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Letter from George Miller, 4 September 1842

Source Note

George Miller

25 Nov. 1794–after July 1856. Carpenter, mill operator, lumber dealer, steamboat owner. Born near Stanardsville, Orange Co., Virginia. Son of John Miller and Margaret Pfeiffer. Moved to Augusta Co., Virginia, 1798; to Madison Co., Kentucky, 1806; to Boone...

View Full Bio
, Letter,
St. Louis

Located on west side of Mississippi River about fifteen miles south of confluence with Missouri River. Founded as fur-trading post by French settlers, 1764. Incorporated as town, 1809. First Mississippi steamboat docked by town, 1817. Incorporated as city...

More Info
, St. Louis Co., MO, to
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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and 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, 4 Sept. 1842; handwriting of
George Miller

25 Nov. 1794–after July 1856. Carpenter, mill operator, lumber dealer, steamboat owner. Born near Stanardsville, Orange Co., Virginia. Son of John Miller and Margaret Pfeiffer. Moved to Augusta Co., Virginia, 1798; to Madison Co., Kentucky, 1806; to Boone...

View Full Bio
; two pages; JS Office Papers, CHL. Includes address, postal stamp, postal notation, and docket.
Bifolium measuring 12 × 7½ inches (30 × 19 cm) when folded. Embossed in the upper left corner of the first page is a paper mill insignia that reads “F.B. Howell | Lockport” in a rectangular border.
1

Francis Barber Howell began operating a paper mill in Lockport, Ohio, around 1830. (Bidwell, American Paper Mills, 290.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Bidwell, John. American Paper Mills, 1690–1832: A Directory of the Paper Trade with Notes on Products, Watermarks, Distribution Methods, and Manufacturing Techniques. Hanover, NH: Dartmouth College Press, 2013.

Each page is ruled with thirty-four horizontal printed lines, now faded to gray. The document was trifolded twice in letter style, addressed, and sealed with a red adhesive wafer.
The document was docketed by
Thomas Bullock

23 Dec. 1816–10 Feb. 1885. Farmer, excise officer, secretary, clerk. Born in Leek, Staffordshire, England. Son of Thomas Bullock and Mary Hall. Married Henrietta Rushton, 25 June 1838. Moved to Ardee, Co. Louth, Ireland, Nov. 1839; to Isle of Anglesey, Aug...

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, who served as JS’s scribe from 1843 to 1844 and as clerk to the church historian and recorder from 1845 to 1865.
2

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


Comprehensive Works Cited

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.

It was listed in an inventory that was produced by the Church Historian’s Office (now CHL) circa 1904.
3

“Index to Papers in the Historian’s Office,” ca. 1904, 7, Historian’s Office, Catalogs and Inventories, 1846–1904, CHL.


Comprehensive Works Cited

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

The document’s early docket and the circa 1904 inventory indicate continuous institutional custody since at least 1865.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    Francis Barber Howell began operating a paper mill in Lockport, Ohio, around 1830. (Bidwell, American Paper Mills, 290.)

    Bidwell, John. American Paper Mills, 1690–1832: A Directory of the Paper Trade with Notes on Products, Watermarks, Distribution Methods, and Manufacturing Techniques. Hanover, NH: Dartmouth College Press, 2013.

  2. [2]

    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.

  3. [3]

    “Index to Papers in the Historian’s Office,” ca. 1904, 7, Historian’s Office, Catalogs and Inventories, 1846–1904, CHL.

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

Historical Introduction

On 4 September 1842,
church

The Book of Mormon related that when Christ set up his church in the Americas, “they which were baptized in the name of Jesus, were called the church of Christ.” The first name used to denote the church JS organized on 6 April 1830 was “the Church of Christ...

View Glossary
member
George Miller

25 Nov. 1794–after July 1856. Carpenter, mill operator, lumber dealer, steamboat owner. Born near Stanardsville, Orange Co., Virginia. Son of John Miller and Margaret Pfeiffer. Moved to Augusta Co., Virginia, 1798; to Madison Co., Kentucky, 1806; to Boone...

