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Letter from Reuben Hedlock, 16–17 October 1843

Source Note

Reuben Hedlock

1809–5 July 1869. Printer, carpenter, journeyman. Born in U.S. Married first Susan Wheeler, 1827. Married second Lydia Fox. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, by 1836. Moved to Kirtland, Geauga Co., Ohio, and ordained an elder, by ...

View Full Bio
, Letter,
Liverpool

Seaport, city, county borough, and market-town in northwestern England. Experienced exponential growth during nineteenth century. Population in 1830 about 120,000. Population in 1841 about 290,000. First Latter-day Saint missionaries to England arrived in...

More Info
, Lancashire, England, to
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
, 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
(including JS), and
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, 16–17 Oct. 1843; handwriting and signature of
Reuben Hedlock

1809–5 July 1869. Printer, carpenter, journeyman. Born in U.S. Married first Susan Wheeler, 1827. Married second Lydia Fox. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, by 1836. Moved to Kirtland, Geauga Co., Ohio, and ordained an elder, by ...

View Full Bio
; eight pages; Brigham Young Office Files, CHL. Includes address, notation, and docket.
Two bifolia folded together to make a gathering of four leaves measuring 9¾ × 7¾ inches (25 × 20 cm). The letter was inscribed on all eight pages. It was trifolded twice in letter style and addressed. The letter was later refolded and docketed for filing.
The notation “
Liverpool

Seaport, city, county borough, and market-town in northwestern England. Experienced exponential growth during nineteenth century. Population in 1830 about 120,000. Population in 1841 about 290,000. First Latter-day Saint missionaries to England arrived in...

More Info
Nov 5[th]. 1843
H. Clark

22 Sept. 1795–28 Dec. 1853 Born in Rutland Co., Vermont. Son of Lyman Clark and Parmela. Married first Mary Fenno. Moved to Antwerp, Jefferson Co., New York, by 1820. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, ca. 1835. Married second Thankful...

View Full Bio
&
Ward

9 Sept. 1808–4 Mar. 1847. Newspaper editor, schoolmaster. Born in Ludlow, Shropshire, England. Son of Richard Ward and Elizabeth. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, by Dec. 1840. Ordained an elder by Parley P. Pratt. Moved to Manchester...

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Conserning Pasengers” was added in unidentified handwriting either in
England

Island nation consisting of southern portion of Great Britain and surrounding smaller islands. Bounded on north by Scotland and on west by Wales. Became province of Roman Empire, first century. Ruled by Romans, through 447. Ruled by Picts, Scots, and Saxons...

More Info
or after the document was received 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 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.

By 1994 the document had been included in the Brigham Young Office Files at the Church Historical Department (now CHL).
2

See the full bibliographic entry for Brigham Young Office Files, 1832–1878, in the CHL catalog.


The document’s early docket and inclusion in the Brigham Young Office Files by 1994 suggest 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]

    See the full bibliographic entry for Brigham Young Office Files, 1832–1878, in the CHL catalog.

Historical Introduction

On 16 and 17 October 1843,
Reuben Hedlock

1809–5 July 1869. Printer, carpenter, journeyman. Born in U.S. Married first Susan Wheeler, 1827. Married second Lydia Fox. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, by 1836. Moved to Kirtland, Geauga Co., Ohio, and ordained an elder, by ...

View Full Bio
, the
presiding elder

A leader over a local ecclesiastical unit of the church; also a title indicating the leading officers of the church. When the church was organized, JS and Oliver Cowdery were ordained as first and second elders, respectively, distinguishing them as the church...

View Glossary
of the British mission, wrote a second letter from the mission office in
Liverpool

Seaport, city, county borough, and market-town in northwestern England. Experienced exponential growth during nineteenth century. Population in 1830 about 120,000. Population in 1841 about 290,000. First Latter-day Saint missionaries to England arrived in...

More Info
to 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
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, reporting on the state of the
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
in the British Isles.
1

Hedlock sent a letter to church leaders on 4 October, shortly after he arrived in Liverpool; this second communication provided a more comprehensive overview of the challenges facing the church in the British Isles. (Letter from Reuben Hedlock, 4 Oct. 1843.)


