The Papers
Browse the PapersDocumentsJournalsAdministrative RecordsRevelations and TranslationsHistoriesLegal RecordsFinancial RecordsOther Contemporary Papers
Reference
PeoplePlacesEventsGlossaryLegal GlossaryFinancial GlossaryCalendar of DocumentsWorks CitedFeatured TopicsLesson PlansRelated Publications
Media
VideosPhotographsIllustrationsChartsMapsPodcasts
News
Current NewsArchiveNewsletterSubscribeJSP Conferences
About
About the ProjectJoseph Smith and His PapersFAQAwardsEndorsementsReviewsEditorial MethodNote on TranscriptionsNote on Images of People and PlacesReferencing the ProjectCiting This WebsiteProject TeamContact Us
Published Volumes
  1. Home > 
  2. The Papers > 

Letter from James Arlington Bennet, 24 October 1843

Source Note

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
, Letter,
Arlington House

Long Island residence of James Arlington Bennet, who corresponded with JS, 1842–1843. Bennet purchased a hundred acres of land in New Utrecht, New York, in 1825 and there built the residence known as “Arlington House.” He deeded it to his son, James H. A....

More Info
, [New Utrecht, Kings Co., NY], 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, 24 Oct. 1843; handwriting of
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
; three pages; JS Collection, CHL. Includes addresses, wax seal, postal notations, postal stamp, and dockets.
Bifolium measuring 9⅞ × 7⅞ inches (25 × 20 cm) and ruled horizontally with twenty-nine blue lines, now faded. The letter was inscribed on the recto and verso of the first leaf and a postscript was inscribed on the recto of the second leaf. The document was trifolded twice in letter style, with one end folded twice diagonally to form a seal flap, addressed, sealed with red wax, and postmarked. The recto and verso of the second leaf contain wax residue.
The letter 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–.

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...

View Full Bio
, who served as JS’s scribe from 1843 to 1844 and as clerk to the church historian and recorder from 1845 to 1865, docketed it a second time.
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.

The document was listed in an inventory that was produced by the Church Historian’s Office (later Church Historical Department) circa 1904.
3

“Letters to and from the Prophet,” ca. 1904, [3], 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).
4

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


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. [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]

    “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. [4]

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

Historical Introduction

On 24 October 1843, prominent author and educator
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
wrote a letter from
New Utrecht

Post township on west end of Long Island. Separated from Staten Island by the Narrows. Located about ten miles south of New York City. Population in 1840 about 1,300. Population in 1854 about 2,100. Residence of James Arlington Bennet, who corresponded with...

More Info
, New York, to 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 him of his
baptism

An ordinance in which an individual is immersed in water for the remission of sins. The Book of Mormon explained that those with necessary authority were to baptize individuals who had repented of their sins. Baptized individuals also received the gift of...

View Glossary
eight weeks earlier and describing his political ambitions in
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
. Bennet had become associated with the
Latter-day Saints

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
through the former Nauvoo mayor,
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
who recommended appointing Bennet inspector general of the
Nauvoo Legion

A contingent of the Illinois state militia provided for in the Nauvoo city charter. The Nauvoo Legion was organized into two cohorts: one infantry and one cavalry. Each cohort could potentially comprise several thousand men and was overseen by a brigadier...

View Glossary
in April 1842.
1

Bennet was appointed to the Nauvoo Legion in absentia on 12 April. That same month, on 22 April, the University of Nauvoo awarded him an honorary doctorate of law. (“Military Appointment,” and “Honorary Degree,” Wasp, 30 Apr. 1842, [3].)


Comprehensive Works Cited

The Wasp. Nauvoo, IL. Apr. 1842–Apr. 1843.

Following John C. Bennett’s excommunication in May 1842, JS began directly corresponding with Bennet, and a few months later sent
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
to
New York City

Dutch founded New Netherland colony, 1625. Incorporated under British control and renamed New York, 1664. Harbor contributed to economic and population growth of city; became largest city in American colonies. British troops defeated Continental Army under...