View Full Bio
wrote a letter from
St. Louis

Located on west side of Mississippi River about fifteen miles south of confluence with Missouri River. Founded as fur-trading post by French settlers, 1764. Incorporated as town, 1809. First Mississippi steamboat docked by town, 1817. Incorporated as city...

More Info
to
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
and 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, informing them that officials in
Missouri

Area acquired by U.S. in Louisiana Purchase, 1803, and established as territory, 1812. Missouri Compromise, 1820, admitted Missouri as slave state, 1821. Population in 1830 about 140,000; in 1836 about 240,000; and in 1840 about 380,000. Latter-day Saint ...

More Info
,
Illinois

Became part of Northwest Territory of U.S., 1787. Admitted as state, 1818. Population in 1840 about 480,000. Population in 1845 about 660,000. Plentiful, inexpensive land attracted settlers from northern and southern states. Following expulsion from Missouri...

More Info
, and
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
planned to apprehend JS in the ongoing effort to extradite him 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
to Missouri. Although Miller addressed the letter to Clayton, his postscript indicated that the letter was intended for JS. JS was in hiding, and Miller presumably thought Clayton knew JS’s whereabouts. Sending the letter to Clayton may also have helped ensure it was not intercepted and reached JS safely.
Miller

25 Nov. 1794–after July 1856. Carpenter, mill operator, lumber dealer, steamboat owner. Born near Stanardsville, Orange Co., Virginia. Son of John Miller and Margaret Pfeiffer. Moved to Augusta Co., Virginia, 1798; to Madison Co., Kentucky, 1806; to Boone...

View Full Bio
had stopped in
St. Louis

Located on west side of Mississippi River about fifteen miles south of confluence with Missouri River. Founded as fur-trading post by French settlers, 1764. Incorporated as town, 1809. First Mississippi steamboat docked by town, 1817. Incorporated as city...

More Info
on what appears to be a second trip to
Jefferson City

City on south bank of Missouri River, about 130 miles west of St. Louis. Became capital of Missouri, 11 Jan. 1822. Population in 1844 about 1,200.

More Info
, Missouri, to meet with Governor
Thomas Reynolds

12 Mar. 1796–9 Feb. 1844. Attorney, politician, judge. Born at Mason Co. (later Bracken Co.), Kentucky. Son of Nathaniel Reynolds and Catherine Vernon. Admitted to Kentucky bar, 1817. Moved to Illinois, by 1818. Served as clerk of Illinois House of Representatives...

View Full Bio
. In July 1842, Miller and
Erastus Derby

14 Sept. 1810–3 Dec. 1890. Tailor, carpenter, farmer, joiner. Born in Hawley, Hampshire Co., Massachusetts. Son of Edward Darby and Ruth Phoebe Hitchcock. Moved to Ohio, by 1834. Married Ruhamah Burnham Knowlton, 10 Aug. 1834, in Carthage, Hamilton Co., Ohio...

View Full Bio
had fulfilled a church assignment to meet in person with Reynolds to request that he cease all efforts to requisition JS. News of the
Missouri

Area acquired by U.S. in Louisiana Purchase, 1803, and established as territory, 1812. Missouri Compromise, 1820, admitted Missouri as slave state, 1821. Population in 1830 about 140,000; in 1836 about 240,000; and in 1840 about 380,000. Latter-day Saint ...

More Info
government’s determination to requisition JS may have been the reason Miller made this additional trip to meet with Reynolds.
1

During their July meeting, Reynolds assured Miller and Derby that the Missouri charges against JS, based on the 1838 conflict between Latter-day Saints and their neighbors, would not be revived. However, after Lilburn W. Boggs swore an affidavit on 20 July implicating JS in the assassination attempt on Boggs, Reynolds issued a requisition to Thomas Carlin for JS’s arrest and extradition. (JS, Journal, 12 and 24 July 1842; Letter from Calvin A. Warren, 13 July 1842; George Miller, St. James, MI, to “Dear Brother,” 26 June 1855, in Northern Islander, 16 Aug. 1855, [4]; Lilburn W. Boggs, Affidavit, 20 July 1842; Thomas Reynolds, Requisition, 22 July 1842.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Northern Islander. St. James, MI. 1850–1856.

