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Letter from William Smith, 28 October 1843

Source Note

William Smith

13 Mar. 1811–13 Nov. 1893. Farmer, newspaper editor. Born at Royalton, Windsor Co., Vermont. Son of Joseph Smith Sr. and Lucy Mack. Moved to Lebanon, Grafton Co., New Hampshire, 1811; to Norwich, Windsor Co., 1813; and to Palmyra, Ontario Co., New York, 1816...

View Full Bio
, Letter,
Philadelphia

Port city founded as Quaker settlement by William Penn, 1681. Site of signing of Declaration of Independence and drafting of U.S. Constitution. Nation’s capital city, 1790–1800. Population in 1830 about 170,000; in 1840 about 260,000; and in 1850 about 410...

More Info
, Philadelphia Co., PA, to 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, 28 Oct. 1843; handwriting and signature of
William Smith

13 Mar. 1811–13 Nov. 1893. Farmer, newspaper editor. Born at Royalton, Windsor Co., Vermont. Son of Joseph Smith Sr. and Lucy Mack. Moved to Lebanon, Grafton Co., New Hampshire, 1811; to Norwich, Windsor Co., 1813; and to Palmyra, Ontario Co., New York, 1816...

View Full Bio
; four pages; JS Collection, CHL. Includes address, wax seal, postal stamp, postal notation, dockets, use marks, and notation.
Bifolium measuring 9¾ × 7¾ inches (25 × 20 cm). Text is inscribed on all four pages. The letter was trifolded twice in letter style, addressed, sealed with red wax, and postmarked. The verso of the second leaf contains wax residue. The two dockets were later added to the verso of the second leaf.
The letter was docketed in graphite by a scribe—likely
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...

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or
James Whitehead

12 Apr. 1813–27 July 1898. Clerk, farmer. Born in Roughhay, Fulwood, Lancashire, England. Son of Thomas Whitehead and Mary. Married first Jane Marshall Hindle, 25 Jan. 1837, in Preston, Lancashire, England. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day...

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—and was later docketed in red ink by
Leo Hawkins

19 July 1834–28 May 1859. Clerk, reporter. Born in London. Son of Samuel Harris Hawkins and Charlotte Savage. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by John Banks, 23 Oct. 1848. Immigrated to U.S. with his family; arrived in New Orleans...

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, who served as a clerk in the Church Historian’s Office (later Church Historical Department) from 1853 to 1859.
1

“Obituary of Leo Hawkins,” Millennial Star, 30 July 1859, 21:496–497.


Comprehensive Works Cited

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

The notation “copied by A. J.” was apparently added 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, 48–52, 55.


Comprehensive Works Cited

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

By 1973 the document had been included in the JS Collection at the Church Historical Department (now CHL).
3

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


The document’s early dockets and notation as well as its later inclusion in the JS Collection indicate continuous institutional custody.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    “Obituary of Leo Hawkins,” Millennial Star, 30 July 1859, 21:496–497.

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

  2. [2]

    Bitton and Arrington, Mormons and Their Historians, 48–52, 55.

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

  3. [3]

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

Historical Introduction

On 28 October 1843,
William Smith

13 Mar. 1811–13 Nov. 1893. Farmer, newspaper editor. Born at Royalton, Windsor Co., Vermont. Son of Joseph Smith Sr. and Lucy Mack. Moved to Lebanon, Grafton Co., New Hampshire, 1811; to Norwich, Windsor Co., 1813; and to Palmyra, Ontario Co., New York, 1816...

View Full Bio
wrote a letter to his brother JS in which he relayed his experiences preaching in
New Jersey

Located in northeast region of U.S. First European settlements made by Dutch, Swedes, and English, early 1600s. Admitted to U.S. as state, Dec. 1787. Population in 1830 about 321,000. Population in 1840 about 373,000. First Latter-day Saint missionaries preached...

More Info
and
Pennsylvania

Area first settled by Swedish immigrants, 1628. William Penn received grant for territory from King Charles II, 1681, and established British settlement, 1682. Philadelphia was center of government for original thirteen U.S. colonies from time of Revolutionary...

