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Letter to Horace Hotchkiss, 28 July 1840

Source Note

JS, Letter,
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, to
Horace Hotchkiss

15 Apr. 1799–21 Apr. 1849. Merchant, land speculator. Born in East Haven, New Haven Co., Connecticut. Son of Heman Hotchkiss and Elizabeth Rowe. Moved to New Haven, New Haven Co., by 1815. Married Charlotte Austin Street, 22 Feb. 1824, in East Haven. Purchased...

View Full Bio
[
New Haven

Significant port city in Connecticut, four miles from Long Island Sound. Settled by company from London, 1638. United with Connecticut Colony, 1662. Population in 1830 about 10,000. Population in 1840 about 13,000. JS corresponded with Horace Hotchkiss and...

More Info
, New Haven Co., CT], 28 July 1840. Featured version copied [ca. 28 July 1840] in JS Letterbook 2, pp. 162–163; handwriting of
Robert B. Thompson

1 Oct. 1811–27 Aug. 1841. Clerk, editor. Born in Great Driffield, Yorkshire, England. Methodist. Immigrated to Upper Canada, 1834. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by Parley P. Pratt, May 1836, in Upper Canada. Ordained an elder by...

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; JS Collection, CHL. For more complete source information, see the source note for JS Letterbook 2.

Historical Introduction

On 28 July 1840, JS wrote to
Horace Hotchkiss

15 Apr. 1799–21 Apr. 1849. Merchant, land speculator. Born in East Haven, New Haven Co., Connecticut. Son of Heman Hotchkiss and Elizabeth Rowe. Moved to New Haven, New Haven Co., by 1815. Married Charlotte Austin Street, 22 Feb. 1824, in East Haven. Purchased...

View Full Bio
regarding land purchases in the
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, area. Hotchkiss was a land speculator from
Connecticut

Originally inhabited by native Algonquin tribes. Among first thirteen colonies that formed U.S., southernmost state in New England. First permanent European settlements established by members of Massachusetts Bay Colony, ca. 1635. Population in 1820 about...

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and one of the men from whom the
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...

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had purchased extensive tracts of land in
Hancock County

Formed from Pike Co., 1825. Described in 1837 as predominantly prairie and “deficient in timber.” Early settlers came mainly from mid-Atlantic and southern states. Population in 1835 about 3,200; in 1840 about 9,900; and in 1844 at least 15,000. Carthage ...

More Info
, Illinois, in summer 1839.
1

See Bonds from Horace Hotchkiss, 12 Aug. 1839–A and B.


Hotchkiss wrote to JS on 1 April 1840 and again sometime during June, suggesting in both letters the possibility of selling to the Latter-day Saints additional land in the
Springfield

Settled by 1819. Incorporated as town, 1832. Became capital of Illinois, 1837. Incorporated as city, 1840. Sangamon Co. seat. Population in 1840 about 2,600. Stake of Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints organized in Springfield, Nov. 1840; discontinued...

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area (southeast of Nauvoo), in the
Rock River

Consists of three branches that rise in Washington and Fond du Lac counties in southeastern Wisconsin. Branches conjoin in Dodge Co., Wisconsin, and river then flows southwestward about three hundred miles to confluence with Mississippi River near Rock Island...

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area (northeast of Nauvoo), or in both areas.
2

Letter from Horace Hotchkiss, 1 Apr. 1840.


In this response to Hotchkiss’s June letter, JS briefly discussed the Rock River land offer and outlined the difficulty church leaders would have in punctually making the initial payments on a separate property of about four hundred acres they had purchased from Hotchkiss the previous year. Nevertheless, JS promised Hotchkiss that the church would make the payments as soon as possible. JS also informed Hotchkiss that he had recently paid the full amount due to
William White

25 Apr. 1813–22 Sept. 1872. River pilot. Born in St. Charles, St. Charles Co., Missouri Territory. Son of James White and Lurana Barber. Married first Achsa Golden, 25 Sept. 1838, in Hancock Co., Illinois. Sold property in and around what became Commerce ...

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for another parcel of land that the church had purchased from Hotchkiss and White.
The original letter is apparently not extant. This version, which
Robert B. Thompson

1 Oct. 1811–27 Aug. 1841. Clerk, editor. Born in Great Driffield, Yorkshire, England. Methodist. Immigrated to Upper Canada, 1834. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by Parley P. Pratt, May 1836, in Upper Canada. Ordained an elder by...

View Full Bio
copied into JS Letterbook 2 probably around the time the letter was sent, does not include an address for
Hotchkiss

15 Apr. 1799–21 Apr. 1849. Merchant, land speculator. Born in East Haven, New Haven Co., Connecticut. Son of Heman Hotchkiss and Elizabeth Rowe. Moved to New Haven, New Haven Co., by 1815. Married Charlotte Austin Street, 22 Feb. 1824, in East Haven. Purchased...

View Full Bio
, but the letter was likely mailed to Hotchkiss’s residence in
New Haven

Significant port city in Connecticut, four miles from Long Island Sound. Settled by company from London, 1638. United with Connecticut Colony, 1662. Population in 1830 about 10,000. Population in 1840 about 13,000. JS corresponded with Horace Hotchkiss and...

More Info
, Connecticut. If Hotchkiss sent a response to this letter, it has not been located.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    See Bonds from Horace Hotchkiss, 12 Aug. 1839–A and B.