More Info
to meet with Bennet personally.
2

See Letter to James Arlington Bennet, 30 June 1842; Letter from Willard Richards, 9 Aug. 1842; and Richards, Journal, 7 Aug. 1842.


Comprehensive Works Cited

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

Bennet surreptitiously defended the Latter-day Saints in the
New York

Located in northeast region of U.S. Area settled by Dutch traders, 1620s; later governed by Britain, 1664–1776. Admitted to U.S. as state, 1788. Population in 1810 about 1,000,000; in 1820 about 1,400,000; in 1830 about 1,900,000; and in 1840 about 2,400,...

More Info
press, writing under the pseudonym “Cincinnatus,” and offered advice and support to JS during
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
officials’ ongoing extradition attempts.
3

Letter from James Arlington Bennet, 16 Aug. 1842; see also Letter from James Arlington Bennet, 1 Sept. 1842; Letter to James Arlington Bennet, 8 Sept. 1842; Letter from James Arlington Bennet, 20 Feb. 1843; and Letter to James Arlington Bennet, 17–18 Mar. 1843.


In April 1843, Bennet offered legal advice related to church member
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
’s trial in Missouri on charges that he attempted to assassinate former Missouri governor
Lilburn W. Boggs

14 Dec. 1796–14 Mar. 1860. Bookkeeper, bank cashier, merchant, Indian agent and trader, lawyer, doctor, postmaster, politician. Born at Lexington, Fayette Co., Kentucky. Son of John M. Boggs and Martha Oliver. Served in War of 1812. Moved to St. Louis, ca...

View Full Bio
. Bennet also apprised JS of John C. Bennett’s activities in New York. Though Bennet planned to visit Nauvoo in May 1843, an attack of “Rheumatic gout” prevented him from making the journey west.
4

Letter from James Arlington Bennet, 10 Apr. 1843.


On 29 August 1843,
Brigham Young

1 June 1801–29 Aug. 1877. Carpenter, painter, glazier, colonizer. Born at Whitingham, Windham Co., Vermont. Son of John Young and Abigail (Nabby) Howe. Brought up in Methodist household; later joined Methodist church. Moved to Sherburne, Chenango Co., New...

View Full Bio
and
Lucian R. Foster

12 Nov. 1806–19 Mar. 1876. Photographer, accountant, bookkeeper, clerk. Born in New Marlboro, Berkshire Co., Massachusetts. Son of Nathaniel Foster and Polly. Married first Harriet Eliza Burr. Married second Mary Ann Graham. Baptized into Church of Jesus ...

View Full Bio
visited Bennet at his home in New Utrecht, and Young baptized Bennet at nearby Coney Island beach the following day.
5

Young, Journal, 29–[30] Aug. 1843, 17. Young and other members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles left Nauvoo in July 1843 on a mission to the eastern United States, and in late August the quorum presided over a conference in New York City. (See Woodruff, Journal, 7 July 1843; 26 Aug. 1843; 4 Oct. 1843.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Young, Brigham. Journals, 1832–1877. Brigham Young Office Files, 1832–1878. CHL. CR 1234 1, boxes 71–73.

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

In his October letter to JS,
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
described his baptism as nothing more than a “glorious frolick in the clear blue ocean.” Bennet also informed JS of his attempt to commission a stone seal engraving for JS, as well as his intention to buy land in
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 run for governor of that state. The letter’s postmark is now illegible, but Bennet presumably mailed the letter from
New Utrecht

Post township on west end of Long Island. Separated from Staten Island by the Narrows. Located about ten miles south of New York City. Population in 1840 about 1,300. Population in 1854 about 2,100. Residence of James Arlington Bennet, who corresponded with...

More Info
on the day it was written or shortly after. A docket in the handwriting of
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
indicates that the letter 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
by 9 November. JS’s journal entry for that day notes that someone, apparently Richards, “called at the office with a letter from Jas A. Bnenet” and that JS “gave instruction to have it answerd.”
6

JS, Journal, 9 Nov. 1843.


JS responded to Bennet on 13 November 1843.
7

Letter to James Arlington Bennet, 13 Nov. 1843.


