Skip to main content

Letter from David S. Hollister, 26 and 28 June 1844

  1. Home > 
  2. The Papers > 

Letter from David S. Hollister, 26 and 28 June 1844

Source Note

, Letter, Wilmington, New Castle Co., DE, and , Philadelphia Co., PA, to JS, , Hancock Co., IL, 26 and 28 June 1844; handwriting and signatures of ; two pages; JS Collection, CHL. Includes address, docket, and notation.
Bifolium measuring 10 × 7¾ inches (25 × 20 cm). The recto of the first leaf is ruled with twenty-seven printed horizontal lines, now faded. The verso of the first leaf and recto of the second leaf are ruled with thirty-one printed horizontal lines, now faded. The letter was trifolded twice in letter style, addressed, and sealed with a red adhesive wafer, remnants of which are on the verso of the second leaf. The document was later refolded for filing.
The letter was docketed by , who served as JS’s scribe from 1843 to 1844 and as clerk to the church historian and recorder from 1845 to 1865. In the early twentieth century, the document was copied into the Journal History of the Church. The document was possibly 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 docket, its notation, its possible inclusion in the circa 1904 inventory, and its later inclusion in the JS Collection indicate continuous institutional custody.

Footnotes

  1. Jessee, “Writing of Joseph Smith’s History,” 456, 458; Woodruff, Journal, 22 Jan. 1865.

    Jessee, Dean C. “The Writing of Joseph Smith’s History.” BYU Studies 11 (Summer 1971): 439–473.

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

  2. Historical Department, Journal History of the Church, 26 June 1844.

    Historical Department. Journal History of the Church, 1896–. CHL. CR 100 137.

  3. “Letters to and from the Prophet,” ca. 1904, [3]–[4], Historian’s Office, Catalogs and Inventories, 1846–1904, CHL. Two letters from David S. Hollister are listed under 1844 in the inventory, though Hollister wrote at least three letters to JS in 1844.

    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 26 June 1844, member wrote a letter from Wilmington, Delaware, to JS in , Illinois. He added a postscript after arriving in on 28 June. The letter reported on Hollister’s efforts in the mid-Atlantic states to generate support for JS’s presidential campaign in preparation for a national convention in on 13 July 1844, during which he was to represent Nauvoo and JS’s candidacy. Along with , , and , Hollister had been appointed as a delegate to the 1 May Whig National Convention. He planned to attend the 27–30 May Democratic National Convention as well. Both party conventions were also to be held in Baltimore. Hollister arrived in Baltimore too late for the Whig convention, but he was apparently in the city during the Democratic convention and presumably attended it. In June, Hollister continued to prepare for the July convention by traveling throughout Maryland and Delaware, trying to muster support for JS as president.
In his 26 June letter to JS, expressed his disappointment in the lack of success he had in (although he did not expound on his efforts or their reception), conveyed his unfamiliarity with what Latter-day Saints in other states were doing to prepare for the July convention, and declared his plans to secure a meeting hall for the July convention in Baltimore. He explained his plans to stay in Baltimore until that convention and then return to . Two days later, after reaching , Hollister added a postscript informing JS of newspaper reports, presumably about JS and the Latter-day Saints, that were negatively impacting public opinion.
The lack of postal markings on the letter suggests that it was transmitted to by hand. Because JS was killed on 27 June, he never saw the document. A docket on the letter, however, indicates that it arrived in Nauvoo and was filed with JS’s papers.

Footnotes

  1. A convention in Nauvoo on 17 May nominated Hollister, Orson Hyde, Heber C. Kimball, Orson Pratt, and Lyman Wight to represent Nauvoo at the July convention. (“Minutes of a Convention Held in the City of Nauvoo, Hancock County, Illinois, May 17th, 1844,” Nauvoo Neighbor, 22 May 1844, [2].)

    Nauvoo Neighbor. Nauvoo, IL. 1843–1845.

  2. JS, Journal, 23 Apr. 1844; Clayton, Journal, 23 Apr. 1844; Letter from David S. Hollister, 9 May 1844. Political parties began holding presidential nominating conventions in the 1830s. These conventions were typically held in Baltimore because of its accessibility and proximity to Washington DC. The precise role that Latter-day Saint delegates were to play at the Whig convention is unclear. According to John Taylor, they were to “make overtures” to those attending the convention, which may have meant trying to persuade the Whig Party to nominate JS for president or to enlist support among individual delegates for his nomination. Church leaders may have also wanted Hollister and the others to offer Latter-day Saint votes to candidates in exchange for support of the church’s ongoing efforts to obtain redress from Missouri and greater powers of self-government in Illinois. (McBride, Joseph Smith for President, 121, 176–179; “Public Meeting,” Nauvoo Neighbor, 24 Apr. 1844, [2].)

