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Letter of Introduction from Sidney Rigdon, 9 November 1839

Source Note

, Letter of Introduction, , Sangamon Co., IL, to , , for JS and , 9 Nov. 1839; handwriting of ; one page; Martin Van Buren, Papers, Library of Congress, Washington DC. Includes address, notation, and archival stamping.
Bifolium with thirty-four printed lines and measuring 12½ × 7⅞ inches (32 × 20 cm) when folded. The document was trifolded in letter style and addressed. Later, the folded document was trifolded again, presumably for storage. The upper right-hand corner of the verso of the first leaf contains a round, red-ink stamp of a bald eagle carrying a shield and clutching arrows and an olive branch; the eagle is circumscribed by the words “THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS”.
retained possession of the letter after his 29 November 1839 meeting with JS and . The letter was included in the collection of papers Van Buren’s descendants donated to the Library of Congress in 1904 and 1905.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    West, Papers of Martin Van Buren: Guide and Index, 15–18; West, Calendar of the Papers of Martin Van Buren, 382.

    West, Lucy Fisher, ed. The Papers of Martin Van Buren: Guide and Index to General Correspon- dence and Miscellaneous Documents. Alexandria, VA: Chadwyck-Healey, 1989.

    West, Elizabeth Howard. Calendar of the Papers of Martin Van Buren. Washington DC: Government Printing Office, 1910.

Historical Introduction

On 9 November 1839, wrote a letter introducing JS and to president . Rigdon, JS, Higbee, and others had departed , Illinois, for on 29 October 1839 to appeal to the federal government for restoration of the ’s and church members’ property in . Rigdon was sick with malaria when the delegation departed Commerce, and on 4 November 1839, his sickness forced the group to stop in , Illinois, so he could rest for a few days. Rather than improving, Rigdon’s condition worsened, causing the delegation to consider leaving him in Springfield to recover under the care of , a doctor and member of the traveling group. In response to this change in plans, Rigdon, whom church members had appointed sole to the federal government seven months earlier, signed over to JS all the letters of introduction Rigdon had gathered to present to federal officials. Some of these letters were from prominent public figures in and . To certify the deputation of the letters to JS, Rigdon wrote this 9 November letter addressed to Van Buren and unspecified government leaders. The letter also vouched for the characters of JS and Higbee.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    Letter to Emma Smith, 9 Nov. 1839.

  2. [2]

    Historian’s Office, JS History, Draft Notes, 29 Oct. 1839; 1, 4, and 8 Nov. 1839, 66–67. On 29 October, Rigdon started the journey with malaria and was treated for the disease on 1 November by Robert D. Foster while the group was in Quincy, Illinois. (See Historical Introduction to Letter to Emma Smith, 9 Nov. 1839; and Historical Introduction to Letter of Introduction from James Adams, 9 Nov. 1839.)

  3. [3]

    Letter to Emma Smith, 9 Nov. 1839; Historian’s Office, JS History, Draft Notes, 8 Nov. 1839, 67.

  4. [4]

    Rigdon was appointed the sole agent to the federal government during a general conference of the church in May 1839. Apparently, church members formulated the plan to appeal to the federal government as early as February 1839, when Rigdon began preparing to travel to the nation’s capital. (Minutes, 4–5 May 1839; “Conference in Quincy Feby. 1839,” Far West Committee, Minutes, CHL; Elizabeth Haven, Quincy, IL, to Elizabeth Howe Bullard, Holliston, MA, 24 Feb. 1839, Barlow Family Collection, 1816–1969, CHL.)

    Far West Committee. Minutes, Jan.–Apr. 1839. CHL. MS 2564.

    Barlow Family Collection, 1816–1969. CHL.

  5. [5]

    It is unclear how many letters Rigdon acquired, but he had been collecting written recommendations since fleeing Missouri in spring 1839. Among the delegation’s letters of introduction that Van Buren received are one from Robert Lucas, governor of Iowa Territory, and one signed by Thomas Carlin, governor of Illinois. (Letter from Sidney Rigdon, 10 Apr. 1839; Robert Lucas, Burlington, Iowa Territory, to Martin Van Buren, Washington DC, 22 Apr. 1839, microfilm, Martin Van Buren, Correspondence, 1839–1844, CHL; Samuel Holmes et al., Quincy, IL, to Martin Van Buren, 8 May 1839, in JS Letterbook 2, p. 44.)

    Van Buren, Martin. Correspondence, 1839–1844. Photocopies. CHL. MS 12809. Original at Library of Congress, Washington DC.

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His Excellency
President of the
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Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Letter of Introduction from Sidney Rigdon, 9 November 1839
ID #
490
Total Pages
2
Print Volume Location
JSP, D7:57–59
Handwriting on This Page
  • Sidney Rigdon

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