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Promissory Note to Horace Hotchkiss, 23 October 1840

Source Note

[JS and others], Promissory Note,
Nauvoo

Principal gathering place for Saints following expulsion from Missouri. Beginning in 1839, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints purchased lands in earlier settlement of Commerce and planned settlement of Commerce City, as well as surrounding areas....

More Info
, Hancock Co., IL, to
Horace Hotchkiss

15 Apr. 1799–21 Apr. 1849. Merchant, land speculator. Born in East Haven, New Haven Co., Connecticut. Son of Heman Hotchkiss and Elizabeth Rowe. Moved to New Haven, New Haven Co., by 1815. Married Charlotte Austin Street, 22 Feb. 1824, in East Haven. Purchased...

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, 23 Oct. 1840; handwriting of
Horace Hotchkiss

15 Apr. 1799–21 Apr. 1849. Merchant, land speculator. Born in East Haven, New Haven Co., Connecticut. Son of Heman Hotchkiss and Elizabeth Rowe. Moved to New Haven, New Haven Co., by 1815. Married Charlotte Austin Street, 22 Feb. 1824, in East Haven. Purchased...

View Full Bio
; notations in the handwriting of
Horace Hotchkiss

15 Apr. 1799–21 Apr. 1849. Merchant, land speculator. Born in East Haven, New Haven Co., Connecticut. Son of Heman Hotchkiss and Elizabeth Rowe. Moved to New Haven, New Haven Co., by 1815. Married Charlotte Austin Street, 22 Feb. 1824, in East Haven. Purchased...

View Full Bio
and unidentified scribe; signatures of JS and others (now missing); one page; JS Collection, CHL. Includes notations.
One leaf, measuring 4⅝ × 7¾ inches (12 × 20 cm). An area of approximately 2¼ × 3½ inches (6 × 9 cm) of the lower right section of the recto was cut off to remove the signatures, presumably those of JS,
Sidney Rigdon

19 Feb. 1793–14 July 1876. Tanner, farmer, minister. Born at St. Clair, Allegheny Co., Pennsylvania. Son of William Rigdon and Nancy Gallaher. Joined United Baptists, ca. 1818. Preached at Warren, Trumbull Co., Ohio, and vicinity, 1819–1821. Married Phebe...

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, and
Hyrum Smith

9 Feb. 1800–27 June 1844. Farmer, cooper. Born at Tunbridge, Orange Co., Vermont. Son of Joseph Smith Sr. and Lucy Mack. Moved to Randolph, Orange Co., 1802; back to Tunbridge, before May 1803; to Royalton, Windsor Co., Vermont, 1804; to Sharon, Windsor Co...

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. This excision also resulted in the loss of an unknown amount of text on the verso of the leaf. A notation in the handwriting of
Hotchkiss

15 Apr. 1799–21 Apr. 1849. Merchant, land speculator. Born in East Haven, New Haven Co., Connecticut. Son of Heman Hotchkiss and Elizabeth Rowe. Moved to New Haven, New Haven Co., by 1815. Married Charlotte Austin Street, 22 Feb. 1824, in East Haven. Purchased...

View Full Bio
appears on the verso. There is also a second notation, possibly written by
William Clayton

17 July 1814–4 Dec. 1879. Bookkeeper, clerk. Born at Charnock Moss, Penwortham, Lancashire, England. Son of Thomas Clayton and Ann Critchley. Married Ruth Moon, 9 Oct. 1836, at Penwortham. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by Heber...

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, cancelling the promissory note. Both the recto and verso of the document contain graphite mathematical computations; the first calculated the interest on the amount due in the promissory note, and the second likely also related to the promissory note. The document was folded numerous times into a small square.
The document was presumably reacquired by JS from
Hotchkiss

15 Apr. 1799–21 Apr. 1849. Merchant, land speculator. Born in East Haven, New Haven Co., Connecticut. Son of Heman Hotchkiss and Elizabeth Rowe. Moved to New Haven, New Haven Co., by 1815. Married Charlotte Austin Street, 22 Feb. 1824, in East Haven. Purchased...

View Full Bio
after payment was made prior to 11 October 1841. The document was cataloged in the JS Collection in 1973.
1

Johnson, Register of the Joseph Smith Collection, 10.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Johnson, Jeffery O. Register of the Joseph Smith Collection in the Church Archives, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City: Historical Department of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1973.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    Johnson, Register of the Joseph Smith Collection, 10.

    Johnson, Jeffery O. Register of the Joseph Smith Collection in the Church Archives, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City: Historical Department of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1973.

Historical Introduction

On 23 October 1840, JS signed a promissory note agreeing to pay land speculator
Horace Hotchkiss

15 Apr. 1799–21 Apr. 1849. Merchant, land speculator. Born in East Haven, New Haven Co., Connecticut. Son of Heman Hotchkiss and Elizabeth Rowe. Moved to New Haven, New Haven Co., by 1815. Married Charlotte Austin Street, 22 Feb. 1824, in East Haven. Purchased...

