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Letter to James Sloan, 17 May 1842

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
James Sloan

28 Oct. 1792–24 Oct. 1886. City recorder, notary public, attorney, judge, farmer. Born in Donaghmore, Co. Tyrone, Ireland. Son of Alexander Sloan and Anne. Married Mary Magill. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Ordained an elder, ...

View Full Bio
, [
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], 17 May 1842. Featured version copied ca. 17 May 1842; handwriting of
James Sloan

28 Oct. 1792–24 Oct. 1886. City recorder, notary public, attorney, judge, farmer. Born in Donaghmore, Co. Tyrone, Ireland. Son of Alexander Sloan and Anne. Married Mary Magill. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Ordained an elder, ...

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; one page; JS Collection, CHL. Includes docket.
Single leaf measuring 4¾ × 7⅝ inches (12 × 19 cm). The top and right edges have the square cut of manufactured paper. The left and bottom edges are uneven, suggesting they were cut by hand. The document was written in blue ink. The leaf was folded for filing.
Church officials retained this copy of the letter; the original letter, which was in
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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’s possession, is not extant.
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...

View Full Bio
, who served as a clerk in the Church Historian’s Office from 1853 to 1859, docketed the document.
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.

It was listed in an inventory that was produced by the Church Historian’s Office circa 1904.
2

“Letters to and from the Prophet,” ca. 1904, [2], Historian’s Office, Catalogs and Inventories, 1846–1904, CHL.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Historian’s Office. Catalogs and Inventories, 1846–1904. CHL. CR 100 130.

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 docket, the circa 1904 inventory, and inclusion in the JS Collection by 1973 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]

    “Letters to and from the Prophet,” ca. 1904, [2], Historian’s Office, Catalogs and Inventories, 1846–1904, CHL.

    Historian’s Office. Catalogs and Inventories, 1846–1904. CHL. CR 100 130.

  3. [3]

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

Historical Introduction

On 17 May 1842, JS wrote a letter to
James Sloan

28 Oct. 1792–24 Oct. 1886. City recorder, notary public, attorney, judge, farmer. Born in Donaghmore, Co. Tyrone, Ireland. Son of Alexander Sloan and Anne. Married Mary Magill. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Ordained an elder, ...

View Full Bio
, general
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
clerk and recorder, instructing him to allow
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 ...

View Full Bio
to withdraw his name from church membership if Bennett so desired. Six days earlier,
Willard Richards

24 June 1804–11 Mar. 1854. Teacher, lecturer, doctor, clerk, printer, editor, postmaster. Born at Hopkinton, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts. Son of Joseph Richards and Rhoda Howe. Moved to Richmond, Berkshire Co., Massachusetts, 1813; to Chatham, Columbia Co...

View Full Bio
, on behalf of JS and other church leaders, wrote a notice declaring that they had withdrawn fellowship from Bennett, who was accused of seducing several women 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
, Illinois, and telling those women and others that JS sanctioned such practices.
1

See Notice, 11 May 1842.


At this time, withdrawing “fellowship” from an individual typically meant that the person was excommunicated from the church. However, in Bennett’s case, as well as in others, being disfellowshipped may not have meant formal excommunication,
2

In 1840, for example, church leaders withdrew fellowship from Almon Babbitt, but Babbitt apparently remained a member of the church. (Letter to Oliver Granger, between ca. 22 and ca. 28 July 1840; Minutes, 5–6 Sept. 1840.)


though Bennett later referred to the 11 May notice of withdrawal of fellowship as a “BULL OF EXCOMMUNICATION.”
3

Bennett, History of the Saints, 41, emphasis in original.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Bennett, John C. The History of the Saints; or, an Exposé of Joe Smith and Mormonism. Boston: Leland and Whiting, 1842.

Whatever the 11 May notice meant, JS allowed Bennett to withdraw from the church voluntarily before making the notice of the disfellowshipment public.
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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himself may not have known about the notice by 19 May. On 17 May,
Hyrum Smith

9 Feb. 1800–27 June 1844. Farmer, cooper. Born at Tunbridge, Orange Co., Vermont. Son of Joseph Smith Sr. and Lucy Mack. Moved to Randolph, Orange Co., 1802; back to Tunbridge, before May 1803; to Royalton, Windsor Co., Vermont, 1804; to Sharon, Windsor Co...

