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Letter from Lyman Wight and Others, 15 February 1844–A

Source Note

Lyman Wight

9 May 1796–31 Mar. 1858. Farmer. Born at Fairfield, Herkimer Co., New York. Son of Levi Wight Jr. and Sarah Corbin. Served in War of 1812. Married Harriet Benton, 5 Jan. 1823, at Henrietta, Monroe Co., New York. Moved to Warrensville, Cuyahoga Co., Ohio, ...

View Full Bio
,
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
,
Phineas R. Bird

29 Jan. 1802–25 July 1850. Weaver, stone mason. Born in Trenton, Hunterdon Co., New Jersey. Son of Benjamin Bird and Mary. Moved to Romulus, Seneca Co., New York, by 1810. Moved to Wells, Bradford Co., Pennsylvania, by 1820. Captain in U.S. Army, 10 Jan. ...

View Full Bio
,
Pierce Hawley

14 Nov. 1788–16 Aug. 1858. Farmer. Born in Vergennes, Addison Co., Vermont. Son of Gideon Hawley and Lavinia Darrough. Moved to Ferrisburg, Addison Co., by 1790. Married first, ca. 1812. Served in War of 1812. Moved to White Co., Illinois, ca. 1818. Married...

View Full Bio
, and
John Young

May 1811–30 Oct. 1886. Lumber and sawmill worker, clerk, farmer. Born in Jackson Co., Tennessee. Son of David Young and Elizabeth Vance. Possibly baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by John D. Lee at same time as his parents and siblings...

View Full Bio
, Letter,
Black River Falls

Post village located on Black River. Site of pine lumber industry. County seat. Population in 1850 about 460. Committee of church members wrote to JS and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles from village, 15 Feb. 1844.

More Info
, Crawford Co., Wisconsin Territory, to JS and the
Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

Members of a governing body in the church, with special administrative and proselytizing responsibilities. A June 1829 revelation commanded Oliver Cowdery and David Whitmer to call twelve disciples, similar to the twelve apostles in the New Testament and ...

View Glossary
, [
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], 15 Feb. 1844; handwriting of Otis Hobart; five pages; JS Collection, CHL.
Two leaves measuring 12⅛ × 7¾ inches (31 × 20 cm) and an additional small slip of paper measuring 3¼ × 7⅝ inches (8 × 19 cm) that was cut from a larger leaf. The paper of the first two leaves is ruled (though the lines are now almost completely faded). The letter was written on both sides of both leaves and on the recto of the smaller slip of paper (with the verso left blank). The first two leaves were folded three times horizontally and twice vertically, and the small slip of paper was folded twice vertically. The document has undergone conservation.
The letter was received by 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
folded together and wrapped with another letter of the same date from
Lyman Wight

9 May 1796–31 Mar. 1858. Farmer. Born at Fairfield, Herkimer Co., New York. Son of Levi Wight Jr. and Sarah Corbin. Served in War of 1812. Married Harriet Benton, 5 Jan. 1823, at Henrietta, Monroe Co., New York. Moved to Warrensville, Cuyahoga Co., Ohio, ...

View Full Bio
and others in
Wisconsin Territory

Area settled by French, before 1700. Became part of U.S. by Treaty of Paris, 1783. Territory officially formed, 1836, with Belmont established as capital. Capital moved to present-day Burlington, Iowa, 1837. Territory initially included all or part of present...

More Info
. The second letter was docketed (likely serving as a docket for both letters).
1

See Letter from Lyman Wight and Others, 15 Feb. 1844–B.


The letter featured here was docketed by Andrew Jenson, who began working in the Church Historian’s Office (later Church Historical Department) in 1891 and served as assistant church historian from 1897 to 1941.
2

Jenson, Autobiography, 192, 389; Cannon, Journal, 9 Feb. 1891; Jenson, Journal, 9 Feb. 1891 and 19 Oct. 1897; Bitton and Arrington, Mormons and Their Historians, 47–52.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Jenson, Andrew. Autobiography of Andrew Jenson: Assistant Historian of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. . . . Salt Lake City: Deseret News Press, 1938.

