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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 [3]

property I sold being a “deathly sickly hole” and the “extortionate price I exacted” was I presume written without reflection— I cannot immagine why it should be more unhealthy than the lands immediatley adjoining and if reasons <​causes of sickness​> exist there that do not in other portions of what are those reasons <​causes​>?— The price for this property was at the time has been since and I beleive always will be considered exceedingly reasonable and you will unquestionably remember that I proposed at the time retaining every other lot and only selling one half the property— Does this look like extortion?— But how could I extort?— And what could I exact?— You had then made no purchase of me and I neither exacted or extorted any thing from you but offered you property at a certain price which property you examined to your entire satisfaction and after this e[x]amination agreed to pay the price asked— A free and voluntary act on your part most assuredly— My dear sir I beg you will not accuse me of extortion in such a transaction as this— Nothing on earth can be more remote from exaction— Was there any compulsion?
You allude again to the proposal of our taking lands in the Atlantic states which will yeild six pr. ct. interest— You will do me the justice to acknowledge that I some time since wrote you that I had consulted and that we would receive payment if you chose for our whole debt in that manner— I have been at the expense of two journies to — thrown in the interest upon the debt and been twice to and have never yet recd. from you one dollar and still <​you​> complain of my goading without cause and attempting to crush you before you have acquired strength for carrying a burthen— Why you cannot be serious— There is not the slightest foundation for such charges— Is it not right that I should be paid my interest? And may I not in kindness suggest the methods by which it can be accomplished?— ’Tis not credible that you can object to this— Do you doubt my being a friend because I want my money for family expenses?— We view things differently here
Yours Truly [p. [3]]
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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. [17]

    See Letter to Horace Hotchkiss, 25 Aug. 1841.

  2. [18]

    Nauvoo, situated along the banks of the Mississippi River, was swampy, humid, and infested with mosquitoes carrying malaria. Describing the setting, early settler Helen Mar Kimball wrote, “The weather was excessively warm, and the bottom land being swampy, nearly everyone who had come there was sick upon the bank of the river.” These conditions led to rampant sickness and rising death rates. (Helen Mar Kimball Whitney, “Scenes in Nauvoo,” Woman’s Exponent, 15 July 1881, 10:26; Hinckley, “Saints and Sickness,” 142–143; Ivie and Heiner, “Deaths in Early Nauvoo,” 163–173.)

    Woman’s Exponent. Salt Lake City. 1872–1914.

    Hinckley, Joseph B. “Saints and Sickness: Medicine in Nauvoo and Winter Quarters.” Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel 10, no. 3 (2009): 137–149.

    Ivie, Evan L., and Douglas C. Heiner. “Deaths in Early Nauvoo, 1839–46, and Winter Quarters, 1846–48.” Religious Educator 10, no. 3 (2009): 163–173.

  3. [19]

    For the details of the real estate transaction, see Bond from Horace Hotchkiss, 12 Aug. 1839–A; Bond from Horace Hotchkiss, 12 Aug. 1839–B; and Promissory Note to Horace Hotchkiss, 12 Aug. 1839.

  4. [20]

    A letter detailing this agreement with Tuttle has not been located. A July 1841 letter from Hotchkiss suggests that he expected the land exchanges to meet payments only for “the interest due to myself Mr Tuttle and Mr Gillet.” (Letter from Horace Hotchkiss, 24 July 1841.)

  5. [21]

    It is unclear if Hotchkiss traveled to Illinois twice after the Saints purchased his land in 1839. Documents show that Hotchkiss was in Illinois in 1837 when he and John Gillet laid out Commerce City. He also visited in 1840 when he sold the William White property to the church. (Gregg, History of Hancock County, Illinois, 955; Promissory Note to Horace Hotchkiss, 23 Oct. 1840; Hancock Co., IL, Deed Records, 1817–1917, vol. H, p. 625, 24 Oct. 1840, microfilm 954,598, U.S. and Canada Record Collection, FHL.)

    Gregg, Thomas. History of Hancock County, Illinois, Together with an Outline History of the State, and a Digest of State Laws. Chicago: Charles C. Chapman, 1880.

  6. [22]

    Hotchkiss had agreed to sell the Saints land in Illinois that he had bought from William White and offered them a bond until the deed could be obtained; however, Hotchkiss could not acquire the deed until the payment he owed White was fulfilled. In April 1840, JS paid White the amount that Hotchkiss originally owed on the property. JS hoped Hotchkiss would condone this deviation from the “common rules of business” as he dealt directly with White instead of going through Hotchkiss. Shortly thereafter, JS gave Hotchkiss a promissory note for the remaining $2,500 in interest owed on the White purchase. The note stipulated that the amount would be paid in eight months (by June 1841). At the time of the letter featured here, Hotchkiss had not received this payment. (Bond from Horace Hotchkiss, 12 Aug. 1839–B; Receipt from William White, 23 Apr. 1840; Letter to Horace Hotchkiss, 28 July 1840; Promissory Note to Horace Hotchkiss, 23 Oct. 1840.)

  7. [23]

    As mentioned in this letter, Hotchkiss and Tuttle traveled to New Egypt, New Jersey, on 9 September 1841. There is no clear indication of an earlier trip to New Jersey. In early 1840, however, Hotchkiss had also traveled from Connecticut to Philadelphia to seek out JS and could have passed through New Jersey during that journey. (Letter from Horace Hotchkiss, 17 Mar. 1840.)

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