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Letter from Edward Partridge, 5 March 1839

Source Note

, Letter, , Adams Co., IL, to JS and others, , Clay Co., MO, 5 Mar. 1839. Featured version copied [between 22 Apr. and 30 Oct. 1839] in JS Letterbook 2, pp. 3–4; handwriting of ; JS Collection, CHL. For more complete source information, see the source note for JS Letterbook 2.

Historical Introduction

On 5 March 1839, wrote to JS and the other prisoners in , Missouri, explaining recent developments regarding land dealer ’s offer to sell land to the church and relating the situation of church members who had recently relocated to . In January 1839, as it became apparent that the legislature would not reverse Governor ’s expulsion order, the Latter-day Saints organized an exodus from the state. , Illinois, became a magnet for church members because it was the closest sizeable settlement to where the Saints had lived in Missouri.
As Latter-day Saints poured into western , church leaders appointed and as a committee to seek “shelter from the inclemency of the season” in “the up river country” of Illinois as well as in . In early February 1839, Barlow and Rogers examined about forty empty buildings in , located at the bend of the in western Illinois. They then crossed the river and looked at the barracks of the abandoned Fort Des Moines in Iowa Territory. They also met with , who offered to sell the church twenty thousand acres of land within what was known as the “” in , Iowa Territory, for two dollars per acre, paid in twenty annual installments without interest.
Upon their return to , and attended a meeting at which they reported on their trip. They spoke “very favourably” of ’s offer to church leaders and suggested that the land was “every way suited for a Location for the church.” , who presided at the meeting, favored the purchase, “providing that it was the will of the Lord that we should again gather together.” Marks suspected that the church’s practice of gathering was a major cause of the previous conflicts with anti-Mormons in and . , who was also at the meeting, stated that “it was better to scatter into different parts and provide for the poor which will be acceptable to God.” The council voted to table the issue for the time being. In mid-February 1839, word of Galland’s offer reached JS, who sent a letter to church leaders in Quincy, apparently expressing support for the purchase.
arrived in on 16 February 1839, following his release from the on bail. Sometime during the week of 17–23 February, Rigdon and other church leaders visited in hopes of discussing the potential land purchase with , but he was not at home. As noted in the letter featured here, Rigdon and other church leaders were hesitant to make the purchase, although they thought it might be advisable in the future. The arrival of JS’s mid-February 1839 letter, even with its positive endorsement of the purchase, did little to change their minds. On 26 February, Galland wrote to , discussing the church’s potential purchase of Galland’s properties in and in Commerce and offering to render any assistance the Saints required as they left . He also noted that Iowa Territory officials were supportive of the proposal that church members locate there.
’s letter probably arrived in in late February or early March 1839, at which point church leaders decided to forward it and other documents to JS in , with acting as courier. Among the documents was ’s 5 March letter, which not only summarized the developments regarding Galland’s land offer but also described the generous reception the Latter-day Saints received in Quincy and updated the prisoners on the status and well-being of their families. Rogers left Quincy on 10 March and, after stopping in , arrived in Liberty on the evening of 19 March. Partridge’s letter directly contributed to at least three subsequent letters that JS and the other prisoners wrote. Partridge’s original letter is apparently not extant, but it was copied by into JS Letterbook 2 between 22 April and 30 October 1839.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    See Hartley, “Saints’ Forced Exodus from Missouri,” 347–356.

    Hartley, William G. “The Saints’ Forced Exodus from Missouri, 1839.” In Joseph Smith: The Prophet and Seer, edited by Richard Neitzel Holzapfel and Kent P. Jackson, 347–389. Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University; Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2010.

  2. [2]

    See Bennett, “Study of the Mormons in Quincy,” 83–105.

    Bennett, Richard E. “‘Quincy the Home of Our Adoption’: A Study of the Mormons in Quincy, Illinois, 1838–1840.” In A City of Refuge: Quincy, Illinois, edited by Susan Easton Black and Richard E. Bennett, 83–105. Salt Lake City: Millennial Press, 2000.

  3. [3]

    Rogers, Statement, [1], CHL.

    Rogers, David W. Statement, [not before 1846]. CHL.

  4. [4]

    An 1824 treaty between the United States and the Sac and Fox nation set aside about 119,000 acres of land between the Mississippi and Des Moines rivers, just south of Fort Madison, for the mixed-race children of white soldiers and Sac and Fox women. Galland, representing the New York Land Company, obtained the land in 1836. (Treaty with the Sock and Fox Indians [4 Aug. 1824], Public Statutes at Large, vol. 7, p. 229, art. 1; Cook, “Isaac Galland,” 264–265.)

    The Public Statutes at Large of the United States of America, from the Organization of the Government in 1789, to March 3, 1845. . . . Edited by Richard Peters. 8 vols. Boston: Charles C. Little and James Brown, 1846–1867.

    Cook, Lyndon W. “Isaac Galland—Mormon Benefactor.” BYU Studies 19 (Spring 1979): 261–284.