Cannon, George Q. Journals, 1855–1864, 1872–1901. CHL. CR 850 1.

Jenson, Andrew. Journals, 1864–1941. Andrew Jenson, Autobiography and Journals, 1864–1941. CHL.

Bitton, David, and Leonard J. Arrington. Mormons and Their Historians. Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, 1988.

By 1973 the document had been included in the JS Collection at the Church Historical Department (now CHL).
3

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


The document’s early provenance and its later inclusion in the JS Collection suggest continuous institutional custody.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    See Letter from Lyman Wight and Others, 15 Feb. 1844–B.

  2. [2]

    Jenson, Autobiography, 192, 389; Cannon, Journal, 9 Feb. 1891; Jenson, Journal, 9 Feb. 1891 and 19 Oct. 1897; Bitton and Arrington, Mormons and Their Historians, 47–52.

    Jenson, Andrew. Autobiography of Andrew Jenson: Assistant Historian of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. . . . Salt Lake City: Deseret News Press, 1938.

    Cannon, George Q. Journals, 1855–1864, 1872–1901. CHL. CR 850 1.

    Jenson, Andrew. Journals, 1864–1941. Andrew Jenson, Autobiography and Journals, 1864–1941. CHL.

    Bitton, David, and Leonard J. Arrington. Mormons and Their Historians. Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, 1988.

  3. [3]

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

Historical Introduction

On 15 February 1844, a committee of
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
members in
Wisconsin Territory

Area settled by French, before 1700. Became part of U.S. by Treaty of Paris, 1783. Territory officially formed, 1836, with Belmont established as capital. Capital moved to present-day Burlington, Iowa, 1837. Territory initially included all or part of present...

More Info
drafted two letters to inform JS, his counselors in the
First Presidency

The highest presiding body of the church. An 11 November 1831 revelation stated that the president of the high priesthood was to preside over the church. JS was ordained as president of the high priesthood on 25 January 1832. In March 1832, JS appointed two...

View Glossary
, and the
Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

Members of a governing body in the church, with special administrative and proselytizing responsibilities. A June 1829 revelation commanded Oliver Cowdery and David Whitmer to call twelve disciples, similar to the twelve apostles in the New Testament and ...

View Glossary
about the progress of the Latter-day Saints in Wisconsin in obtaining lumber for the
temple

Located in portion of Nauvoo known as the bluff. JS revelation dated Jan. 1841 commanded Saints to build temple and hotel (Nauvoo House). Cornerstone laid, 6 Apr. 1841. Saints volunteered labor, money, and other resources for temple construction. Construction...

More Info
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, and the
Nauvoo House

Located in lower portion of Nauvoo (the flats) along bank of Mississippi River. JS revelation, dated 19 Jan. 1841, instructed Saints to build boardinghouse for travelers and immigrants. Construction of planned three-story building to be funded by fifty-dollar...

More Info
as well as their efforts to proselytize among the Chippewa and Menominee nations living in Wisconsin. The letters also shared the committee’s recent conclusion that church leaders should consider sending an expedition to scout the
Republic of Texas

France established colony in area, 1685. First Spanish settlement created, 1718. After Mexican War of Independence from Spain, 1821, area became part of Mexico and immigration increased. Conflict between Mexican government and Texian residents resulted in...

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as a
gathering

As directed by early revelations, church members “gathered” in communities. A revelation dated September 1830, for instance, instructed elders “to bring to pass the gathering of mine elect” who would “be gathered in unto one place, upon the face of this land...

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place for southern Latter-day Saints and converted Native Americans.
Church members had been logging pine in
Wisconsin Territory

Area settled by French, before 1700. Became part of U.S. by Treaty of Paris, 1783. Territory officially formed, 1836, with Belmont established as capital. Capital moved to present-day Burlington, Iowa, 1837. Territory initially included all or part of present...

More Info
since 1841 to provide lumber for the construction of the
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
temple

Located in portion of Nauvoo known as the bluff. JS revelation dated Jan. 1841 commanded Saints to build temple and hotel (Nauvoo House). Cornerstone laid, 6 Apr. 1841. Saints volunteered labor, money, and other resources for temple construction. Construction...