More Info
as well as information about a dispute with
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
member Abraham Burtis. William Smith had departed
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, in May 1843 to “preach the Gospel, build up, and regulate the Churches, wherever my lot might be cast.” Smith’s wife,
Caroline Grant Smith

22 Jan. 1814–22 May 1845. Born in Windsor, Broome Co., New York. Daughter of Joshua Grant and Athalia Howard. Married William Smith, 14 Feb. 1833, likely in Erie Co., New York. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1833. Became seriously...

View Full Bio
, and their two daughters traveled east with him. Caroline Smith suffered from dropsy (now referred to as edema),
1

Edema is defined as a “a swelling produced by the presence of serous fluid in the oreolar tissue or in the substance of a part.” The cause of Smith’s edema is not known, though it was apparently located in her abdomen. (“Oedema,” in Oxford English Dictionary, 7:65; Huntington, Cemetery Records, [26].)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Oxford English Dictionary. Compact ed. 2 vols. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1971.

and William apparently hoped that he would also be able to find a doctor who “might restore my family to health.” The Smith family settled in Hornerstown, New Jersey, shortly after arriving in the East. The writings and speeches of excommunicated church member
John C. Bennett

3 Aug. 1804–5 Aug. 1867. Physician, minister, poultry breeder. Born at Fairhaven, Bristol Co., Massachusetts. Son of John Bennett and Abigail Cook. Moved to Marietta, Washington Co., Ohio, 1808; to Massachusetts, 1812; and back to Marietta, 1822. Married ...

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apparently had a negative effect on proselytizing efforts in the region, but
Jedediah M. Grant

21 Feb. 1816–1 Dec. 1856. Farmer. Born in Union, Broome Co., New York. Son of Joshua Grant and Athalia Howard. Lived in Springwater, Ontario Co., New York, 1820. Lived in Naples, Ontario Co., 1830. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...

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, William Smith’s brother-in-law and
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
in
Philadelphia

Port city founded as Quaker settlement by William Penn, 1681. Site of signing of Declaration of Independence and drafting of U.S. Constitution. Nation’s capital city, 1790–1800. Population in 1830 about 170,000; in 1840 about 260,000; and in 1850 about 410...

More Info
, reported in August 1843 that Smith was preaching and “turning the wourld upside down, with his, darling Religion.”
2

Smith, Defence of Elder William Smith, 12; “Funeral of Mrs. Caroline Smith,” Times and Seasons, 1 June 1845, 6:920; Clayton, Journal, 10 May 1843; Smith, “History of Philadelphia Branch,” 117; William Smith, Hornerstown, NJ, to Jedediah M. Grant, Philadelphia, PA, 26 Nov. 1843, in Smith, Defence of Elder William Smith, 13; Letter from Jedediah M. Grant, 17 or 18 Aug. 1843.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Smith, William. Defence of Elder William Smith, against the Slanders of Abraham Burtis, and Others; in Which Are Included Several Certificates, and the Duties of Members in the Church of Christ, in Settling Difficulties One with Another, According to the Law of God. Philadelphia: Brown, Bicking and Guilbert, 1844.

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

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

Smith, Walter W. “History of Philadelphia Branch.” Journal of History 12 (Jan. 1919): 111–118.

Sometime before mid-September,
William Smith

13 Mar. 1811–13 Nov. 1893. Farmer, newspaper editor. Born at Royalton, Windsor Co., Vermont. Son of Joseph Smith Sr. and Lucy Mack. Moved to Lebanon, Grafton Co., New Hampshire, 1811; to Norwich, Windsor Co., 1813; and to Palmyra, Ontario Co., New York, 1816...

View Full Bio
became embroiled in a dispute with church members in a
branch

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
in nearby
New Egypt

Small village in Monmouth Co. Became part of Ocean Co., New Jersey, by 1854. Located about twenty miles southeast of Trenton. Population ca. 1854 about 600. JS authorized William Smith to trade land owned near New Egypt in payment on debt.

