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Trustees Land Book B, 4 August 1842–8 December 1845

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Trustees Land Book B, 4 August 1842–8 December 1845

General Labels Page 214 Township Labels, left side Page 214 Township Labels, right side Page 214 Range Labels, top Page 214 Range Labels, bottom Page 214 Township 7 North, Range 9 West Page 214 Township 7 North, Range 8 West Page 214 Section 25 Page 214 Section 26 Page 214 Section 29 Page 214 Section 32 Page 214 Section 35 Page 214 Section 36 Page 214 Township 7 North, Range 7 West Page 214 Section 21 Page 214 Township 6 North, Range 9 West Page 214 Section 1 Page 214 Section 2 Page 214 Township 6 North, Range 8 West Page 214 Section 1 Page 214 Section 3 Page 214 Section 4 Page 214 Section 5 Page 214 Section 6 Page 214 Section 8 Page 214 Section 9 Page 214 Section 11 Page 214 Section 27 Page 214 Section 28 Page 214 Section 33 Page 214 Section 35 Page 214 Township 6 North, Range 7 West Page 214 Section 8 Page 214 Section 9 Page 214 Section 14 Page 214 Section 18 Page 214 Section 22 Page 214 Section 28 Page 214 Section 29 Page 214 Section 34 Page 214 Section 35 Page 214 Township 5 North, Range 8 West Page 214 Section 6 Page 214 Section 10 Page 214 Section 31 Page 214 Section 33 Page 214 Township 5 North, Range 7 West Page 214 Section 1 Page 214 Section 2 Page 214 Section 3 Page 214 Section 4 Page 214 Section 5 Page 214 Section 6 Page 214 Section 7 Page 214 Section 8 Page 214 Section 9 Page 214 Section 10 Page 214 Section 11 Page 214 Section 12 Page 214 Section 31 Page 214 Fractional Lot, upper left corner Page 217 Fractional Lot, lower left corner Page 217 General Labels Page [0] Cardinal Directions Page [0] Northwest Quarter Page [0] Northeast Quarter Page [0] Streets Running West to East Page 240 Streets Running North to South Page 240 Blocks and Lots Page 240 Block 68 Page 240 Block 69 Page 240 Block 70 Page 240 Block 71 Page 240 Block 72 Page 240 Block 73 Page 240 Block 75 Page 240 Block 76 Page 240 Block 77 Page 240 Block 78 Page 240 Block 79 Page 240 Block 80 Page 240 Block 81 Page 240 Block 82 Page 240 Block 83 Page 240 Block 84 Page 240 Block 85 Page 240 Block 86 Page 240 Block 87 Page 240 Block 88 Page 240 Block 89 Page 240 Block 90 Page 240 Block 91 Page 240 Block 92 Page 240 Block 93 Page 240 Block 94 Page 240 Block 95 Page 240 Block 96 Page 240 Block 97 Page 240 Block 98 Page 240 Block 99 Page 240 Block 100 Page 240 Block 101 Page 240 Block 102 Page 240 Block 103 Page 240 Block 104 Page 240 Block 105 Page 240 Block 106 Page 240 Block 107 Page 240 Block 108 Page 240 Block 109 Page 240 Block 110 Page 240 Cardinal Directions Page 250 Streets Running West to East Page 250 Streets Running North to South Page 250 Blocks and Lots Page 250 Block 116 Page 250 Block 117 Page 250 Block 118 Page 250 Block 119 Page 250 Block 120 Page 250 Block 121 Page 250 Block 122 Page 250 Block 123 Page 250 Block 124 Page 250 Block 125 Page 250 Block 126 Page 250 Block 127 Page 250 Block 138 Page 250 Block 139 Page 250 Block 140 Page 250 Block 141 Page 250 Block 142 Page 250 Block 143 Page 250 Block 144 Page 250 Block 145 Page 250 Block 146 Page 250 Block 147 Page 250 Block 148 Page 250 Block 149 Page 250 Block 154 Page 250 Block 155 Page 250 Block 156 Page 250 Block 157 Page 250 Block 158 Page 250 Block 159 Page 250 Block 160 Page 250 Block 161 Page 250 Block 162 Page 250 Streets Running West to East Page [0] Streets Running North to South Page [0] Blocks and Lots Page [0] Block 111 Page [0] Block 112 Page [0] Block 113 Page [0] Block 114 Page [0] Block 115 Page [0] Block 128 Page [0] Block 129 Page [0] Block 130 Page [0] Block 131 Page [0] Block 132 Page [0] Block 133 Page [0] Block 134 Page [0] Block 135 Page [0] Block 136 Page [0] Block 137 Page [0] Block 150 Page [0] Block 151 Page [0] Block 152 Page [0] Block 153 Page [0]

Source Note

JS as trustee-in-trust for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Land Book B, , Hancock Co., Il., 4 Aug. 1842–8 Dec. 1845; handwriting of , , , , , , and , with insertions by and unidentified scribes; 81 pages; CHL.