During the early 1840s, the church had grown immensely in the region due to the proselytizing efforts of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and other missionaries.
2

There were approximately eight thousand members in Great Britain by October 1843; this figure does not include the thousands of British Saints who had already migrated to Nauvoo. (Letter from Thomas Ward and Hiram Clark, 3 Oct. 1843; “General Conference,” Millennial Star, July 1843, 4:36.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Latter-day Saints’ Millennial Star. Manchester, England, 1840–1842; Liverpool, 1842–1932; London, 1932–1970.

The message preached by these missionaries was especially attractive to members of the working class, many of whom labored in the burgeoning industrial centers of Lancashire and Staffordshire.
3

Morris, “Emergence and Development of the Church . . . in Staffordshire, 1839–1870,” chaps. 3–5; Allen and Thorp, “Mission of the Twelve to England, 1840–41,” 499–500, 503–521.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Morris, David Michael. “The Emergence and Development of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Staffordshire, 1839–1870.” PhD diss., University of Chichester, 2010.

Allen, James B., and Malcom R. Thorp. “The Mission of the Twelve to England, 1840–41: Mormon Apostles and the Working Classes.” BYU Studies 15, no. 4 (Summer 1975): 499–526.

Missionaries organized scores of new Latter-day Saint congregations throughout
England

Island nation consisting of southern portion of Great Britain and surrounding smaller islands. Bounded on north by Scotland and on west by Wales. Became province of Roman Empire, first century. Ruled by Romans, through 447. Ruled by Picts, Scots, and Saxons...

More Info
, Scotland, and Wales, which generated both enthusiasm and antagonism toward the church.
4

“General Conference,” Millennial Star, July 1843, 4:33–36; see also Allen and Thorp, “Mission of the Twelve to England, 1840–41,” 522–523.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Latter-day Saints’ Millennial Star. Manchester, England, 1840–1842; Liverpool, 1842–1932; London, 1932–1970.

Allen, James B., and Malcom R. Thorp. “The Mission of the Twelve to England, 1840–41: Mormon Apostles and the Working Classes.” BYU Studies 15, no. 4 (Summer 1975): 499–526.

In 1841 and 1842, the return of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and other prominent missionaries to 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
—as well as the emigration of some British leaders 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
—resulted in a leadership vacuum in local
branches

An ecclesiastical organization of church members in a particular locale. A branch was generally smaller than a stake or a conference. Branches were also referred to as churches, as in “the Church of Shalersville.” In general, a branch was led by a presiding...

View Glossary
, doctrinal disagreements, and apostasy in some congregations.
5

Woodruff, Journal, 20 Apr. and 19 May 1841; Hiram Clark, “Extract from Elder Hiram Clark’s Journal, and Address to the Saints in the British Islands,” Millennial Star, Feb. 1844, 4:145–148; Letter from Thomas Ward and Hiram Clark, 1 Mar. 1843; “From P. P. Pratt,” Millennial Star, Apr. 1843, 3:206; Letter from Thomas Ward and Hiram Clark, 3 Oct. 1843.


Comprehensive Works Cited

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

Latter-day Saints’ Millennial Star. Manchester, England, 1840–1842; Liverpool, 1842–1932; London, 1932–1970.

At the same time, negative depictions of the church circulated in the British media, especially because of the writings of
Henry Caswall

11 May 1810–17 Dec. 1870. Clergyman, professor, author. Born at Yateley, Hampshire, England. Son of Robert Clarke Caswall and Mary Burgess. Moved to U.S. to study at newly founded Kenyon College in Gambier, Knox Co., Ohio, 1828. First ordained graduate of...

View Full Bio
, an English-born Episcopalian minister and professor of divinity at Kemper College in
St. Louis

Located on west side of Mississippi River about fifteen miles south of confluence with Missouri River. Founded as fur-trading post by French settlers, 1764. Incorporated as town, 1809. First Mississippi steamboat docked by town, 1817. Incorporated as city...

More Info
.
6

Kemper College, Catalogue of the Officers and Students, 9.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Catalogue of the Officers and Students of Kemper College, for the Year 1842–43. St. Louis: Ustick & Davies, 1843.