  5. [5]

    Rogers, Statement, [1], CHL; Quincy Committee, Minutes, ca. 9 Feb. 1839, Far West Committee, Minutes, CHL.

    Rogers, David W. Statement, [not before 1846]. CHL.

    Far West Committee. Minutes, Jan.–Apr. 1839. CHL. MS 2564.

  6. [6]

    Quincy Committee, Minutes, ca. 9 Feb. 1839, Far West Committee, Minutes, CHL.

    Far West Committee. Minutes, Jan.–Apr. 1839. CHL. MS 2564.

  7. [7]

    Church leaders at Quincy forwarded their minutes to church leaders in Missouri, and the minutes were incorporated into the records of the Far West removal committee, which had been appointed to oversee the exodus of church members from the state. It is likely that JS learned of Galland’s offer through those minutes or from an oral report from members of the Far West removal committee, who frequently visited the jail. JS’s letter, which is apparently not extant, was referenced by Partridge in the letter featured here. (Quincy Committee, Minutes, ca. 9 Feb. 1839, Far West Committee, Minutes, CHL; see also Letter to the Church and Edward Partridge, 20 Mar. 1839.)

    Far West Committee. Minutes, Jan.–Apr. 1839. CHL. MS 2564.

  8. [8]

    In late January 1839, Rigdon was granted a writ of habeas corpus and was released from prison on bail. As a member of the First Presidency and a recent inmate with JS, Rigdon provided additional leadership to the Saints in Illinois. (Introduction to Part 3: 4 Nov. 1838–16 Apr. 1839; Editorial, Quincy [IL] Whig, 23 Feb. 1839, [1].)

    Quincy Whig. Quincy, IL. 1838–1856.

  9. [9]

    Isaac Galland, Commerce, IL, to David W. Rogers, [Quincy, IL], 26 Feb. 1839, in JS Letterbook 2, p. 3.

  10. [10]

    I. Galland to D. W. Rogers, 26 Feb. 1839, in JS Letterbook 2, pp. 1–3.

  11. [11]

    Partridge likely selected Rogers to act as courier for three reasons. First, Rogers had personal knowledge of the negotiations with Galland. Second, Rogers had recently moved to Illinois from New York and was not known in Missouri; therefore, he could pass through the state unrecognized in the wake of Governor Lilburn W. Boggs’s expulsion order. Third, Partridge assigned Rogers to sell church-owned property in Jackson County, Missouri, and Rogers would be traveling to Missouri to accomplish that assignment. (Rogers, Statement, [1], CHL.)

    Rogers, David W. Statement, [not before 1846]. CHL.

  12. [12]

    Rogers, Statement, [1], CHL; Far West Committee, Minutes, 17 Mar. 1839; Hyrum Smith, Liberty, MO, to Mary Fielding Smith, Quincy, IL, 19 Mar. 1839, Mary Fielding Smith, Collection, CHL.

    Rogers, David W. Statement, [not before 1846]. CHL.

    Far West Committee. Minutes, Jan.–Apr. 1839. CHL. MS 2564.

    Smith, Mary Fielding. Collection, ca. 1832–1848. CHL. MS 2779.

  13. [13]

    See Letter to the Church and Edward Partridge, 20 Mar. 1839; Letter to Isaac Galland, 22 Mar. 1839; and Letter to Edward Partridge and the Church, ca. 22 Mar. 1839.

  14. [14]

    Mulholland began to “write for the Church” on 22 April 1839, and Partridge’s letter was one of the first documents Mulholland inscribed in Letterbook 2.

Asterisk (*) denotes a "featured" version, which includes an introduction and annotation.
*Letter from Edward Partridge, 5 March 1839
Letterbook 2 History, 1838–1856, volume C-1 [2 November 1838–31 July 1842] “History of Joseph Smith”

Page 3

Ill. March 5th 1839
Beloved Brethren
Having an opportunity to send direct to you by br , I feel to write a few lines to you. , , and went to see week before last. brn, , , and myself are of opinion that it is not wisdom to make a trade with the at present, possibly it may be wisdom to effect a trade hereafter. The people receive us kindly here, they have contributed near $100 cash besides other property for the relief of the suffering among our people. Brother Joseph’s lives at , I have not seen her but I sent her word of this opportunity to send to you. ’s lives not far from me, I have been to see her a number of times, her health was very poor when she arrived but she has been getting better, she knows of this opportunity to send. I saw Sister [Harriet Benton] Wight soon after her arrival here, all were well, I understand that she has moved out about two miles with & who are fishing this spring.
Sister [Eunice Fitzgerald] McRae is here living with Br Henderson and is well I believe she knows of this opportunity to send. ’s family I have not seen, and do not know that she has got here as yet, She may however be upon the other side of the the ice has run these three days past so that there has been no crossing, the weather is now moderating and the crossing will soon commence again.
This place is full of our people, yet they are scattering off nearly all the while. I expect to start tomorrow for Pittsfield, Pike Co, Ill, about 45 miles, S. E from this place. Br told me this morning that he expected that his [p. 3]
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Source Note

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Document Information

Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Letter from Edward Partridge, 5 March 1839
ID #
425
Total Pages
2
Print Volume Location
JSP, D6:326–331
Handwriting on This Page
  • James Mulholland

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    That is, during the week of 17–23 February 1839.

