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Letter to John M. Bernhisel, 7 September 1842
Source Note
Source Note
JS, Letter, , Hancock Co., IL, to , , New York Co., NY, 7 Sept. 1842; handwriting of ; three pages; JS Collection, CHL. Includes address, postal stamp, postal notation, and dockets.
Bifolium measuring 9¾ × 7¾ inches (25 × 20 cm) when folded. The first three pages of the bifolium are inscribed. The document was trifolded in letter style, addressed, and sealed with a red adhesive wafer.
docketed the letter when he received it, and an unknown scribe added a docket as well. It is unclear how and when this letter came into the possession of the Church Historian’s Office (later Church Historical Department). By 1973 the document had been included in the JS Collection at the Church Historical Department (now CHL).
Footnotes
- [1]
See the full bibliographic entry for JS Collection, 1827–1844, in the CHL catalog.
Historical Introduction
Historical Introduction
On 7 September 1842, JS composed a letter in , Illinois, to in , updating him on several matters, including the status of the construction of the Nauvoo and the ongoing attempts to arrest him and extradite him to . Bernhisel had been appointed of the New York City of the in 1841, and although he had corresponded with JS since then, the two men had never met. JS’s communication was a response to a letter Bernhisel had written to JS a month earlier on 8 August 1842. JS apparently received that letter when he was in hiding at the home of . The entry in JS’s journal for 7 September notes that in the morning, church members and of brought JS “several letters from some of the brethren in that region.” Bernhisel’s letter was likely one of them.
had apparently inquired about the material JS and others planned to use for the roofing on the and evidently offered to help acquire tin from for that purpose. Bernhisel had also apparently made arrangements to give JS as trustee-in-trust of the church part of a tract of land he had purchased near Nauvoo earlier that year. In his 7 September reply, JS informed Bernhisel that church leaders had not yet decided on the roofing material and that he would send him a deed for his purchased property. JS then described the ongoing efforts of certain officials in and to arrest and extradite him. Finally, he informed Bernhisel that and others—including members of the —were en route to on a mission and would more fully update him on the ongoing extradition attempts when they arrived.
JS likely dictated this letter to his clerk . The letter was sent to by post on 14 September. It was mailed from , Illinois, instead of , perhaps because JS suspected that some of his mail was being stolen by the men running the Nauvoo post office. Alternatively, because he was in hiding in Nauvoo at this time, JS may have had the letter mailed from Quincy in order to avoid alerting others to his continued presence in Nauvoo. It is unclear who mailed the letter, but it may have been either or , both of whom were and trusted associates of JS and were in Quincy on 14 September. Bernhisel received the letter by 1 October 1842, when he replied to JS.
Footnotes
- [1]
- [2]
This 8 August 1842 letter from Bernhisel is apparently not extant.
- [3]
- [4]
Bernhisel sold six acres southeast of the platted portion of Nauvoo to JS for one dollar. The low price suggests that this tract of land was a gift to JS as trustee-in-trust of the church, and the resulting deed states that Bernhisel made the transaction “for and in consideration of the love and good will he bears to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.” Bernhisel had previously purchased sixty acres of land in the area for $485, which he had apparently paid for in full by 11 April 1842. (Hancock Co., IL, Deed Records, 1817–1917, vol. M, pp. 6–7, 24 Sept. 1842, microfilm 954,600, U.S. and Canada Record Collection, FHL; Letter from John M. Bernhisel, 11 Apr. 1842.)
- [5]
In a letter written the next day, JS informed James Arlington Bennet that he suspected that a “confederate” of John C. Bennett in the Nauvoo post office had made the office “exceedingly corrupt.” (Letter to James Arlington Bennet, 8 Sept. 1842.)
- [6]
In a letter he composed to the church around the same time, JS indicated that he was “journeying,” possibly to remain undetected by authorities seeking his arrest. (Letter to the Church, 7 Sept. 1842 [D&C 128].)
- [7]
On 9 September, George A. Smith and Lyman visited with JS while he was in hiding before departing Nauvoo the next day for Quincy by way of Lima, Illinois. (JS, Journal, 9 Sept. 1842; Lyman, Journal, 10–14 Sept. 1842; George A. Smith, Journal, 10 Sept. 1842, 54.)
Lyman, Amasa. Journals, 1832–1877. Amasa Lyman Collection, 1832–1877. CHL. MS 829, boxes 1–3.
Smith, George A. Journal, 22 Feb. 1841–10 Mar. 1845. George Albert Smith, Papers, 1834–1877. CHL. MS 1322, box 2, fd. 4.
- [8]
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Source Note
Source Note
Document Transcript
Document Information
Document Information
Footnotes
Footnotes
Postage in unidentified handwriting.
Circular postmark stamped in blue ink.