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Letter from Orson Hyde, 26 April 1844

Source Note

Orson Hyde

8 Jan. 1805–28 Nov. 1878. Laborer, clerk, storekeeper, teacher, editor, businessman, lawyer, judge. Born at Oxford, New Haven Co., Connecticut. Son of Nathan Hyde and Sally Thorpe. Moved to Derby, New Haven Co., 1812. Moved to Kirtland, Geauga Co., Ohio, ...

View Full Bio
, Letter,
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
, to [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
(including 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, 26 Apr. 1844; handwriting and signature of
Orson Hyde

8 Jan. 1805–28 Nov. 1878. Laborer, clerk, storekeeper, teacher, editor, businessman, lawyer, judge. Born at Oxford, New Haven Co., Connecticut. Son of Nathan Hyde and Sally Thorpe. Moved to Derby, New Haven Co., 1812. Moved to Kirtland, Geauga Co., Ohio, ...

View Full Bio
; seven pages; JS Collection, CHL. Includes address, postal stamp, dockets, and notations.
Two bifolia, each measuring 10 × 8 inches (25 × 20 cm). Each page is ruled with twenty-seven horizontal blue lines. The letter was trifolded twice in letter style, addressed, and sealed with a red adhesive wafer, which remains on the recto of the last page. The document was later refolded for filing. At some point, the bifolia were attached by multiple staples. Those staples have since been removed.
The letter was docketed by Jonathan Grimshaw, who served as a clerk in the Church Historian’s Office (later Church Historical Department) from 1853 to 1856.
1

Historian’s Office, Journal, 7 June 1853; Wilford Woodruff, Salt Lake City, Utah Territory, to George A. Smith, 30 Aug. 1856, in Historian’s Office, Letterpress Copybooks, vol. 1, p. 364.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Historian’s Office. Journal, 1844–1997. CHL. CR 100 1.

Historian’s Office. Letterpress Copybooks, 1854–1879, 1885–1886. CHL. CR 100 38.

Graphite notations were later added, apparently by a clerk or secretary for Andrew Jenson, who served as assistant church historian from 1897 to 1941.
2

Bitton and Arrington, Mormons and Their Historians, 48–55.


Comprehensive Works Cited

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

The letter may have been listed in an inventory that was produced by the Church Historian’s Office circa 1904.
3

“Letters to and from the Prophet,” ca. 1904, [4], Historian’s Office, Catalogs and Inventories, 1846–1904, CHL. The JS Collection includes five letters that Orson Hyde wrote in 1844. The circa 1904 inventory does not specify whether the letter received from Orson Hyde is this one, dated 26 April 1844, or the one dated 25 April 1844. The letters were docketed and processed similarly, so the inventory may be referring to both letters. (See Letter from Orson Hyde, 25 Apr. 1844.)


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 docket, its possible listing in a circa 1904 inventory, and its later inclusion in the JS Collection indicate continuous institutional custody.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    Historian’s Office, Journal, 7 June 1853; Wilford Woodruff, Salt Lake City, Utah Territory, to George A. Smith, 30 Aug. 1856, in Historian’s Office, Letterpress Copybooks, vol. 1, p. 364.

    Historian’s Office. Journal, 1844–1997. CHL. CR 100 1.

    Historian’s Office. Letterpress Copybooks, 1854–1879, 1885–1886. CHL. CR 100 38.

  2. [2]

    Bitton and Arrington, Mormons and Their Historians, 48–55.

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

  3. [3]

    “Letters to and from the Prophet,” ca. 1904, [4], Historian’s Office, Catalogs and Inventories, 1846–1904, CHL. The JS Collection includes five letters that Orson Hyde wrote in 1844. The circa 1904 inventory does not specify whether the letter received from Orson Hyde is this one, dated 26 April 1844, or the one dated 25 April 1844. The letters were docketed and processed similarly, so the inventory may be referring to both letters. (See Letter from Orson Hyde, 25 Apr. 1844.)

