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Letter from Eliza Lowry Nicholson, 23 April 1843

Source Note

, Letter, , Philadelphia Co., PA, to JS and Nauvoo high council, , Hancock Co., IL, 23 Apr. 1843; handwriting and signature of ; three pages; JS Collection, CHL. Includes address and docket.
Bifolium measuring 12–12¼ × 7¾–7⅞ inches (30–31 × 20 cm). Both leaves of the bifolium were cut irregularly at the bottom after the letter was inscribed. The letter was trifolded twice in letter style for mailing, addressed, and sealed with a red adhesive wafer. A hole was torn in the second leaf when the letter was opened, which caused the loss of some text. The letter was later refolded for filing.
, who served as scribe to JS from 1842 to 1844 and as temple recorder from 1842 to 1846, docketed the document. By 1973 the document had been included in the JS Collection at the Church Historical Department (now CHL). The document’s early docket and its later inclusion in the JS Collection suggest continuous institutional custody.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    JS, Journal, 29 June 1842; “Clayton, William,” in Jenson, Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia, 1:718; Clayton, History of the Nauvoo Temple, 18, 30–31.

    Jenson, Andrew. Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia: A Compilation of Biographical Sketches of Prominent Men and Women in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 4 vols. Salt Lake City: Andrew Jenson History Co., 1901–1936.

    Clayton, William. History of the Nauvoo Temple, ca. 1845. CHL. MS 3365.

  2. [2]

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

Historical Introduction

On 23 April 1843, member wrote a letter from to JS and the in , Illinois, to complain about the conduct of . In 1839, Winchester preached in the Philadelphia area and forty-five individuals, leading to the formation of a there in December of that year. Winchester was appointed over the branch in April 1841. However, later that year he clashed with when Page visited Philadelphia, and a rift in the branch developed in early 1842. A faction led by Winchester began meeting at a location separate from the rest of the branch. The rift deepened in April 1842 when a of the Philadelphia branch met to consider a petition regarding difficulties between Winchester and other branch members. The conference cleared Winchester of all charges against him, including an accusation that he was “trying to injure the reputation of sister [Eliza] Nicholson,” who was the mother of , a counselor to , of the Philadelphia branch. The conference also “exonerated” Eliza Nicholson “from the blame imputed to her in consequence of many existing reports concerning her,” although two days later it withdrew fellowship from her for unstated reasons.
Toward the end of April 1842, prepared a petition to church leaders in asking them to authorize him and other members to continue to meet as a branch separate from and his supporters. The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles granted this request, and Nicholson and others met separately until October 1842, when members and visited the branch and counseled members to “reorganize and begin anew” under the leadership of , who was appointed presiding elder at a September 1842 meeting. However, in February 1843, Hess wrote a letter to Hyrum Smith and JS stating that Winchester was continuing to cause problems. Winchester had told Hess and , a prominent missionary in the church, that they needed to excommunicate members of the branch who had not followed his breakoff group, even though Hyrum Smith had told church members in Philadelphia “that all former difficulties should never be brought up” again. was one of those members who had not aligned with Winchester. After Hess and Adams met with her, however, they declared that “she had a good spirit and was willing to do all that was required.”
Two months later, on 21 and 22 April, the branch’s officers held a council in which stated that “remarks made by derogatory to his mothers character had this day reached his ears. and he wished to present the evidence thereof.” Several individuals then testified that Winchester had at various times stated that “was a bad Character.” Because Winchester had also reportedly disparaged the character of branch member , Adams declared that “he had heard more backbiting and bickering from Elder Winchester than from all the other Members of the Church in Philadelphia put together.” The minutes of the meeting do not clearly state what the outcome of the discussion was, but after the council concluded, Eliza Nicholson wrote the 23 April letter featured here to JS.
In the letter, explained the difficulties she and others in the branch had experienced with and his supporters, and she complained especially of Winchester’s recent defamation of her character. She asked that JS take action against Winchester so that his influence in Philadelphia would be destroyed. In addition, Nicholson commented on ’s proselytizing success in the area.
, who had been summoned to return to , apparently brought ’s letter with him. JS received the letter on 22 May. Nicholson’s letter, together with the one from and another from , was considered in a 27 May 1843 meeting of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, during which —who was also present—was told to “give up his licince, and move to Nauvoo with his family as soon as he can.”

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    Orson Pratt to Sarah Marinda Bates Pratt, 6 Jan. 1840, in Times and Seasons, Feb. 1840, 1:61; Benjamin Winchester, Philadelphia, PA, 10 Feb. 1840, Letter to the Editor, Times and Seasons, May 1840, 1:104; Philadelphia Branch Record Book, 2.

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

    Philadelphia Branch, Record Book, 1840–1854. CCLA.

  2. [2]

    Winchester was ordained to “preside over the spiritual affairs” of the Philadelphia branch, with Edson Whipple and William Wharton as counselors. (Philadelphia Branch Record Book, 6 Apr. 1841, 16–17.)

    Philadelphia Branch, Record Book, 1840–1854. CCLA.

  3. [3]

    Letter from John E. Page, 1 Sept. 1841; Letter from Benjamin Winchester, 18 Sept. 1841; “Progress of Mormonism,” Hartford (CT) Daily Courant, 4 Jan. 1842, [2].

    Hartford Daily Courant. Hartford, CT. 1840–1887.

  4. [4]

    Philadelphia Branch Record Book, 6, 12, and 14 Apr. 1842, 24–29. During the same April 1841 meeting in which Benjamin Winchester was ordained as presiding elder of the Philadelphia branch, Syfritt was chosen and ordained to “take charge of the financial affairs” of the branch as bishop, with Jesse Price and Nicholson as counselors. (Philadelphia Branch Record Book, 6 Apr. 1841, 17.)