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

    McBride, Spencer W. Joseph Smith for President: The Prophet, the Assassins, and the Fight for American Religious Freedom. New York: Oxford University Press, 2021.

    Nauvoo Neighbor. Nauvoo, IL. 1843–1845.

  3. Hollister did not reach Baltimore until 4 May. He intimated in a 9 May letter that he planned to attend the Democratic convention, and on 31 May, John Cowan wrote to JS that he had recently seen Hollister in Baltimore. (“Whig National Convention,” Daily National Intelligencer [Washington DC], 2 May 1844, [2]; Letter from David S. Hollister, 9 May 1844; Letter from John Cowan, 31 May 1844.)

    Daily National Intelligencer. Washington DC. 1800–1869.

Page [1]

Go to next page 2
Wilmington June 26th 1844
Dear Brother
My last letter being written under rather unpleasent feelings produced by a Series of disappointments, you may have deemed <​me​> disheartend: this however was not the case tho I admit I was not a little chagrined at the little sucsess we met with in Since that time I have ben travelling in Maryland and Delaware prepareing the way so far as my feeble Efforts could do, for the national convention of the 13 July I am not advised of what our friends have done in the other States Except & I can therefore form no opinion of the Extent of thier Exertions or the delegation which may be present on that occasion I Shall be in in a few days and take it upon myself to prepare a place for the holding of the convention and through the city papers call a meeting of the delegates who may arive the Evening before to make other arangements unless I am previously aware of other provisions having ben made
As soon as the convention is over I shall leave for unless in the mean time I am advised to the contra In which case I Shall hold myself in readiness to Stay or go or do to the utmost of [p. [1]]
View entire transcript

|

Cite this page

Source Note

Document Transcript

Page [1]

Go to next page 2

Document Information

Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Letter from David S. Hollister, 26 and 28 June 1844
ID #
1448
Total Pages
4
Print Volume Location
Handwriting on This Page
  • David S. Hollister

Footnotes

  1. David S. Hollister wrote a letter to JS on 9 May 1844, but it did not express any feelings of discouragement, which suggests that he may have sent another letter that is not extant before writing this 26 June communication. (Letter from David S. Hollister, 9 May 1844.)

  2. It is unclear what David S. Hollister was referring to here, but he may have been discussing the outcome of the Democratic National Convention. Although Martin Van Buren held a majority of the delegates’ votes at the beginning of the convention, he did not hold the necessary two-thirds majority. As balloting continued, Van Buren’s support waned. Finally, on the ninth ballot, James K. Polk of Tennessee—who had not been a prominent candidate prior to the convention—received the necessary two-thirds majority to procure the nomination. Because the nomination at the convention was up for grabs, Hollister may have hoped that JS would have gained more support. (Howe, What Hath God Wrought, 682–683.)

    Howe, Daniel Walker. What Hath God Wrought: The Transformation of America, 1815–1848. The Oxford History of the United States. New York: Oxford University Press, 2007.

  3. On 9 April 1844, the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles assigned a large number of missionaries to travel throughout the United States and campaign for JS to be elected president. Several of the apostles began campaigning as well. An Illinois state convention was held in Nauvoo on 17 May 1844, and delegates from several counties and states attended. JS and Sidney Rigdon were selected as candidates for president and vice president at this convention. On 11 June “a mass meeting of Mormons, or those friendly to the election of Joseph Smith” was held in New York City. Approximately sixty people attended. In addition to hearing speeches from apostles Parley P. Pratt and Orson Pratt, the gathering appointed twelve delegates to attend another convention in Utica, New York, on 23 August. (Historian’s Office, General Church Minutes, 6–9 Apr. 1844, 34–39; “Minutes of a Convention Held in the City of Nauvoo, Hancock County, Illinois, May 17th, 1844,” Nauvoo Neighbor, 22 May 1844, [2]; “A Mass Meeting of Mormons,” Sun [Baltimore], 14 June 1844, [2]; see also, for example, Letter from Lyman Wight and Heber C. Kimball, 19, 21, and 24 June 1844.)

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

    Nauvoo Neighbor. Nauvoo, IL. 1843–1845.

    Sun. Baltimore. 1837–2008.

Go to page