On the same day that he wrote this letter to JS, however, he made his request of Reynolds by letter.
2

In his letter to Reynolds, Miller insisted that JS could not have been an accessory before the fact to the attempted assassination of Lilburn W. Boggs because JS had not been in Missouri during the previous three years and was engaged in military drills with the Nauvoo Legion on the day of the attempted assassination. Miller further argued that such an act was contrary to his opinion of JS’s character. (George Miller, St. Louis, MO, to Thomas Reynolds, Jefferson City, MO, 4 Sept. 1842, Records of Governor Thomas Reynolds, Missouri State Archives, Jefferson City.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Records of Governor Thomas Reynolds, 1840–1844. MSA.

It is unclear why Miller made his second appeal to Reynolds by letter instead of continuing his trip to the capital to meet in person.
Miller

25 Nov. 1794–after July 1856. Carpenter, mill operator, lumber dealer, steamboat owner. Born near Stanardsville, Orange Co., Virginia. Son of John Miller and Margaret Pfeiffer. Moved to Augusta Co., Virginia, 1798; to Madison Co., Kentucky, 1806; to Boone...

View Full Bio
reported to JS that the sheriff of
Adams County

Situated in western Illinois; bounded on west by Mississippi River. Organized from Pike Co., 1825. Quincy established as county seat, 1825. Population in 1830 about 2,200. Population in 1840 about 14,500. Latter-day Saint exiles from Missouri found refuge...

More Info
, Illinois, had boarded the same steamboat that he had in
Keokuk

Located near confluence of Mississippi and Des Moines rivers. First settled, 1820. Fur trading post established, 1828. Named Keokuk, 1829, after Sac Indian chief, who later visited JS in Nauvoo, 1841. Platted 1837. Incorporated 1847. Population in 1841 about...

More Info
, Iowa Territory. Miller speculated that the sheriff and a man accompanying him had been 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
in order to enlist the help of the territory’s governor,
John Chambers

6 Oct. 1780–21 Sept. 1852. Lawyer, politician. Born at Bromley Bridge (later Burnt Mills), Somerset Co., New Jersey. Son of Rowland Chambers and Phoebe Mullican. Lived at Mason Co., Kentucky, 1794–1841. Married first Margaret Taylor, 16 June 1803, at Mason...

View Full Bio
, in apprehending JS and
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
.
3

In 1841 Chambers was appointed governor of Iowa Territory by President William Henry Harrison. Chambers’s predecessor in office, Robert Lucas, had been sympathetic to the plight of JS and the Saints after their expulsion from Missouri. Apparently, sometime after Reynolds sent Chambers a requisition dated 20 August 1842, Chambers issued a warrant for JS’s arrest. He later indicated, however, that the warrant was never served. (Parish, Autobiography of John Chambers, 38; Robert Lucas, Burlington, Iowa Territory, to Martin Van Buren, Washington DC, 22 Apr. 1839, microfilm, Martin Van Buren, Correspondence, 1839–1844, CHL; State of Missouri, Office of the Secretary of State, Commissions Division, Register of Civil Proceedings, vol. A, p. 175; John Chambers, Burlington, Iowa Territory, to John Cowan, [Bald Bluff, IL], 10 Mar. 1843, JS Office Papers, CHL.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Chambers, John. Autobiography of John Chambers. Edited by John Carl Parish. Iowa City, IA: State Historical Society of Iowa, 1908.

Van Buren, Martin. Correspondence, 1839–1844. Photocopies. CHL. MS 12809. Original at Library of Congress, Washington DC.

JS Office Papers / Joseph Smith Office Papers, ca. 1835–1845. CHL. MS 21600.