    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 26 April 1844,
Orson Hyde

8 Jan. 1805–28 Nov. 1878. Laborer, clerk, storekeeper, teacher, editor, businessman, lawyer, judge. Born at Oxford, New Haven Co., Connecticut. Son of Nathan Hyde and Sally Thorpe. Moved to Derby, New Haven Co., 1812. Moved to Kirtland, Geauga Co., Ohio, ...

View Full Bio
penned his second letter from
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
to JS and 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
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, to report on his conversations with politicians in Washington. Hyde and the officials had mostly conversed about a memorial from the council that would make JS a member of 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 and authorize him to gather one hundred thousand armed volunteers to protect American settlers migrating westward.
1

See Letter from Orson Hyde, 25 Apr. 1844; and Memorial to the United States Senate and House of Representatives, ca. 24–26 Mar. 1844; see also Letter from Orson Hyde, 30 Apr. 1844; Orson Hyde, Washington DC, to “Dear Brethren,” Nauvoo, IL, 9 June 1844; and Orson Hyde, Washington DC, to “Dear Brethren,” Nauvoo, IL, 11 June 1844, JS Collection, CHL.


On 24 April, Hyde and
Orson Pratt

19 Sept. 1811–3 Oct. 1881. Farmer, writer, teacher, merchant, surveyor, editor, publisher. Born at Hartford, Washington Co., New York. Son of Jared Pratt and Charity Dickinson. Moved to New Lebanon, Columbia Co., New York, 1814; to Canaan, Columbia Co., fall...

View Full Bio
—who was also in Washington to present a petition on behalf of the Nauvoo City Council—met with several members of 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
congressional delegation to survey their opinions on westward expansion and how they would support the memorial that Hyde was there to submit. The pair met with President
John Tyler

29 Mar. 1790–18 Jan. 1862. Lawyer, politician. Born on Greenway Plantation, Charles City Co., Virginia. Son of John Tyler and Mary Armistead. Attended College of William and Mary. Following graduation, returned to Greenway, 1807. Served as Virginia state ...

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on 25 April and with Illinois representative
Stephen A. Douglas

23 Apr. 1813–3 June 1861. Lawyer, politician. Born at Brandon, Rutland Co., Vermont. Son of Stephen Arnold Douglass and Sarah Fisk. Moved to Ontario Co., New York, 1830. Moved to Jacksonville, Morgan Co., Illinois, 1833. Served as attorney general of Illinois...

View Full Bio
on 26 April.
In this letter,
Hyde

8 Jan. 1805–28 Nov. 1878. Laborer, clerk, storekeeper, teacher, editor, businessman, lawyer, judge. Born at Oxford, New Haven Co., Connecticut. Son of Nathan Hyde and Sally Thorpe. Moved to Derby, New Haven Co., 1812. Moved to Kirtland, Geauga Co., Ohio, ...

View Full Bio
recounted the visits with
Tyler

29 Mar. 1790–18 Jan. 1862. Lawyer, politician. Born on Greenway Plantation, Charles City Co., Virginia. Son of John Tyler and Mary Armistead. Attended College of William and Mary. Following graduation, returned to Greenway, 1807. Served as Virginia state ...

View Full Bio
and
Douglas

23 Apr. 1813–3 June 1861. Lawyer, politician. Born at Brandon, Rutland Co., Vermont. Son of Stephen Arnold Douglass and Sarah Fisk. Moved to Ontario Co., New York, 1830. Moved to Jacksonville, Morgan Co., Illinois, 1833. Served as attorney general of Illinois...

View Full Bio
. He informed the council that Tyler regretted the way 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
were treated in
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
and that he had asked about how they were adjusting 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
. Hyde also reported that Douglas had expressed enthusiasm for westward migration to
California

Originally part of New Spain. After Mexico declared independence, 1821, area became part of Mexico. American colonization increased, after 1840. By 1841, area was known variously as California, Upper California, Alta California, and New California. Area included...

More Info
and the
Oregon territory

Lewis and Clark expedition wintered in area, 1805–1806. Treaty of 1818 between U.S. and England provided decade of joint rights to area. Major immigration to area from existing U.S. states commenced, 1839. Oregon Trail used as main route to area, beginning...