More Info
and the
Nauvoo House

Located in lower portion of Nauvoo (the flats) along bank of Mississippi River. JS revelation, dated 19 Jan. 1841, instructed Saints to build boardinghouse for travelers and immigrants. Construction of planned three-story building to be funded by fifty-dollar...

More Info
.
1

See Rowley, “Mormon Experience in the Wisconsin Pineries,” 119–148; George Miller, St. James, MI, to “Dear Brother,” 26 June 1855, Northern Islander, 16 Aug. 1855, [4]; and George Miller, St. James, MI, to “Dear Brother,” 26 June 1855, Northern Islander, 23 Aug. 1855, [1]–[2].


Comprehensive Works Cited

Rowley, Dennis. “The Mormon Experience in the Wisconsin Pineries, 1841–1845.” BYU Studies 32, nos. 1 and 2 (1992): 119–148.

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

According to the letter, church administrators in Wisconsin Territory had concluded that by July 1844 the logging operation could supply more than enough lumber for both buildings. In addition, a delegation from the Menominee had recently visited the Wisconsin Saints to inform them that they would have to pay federally regulated rates for logging on the
Black River

Rises in Portage Co. (now in Taylor Co.), runs southwest 150 miles through central Wisconsin Territory, and empties into Mississippi River. First lumber mill built on river, 1818. In Sept. 1841, Nauvoo temple committee and trustees of Nauvoo House Association...

More Info
above the falls, thereby limiting the profits that the lumber operation could generate for the church. Although this development changed the prospects for using the lumber mills to raise money, the meeting helped solidify relations between the Saints and the Indian nation. Noting the poor prospects for making money in Wisconsin Territory and recent proselytizing success in the southern
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
, the Wisconsin Saints wanted to abandon the lumber venture and establish a new gathering center in
Texas

France established colony in area, 1685. First Spanish settlement created, 1718. After Mexican War of Independence from Spain, 1821, area became part of Mexico and immigration increased. Conflict between Mexican government and Texian residents resulted in...

More Info
. The committee expected they would have more success raising money for the church by converting and gathering slaveholders who could be persuaded to consecrate the profits of enslaved labor to the church.
Church leaders in
Wisconsin Territory

Area settled by French, before 1700. Became part of U.S. by Treaty of Paris, 1783. Territory officially formed, 1836, with Belmont established as capital. Capital moved to present-day Burlington, Iowa, 1837. Territory initially included all or part of present...

More Info
also believed it was possible to convert large numbers of the Menominee and Chippewa and persuade them to sell their lands and move to
Texas

France established colony in area, 1685. First Spanish settlement created, 1718. After Mexican War of Independence from Spain, 1821, area became part of Mexico and immigration increased. Conflict between Mexican government and Texian residents resulted in...

More Info
. Before the committee wrote this letter,
Lyman Wight

9 May 1796–31 Mar. 1858. Farmer. Born at Fairfield, Herkimer Co., New York. Son of Levi Wight Jr. and Sarah Corbin. Served in War of 1812. Married Harriet Benton, 5 Jan. 1823, at Henrietta, Monroe Co., New York. Moved to Warrensville, Cuyahoga Co., Ohio, ...

View Full Bio
contacted JS in January 1844 and asked for permission to preach to the Menominee and Chippewa because of the interest that Native American leaders had expressed in the church.
2

JS, Journal, 20 Feb. 1844. In January 1844, Wight and George Miller sent Mitchel Curtis and Stephen Curtis to Nauvoo to inquire if Wight should proselytize among these two tribes. JS told the messengers that Wight should “do what he thinks best. & he shall never be brought into difficulty about it by us.”


The committee hoped that relocating to Texas or elsewhere in the West would open the doorway to proselytize among many indigenous groups throughout the Americas.
Church members in
Wisconsin Territory

Area settled by French, before 1700. Became part of U.S. by Treaty of Paris, 1783. Territory officially formed, 1836, with Belmont established as capital. Capital moved to present-day Burlington, Iowa, 1837. Territory initially included all or part of present...

