helen Vilate Bourne Fleming, Collection, 1836–1963, in the CHL catalog.

Historical Introduction

On 15 April 1844,
Clark Leal

10 Aug. 1805–21 Apr. 1845. Farmer, land agent. Born in Kortright, Delaware Co., New York. Son of Alexander Leal and Lydia Rose. Married Jane McClaughry, 16 Dec. 1830. Moved to Fountain Green, Hancock Co., Illinois, 1837. Acted as agent for New York investor...

View Full Bio
wrote a letter from
Fountain Green

Unincorporated village (originally named Lick Grove, then Horse Lick Grove). Located about twenty miles east of Nauvoo, Illinois, and ten miles northeast of Carthage, Illinois. Area settled by Ute Perkins, 1826. Post office established, 1833. Named changed...

More Info
, Illinois, to JS in
Nauvoo

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

More Info
, Illinois, offering to sell him a 160-acre tract of 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 ...

More Info
, Illinois. In May 1842, JS had met with Leal, who was a farmer in Fountain Green, and together they looked over this tract of land. Apparently, Leal was acting as the
agent

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
of
Crawford B. Sheldon

12 Oct. 1799–11 Mar. 1859. Merchant. Son of Job Sheldon and Joanna Crawford Trippe. Moved to Lyndon, Caledonia Co., Vermont, by May 1800; to Warwick, Kent Co., Rhode Island, by Aug. 1810; and to New Milford, Litchfield Co., Connecticut, by May 1816. Married...

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, a merchant living in Delaware County, New York, who owned the property. JS subsequently “contracted for the refusal of the Same at $3 per Acre,” meaning he possessed the right to purchase the land before any other interested party should Sheldon sell it.
1

JS, Journal, 17–18 May 1842; 1850 U.S. Census, Delhi, Delaware Co., NY, 248.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Census (U.S.) / U.S. Bureau of the Census. Population Schedules. Microfilm. FHL.

Sheldon, however, sold the tract to Leal in October 1843 for $480, or $3 an acre.
2

Hancock Co., IL, Deed Records, 1817–1917, vol. M, pp. 76–77, 16 Oct. 1843, microfilm 954,600, U.S. and Canada Record Collection, FHL.


Comprehensive Works Cited

U.S. and Canada Record Collection. FHL.

There is no record that JS and Leal had any further dealings until January 1844, when JS had
William Clayton

17 July 1814–4 Dec. 1879. Bookkeeper, clerk. Born at Charnock Moss, Penwortham, Lancashire, England. Son of Thomas Clayton and Ann Critchley. Married Ruth Moon, 9 Oct. 1836, at Penwortham. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by Heber...

View Full Bio
write Leal a letter, which is apparently not extant.
3

Clayton, Journal, 18 Jan. 1844; JS, Journal, 18 Jan. 1844. The content of this letter is unknown.


Comprehensive Works Cited

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

On 2 April 1844, Clayton met with Leal on behalf of JS and offered to buy the parcel of land, for which JS had previously contracted, offering $5 an acre. Leal told Clayton that he would let him know by 6 April if he wanted to sell the land.
4

Clayton, Journal, 2 Apr. 1844.


Comprehensive Works Cited

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

In his 15 April letter,
Leal

10 Aug. 1805–21 Apr. 1845. Farmer, land agent. Born in Kortright, Delaware Co., New York. Son of Alexander Leal and Lydia Rose. Married Jane McClaughry, 16 Dec. 1830. Moved to Fountain Green, Hancock Co., Illinois, 1837. Acted as agent for New York investor...

View Full Bio
explained that the mail had been collected earlier than he had anticipated, which prevented him from sending his reply as soon as he had intended. In his short response, Leal agreed to sell the tract, offering two different prices depending on when JS would be able to pay him. In the meantime, Leal intended to go to
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
, the seat of
Hancock County

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

More Info
, to verify the land’s title. There is a handwritten postal notation on the letter indicating that Leal paid for its delivery. It is unclear when JS received the letter. There is no known response from JS and no evidence that JS purchased the property from Leal.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    JS, Journal, 17–18 May 1842; 1850 U.S. Census, Delhi, Delaware Co., NY, 248.

    Census (U.S.) / U.S. Bureau of the Census. Population Schedules. Microfilm. FHL.

  2. [2]

    Hancock Co., IL, Deed Records, 1817–1917, vol. M, pp. 76–77, 16 Oct. 1843, microfilm 954,600, U.S. and Canada Record Collection, FHL.

    U.S. and Canada Record Collection. FHL.

  3. [3]

    Clayton, Journal, 18 Jan. 1844; JS, Journal, 18 Jan. 1844. The content of this letter is unknown.

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

  4. [4]

    Clayton, Journal, 2 Apr. 1844.

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

Page [1]

Fountain Green

Unincorporated village (originally named Lick Grove, then Horse Lick Grove). Located about twenty miles east of Nauvoo, Illinois, and ten miles northeast of Carthage, Illinois. Area settled by Ute Perkins, 1826. Post office established, 1833. Named changed...

More Info
April 15th 1844
Dear Sir
I had Intended to have written last week but the Mail Came 2 hours Sooner than usual I was Disappointed I will Sell the N E 15 6 N 8 w
1

The northeast quarter of Section 15 of Township 6 North, Range 8 West. This tract was in northwest Hancock County.


for five Dollars pr Acre if paid on or Before the first of May or 5.50 cen[t]s if a Credit Be Given on 300 Dollars till the first of October I Intend going to
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
to Morrow and will make all necessary Enquiries and if the Title is not Right will let you know Immediately
I will Give the Necessary Bond when
Mr [William] Clayton

17 July 1814–4 Dec. 1879. Bookkeeper, clerk. Born at Charnock Moss, Penwortham, Lancashire, England. Son of Thomas Clayton and Ann Critchley. Married Ruth Moon, 9 Oct. 1836, at Penwortham. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by Heber...

View Full Bio
Comes Out as I will Probably not probably be well Enough to go so far from home By that that Time
yours Respectfully
Clark Leal

10 Aug. 1805–21 Apr. 1845. Farmer, land agent. Born in Kortright, Delaware Co., New York. Son of Alexander Leal and Lydia Rose. Married Jane McClaughry, 16 Dec. 1830. Moved to Fountain Green, Hancock Co., Illinois, 1837. Acted as agent for New York investor...

View Full Bio
Gen Josep[h] Smith [1/4 page blank] [p. [1]]
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Document Information

Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Letter from Clark Leal, 15 April 1844
ID #
1495
Total Pages
2
Print Volume Location
Handwriting on This Page
  • Clark Leal

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    The northeast quarter of Section 15 of Township 6 North, Range 8 West. This tract was in northwest Hancock County.

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