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Letter from James Adams, 17 December 1842

Source Note

James Adams

24 Jan. 1783–11 Aug. 1843. Lawyer, judge, insurance agent, land speculator. Born at Simsbury, Hartford Co., Connecticut. Son of Parmenio Adams and Chloe. In New York militia, served as ensign, 1805; as lieutenant; as captain, 1807; and as major, 1811–1815...

View Full Bio
, Letter,
Springfield

Settled by 1819. Incorporated as town, 1832. Became capital of Illinois, 1837. Incorporated as city, 1840. Sangamon Co. seat. Population in 1840 about 2,600. Stake of Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints organized in Springfield, Nov. 1840; discontinued...

More Info
, Sangamon 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, 17 Dec. 1842; handwriting of
James Adams

24 Jan. 1783–11 Aug. 1843. Lawyer, judge, insurance agent, land speculator. Born at Simsbury, Hartford Co., Connecticut. Son of Parmenio Adams and Chloe. In New York militia, served as ensign, 1805; as lieutenant; as captain, 1807; and as major, 1811–1815...

View Full Bio
; one page; JS Collection, CHL. Includes address, dockets, and notation.
Single leaf, measuring 11½ × 7½ inches (29 × 19 cm). The leaf was trifolded twice in letter style before it was addressed, and it was later refolded for filing.
The document was docketed by
Willard Richards

24 June 1804–11 Mar. 1854. Teacher, lecturer, doctor, clerk, printer, editor, postmaster. Born at Hopkinton, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts. Son of Joseph Richards and Rhoda Howe. Moved to Richmond, Berkshire Co., Massachusetts, 1813; to Chatham, Columbia Co...

View Full Bio
, who served as JS’s scribe from December 1841 until JS’s death in June 1844 and served as church historian from December 1842 until his own death in March 1854.
1

JS, Journal, 13 Dec. 1841 and 21 Dec. 1842; Orson Spencer, “Death of Our Beloved Brother Willard Richards,” Deseret News (Salt Lake City), 16 Mar. 1854, [2].


Comprehensive Works Cited

Deseret News. Salt Lake City. 1850–.

The document was also 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.

In summer 1845, Richards directed Bullock to include the letter in JS’s history, and it was copied into the 17 December 1842 entry.
3

Historian’s Office, JS History, Draft Notes, 17 Dec. 1842, 18; JS History, vol. D-1, 1428; Jessee, “Writing of Joseph Smith’s History,” 441.


Comprehensive Works Cited

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

Presumably, this letter was among the “letters” and other “old Papers” that an 1846 inventory of the Church Historian’s Office (later Church Historical Department) indicated had been “recorded in the history.”
4

This line of the inventory is crossed out in the original. (“Schedule of Church Records. Nauvoo 1846,” [1], Historian’s Office, Catalogs and Inventories, 1846–1904, CHL.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

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

A notation by an unidentified Church Historian’s Office clerk was inscribed presumably in the late nineteenth or early twentieth century. The document was listed in an inventory that was produced by the Church Historian’s Office circa 1904.
5

“Letters to and from the Prophet,” ca. 1904, [2], Historian’s Office, Catalogs and Inventories, 1846–1904, CHL.


Comprehensive Works Cited

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

By 1973 the document had been included in the JS Collection at the Church Historical Department (now CHL).
6

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


The document’s early dockets and notation, its likely inclusion in the 1846 inventory, and its inclusion in the circa 1904 inventory and in the JS Collection by 1973 indicate continuous institutional custody.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    JS, Journal, 13 Dec. 1841 and 21 Dec. 1842; Orson Spencer, “Death of Our Beloved Brother Willard Richards,” Deseret News (Salt Lake City), 16 Mar. 1854, [2].

    Deseret News. Salt Lake City. 1850–.

  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]

    Historian’s Office, JS History, Draft Notes, 17 Dec. 1842, 18; JS History, vol. D-1, 1428; Jessee, “Writing of Joseph Smith’s History,” 441.