More Info
appointed this committee—consisting of
Wight

9 May 1796–31 Mar. 1858. Farmer. Born at Fairfield, Herkimer Co., New York. Son of Levi Wight Jr. and Sarah Corbin. Served in War of 1812. Married Harriet Benton, 5 Jan. 1823, at Henrietta, Monroe Co., New York. Moved to Warrensville, Cuyahoga Co., Ohio, ...

View Full Bio
,
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
,
Pierce Hawley

14 Nov. 1788–16 Aug. 1858. Farmer. Born in Vergennes, Addison Co., Vermont. Son of Gideon Hawley and Lavinia Darrough. Moved to Ferrisburg, Addison Co., by 1790. Married first, ca. 1812. Served in War of 1812. Moved to White Co., Illinois, ca. 1818. Married...

View Full Bio
,
Phineas R. Bird

29 Jan. 1802–25 July 1850. Weaver, stone mason. Born in Trenton, Hunterdon Co., New Jersey. Son of Benjamin Bird and Mary. Moved to Romulus, Seneca Co., New York, by 1810. Moved to Wells, Bradford Co., Pennsylvania, by 1820. Captain in U.S. Army, 10 Jan. ...

View Full Bio
, and
John Young

May 1811–30 Oct. 1886. Lumber and sawmill worker, clerk, farmer. Born in Jackson Co., Tennessee. Son of David Young and Elizabeth Vance. Possibly baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by John D. Lee at same time as his parents and siblings...

View Full Bio
—to communicate their views to church leaders 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
. The committee assigned Wight and Miller, both of whom were
Nauvoo House Association

A corporation established in February 1841 to oversee the building of the Nauvoo House. A 19 January 1841 JS revelation included a commandment to construct a boardinghouse for visitors to Nauvoo that would also serve as a home for JS and his family. The association...

View Glossary
trustees, to each draft a letter to send to Nauvoo. After reviewing the two drafts, the committee resolved to send both letters; the first letter, featured here, was authored by Wight and inscribed by Otis Hobart.
3

Wight later published his letter, which matches the letter featured here. (Wight, Address by Way of an Abridged Account and Journal of My Life, 1–3.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Wight, Lyman. An Address by Way of an Abridged Account and Journal of My Life from February 1844 up to April 1848, with an Appeal to the Latter Day Saints. [Austin, TX], [ca. 1848].

The second was created by Miller and also penned by Hobart.
4

See Letter from Lyman Wight and Others, 15 Feb. 1844–B.


Some evidence suggests that Wight’s letter was meant to be read first. His letter reported the decision to send both letters, suggesting that he intended his message to be read as an introduction to both; the folds on the letters indicate that they were folded together with Wight’s letter first and Miller’s second.
5

JS’s journal entry for 10 March suggests that the letter written by Miller may have been read first. The journal reports that “a Letter was read from Lyman Wight & others Dated Feb 15. 1844. to B. Youg W. Richads &c . . . also a letter to Joseph Smith. &c— from Lyman Wight and others a committee of the branch at th[e] pinery Black River. Falls.— Feb 15. 1844.” Both letters close by listing JS, Brigham Young, and Willard Richards as the addressees. However, the greeting in the letter written by Miller was to the “first Presidency” and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, whereas the greeting in the letter written by Wight was to “Joseph Smith” and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Since the journal entry has the letter “to Joseph Smith. &c” being read second, these greetings suggest that the men read the letter from Miller first and the letter from Wight second—the same order in which William Clayton transcribed the letters into the Council of Fifty record. (JS, Journal, 10 Mar. 1844; Council of Fifty, “Record,” 10 Mar. 1844; George Miller, St. James, MI, to “Dear Brother,” 27 June 1855, in Northern Islander, 23 Aug. 1855, [2].)


Comprehensive Works Cited

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

Each of the letters is dated 15 February 1844 and was signed by the five members of the committee, though the first is addressed to JS and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles while the second is addressed to the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve.
6

Letter from Lyman Wight and Others, 15 Feb. 1844–B.


The committee initially chose
John Young

May 1811–30 Oct. 1886. Lumber and sawmill worker, clerk, farmer. Born in Jackson Co., Tennessee. Son of David Young and Elizabeth Vance. Possibly baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by John D. Lee at same time as his parents and siblings...