    Philadelphia Branch, Record Book, 1840–1854. CCLA.

  5. [5]

    Philadelphia Branch Record Book, 12 and 14 Apr. 1842, 28, 30.

    Philadelphia Branch, Record Book, 1840–1854. CCLA.

  6. [6]

    Petition from James B. Nicholson and Others, 22 Apr. 1842.

  7. [7]

    Notice, 14 May 1842, in Times and Seasons, 16 May 1842, 3:798; Philadelphia Branch Record Book, 14 Sept. 1842, 31; 15 and 31 Oct. 1842, 32–34.

    Philadelphia Branch, Record Book, 1840–1854. CCLA.

  8. [8]

    Letter from Peter Hess, 16 Feb. 1843.

  9. [9]

    Philadelphia, PA, Council Minutes, 21–22 Apr. 1843, General Ecclesiastical Court Trials, CHL.

    General Ecclesiastical Court Trials 1832–1963. CHL.

  10. [10]

    JS, Journal, 22 May 1843; JS History, vol. D-1, 1557.

  11. [11]

    Minutes and Discourse, 27 May 1843; see also Letter from Peter Hess, 16 Feb. 1843; and Letter from Sybella McMinn Armstrong, 1 May 1843.

Page [2]

believe one word he says, he has again and again said in the public meetings that he had never thought of or spoken ought against My Charactor— but I now find that Canker was in his Heart, and did and will no doubt distribute the Dregs wherever he goes, he by Insinuation Made & Sister German <​believe​> that I was a Notoriously bad Charactor before I joined the , their Husbands also and Brother German, our were all of the same impression: I now do not Wonder why Set so many traps to cut me off or why he treated my letter to him, with Contemt; he was under the Influence of Mallicies [malicious] lies, and I now forgive him; I should suppose a disserning <​man​> could soon ascertain when in female company wheter their Conduct was Chaste or not & by that judge. , and have been at my house some <​day days​> did they discover any thing amiss, and many others I could name—— I am not angry even now but my feeling are wounded to the Soul, I consider My Charactor Sacred with my Virtue and I defy man to prove to the Contrary or God to reveal it; for he never tels falshoods Man may lie and injure a defensely [defenseless?] Widow but they must suffer the torments of Hell for it;— it is worse than Murder; and God has said the Murderer Shal not be forgiven: &c. where Shal I loock for redress I can imagine none <​in this world​>— I have no doubt but there is many under the Same impressions those Brothers & Sisters were, and will continue to injure my reputation every where he goes, if it was only myself I would try to be more reconciled but that my Children must be loocked upon in derision too, and painted at with Scorn, is more then I can bear Why does this wonderful Smart man as he think himself act thus he says because I wrote a scandalous letter to to endeaver to injure him, and that I would talk to the elders as they passed through he judged me by himself he knew he was I mean and thought of Coarse I was he must think the Elders have very weak minds that they can all be influenced by the Whims & storias [stories] of strange Women [p. [2]]
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Source Note

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Document Information

Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Letter from Eliza Lowry Nicholson, 23 April 1843
ID #
1053
Total Pages
4
Print Volume Location
JSP, D12:228–234
Handwriting on This Page
  • Eliza Lowry Nicholson

Footnotes

  1. [8]

    “Brother German” was likely William Guy Jarman, a member of the New York City branch. According to the minutes of the 21 April council of official members of the Philadelphia branch, “Sister Jarman also of N York” heard Winchester disparage Nicholson’s character to Caroline Adams, stating “that if she had conducted herself properly since she came into the Church,” her previous actions “would have been overlooked.” Winchester’s statement made Jarman think that Nicholson “was a bad Character.” (“Conference Minutes,” Times and Seasons, 15 Apr. 1842, 3:765; Philadelphia, PA, Council Minutes, 21–22 Apr. 1843, General Ecclesiastical Court Trials, CHL.)

    General Ecclesiastical Court Trials 1832–1963. CHL.

  2. [9]

    This letter has not been located. Snow preached extensively in Philadelphia in 1840, 1841, and 1842. (See Erastus Snow, Nauvoo, IL, 31 Oct. 1840, Letter to the Editors, Times and Seasons, 15 Nov. 1840, 2:221; Erastus Snow, Journal, 1838–1841, 99, 102–107, 110–[115]; and Letter from Erastus Snow, 11 Apr. 1842.)

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

    Snow, Erastus. Journals, 1835–1851; 1856–1857. CHL. MS 1329, box 1, fds. 1–3.

  3. [10]

    Both Hyde and Hyrum Smith were in Philadelphia on a few different occasions. Hyde, for example, visited Philadelphia in 1840. Smith traveled there twice in 1841 and again in October 1842 when he and William Law visited the branch to set it in order. (Letter from Orson Hyde, 28 Sept. 1840; Erastus Snow, Journal, 1841–1847, 3; Philadelphia Branch Record Book, 6 Apr. 1841 and 15 Oct. 1842, 16, 32.)

    Snow, Erastus. Journals, 1835–1851; 1856–1857. CHL. MS 1329, box 1, fds. 1–3.

    Philadelphia Branch, Record Book, 1840–1854. CCLA.

  4. [11]

    See Exodus 22:22–24.

  5. [12]

    See Revelation, 9 Feb. 1831 [D&C 42:18].

  6. [13]

    Nicholson was likely referring to her son, James B. Nicholson, and the difficulties he had experienced with Winchester. (See Petition from James B. Nicholson and Others, 22 Apr. 1842; and Philadelphia, PA, Council Minutes, 21–22 Apr. 1843, General Ecclesiastical Court Trials, CHL.)

    General Ecclesiastical Court Trials 1832–1963. CHL.

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