Furthermore, Miller expressed his concern that
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
,
William Law

8 Sept. 1809–12/19 Jan. 1892. Merchant, millwright, physician. Born in Co. Tyrone, Ireland. Son of Richard Law and Ann Hunter. Immigrated to U.S. and settled in Springfield Township, Mercer Co., Pennsylvania, by 1820. Moved to Delaware Township, Mercer Co...

View Full Bio
,
Edwin Woolley

27 June 1807–14 Oct. 1881. Farmer, coal miner, cattleman, builder, merchant. Born in East Bradford Township, Chester Co., Pennsylvania. Son of John Woolley and Rachel Dilworth. Raised in Quaker faith. Married Mary Wickersham, 24 Mar. 1831, in Columbiana Co...

View Full Bio
, and
Derby

14 Sept. 1810–3 Dec. 1890. Tailor, carpenter, farmer, joiner. Born in Hawley, Hampshire Co., Massachusetts. Son of Edward Darby and Ruth Phoebe Hitchcock. Moved to Ohio, by 1834. Married Ruhamah Burnham Knowlton, 10 Aug. 1834, in Carthage, Hamilton Co., Ohio...

View Full Bio
had not arrived 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
when expected, leading him to worry about the state of affairs in the city. The traveling party was headed east on a mission to the northeastern
United States

North American constitutional republic. Constitution ratified, 17 Sept. 1787. Population in 1805 about 6,000,000; in 1830 about 13,000,000; and in 1844 about 20,000,000. Louisiana Purchase, 1803, doubled size of U.S. Consisted of seventeen states at time ...

More Info
, where they intended to counter the negative claims
John C. Bennett

3 Aug. 1804–5 Aug. 1867. Physician, minister, poultry breeder. Born at Fairhaven, Bristol Co., Massachusetts. Son of John Bennett and Abigail Cook. Moved to Marietta, Washington Co., Ohio, 1808; to Massachusetts, 1812; and back to Marietta, 1822. Married ...

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was making about JS and the church in letters published in newspapers and on his public lecture tour.
4

JS, Journal, 4 Sept. 1842.


In addition, Miller relayed general information of other plans to apprehend JS as told to him by a fellow church member,
David S. Hollister

4 June 1808–after 3 Oct. 1851. Merchant, steamboat owner, ship captain, speculator. Born in Middleburgh, Schoharie Co., New York. Son of Stephen Hollister and Anna Sprague. Moved to Newark, Licking Co., Ohio, ca. 1829. Married Mary Ann Wilson, Oct. 1831, ...

View Full Bio
,
5

Hollister was in Quincy, Illinois, at this time, dispatched there by JS to notify him of any movement by officials to travel to Nauvoo in order to arrest him. In this capacity, Hollister sent a letter dated 1 September 1842 to Clayton informing him of plans to apprehend and extradite JS. (Letter to Emma Smith, 16 Aug. 1842; David S. Hollister, Quincy, IL, to Hyrum Smith, Nauvoo, IL, 12 Aug. 1842; David S. Hollister, Quincy, IL, to William Clayton, Nauvoo, IL, 1 Sept. 1842, JS Office Papers, CHL.)


and a friend living in
St. Louis

Located on west side of Mississippi River about fifteen miles south of confluence with Missouri River. Founded as fur-trading post by French settlers, 1764. Incorporated as town, 1809. First Mississippi steamboat docked by town, 1817. Incorporated as city...

More Info
, Uriah Raplee.
6

According to a St. Louis directory published in 1842, Raplee was associated with the St. Louis Exchange at the corner of Second and Prune streets. (Saint Louis Directory, for the Year 1842, 112.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

The Saint Louis Directory, for the Year 1842; Containing the Names of the Inhabitants, and the Numbers of Their Places of Business and Dwellings; with a Sketch of the City of Saint Louis. . . . St. Louis: Chambers & Knapp, 1842.

Lastly, he informed JS that the majority of St. Louis residents appeared to disregard the negative information that Bennett was spreading about JS and the church.
Miller

25 Nov. 1794–after July 1856. Carpenter, mill operator, lumber dealer, steamboat owner. Born near Stanardsville, Orange Co., Virginia. Son of John Miller and Margaret Pfeiffer. Moved to Augusta Co., Virginia, 1798; to Madison Co., Kentucky, 1806; to Boone...

