The Papers
Browse the PapersDocumentsJournalsAdministrative RecordsRevelations and TranslationsHistoriesLegal RecordsFinancial RecordsOther Contemporary Papers
Reference
PeoplePlacesEventsGlossaryLegal GlossaryFinancial GlossaryCalendar of DocumentsWorks CitedFeatured TopicsLesson PlansRelated Publications
Media
VideosPhotographsIllustrationsChartsMapsPodcasts
News
Current NewsArchiveNewsletterSubscribeJSP Conferences
About
About the ProjectJoseph Smith and His PapersFAQAwardsEndorsementsReviewsEditorial MethodNote on TranscriptionsNote on Images of People and PlacesReferencing the ProjectCiting This WebsiteProject TeamContact Us
Published Volumes
  1. Home > 
  2. The Papers > 

Letter to the Church in Caldwell County, Missouri, 16 December 1838, Extract, Phebe Carter Woodruff Copy

Source Note

JS, Letter,
Liberty

Located in western Missouri, thirteen miles north of Independence. Settled 1820. Clay Co. seat, 1822. Incorporated as town, May 1829. Following expulsion from Jackson Co., 1833, many Latter-day Saints found refuge in Clay Co., with church leaders and other...

More Info
, Clay Co., MO, to the church in
Caldwell County

Located in northwest Missouri. Settled by whites, by 1831. Described as being “one-third timber and two-thirds prairie” in 1836. Created specifically for Latter-day Saints by Missouri state legislature, 29 Dec. 1836, in attempt to solve “Mormon problem.” ...

More Info
, MO, 16 Dec. 1838. Extract copied [between 16 Dec. 1838 and 27 May 1857]; handwriting of Phebe Carter Woodruff; docket in handwriting of
Wilford Woodruff

1 Mar. 1807–2 Sept. 1898. Farmer, miller. Born at Farmington, Hartford Co., Connecticut. Son of Aphek Woodruff and Beulah Thompson. Moved to Richland, Oswego Co., New York, 1832. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by Zera Pulsipher,...

View Full Bio
; seven pages; JS Collection, CHL.

Historical Introduction

See Historical Introduction to Letter to the Church in Caldwell County, Missouri, 16 Dec. 1838.
Asterisk (*) denotes a "featured" version, which includes an introduction and annotation. *Letter to the Church in Caldwell County, Missouri, 16 December 1838

Page [4]

of all the different sects they hated us and that most cordially to, if there were generals they hated us if there were Colonels they hated us, and soldiers and the officers of every class hated us and the most profane blasphemers and drunkards and whoremongers hated us, they all hated us most cordialy, and now what did they hate us for? purely because of the testimony of Jesus Christ. Was it because we were liars? we know that it is reported by some but it is reported falsely. Was it because we have committed treason against the state in
Davi[es]s County

Area in northwest Missouri settled by European Americans, 1830. Sparsely inhabited until 1838. Created from Ray Co., Dec. 1836, in attempt to resolve conflicts related to Latter-day Saint settlement in that region. County is transected diagonally from northwest...

More Info
— or of burglary, or of larceny, or of arson or any other unlawful act in
Davis County

Area in northwest Missouri settled by European Americans, 1830. Sparsely inhabited until 1838. Created from Ray Co., Dec. 1836, in attempt to resolve conflicts related to Latter-day Saint settlement in that region. County is transected diagonally from northwest...

More Info
. We know that priest’s and certain lawyers, and certain judges who are the instigators, aiders and abettors of a certain gang of murderers and robbers who have been carrying on a scheme of mobocracy to uphold their
priestcraft

The misuse of religious authority for personal gain or prestige. The Book of Mormon stated that “priestcrafts are that men preach and set themselves up for a light unto the world, that they may get gain, and praise of the world; but they seek not the welfare...

View Glossary
againsts the saints of the last days for a number of years and who have by a well comtemplated and premeditated scheme to put down by physical opperation a system of religion that all the world by their mental attainments and by any fair meanes whatever were not able to resist—— hence mobbers were encouraged by Priests and Levites by the pharisees and saducees and essenees and the herodians and every other C. and ite a gauging on the most ruthless and abandoned and debauched and lawless and inhuman beastly set of men the earth can boast of and indeed a paralel cannot be found any where else together together to drive to steal and to plunder to strive to exterminate and to burn houses of the mormons,— these are the characters that by their treasonable and overt acts which has desolated and laid waste
Davis County

Area in northwest Missouri settled by European Americans, 1830. Sparsely inhabited until 1838. Created from Ray Co., Dec. 1836, in attempt to resolve conflicts related to Latter-day Saint settlement in that region. County is transected diagonally from northwest...

More Info
.— These are the characters that would fain make all the world believe that we are guilty of the above named acts:— but they represent us falsely— we stood in our own defence and we believe that no man acted only in a just a lawful and righteous retaliation against such murderers we say unto you that we have not committed treason neither any other unlawful act in
Davis County

Area in northwest Missouri settled by European Americans, 1830. Sparsely inhabited until 1838. Created from Ray Co., Dec. 1836, in attempt to resolve conflicts related to Latter-day Saint settlement in that region. County is transected diagonally from northwest...

More Info
. Was it for murder in
Ray County

Located in northwestern Missouri. Area settled, 1815. Created from Howard Co., 1820. Initially included all state land north of Missouri River and west of Grand River. Population in 1830 about 2,700; in 1836 about 6,600; and in 1840 about 6,600. Latter-day...

More Info
against mob melitia who was a wolf in the first instance, hide and hair teeth legs and tail who afterwards put on a melitia sheepskin well tanned with the wool on who could sally forth in the day time into the flocks and snarl and show his teeth and scatter and devour the flock and [p. [4]]
View entire transcript

|

Cite this page

Source Note

Document Transcript

Page [4]

Document Information

Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Letter to the Church in Caldwell County, Missouri, 16 December 1838, Extract, Phebe Carter Woodruff Copy
ID #
1607
Total Pages
8
Print Volume Location
Handwriting on This Page
  • Phebe Carter Woodruff

© 2024 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.Terms of UseUpdated 2021-04-13Privacy NoticeUpdated 2021-04-06