More Info
. Douglas told Hyde and
Pratt

19 Sept. 1811–3 Oct. 1881. Farmer, writer, teacher, merchant, surveyor, editor, publisher. Born at Hartford, Washington Co., New York. Son of Jared Pratt and Charity Dickinson. Moved to New Lebanon, Columbia Co., New York, 1814; to Canaan, Columbia Co., fall...

View Full Bio
that a congressional bill favoring any particular person’s interests in Oregon would not succeed but that there were no legal barriers preventing the Latter-day Saints from settling there. He also gave Hyde a map of Oregon, promised to send JS a copy of a report on Oregon created by
John C. Frémont

21 Jan. 1813–13 July 1890. Instructor, explorer, military officer, politician. Born in Savannah, Chatham Co., Georgia. Son of Jean Charles Frémon and Anne Beverley Whiting Pryor. Moved to Charleston, Charleston Co., South Carolina, ca. 1818. Attended Charleston...

View Full Bio
and 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’s Corps of Topographical Engineers, and said he would meet with JS when he returned to
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
.
Hyde

8 Jan. 1805–28 Nov. 1878. Laborer, clerk, storekeeper, teacher, editor, businessman, lawyer, judge. Born at Oxford, New Haven Co., Connecticut. Son of Nathan Hyde and Sally Thorpe. Moved to Derby, New Haven Co., 1812. Moved to Kirtland, Geauga Co., Ohio, ...

View Full Bio
addressed his letter to JS, the standing chair of 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
, asking that he present it to the council. However, Hyde addressed the wrapper of the letter to
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
, who was not only a council member but also the postmaster of
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
, which meant that he could send and receive mail without charge.
2

Council of Fifty, “Record,” 11 and 19 Mar. 1844; “List of Letters,” Nauvoo Neighbor, 17 Jan. 1844, [3]. As a postmaster, Rigdon was entitled to franking privileges, meaning he could receive mail for free.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Nauvoo Neighbor. Nauvoo, IL. 1843–1845.

On 13 May, JS received this letter as well as Hyde’s 25 April 1844 letter, and the Council of Fifty discussed them at a meeting held that afternoon.
3

Council of Fifty, “Record,” 13 May 1844; JS, Journal, 13 May 1844.


A clerk, possibly
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
, drafted a response on behalf of the council, which Hyde received on 8 June 1844.
4

Council of Fifty, “Record,” 13 May 1844; Orson Hyde, Washington DC, to “Dear Brethren,” Nauvoo, IL, 9 June 1844, JS Collection, CHL.


Hyde

8 Jan. 1805–28 Nov. 1878. Laborer, clerk, storekeeper, teacher, editor, businessman, lawyer, judge. Born at Oxford, New Haven Co., Connecticut. Son of Nathan Hyde and Sally Thorpe. Moved to Derby, New Haven Co., 1812. Moved to Kirtland, Geauga Co., Ohio, ...

View Full Bio
’s original letter was kept and preserved among the church’s records. Sometime after JS received Hyde’s letter,
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
copied it into 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
’s record book.
5

See Letters from Orson Hyde, 25 and 26 Apr. 1844.


The original letter is featured here.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    See Letter from Orson Hyde, 25 Apr. 1844; and Memorial to the United States Senate and House of Representatives, ca. 24–26 Mar. 1844; see also Letter from Orson Hyde, 30 Apr. 1844; Orson Hyde, Washington DC, to “Dear Brethren,” Nauvoo, IL, 9 June 1844; and Orson Hyde, Washington DC, to “Dear Brethren,” Nauvoo, IL, 11 June 1844, JS Collection, CHL.

  2. [2]

    Council of Fifty, “Record,” 11 and 19 Mar. 1844; “List of Letters,” Nauvoo Neighbor, 17 Jan. 1844, [3]. As a postmaster, Rigdon was entitled to franking privileges, meaning he could receive mail for free.

    Nauvoo Neighbor. Nauvoo, IL. 1843–1845.