Footnotes

  1. [1]

    Bennet was appointed to the Nauvoo Legion in absentia on 12 April. That same month, on 22 April, the University of Nauvoo awarded him an honorary doctorate of law. (“Military Appointment,” and “Honorary Degree,” Wasp, 30 Apr. 1842, [3].)

    The Wasp. Nauvoo, IL. Apr. 1842–Apr. 1843.

  2. [2]

    See Letter to James Arlington Bennet, 30 June 1842; Letter from Willard Richards, 9 Aug. 1842; and Richards, Journal, 7 Aug. 1842.

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

  3. [3]

    Letter from James Arlington Bennet, 16 Aug. 1842; see also Letter from James Arlington Bennet, 1 Sept. 1842; Letter to James Arlington Bennet, 8 Sept. 1842; Letter from James Arlington Bennet, 20 Feb. 1843; and Letter to James Arlington Bennet, 17–18 Mar. 1843.

  4. [4]

    Letter from James Arlington Bennet, 10 Apr. 1843.

  5. [5]

    Young, Journal, 29–[30] Aug. 1843, 17. Young and other members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles left Nauvoo in July 1843 on a mission to the eastern United States, and in late August the quorum presided over a conference in New York City. (See Woodruff, Journal, 7 July 1843; 26 Aug. 1843; 4 Oct. 1843.)

    Young, Brigham. Journals, 1832–1877. Brigham Young Office Files, 1832–1878. CHL. CR 1234 1, boxes 71–73.

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

  6. [6]

    JS, Journal, 9 Nov. 1843.

  7. [7]

    Letter to James Arlington Bennet, 13 Nov. 1843.

Asterisk (*) denotes a "featured" version, which includes an introduction and annotation. *Letter from James Arlington Bennet, 24 October 1843 Letter from James Arlington Bennet, 24 October 1843, as Published in Nauvoo Neighbor Letter from James Arlington Bennet, 24 October 1843, as Published in Times and Seasons Letter from James Arlington Bennet, 24 October 1843, as Published in New York Herald History, 1838–1856, volume E-1 [1 July 1843–30 April 1844] “History of Joseph Smith”

Page [2]

The celebrated Thomas Brown of
N York

Located in northeast region of U.S. Area settled by Dutch traders, 1620s; later governed by Britain, 1664–1776. Admitted to U.S. as state, 1788. Population in 1810 about 1,000,000; in 1820 about 1,400,000; in 1830 about 1,900,000; and in 1840 about 2,400,...

More Info
is now engaged in cutting your head on a beautiful Cornelian Stone as your private seal which will be set in gold to your order & sent to you.
8

Brown was a respected stone seal engraver and jeweler who operated a business in downtown New York City, located at 233 Broadway, between Barclay Street and Park Place. (“Thomas Brown,” Evening Post [New York City], 11 Aug. 1814, [3]; Groce and Wallace, New-York Historical Society’s Dictionary of Artists in America, 1564–1860, 88; New York City Directory, for 1842 and 1843, 48; Doggett’s New-York City Directory, for 1845 and 1846, 55.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Evening Post. New York City. 1801–.

Groce, George C., and David H. Wallace. The New-York Historical Society’s Dictionary of Artists in America, 1564–1860. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1957.

New York City Directory, for 1842 and 1843. Containing Fifty-Five Thousand Names: Together with Other Valuable Information. New York: John Doggett Jr., 1842.

Doggett’s New-York City Directory, for 1845 & 1846. New York: John Doggett Jr., [1845].

