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Letter from Nathan Haswell, circa 29 January 1844

Source Note

, Letter, , Chittenden Co., VT, to JS, , Hancock Co., IL, ca. 29 Jan. 1844; handwriting and signature presumably of ; two pages; Newel K. Whitney, Papers, BYU. Included enclosure (not extant); includes address, postal stamp, endorsement, and archival markings.
Bifolium measuring 10⅜ × 8 inches (26 × 20 cm). The document was trifolded twice in letter style, addressed, and sealed with a red adhesive wafer, the remnants of which are present on the recto and verso of the second leaf. The top portion of the document has marked water damage that has discolored portions of both leaves. Portions of both leaves are missing, resulting in a loss of text. Four small, water-damaged fragments, presumably from the first leaf’s missing section, survive. The document has undergone conservation.
In late 1844, following JS’s death, became one of the interim church trustees and was appointed “first bishop” among other bishops. It was presumably during this time that many of the church’s financial and other administrative records passed into his possession. This document, along with many other personal and institutional documents that Whitney kept, was inherited by Newel K. and ’s daughter Mary Jane Whitney, who was married to Isaac Groo. The documents were passed down within the Groo family. Between 1969 and 1974, the Groo family donated their collection of Newel K. Whitney’s papers to the J. Reuben Clark Library (renamed Harold B. Lee Library in 1973) at Brigham Young University.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    Richards, Journal, 9 Aug. 1844; “Conference Minutes,” Times and Seasons, 1 Nov. 1844, 5:693; see also Minutes, Times and Seasons, Dec. 1839, 1:30.

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

    Times and Seasons. Commerce/Nauvoo, IL. Nov. 1839–Feb. 1846.

  2. [2]

    Andrus and Fuller, Register of the Newel Kimball Whitney Papers, 24; Wilkinson et al., Brigham Young University, 4:255.

    Andrus, Hyrum L., and Chris Fuller, comp. Register of the Newel Kimball Whitney Papers. Provo, UT: Division of Archives and Manuscripts, Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University, 1978.

    Wilkinson, Ernest L., Leonard J. Arrington, and Bruce C. Hafen, eds. Brigham Young University: The First One Hundred Years. Vol. 4. Provo, UT: Brigham Young University Press, 1976.

Historical Introduction

Sometime on or before 29 January 1844, wrote a letter from , Vermont, to JS in , Illinois, requesting his aid in making some land transactions in , Illinois. Haswell had apparently visited Nauvoo on 20 November 1843, when he stayed at the . While there, he received a pamphlet about beliefs, which he subsequently lost during his journey home to . In his letter, Haswell asked JS to send him a replacement tract. He also sent JS a copy of the Sentinel and Democrat—a Burlington newspaper—containing a positive report that Haswell had authored about his experiences in Nauvoo. Most of Haswell’s letter, however, focused on business dealings. Apparently, he wanted JS to assist him in either securing his title to several parcels of land outside of Nauvoo or selling them. The full extent of Haswell’s request, though, is unclear because of damage to the document.
The letter was postmarked 29 January in . JS received the letter by 29 February, when he answered it. JS’s response to ’s letter is not extant.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    Willard Richards noted that two Vermont gentlemen stayed at the Nauvoo Mansion on this date and that a worship service occurred in the evening, which matches Haswell’s newspaper account. William Clayton also recorded the presence of two gentlemen who rode around Nauvoo with JS, which also agrees with Haswell’s narrative. (JS, Journal, 20 Nov. 1843; Clayton, Journal, 20 Nov. 1843; see also “Nauvoo,” Burlington [VT] Sentinel, 26 Jan. 1844, [2]–[3].)

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

    Burlington Sentinel. Burlington, VT. 1830–1844.

  2. [2]

    The article provided favorable portraits of JS, Hyrum Smith, and Emma Smith. Haswell also made observations about the physical landscape, the temple, the Nauvoo House, Latter-day Saint worship, JS’s family life, and the arrival of “eleven people of color” from Connecticut. After his visit, Haswell felt “confident that many of the reports made against Joe Smith are false.” Moreover, he concluded that “before giving credit to the thousand rumors in circulation, persons would do well to visit Nauvoo.” (“Nauvoo,” Burlington [VT] Sentinel, 26 Jan. 1844, [2]–[3].)

    Burlington Sentinel. Burlington, VT. 1830–1844.

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Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Letter from Nathan Haswell, circa 29 January 1844
ID #
1666
Total Pages
4
Print Volume Location
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