View Full Bio
mailed the letter on 5 September. Unbeknownst to him, the day before he wrote this letter an
undersheriff

25 July 1806–17 Apr. 1854. Merchant. Born in Virginia. Lived at Quincy, Adams Co., Illinois, by Jan. 1832. Served as constable, beginning Aug. 1835. Married Juliett Ann McDade, 9 June 1836, in Adams Co. Served as Adams Co. coroner, by Aug. 1836. Served as...

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and two other men arrived 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
to apprehend JS, causing JS to hide first in
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...

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’s home and then in
Edward Hunter

22 June 1793–16 Oct. 1883. Farmer, currier, surveyor, merchant. Born at Newtown Township, Delaware Co., Pennsylvania. Son of Edward Hunter and Hannah Maris. Volunteer cavalryman in Delaware Co. militia, 1822–1829. Served as Delaware Co. commissioner. Moved...

View Full Bio
’s.
7

JS, Journal, 3 Sept. 1842.


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
apparently received the letter and passed it on to JS by 8 September, when JS referenced some of the information in a letter he wrote to
James Arlington Bennet

21 Dec. 1788–25 Dec. 1863. Attorney, newspaper publisher, educator, author. Born in New York. Married first Sophia Smith, 8 May 1811. Served as third and later second lieutenant in First U.S. Artillery, 1 Aug. 1813–14 Oct. 1814. Published American System ...

View Full Bio
.
8

Letter to James Arlington Bennett, 8 Sept. 1842.


Footnotes

  1. [1]

    During their July meeting, Reynolds assured Miller and Derby that the Missouri charges against JS, based on the 1838 conflict between Latter-day Saints and their neighbors, would not be revived. However, after Lilburn W. Boggs swore an affidavit on 20 July implicating JS in the assassination attempt on Boggs, Reynolds issued a requisition to Thomas Carlin for JS’s arrest and extradition. (JS, Journal, 12 and 24 July 1842; Letter from Calvin A. Warren, 13 July 1842; George Miller, St. James, MI, to “Dear Brother,” 26 June 1855, in Northern Islander, 16 Aug. 1855, [4]; Lilburn W. Boggs, Affidavit, 20 July 1842; Thomas Reynolds, Requisition, 22 July 1842.)

    Northern Islander. St. James, MI. 1850–1856.

  2. [2]

    In his letter to Reynolds, Miller insisted that JS could not have been an accessory before the fact to the attempted assassination of Lilburn W. Boggs because JS had not been in Missouri during the previous three years and was engaged in military drills with the Nauvoo Legion on the day of the attempted assassination. Miller further argued that such an act was contrary to his opinion of JS’s character. (George Miller, St. Louis, MO, to Thomas Reynolds, Jefferson City, MO, 4 Sept. 1842, Records of Governor Thomas Reynolds, Missouri State Archives, Jefferson City.)

    Records of Governor Thomas Reynolds, 1840–1844. MSA.

  3. [3]

    In 1841 Chambers was appointed governor of Iowa Territory by President William Henry Harrison. Chambers’s predecessor in office, Robert Lucas, had been sympathetic to the plight of JS and the Saints after their expulsion from Missouri. Apparently, sometime after Reynolds sent Chambers a requisition dated 20 August 1842, Chambers issued a warrant for JS’s arrest. He later indicated, however, that the warrant was never served. (Parish, Autobiography of John Chambers, 38; Robert Lucas, Burlington, Iowa Territory, to Martin Van Buren, Washington DC, 22 Apr. 1839, microfilm, Martin Van Buren, Correspondence, 1839–1844, CHL; State of Missouri, Office of the Secretary of State, Commissions Division, Register of Civil Proceedings, vol. A, p. 175; John Chambers, Burlington, Iowa Territory, to John Cowan, [Bald Bluff, IL], 10 Mar. 1843, JS Office Papers, CHL.)

