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Letter to William W. Phelps, 31 July 1832
Source Note
Source Note
JS, Letter, , OH, to , “” [, Jackson Co., MO], 31 July 1832; retained copy; handwriting of ; signature of JS; seven pages; JS Collection, CHL. Includes docket and notations.
Two bifolia, each measuring 12⅞ × 8 inches (33 × 20 cm) when folded. The pages from the first bifolium are in reverse folder page order; the second bifolium is in leaflet page order. Pagination is in the top left corner of each inscribed page in the handwriting of . The letter was tri-folded in letter style. The final page bears an inscription in the handwriting of : “Copy of a letter written to Broth | | Editor of the Evening & morning Star”. A docket on the final page, “Joseph Smiths Letter | to Zion 1832,” is in the handwriting of Newel K. Whitney. Appended to this docket is “July 1831 | N. K. Whitney.” in the handwriting of . Also on the final page is a separate Bullock notation: “July 31— 1845 | N. K. Whitney handed to me”. There is soiling at folds and tearing at fold corners on the final page, obscuring the text on page 7. Ink spotting, smears, and fingerprints are found in the letter.
This version of the letter is a contemporaneous retained copy made by and later filed by . The notation on the last page of the document indicates Whitney gave the letter to Historian’s Office clerk on 31 July 1845, the date of its receipt in the Historian’s Office.
Historical Introduction
Historical Introduction
JS’s 31 July 1832 letter to addressed ongoing tensions between church leaders in and . JS labored to establish unity between the two groups for much of the latter part of 1831 and the beginning of 1832, but his efforts were hampered by the distance between them (, Jackson County, Missouri, was nearly nine hundred travel miles from , Ohio) and by occasional criticisms of his leadership. Although a September 1831 revelation chastised those who had “sought occation against him [JS] without a cause” and counseled the of the church to “forgive one another,” problems continued.
In March 1832, a revelation commanded JS, , and to travel to . One reason for the trip was to organize what became known as the , a board governing the mercantile and publishing entities of the church in and . Another reason was to “sit in councel with the saints.” In the course of several meetings held in late April and early May, JS, Rigdon, Whitney, and (who, along with Rigdon, was called as one of JS’s counselors in March 1832) established the United Firm and fostered unity so that “the hearts of all” ran “together in love.”
Yet the harmony achieved in the meetings was fleeting—a fact that apparently concerned JS as early as his May–June 1832 stay in , Indiana, en route to with . JS’s 31 July letter to referenced Whitney shedding many tears in Greenville “for ” and recounted that JS, after communing with God in a grove of trees in Greenville, “viewed the conspiricy” of church leaders in Missouri. These statements indicate that JS and Whitney understood even as they traveled home that tensions still existed with the Missouri leaders. Upon his arrival in Ohio, JS found firm evidence of the continuing tension: a letter dated 2 June 1832 from , a counselor to Bishop , that again raised points of conflict and exhibited some animosity toward JS and other church leaders in Ohio. According to a letter written in January 1833 by and , Corrill’s letter implied that JS was “seeking after Monarchal power and authority.” Apparently, these accusations so upset that he entered into a “frantick” state of mind and claimed that the “keys” had been taken from the church, which caused JS to revoke Rigdon’s priesthood and strip him of his counselor and scribal duties for a brief period in July 1832.
In July, JS also received a letter from , who operated the church’s printing works in . This letter, according to JS’s 31 July reply featured below, exhibited a “cold and indifferent manner” that further disturbed JS and shaped his reply. Phelps’s letter may have been sent directly to JS in , Ohio, or it may have been sent to , where served as postmaster. If Phelps sent the letter to Kirtland, JS may have obtained it during the week of 22–28 July when, as noted in this reply, JS went to Kirtland, perhaps to officiate in Rigdon’s reinstatement. In any case, JS preached in Kirtland on Sunday, 29 July. He then probably spent Monday, 30 July, traveling from Kirtland to Hiram. On the morning of 31 July, JS dictated this letter to , his recently appointed scribe, in response to Phelps’s letter.
JS’s reply expressed his continuing frustration with the leadership. JS noted that their conduct influenced other Mormons in to make false prophecies and unwise statements that apparently generated hostility among local citizens who were not members of the church. But he concluded the letter on an optimistic note, highlighting the success of the missionaries and the good feelings that prevailed in church meetings that he had recently attended.
The document presented here is a complete copy of the letter penned by and signed by JS, including a notation that it is missing only “a few words on the wrapper by way of exhortation complementary &c.” It eventually came into the possession of , the bishop in . apparently received and answered the letter, as indicated in a subsequent letter written by church leaders in .
Footnotes
- [1]
Revelation, 11 Sept. 1831 [D&C 64:6, 9].
- [2]
Revelation, 1 Mar. 1832 [D&C 78:9].
- [3]
- [4]
According to the letter featured below, Sidney Gilbert brought Corrill’s letter with him to Ohio and arrived there before JS. When JS arrived in Ohio, he reunited with his wife Emma and adopted daughter, Julia, who were staying in Kirtland, before apparently moving them back to the John and Alice (Elsa) Jacobs Johnson home in Hiram, Ohio. Gilbert may have given Corrill’s letter to JS when JS was in Kirtland, or he may have brought it to JS in Hiram. (JS History, vol. A-1, 215–216.)
