Miller was still sick the next day when several church leaders met for a prayer meeting, as “petitions were also offered for brother Miller & others who are sick.” The several sick members of the council—including at least Miller, Richards, George A. Smith, and William Smith—were likely victims of the “sickly season” that “prevailed in the summer months” at Nauvoo and all along the Mississippi River. (Clayton, Journal, 7 May 1845; George A. Smith, Autobiography, 6 May 1845, 66; JS, Nauvoo, IL, to “Beloved Brethren,” England, 15 Dec. 1840, JS Collection, CHL; JS et al., “A Proclamation, to the Saints Scattered Abroad,” Times and Seasons, 15 Jan. 1841, 2:273–274.)
Clayton, William. Journals, 1842–1845. CHL.
Smith, George A. Autobiography, ca. 1860–1882. George Albert Smith, Papers, 1834–1877. CHL. MS 1322, box 1, fd. 2.
Times and Seasons. Commerce/Nauvoo, IL. Nov. 1839–Feb. 1846.