View Full Bio
to carry the letters to
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
, but it was later decided that
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
would bear them.
7

Letter from Lyman Wight and Others, 15 Feb. 1844–B; George Miller, St. James, MI, to “Dear Brother,” 27 June 1855, in Northern Islander, 23 Aug. 1855, [2].


Comprehensive Works Cited

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

Miller delivered the letters to JS in Nauvoo on the afternoon of Sunday, 10 March 1844. JS perused the letters, and some discussion ensued. At 4:30 p.m., JS met in the
Nauvoo Mansion

Large, two-story, Greek Revival frame structure located on northeast corner of Water and Main streets. Built to meet JS’s immediate need for larger home that could also serve as hotel to accommodate his numerous guests. JS relocated family from old house ...

More Info
with Miller, available members of the Twelve, and the temple committee to further discuss the letters. This discussion led to the provisional organization that night of what would later become the
Council of Fifty

An organization intended to establish the political kingdom of God on the earth. An 1842 editorial in the church newspaper stated that the “design of Jehovah” was to “take the reigns of government into his own hand.” On 10 and 11 March 1844, JS and several...

View Glossary
and the formal organization of the council on 11 March 1844.
8

JS, Journal, 10 Mar. 1844; Council of Fifty, “Record,” 10–11 Mar. 1844.


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
later copied these letters into the Council of Fifty record.
9

See Council of Fifty, “Record,” 10 Mar. 1844.


The original sent letter is featured here.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    See Rowley, “Mormon Experience in the Wisconsin Pineries,” 119–148; George Miller, St. James, MI, to “Dear Brother,” 26 June 1855, Northern Islander, 16 Aug. 1855, [4]; and George Miller, St. James, MI, to “Dear Brother,” 26 June 1855, Northern Islander, 23 Aug. 1855, [1]–[2].

    Rowley, Dennis. “The Mormon Experience in the Wisconsin Pineries, 1841–1845.” BYU Studies 32, nos. 1 and 2 (1992): 119–148.

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

  2. [2]

    JS, Journal, 20 Feb. 1844. In January 1844, Wight and George Miller sent Mitchel Curtis and Stephen Curtis to Nauvoo to inquire if Wight should proselytize among these two tribes. JS told the messengers that Wight should “do what he thinks best. & he shall never be brought into difficulty about it by us.”

  3. [3]

    Wight later published his letter, which matches the letter featured here. (Wight, Address by Way of an Abridged Account and Journal of My Life, 1–3.)

    Wight, Lyman. An Address by Way of an Abridged Account and Journal of My Life from February 1844 up to April 1848, with an Appeal to the Latter Day Saints. [Austin, TX], [ca. 1848].

  4. [4]

    See Letter from Lyman Wight and Others, 15 Feb. 1844–B.

  5. [5]

    JS’s journal entry for 10 March suggests that the letter written by Miller may have been read first. The journal reports that “a Letter was read from Lyman Wight & others Dated Feb 15. 1844. to B. Youg W. Richads &c . . . also a letter to Joseph Smith. &c— from Lyman Wight and others a committee of the branch at th[e] pinery Black River. Falls.— Feb 15. 1844.” Both letters close by listing JS, Brigham Young, and Willard Richards as the addressees. However, the greeting in the letter written by Miller was to the “first Presidency” and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, whereas the greeting in the letter written by Wight was to “Joseph Smith” and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Since the journal entry has the letter “to Joseph Smith. &c” being read second, these greetings suggest that the men read the letter from Miller first and the letter from Wight second—the same order in which William Clayton transcribed the letters into the Council of Fifty record. (JS, Journal, 10 Mar. 1844; Council of Fifty, “Record,” 10 Mar. 1844; George Miller, St. James, MI, to “Dear Brother,” 27 June 1855, in Northern Islander, 23 Aug. 1855, [2].)

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

  6. [6]

    Letter from Lyman Wight and Others, 15 Feb. 1844–B.

  7. [7]

    Letter from Lyman Wight and Others, 15 Feb. 1844–B; George Miller, St. James, MI, to “Dear Brother,” 27 June 1855, in Northern Islander, 23 Aug. 1855, [2].