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

  4. [4]

    This line of the inventory is crossed out in the original. (“Schedule of Church Records. Nauvoo 1846,” [1], Historian’s Office, Catalogs and Inventories, 1846–1904, CHL.)

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

  5. [5]

    “Letters to and from the Prophet,” ca. 1904, [2], Historian’s Office, Catalogs and Inventories, 1846–1904, CHL.

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

  6. [6]

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

Historical Introduction

On 17 December 1842,
James Adams

24 Jan. 1783–11 Aug. 1843. Lawyer, judge, insurance agent, land speculator. Born at Simsbury, Hartford Co., Connecticut. Son of Parmenio Adams and Chloe. In New York militia, served as ensign, 1805; as lieutenant; as captain, 1807; and as major, 1811–1815...

View Full Bio
wrote a letter to JS encouraging him to come to
Springfield

Settled by 1819. Incorporated as town, 1832. Became capital of Illinois, 1837. Incorporated as city, 1840. Sangamon Co. seat. Population in 1840 about 2,600. Stake of Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints organized in Springfield, Nov. 1840; discontinued...

More Info
, Illinois, and submit to a hearing on an extradition writ issued by former
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
governor
Thomas Carlin

18 July 1789–14 Feb. 1852. Ferry owner, farmer, sheriff, politician. Born in Fayette Co., Kentucky. Son of Thomas Carlin and Elizabeth Evans. Baptist. Moved to what became Missouri, by 1803. Moved to Illinois Territory, by 1812. Served in War of 1812. Married...

View Full Bio
. Adams was a distinguished citizen of the state capital, a respected former brigadier general in the
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
Army, a prominent Freemason, and a probate judge. He was also a Latter-day Saint and presided over a
branch

An ecclesiastical organization of church members in a particular locale. A branch was generally smaller than a stake or a conference. Branches were also referred to as churches, as in “the Church of Shalersville.” In general, a branch was led by a presiding...

View Glossary
of the church in Springfield. Adams first met JS in 1839 when JS passed through Springfield on his way to
Washington DC

Created as district for seat of U.S. federal government by act of Congress, 1790, and named Washington DC, 1791. Named in honor of George Washington. Headquarters of executive, legislative, and judicial branches of U.S. government relocated to Washington ...

More Info
.
1

Historical Introduction to Letter of Introduction from James Adams, 9 Nov. 1839.


Thereafter Adams served as a trusted confidant of and father figure to JS.
2

Historian’s Office, JS History, Draft Notes, 4 Nov. 1839, 67; JS, Journal, 4 May 1842; Historian’s Office, JS History, Draft Notes, 4 May 1842, 11.


In July 1842, shortly after
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 ...

View Full Bio
began publishing his accusations against JS and the
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
, the Sangamo Journal noted that Adams was acting as JS’s “agent” in the city by regularly communicating with political allies of
Thomas Ford

5 Dec. 1800–3 Nov. 1850. Schoolteacher, newspaperman, lawyer, politician, judge, author. Born in Uniontown, Fayette Co., Pennsylvania. Son of Robert Ford and Elizabeth Logue Forquer. Moved to St. Louis, 1804; to New Design (later American Bottom), Randolph...

View Full Bio
—then the Democratic candidate for governor—in an effort to “counteract the effects of the exposures” in Bennett’s allegations.
3

News Item, Sangamo Journal (Springfield, IL), 15 July 1842, [3].


Comprehensive Works Cited

Sangamo Journal. Springfield, IL. 1831–1847.

When
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
,
Willard Richards

24 June 1804–11 Mar. 1854. Teacher, lecturer, doctor, clerk, printer, editor, postmaster. Born at Hopkinton, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts. Son of Joseph Richards and Rhoda Howe. Moved to Richmond, Berkshire Co., Massachusetts, 1813; to Chatham, Columbia Co...

View Full Bio
,
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 several other church leaders traveled to Springfield in December 1842 to attend to legal business that included the ongoing attempt to extradite JS to
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
, Adams was one of the first people they contacted after they arrived in the city on 13 December.
4

Clayton, Journal, 13 Dec. 1842; Richards, Journal, 13 Dec. 1842.