  2. [2]

    Although Higbee initially favored accepting Galland’s offer in February 1839, he changed his mind when Partridge voiced opposition. Rigdon’s reasons for opposing the purchase in February remain unclear. (Quincy Committee, Minutes, ca. 9 Feb. 1839, Far West Committee, Minutes, CHL.)

    Far West Committee. Minutes, Jan.–Apr. 1839. CHL. MS 2564.

  3. [3]

    Latter-day Saint Elizabeth Haven wrote in late February 1839 that the people of Quincy donated between $400 and $500 to assist church members, perhaps in cash and other contributions. “God has opened their hearts to receive us,” she noted. “We are hungry and they feed us, naked and clothe us.” The Quincy Democratic Association held a number of meetings in February 1839 resolving to help the refugee Mormons find employment, shelter, and supplies. (Elizabeth Haven, Quincy, IL, to Elizabeth Howe Bullard, Holliston, MA, 24 Feb. 1839, Barlow Family Collection, CHL; “Proceedings in the Town of Quincy,” Quincy [IL] Argus, 16 Mar. 1839, [1]; “The Mormons, or Latter Day Saints,” Quincy Argus, 16 Mar. 1839, [2]; see also Bennett, “Study of the Mormons in Quincy,” 83–105.)

    Barlow Family Collection, 1816–1969. CHL.

    Quincy Argus. Quincy, IL. 1836–1841.

    Bennett, Richard E. “‘Quincy the Home of Our Adoption’: A Study of the Mormons in Quincy, Illinois, 1838–1840.” In A City of Refuge: Quincy, Illinois, edited by Susan Easton Black and Richard E. Bennett, 83–105. Salt Lake City: Millennial Press, 2000.

  4. [4]

    John Cleveland and his wife, Sarah Kingsley Cleveland, lived on a farm approximately four miles east of Quincy. (Woodruff, Journal, 3 May 1839; Oliver Huntington, “History of Oliver Boardman Huntington,” 47.)

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

    Huntington, Oliver B. “History of Oliver Boardman Huntington,” 1845–1846. BYU.

  5. [5]

    The prisoners’ family members were invited to send letters with Rogers. Mary Fielding Smith was living at the home of a “Father Dixon,” likely Charles Dixon, roughly a half mile from the residence of Joseph Smith Sr. and Lucy Mack Smith. Mary Fielding Smith noted on 11 April 1839 that she had been ill for the past “4 or 5 months,” during which she had been “intirely unable to take care of household affairs.” Despite several attempts, she was unable to communicate with Rogers before he left for Missouri. Other family members had more success in sending letters with Rogers. (Letter from Don Carlos Smith and William Smith, 6 Mar. 1839; Mary Fielding Smith, [Quincy, IL], to Hyrum Smith, 11 Apr. 1839, Mary Fielding Smith, Collection, CHL; see also Letter from Emma Smith, 7 Mar. 1839.)

    Smith, Mary Fielding. Collection, ca. 1832–1848. CHL. MS 2779.

  6. [6]

    The Higbee family owned and operated a seine, a type of fishing net. (Letter from Edward Partridge, 13–15 June 1839; Higbee, Journal and Reminiscences, [12]; “British Channel Fisheries,” Tait’s Edinburgh Magazine, Mar. 1834, 125.)

    Higbee, John S. Journal and Reminiscences, 1845–1849. John S. Higbee, Reminiscences and Diaries, 1845–1866. CHL. MS 1742, fd. 1.

    “British Channel Fisheries.” Tait’s Edinburgh Magazine, Mar. 1834, 125–127.

  7. [7]

    Partridge likely intended to visit several Latter-day Saint families that had settled in Pike County, Illinois, after migrating from Missouri in early 1839. (See Burgess, Autobiography, 5–6; Silas S. Smith, Autobiographical Sketch, 1; Osborn, Reminiscences and Journal, 14–15; and Berrett, Sacred Places, 3:229–230.)

    Burgess, Harrison. Autobiography, ca. 1883. Photocopy. CHL. MS 893. Also available as “Sketch of a Well-Spent Life,” in Labors in the Vineyard, Faith-Promoting Series 12 (Salt Lake City: Juvenile Instructor Office, 1884), 65–74.

    Smith, Silas S. Autobiographical Sketch, ca. 1900. CHL.

    Osborn, David. Reminiscences and Journal, 1860–1893. CHL. MS 1653.

    Berrett, LaMar C., ed. Sacred Places: A Comprehensive Guide to Early LDS Historical Sites. 6 vols. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1999–2007.

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