In April 1842, Caswall visited Nauvoo with the intent to expose JS as a fraud. According to his account, Caswall showed JS an ancient Greek psalter and asked him to explain the text inscribed on it. Caswall later claimed that JS told him the book was a “dictionary of Egyptian Hieroglyphics . . . like the letters that was engraved on the golden plates.” Caswall apparently denounced JS as a fraud in front of a group of church members and later publicized his account of their conversation in The City of the Mormons; or, Three Days at Nauvoo, in 1842, an exposé published in
London

City in southeast England; located on River Thames about sixty miles west of North Sea. Capital city of England. Population in 1841 about 2,000,000. London conference of British mission organized, 1841.

More Info
in 1842. Sometime before April 1843, he published another critical depiction of the Latter-day Saints in the book The Prophet of the Nineteenth Century.
7

Caswall, City of the Mormons, 5, 35–37, 43–45, italics in original; “Caswall’s Prophet of the Nineteenth Century,” Millennial Star, Apr. 1843, 3:195–199.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Caswall, Henry. The City of the Mormons; or, Three Days at Nauvoo, in 1842. London: J. G. F. and J. Rivington, 1842.

Latter-day Saints’ Millennial Star. Manchester, England, 1840–1842; Liverpool, 1842–1932; London, 1932–1970.

In October 1843, the Times and Seasons published an account refuting Caswall’s characterization of the 1842 encounter, insisting that JS “declined having any thing to do with it” after a nervous Caswall asked for a translation of the psalter.
8

“Reward of Merit,” Times and Seasons, 15 Oct. 1843, 4:364–365. Speaking of Caswall’s 1842 visit to Nauvoo, John Taylor later recalled, “I saw Mr. Caswell in the printing office at Nauvoo; he had with him an old manuscript, and professed to be anxious to know what it was. I looked at it, and told him that I believed it was a Greek manuscript. In his book, he states that it was a Greek Psalter; but that none of the Mormons told him what it was. Herein is a falsehood, for I told him.” (Taylor, Three Nights’ Public Discussion, 5.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

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

Taylor, John. Three Nights’ Public Discussion between the Revds. C. W. Cleeve, James Robertson, and Philip Cater, and Elder John Taylor, of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. . . . Liverpool: [By the author], 1850.

The writings of Caswall and other individuals hostile to the church in Great Britain remained a source of consternation to missionaries and church leaders in fall 1843.
The lack of strong leadership and the proliferation of literature antagonistic to the church throughout Great Britain convinced
Hedlock

1809–5 July 1869. Printer, carpenter, journeyman. Born in U.S. Married first Susan Wheeler, 1827. Married second Lydia Fox. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, by 1836. Moved to Kirtland, Geauga Co., Ohio, and ordained an elder, by ...

View Full Bio
and other local leaders that they needed to disseminate accurate news, correct doctrine, and general instruction through official church publications. In November 1842, the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles directed church leaders in
England

Island nation consisting of southern portion of Great Britain and surrounding smaller islands. Bounded on north by Scotland and on west by Wales. Became province of Roman Empire, first century. Ruled by Romans, through 447. Ruled by Picts, Scots, and Saxons...

More Info
to cease publishing the
Liverpool

Seaport, city, county borough, and market-town in northwestern England. Experienced exponential growth during nineteenth century. Population in 1830 about 120,000. Population in 1841 about 290,000. First Latter-day Saint missionaries to England arrived in...

More Info
-based newspaper Millennial Star following
Parley P. Pratt

12 Apr. 1807–13 May 1857. Farmer, editor, publisher, teacher, school administrator, legislator, explorer, author. Born at Burlington, Otsego Co., New York. Son of Jared Pratt and Charity Dickinson. Traveled west with brother William to acquire land, 1823....

View Full Bio
’s departure until they received further instruction. British leaders received the directive in February 1843, but in early October 1843, Hedlock and his counselors,
Thomas Ward

9 Sept. 1808–4 Mar. 1847. Newspaper editor, schoolmaster. Born in Ludlow, Shropshire, England. Son of Richard Ward and Elizabeth. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, by Dec. 1840. Ordained an elder by Parley P. Pratt. Moved to Manchester...