  3. [3]

    Council of Fifty, “Record,” 13 May 1844; JS, Journal, 13 May 1844.

  4. [4]

    Council of Fifty, “Record,” 13 May 1844; Orson Hyde, Washington DC, to “Dear Brethren,” Nauvoo, IL, 9 June 1844, JS Collection, CHL.

  5. [5]

    See Letters from Orson Hyde, 25 and 26 Apr. 1844.

Asterisk (*) denotes a "featured" version, which includes an introduction and annotation. *Letter from Orson Hyde, 26 April 1844 Council of Fifty, Minutes, March 1844–January 1846; Volume 1, 10 March 1844–1 March 1845 History, 1838–1856, volume F-1 [1 May 1844–8 August 1844] “History of Joseph Smith” “History of Joseph Smith”

Page 5

The book is a most valuable document to any one contemplating a journey to
Oregon

Lewis and Clark expedition wintered in area, 1805–1806. Treaty of 1818 between U.S. and England provided decade of joint rights to area. Major immigration to area from existing U.S. states commenced, 1839. Oregon Trail used as main route to area, beginning...

More Info
. The Directions which I have given may not be exactly correct. but the book will tell correctly
Judge D.

23 Apr. 1813–3 June 1861. Lawyer, politician. Born at Brandon, Rutland Co., Vermont. Son of Stephen Arnold Douglass and Sarah Fisk. Moved to Ontario Co., New York, 1830. Moved to Jacksonville, Morgan Co., Illinois, 1833. Served as attorney general of Illinois...

View Full Bio
says he can Direct Mr. Smith to several gentlemen in
California

Originally part of New Spain. After Mexico declared independence, 1821, area became part of Mexico. American colonization increased, after 1840. By 1841, area was known variously as California, Upper California, Alta California, and New California. Area included...

More Info
who will be able to give him any information on the state of affairs in that
Country

Originally part of New Spain. After Mexico declared independence, 1821, area became part of Mexico. American colonization increased, after 1840. By 1841, area was known variously as California, Upper California, Alta California, and New California. Area included...

More Info
, and when he returns to
Ill.

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 will visit Mr. Smith.
Bro [Orson] Pratt

19 Sept. 1811–3 Oct. 1881. Farmer, writer, teacher, merchant, surveyor, editor, publisher. Born at Hartford, Washington Co., New York. Son of Jared Pratt and Charity Dickinson. Moved to New Lebanon, Columbia Co., New York, 1814; to Canaan, Columbia Co., fall...

View Full Bio
and myself drafted a bill this morning and handed it into the committee on the Judiciary from the Senate,
15

Members of the Committee on the Judiciary included senators Daniel E. Huger of South Carolina, John M. Berrien of Georgia, Thomas Clayton of Delaware, William L. Dayton of New Jersey, and Robert J. Walker of Missouri. (Congressional Globe, 28th Cong., 1st Sess., p. 22 [1843]; Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 648, 835–836, 936, 1294, 2106.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

The Congressional Globe, Containing Sketches of the Debates and Proceedings of the Twenty-Sixth Congress. Vol. 8. Washington DC: Blair and Rives, 1840.

Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1774–1989: The Continental Congress September 5, 1774, to October 21, 1788, and the Congress of the United States from the First through the One Hundredth Congresses March 4, 1789, to January 3, 1989, Inclusive. Edited by Kathryn Allamong Jacob and Bruce A. Ragsdale. Washington DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1989.

asking an appropiation of 2,000,000 Dolls for the relief of the sufferers among our people in
Mo.

