Nauvoo high council, Minutes, , Hancock Co., IL, 20 June 1840. Featured version copied [between 14 Feb. 1842 and 1 Jan. 1843] in Nauvoo High Council Minutes, fair copy, pp. 60–63; handwriting of ; CHL. For more complete source information, see the source note for Minutes, 27 Oct. 1839.
Historical Introduction
On 20 June 1840, the met to consider a petition from JS requesting that the council relieve him from the responsibility of handling some of the ’s temporal affairs, especially those related to land sales in Nauvoo, Illinois. Although the high council met in JS’s office, it does not appear that JS attended; scribe presented the petition, apparently acting under JS’s direction. The high council considered JS’s request and appointed to act as clerk of Nauvoo land sales. The high council then addressed two other matters relating to land in Nauvoo. They disciplined , who had apparently committed fraud while purchasing a Nauvoo lot in January 1840. The council also appointed a committee to investigate the acquisition of nearly sixty acres of land in the Nauvoo area purchased on behalf of the church by from in spring 1839. What exactly Black did and why the high council wanted to investigate the Galland purchase are unclear, but the subject matter of the meeting indicates that the continued development of Nauvoo raised pressing issues for the high council.
served as clerk pro tempore of the meeting and kept its minutes. At some point after 14 February 1842 and likely before the end of that year, Stout recorded the minutes into the record book.
Stout indicated that he had recorded minutes of earlier meetings on 14 February 1842. (Nauvoo High Council Minutes, 19 Apr. 1840, 56.)
Nauvoo High Council Minutes, 1839–1845. CHL. LR 3102 22.
Page 62
appointed Elder to take charge of the City Plot and act as clerk in that buisness and also to attend to the disposing of the remaining lots and the buisness transactions which have heretofore rested upon him
was appointed steward to see that all the necessary wants of the be supplied, as well as, to provide sufficient means or appropriations for a clerk or clerks to aid Prest J. Smith jr in his important work.—
Page [blank] , for and in behalf of the , prefered a charge against , for a course of fraudulent proceedings and conduct by him practized on said Church, relative to a town lot and lots in , commencing in falshood continuing in error & eventuating in unchristian-like conduct, done and conducted within the last twelve months
Plead not Guilty. whereupon it was voted that 2. speak on each side to wit (9) (10) (11) (12) pro tem for . The charge was fully [p. 62]
On 21 October 1839, the high council appointed Sherwood to supervise the sale of Nauvoo town lots, subject to the approval of JS and Hyrum Smith. (Nauvoo High Council Minutes, 21 Oct. 1839, 26.)
Nauvoo High Council Minutes, 1839–1845. CHL. LR 3102 22.
The rough draft of these minutes has the marginal notation “P 30” here. On page 30 of the rough draft minutes, there are minutes of a 28 May 1841 meeting in which Ebenezer Black asked to be restored to the church. There is a notation on page 30 referring back to the 20 June 1840 minutes. When Stout was copying the minutes into the Nauvoohigh council record book, he apparently put in this marginal note, but not knowing on which page the 28 May 1841 minutes would appear, he left a blank space after “Page.” (Nauvoo High Council Minutes, draft, 10, 30.)
Nauvoo High Council Minutes, 1839–1845. Draft. CHL.
When high councils judged cases, up to six individuals were to speak on a case, depending on its difficulty. According to earlier instructions given to the high council at Kirtland, Ohio, “the accused in all cases has a right to one half of the council to prevent insult or injustice.” (Revised Minutes, 18–19 Feb. 1834 [D&C 102:13–15].)