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

  8. [8]

    JS, Journal, 10 Mar. 1844; Council of Fifty, “Record,” 10–11 Mar. 1844.

  9. [9]

    See Council of Fifty, “Record,” 10 Mar. 1844.

Asterisk (*) denotes a "featured" version, which includes an introduction and annotation. *Letter from Lyman Wight and Others, 15 February 1844–A Council of Fifty, Minutes, March 1844–January 1846; Volume 1, 10 March 1844–1 March 1845 History, 1838–1856, volume E-1 [1 July 1843–30 April 1844] “History of Joseph Smith”

Page [3]

of the truth have born the most extreme burdens fatiegue and hunger to prosecute the Mission to procure lumber sufficient to build the two houses, to open the door to all the regions which we have named, which regions have never yet had an oppertunity to hear the Gospel and to be made acquainted with the
plan of salvation

The divine plan for bringing about the immortality and eternal life of humankind. Also known in the Book of Mormon as the “plan of redemption,” the “great plan of happiness,” and the “plan of mercy.” According to the Book of Mormon, this plan involves a Savior...

View Glossary
; or shall they continue to suffer the fatiegues of hunger wet and cold in a rigid inclement climate for the pittiful Sum that it shall avail them after undergoing those hazardous perils. Or shall they, like Timothy and Titus, with Paul hazzard the perils of sea and land
18

See 2 Corinthians 11:26; and Letter to Church and Edward Partridge, 20 Mar. 1839 [D&C 122:5]. Timothy and Titus traveled with and on assignment from Paul in various parts of the northern Mediterranean. (See, for example, Acts 19:22; 20:4–5; and Titus 1:4–5.)


through the Southern States and West India Islands and all the Lamanite world, go forth and proclaim to them the Gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and teach them to build up
Zion

A specific location in Missouri; also a literal or figurative gathering of believers in Jesus Christ, characterized by adherence to ideals of harmony, equality, and purity. In JS’s earliest revelations “the cause of Zion” was used to broadly describe the ...

View Glossary
Is there not thousands of the rich planters who would embrace the Gospel <​and​> if they had a place to plant their slaves, give all their proceeds of their yearly labor if rightly taught, for building up the Kingdom, being directed by the
President

The highest presiding body of the church. An 11 November 1831 revelation stated that the president of the high priesthood was to preside over the church. JS was ordained as president of the high priesthood on 25 January 1832. In March 1832, JS appointed two...

View Glossary
of the whole
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
to make the right application? We answer yes, we believe they would— Your servants the committee are of the opinion that a concert and reciprocity of action betwen the North and the South would greatly advance the building up of the Kingdom. The committee is well informed of the Cherokee and the Chocktaw Nations who live between between the State of
Arkansas

Settled 1685. Territorial government organized, 1819. Admitted as state, 1836. Population in 1830 about 30,400. Population in 1840 about 97,600. Washington Tucker wrote to JS from El Dorado, Arkansas, 4 May 1844, expressing interest in Church of Jesus Christ...

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and the
Colorado River

Also known as Rio Colorado, or Red River, because of area’s red clay that lends river its hue. One of longest rivers in North America; drains about 245,000 square miles. Runs southwest about 1,500 miles from Rocky Mountains in present-day northern Colorado...

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of the
Texas

France established colony in area, 1685. First Spanish settlement created, 1718. After Mexican War of Independence from Spain, 1821, area became part of Mexico and immigration increased. Conflict between Mexican government and Texian residents resulted in...

More Info
owning large plantations and thousands of Slaves and that they are also very desirious to have an interview with the
Elders

A male leader in the church generally; an ecclesiastical and priesthood office or one holding that office; a proselytizing missionary. The Book of Mormon explained that elders ordained priests and teachers and administered “the flesh and blood of Christ unto...

