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 John C. Bennett, 25 July 1840

Source Note

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
, Letter,
Fairfield

Town in southern Illinois, approximately 150 miles southeast of Springfield. County seat. Laid out, 1819. John C. Bennett lived in town when he began corresponding with JS, July 1840.

More Info
, Wayne Co., IL, to JS and
Sidney Rigdon

19 Feb. 1793–14 July 1876. Tanner, farmer, minister. Born at St. Clair, Allegheny Co., Pennsylvania. Son of William Rigdon and Nancy Gallaher. Joined United Baptists, ca. 1818. Preached at Warren, Trumbull Co., Ohio, and vicinity, 1819–1821. Married Phebe...

View Full Bio
,
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, 25 July 1840. Featured version copied [probably ca. Aug. 1840] in JS Letterbook 2, pp. 169–170; handwriting of
Howard Coray

6 May 1817–16 Jan. 1908. Bookkeeper, clerk, teacher, farmer. Born in Dansville, Steuben Co., New York. Son of Silas Coray and Mary Stephens. Moved to Providence, Luzerne Co., Pennsylvania, ca. 1827; to Williams, Northampton Co., Pennsylvania, by 1830; and...

View Full Bio
; JS Collection, CHL. For more complete source information, see the source note for JS Letterbook 2.

Historical Introduction

On 25 July 1840,
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
wrote from his home in
Fairfield

Town in southern Illinois, approximately 150 miles southeast of Springfield. County seat. Laid out, 1819. John C. Bennett lived in town when he began corresponding with JS, July 1840.

More Info
, Illinois, to JS and
Sidney Rigdon

19 Feb. 1793–14 July 1876. Tanner, farmer, minister. Born at St. Clair, Allegheny Co., Pennsylvania. Son of William Rigdon and Nancy Gallaher. Joined United Baptists, ca. 1818. Preached at Warren, Trumbull Co., Ohio, and vicinity, 1819–1821. Married Phebe...

View Full Bio
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. Bennett, who had apparently first met JS and Rigdon in January 1832 in
Hiram

Area settled by immigrants from Pennsylvania and New England, ca. 1802. Located in northeastern Ohio about twenty-five miles southeast of Kirtland. Population in 1830 about 500. Population in 1840 about 1,100. JS lived in township at home of John and Alice...

More Info
, Ohio,
1

McLellin, Journal, 12–13 Jan. 1832, 13; Smith, Saintly Scoundrel, 12, 50, 54–56.


Comprehensive Works Cited

McLellin, William E. Journal, 18 July–20 Nov. 1831. William E. McLellin, Papers, 1831–1836, 1877–1878. CHL. MS 13538, box 1, fd. 1. Also available as Jan Shipps and John W. Welch, eds., The Journals of William E. McLellin, 1831–1836 (Provo, UT: BYU Studies; Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1994).

Smith, Andrew F. The Saintly Scoundrel: The Life and Times of Dr. John Cook Bennett. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1997.

was a prominent military figure 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
. He had helped incorporate an independent militia unit in southeastern Illinois named the “Invincible Dragoons” and had more recently been appointed quartermaster general of the Illinois state militia.
2

James Berry, Letter, 25 Apr. 1839, Governor’s Correspondence, Military Affairs, 1839, Illinois Governor’s Correspondence, 1816–1852, Illinois State Archives, Springfield; Bennett, History of the Saints, 14–15.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Illinois Governor’s Correspondence, 1816–1852. Illinois State Archives, Springfield.

Bennett, John C. The History of the Saints; or, an Exposé of Joe Smith and Mormonism. Boston: Leland and Whiting, 1842.

In this letter, Bennett expressed his interest in 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
’ welfare and reminded JS and Rigdon that he had offered to assist the Saints during conflicts with their neighbors in northwestern
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
two years earlier. Bennett also declared he intended to move to
Hancock County

Formed from Pike Co., 1825. Described in 1837 as predominantly prairie and “deficient in timber.” Early settlers came mainly from mid-Atlantic and southern states. Population in 1835 about 3,200; in 1840 about 9,900; and in 1844 at least 15,000. Carthage ...

More Info
, Illinois, the following spring to join church members gathering there. JS responded to this letter on 8 August 1840.
3

Letter to John C. Bennett, 8 Aug. 1840; see also Letters from John C. Bennett, 27 and 30 July 1840.


The original letter is apparently not extant, but
Howard Coray

6 May 1817–16 Jan. 1908. Bookkeeper, clerk, teacher, farmer. Born in Dansville, Steuben Co., New York. Son of Silas Coray and Mary Stephens. Moved to Providence, Luzerne Co., Pennsylvania, ca. 1827; to Williams, Northampton Co., Pennsylvania, by 1830; and...

View Full Bio
inscribed a copy in JS Letterbook 2, probably soon after JS received the original.
4

While he was not precise in dating events from this time of his life, Coray later wrote that he finished copying correspondence into JS Letterbook 2 before JS and Bennett began drafting Nauvoo’s city charter. (Coray, Autobiographical Sketch, 4–5, 19.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Coray, Howard. Autobiographical Sketch, after 1883. Howard Coray, Papers, ca. 1840–1941. Photocopy. CHL. MS 2043, fd. 1.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    McLellin, Journal, 12–13 Jan. 1832, 13; Smith, Saintly Scoundrel, 12, 50, 54–56.