Comprehensive Works Cited

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

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

Over the next several days,
Adams

24 Jan. 1783–11 Aug. 1843. Lawyer, judge, insurance agent, land speculator. Born at Simsbury, Hartford Co., Connecticut. Son of Parmenio Adams and Chloe. In New York militia, served as ensign, 1805; as lieutenant; as captain, 1807; and as major, 1811–1815...

View Full Bio
presumably joined the group in petitioning
Ford

5 Dec. 1800–3 Nov. 1850. Schoolteacher, newspaperman, lawyer, politician, judge, author. Born in Uniontown, Fayette Co., Pennsylvania. Son of Robert Ford and Elizabeth Logue Forquer. Moved to St. Louis, 1804; to New Design (later American Bottom), Randolph...

View Full Bio
, by now the governor, to rescind the warrant and proclamation calling for JS’s arrest and extradition. Finally, on 17 December 1842, Ford informed the delegation that the
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
Supreme Court believed JS would be released on a writ of
habeas corpus

“Have the body”; a written order from a court of competent jurisdiction commanding anyone having a person in custody to produce such person at a certain time and place and to state the reasons why he or she is being held in custody. The court will determine...

View Glossary
if he submitted to the law and came to
Springfield

Settled by 1819. Incorporated as town, 1832. Became capital of Illinois, 1837. Incorporated as city, 1840. Sangamon Co. seat. Population in 1840 about 2,600. Stake of Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints organized in Springfield, Nov. 1840; discontinued...

More Info
for a hearing. After obtaining these assurances in writing, the delegation members met with attorney
Justin Butterfield

1790–Oct. 1855. Teacher, lawyer. Born in Keene, Cheshire Co., New Hampshire. Moved to Watertown, Jefferson Co., New York, ca. 1810, where he taught school and studied law. Admitted to bar, 1812, at Watertown. Practiced law in Adams, Jefferson Co., and Sackets...

View Full Bio
, whom they had hired to attend to JS’s extradition case, and he likewise wrote to JS encouraging him to come to Springfield for a hearing.
5

For accounts of these activities, see Letter from Thomas Ford, 17 Dec. 1842; and Letter from Justin Butterfield, 17 Dec. 1842.


At this point, the men felt they had accomplished their task and decided to leave Springfield.
6

Clayton, Journal, 17 Dec. 1842.


Comprehensive Works Cited

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

Sometime after the delegation members’ meetings with Ford and Butterfield but before their departure from the city at eleven o’clock in the morning, Adams wrote a brief letter to JS echoing the counsel in the letters from Ford and Butterfield.
7

Although none of the men on the Springfield trip recorded meeting with Adams on 17 December, when delegation member Willard Richards instructed Thomas Bullock to copy this letter into JS’s history in 1845, Bullock placed it after Ford’s and Butterfield’s letters, which suggests that the meeting with Adams took place after these earlier interviews. (Historian’s Office, JS History, Draft Notes, 17 Dec. 1842, 18; JS History, vol. D-1, 1428; Jessee, “Writing of Joseph Smith’s History,” 441.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

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

JS presumably received these letters in the afternoon of 20 December, when
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
,
Richards

24 June 1804–11 Mar. 1854. Teacher, lecturer, doctor, clerk, printer, editor, postmaster. Born at Hopkinton, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts. Son of Joseph Richards and Rhoda Howe. Moved to Richmond, Berkshire Co., Massachusetts, 1813; to Chatham, Columbia Co...

View Full Bio
,
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
, and two other members of the delegation met with him to report on their time in Springfield.
8

Clayton, Journal, 17 and 20 Dec. 1842; Richards, Journal, 17 and 20 Dec. 1842; Historian’s Office, JS History, Draft Notes, 20 Dec. 1842, 19; JS History, vol. D-1, 1428.


Comprehensive Works Cited

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

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

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    Historical Introduction to Letter of Introduction from James Adams, 9 Nov. 1839.