It will be a gem & just what you want. His sister is a member of your
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 expense of this Seal set in gold will be about $40 and Mr Brown assures me that if he were not so poor a man he would present it to you free. You can however accept it or not no as he can apply it to another use.
I am myself short for cash, for although I had some time since $2000 paid me by the Harpers, publishers, as the 1st instalment on the purchase of my Copy right, yet I had got so much behind during the hard times that it all went to clear up old scores. I expect $38,000 more however in semi anual payments from those gentlemen within the limits of 10 years
9

In 1843, Bennet sold the copyright to his popular textbook, The American System of Practical Book-Keeping, to the publishing firm Harper & Brothers for $40,000. (“Copy Right of Bennet’s Book-Keeping for Sale,” New York Herald [New York City], 14 Feb. 1843, [3]; “Literature Going Ahead,” Spirit of the Age [Woodstock, VT], 5 Oct. 1843, [3]; see also Edwards, History of Public Accounting in the United States, 57–58; and James Arlington Bennet, The American System of Practical Book-Keeping, Adapted to the Commerce of the United States in Its Domestic and Foreign Relations, Comprehending All the Modern Improvements in the Practice of the Art . . . [New York: Collins and Hannay, 1824].)


Comprehensive Works Cited

New York Herald. New York City. 1835–1924.

Spirit of the Age. Woodstock, VT. 1840–1913.

Edwards, James Don. History of Public Accounting in the United States. East Lansing: Bureau of Business and Economic Research, Graduate School of Business Administration, Michigan State University, 1960.

Bennet, James Arlington. The American System of Practical Book-Keeping, Adapted to the Commerce of the United States, in it Domestic and Foreign Relations, Comprehending All the Modern Improvements in the Practice of the Art, and Exemplified in One Set of Books Kept By Double Entry, Embracing Five Different Methods of Keeping a Journal. New York: Collins & Hannay, 1831.

a large portion of which I intend to use in the State of
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
in the purchase & conduct of a large tract of land & therefore should I be compelled to announce in this quarter that I have no connections with the
Nauvoo Legion

A contingent of the Illinois state militia provided for in the Nauvoo city charter. The Nauvoo Legion was organized into two cohorts: one infantry and one cavalry. Each cohort could potentially comprise several thousand men and was overseen by a brigadier...

View Glossary
, you will of course remain silent as I shall do it in such a way as will make all things right.
I may yet run for a high Office in your
state

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
, where you would be sure of my best services in your behalf, therefore a known connection with you would be against our mutual interest. It can be shown that a commission in the Legion
10

On 12 April 1842, JS appointed Bennet inspector general of the Nauvoo Legion and granted him the rank of major general. The appointment was announced in the Wasp on 30 April 1842. (“Military Appointment,” Wasp, 30 Apr. 1842, [3]; see also “Late and Interesting from the Mormon Empire on the Upper Mississippi,” New York Herald [New York City], 30 May 1843, [2].)


Comprehensive Works Cited

New York Herald. New York City. 1835–1924.

was a Herald hoax carried, for the fun of it <​out​> by me, as it is not believed even now by the public.
11

In August 1842, the New York Herald published a fabricated military order, ostensibly authorized by Nauvoo Legion adjutant general Hugh McFall and JS, that ordered Bennet to take command of the legion. McFall later stated that the order was a fraud. (JS, Journal, 14 Sept. 1842; “Great Hoax,” Wasp, 24 Sept. 1842, [2]; see also “Late and Important from the Mormon Country,” New York Herald [New York City], 30 Aug. 1842, [2]; and James Gordon Bennett, “Military Movements,” New York Herald, 1 Sept. 1842, [2].)


Comprehensive Works Cited

The Wasp. Nauvoo, IL. Apr. 1842–Apr. 1843.

New York Herald. New York City. 1835–1924.

In short I expect to be yet through your influence Governor of the State of
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
My respects to
Brother Young

1 June 1801–29 Aug. 1877. Carpenter, painter, glazier, colonizer. Born at Whitingham, Windham Co., Vermont. Son of John Young and Abigail (Nabby) Howe. Brought up in Methodist household; later joined Methodist church. Moved to Sherburne, Chenango Co., New...

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
,
Mrs Emma

10 July 1804–30 Apr. 1879. Scribe, editor, boardinghouse operator, clothier. Born at Willingborough Township (later in Harmony), Susquehanna Co., Pennsylvania. Daughter of Isaac Hale and Elizabeth Lewis. Member of Methodist church at Harmony (later in Oakland...