View Full Bio
and
Hiram Clark

22 Sept. 1795–28 Dec. 1853 Born in Rutland Co., Vermont. Son of Lyman Clark and Parmela. Married first Mary Fenno. Moved to Antwerp, Jefferson Co., New York, by 1820. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, ca. 1835. Married second Thankful...

View Full Bio
, appealed to church leaders 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
to allow them to continue publishing the Millennial Star or to send them copies 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
newspaper Times and Seasons to ensure “a means of communication with, and instruction of the English churches.”
9

Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Minutes, 21 Nov. 1842; Letter from Thomas Ward and Hiram Clark, 1 Mar. 1843; Letter from Reuben Hedlock, 4 Oct. 1843; Letter from Thomas Ward and Hiram Clark, 3 Oct. 1843. Though Ward halted the newspaper’s operations for two months, he resumed publishing the paper in July 1843. (Letter from Reuben Hedlock, 4 Oct. 1843; “Editorial,” Millennial Star, May 1843, 4:13.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Minutes, 1840–1844. CHL.

Latter-day Saints’ Millennial Star. Manchester, England, 1840–1842; Liverpool, 1842–1932; London, 1932–1970.

In his letter written on 16 and 17 October, featured here, Hedlock appealed again to church leaders to allow him to resume publishing the Millennial Star or to reprint the Times and Seasons.
Hedlock

1809–5 July 1869. Printer, carpenter, journeyman. Born in U.S. Married first Susan Wheeler, 1827. Married second Lydia Fox. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, by 1836. Moved to Kirtland, Geauga Co., Ohio, and ordained an elder, by ...

View Full Bio
wrote his letter to the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in his office in
Liverpool

Seaport, city, county borough, and market-town in northwestern England. Experienced exponential growth during nineteenth century. Population in 1830 about 120,000. Population in 1841 about 290,000. First Latter-day Saint missionaries to England arrived in...

More Info
. He apparently began writing late in the evening on 16 October and wrote until two o’clock in the morning on 17 October. Later that morning, he resumed and completed the letter. In addition to describing the state of individual branches in Great Britain, Hedlock acknowledged leadership problems, doctrinal disagreements, and the propagation of antagonistic literature in Great Britain. He specifically mentioned
Caswall

11 May 1810–17 Dec. 1870. Clergyman, professor, author. Born at Yateley, Hampshire, England. Son of Robert Clarke Caswall and Mary Burgess. Moved to U.S. to study at newly founded Kenyon College in Gambier, Knox Co., Ohio, 1828. First ordained graduate of...

View Full Bio
’s influence and included a lengthy quotation from his writings. Hedlock also communicated information related to Latter-day Saint migration from
England

Island nation consisting of southern portion of Great Britain and surrounding smaller islands. Bounded on north by Scotland and on west by Wales. Became province of Roman Empire, first century. Ruled by Romans, through 447. Ruled by Picts, Scots, and Saxons...

More Info
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
. At the end of the letter, Hedlock wrote a paragraph directed specifically to apostles
John Taylor

1 Nov. 1808–25 July 1887. Preacher, editor, publisher, politician. Born at Milnthorpe, Westmoreland, England. Son of James Taylor and Agnes Taylor, members of Church of England. Around age sixteen, joined Methodist church and was local preacher. Migrated ...

View Full Bio
and
Wilford Woodruff

1 Mar. 1807–2 Sept. 1898. Farmer, miller. Born at Farmington, Hartford Co., Connecticut. Son of Aphek Woodruff and Beulah Thompson. Moved to Richland, Oswego Co., New York, 1832. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by Zera Pulsipher,...

View Full Bio
regarding British sales 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
newspapers Times and Seasons and Nauvoo Neighbor and a paragraph directed specifically to JS related to an unspecified business arrangement between the two men. Lastly, he included a postscript indicating that he would send personal items for
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
,
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 others on subsequent ships bound for 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
. Hedlock also mentioned that he would include the most recent Millennial Star issues, which are no longer with the letter. The letter contains no postal marks or seals and was likely conveyed to Nauvoo by a courier who traversed the Atlantic aboard the steamship Britannia.
10

The Britannia was a steamship built in 1840 by the Cunard Line, a steamship company that transported passengers and mail across the Atlantic Ocean between Liverpool and Boston. (“Duties on Imports by British Steamers at Boston and New York,” 377; Gibbs, Passenger Liners of the Western Ocean, 48; Smith, Coal, Steam and Ships, 102.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

"Duties on Imports by British Steamers at Boston and New York." Hunt's Merchants' Magazine and Commercial Review 25, no. 3 (Sept. 1851): 377–379.