  2. [2]

    Historian’s Office, JS History, Draft Notes, 4 Nov. 1839, 67; JS, Journal, 4 May 1842; Historian’s Office, JS History, Draft Notes, 4 May 1842, 11.

  3. [3]

    News Item, Sangamo Journal (Springfield, IL), 15 July 1842, [3].

    Sangamo Journal. Springfield, IL. 1831–1847.

  4. [4]

    Clayton, Journal, 13 Dec. 1842; Richards, Journal, 13 Dec. 1842.

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

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

  5. [5]

    For accounts of these activities, see Letter from Thomas Ford, 17 Dec. 1842; and Letter from Justin Butterfield, 17 Dec. 1842.

  6. [6]

    Clayton, Journal, 17 Dec. 1842.

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

  7. [7]

    Although none of the men on the Springfield trip recorded meeting with Adams on 17 December, when delegation member Willard Richards instructed Thomas Bullock to copy this letter into JS’s history in 1845, Bullock placed it after Ford’s and Butterfield’s letters, which suggests that the meeting with Adams took place after these earlier interviews. (Historian’s Office, JS History, Draft Notes, 17 Dec. 1842, 18; JS History, vol. D-1, 1428; Jessee, “Writing of Joseph Smith’s History,” 441.)

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

  8. [8]

    Clayton, Journal, 17 and 20 Dec. 1842; Richards, Journal, 17 and 20 Dec. 1842; Historian’s Office, JS History, Draft Notes, 20 Dec. 1842, 19; JS History, vol. D-1, 1428.

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

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

Asterisk (*) denotes a "featured" version, which includes an introduction and annotation.
*Letter from James Adams, 17 December 1842
History, 1838–1856, volume D-1 [1 August 1842–1 July 1843] “History of Joseph Smith”

Page [1]

City of
Springfield

Settled by 1819. Incorporated as town, 1832. Became capital of Illinois, 1837. Incorporated as city, 1840. Sangamon Co. seat. Population in 1840 about 2,600. Stake of Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints organized in Springfield, Nov. 1840; discontinued...

More Info
17th Decr 1842—
My Son
It is useless for me to detail facts that the bearer can tell— But I will say that it appears to my Judgment that you had best make no delay in comeing before the court at this place
1

It is unclear to which court Adams was referring. Most of the negotiations with Thomas Ford, Justin Butterfield, and state supreme court justice Stephen A. Douglas proceeded under the assumption that the state supreme court would hear JS’s case. However, Butterfield’s 17 December letter introduced the possibility of submitting the case to the United States Circuit Court for the District of Illinois, which was then in session in Springfield. (Letter from Thomas Ford, 17 Dec. 1842; Letter from Justin Butterfield, 17 Dec. 1842.)


for a discharge under a
habeas corpus

“Have the body”; a written order from a court of competent jurisdiction commanding anyone having a person in custody to produce such person at a certain time and place and to state the reasons why he or she is being held in custody. The court will determine...

View Glossary
I am &c
J[ames] Adams

24 Jan. 1783–11 Aug. 1843. Lawyer, judge, insurance agent, land speculator. Born at Simsbury, Hartford Co., Connecticut. Son of Parmenio Adams and Chloe. In New York militia, served as ensign, 1805; as lieutenant; as captain, 1807; and as major, 1811–1815...

View Full Bio
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Document Information

Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Letter from James Adams, 17 December 1842
ID #
960
Total Pages
2
Print Volume Location
JSP, D11:285–287
Handwriting on This Page
  • James Adams

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    It is unclear to which court Adams was referring. Most of the negotiations with Thomas Ford, Justin Butterfield, and state supreme court justice Stephen A. Douglas proceeded under the assumption that the state supreme court would hear JS’s case. However, Butterfield’s 17 December letter introduced the possibility of submitting the case to the United States Circuit Court for the District of Illinois, which was then in session in Springfield. (Letter from Thomas Ford, 17 Dec. 1842; Letter from Justin Butterfield, 17 Dec. 1842.)

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