More Info
. In the featured letter to JS, William Smith asserted that the conflict originated with missionary
Noah Packard

7 May 1796–17 Feb. 1860. Farmer, surveyor, miner. Born at Plainfield, Hampshire Co., Massachusetts. Son of Noah Packard and Molly Hamblin. Moved to Parkman, Geauga Co., Ohio, 1817. Married Sophia Bundy, 29 June 1820, at Parkman. Baptized into Church of Jesus...

View Full Bio
spreading rumors about him that damaged his credibility with local residents. Later, as Smith was preaching to members of the branch, presiding elder Abraham Burtis and his wife, Sarah, reportedly mocked him; another branch member told Smith that the congregation had previously determined that they would not assist him in his labors.
3

Smith, Defence of Elder William Smith, 12, 16.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Smith, William. Defence of Elder William Smith, against the Slanders of Abraham Burtis, and Others; in Which Are Included Several Certificates, and the Duties of Members in the Church of Christ, in Settling Difficulties One with Another, According to the Law of God. Philadelphia: Brown, Bicking and Guilbert, 1844.

After
Grant

21 Feb. 1816–1 Dec. 1856. Farmer. Born in Union, Broome Co., New York. Son of Joshua Grant and Athalia Howard. Lived in Springwater, Ontario Co., New York, 1820. Lived in Naples, Ontario Co., 1830. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...

View Full Bio
attempted and ultimately failed to reconcile Smith and Burtis, Smith summoned the latter to a gathering of a “special council of
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...

View Glossary
” on 18 October in New Egypt. During the
conference

A meeting where ecclesiastical officers and other church members could conduct church business. The “Articles and Covenants” of the church directed the elders to hold conferences to perform “Church business.” The first of these conferences was held on 9 June...

View Glossary
, William Smith preferred charges against Burtis for rejecting the authorities of the church, misrepresenting his speech, circulating slanderous reports, and behaving in an unchristian manner. Burtis allegedly left the meeting before its conclusion and was subsequently cut off from the church.
4

Smith, Defence of Elder William Smith, 13, 15–19.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Smith, William. Defence of Elder William Smith, against the Slanders of Abraham Burtis, and Others; in Which Are Included Several Certificates, and the Duties of Members in the Church of Christ, in Settling Difficulties One with Another, According to the Law of God. Philadelphia: Brown, Bicking and Guilbert, 1844.

The Smiths eventually moved from
Monmouth County

Area claimed by Dutch, 1609. English rule established, 1665. County formed, 1675. County government organized, 1714. Battle of Monmouth fought in county, 28 June 1778. First Latter-day Saint missionary, Benjamin Winchester, preached in county, summer 1838...

More Info
to
Philadelphia

Port city founded as Quaker settlement by William Penn, 1681. Site of signing of Declaration of Independence and drafting of U.S. Constitution. Nation’s capital city, 1790–1800. Population in 1830 about 170,000; in 1840 about 260,000; and in 1850 about 410...

More Info
.
5

Smith, “History of Philadelphia Branch,” 117–118.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Smith, Walter W. “History of Philadelphia Branch.” Journal of History 12 (Jan. 1919): 111–118.

In this 28 October 1843 letter,
William Smith

13 Mar. 1811–13 Nov. 1893. Farmer, newspaper editor. Born at Royalton, Windsor Co., Vermont. Son of Joseph Smith Sr. and Lucy Mack. Moved to Lebanon, Grafton Co., New Hampshire, 1811; to Norwich, Windsor Co., 1813; and to Palmyra, Ontario Co., New York, 1816...

View Full Bio
also relayed information to JS, his older brother and church president, about his
wife

22 Jan. 1814–22 May 1845. Born in Windsor, Broome Co., New York. Daughter of Joshua Grant and Athalia Howard. Married William Smith, 14 Feb. 1833, likely in Erie Co., New York. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1833. Became seriously...

