The Papers
Browse the PapersDocumentsJournalsAdministrative RecordsRevelations and TranslationsHistoriesLegal RecordsFinancial RecordsOther Contemporary Papers
Reference
PeoplePlacesEventsGlossaryLegal GlossaryFinancial GlossaryCalendar of DocumentsWorks CitedFeatured TopicsLesson PlansRelated Publications
Media
VideosPhotographsIllustrationsChartsMapsPodcasts
News
Current NewsArchiveNewsletterSubscribeJSP Conferences
About
About the ProjectJoseph Smith and His PapersFAQAwardsEndorsementsReviewsEditorial MethodNote on TranscriptionsNote on Images of People and PlacesReferencing the ProjectCiting This WebsiteProject TeamContact Us
Published Volumes
  1. Home > 
  2. The Papers > 

Letter from Robert McCorkle, 10 May 1844

Source Note

, Letter, Dyer Co., Tennessee, to JS, , Hancock Co., IL, 10 May 1844; handwriting and signature presumably of ; three pages; JS Collection, CHL. Includes address, docket, and notation.
Bifolium measuring 12¼ × 7⅝ inches (31 × 19 cm) and ruled with thirty-eight horizontal lines printed in blue ink. 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 second leaf tore slightly when the letter was opened. The letter was later refolded for filing.
The document was docketed by , who served as JS’s scribe from 1843 to 1844 and as clerk to the church historian and recorder from 1845 to 1865. It was listed in an inventory that was produced by the Church Historian’s Office (later Church Historical Department) circa 1904. By 1973 the letter had been included in the JS Collection at the Church Historical Department (now CHL). The document’s early docket, its listing in a circa 1904 inventory, and its later inclusion in the JS Collection indicate continuous institutional custody.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    Jessee, “Writing of Joseph Smith’s History,” 456, 458; Woodruff, Journal, 22 Jan. 1865.

    Jessee, Dean C. “The Writing of Joseph Smith’s History.” BYU Studies 11 (Summer 1971): 439–473.

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

  2. [2]

    “Letters to and from the Prophet,” ca. 1904, [4], Historian’s Office, Catalogs and Inventories, 1846–1904, CHL.

    Historian’s Office. Catalogs and Inventories, 1846–1904. CHL. CR 100 130.

  3. [3]

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

Historical Introduction

On 10 May 1844, of Dyer County, Tennessee, wrote a letter to JS in , Illinois, expressing some of his concerns about JS and the . McCorkle—a farmer in his late thirties—had apparently learned about JS by February 1843 and was sufficiently impressed by JS to name a son after him. In April 1844, McCorkle visited Nauvoo to investigate the Latter-day Saints and their religion. While there, he attended the church’s April 1844 and purchased land in the city from church member on 17 April. As he later related in his letter, McCorkle sought to speak with JS during his visit so that he could present him with a list of questions. However, JS’s many responsibilities prevented the interview from taking place. Frustrated in his attempt to meet with JS, McCorkle returned home to Tennessee. There, McClellan apparently visited McCorkle and agreed to carry a letter for him free of charge. This opportunity led McCorkle to write JS a letter containing the questions he had been unable to submit to JS while in Nauvoo.
wrote the first part of his 10 May 1844 letter to JS in prose. In this portion, he explained his efforts to learn about the Saints and to speak with JS. He then described his reaction to what was taught at the April 1844 conference. McCorkle also posed some questions to JS about his claim to be a prophet and the economic feasibility of to . McCorkle wrote the second part of his letter in verse. The overarching concerns of his poetic inquiries were whether JS was a true prophet of God and whether the Saints were God’s people. McCorkle requested that JS respond to his poem in verse.
apparently delivered the letter to JS sometime after he returned from Tennessee on 26 May 1844. There is no known reply from JS and no evidence that joined the church or moved to .

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    Although McCorkle signed his letter with his initials “R. A. H.”, other records indicate that his first name was Robert. (Nauvoo Registry of Deeds, Record of Deeds, bk. B, p. 122; Smoot, Diary, 26 May and 7 June 1844.)

    Smoot, Abraham O. Diary, 1836–1845. Photocopy. Abraham O. Smoot, Papers, 1836–1893. Photocopy. CHL.

  2. [2]

    McCorkle’s son Joseph Smith McCorkle was born on 9 February 1843. Latter-day Saint missionaries first arrived in Tennessee in 1834. Missionaries had subsequently preached in many of the counties in the western part of the state, although it seems they did not visit Dyer County until sometime between May and August 1843. (Death Certificate for Joseph Smith McCorkle, 10 Aug. 1924, Yorkville, Gibson Co., TN, certificate 312, Tennessee Division of Vital Records, Death Records, 1914–1966, microfilm 1,299,770, U.S. and Canada Record Collection, FHL; David W. Patten and Warren Parrish, Paris, TN, 11 Oct. 1834, Letter to the Editor, Messenger and Advocate, Nov. 1834, 1:24; Woodruff, Journal, 27 Mar.–9 Apr. 1835; “Elder’s Conference,” Times and Seasons, 1 Apr. 1843, 4:157; Z. D. Wilson, Hancock Co., IL, 20 Jan. 1844, Letter to the Editor, Times and Seasons, 15 Feb. 1844, 5:446–447.)