Historical Introduction

Trustees Land Book B is a large record book used to record financial and property transactions in and other areas in , Illinois, that JS made as trustee on behalf of the church. In September 1839, JS’s scribes created Trustees Land Book A to record JS’s financial transactions as trustee-in-trust and to create multiple indices of Nauvoo city lots that had been sold or transferred. This record book was used by several of JS’s scribes through mid-1843. In the meantime, in February 1842, JS hired , an experienced clerk and professional bookkeeper who had emigrated from in the fall of 1840. By April 1842, Clayton apparently determined to create a new record book documenting JS’s land transactions as trustee-in-trust for the church that expanded on and replaced Trustees Land Book A. Clayton divided Trustees Land Book B into several general sections, such as a daybook of JS’s land or other financial transactions in Hancock County (pages 4–27), a list of property owned by JS as trustee-in-trust in Hancock County (pages 214–220), and an index of Nauvoo city lots (pages 234–275). The property list and index of city lots were accompanied by hand-drawn maps of the county and city.
The daybook provided a largely chronological record of land transactions by JS and subsequent church trustees and from 20 April 1842 to 23 January 1846. However, the record is not complete, and within this range there are several gaps, most notably between November 1843 and May 1844. Similarly, the number of entries dropped off considerably following JS’s death in June 1844.
The land index followed the structure established in Trustees Land Book A. The entries were first organized by the major land purchases made by church leaders, using the name of the individual from whom the land was purchased. Thus, the index was divided into sections for property purchased from , , and . Within those sections, the property was organized by location based on the numerical block order in the town plat. With each entry, and other scribes recorded the name of the person purchasing or receiving the lot, purchase price, date of purchase, and status of the transaction. Due to the nature of these transactions, the many clerks and scribes who recorded the information changed, edited, or canceled numerous entries. In instances where entire lines of text were cancelled and overwritten, the canceled information is presented on one line and the new overwritten information as a distinct and separate line of text. This increases the legibility of the information and helps maintain the coherency of the record. JS’s scribes apparently ceased using the index in Book A by February 1843 and presumably created the Book B index around that same time, although they copied many of the previous entries into the new volume. It appears that the Book B index was regularly used until 1845, with scattered entries thereafter through January 1848.
The final section of this record book relates to the property church leaders had purchased from , , and in 1839. In summer 1843, JS and these men renegotiated the terms of this purchase. According to the final settlement with these men, JS would obtain title to fifty specific lots in —most of them just west of the temple block—in exchange for the original bonds and all promissory notes JS held from church members who had purchased lots on the land he returned to Tuttle, Gillet, and Hotchkiss. Pages 278–279 and 284–286 contain three separate lists of blocks and lots related to this resettlement.

Footnotes

  1. See Trustees Land Book A, 11 Sept. 1839–30 Apr. 1842.

  2. Clayton, Diary, 10 Feb. 1842; Clayton, History of the Nauvoo Temple, 18.

    Clayton, William. Diary, Jan.–Nov. 1846. CHL.

    Clayton, William. History of the Nauvoo Temple, ca. 1845. CHL. MS 3365.

  3. For more on these land purchases, see Documents, Volume 6, Introduction to Part 4: 24 Apr.–12 Aug. 1839.

  4. Bond from Smith Tuttle and John Gillet, 7 July 1843.

May 26 offers to let prest. Joseph sell as much on the S. E [Southeast] 9— 6— 8 viz 100 acres as will fetch $300.00. If he will do so prest. can have the use of the money by paying $100.00 next fall immediately $100.00 next spring & $100.00 spring following Law will give the address of the man who holds the note— The $300.00 must be paid in order to save the land.
 
June 12 <​21​> Sold Joseph Green & Thomas Pole 40 acres in S. W. [Southwest] 1— 6— 8 for $6.00 per acre Green paid £15–0–0
 
[12] <​22​> Sold to 100 acres off the W[est] side of N.E. [Northeast] 33— 7 N[orth] 8 W for $1,200.00. he paid $600.00. Also $300.00
 
[12] <​23​> Sold to John Fawkes 60 acres off the West side of S. W. 29— 7 N. 8 W for £95–0–0 paid—
 
July 10 Sold Lot 19 N 1/2 of L[ot] 2 in B[lock] 1 of addition to for $150.00— he paid Cash $60.00 and his note for $90.00 payable July 10th. 1844—
 
[July] 17 Sold Lot 3 B 10 of s add[ition]— for $220.00 to pay for it as fast as he can—
[p. 20]
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Document Information

Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Trustees Land Book B, 4 August 1842–8 December 1845
ID #
7032
Total Pages
295
Print Volume Location
Handwriting on This Page
  • William Clayton

Footnotes

  1. British currency in the nineteenth century consisted of coins of varying values. The primary currency used was the pound sterling, often in the form of a gold sovereign. Smaller coins called shillings and pence were also commonly used. A pound was traditionally divided into twenty shillings, and each shilling was divided into twelve pennies, or pence. The two smallest coins were divisions of a penny, into four farthings or two halfpennies. The abbreviation used in ledgers and other financial records for this form of currency was “£ s d.” The pound symbol (£) derived from the word “Libra,” meaning “a pound” in Latin. The “s” was an abbreviation for the Latin “solidus,” which in English was referred to as a “shilling.” The “d” was an abbreviation of “denarius,” or a Roman silver coin, which was also initially used as the name of the English silver penny. While other countries in the British empire abandoned this system, currency in the United Kingdom of Great Britain was not decimalized and standardized into units of one hundred until 1971. (“Pound,” in Oxford English Dictionary, 7:1202; “Solidus,” in Oxford English Dictionary, 10:401; “Denarius,” in Oxford English Dictionary, 3:191; Sutherland, English Coinage 600–1900; see also “Pounds, Shillings and Pence,” The Royal Mint Museum, accessed 3 July 2023, https://www.royalmintmuseum.org.uk/journal/history/pounds-shillings-and-pence/.)

    The Oxford English Dictionary. Edited by James A. H. Murray, Henry Bradley, W. A. Craigie, and C. T. Onions. 12 vols. 1933. Reprint, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970.

    Sutherland, Carol Humphrey Vivian. English Coinage 600–1900. London: B. T. Batsford, 1973.

    The Royal Mint Museum. https://www.royalmintmuseum.org.uk/journal/history/pounds-shillings-and-pence/.

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