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Letter to Emma Smith, 23 June 1844

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Letter to Emma Smith, 23 June 1844

Source Note

JS, Letter, “Safety” [likely , Iowa Territory], to , , Hancock Co., IL, 23 June [1844]; handwriting of ; signature of JS; one page; CHL. Includes address, dockets, and redactions.
Bifolium measuring 9 × 7½ inches (23 × 19 cm). The letter was folded and addressed. It was later folded again. There is separation along and tearing at the folds. The document has undergone conservation.
The letter was docketed by , who served as JS’s scribe from December 1841 until JS’s death in June 1844 and served as church historian from December 1842 until his own death in March 1854. It was docketed a second time by an unidentified scribe. The letter was retained by , who died in 1879, and passed down among Smith family descendants. Redactions on the manuscript correlate with changes to capitalization and punctuation made to the letter when it was published in The History of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in 1896, which indicates the letter had been transferred into the possession of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (now Community of Christ) by that time. In 2024, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints acquired the letter from the Community of Christ, and it is now held at the Church History Library in Salt Lake City.

Footnotes

  1. JS, Journal, 13 Dec. 1841 and 21 Dec. 1842; Orson Spencer, “Death of Our Beloved Brother Willard Richards,” Deseret News (Salt Lake City), 16 Mar. 1854, [2].

    Deseret News. Salt Lake City. 1850–.

  2. See History of the Reorganized Church, 2:770. This 23 June 1844 letter was not included in JS’s history, although it appears that Richards had a copy of the letter.

    The History of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. 8 vols. Independence, MO: Herald Publishing House, 1896–1976.

Historical Introduction

On 23 June 1844, while avoiding arrest in , JS composed a letter to his wife in , Illinois. JS had been charged with for his role in the destruction of the press of the Nauvoo Expositor, and in a 22 June 1844 letter, governor had demanded that he submit to arrest and appear in , Illinois, for trial. Around midnight on 22–23 June, JS replied to Governor Ford with a letter explaining that he did not dare go to Carthage because his life would be in danger there. He also told Ford that he was leaving Nauvoo to present “our grievances” and “the facts” to the federal government. In the early morning hours of 23 June, JS and a small group of men crossed the into , Iowa Territory, and then presumably proceeded to the home of .
noted in his journal on 23 June that he “wrot[e]— [blank] & sent express,” which probably refers to the featured 23 June letter, which he inscribed as JS dictated it. The lack of terminal punctuation in Richards’s journal makes the timing of events in the entry uncertain; the letter may have been written and sent to either at sunrise or around noon. JS’s location in the letter was specified only as “Safety.”
As he addressed his , JS had their family’s financial situation on his mind—the first lines of the letter name several individuals who owed him money and list assets that Emma could sell to provide for herself, their children, and JS’s mother, , who was living with the family. JS also shared words of consolation, assuring Emma that, if possible, he would return to her and asking a divine blessing on her, their children, his mother, and all his friends. In addition, JS noted that he was not sure what he would do or where he would go but that “if possible” he would “endeavor to get to the city of .” Finally, he asked that Emma keep him informed of her whereabouts.
JS signed the finished letter, and then added a brief postscript before it was sent. Richards kept a copy of the letter—either an original draft or a subsequent copy made quickly before sending the original. apparently received JS’s letter the same day it was written. She also sent “messengers over the to Joseph” on 23 June, urging “him to give himself up inasmuch as the had offered him protection.” JS ultimately did not go to , instead returning to later that day.
Of the two extant versions of the letter, the original letter sent to and received by is featured here. One significant difference between this letter and ’s copy—a revision to the postscript—is noted.

Footnotes

  1. Letter from Thomas Ford, 22 June 1844.

  2. Letter to Thomas Ford, 22–23 June 1844.

  3. See Editorial Note following 22 June 1844 entry in JS, Journal; and Willard Richards, Journal Excerpt, 23–27 June 1844.

  4. Richards, Journal, 23 June 1844; see also Willard Richards, Journal Excerpt, 23–27 June 1844.

    Richards, Willard. Journals, 1836–1853. Willard Richards, Papers, 1821–1854. CHL. MS 1490, boxes 1–2.

  5. The entry reads: “23 Sunday— 2. A.M.— arrivd on the bank— abo[u]t day— break— walked up to B [blank] about sun rise wrot[e]— [blank] & sent express ab[o]ut noon Dr Bernshiel [John M. Bernhisel] came. &—— [Reynolds] cahoon and explid [explained] govern[or’s] Letter.” (Willard Richards, Journal Excerpt, 23–27 June 1844.)

  6. JS, “Safety” [Lee Co., Iowa Territory], to Emma Smith, Nauvoo, IL, 23 June 1844, JS Collection, CHL.

  7. Clayton, Journal, 23 June 1844.

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

  8. See Historical Introduction to Letter to Thomas Ford, 23 June 1844.

Asterisk (*) denotes a "featured" version, which includes an introduction and annotation. *Letter to Emma Smith, 23 June 1844 Letter to Emma Smith, 23 June 1844, Willard Richards Copy
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Document Information

Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Letter to Emma Smith, 23 June 1844
ID #
2804
Total Pages
4
Print Volume Location
Handwriting on This Page
  • Willard Richards
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