Letter to Hyrum Smith, 3–4 March 1831

  • Kirtland Geauga County Ohio

    March 3th 1831

    Brother Hyram [Hyrum Smith]

    we arived here safe and are all well I hav[e]  been ingageed in regulating the Churches here  as the deciples are numerous and the devil had  made many attempts to over throw them it has  been a Serious job but the Lord is with us and  we have overcome and have all things regular  the work is brakeing forth on the <right> hand and on the  left and there is a great Call for Elders in this  place we hav recieved a leter from Olover [Oliver Cowdery] dated  independence Jackson County Missouri Janua ry the 29th 1831 these are the words which he has  written saying—

    My dealy dearly beloved bretheren  after a considerable lengthy journy I arived avail  myself of the first opertunity of communicating to  you a knowledge of our situation that you may  be priviledged of writing to us for we have not  heard any thing from you since we left you  last fall we arived here at this place a few  days since which is about 25 miles from this the  Shawney indians on the south Side of the Kan sas River at its mouth & delewares on the north  I have had two interviews with the Chief of that  that the delewares who is <a> very old & venerable  looking man after haveing laying before him  & eighteen of or twenty of the Council of that nation  the truth he said that <he he> and they he and thy they  were very glad for what I their Brother had  told them and they had recived it in their  hearts &c— But how the matter will go with this  tribe to me is uncirtain nether Can I at present  Conclude mutch about it the wether is m[u]tch  is quite Severe and the snow is Considerable  deep which makes it at present quite dific cult traveling about I have but a short time  to write to you my b[e]loved Bretheren as the  mail leves thi[s] place in mornin the morning [p. [1]]

This letter from JS to his brother Hyrum Smith briefly describes the circumstances of the numerous disciples in Kirtland, Ohio, soon after JS’s arrival there in February 1831. JS also includes expressions of concern for Hyrum, along with a plea to travel with care during his journey to Kirtland. The text also contains a communication written by Oliver Cowdery from Independence, Missouri, to the Kirtland church members, reporting his efforts to preach to the Shawnee and Delaware nations in the area of western Missouri.

JS wrote and sent this letter from Kirtland to Hyrum at Harpersville, New York.  

Facts