Gibbs, C. R. Vernon. Passenger Liners of the Western Ocean: A Record of the North Atlantic Steam and Motor Passenger Vessels from 1838 to the Present Day. London: Staples Press, 1952.

Smith, Crosbie. Coal, Steam and Ships: Engineering, Enterprise and Empire on the Nineteenth-Century Seas. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2018.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    Hedlock sent a letter to church leaders on 4 October, shortly after he arrived in Liverpool; this second communication provided a more comprehensive overview of the challenges facing the church in the British Isles. (Letter from Reuben Hedlock, 4 Oct. 1843.)

  2. [2]

    There were approximately eight thousand members in Great Britain by October 1843; this figure does not include the thousands of British Saints who had already migrated to Nauvoo. (Letter from Thomas Ward and Hiram Clark, 3 Oct. 1843; “General Conference,” Millennial Star, July 1843, 4:36.)

    Latter-day Saints’ Millennial Star. Manchester, England, 1840–1842; Liverpool, 1842–1932; London, 1932–1970.

  3. [3]

    Morris, “Emergence and Development of the Church . . . in Staffordshire, 1839–1870,” chaps. 3–5; Allen and Thorp, “Mission of the Twelve to England, 1840–41,” 499–500, 503–521.

    Morris, David Michael. “The Emergence and Development of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Staffordshire, 1839–1870.” PhD diss., University of Chichester, 2010.

    Allen, James B., and Malcom R. Thorp. “The Mission of the Twelve to England, 1840–41: Mormon Apostles and the Working Classes.” BYU Studies 15, no. 4 (Summer 1975): 499–526.

  4. [4]

    “General Conference,” Millennial Star, July 1843, 4:33–36; see also Allen and Thorp, “Mission of the Twelve to England, 1840–41,” 522–523.

    Latter-day Saints’ Millennial Star. Manchester, England, 1840–1842; Liverpool, 1842–1932; London, 1932–1970.

    Allen, James B., and Malcom R. Thorp. “The Mission of the Twelve to England, 1840–41: Mormon Apostles and the Working Classes.” BYU Studies 15, no. 4 (Summer 1975): 499–526.

  5. [5]

    Woodruff, Journal, 20 Apr. and 19 May 1841; Hiram Clark, “Extract from Elder Hiram Clark’s Journal, and Address to the Saints in the British Islands,” Millennial Star, Feb. 1844, 4:145–148; Letter from Thomas Ward and Hiram Clark, 1 Mar. 1843; “From P. P. Pratt,” Millennial Star, Apr. 1843, 3:206; Letter from Thomas Ward and Hiram Clark, 3 Oct. 1843.

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

    Latter-day Saints’ Millennial Star. Manchester, England, 1840–1842; Liverpool, 1842–1932; London, 1932–1970.

  6. [6]

    Kemper College, Catalogue of the Officers and Students, 9.

    Catalogue of the Officers and Students of Kemper College, for the Year 1842–43. St. Louis: Ustick & Davies, 1843.

  7. [7]

    Caswall, City of the Mormons, 5, 35–37, 43–45, italics in original; “Caswall’s Prophet of the Nineteenth Century,” Millennial Star, Apr. 1843, 3:195–199.

    Caswall, Henry. The City of the Mormons; or, Three Days at Nauvoo, in 1842. London: J. G. F. and J. Rivington, 1842.

    Latter-day Saints’ Millennial Star. Manchester, England, 1840–1842; Liverpool, 1842–1932; London, 1932–1970.