View Full Bio
& all fr[i]ends
Yours most respectfuly
Jas 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
L[i]eut Ge[n] Smith
12

TEXT: JS’s title and surname are partially encircled.


[p. [2]]
View entire transcript

|

Cite this page

Source Note

Document Transcript

Page [2]

Document Information

Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Letter from James Arlington Bennet, 24 October 1843
ID #
1653
Total Pages
4
Print Volume Location
JSP, D13:220–225
Handwriting on This Page
  • James Arlington Bennet

Footnotes

  1. [8]

    Brown was a respected stone seal engraver and jeweler who operated a business in downtown New York City, located at 233 Broadway, between Barclay Street and Park Place. (“Thomas Brown,” Evening Post [New York City], 11 Aug. 1814, [3]; Groce and Wallace, New-York Historical Society’s Dictionary of Artists in America, 1564–1860, 88; New York City Directory, for 1842 and 1843, 48; Doggett’s New-York City Directory, for 1845 and 1846, 55.)

    Evening Post. New York City. 1801–.

    Groce, George C., and David H. Wallace. The New-York Historical Society’s Dictionary of Artists in America, 1564–1860. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1957.

    New York City Directory, for 1842 and 1843. Containing Fifty-Five Thousand Names: Together with Other Valuable Information. New York: John Doggett Jr., 1842.

    Doggett’s New-York City Directory, for 1845 & 1846. New York: John Doggett Jr., [1845].

  2. [9]

    In 1843, Bennet sold the copyright to his popular textbook, The American System of Practical Book-Keeping, to the publishing firm Harper & Brothers for $40,000. (“Copy Right of Bennet’s Book-Keeping for Sale,” New York Herald [New York City], 14 Feb. 1843, [3]; “Literature Going Ahead,” Spirit of the Age [Woodstock, VT], 5 Oct. 1843, [3]; see also Edwards, History of Public Accounting in the United States, 57–58; and James Arlington Bennet, The American System of Practical Book-Keeping, Adapted to the Commerce of the United States in Its Domestic and Foreign Relations, Comprehending All the Modern Improvements in the Practice of the Art . . . [New York: Collins and Hannay, 1824].)

    New York Herald. New York City. 1835–1924.

    Spirit of the Age. Woodstock, VT. 1840–1913.

    Edwards, James Don. History of Public Accounting in the United States. East Lansing: Bureau of Business and Economic Research, Graduate School of Business Administration, Michigan State University, 1960.

    Bennet, James Arlington. The American System of Practical Book-Keeping, Adapted to the Commerce of the United States, in it Domestic and Foreign Relations, Comprehending All the Modern Improvements in the Practice of the Art, and Exemplified in One Set of Books Kept By Double Entry, Embracing Five Different Methods of Keeping a Journal. New York: Collins & Hannay, 1831.

  3. [10]

    On 12 April 1842, JS appointed Bennet inspector general of the Nauvoo Legion and granted him the rank of major general. The appointment was announced in the Wasp on 30 April 1842. (“Military Appointment,” Wasp, 30 Apr. 1842, [3]; see also “Late and Interesting from the Mormon Empire on the Upper Mississippi,” New York Herald [New York City], 30 May 1843, [2].)

    New York Herald. New York City. 1835–1924.

  4. [11]

    In August 1842, the New York Herald published a fabricated military order, ostensibly authorized by Nauvoo Legion adjutant general Hugh McFall and JS, that ordered Bennet to take command of the legion. McFall later stated that the order was a fraud. (JS, Journal, 14 Sept. 1842; “Great Hoax,” Wasp, 24 Sept. 1842, [2]; see also “Late and Important from the Mormon Country,” New York Herald [New York City], 30 Aug. 1842, [2]; and James Gordon Bennett, “Military Movements,” New York Herald, 1 Sept. 1842, [2].)

    The Wasp. Nauvoo, IL. Apr. 1842–Apr. 1843.

    New York Herald. New York City. 1835–1924.

  5. [12]

    TEXT: JS’s title and surname are partially encircled.

© 2024 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.Terms of UseUpdated 2021-04-13Privacy NoticeUpdated 2021-04-06