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Letter from Samuel C. Brown, 22 April 1842

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Letter from Samuel C. Brown, 22 April 1842

Source Note

, Letter, Frederick Co., VA, to JS, , Hancock Co., IL, 22 Apr. 1842; handwriting of ; three pages; Newel K. Whitney, Papers, BYU. Included enclosure (not extant); includes address, postal stamps, postal notation, endorsements, and archival marking.
Bifolium measuring 12¼ × 7¾ inches (31 × 20 cm). Each leaf is ruled horizontally with thirty-two blue lines. The letter was inscribed on the first three pages. The letter was trifolded twice in letter style, addressed, sealed with a red adhesive wafer, and postmarked. The letter reportedly included an enclosure of twenty-five dollars. Marked damage along the central vertical folds of each leaf resulted in some loss of text.
The letter was endorsed by , who served as scribe to JS from 1842 to 1844 and as Nauvoo temple recorder from 1842 to 1846. This document, along with many other personal and institutional documents that 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 Harold B. Lee Library at Brigham Young University.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    JS, Journal, 29 June 1842; “Clayton, William,” in Jenson, Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia, 1:718; Clayton, History of the Nauvoo Temple, 18, 30–31.

    Jenson, Andrew. Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia: A Compilation of Biographical Sketches of Prominent Men and Women in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 4 vols. Salt Lake City: Andrew Jenson History Co., 1901–1936.

    Clayton, William. History of the Nauvoo Temple, ca. 1845. CHL. MS 3365.

  2. [2]

    Andrus and Fuller, Register of the Newel Kimball Whitney Papers, 24.

    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.

Historical Introduction

On 22 April 1842 missionary wrote to JS from Frederick County, Virginia, reporting on his proselytizing activities and praising God. Serving in the county where he was born, Brown explained that he was having little success from his preaching. In a postscript to the letter, Brown requested a copy of the ’s newspaper Times and Seasons and gave instructions for paying —with money Brown apparently enclosed—for building a fence around Brown’s property in , Illinois.
’s letter apparently arrived in , as it was later in the custody of . JS presumably received the letter, but it is unclear when. No response has been located.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    See Entry for David Brown, 1830 U.S. Census, Eastern District, Frederick Co., VA, 41.

    Census (U.S.) / U.S. Bureau of the Census. Population Schedules. Microfilm. FHL.

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Frederick co V.A. April 22th. 1842
Dear Brother I have been Preaching from 2 or three times a week on a average since I left but cannot see much good I have done since I left: haveing preached only a few sermons in any one place: and fear at times I have not done as I ought But when I think of the pashage [passage] he that doethe [doeth the] will of God shall know it: all fear and dought remoove
And again when I reflect upon what I have done all is for the good of those who love god. And why take <​ye​> he thought for ye cannot add one cubet to your statu[r]e These are cheering which rebounds [redounds] unto the glory of the Lord our God that we may kno[w] of a surety that the lord our God will proceede to make bare his holy arm in the eyes of all nations weald in the strength of his power that all the ends of the earth may see his salvation and come to the k[n]owledge of the Lord our God.
Oh God thou wilt pour thy spirit to the she[win]g abroad of thy glory that thy s[alva]tion may come! that all may know to wrest upon the[e] alone. Oh G[od] thy glory thou will wilt send thy honour thou wilt not give unto anothe[r] that all may know the[e] that there is none else besides thee Oh God magnify the law and make it honourabl: for thou hasst said [p. [1]]
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Source Note

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Document Information

Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Letter from Samuel C. Brown, 22 April 1842
ID #
817
Total Pages
4
Print Volume Location
JSP, D9:389–392
Handwriting on This Page
  • Samuel C. Brown

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    See John 7:17.

  2. [2]

    See Romans 8:28.

  3. [3]

    See Matthew 6:27.

  4. [4]

    TEXT: “kno[page torn]”. Document damaged at folds. Here and in the rest of the document, text missing due to damage has been supplied from context when possible.

  5. [5]

    See Isaiah 52:10.

  6. [6]

    TEXT: “she[page torn]g”.

  7. [7]

    TEXT: “s[page torn]tion”.

  8. [8]

    TEXT: “G[page torn]”.

  9. [9]

    See Isaiah 42:8.

  10. [10]

    See 1 Samuel 2:2.

  11. [11]

    See Isaiah 42:21.

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