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Letter from Horace Hotchkiss, 13 September 1841

Source Note

, Letter, , New Haven Co., CT, to JS, , Hancock Co., IL, 13 Sept. 1841; handwriting of ; three pages; JS Collection, CHL. Includes address, postal stamp, postal notation, and dockets.
Bifolium measuring 9¾ × 7¾ inches (25 × 20 cm) and ruled with twenty-six horizontal blue lines. The letter was written on the recto and verso of the first leaf and on the recto of the second leaf. It was then trifolded twice in letter style, addressed, and stamped for postage. The second leaf has substantial tears, which have been repaired.
Two dockets appear on the verso of the second leaf. The first docket was written by , who served as JS’s scribe from December 1841 until JS’s death in June 1844 and served as church historian from December 1842 until his own death in March 1854. , who served as scribe to JS from 1842 to 1844, later added a second docket. The letter is listed in a Church Historian’s Office inventory from circa 1904. By 1973 the document had been included in the JS Collection at the Church Historical Department (now CHL). The dockets, inventory, and inclusion in the JS Collection suggest that the letter has been in continuous institutional custody since its receipt.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    JS, Journal, 13 Dec. 1841 and 21 Dec. 1842; Orson Spencer, “Death of Our Beloved Brother Willard Richards,” Deseret News (Salt Lake City), 16 Mar. 1854, [2].

    Deseret News. Salt Lake City. 1850–.

  2. [2]

    Jessee, “Writing of Joseph Smith’s History,” 454 and 456.

    Jessee, Dean C. “The Writing of Joseph Smith’s History.” BYU Studies 11 (Summer 1971): 439–473.

  3. [3]

    “Letters to and from the Prophet,” ca. 1904, 1, Historian’s Office, Catalogs and Inventories, 1846–1904, CHL.

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

  4. [4]

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

Historical Introduction

On 13 September 1841, wrote a letter from , Connecticut, to JS in , Illinois, to continue their correspondence regarding JS’s debt repayment for lands purchased in 1839 from Hotchkiss and his partners, and . The letter was a direct response to JS’s letter of 25 August, in which JS expressed his frustration with Hotchkiss for actively seeking payment; JS apparently believed that Hotchkiss had agreed to defer interest payments for five years. Hotchkiss sent the letter featured here to defend his position and to justify his collection of interest on the debt.
In the letter, explained the many attempts he had made to obtain repayment, including traveling to and , and his frustration at not being able to meet JS’s at various times. Both parties were irritated, and the tension between them intensified because their communication was limited to letters, which were slow to arrive and easily misunderstood. Despite his frustrations, Hotchkiss knew he could lose his investment if he was too demanding—JS had already indignantly invited Hotchkiss to “come and take the premises and make the best you can of it.” Hotchkiss was therefore open to resuming settlement negotiations with JS.
mailed his letter on 13 September 1841 from nearby , Connecticut. Approximately two weeks later, JS received the letter and an additional letter from Hotchkiss’s business partner . JS responded only to the letter from Tuttle, apparently as an answer to both, since he was aware the two were communicating with each other and sharing his letters.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    For more information on this land purchase, see Bond from Horace Hotchkiss, 12 Aug. 1839–A; and Bond from Horace Hotchkiss, 12 Aug. 1839–B.

  2. [2]

    Letter to Horace Hotchkiss, 25 Aug. 1841.

  3. [3]

    Multiple church agents had failed to follow through on meetings and land exchanges with Hotchkiss. Isaac Galland was assigned to obtain eastern land and transfer the deeds to Hotchkiss as payment, but he abandoned his assignment. Galland apparently acquired deeds to some land but never transferred them to Hotchkiss. Hyrum Smith and William Smith had also been working on land transfers, but both returned to Nauvoo before completing any transfers. (Letter from Smith Tuttle, ca. 15 Sept. 1841; Letter from William Smith, 5 Aug. 1841; Letter to Smith Tuttle, 9 Oct. 1841; Letter from John E. Page, 1 Sept. 1841; JS, Nauvoo, IL, to Horace Hotchkiss, Fair Haven, CT, 10 Dec. 1841, in JS Letterbook 2, p. 216; Horace Hotchkiss, Fair Haven, CT, to JS, Nauvoo, IL, 12 Apr. 1842, JS Collection, CHL.)