  2. [2]

    Letter from Horace Hotchkiss, 1 Apr. 1840.

Asterisk (*) denotes a "featured" version, which includes an introduction and annotation. *Letter to Horace Hotchkiss, 28 July 1840 Letterbook 2 History, 1838–1856, volume C-1 [2 November 1838–31 July 1842] “History of Joseph Smith”

Page 163

good title deed for the same, and who would be induced to make purchases and make an effort to raise money for the sake of getting a deed which effort they would not be so likely to make if we could only give them a bond, this I think will work both to your advantage and ours. and hope that we shall be able soon by and by to make some cash sales.
11

In early 1841, church agents indicated in a report that by that time land sales in the “Hotchkiss purchase” amounted to about $83,000 and that those in the “White’s purchase” amounted to about $15,000. Most of the land sales enumerated in the report, however, would have come from the land purchased by church leaders on 12 August 1839 from Hotchkiss, Tuttle, and Gillet and the land purchased from Hugh White on 30 April 1839, rather than the land parcels purchased from Hotchkiss and William White described in this letter. The majority of land sales were purchased on credit rather than with cash. (Report of Agents, ca. 30 Jan. 1841.)


I hope this arangement with
Mr White

25 Apr. 1813–22 Sept. 1872. River pilot. Born in St. Charles, St. Charles Co., Missouri Territory. Son of James White and Lurana Barber. Married first Achsa Golden, 25 Sept. 1838, in Hancock Co., Illinois. Sold property in and around what became Commerce ...

View Full Bio
will meet your approbation, altho it is a departure from the common rules of business, but was induced to do so from the advantages which will result from it and which I hope will be mutual.
12

Aside from the unusual nature of JS concluding White’s rent transaction with Hotchkiss, JS was likely concerned that Hotchkiss would disapprove of the Saints’ receiving immediate title to the land from White. The deed would not normally have been transferred to them by White but would instead have been given to the church by Hotchkiss upon receipt of full payment ten years after the original purchase date. (Bond from Horace Hotchkiss, 12 Aug. 1839–B; Receipt from William White, 23 Apr. 1840.)


The amount of interest paid to
Mr White

25 Apr. 1813–22 Sept. 1872. River pilot. Born in St. Charles, St. Charles Co., Missouri Territory. Son of James White and Lurana Barber. Married first Achsa Golden, 25 Sept. 1838, in Hancock Co., Illinois. Sold property in and around what became Commerce ...

View Full Bio
after deducti[n]g $61.50 which was coming from him to you for rents was eighty four dollars and forty cents.
13

It is unclear when White moved from the Nauvoo area or what specific property he had rented from Hotchkiss.


Mr White

25 Apr. 1813–22 Sept. 1872. River pilot. Born in St. Charles, St. Charles Co., Missouri Territory. Son of James White and Lurana Barber. Married first Achsa Golden, 25 Sept. 1838, in Hancock Co., Illinois. Sold property in and around what became Commerce ...

View Full Bio
told us, that you agreed to pay him as much interest for the money as he could get elsewher[e] we accordingly (in good faith) allowed him at the rate of ten per cent.
Hoping the course pursued will meet your approbatio[n]—
I am respectfully
Your Obt Svt
Joseph Smith J[r]
To
Horace R. Hotchkiss

15 Apr. 1799–21 Apr. 1849. Merchant, land speculator. Born in East Haven, New Haven Co., Connecticut. Son of Heman Hotchkiss and Elizabeth Rowe. Moved to New Haven, New Haven Co., by 1815. Married Charlotte Austin Street, 22 Feb. 1824, in East Haven. Purchased...

View Full Bio
Esqr.
P.S. You will recollect the verbal agreement entered into by us that the notes for the interest would not be exacted for at least five years. Notwithstanding which we use our endeavoers to meet them as fast as possible. and think that when I have the pleasure of seeing you again, that you will be fully satisfied with the course we have taken and our endeavours to meet all our engagements.
J.S. Jr. [p. 163]
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Source Note

Document Transcript

Page 163

Document Information

Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Letter to Horace Hotchkiss, 28 July 1840
ID #
559
Total Pages
2
Print Volume Location
JSP, D7:353–357
Handwriting on This Page
  • Robert B. Thompson

Footnotes

  1. [11]

    In early 1841, church agents indicated in a report that by that time land sales in the “Hotchkiss purchase” amounted to about $83,000 and that those in the “White’s purchase” amounted to about $15,000. Most of the land sales enumerated in the report, however, would have come from the land purchased by church leaders on 12 August 1839 from Hotchkiss, Tuttle, and Gillet and the land purchased from Hugh White on 30 April 1839, rather than the land parcels purchased from Hotchkiss and William White described in this letter. The majority of land sales were purchased on credit rather than with cash. (Report of Agents, ca. 30 Jan. 1841.)

  2. [12]

    Aside from the unusual nature of JS concluding White’s rent transaction with Hotchkiss, JS was likely concerned that Hotchkiss would disapprove of the Saints’ receiving immediate title to the land from White. The deed would not normally have been transferred to them by White but would instead have been given to the church by Hotchkiss upon receipt of full payment ten years after the original purchase date. (Bond from Horace Hotchkiss, 12 Aug. 1839–B; Receipt from William White, 23 Apr. 1840.)

  3. [13]

    It is unclear when White moved from the Nauvoo area or what specific property he had rented from Hotchkiss.

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