    Chambers, John. Autobiography of John Chambers. Edited by John Carl Parish. Iowa City, IA: State Historical Society of Iowa, 1908.

    Van Buren, Martin. Correspondence, 1839–1844. Photocopies. CHL. MS 12809. Original at Library of Congress, Washington DC.

    JS Office Papers / Joseph Smith Office Papers, ca. 1835–1845. CHL. MS 21600.

  4. [4]

    JS, Journal, 4 Sept. 1842.

  5. [5]

    Hollister was in Quincy, Illinois, at this time, dispatched there by JS to notify him of any movement by officials to travel to Nauvoo in order to arrest him. In this capacity, Hollister sent a letter dated 1 September 1842 to Clayton informing him of plans to apprehend and extradite JS. (Letter to Emma Smith, 16 Aug. 1842; David S. Hollister, Quincy, IL, to Hyrum Smith, Nauvoo, IL, 12 Aug. 1842; David S. Hollister, Quincy, IL, to William Clayton, Nauvoo, IL, 1 Sept. 1842, JS Office Papers, CHL.)

  6. [6]

    According to a St. Louis directory published in 1842, Raplee was associated with the St. Louis Exchange at the corner of Second and Prune streets. (Saint Louis Directory, for the Year 1842, 112.)

    The Saint Louis Directory, for the Year 1842; Containing the Names of the Inhabitants, and the Numbers of Their Places of Business and Dwellings; with a Sketch of the City of Saint Louis. . . . St. Louis: Chambers & Knapp, 1842.

  7. [7]

    JS, Journal, 3 Sept. 1842.

  8. [8]

    Letter to James Arlington Bennett, 8 Sept. 1842.

Page [1]

St Louis

Located on west side of Mississippi River about fifteen miles south of confluence with Missouri River. Founded as fur-trading post by French settlers, 1764. Incorporated as town, 1809. First Mississippi steamboat docked by town, 1817. Incorporated as city...

More Info
Mo. Septr. 4th 1842
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
Dear friend & Brother
I did not get off from
Keokuk

Located near confluence of Mississippi and Des Moines rivers. First settled, 1820. Fur trading post established, 1828. Named Keokuk, 1829, after Sac Indian chief, who later visited JS in Nauvoo, 1841. Platted 1837. Incorporated 1847. Population in 1841 about...

More Info
until Thursday morning
1

1 September 1842.


2 oclock on the Steamer Leander.
2

In January 1841, the steamboat Leander started traveling on the Mississippi River between Vicksburg, Mississippi, and Natchez, Mississippi. It is unclear when it expanded its route, but it appears that it had made at least one trip on the Illinois River in June 1841. (“Vicksburg and Natchez Tri Weekly Packet,” Mississippian [Jackson, MS], 15 Jan. 1841, [3]; “Navigation on the Illinois River,” Peoria [IL] Register and North-Western Gazetteer, 29 Apr. 1842, [1].)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Mississippian. Jackson, MS. 1841–1842.

Peoria Register and North-Western Gazetteer. Peoria, IL. 1837–1843.

The
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
Sheriff [Thomas] Jasper
3

Jasper was the former sheriff of Adams County, of which Quincy was the county seat. (History of Adams County, Illinois, 420.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

The History of Adams County, Illinois. Containing a History of the County—Its Cities, Towns, Etc. . . . Chicago: Murray, Williamson, and Phelps, 1879.

& a man that I supposed to be from
Missouri

Area acquired by U.S. in Louisiana Purchase, 1803, and established as territory, 1812. Missouri Compromise, 1820, admitted Missouri as slave state, 1821. Population in 1830 about 140,000; in 1836 about 240,000; and in 1840 about 380,000. Latter-day Saint ...

More Info
also got on the boat at the same time that I did, having arrived there from
Burlington

Located in southeastern Iowa on west bank of Mississippi River. Site selected for construction of fort, 1805. Area settled, ca. 1833, by Europeans. Laid out, 1834. Incorporated 1837. Designated capital of Wisconsin Territory, 1837; capital of Iowa Territory...