View Full Bio
$2,500 plus interest, payable in eight months. JS,
Sidney Rigdon

19 Feb. 1793–14 July 1876. Tanner, farmer, minister. Born at St. Clair, Allegheny Co., Pennsylvania. Son of William Rigdon and Nancy Gallaher. Joined United Baptists, ca. 1818. Preached at Warren, Trumbull Co., Ohio, and vicinity, 1819–1821. Married Phebe...

View Full Bio
, and
Hyrum Smith

9 Feb. 1800–27 June 1844. Farmer, cooper. Born at Tunbridge, Orange Co., Vermont. Son of Joseph Smith Sr. and Lucy Mack. Moved to Randolph, Orange Co., 1802; back to Tunbridge, before May 1803; to Royalton, Windsor Co., Vermont, 1804; to Sharon, Windsor Co...

View Full Bio
—the
church

The Book of Mormon related that when Christ set up his church in the Americas, “they which were baptized in the name of Jesus, were called the church of Christ.” The first name used to denote the church JS organized on 6 April 1830 was “the Church of Christ...

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’s
First Presidency

The highest presiding body of the church. An 11 November 1831 revelation stated that the president of the high priesthood was to preside over the church. JS was ordained as president of the high priesthood on 25 January 1832. In March 1832, JS appointed two...

View Glossary
—owed Hotchkiss this money for one of two parcels of land they purchased from him on 12 August 1839. The purchase in question was for 89½ acres of land in the
Nauvoo

Principal gathering place for Saints following expulsion from Missouri. Beginning in 1839, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints purchased lands in earlier settlement of Commerce and planned settlement of Commerce City, as well as surrounding areas....

More Info
, Illinois, area. According to the original terms of the agreement, Hotchkiss was to receive two notes for $1,250 each, one due in five years and one in ten years. An additional $1,000 payment was to be made to longtime
Hancock County

Formed from Pike Co., 1825. Described in 1837 as predominantly prairie and “deficient in timber.” Early settlers came mainly from mid-Atlantic and southern states. Population in 1835 about 3,200; in 1840 about 9,900; and in 1844 at least 15,000. Carthage ...

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, Illinois, resident
William White

25 Apr. 1813–22 Sept. 1872. River pilot. Born in St. Charles, St. Charles Co., Missouri Territory. Son of James White and Lurana Barber. Married first Achsa Golden, 25 Sept. 1838, in Hancock Co., Illinois. Sold property in and around what became Commerce ...

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, from whom Hotchkiss had originally contracted to purchase the property for $1,000 but whom Hotchkiss had not yet paid.
1

Bond from Horace Hotchkiss, 12 Aug. 1839–B.


This October 1840 readjustment of the previous year’s agreement with
Hotchkiss

15 Apr. 1799–21 Apr. 1849. Merchant, land speculator. Born in East Haven, New Haven Co., Connecticut. Son of Heman Hotchkiss and Elizabeth Rowe. Moved to New Haven, New Haven Co., by 1815. Married Charlotte Austin Street, 22 Feb. 1824, in East Haven. Purchased...

View Full Bio
—especially the earlier due date for paying Hotchkiss—apparently resulted from an arrangement the church made with
White

25 Apr. 1813–22 Sept. 1872. River pilot. Born in St. Charles, St. Charles Co., Missouri Territory. Son of James White and Lurana Barber. Married first Achsa Golden, 25 Sept. 1838, in Hancock Co., Illinois. Sold property in and around what became Commerce ...

View Full Bio
on 23 April 1840. The original agreement between church leaders and Hotchkiss vaguely referred to the $1,000 due to White, stating only that the church should pay “in such manner as shall be satisfactory to said White.” The church made that payment to White by 23 April. In a receipt he made for the payment, White promised to give JS the deed for the land (which White still held, having not yet been paid by Hotchkiss) as soon as Hotchkiss returned the bond for his original agreement to purchase the land from White.
2

Receipt from William White, 23 Apr. 1840.


Altering the agreement with Hotchkiss—who was to give the church the deed only after he had received full payment of his portion of the transaction—benefited the Saints because they would have clear title to the land much sooner. This, in turn, would make the land more attractive to potential buyers, who could receive deeds immediately after fully paying for
Nauvoo

Principal gathering place for Saints following expulsion from Missouri. Beginning in 1839, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints purchased lands in earlier settlement of Commerce and planned settlement of Commerce City, as well as surrounding areas....

More Info
town lots, rather than merely holding bonds for receipt of a deed years in the future. When he notified Hotchkiss of the details of the arrangement with White in a 28 July 1840 letter, JS argued that the arrangement would allow the church to pay Hotchkiss more promptly.
3

Letter to Horace Hotchkiss, 28 July 1840.