View Full Bio
’s fragile health and included a short message to and prayer for
Lucy Mack Smith

8 July 1775–14 May 1856. Oilcloth painter, nurse, fund-raiser, author. Born at Gilsum, Cheshire Co., New Hampshire. Daughter of Solomon Mack Sr. and Lydia Gates. Moved to Montague, Franklin Co., Massachusetts, 1779; to Tunbridge, Orange Co., Vermont, 1788...

View Full Bio
, the mother of William Smith and JS. Near the end of the letter, he also declared his continued antagonism toward
Packard

7 May 1796–17 Feb. 1860. Farmer, surveyor, miner. Born at Plainfield, Hampshire Co., Massachusetts. Son of Noah Packard and Molly Hamblin. Moved to Parkman, Geauga Co., Ohio, 1817. Married Sophia Bundy, 29 June 1820, at Parkman. Baptized into Church of Jesus...

View Full Bio
, stating that he was “prepar[e]d to use him up.” William Smith mailed the letter from
Philadelphia

Port city founded as Quaker settlement by William Penn, 1681. Site of signing of Declaration of Independence and drafting of U.S. Constitution. Nation’s capital city, 1790–1800. Population in 1830 about 170,000; in 1840 about 260,000; and in 1850 about 410...

More Info
on 29 October. A contemporaneous docket in unidentified handwriting suggests that the letter 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
. There is no known response.
In December 1843,
William Smith

13 Mar. 1811–13 Nov. 1893. Farmer, newspaper editor. Born at Royalton, Windsor Co., Vermont. Son of Joseph Smith Sr. and Lucy Mack. Moved to Lebanon, Grafton Co., New Hampshire, 1811; to Norwich, Windsor Co., 1813; and to Palmyra, Ontario Co., New York, 1816...

View Full Bio
publicly censured Burtis at a regional conference held in Cream Ridge, New Jersey. In 1844, Smith published a lengthy pamphlet that detailed the nature of their conflict.
6

Smith, Defence of Elder William Smith, 2.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Smith, William. Defence of Elder William Smith, against the Slanders of Abraham Burtis, and Others; in Which Are Included Several Certificates, and the Duties of Members in the Church of Christ, in Settling Difficulties One with Another, According to the Law of God. Philadelphia: Brown, Bicking and Guilbert, 1844.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    Edema is defined as a “a swelling produced by the presence of serous fluid in the oreolar tissue or in the substance of a part.” The cause of Smith’s edema is not known, though it was apparently located in her abdomen. (“Oedema,” in Oxford English Dictionary, 7:65; Huntington, Cemetery Records, [26].)

    Oxford English Dictionary. Compact ed. 2 vols. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1971.

  2. [2]

    Smith, Defence of Elder William Smith, 12; “Funeral of Mrs. Caroline Smith,” Times and Seasons, 1 June 1845, 6:920; Clayton, Journal, 10 May 1843; Smith, “History of Philadelphia Branch,” 117; William Smith, Hornerstown, NJ, to Jedediah M. Grant, Philadelphia, PA, 26 Nov. 1843, in Smith, Defence of Elder William Smith, 13; Letter from Jedediah M. Grant, 17 or 18 Aug. 1843.

    Smith, William. Defence of Elder William Smith, against the Slanders of Abraham Burtis, and Others; in Which Are Included Several Certificates, and the Duties of Members in the Church of Christ, in Settling Difficulties One with Another, According to the Law of God. Philadelphia: Brown, Bicking and Guilbert, 1844.

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

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

    Smith, Walter W. “History of Philadelphia Branch.” Journal of History 12 (Jan. 1919): 111–118.

  3. [3]

    Smith, Defence of Elder William Smith, 12, 16.

    Smith, William. Defence of Elder William Smith, against the Slanders of Abraham Burtis, and Others; in Which Are Included Several Certificates, and the Duties of Members in the Church of Christ, in Settling Difficulties One with Another, According to the Law of God. Philadelphia: Brown, Bicking and Guilbert, 1844.