- [5]
Letter to Edward Partridge and Others, 14 Jan. 1833. Corrill’s letter is not extant.
- [6]
- [7]
Phelps’s letter is not extant.
- [8]
Other 1832 letters from Missouri leaders to JS were sent to Whitney, including a January 1832 letter from Oliver Cowdery. These letters were addressed to Whitney at the Kirtland Mills post office, which was in Whitney’s store. JS apparently received correspondence from the Missouri leaders through the Kirtland Mills post office. (Letter from Oliver Cowdery, 28 Jan. 1832; Berrett, Sacred Places, 3:11–12.)
Berrett, LaMar C., ed. Sacred Places: A Comprehensive Guide to Early LDS Historical Sites. 6 vols. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1999–2007.
- [9]
On 28 July, Hyrum Smith wrote in his journal that “Brother Sidney was ordaind to the hight preisthood the second time.” Rigdon was probably reinstated in Kirtland; Hyrum and Rigdon both resided there, and Rigdon had been removed from his office in Kirtland. (Hyrum Smith, Diary and Account Book, 28 July 1832.)
Smith, Hyrum. Diary and Account Book, Nov. 1831–Feb. 1835. Hyrum Smith, Papers, ca. 1832–1844. BYU.
- [10]
JS may have been aware of an incident later reported by Oliver Cowdery, John Whitmer, and Edward Partridge. According to Whitmer, in March 1832 “enem[i]es held a counsel” in Independence to decide “how they might destroy the saints.” Partridge reported that this meeting was broken up by Indian agent Marston Clark, but “still the hostile spirit of individuals was no less abated.” (Whitmer, History, 38; “A History, of the Persecution, of the Church of Jesus Christ, of Latter Day Saints in Missouri,” Times and Seasons, 17 Dec. 1839, 1:17; “The Outrage in Jackson County, Missouri,” The Evening and the Morning Star, Jan. 1834, 122.)
Times and Seasons. Commerce/Nauvoo, IL. Nov. 1839–Feb. 1846.
The Evening and the Morning Star. Independence, MO, June 1832–July 1833; Kirtland, OH, Dec. 1833–Sept. 1834.
- [11]
In a January 1833 letter, Hyrum Smith and Orson Hyde wrote that Phelps and others provided “answers” to letters from church leaders in Ohio that referred to these leadership issues. It is probable that this 31 July letter is one of the letters to which Smith and Hyde referred. Any response that Phelps made to this letter is not extant. (Letter to Edward Partridge and Others, 14 Jan. 1833.)
cause is a proof of there faithfulness in the high calling I would exhort Bros & John to be ware of saducing spirits and stand firm in the liberty wherein they have been set free and never be weary in well doing which is also my exhortation to all those in that love the appearing of our Lord and saviour Jesus christ. I [w]ent to last week and held a meeting on the Lords day and found the brethren strong in the faith and enjoying the sweet influence of the holy spirit cheering there hearts and enlarging ther understandings and binding there souls togethe[r] that nothing but death can break asunder we found the brethren in the injoyment of tolerable health except Siste[r] Elliott whom the Doctors <(two of them)> had given over & [’s] seccond but were restored to health by the preayer of faith, s family & mine are enjoying tolerable health inso much we cannot complain. Sister Sarah Jackson came to live with me us yesterday you have the prayers of us all day daily and I think I can say almost hourly and in this day of calamity the saints & sinner hearts are almost failing them for fear and are crying to whom shall we go or whethe [whither] shall we flee O my God spare that it may be a place of Reffuge and of safety. I have a partickuler request to make of Bro that is as soon as you receive this letter for him to assertain the exact number of Deciples that have arived in & how many have received there and the stat[e] and standing of each o[f] the and of this inteligence communicate to us as soon as it can be done by letter such as is not wisdom to publish in the paper, I exhort also to remember the commandment to him to keep a history of the church & the and be sure to shew him self approoved whereunto he hath been called
This is a copy of a letter writen to Broth July 31— 1832 from except a few words on the wrapper by way of exhortation complementary &c
Joseph Smith Jr. [p. 7]
Source Note
Source Note
Document Transcript
Document Information
Document Information
Footnotes
Footnotes
- [38]
See 1 Timothy 4:1; see also Revelation, ca. 8 Mar. 1831–A [D&C 46:7].
- [39]
- [40]
See Galatians 6:9; 2 Thessalonians 3:13; and Revelation, 11 Sept. 1831 [D&C 64:33].
- [41]
See 2 Timothy 4:8.
- [42]
TEXT: “[Hole in paper]ent”.
- [43]
This suggests that the trouble and confusion raised by Sidney Rigdon’s recent announcement that the church had lost the “keys of the kingdom” had been resolved.