    U.S. and Canada Record Collection. FHL.

    Latter Day Saints’ Messenger and Advocate. Kirtland, OH. Oct. 1834–Sept. 1837.

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

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

  3. [3]

    Nauvoo Registry of Deeds, Record of Deeds, bk. B, p. 122; Nauvoo Second Ward Census, [1], Nauvoo Stake, Ward Census, CHL.

    Nauvoo Stake. Ward Census, 1842. CHL.

  4. [4]

    McClellan traveled to Tennessee in 1844 to visit his wife’s family. He began his return journey to Nauvoo on 20 May 1844. (St. George Stake, High Priest Quorum Genealogical Sketches, part 2, pp. 66–67, Record of Members Collection, CHL.)

    Record of Members Collection, 1836–1970. CHL.

  5. [5]

    The notation “Per James M’Clelan”, the lack of postal marks, and the passage indicating that McCorkle was able to get the letter to JS free of charge all suggest that McClellan delivered McCorkle’s letter. (St. George Stake, High Priest Quorum Genealogical Sketches, part 2, p. 67, Record of Members Collection, CHL.)

    Record of Members Collection, 1836–1970. CHL.

  6. [6]

    See Boyd and Black, “Robert McCorkle’s 1844 Letter to Joseph Smith,” 82.

    Boyd, Hal R., and Susan E. Black. “A Question on My Mind: Robert McCorkle’s 1844 Letter to Joseph Smith.” BYU Studies Quarterly 49, no. 4 (Dec. 2010): 81–90.

Page [2]

Again, I went to with an honest desire to ascertain whether the virtues of the members of the were aparantly greater, than are common amongst the different sectarian churches. In this respect I found them, as might have been expected in such a vast net-full, (a promiscuous squad)— One thing candor forces me to say, there is more intelligence among the common people there, than ever I met with before; nor have I ever seen as little immorality exhib[ited] in <​any​> City, town, or hamlet in which I ever spent the the same leangth of time—
I took with me a searies of enquries with the intention to present them to you, but being debar[re]d from becoming familiar with you, my natural timidity forbade my presenting them— I however shewed them to several of the — some thought them deserving an answer; others ran over them rough shod—
I have concluded that in as much as I have an opportunity of sending them to you free of cost, I will submit them to your scrutiny; an answer in poetic form would be thankfully rec’d [received] either privately, or in the Times & Seasons.
I have some enquries to make with regard to locating in, or near to — I am somewhat of a believer in the — but I am desirous to know how as poor a man as I, could make, or secure a comfortable living,
I have a comfortable little home here, have to use industry, and economy in order to get a long well— but by the by, I am not very able to labor; I am no mechanic, and it looks like if I were to move, unless I could sell for a fair price, it would be rather an imprudent act, & to sell appears out of the question— In your wisdom how would you direct that I should procede? would there be any chance to get a small farm, or piece of land from the church near to having any sufficiency of timber on it, by paying two spans of mules or horses, and waggons, by advancing two or three hundred dollars in Tennessee curency— if so, what would be the price of the land, and what might I expect for the property say on an avarage— The scarceity of timber in your country to me, is a great obstacle— I will turn over and write down my honest enquiries [p. [2]]
View entire transcript

|

Cite this page

Source Note

Document Transcript

Page [2]

Document Information

Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Letter from Robert McCorkle, 10 May 1844
ID #
1354
Total Pages
4
Print Volume Location
Handwriting on This Page
  • Robert McCorkle

Footnotes

  1. [4]

    See Matthew 13:47–48.

  2. [5]

    JS had previously instructed the Latter-day Saints to gather in Hancock County, Illinois, although branches of the church continued to function in various parts of the United States. On the third day of the April 1844 conference, however, JS made a proclamation altering this practice. Converts to the church were no longer required to relocate to Nauvoo, although they would need to travel there to receive temple ordinances, after which they could return to their homes. The fact that McCorkle inquired about this issue suggests that he did not hear JS’s proclamation. (Minutes and Discourses, 6–7 Apr. 1843; Discourse, 8 Apr. 1844.)

  3. [6]

    McCorkle was not the only person to ask JS about economic opportunities in Nauvoo. (See, for example, Letter from Harrison S. White, 10 May 1843; Letter from Thomas Foster, 8 Jan. 1844; and Letter from Roelef Wyckoff, 25 Feb. 1844.)

  4. [7]

    There were several state banks operating in Tennessee in 1844, each of which would have issued its own paper banknotes or currency. (See Schweikart, “Tennessee Banks in the Antebellum Period,” 127–128.)

    Schweikart, Larry. “Tennessee Banks in the Antebellum Period, Part 1.” Tennessee Historical Quarterly 45, no. 2 (Summer 1986): 119–132.

  5. [8]

    Timber was scarce in the area around Nauvoo, and the rapid rate of new construction in the city created a high demand for timber. (Rowley, “Mormon Experience in the Wisconsin Pineries,” 119–120.)

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

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