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
in 1838— & 9— to be deposited in the hands of the City Council of
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
, and by them dealt out to the sufferers in proportion to their loss.
16

The draft bill Hyde described was apparently written to accompany the petition Pratt had submitted to Congress earlier that year. It is unclear if the Senate Committee on the Judiciary took action on the bill. The handwritten bill is currently located with another petition from Lyman Wight and Heber C. Kimball in the papers of the Senate Committee on Public Lands, but it is unclear whether that is because the bill was transferred to that committee or because of a later clerical error. (“A Bill for the Relief of ‘the Latter Day Saints,’” in Lyman Wight and Heber C. Kimball, Petition to U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, 1844, Record Group 46, Records of the U.S. Senate, National Archives, Washington DC; see also McBride and Mahas, “Orson Pratt and Orson Hyde, ‘A Bill for the Relief of “the Latter Day Saints,”’” 226–231.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Wight, Lyman, and Heber C. Kimball. Petition to U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, 1844. Petitions, Memorials, Resolutions of State Legislatures, and Related Documents Which Were Referred to the Committee on Public Lands during the 28th Congress. Petitions and Memorials, 1816–1948. Record Group 46, Records of the U.S. Senate, 1789–2015. National Archives, Washington DC.

McBride, Spencer W., and Jeffrey D. Mahas, eds. “Orson Pratt and Orson Hyde, ‘A Bill for the Relief of “the Latter Day Saints,” Exiled from the State of Missouri in the Winter of 1838 and 1839, [April 26, 1844].’” Mormon Historical Studies 16, no. 1 (Spring 2015): 226–231.

We intend to tease them until we either provoke them, or get them to do something for us. I have learned this much; that if we want Congress to do any thing for us; in drawing up our memorial, we must not ask, what is right in the matter; but we must ask, what kind of a thing will Congress pass? Will it suit the politicks of the majority? Will it be popular or unpopular? For you might as well drive a musked ball through a cotton bag, or the gospel of Christ through the heart of a priest, case hardened by sectarinism [p. 5]
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Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Letter from Orson Hyde, 26 April 1844
ID #
1341
Total Pages
8
Print Volume Location
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  • Orson Hyde

Footnotes

  1. [15]

    Members of the Committee on the Judiciary included senators Daniel E. Huger of South Carolina, John M. Berrien of Georgia, Thomas Clayton of Delaware, William L. Dayton of New Jersey, and Robert J. Walker of Missouri. (Congressional Globe, 28th Cong., 1st Sess., p. 22 [1843]; Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 648, 835–836, 936, 1294, 2106.)

    The Congressional Globe, Containing Sketches of the Debates and Proceedings of the Twenty-Sixth Congress. Vol. 8. Washington DC: Blair and Rives, 1840.

    Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1774–1989: The Continental Congress September 5, 1774, to October 21, 1788, and the Congress of the United States from the First through the One Hundredth Congresses March 4, 1789, to January 3, 1989, Inclusive. Edited by Kathryn Allamong Jacob and Bruce A. Ragsdale. Washington DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1989.

  2. [16]

    The draft bill Hyde described was apparently written to accompany the petition Pratt had submitted to Congress earlier that year. It is unclear if the Senate Committee on the Judiciary took action on the bill. The handwritten bill is currently located with another petition from Lyman Wight and Heber C. Kimball in the papers of the Senate Committee on Public Lands, but it is unclear whether that is because the bill was transferred to that committee or because of a later clerical error. (“A Bill for the Relief of ‘the Latter Day Saints,’” in Lyman Wight and Heber C. Kimball, Petition to U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, 1844, Record Group 46, Records of the U.S. Senate, National Archives, Washington DC; see also McBride and Mahas, “Orson Pratt and Orson Hyde, ‘A Bill for the Relief of “the Latter Day Saints,”’” 226–231.)

    Wight, Lyman, and Heber C. Kimball. Petition to U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, 1844. Petitions, Memorials, Resolutions of State Legislatures, and Related Documents Which Were Referred to the Committee on Public Lands during the 28th Congress. Petitions and Memorials, 1816–1948. Record Group 46, Records of the U.S. Senate, 1789–2015. National Archives, Washington DC.

    McBride, Spencer W., and Jeffrey D. Mahas, eds. “Orson Pratt and Orson Hyde, ‘A Bill for the Relief of “the Latter Day Saints,” Exiled from the State of Missouri in the Winter of 1838 and 1839, [April 26, 1844].’” Mormon Historical Studies 16, no. 1 (Spring 2015): 226–231.

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