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Letter from Dan Jones, 8 January 1844

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Letter from Dan Jones, 8 January 1844

Source Note

, Letter, , Orleans Parish, LA, to JS, , Hancock Co., IL, 8 Jan. 1844; handwriting of ; three pages; JS Collection, CHL. Includes address, postal notation, postal stamp, dockets, graphite redactions, and notation.
Bifolium measuring 10½ × 8¼ inches (27 × 21 cm) and ruled with thirty-two horizontal lines printed in blue ink. The document was trifolded twice in letter style, addressed, and sealed with a red adhesive wafer, the remnants of which are present on the recto and verso of the second leaf. The letter has one large hole in the second leaf, likely created when the letter was opened, that resulted in a loss of text. The letter was later folded for filing. There is separation along some of the folds. Tears are present on both leaves, and portions of the second leaf are missing due to repairs using adhesive tape that has since been removed. The document has undergone some conservation.
The letter was docketed by , who served as scribe to JS from 1842 to 1844, and by , who served as a clerk in the Church Historian’s Office (later Church Historical Department) from 1853 to 1859. The document was listed in an inventory that was produced by the Church Historian’s Office circa 1904. By 1973 the letter had been included in the JS Collection at the Church Historical Department (now CHL). The document’s early dockets, its listing in a circa 1904 inventory, and its later inclusion in the JS Collection indicate continuous institutional custody.

Footnotes

  1. 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.

  2. “Obituary of Leo Hawkins,” Millennial Star, 30 July 1859, 21:496–497.

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

  3. “Letters to and from the Prophet,” ca. 1904, [3], Historian’s Office, Catalogs and Inventories, 1846–1904, CHL.

    Historian’s Office. Catalogs and Inventories, 1846–1904. CHL. CR 100 130.

  4. See the full bibliographic entry for JS Collection, 1827–1844, in the CHL catalog.

Historical Introduction

On 8 January 1844, , the captain and co-owner of the steamboat Maid of Iowa, wrote a letter from to JS in , Illinois, providing an account of the vessel’s operations. In his letter, Jones reported having a disagreement with , who was on board “to regulate the [boat’s] Books,” when they settled their accounts on 5 October 1843. Jones also complained that , who was the steamboat’s clerk, was unwilling to keep him informed of the vessel’s finances and was gambling with the boat’s money. Finally, Jones claimed that was uncooperative in rescuing the Maid of Iowa from its troubling financial situation because Jones refused to let him take command of the ship.
The letter was postmarked from on 26 January. No response from JS has been located.

Footnotes

  1. For more information on the circumstances surrounding the creation of this letter, see Historical Introduction to Letter from David S. Hollister, 8 Jan. 1844.

  2. Clayton, Journal, 21 Sept. and 5 Oct. 1843.

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

  3. See Jones, “Martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum Smith,” [22]; and Letter from Erastus Derby, 9 Oct. 1843.

    Dennis, Ronald D. “The Martyrdom of Joseph Smith and His Brother Hyrum.” BYU Studies 24 (Winter 1984): 78–109.

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Page [4]

<​18½​>
<​ MO. JAN 26​>
Joseph Smith Esqr.
Hancock Co
Ills [p. [4]]
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Source Note

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Document Information

Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Letter from Dan Jones, 8 January 1844
ID #
1244
Total Pages
4
Print Volume Location
Handwriting on This Page
  • Unidentified
  • Printed text
  • Dan Jones

Footnotes

  1. Postage in unidentified handwriting.

  2. Circular postmark stamped in red ink.

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