- [44]
“Sister Elliott” is probably Mary Cahoon Elliott, wife of David Elliott.a If so, the doctors mentioned here were probably located in Chagrin, Ohio, where the Elliotts appear to have been living.b Three doctors were apparently in Chagrin at the time: John Henderson, Asahel Brainard, and George Card.c Even if the Elliotts were in Kirtland, and not Chagrin, it is still possible the doctors JS mentions here were from Chagrin. Samuel Whitney, brother of Newel K. Whitney, later recalled two incidents in Kirtland in the 1830s where doctors were involved and specifically mentioned Brainard and Card.d
(aSee Backman, Profile, 23. bJS, Kirtland, OH, to “Brethren in Zion,” Independence, MO, 21 Apr. 1833, in JS Letterbook 1, pp. 32–36. c1830 U.S. Census, Chagrin, Cuyahoga Co., OH, 100; Crary, Pioneer and Personal Reminiscences, 19. d“Statement of Rev. S. F. Whitney on Mormonism,” Naked Truths about Mormonism, [Oakland, CA], Jan. 1888, 3.)Backman, Milton V., Jr., comp. A Profile of Latter-day Saints of Kirtland, Ohio, and Members of Zion’s Camp, 1830–1839: Vital Statistics and Sources. 2nd ed. Provo, UT: Department of Church History and Doctrine and Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 1983.
JS Letterbook 1 / Smith, Joseph. “Letter Book A,” 1832–1835. Joseph Smith Collection. CHL. MS 155, box 2, fd. 1.
Census (U.S.) / U.S. Bureau of the Census. Population Schedules. Microfilm. FHL.
Crary, Christopher G. Pioneer and Personal Reminiscences. Marshalltown, IA: Marshall Printing Co., 1893.
Naked Truths about Mormonism: Also a Journal for Important, Newly Apprehended Truths, and Miscellany. Oakland, CA. Jan. and Apr. 1888.
- [45]
Rigdon’s second daughter, Nancy, was born on 8 December 1822 and would have been nine years old at the time. (Allegheny Co., PA, Orphans’ Court, Registration of Deaths in the City of Pittsburgh, 1870–1905, vol. 48, p. 222, microfilm 505,840, U.S. and Canada Record Collection, FHL; Allegheny Cemetery, Pittsburgh, Allegheny Co., PA, Cemetery Records, 1845–1976, vol. E, p. 262, microfilm 1,290,386, U.S. and Canada Record Collection, FHL; “Records of Early Church Families,” Utah Genealogical and Historical Magazine Oct. 1936 27:161.)
U.S. and Canada Record Collection. FHL.
“Records of Early Church Families.” Utah Genealogical and Historical Magazine 27 (Oct. 1936): 156–162.
- [46]
See James 5:15.
- [47]
Possibly Sarah Maria Jackson, who moved to Jackson County in December 1832. (Whitmer, Daybook, 6 Jan. 1832; Faulring, “Early Marriages,” 201.)
Whitmer, John. Daybook, 1832–1878. CHL. MS 1159.
Faulring, Scott H. “Early Marriages Performed by the Latter-day Saint Elders in Jackson County, Missouri, 1832–1834.” Mormon Historical Studies 2 (Fall 2001): 197–210.Godfrey, Matthew C. “‘Seeking after Monarchal Power and Authority’: Joseph Smith and Leadership in the Church of Christ, 1831–1832.” Mormon Historical Studies 13 (Spring/Fall 2012): 15–37.
- [48]
See Luke 21:26; and Old Testament Revision 1, p. 19 [Moses 7:66].
- [49]
An 1831 revelation spoke of the New Jerusalem as “a City of refuge a place of safety for the saints.” (Revelation, ca. 7 Mar. 1831 [D&C 45:66].)
- [50]
TEXT: “stat[hole in paper]”.
- [51]
TEXT: “o[hole in paper]”.
- [52]
There is no surviving letter from Whitmer with this information. However, in the history of the church that Whitmer kept, he recorded that around March 1832 there were 402 “disciples living in this land Zion.” On 1 December 1832, Whitmer reported that there were “538 individuals in this land b[e]longing to th[e] church.” According to William E. McLellin, the group from Portage County, Ohio, that arrived in Zion in June 1832 consisted of “near 100 of our brethren (viz) men, women & children,” making up most of this increase. (Whitmer, History, 38–39; William E. McLellin, Independence, MO, to “Beloved Relatives,” Carthage, TN, 4 Aug. 1832, photocopy, CHL.)
McLellin, William E. Letter, Independence, MO, to “Beloved Relatives,” Carthage, TN, 4 Aug. 1832. Photocopy. CHL. MS 617.
- [53]
A March 1831 revelation instructed Whitmer to “write & keep a regulal [regular] history.” A November 1831 revelation instructed Whitmer to “travel many times from place to place & from Church to Church that he may the more easily obtain knowledge . . . writing cop[y]ing & selecting & obtain[in]g all things which shall be for the good of the Church & for the rising generations which shall grow up on the Land of Zion.” (Revelation, ca. 8 Mar. 1831–B [D&C 47:1]; Revelation, 11 Nov. 1831–A [D&C 69:8].)
- [54]
See 2 Timothy 2:15.
Signature of JS.