No response from Hotchkiss to JS’s July letter has been located, but the letter apparently prompted Hotchkiss to journey to
Illinois

Became part of Northwest Territory of U.S., 1787. Admitted as state, 1818. Population in 1840 about 480,000. Population in 1845 about 660,000. Plentiful, inexpensive land attracted settlers from northern and southern states. Following expulsion from Missouri...

More Info
to renegotiate the arrangement with JS. Hotchkiss was present on 23 October when JS signed this promissory note, and the following day Hotchkiss signed a deed transferring to JS any title, claim, and interest he had in the property. Given the amount this note promised Hotchkiss, and the one dollar he reported the following day as having received in payment for the deeded property, it appears that he agreed with JS about the advantages of the Saints receiving immediate title.
4

Hancock Co., IL, Deed Records, 1817–1917, vol. H, p. 625, 24 Oct. 1840, Hancock County Recorder’s Office, Carthage, IL.


The signature portion of the note, including all of JS’s name except the initial J as well as what may have been signatures of two witnesses, was removed at some point, an action that traditionally indicated payment had been received. Unfortunately, this excision also resulted in the loss of text on the verso of the note. The resulting fragmentary text, written and signed by
Hotchkiss

15 Apr. 1799–21 Apr. 1849. Merchant, land speculator. Born in East Haven, New Haven Co., Connecticut. Son of Heman Hotchkiss and Elizabeth Rowe. Moved to New Haven, New Haven Co., by 1815. Married Charlotte Austin Street, 22 Feb. 1824, in East Haven. Purchased...

View Full Bio
, includes the name
James Ivins

22 Mar. 1797–3 Apr. 1877. Farmer. Born in Upper Freehold Township, Monmouth Co., New Jersey. Son of Israel Ivins and Margaret Woodward. Married Mary Schenk. Presumably baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Moved to Nauvoo, Hancock Co....

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. An additional note, written in an unidentified hand and dated 20 April 1842, describes the promissory note as being “[ca]ncelled,” meaning it was paid in full. This notation probably indicated that Hotchkiss had received payment for this promissory note from Ivins. By 11 October 1841, Ivins had paid Hotchkiss the full $2,500 in the form of two notes and a parcel of land.
5

Horace Hotchkiss, Fair Haven, CT, to JS, Nauvoo, IL, 11 Oct. 1841; Horace Hotchkiss, Fair Haven, CT, to JS, Nauvoo, IL, 9 Nov. 1841, JS Collection, CHL.


Footnotes

  1. [1]

    Bond from Horace Hotchkiss, 12 Aug. 1839–B.

  2. [2]

    Receipt from William White, 23 Apr. 1840.

  3. [3]

    Letter to Horace Hotchkiss, 28 July 1840.

  4. [4]

    Hancock Co., IL, Deed Records, 1817–1917, vol. H, p. 625, 24 Oct. 1840, Hancock County Recorder’s Office, Carthage, IL.

  5. [5]

    Horace Hotchkiss, Fair Haven, CT, to JS, Nauvoo, IL, 11 Oct. 1841; Horace Hotchkiss, Fair Haven, CT, to JS, Nauvoo, IL, 9 Nov. 1841, JS Collection, CHL.

Page [2]

Notation in the handwriting of Horace Hotchkiss.


[text torn out] from
James Ivins

22 Mar. 1797–3 Apr. 1877. Farmer. Born in Upper Freehold Township, Monmouth Co., New Jersey. Son of Israel Ivins and Margaret Woodward. Married Mary Schenk. Presumably baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Moved to Nauvoo, Hancock Co....

View Full Bio
[text torn out] the within Note [text torn out] [inter]est and the Note [text torn out] to him
Horace R Hotchkiss

15 Apr. 1799–21 Apr. 1849. Merchant, land speculator. Born in East Haven, New Haven Co., Connecticut. Son of Heman Hotchkiss and Elizabeth Rowe. Moved to New Haven, New Haven Co., by 1815. Married Charlotte Austin Street, 22 Feb. 1824, in East Haven. Purchased...

View Full Bio

“[page torn]ncelled.” Notation in unidentified handwriting, possibly that of Horace Hotchkiss.


[Ca]ncelled
April 20— 1842 [p. [2]]
View entire transcript

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Source Note

Document Transcript

Page [2]

Document Information

Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Promissory Note to Horace Hotchkiss, 23 October 1840
ID #
2128
Total Pages
2
Print Volume Location
JSP, D7:445–448
Handwriting on This Page
  • Horace Hotchkiss
  • Unidentified

Footnotes

  1. new scribe logo

    Notation in the handwriting of Horace Hotchkiss.

  2. new scribe logo

    “[page torn]ncelled.” Notation in unidentified handwriting, possibly that of Horace Hotchkiss.

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