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confronted Bennett about his alleged immoral conduct, giving Bennett a clear indication that church leaders were not pleased with him.
4

“Affidavit of Hyrum Smith,” Times and Seasons, 1 Aug. 1842, 3:870. Bennett resigned as mayor of Nauvoo that same day. (“New Election of Mayor, and Vice Mayor, of the City of Nauvoo,” Wasp, 21 May 1842, [3].)


Comprehensive Works Cited

The Wasp. Nauvoo, IL. Apr. 1842–Apr. 1843.

William Law

8 Sept. 1809–12/19 Jan. 1892. Merchant, millwright, physician. Born in Co. Tyrone, Ireland. Son of Richard Law and Ann Hunter. Immigrated to U.S. and settled in Springfield Township, Mercer Co., Pennsylvania, by 1820. Moved to Delaware Township, Mercer Co...

View Full Bio
also stated in an affidavit that “some four or five days” after 11 May, he “intimated” to Bennett that church leaders had withdrawn fellowship from him, thereby persuading Bennett to withdraw from the church “immediately.”
5

“Affidavit of Wm. Law,” Times and Seasons, 1 Aug. 1842, 3:873.


Bennett also told 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
City Council on 19 May that he hoped to “be restored to full confidence. & fellowship. & my former standing in the chu[r]ch,” suggesting that he knew about the 11 May withdrawal of fellowship by that time.
6

JS, Journal, 19 May 1842.


However, a 26 May entry in JS’s journal implies that Bennett was not informed about the withdrawal notice until 25 May.
7

JS, Journal, 26 May 1842.


Whatever the case, Bennett later claimed that he decided on 17 May to withdraw from the church without any prompting and that church leaders retroactively prepared the 11 May notice to make it seem as though they had taken action first.
8

John C. Bennett, Nauvoo, IL, 27 June 1842, Letter to the Editor, Sangamo Journal (Springfield, IL), 8 July 1842, [2]; Bennett, History of the Saints, 41.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Sangamo Journal. Springfield, IL. 1831–1847.

Bennett, John C. The History of the Saints; or, an Exposé of Joe Smith and Mormonism. Boston: Leland and Whiting, 1842.

JS’s 17 May letter,
Sloan

28 Oct. 1792–24 Oct. 1886. City recorder, notary public, attorney, judge, farmer. Born in Donaghmore, Co. Tyrone, Ireland. Son of Alexander Sloan and Anne. Married Mary Magill. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Ordained an elder, ...

View Full Bio
’s notation, and various statements Bennett and others made about events that transpired on 17 May and 19 May contradict Bennett’s claims.
JS may have had a scribe, possibly
James Sloan

28 Oct. 1792–24 Oct. 1886. City recorder, notary public, attorney, judge, farmer. Born in Donaghmore, Co. Tyrone, Ireland. Son of Alexander Sloan and Anne. Married Mary Magill. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Ordained an elder, ...

View Full Bio
, pen the original letter, which is apparently not extant. Later, when Sloan made a copy of the letter, he noted that JS had signed the original. Sloan evidently received JS’s letter on 17 May 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
and spoke that same day with
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 ...

View Full Bio
. Sloan made a note of Bennett’s withdrawal on his copy of the letter, dating the notation 17 May. The letter from JS and Sloan’s notation were later published in the 8 July 1842 issue of the Sangamo Journal and in Bennett’s book The History of the Saints.
9

John C. Bennett, Nauvoo, IL, 27 June 1842, Letter to the Editor, Sangamo Journal (Springfield, IL), 8 July 1842, [2]; Bennett, History of the Saints, 40–41.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Sangamo Journal. Springfield, IL. 1831–1847.

Bennett, John C. The History of the Saints; or, an Exposé of Joe Smith and Mormonism. Boston: Leland and Whiting, 1842.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    See Notice, 11 May 1842.

  2. [2]

    In 1840, for example, church leaders withdrew fellowship from Almon Babbitt, but Babbitt apparently remained a member of the church. (Letter to Oliver Granger, between ca. 22 and ca. 28 July 1840; Minutes, 5–6 Sept. 1840.)

  3. [3]

    Bennett, History of the Saints, 41, emphasis in original.

    Bennett, John C. The History of the Saints; or, an Exposé of Joe Smith and Mormonism. Boston: Leland and Whiting, 1842.