More Info
[Iowa Territory] just immediately before the boat left; Having as I supposed, been to the
Governor

6 Oct. 1780–21 Sept. 1852. Lawyer, politician. Born at Bromley Bridge (later Burnt Mills), Somerset Co., New Jersey. Son of Rowland Chambers and Phoebe Mullican. Lived at Mason Co., Kentucky, 1794–1841. Married first Margaret Taylor, 16 June 1803, at Mason...

View Full Bio
of
Iowa

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
to make a demand of him for our friends which conjecture I found corroborated by
Br [David S.] Hollister

4 June 1808–after 3 Oct. 1851. Merchant, steamboat owner, ship captain, speculator. Born in Middleburgh, Schoharie Co., New York. Son of Stephen Hollister and Anna Sprague. Moved to Newark, Licking Co., Ohio, ca. 1829. Married Mary Ann Wilson, Oct. 1831, ...

View Full Bio
he having informed me that the Messengers from
Missouri

Area acquired by U.S. in Louisiana Purchase, 1803, and established as territory, 1812. Missouri Compromise, 1820, admitted Missouri as slave state, 1821. Population in 1830 about 140,000; in 1836 about 240,000; and in 1840 about 380,000. Latter-day Saint ...

More Info
had returned some day’s ago. And since my arrival in this
City

Located on west side of Mississippi River about fifteen miles south of confluence with Missouri River. Founded as fur-trading post by French settlers, 1764. Incorporated as town, 1809. First Mississippi steamboat docked by town, 1817. Incorporated as city...

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Mr. Raplie [Uriah Raplee] the proprietor of the St. Louis Hotel informed me that the Messengers from
Mo.

Area acquired by U.S. in Louisiana Purchase, 1803, and established as territory, 1812. Missouri Compromise, 1820, admitted Missouri as slave state, 1821. Population in 1830 about 140,000; in 1836 about 240,000; and in 1840 about 380,000. Latter-day Saint ...

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were here 8 or 10 days ago Making thus boast that they were on their way to our place to make the second effort to get Br Jos. S— swearing that they would have him living or dead. I take this method of giving you this information just as I have learned it.
Br Hollister

4 June 1808–after 3 Oct. 1851. Merchant, steamboat owner, ship captain, speculator. Born in Middleburgh, Schoharie Co., New York. Son of Stephen Hollister and Anna Sprague. Moved to Newark, Licking Co., Ohio, ca. 1829. Married Mary Ann Wilson, Oct. 1831, ...

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promised he would write from
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...

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touching the matter
4

Hollister’s letter arrived in Nauvoo on 3 September, the same day that an undersheriff and two other men arrived at JS’s home to arrest him. (David S. Hollister, Quincy, IL, to William Clayton, Nauvoo, IL, 1 Sept. 1842, JS Office Papers, CHL; JS, Journal, 3 Sept. 1842.)


if he did, the story twice told will do no harm. I have been detained here since friday
5

2 September 1842.


noon waiting for a boat, since which time time the S Bts. [steamboats] Borias,
6

In September 1842, the steamboat Boreas traveled a route between St. Louis and Keokuk. It departed St. Louis every Tuesday and Saturday. (“For Hannibal, Quincy and Warsaw, Regular Packet,” Daily Missouri Republican [St. Louis], 1 Sept. 1842, [1].)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Daily Missouri Republican. St. Louis. 1822–1869.

Rosalle,
7

In September 1842, the steamboat Rosale traveled a route between St. Louis and Keokuk. It departed St. Louis every Tuesday and Saturday. (“Regular Packets Four Times a Week,” Daily Missouri Republican [St. Louis], 1 Sept. 1842, [1].)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Daily Missouri Republican. St. Louis. 1822–1869.

Amaranth
8

The steamboat Amaranth apparently traveled routes on both the Mississippi and Ohio rivers. (“For Louisville, Cincinnati & Pittsburg,” Daily Missouri Republican [St. Louis], 13 July 1841, [3]; “Steamboat Disasters,” Sun [Baltimore], 6 Dec. 1842, [2].)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Daily Missouri Republican. St. Louis. 1822–1869.

