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Affidavit from Jonathan Holmes, 7 February 1843

Source Note

, Affidavit, before JS as mayor, , Hancock Co., IL, 7 Feb. 1843; handwriting of ; signature of ; certified by JS; one page; JS Collection, CHL. Includes dockets and notation.
Single leaf, measuring 9⅝ × 7⅝–7¾ inches (24 × 19–20 cm). Uneven tears on the left side of the recto indicate that the leaf was torn from a book or bifolium. The leaf contains twenty-nine horizontal printed lines (now faded). After completion, the document was folded in half horizontally, trifolded, and docketed. It was later folded for filing.
probably docketed the document shortly after producing it. The document was presumably kept among city records. In 1845 the city of Nauvoo was disincorporated. Many if not most of the city records were likely included in the various collections of city records listed in an inventory produced by the Church Historian’s Office (later Church Historical Department) in 1846, when they were packed up along with church records and taken to the Salt Lake Valley. The city records are also listed in inventories of church records created in 1855, 1878, and circa 1904. The document was docketed by , who served as a clerk in the Church Historian’s Office from 1853 to 1859. In the early twentieth century, assistant church historian Andrew Jenson copied the document into the ongoing Journal History of the Church and made notations on the document that he had done so. By 1973 the document had been included in the JS Collection at the Church Historical Department (now CHL). The document’s early dockets and notation as well as its likely inclusion in the early inventories and its inclusion in the JS Collection by 1973 indicate continuous institutional custody.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    “An Act to Repeal the Nauvoo Charter,” 14th General Assembly, 1844–1845, Senate Bill no. 35 (House Bill no. 42), Illinois General Assembly, Enrolled Acts of the General Assembly, 1818–2012, Illinois State Archives, Springfield.

    Illinois General Assembly. Bills, Resolutions, and Related General Assembly Records, 1st–98th Bienniums, 1819–2015. Illinois State Archives, Springfield.

  2. [2]

    “Schedule of Church Records. Nauvoo 1846,” [1], Historian’s Office, Catalogs and Inventories, 1846–1904, CHL.

    Historian’s Office. Catalogs and Inventories, 1846–1904. CHL. CR 100 130.

  3. [3]

    “Inventory. Historian’s Office. 4th April 1855,” [1]–[2]; “Index of Records and Journals in the Historian’s Office 1878,” [11]; “Index to Papers in the Historians Office,” ca. 1904, 7, Historian’s Office, Catalogs and Inventories, 1846–1904, CHL.

    Historian’s Office. Catalogs and Inventories, 1846–1904. CHL. CR 100 130.

  4. [4]

    “Obituary of Leo Hawkins,” Millennial Star, 30 July 1859, 21:496–497.

    Latter-day Saints’ Millennial Star. Manchester, England, 1840–1842; Liverpool, 1842–1932; London, 1932–1970.

  5. [5]

    See Historical Department, Journal History of the Church, 7 Feb. 1843.

    Historical Department. Journal History of the Church, 1896–. CHL. CR 100 137.

  6. [6]

    See the full bibliographic entry for JS Collection, 1827–1844, in the CHL catalog.

Historical Introduction

On 7 February 1843, member swore an affidavit before JS in , Illinois, regarding the location of a book containing patriarchal blessings that was stolen in 1838 from church patriarch As mayor of Nauvoo, JS was also a justice of the peace, with authority to certify affidavits sworn in his presence. This affidavit is featured as an example of many others that affiants swore before JS during late 1842 and early 1843.
JS and other church leaders had spent years trying to recover the patriarchal blessing book. As prepared to leave , Ohio, for , Missouri, in May 1838, church dissenter stole the book from him. In 1840 JS’s in Kirtland, , purchased the book from Smalling. However, Granger died in 1841 before he could return the book to JS in . The book then came into the possession of Granger’s son , who claimed it as his own property. In March 1842, JS and other church leaders unsuccessfully negotiated with the younger Granger to recover church documents that his father possessed at the time of his death. JS deemed these documents, including the patriarchal blessing book, “church property.” Sometime following those negotiations, Gilbert Granger sent the book to his sister, church member , and her husband, , in Nauvoo, authorizing Hiram “to sell it to the church.” According to Sarah Granger Kimball, however, she procured the book from her brother with the intent of returning it to the church but promised not to do so until she had discussed it further with Gilbert in person.
By February 1843, JS learned, likely from , that the book was in . It is unclear how Holmes became aware of the book’s location, but in this affidavit he swore that the book was in ’s possession. recorded Holmes’s statement, which Holmes and JS then signed. JS used the affidavit to issue a warrant to search the Kimball home, where later that day the book was discovered and returned to the church.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    Act to Incorporate the City of Nauvoo, 16 Dec. 1840.

  2. [2]

    Smalling was excommunicated from the church in late 1837. While the affidavit featured here states that Smalling stole the book in 1837, the book’s custodial history, written by George A. Smith and Wilford Woodruff, indicates that Smalling stole the book at the time Joseph Smith Sr. left Kirtland for Missouri in May 1838. The last blessing from Joseph Smith Sr. recorded in the patriarchal blessing book was dated 27 August 1835. (John and Clarissa Lyman Smith, Kirtland, OH, to George A. Smith, Shinnston, VA, 1 Jan. 1838, George Albert Smith, Papers, CHL; Historical Introduction to Ordination and Blessing of Cyrus Smalling, 30 June 1835; George A. Smith and Wilford Woodruff, Statement, 1859, CHL; Patriarchal Blessings, vol. 1, pp. 138–139.)

    Smith, George Albert. Papers, 1834–1877. CHL. MS 1322.

    Smith, George Albert, and Wilford Woodruff. Statement, 1859. CHL. MS 4159.

    Patriarchal Blessings, 1833–. CHL. CR 500 2.

  3. [3]

    George A. Smith and Wilford Woodruff, Statement, 1859, CHL.

    Smith, George Albert, and Wilford Woodruff. Statement, 1859. CHL. MS 4159.

  4. [4]

    Obituary for Oliver Granger, Times and Seasons, 15 Sept. 1841, 2:550.

    Times and Seasons. Commerce/Nauvoo, IL. Nov. 1839–Feb. 1846.

  5. [5]

    JS, Journal, 2–3 Mar. 1842; Historical Introduction to Memorandum of Deeds, 3 Mar. 1842.

  6. [6]

    George A. Smith and Wilford Woodruff, Statement, 1859, CHL. At times, JS and Hiram Kimball, who was not a member of the church, had a tense relationship. A revelation dated nine months earlier warned Kimball against spreading rumors and negative opinions about JS. (Revelation, 19 May 1842.)

    Smith, George Albert, and Wilford Woodruff. Statement, 1859. CHL. MS 4159.

  7. [7]

    JS History, vol. D-1, 1464.

  8. [8]

    Holmes moved into JS’s home two days after swearing this affidavit, apparently as a boarder. (Holmes, Account Book, [2].)

    Holmes, Jonathan. Account Book, 1837–1863. Jonathan Holmes, Diary, 1837–1863. CHL.

  9. [9]

    The warrant issued for the search of the Kimball home is not extant, but it is mentioned in JS’s journal entry for 7 February 1843. Hiram Kimball was likely not as familiar with the history of the book as his wife was, as he came to JS’s home for an explanation of the events leading up to the search of his house, but there is no record of him challenging the action. (JS, Journal, 7 Feb. 1843.)

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Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Affidavit from Jonathan Holmes, 7 February 1843
ID #
2022
Total Pages
2
Print Volume Location
JSP, D11:395–397
Handwriting on This Page

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