  4. [4]

    Smith, Defence of Elder William Smith, 13, 15–19.

    Smith, William. Defence of Elder William Smith, against the Slanders of Abraham Burtis, and Others; in Which Are Included Several Certificates, and the Duties of Members in the Church of Christ, in Settling Difficulties One with Another, According to the Law of God. Philadelphia: Brown, Bicking and Guilbert, 1844.

  5. [5]

    Smith, “History of Philadelphia Branch,” 117–118.

    Smith, Walter W. “History of Philadelphia Branch.” Journal of History 12 (Jan. 1919): 111–118.

  6. [6]

    Smith, Defence of Elder William Smith, 2.

    Smith, William. Defence of Elder William Smith, against the Slanders of Abraham Burtis, and Others; in Which Are Included Several Certificates, and the Duties of Members in the Church of Christ, in Settling Difficulties One with Another, According to the Law of God. Philadelphia: Brown, Bicking and Guilbert, 1844.

Page [2]

from behind the screen And reveal the whole mistrey [mystery] or Bugbear of Mormonism
5

Bugbear is defined as an object or source of fear or dread. In the 1834 publication Mormonism Unvailed, Eber D. Howe argued that the word Mormon meant “bug-bear, hob-goblin, raw head, and bloody bones.” The 15 May 1843 issue of the Times and Seasons published a letter attributed to JS that specifically addressed misconceptions about the meaning of the word Mormon; however, such misconceptions persisted. On 13 September 1843, the editor of the Wellsboro, Pennsylvania, Tioga Eagle argued that Mormon was a Greek word defined as a “bugbear.” The editor further asserted: “Mormons, then, the anglicised word, or the derivative as comprehending the people may be defined ‘Devotees to bugbears, hobgoblins and spectres.’” (“Bugbear,” in Oxford English Dictionary, 1:1160; Howe, Mormonism Unvailed, 21; Historical Introduction to Letter to Editor, ca. 20 May 1843; “Mormon, Is a Greek Word,” Tioga Eagle [Wellsboro, PA], 13 Sept. 1843, [2].)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Oxford English Dictionary. Compact ed. 2 vols. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1971.

Howe, Eber D. Mormonism Unvailed: Or, A Faithful Account of That Singular Imposition and Delusion, from Its Rise to the Present Time. With Sketches of the Characters of Its Propagators, and a Full Detail of the Manner in Which the Famous Golden Bible Was Brought before the World. To Which Are Added, Inquiries into the Probability That the Historical Part of the Said Bible Was Written by One Solomon Spalding, More Than Twenty Years Ago, and by Him Intended to Have Been Published as a Romance. Painesville, OH: By the author, 1834.

Tioga Eagle. Wellsboro, PA. 1838–1856/1857.

Hitherto unknown to the saints or wourld of mankind after all the positive testimony & demonstrations of its truth (This would be bad tis true that truth Should meet with an Expose from behind the screen after stearing the tide of opposition so long a time and be proven an Erer [error] a delusion Light turned in to darkness And thus all that is good holey & reicheaus [righteous] be asteamed principles of corruption strange indeed) I should think it time (after all that has ben said and done to distroy the
Laterday 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
religion for 12 long years to no affect) for the Divle [Devil] to seas [cease] raging & his Priests imaganing rare things. But so it is fools must Expose their folley & Hyprocritts foam out their own Shame. But Enough of this for the present as it is not my purpos to preach a mormon sermon now for this you have allways with you in
Zion

A specific location in Missouri; also a literal or figurative gathering of believers in Jesus Christ, characterized by adherence to ideals of harmony, equality, and purity. In JS’s earliest revelations “the cause of Zion” was used to broadly describe the ...

View Glossary
. I did not Enjoy the Pleasure of the companey of the
twelve

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
while they were ou[t] hear <​as mutch as I wanted to​> on account of <​my​> being <​so​> situated my
wife

22 Jan. 1814–22 May 1845. Born in Windsor, Broome Co., New York. Daughter of Joshua Grant and Athalia Howard. Married William Smith, 14 Feb. 1833, likely in Erie Co., New York. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1833. Became seriously...