  8. [8]

    “Reward of Merit,” Times and Seasons, 15 Oct. 1843, 4:364–365. Speaking of Caswall’s 1842 visit to Nauvoo, John Taylor later recalled, “I saw Mr. Caswell in the printing office at Nauvoo; he had with him an old manuscript, and professed to be anxious to know what it was. I looked at it, and told him that I believed it was a Greek manuscript. In his book, he states that it was a Greek Psalter; but that none of the Mormons told him what it was. Herein is a falsehood, for I told him.” (Taylor, Three Nights’ Public Discussion, 5.)

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

    Taylor, John. Three Nights’ Public Discussion between the Revds. C. W. Cleeve, James Robertson, and Philip Cater, and Elder John Taylor, of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. . . . Liverpool: [By the author], 1850.

  9. [9]

    Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Minutes, 21 Nov. 1842; Letter from Thomas Ward and Hiram Clark, 1 Mar. 1843; Letter from Reuben Hedlock, 4 Oct. 1843; Letter from Thomas Ward and Hiram Clark, 3 Oct. 1843. Though Ward halted the newspaper’s operations for two months, he resumed publishing the paper in July 1843. (Letter from Reuben Hedlock, 4 Oct. 1843; “Editorial,” Millennial Star, May 1843, 4:13.)

    Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Minutes, 1840–1844. CHL.

    Latter-day Saints’ Millennial Star. Manchester, England, 1840–1842; Liverpool, 1842–1932; London, 1932–1970.

  10. [10]

    The Britannia was a steamship built in 1840 by the Cunard Line, a steamship company that transported passengers and mail across the Atlantic Ocean between Liverpool and Boston. (“Duties on Imports by British Steamers at Boston and New York,” 377; Gibbs, Passenger Liners of the Western Ocean, 48; Smith, Coal, Steam and Ships, 102.)

    "Duties on Imports by British Steamers at Boston and New York." Hunt's Merchants' Magazine and Commercial Review 25, no. 3 (Sept. 1851): 377–379.

    Gibbs, C. R. Vernon. Passenger Liners of the Western Ocean: A Record of the North Atlantic Steam and Motor Passenger Vessels from 1838 to the Present Day. London: Staples Press, 1952.

    Smith, Crosbie. Coal, Steam and Ships: Engineering, Enterprise and Empire on the Nineteenth-Century Seas. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2018.

Page [1]

Liverpool

Seaport, city, county borough, and market-town in northwestern England. Experienced exponential growth during nineteenth century. Population in 1830 about 120,000. Population in 1841 about 290,000. First Latter-day Saint missionaries to England arrived in...

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, Oct 16th. 1843
Mr
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...

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and 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...

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& the
Quorum of the twelve Apostle

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
Greetin
Much Esteemed and Beloved Breathen I take my pen to adress a few lines to you, to inform you of the my arrival in this Distant Land and which was on the 30th of September last
1

In a 4 October 1843 letter to the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Reuben Hedlock provided additional details about his arrival in Liverpool, including the members of his party—John Cairns, James Sloan, Mary Magill Sloan, James Houston, and William Jarman—and their journey across the Atlantic Ocean. (Letter from Reuben Hedlock, 4 Oct. 1843.)


and hope these few lines will find you and the Saints 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....

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Enjoying good health as they leave me at present, I also write to let you know the situation of things in this land as far as I have Become aquainted with them the shortness of time that I have been hear will not permit me to give you all particulars which I will inform you of as fast as I Become acquainted with them I should Be extremly happy could you find time amidst the multiplisety of the care and buesnis [business] that Devolves upon you to write to me once a month for you know my need of your counill [counsel] in the great Concern that nessaryly Devolves upon me therefore in order that you may be able to give Council adapted to the circunstances in which I am placed it will Be Recqured that I should give you every particular concerning the affairs of the
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...

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in this Land which I shall not fail to Do as often as opertunity presents it self.
I found
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...

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[Hiram] Clark

22 Sept. 1795–28 Dec. 1853 Born in Rutland Co., Vermont. Son of Lyman Clark and Parmela. Married first Mary Fenno. Moved to Antwerp, Jefferson Co., New York, by 1820. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, ca. 1835. Married second Thankful...