    McLellin, William E. Journal, 18 July–20 Nov. 1831. William E. McLellin, Papers, 1831–1836, 1877–1878. CHL. MS 13538, box 1, fd. 1. Also available as Jan Shipps and John W. Welch, eds., The Journals of William E. McLellin, 1831–1836 (Provo, UT: BYU Studies; Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1994).

    Smith, Andrew F. The Saintly Scoundrel: The Life and Times of Dr. John Cook Bennett. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1997.

  2. [2]

    James Berry, Letter, 25 Apr. 1839, Governor’s Correspondence, Military Affairs, 1839, Illinois Governor’s Correspondence, 1816–1852, Illinois State Archives, Springfield; Bennett, History of the Saints, 14–15.

    Illinois Governor’s Correspondence, 1816–1852. Illinois State Archives, Springfield.

    Bennett, John C. The History of the Saints; or, an Exposé of Joe Smith and Mormonism. Boston: Leland and Whiting, 1842.

  3. [3]

    Letter to John C. Bennett, 8 Aug. 1840; see also Letters from John C. Bennett, 27 and 30 July 1840.

  4. [4]

    While he was not precise in dating events from this time of his life, Coray later wrote that he finished copying correspondence into JS Letterbook 2 before JS and Bennett began drafting Nauvoo’s city charter. (Coray, Autobiographical Sketch, 4–5, 19.)

    Coray, Howard. Autobiographical Sketch, after 1883. Howard Coray, Papers, ca. 1840–1941. Photocopy. CHL. MS 2043, fd. 1.

Asterisk (*) denotes a "featured" version, which includes an introduction and annotation. *Letter from John C. Bennett, 25 July 1840 Letterbook 2 History, 1838–1856, volume C-1 [2 November 1838–31 July 1842] “History of Joseph Smith”

Page 170

Journal” to give you an idea of my professional standing.
6

The Louisville Journal, edited by George Prentice and George Weissinger, apparently contained an excerpt about Bennett's medical practice. (See Congleton, “Louisville Journal,” 582–583.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Congleton, Betty Carolyn. “Louisville Journal.” In The Kentucky Encyclopedia, edited by John E. Kleber, 852–853. Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 1992.

On the first of this month I was appointed to the office of “Quarter-Master General 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
,” which office I expect to hold for some years,
7

Bennett officially received his commission as “Quarter-Master-General of the Militia of the State of Illinois” on 20 July 1840, five days before he wrote this letter to JS. (Commission for John C. Bennett, 20 July 1840, Governor’s Correspondence, 1840, Military Affairs, in Illinois Governor’s Correspondence, 1816–1852, Illinois State Archives, Springfield; Bennett, History of the Saints, 15.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Illinois Governor’s Correspondence, 1816–1852. Illinois State Archives, Springfield.

Bennett, John C. The History of the Saints; or, an Exposé of Joe Smith and Mormonism. Boston: Leland and Whiting, 1842.

I hope you have been well,
In haste. Write me immediately.
8

JS responded to this letter from Bennett, as well as letters from Bennett dated 27 and 30 July, on 8 August 1840. (Letters from John C. Bennett, 27 and 30 July 1840; Letter to John C. Bennett, 8 Aug. 1840.)


Yours Respectfully
J[ohn] 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
Messrs Smith &
[Sidney] Rigdon

19 Feb. 1793–14 July 1876. Tanner, farmer, minister. Born at St. Clair, Allegheny Co., Pennsylvania. Son of William Rigdon and Nancy Gallaher. Joined United Baptists, ca. 1818. Preached at Warren, Trumbull Co., Ohio, and vicinity, 1819–1821. Married Phebe...

View Full Bio
. [p. 170]
View entire transcript

|

Cite this page

Source Note

Document Transcript

Page 170

Document Information

Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Letter from John C. Bennett, 25 July 1840
ID #
557
Total Pages
2
Print Volume Location
JSP, D7:348–350
Handwriting on This Page
  • Howard Coray

Footnotes

  1. [6]

    The Louisville Journal, edited by George Prentice and George Weissinger, apparently contained an excerpt about Bennett's medical practice. (See Congleton, “Louisville Journal,” 582–583.)

    Congleton, Betty Carolyn. “Louisville Journal.” In The Kentucky Encyclopedia, edited by John E. Kleber, 852–853. Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 1992.

  2. [7]

    Bennett officially received his commission as “Quarter-Master-General of the Militia of the State of Illinois” on 20 July 1840, five days before he wrote this letter to JS. (Commission for John C. Bennett, 20 July 1840, Governor’s Correspondence, 1840, Military Affairs, in Illinois Governor’s Correspondence, 1816–1852, Illinois State Archives, Springfield; Bennett, History of the Saints, 15.)

    Illinois Governor’s Correspondence, 1816–1852. Illinois State Archives, Springfield.

    Bennett, John C. The History of the Saints; or, an Exposé of Joe Smith and Mormonism. Boston: Leland and Whiting, 1842.

  3. [8]

    JS responded to this letter from Bennett, as well as letters from Bennett dated 27 and 30 July, on 8 August 1840. (Letters from John C. Bennett, 27 and 30 July 1840; Letter to John C. Bennett, 8 Aug. 1840.)

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