View Full Bio
being Sick But their visit has given a new impetus to the caus and don[e] <​a​> vast deel of good,
6

In April 1843, members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles were appointed agents to collect donations for the Nauvoo House and Nauvoo temple. In August, Brigham Young, Wilford Woodruff, Heber C. Kimball, Orson Pratt, John E. Page, and George A. Smith arrived in Philadelphia, where they preached and visited local branches of the church. Quorum members later traveled north to visit branches in New York. (Minutes and Discourses, 6–7 Apr. 1843; Woodruff, Journal, 4–23 Aug. 1843; George A. Smith, Philadelphia, PA, to Bathsheba Bigler Smith, Nauvoo, IL, 14–16 Aug. 1843, George Albert Smith, Papers, CHL.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

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

Smith, George Albert. Papers, 1834–1877. CHL. MS 1322.

We were mutch rejoiced to hear that you were again deliverd from the hands of your percicuters
7

On 23 June 1843, JS was arrested near Dixon, Illinois, in a third attempt to extradite him to Missouri to face charges for his role in the 1838 “Mormon War.” JS later petitioned for and was granted a writ of habeas corpus from the Nauvoo Municipal Court. On 1 July 1843, the court discharged JS from arrest. (Historical Introduction to Letter from Edward Southwick, 7 Aug. 1843; see also “Joseph Smith Documents from March through July 1843”.)


we heard that
Sister Emma

10 July 1804–30 Apr. 1879. Scribe, editor, boardinghouse operator, clothier. Born at Willingborough Township (later in Harmony), Susquehanna Co., Pennsylvania. Daughter of Isaac Hale and Elizabeth Lewis. Member of Methodist church at Harmony (later in Oakland...

View Full Bio
was vary sick the Last inteligence said she was getting better (May god heal her and preser[ve] her to a good old age is my prayer)
8

August and September were typically full of sickness and death in Nauvoo due to the prevalence of infectious diseases such as malaria, canker, measles, and whooping cough. Minutes of the 2 September 1843 meeting of the Relief Society indicate that “more than twenty families” were “sick and suffering” at the time. William Clayton noted that Emma Smith was “very sick” on 8 September, a condition that apparently lasted through at least 11 September, when she was reported as feeling “some better.” (Ivie and Heiner, “Deaths in Early Nauvoo,” 163–168, 170–172; Relief Society Minute Book, 2 Sept. 1843, [113], in Derr et al., First Fifty Years of Relief Society, 118–119; Clayton, Journal, 8 Sept. 1843; JS, Journal, 8–11 Sept. 1843.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Ivie, Evan L., and Douglas C. Heiner. “Deaths in Early Nauvoo, 1839–46, and Winter Quarters, 1846–48.” Religious Educator 10, no. 3 (2009): 163–173.

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

Caroline

22 Jan. 1814–22 May 1845. Born in Windsor, Broome Co., New York. Daughter of Joshua Grant and Athalia Howard. Married William Smith, 14 Feb. 1833, likely in Erie Co., New York. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1833. Became seriously...

View Full Bio
says the Lord never made a better women thein
<​Sister​> Emma

10 July 1804–30 Apr. 1879. Scribe, editor, boardinghouse operator, clothier. Born at Willingborough Township (later in Harmony), Susquehanna Co., Pennsylvania. Daughter of Isaac Hale and Elizabeth Lewis. Member of Methodist church at Harmony (later in Oakland...

View Full Bio
and I believe just what
Caroline

22 Jan. 1814–22 May 1845. Born in Windsor, Broome Co., New York. Daughter of Joshua Grant and Athalia Howard. Married William Smith, 14 Feb. 1833, likely in Erie Co., New York. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1833. Became seriously...

