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Poem from Stephen Ross, 15 January 1844

Source Note

, Poem, , St. Louis Co., MO, to JS, , Hancock Co., IL, 15 Jan. 1844; handwriting probably of ; three pages; JS Office Papers, CHL. Includes address, postal notation, postal stamp, and docket.
Bifolium measuring 11¾ × 7½ inches (30 × 19 cm). The document was trifolded twice in letter style, addressed, and sealed with an adhesive wafer. It was later refolded for filing. The verso of the second leaf, which bears the address, also includes a large amount of spilled ink.
The document was docketed by , who served as JS’s scribe from 1843 to 1844 and as clerk to the church historian and recorder from 1845 to 1865. In 2012 the document was cataloged as part of the JS Office Papers. The document’s early docket and its later inclusion in the JS Office Papers suggest continuous institutional custody.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    Jessee, “Writing of Joseph Smith’s History,” 456, 458; Woodruff, Journal, 22 Jan. 1865.

    Jessee, Dean C. “The Writing of Joseph Smith’s History.” BYU Studies 11 (Summer 1971): 439–473.

    Woodruff, Wilford. Journals, 1833–1898. Wilford Woodruff, Journals and Papers, 1828–1898. CHL. MS 1352.

  2. [2]

    This collection comprises correspondence addressed to JS’s clerks, correspondence to other recipients that was forwarded to JS for his perusal, copies of miscellaneous documents created by JS’s clerks, and miscellaneous financial documents. (See “Introduction to Joseph Smith Office Papers.”)

Historical Introduction

On 15 January 1844, member wrote a poem in for JS, whom he called his “beloved brother in ,” identifying signs of the second coming of Jesus Christ, describing his poor health and his family’s difficult financial situation, and expressing a desire to move somewhere with better work opportunities. Little is known about Ross beyond the information contained in the poem. He was a shoemaker who had previously presided over the of the church at , New Jersey. In fall 1843, he apparently moved to Nauvoo with his wife and three children but could not find work there. Like many other Latter-day Saints, he and his family traveled to nearby St. Louis to seek employment.
filled the first half of his poem with allusions to biblical prophecies about the latter days. He used the next portion of the poem to describe the poverty he had experienced since leaving and to express his belief that moving to or back to New Jersey would considerably improve his family’s circumstances. However, he wanted to be sure that he could find work and lodging in Nauvoo before making the journey from . Ross asked JS for advice on the matter and requested that he write back to him in St. Louis.
mailed his poem to on 17 January 1844. He addressed it to church member , whom he apparently knew, with a note in the margin of the second page requesting that Spencer give the poem to JS. JS presumably received the letter sometime in mid- or late January. There is no known reply.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    It is unknown for how long Ross presided over the branch at Newark, but he was acting in this capacity during a conference in New York City in May 1843. (“Conference Minutes,” Times and Seasons, 1 Aug. 1843, 4:286.)

    Times and Seasons. Commerce/Nauvoo, IL. Nov. 1839–Feb. 1846.

  2. [2]

    Jane Stephenson Ross

  3. [3]

    Kimball, “Saints and St. Louis, 1831–1857,” 490, 496.)

    Kimball, Stanley B. “The Saints and St. Louis, 1831–1857: An Oasis of Tolerance and Security.” BYU Studies 13 (Summer 1873): 489–519.

Page [2]

Escorted there by those he’ll meet
The mountain then is Split in twain
And Christ the Lord has come to reign
Now many things I might relate
Concerning Gog’s army and fate
But to be Short and make it plain
I’ll only Say they were all Slain
To Burn the wepons of that war
It takes the Jews just Seven year
And Seven months Ezekiel Said
It takes to bury all thier Dead
Besides the Lord calls every beast
To come and on thier bodies feast
And every bird of every feather
To come and eat thier fill together
I might adduce much further proof
If I had only room Eneugh
But this I Say I have full faith
In every thing the Bible Saith
Now of my Self I wish to Speak
My health is poor my bodys weak
I have three children and a wife
Who are Dependent on my life
For thier suport and all they get
Comes by my labour and my Sweat
No Last fall I went up to
And nothing could I find to Do
My money all or nearly gone
And no man there <​would​> Seat me on
I am a Shoemaker by trade
Rather tall but Slender made
And Subject to a hacking cough
Which I Sometimes fear will take me off
This climate here is not the kind
To benefit my health I find
Now if the Lord Should call me hom[e]
My wife and childrens left a lone
She cannot gain a lively hood
And pay her rent and buy her wood
<​Please give this to Br. Joseph Smith Soon and Oblige a Brother and a friend ​> [p. [2]]
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Document Information

Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Poem from Stephen Ross, 15 January 1844
ID #
3445
Total Pages
4
Print Volume Location
Handwriting on This Page
  • Stephen Ross

Footnotes

  1. [6]

    See Zechariah 14:4–5.

  2. [7]

    See Ezekiel 39:9–14.

  3. [8]

    See Ezekiel 39:17–20.

  4. [9]

    The exact number of shoemakers and cobblers in Nauvoo in 1844 is unknown. However, advertisements in the December 1843 and January 1844 issues of the Nauvoo Neighbor indicate that there were several men making or repairing shoes in Nauvoo as well as men selling supplies to shoemakers. (See, for example, “Boots and Shoes,” and “See Here! Cheap Boot and Shoe Manufactory!!,” Nauvoo Neighbor, 6 Dec. 1843, [4]; “Notice,” Nauvoo Neighbor, 20 Dec. 1843, [4]; “Notice,” and “E. Mitchel,” Nauvoo Neighbor, 3 Jan. 1844, [4]; and “The Subscriber,” Nauvoo Neighbor, 31 Jan. 1844, [4].)

    Nauvoo Neighbor. Nauvoo, IL. 1843–1845.

  5. [10]

    TEXT: Insertion written vertically in the right margin.

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