  4. [4]

    “Affidavit of Hyrum Smith,” Times and Seasons, 1 Aug. 1842, 3:870. Bennett resigned as mayor of Nauvoo that same day. (“New Election of Mayor, and Vice Mayor, of the City of Nauvoo,” Wasp, 21 May 1842, [3].)

    The Wasp. Nauvoo, IL. Apr. 1842–Apr. 1843.

  5. [5]

    “Affidavit of Wm. Law,” Times and Seasons, 1 Aug. 1842, 3:873.

  6. [6]

    JS, Journal, 19 May 1842.

  7. [7]

    JS, Journal, 26 May 1842.

  8. [8]

    John C. Bennett, Nauvoo, IL, 27 June 1842, Letter to the Editor, Sangamo Journal (Springfield, IL), 8 July 1842, [2]; Bennett, History of the Saints, 41.

    Sangamo Journal. Springfield, IL. 1831–1847.

    Bennett, John C. The History of the Saints; or, an Exposé of Joe Smith and Mormonism. Boston: Leland and Whiting, 1842.

  9. [9]

    John C. Bennett, Nauvoo, IL, 27 June 1842, Letter to the Editor, Sangamo Journal (Springfield, IL), 8 July 1842, [2]; Bennett, History of the Saints, 40–41.

    Sangamo Journal. Springfield, IL. 1831–1847.

    Bennett, John C. The History of the Saints; or, an Exposé of Joe Smith and Mormonism. Boston: Leland and Whiting, 1842.

Page [1]

May 17th. 1842.
Br.
James Sloan

28 Oct. 1792–24 Oct. 1886. City recorder, notary public, attorney, judge, farmer. Born in Donaghmore, Co. Tyrone, Ireland. Son of Alexander Sloan and Anne. Married Mary Magill. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Ordained an elder, ...

View Full Bio
.
You will be so good as to permit
Gen. [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 ...

View Full Bio
to withdraw his Name from 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...

View Glossary
Record, if he desires to do so, and this with the best of feelings towards you and
General 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 ...

View Full Bio
.
Joseph Smith.
In accordance with the above I have permitted
General 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 ...

View Full Bio
to withdraw his Membership from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints, this 17th. day of May 1842. the best of feelings Subsisting between all Parties.
1

On 17 May, Bennett also swore an affidavit before Daniel H. Wells stating “that he never was taught any thing in the least contrary to the strictest principles of the Gospel, or of virtue, or of the laws of God, or man, under any circumstances” while he was in the church. According to JS’s journal, two days later Bennett stated that he had “no difficulty with the heads of the church” and that he planned to remain with the church. (Letter to the Church and Others, 23 June 1842; John C. Bennett, Carthage, IL, 2 July 1842, Letter to the Editor, Sangamo Journal [Springfield, IL], 15 July 1842, [2]; JS, Journal, 19 May 1842.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Sangamo Journal. Springfield, IL. 1831–1847.

City of
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
.
May 17th. 1842.
James Sloan

28 Oct. 1792–24 Oct. 1886. City recorder, notary public, attorney, judge, farmer. Born in Donaghmore, Co. Tyrone, Ireland. Son of Alexander Sloan and Anne. Married Mary Magill. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Ordained an elder, ...

View Full Bio
.
General Church Clerk, & Recorder.
Copy
2

TEXT: Circle drawn around “Copy.”


Genl. 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 ...

View Full Bio
has the original, which was signed by Joseph Smith. [p. [1]]
View entire transcript

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Source Note

Document Transcript

Page [1]

Document Information

Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Letter to James Sloan, 17 May 1842
ID #
1578
Total Pages
2
Print Volume Location
JSP, D10:69–71
Handwriting on This Page
  • James Sloan

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    On 17 May, Bennett also swore an affidavit before Daniel H. Wells stating “that he never was taught any thing in the least contrary to the strictest principles of the Gospel, or of virtue, or of the laws of God, or man, under any circumstances” while he was in the church. According to JS’s journal, two days later Bennett stated that he had “no difficulty with the heads of the church” and that he planned to remain with the church. (Letter to the Church and Others, 23 June 1842; John C. Bennett, Carthage, IL, 2 July 1842, Letter to the Editor, Sangamo Journal [Springfield, IL], 15 July 1842, [2]; JS, Journal, 19 May 1842.)

    Sangamo Journal. Springfield, IL. 1831–1847.

  2. [2]

    TEXT: Circle drawn around “Copy.”

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