Sun. Baltimore. 1837–2008.

& Ohio,
9

The steamboat Ohio apparently traveled on the Mississippi River between Galena, Illinois, and St. Louis and possibly to points farther south. (“Collision,” Daily Picayune [New Orleans], 7 June 1843, [2].)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Daily Picayune. New Orleans, LA. 1837–1914.

have severally arrived at this port on one of which I expected to have met with
Br. 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...

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his not coming has given me much uneasiness lest all should not or has not been right with you all—
10

Hyrum Smith departed from Nauvoo on his mission on the same day that Miller wrote this letter. (JS, Journal, 4 Sept. 1842.)


I am almost tempted to return home; but it being a maxim with me when I put my hand to [p. [1]]
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Document Information

Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Letter from George Miller, 4 September 1842
ID #
3427
Total Pages
4
Print Volume Location
JSP, D11:45–49
Handwriting on This Page
  • George Miller

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    1 September 1842.

  2. [2]

    In January 1841, the steamboat Leander started traveling on the Mississippi River between Vicksburg, Mississippi, and Natchez, Mississippi. It is unclear when it expanded its route, but it appears that it had made at least one trip on the Illinois River in June 1841. (“Vicksburg and Natchez Tri Weekly Packet,” Mississippian [Jackson, MS], 15 Jan. 1841, [3]; “Navigation on the Illinois River,” Peoria [IL] Register and North-Western Gazetteer, 29 Apr. 1842, [1].)

    Mississippian. Jackson, MS. 1841–1842.

    Peoria Register and North-Western Gazetteer. Peoria, IL. 1837–1843.

  3. [3]

    Jasper was the former sheriff of Adams County, of which Quincy was the county seat. (History of Adams County, Illinois, 420.)

    The History of Adams County, Illinois. Containing a History of the County—Its Cities, Towns, Etc. . . . Chicago: Murray, Williamson, and Phelps, 1879.

  4. [4]

    Hollister’s letter arrived in Nauvoo on 3 September, the same day that an undersheriff and two other men arrived at JS’s home to arrest him. (David S. Hollister, Quincy, IL, to William Clayton, Nauvoo, IL, 1 Sept. 1842, JS Office Papers, CHL; JS, Journal, 3 Sept. 1842.)

  5. [5]

    2 September 1842.

  6. [6]

    In September 1842, the steamboat Boreas traveled a route between St. Louis and Keokuk. It departed St. Louis every Tuesday and Saturday. (“For Hannibal, Quincy and Warsaw, Regular Packet,” Daily Missouri Republican [St. Louis], 1 Sept. 1842, [1].)

    Daily Missouri Republican. St. Louis. 1822–1869.

  7. [7]

    In September 1842, the steamboat Rosale traveled a route between St. Louis and Keokuk. It departed St. Louis every Tuesday and Saturday. (“Regular Packets Four Times a Week,” Daily Missouri Republican [St. Louis], 1 Sept. 1842, [1].)

    Daily Missouri Republican. St. Louis. 1822–1869.

  8. [8]

    The steamboat Amaranth apparently traveled routes on both the Mississippi and Ohio rivers. (“For Louisville, Cincinnati & Pittsburg,” Daily Missouri Republican [St. Louis], 13 July 1841, [3]; “Steamboat Disasters,” Sun [Baltimore], 6 Dec. 1842, [2].)

    Daily Missouri Republican. St. Louis. 1822–1869.

    Sun. Baltimore. 1837–2008.

  9. [9]

    The steamboat Ohio apparently traveled on the Mississippi River between Galena, Illinois, and St. Louis and possibly to points farther south. (“Collision,” Daily Picayune [New Orleans], 7 June 1843, [2].)

    Daily Picayune. New Orleans, LA. 1837–1914.

  10. [10]

    Hyrum Smith departed from Nauvoo on his mission on the same day that Miller wrote this letter. (JS, Journal, 4 Sept. 1842.)

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