This volume is made possible by the help and generosity of numerous people and institutions. We are particularly grateful to the administrators and officials of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, which sponsors the project. We also express deep appreciation to the Larry H. and Gail Miller Family Foundation for its continued support of the project. The foundation’s generosity and encouragement have enabled us to meet an ambitious production schedule while adhering to the highest scholarly standards. In particular, we express sincere gratitude to Gail Miller. Her continued devotion to this work has made this and all other volumes of The Joseph Smith Papers possible.
The Joseph Smith Papers Project relies on the skills and dedication of employees and volunteers in the Church History Department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints, and on independent scholars and editors. Those who have assisted us include Anne Berbert, Christopher J. Blythe, Carolyn Call, Melissa Garrison, David W. Grua, Christian K. Heimburger, Alex Hugie, Shannon Kelly Jorgensen, Elizabeth A. Kuehn, Jeffrey D. Mahas, Spencer W. McBride, Jessica Neilson, Rachel Osborne, Tyson Reeder, Megan Sanderson, Alex D. Smith, Angela M. Thompson, and Jordan T. Watkins. We are grateful to Jay R. Eastley and Naoma W. Eastley, volunteers at the Church History Library, who assisted with research and preliminary drafts for the Geographical Directory; Lee Ann Clanton and Eleanor Brainard, also volunteers, who helped with document transcription; and Noel R. Barton, Brian P. Barton, Wayne T. Morris, and Steven Motteshard, who provided professional genealogical research services in support of the Biographical Directory. Other research used in the Biographical Directory was provided by a volunteer team headed by Patricia L. Spilsbury and consisting of Eileen Carlston, Debbie Means, Shirley Romney, Kathleen Williams, and Judy Wight. We thank them for their help. We are also grateful to Kate Mertes, who created the index for this volume, and Margaret A. Hogan, who carefully proofread the volume. Thanks also to Benson Y. Parkinson of the Publishing Services Department for improving the complex process of publishing simultaneously in print and digital channels.
We express our thanks to Brandon Metcalf, Church History Department, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, for his diligent assistance with documents; and to Gordon A. Madsen for help in understanding legal issues touched on in this volume. We also thank Kiersten Olson for administrative assistance and Ben Ellis Godfrey and Deb Xavier Abercrombie for their efforts in marketing the project and the volume.
Many libraries and repositories have provided essential assistance. We sincerely thank the management and staff of the Church History Library, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, where the majority of Joseph Smith’s papers are located; the Family History Library, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City; and the L. Tom Perry Special Collections, Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah. We express special thanks to the Community of Christ Library and Archives, Independence, Missouri, and to the historians and site directors of the Community of Christ; in particular, we thank Mark Scherer, Lachlan MacKay, Ronald E. Romig, and Rachel Killebrew for their assistance and support. We also thank Carl J. Cranney at the Catholic University of America; Jaime Ellyn Bourassa at the Missouri History Museum; Lesley Martin at the Chicago History Museum Research Center; Gayle Martinson at the Wisconsin Historical Society; Kerry Asbridge at the Hancock County Clerk’s and Recorder’s Office, Carthage, Illinois; and John Neally at the Hancock County Circuit Clerk’s Office, Carthage, for their assistance with documents and questions. We likewise thank the staffs at the Special Collections Department, J. Willard Marriott Library, University of Utah, Salt Lake City; and the Illinois State Archives, Springfield, for their excellent assistance.
The maps in this volume were developed by Geographic Information Services, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, under the direction of David Peart, with cartography by Jonathan West, Keith A. Kato, and Blake Baker. Several of these maps were based on work done by Brandon Plewe and his team of researchers from Brigham Young University for earlier volumes of The Joseph Smith Papers. We thank those who were involved in the cartography and research for these maps. Their names are listed alongside the maps in this volume.
We also thank the management and staff at Deseret Book for the professional help and advice they provided regarding the design, printing, and distribution of this volume. We especially appreciate the contributions of Sheri L. Dew, Laurel Christensen Day, Celia Barnes, Amy Durham, Richard Erickson, David Kimball, and Derk Koldewyn.
Lastly, we express the utmost gratitude to our families for their love, support, and encouragement during the development and production of this volume. Thank you to all.