View Glossary
of this Church upon the principles of the Book of Mormon.
19

The Cherokee and the Choctaw adopted plantation slavery and other aspects of white culture in the late eighteenth century, though slavery never became widespread among these tribes. The number of slaveholding families never exceeded 10 percent in the Cherokee Nation and was just over 5 percent in the Choctaw Nation. While individuals such as Josiah Gregg occasionally described individuals holding fifty or more enslaved persons, such large households were rare. Of the two tribes, Choctaw slaveholders had the higher average number of enslaved persons in the 1830s, and even then, according to a census taken of the Choctaw before their removal to the West, only three individuals in the entire tribe of nearly eighteen thousand enslaved twenty or more persons, enough to be considered part of the planter class. Nevertheless, the fact that these tribes had adopted slavery suggested to the Wisconsin Territory committee a commonality with the southern white slaveholders they hoped to gather in that region. (McLoughlin, After the Trail of Tears, 121, 123, 125; Krauthamer, Black Slaves, Indian Masters, 28–29; Gregg, Commerce of the Prairies, 258–259; Fortney, “Slaves and Slaveholders in the Choctaw Nation,” 28, 31–32.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

McLoughlin, William G. After the Trail of Tears: The Cherokees’ Struggle for Sovereignty, 1839–1880. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1993.

Krauthamer, Barbara. Black Slaves, Indian Masters: Slavery, Emancipation, and Citizenship in the Native American South. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2013.

Gregg, Josiah. Commerce of the Prairies; or, The Journal of a Santa Fé Trader, during Eight Expeditions across the Great Western Prairies, and a Residence of Nearly Nine Years in Northern Mexico. Vol. 1. 2nd ed. New York: J. and H. G. Langley, 1845.

Fortney, Jeffrey L., Jr. “Slaves and Slaveholders in the Choctaw Nation: 1830–1866.” Master’s thesis, University of North Texas, 2009.

This Committee is of the opinion that they can choose soldiers for this expedition who are as undeviating in the principles of the doctrine of Christ and the Book of Mormon as the Sun in his daily course, and as indefatigable in their exertions in this cause as the earth is in [p. [3]]
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Editorial Title
Letter from Lyman Wight and Others, 15 February 1844–A
ID #
1272
Total Pages
6
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    Footnotes

    1. [18]

      See 2 Corinthians 11:26; and Letter to Church and Edward Partridge, 20 Mar. 1839 [D&C 122:5]. Timothy and Titus traveled with and on assignment from Paul in various parts of the northern Mediterranean. (See, for example, Acts 19:22; 20:4–5; and Titus 1:4–5.)

    2. [19]

      The Cherokee and the Choctaw adopted plantation slavery and other aspects of white culture in the late eighteenth century, though slavery never became widespread among these tribes. The number of slaveholding families never exceeded 10 percent in the Cherokee Nation and was just over 5 percent in the Choctaw Nation. While individuals such as Josiah Gregg occasionally described individuals holding fifty or more enslaved persons, such large households were rare. Of the two tribes, Choctaw slaveholders had the higher average number of enslaved persons in the 1830s, and even then, according to a census taken of the Choctaw before their removal to the West, only three individuals in the entire tribe of nearly eighteen thousand enslaved twenty or more persons, enough to be considered part of the planter class. Nevertheless, the fact that these tribes had adopted slavery suggested to the Wisconsin Territory committee a commonality with the southern white slaveholders they hoped to gather in that region. (McLoughlin, After the Trail of Tears, 121, 123, 125; Krauthamer, Black Slaves, Indian Masters, 28–29; Gregg, Commerce of the Prairies, 258–259; Fortney, “Slaves and Slaveholders in the Choctaw Nation,” 28, 31–32.)

      McLoughlin, William G. After the Trail of Tears: The Cherokees’ Struggle for Sovereignty, 1839–1880. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1993.

      Krauthamer, Barbara. Black Slaves, Indian Masters: Slavery, Emancipation, and Citizenship in the Native American South. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2013.

      Gregg, Josiah. Commerce of the Prairies; or, The Journal of a Santa Fé Trader, during Eight Expeditions across the Great Western Prairies, and a Residence of Nearly Nine Years in Northern Mexico. Vol. 1. 2nd ed. New York: J. and H. G. Langley, 1845.

      Fortney, Jeffrey L., Jr. “Slaves and Slaveholders in the Choctaw Nation: 1830–1866.” Master’s thesis, University of North Texas, 2009.

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