View Full Bio
Says for she generaly [p. [2]]
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Document Information

Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Letter from William Smith, 28 October 1843
ID #
1189
Total Pages
4
Print Volume Location
JSP, D13:229–234
Handwriting on This Page
  • William Smith

Footnotes

  1. [5]

    Bugbear is defined as an object or source of fear or dread. In the 1834 publication Mormonism Unvailed, Eber D. Howe argued that the word Mormon meant “bug-bear, hob-goblin, raw head, and bloody bones.” The 15 May 1843 issue of the Times and Seasons published a letter attributed to JS that specifically addressed misconceptions about the meaning of the word Mormon; however, such misconceptions persisted. On 13 September 1843, the editor of the Wellsboro, Pennsylvania, Tioga Eagle argued that Mormon was a Greek word defined as a “bugbear.” The editor further asserted: “Mormons, then, the anglicised word, or the derivative as comprehending the people may be defined ‘Devotees to bugbears, hobgoblins and spectres.’” (“Bugbear,” in Oxford English Dictionary, 1:1160; Howe, Mormonism Unvailed, 21; Historical Introduction to Letter to Editor, ca. 20 May 1843; “Mormon, Is a Greek Word,” Tioga Eagle [Wellsboro, PA], 13 Sept. 1843, [2].)

    Oxford English Dictionary. Compact ed. 2 vols. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1971.

    Howe, Eber D. Mormonism Unvailed: Or, A Faithful Account of That Singular Imposition and Delusion, from Its Rise to the Present Time. With Sketches of the Characters of Its Propagators, and a Full Detail of the Manner in Which the Famous Golden Bible Was Brought before the World. To Which Are Added, Inquiries into the Probability That the Historical Part of the Said Bible Was Written by One Solomon Spalding, More Than Twenty Years Ago, and by Him Intended to Have Been Published as a Romance. Painesville, OH: By the author, 1834.

    Tioga Eagle. Wellsboro, PA. 1838–1856/1857.

  2. [6]

    In April 1843, members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles were appointed agents to collect donations for the Nauvoo House and Nauvoo temple. In August, Brigham Young, Wilford Woodruff, Heber C. Kimball, Orson Pratt, John E. Page, and George A. Smith arrived in Philadelphia, where they preached and visited local branches of the church. Quorum members later traveled north to visit branches in New York. (Minutes and Discourses, 6–7 Apr. 1843; Woodruff, Journal, 4–23 Aug. 1843; George A. Smith, Philadelphia, PA, to Bathsheba Bigler Smith, Nauvoo, IL, 14–16 Aug. 1843, George Albert Smith, Papers, CHL.)

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

    Smith, George Albert. Papers, 1834–1877. CHL. MS 1322.

  3. [7]

    On 23 June 1843, JS was arrested near Dixon, Illinois, in a third attempt to extradite him to Missouri to face charges for his role in the 1838 “Mormon War.” JS later petitioned for and was granted a writ of habeas corpus from the Nauvoo Municipal Court. On 1 July 1843, the court discharged JS from arrest. (Historical Introduction to Letter from Edward Southwick, 7 Aug. 1843; see also “Joseph Smith Documents from March through July 1843”.)

  4. [8]

    August and September were typically full of sickness and death in Nauvoo due to the prevalence of infectious diseases such as malaria, canker, measles, and whooping cough. Minutes of the 2 September 1843 meeting of the Relief Society indicate that “more than twenty families” were “sick and suffering” at the time. William Clayton noted that Emma Smith was “very sick” on 8 September, a condition that apparently lasted through at least 11 September, when she was reported as feeling “some better.” (Ivie and Heiner, “Deaths in Early Nauvoo,” 163–168, 170–172; Relief Society Minute Book, 2 Sept. 1843, [113], in Derr et al., First Fifty Years of Relief Society, 118–119; Clayton, Journal, 8 Sept. 1843; JS, Journal, 8–11 Sept. 1843.)

    Ivie, Evan L., and Douglas C. Heiner. “Deaths in Early Nauvoo, 1839–46, and Winter Quarters, 1846–48.” Religious Educator 10, no. 3 (2009): 163–173.

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

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