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[Thomas] ward

9 Sept. 1808–4 Mar. 1847. Newspaper editor, schoolmaster. Born in Ludlow, Shropshire, England. Son of Richard Ward and Elizabeth. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, by Dec. 1840. Ordained an elder by Parley P. Pratt. Moved to Manchester...

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&
[Amos] Fielding

16 July 1792–5 Aug. 1875. Clerk, matchmaker, surveyor. Born in Lancashire, England. Son of Matthew Fielding and Mary Cooper. Christened Anglican. Immigrated to U.S., 1811; returned to Lancashire, by 1829. Married Mary Haydock, 28 June 1829, in Eccleston, ...

View Full Bio
well
2

Before departing England for America in October 1842, apostle Parley P. Pratt appointed Ward, a British convert, as his “successor in the office of the General Presidency of the Church in Europe.” Clark, who was sent by the Twelve to take charge of the emigration from England in place of Fielding, served as Ward’s counselor. Fielding continued to assist with emigration despite receiving instructions to return to Nauvoo. (Parley P. Pratt, “To the Saints in Europe,” Millennial Star, Oct. 1842, 3:110; Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Minutes, 14 June 1842; Letter from Thomas Ward and Hiram Clark, 1 Mar. 1843.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Latter-day Saints’ Millennial Star. Manchester, England, 1840–1842; Liverpool, 1842–1932; London, 1932–1970.

Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Minutes, 1840–1844. CHL.

and the saints in
Liverpool

Seaport, city, county borough, and market-town in northwestern England. Experienced exponential growth during nineteenth century. Population in 1830 about 120,000. Population in 1841 about 290,000. First Latter-day Saint missionaries to England arrived in...

More Info
in good standing with few exceptons soon after my arival hear I Received in connection with Elders
Ward

9 Sept. 1808–4 Mar. 1847. Newspaper editor, schoolmaster. Born in Ludlow, Shropshire, England. Son of Richard Ward and Elizabeth. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, by Dec. 1840. Ordained an elder by Parley P. Pratt. Moved to Manchester...

View Full Bio
and
Clark

22 Sept. 1795–28 Dec. 1853 Born in Rutland Co., Vermont. Son of Lyman Clark and Parmela. Married first Mary Fenno. Moved to Antwerp, Jefferson Co., New York, by 1820. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, ca. 1835. Married second Thankful...

View Full Bio
letters from Different parts of
England

Island nation consisting of southern portion of Great Britain and surrounding smaller islands. Bounded on north by Scotland and on west by Wales. Became province of Roman Empire, first century. Ruled by Romans, through 447. Ruled by Picts, Scots, and Saxons...

More Info
viz one from
London

City in southeast England; located on River Thames about sixty miles west of North Sea. Capital city of England. Population in 1841 about 2,000,000. London conference of British mission organized, 1841.

More Info
saying that there was Diffacuties [difficulties] Existing there that Required immediat attention
3

In October 1843, the London conference included 332 church members divided into at least six branches. In early 1844, Reuben Hedlock reported to JS and the apostles that there were “some strange teachings in the London Conference” and considerable “Dissadisfaction ammong the Saints in London,” and that many members were excommunicated. (“London Conference,” Millennial Star, Oct. 1843, 4:84–85; Reuben Hedlock, Liverpool, England, to JS and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, [Nauvoo, IL], 10–21 Jan. 1844, p. 7, JS Collection, CHL.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Latter-day Saints’ Millennial Star. Manchester, England, 1840–1842; Liverpool, 1842–1932; London, 1932–1970.

also one from Chetingham saying that th[e]y needed a
persiding officer

A leader over a local ecclesiastical unit of the church; also a title indicating the leading officers of the church. When the church was organized, JS and Oliver Cowdery were ordained as first and second elders, respectively, distinguishing them as the church...

