On 12 December 1840, JS wrote a letter to , one of the in , Illinois. The letter requested that the bearer—whose identity is unknown—be given wood for JS’s . JS had only recently moved into this office, which was later described by as a two-story building, with most of the office work occurring on the second floor. This letter is similar to pay orders JS wrote in 1840 to Whitney and , both of whom served as proprietors of a “Store of Goods” in Nauvoo that was likely used as a .

JS wrote the note himself and signed it. It was taken to in , who made a notation on the back of the document: “Joseph Smith, Letter for Wood 12 Der. 1840.”