  4. [4]

    Letter to Horace Hotchkiss, 25 Aug. 1841.

  5. [5]

    See Letter from Smith Tuttle, ca. 15 Sept. 1841.

  6. [6]

    Letter to Smith Tuttle, 9 Oct. 1841. JS asked Orson Pratt to read the letter from Tuttle at the church’s general conference in October 1841. Upon a motion, the conference voted that JS would respond. (Minutes and Discourse, 1–5 Oct. 1841.)

Page [2]

far as regarded myself provided I received such property as would yield six pr. cent interest and expressed an opinion that Messs. and would do the same— Here the matter rested untill and Your brother arrived at my house when it is true the subject of receiving lands in payment was again revived but upon enquiry I found that the lands had not yet been procured— I proposed to receive the interest in lands either in or which was agreed to and I held myself in constant readiness for two months to consumate the agreement but have not heard a word from your to this moment and nothing from the until 25th. July when I got a letter from him stating that he was then on his return to and informing me that Mr at was authorised to pay me a tavern stand and some land upon the Note signed by and but did not even allude to the payment of interest or principle upon the other debt— I immediately wrote Mr and got a reply ten or twelve days ago saying that he should be at untill the 15th instant— On the 9th. being last thursday & went to for the purpose of examining the property but then learned to our astonishment that had gone a week before to — Mr had also gone to — We came home of course much disappointed— I left my 2500 dollar note with a friend to negociate— There may be very sufficient reasons for this course and I shall be as ready to view explanations with a lenient eye as any person ought to be but at present I do not understand it—
What you have said in your last about the [p. [2]]
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Source Note

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Document Information

Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Letter from Horace Hotchkiss, 13 September 1841
ID #
684
Total Pages
4
Print Volume Location
JSP, D8:262–268
Handwriting on This Page
  • Horace Hotchkiss

Footnotes

  1. [10]

    In March 1841, Galland and Hyrum Smith were sent to the eastern United States to obtain deeds to lands that they could then transfer to Hotchkiss as payment. The repayment efforts were postponed shortly thereafter when Hyrum returned to Nauvoo and Galland apparently abandoned the assignment. (Authorization for Hyrum Smith and Isaac Galland, 15 Feb. 1841; Snow, Journal, 1838–1841, 103; Philadelphia Branch Record Book, 6 Apr. 1841; News Item, Times and Seasons, 1 May 1841, 2:403; Letter from Smith Tuttle, ca. 15 Sept. 1841.)

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

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

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

  2. [11]

    New Egypt, New Jersey.

  3. [12]

    Hyrum Smith also wrote a letter to William Smith, transferring the responsibility of managing the transaction with Hotchkiss to William. (Letter from William Smith, 5 Aug. 1841.)

  4. [13]

    Charles Ivins and James Ivins were brothers who joined the church in New Jersey. They were involved in transferring land and a tavern stand in New Jersey to Hotchkiss as payment on the church’s debt to him. (Letter from Horace Hotchkiss, 11 Oct. 1841.)

  5. [14]

    Hotchkiss appears to have confused the payment of two separate transactions here. The Ivins brothers apparently signed the promissory note for $2,500 that JS gave Hotchkiss in October 1840 in connection with the William White purchase; evidently, the Ivins brothers intended to pay the note on JS’s behalf. The “interest or principle” refers to the larger 1839 purchase and the $3,000 annual interest payment that was due on that principal. (Promissory Note to Horace Hotchkiss, 23 Oct. 1840; Letter from Horace Hotchkiss, 11 Oct. 1841; Bond from Horace Hotchkiss, 12 Aug. 1839–A; Bond from Horace Hotchkiss, 12 Aug. 1839–B; Promissory Note to Horace Hotchkiss, 12 Aug. 1839.)

  6. [15]

    It is unknown why William Smith left the area before transferring the deeds to Hotchkiss. In his 5 August letter to JS, William confirmed that he expected Hotchkiss to arrive within a few days to receive the property. In early September, William Smith visited Philadelphia on his way back to Nauvoo. (Letter from William Smith, 5 Aug. 1841; Letter from John E. Page, 1 Sept. 1841.)

  7. [16]

    Smith Tuttle stated in his letter to JS that “it was no fault of Mr Ivins as he did not know that Mr H. would call on him.” (Letter from Smith Tuttle, ca. 15 Sept. 1841.)

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