View Glossary
and some Diffacuties there to Be setled
4

Cheltenham is located on the River Chelt in south-central England. In June 1842, the Cheltenham conference consisted of 540 church members divided into seventeen branches. Elder Barradale was “appointed to take the presidency” of the Cheltenham branch in June 1843, but it is unclear who led the conference in October 1843. (“General Conference,” Millennial Star, June 1842, 3:29; “General Conference,” Millennial Star, July 1843, 4:35.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Latter-day Saints’ Millennial Star. Manchester, England, 1840–1842; Liverpool, 1842–1932; London, 1932–1970.

one from Graway Desiering that somthing mite Be done for them there was much need of instruction to the young Elders that were laboring there
5

This likely referred to the group of church members living in and near Garway, England. In April 1844, church member Richard Blakey reported that the Garway conference, comprising 172 members, was “much disorganized, but that it was now progressing.” (“General Conference,” Millennial Star, Apr. 1844, 4:195, 197–198; see also “General Conference,” Millennial Star, Apr. 1845, 5:169, 173.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Latter-day Saints’ Millennial Star. Manchester, England, 1840–1842; Liverpool, 1842–1932; London, 1932–1970.

also one from Stafford shire pot[te]ries also by the presiding
high pr[i]est

An ecclesiastical and priesthood office. Christ and many ancient prophets, including Abraham, were described as being high priests. The Book of Mormon used the term high priest to denote one appointed to lead the church. However, the Book of Mormon also discussed...

View Glossary
that is now hear on a vissit that there was much need of instrutions [p. [1]]
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Document Information

Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Letter from Reuben Hedlock, 16–17 October 1843
ID #
3414
Total Pages
8
Print Volume Location
JSP, D13:198–211
Handwriting on This Page
  • Reuben Hedlock

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    In a 4 October 1843 letter to the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Reuben Hedlock provided additional details about his arrival in Liverpool, including the members of his party—John Cairns, James Sloan, Mary Magill Sloan, James Houston, and William Jarman—and their journey across the Atlantic Ocean. (Letter from Reuben Hedlock, 4 Oct. 1843.)

  2. [2]

    Before departing England for America in October 1842, apostle Parley P. Pratt appointed Ward, a British convert, as his “successor in the office of the General Presidency of the Church in Europe.” Clark, who was sent by the Twelve to take charge of the emigration from England in place of Fielding, served as Ward’s counselor. Fielding continued to assist with emigration despite receiving instructions to return to Nauvoo. (Parley P. Pratt, “To the Saints in Europe,” Millennial Star, Oct. 1842, 3:110; Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Minutes, 14 June 1842; Letter from Thomas Ward and Hiram Clark, 1 Mar. 1843.)

    Latter-day Saints’ Millennial Star. Manchester, England, 1840–1842; Liverpool, 1842–1932; London, 1932–1970.

    Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Minutes, 1840–1844. CHL.

  3. [3]

    In October 1843, the London conference included 332 church members divided into at least six branches. In early 1844, Reuben Hedlock reported to JS and the apostles that there were “some strange teachings in the London Conference” and considerable “Dissadisfaction ammong the Saints in London,” and that many members were excommunicated. (“London Conference,” Millennial Star, Oct. 1843, 4:84–85; Reuben Hedlock, Liverpool, England, to JS and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, [Nauvoo, IL], 10–21 Jan. 1844, p. 7, JS Collection, CHL.)

    Latter-day Saints’ Millennial Star. Manchester, England, 1840–1842; Liverpool, 1842–1932; London, 1932–1970.

  4. [4]

    Cheltenham is located on the River Chelt in south-central England. In June 1842, the Cheltenham conference consisted of 540 church members divided into seventeen branches. Elder Barradale was “appointed to take the presidency” of the Cheltenham branch in June 1843, but it is unclear who led the conference in October 1843. (“General Conference,” Millennial Star, June 1842, 3:29; “General Conference,” Millennial Star, July 1843, 4:35.)

    Latter-day Saints’ Millennial Star. Manchester, England, 1840–1842; Liverpool, 1842–1932; London, 1932–1970.

  5. [5]

    This likely referred to the group of church members living in and near Garway, England. In April 1844, church member Richard Blakey reported that the Garway conference, comprising 172 members, was “much disorganized, but that it was now progressing.” (“General Conference,” Millennial Star, Apr. 1844, 4:195, 197–198; see also “General Conference,” Millennial Star, Apr. 1845, 5:169, 173.)

    Latter-day Saints’ Millennial Star. Manchester, England, 1840–1842; Liverpool, 1842–1932; London, 1932–1970.

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