Letter from William Cadett, September 1842

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Letter from William Cadett, September 1842
Source Note

William Cadett
ca. 1810–6 Feb. 1891. Son of James Cadett and Angelle. Resident of Liverpool, Lancashire, England, by May 1838. Married Sarah Boydone, 21 May 1838, in St. Mungo, Dumfriesshire, Scotland. Died at Moffat, Dumfriesshire.
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, Letter,
Annan
Town located about fifteen miles southeast of Dumfries, Scotland. Situated on east bank of River Annan two miles north of mouth of river on Solway Firth of Irish Sea. Played important role in Wars of Succession and was home to castle of Robert the Bruce. ...
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, Dumfriesshire, Scotland, to [JS,
Nauvoo
Principal gathering place for Saints following expulsion from Missouri. Beginning in 1839, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints purchased lands in earlier settlement of Commerce and planned settlement of Commerce City, as well as surrounding areas....
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, Hancock Co., IL], Sept. 1842; handwriting of
William Cadett
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; three pages; JS Collection, CHL. Includes docket.

Bifolium measuring 6⅝ × 3½ inches (17 × 9 cm) when folded. When unfolded, the left and top sides of the recto have the square cut of manufactured paper, whereas the right and bottom sides are unevenly cut. The document was trifolded for transmission.

The document was docketed by
Leo Hawkins
19 July 1834–28 May 1859. Clerk, reporter. Born in London. Son of Samuel Harris Hawkins and Charlotte Savage. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by John Banks, 23 Oct. 1848. Immigrated to U.S. with his family; arrived in New Orleans...
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, who served as a clerk in the Church Historian’s Office (later Church Historical Department) from 1853 to 1859.
1
“Obituary of Leo Hawkins,” Millennial Star, 30 July 1859, 21:496–497.
Comprehensive Works Cited
Latter-day Saints’ Millennial Star. Manchester, England, 1840–1842; Liverpool, 1842–1932; London, 1932–1970.
It was listed in an inventory that was produced by the Church Historian’s Office circa 1904.
2
“Letters to and from the Prophet,” ca. 1904, [2], Historian’s Office, Catalogs and Inventories, 1846–1904, CHL.
Historian’s Office. Catalogs and Inventories, 1846–1904. CHL. CR 100 130.
By 1973 the document had been included in the JS Collection at the Church Historical Department (now CHL).
3
See the full bibliographic entry for JS Collection, 1827–1844, in the CHL catalog.
The document’s early docket and its inclusion in the circa 1904 inventory and in the JS Collection by 1973 indicate continuous institutional custody.
Footnotes
[1]
“Obituary of Leo Hawkins,” Millennial Star, 30 July 1859, 21:496–497.
[2]
“Letters to and from the Prophet,” ca. 1904, [2], Historian’s Office, Catalogs and Inventories, 1846–1904, CHL.
Historian’s Office. Catalogs and Inventories, 1846–1904. CHL. CR 100 130.
[3]
See the full bibliographic entry for JS Collection, 1827–1844, in the CHL catalog.
Historical Introduction
Sometime in September 1842,
William Cadett
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wrote a letter from
Annan
Town located about fifteen miles southeast of Dumfries, Scotland. Situated on east bank of River Annan two miles north of mouth of river on Solway Firth of Irish Sea. Played important role in Wars of Succession and was home to castle of Robert the Bruce. ...
More Info
, Scotland, to JS in
Nauvoo
Principal gathering place for Saints following expulsion from Missouri. Beginning in 1839, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints purchased lands in earlier settlement of Commerce and planned settlement of Commerce City, as well as surrounding areas....
More Info
, Illinois, in which he accused JS of deluding people into believing that he was a prophet, called the Book of Mormon a pretended work, and demanded that JS make a public confession to these effects. Cadett was apparently a member of the Church of Scotland.
1
Very little is known about Cadett. He was the son of James Cadett and was married to Sarah Boydone in Dumfries, Scotland, in 1838. In 1892 Cadett bequeathed a portion of his estate to support two parishes in the Church of Scotland. (“Parish Trusts [Scotland] No. II,” 88; Church of Scotland, Parish Church of St. Mungo, Dumfriesshire, Scotland, Parish Registers, 1700–1854, Marriages, 1820–1854, p. 8, 21 May 1838, microfilm 1,067,970, British Isles Record Collection, FHL.)
“Parish Trusts (Scotland) No. II.” In House of Commons, Sessional Papers, Account and Papers, Vol. 68, Local Taxation and Local Government: Local Taxation (Scotland). Session 14 February 1905–11 Aug. 1905. [London]: House of Commons, 1905.
British Isles Record Collection. FHL.
It is unknown when and how Cadett became aware of JS, the
church
The Book of Mormon related that when Christ set up his church in the Americas, “they which were baptized in the name of Jesus, were called the church of Christ.” The first name used to denote the church JS organized on 6 April 1830 was “the Church of Christ...
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, and the Book of Mormon.
2
Church missionaries in Great Britain traveled throughout Scotland in the early 1840s, distributing tracts and copies of the Book of Mormon and of the church’s British newspaper, Latter-day Saints’ Millennial Star. In 1842 there was no branch of the church in Annan, but the town was likely part of the Brampton Conference, which consisted of 171 members in four branches. (“General Conference,” Millennial Star, June 1842, 3:29; Aspinwall, “Fertile Field,” 104–117.)
Aspinwall, Bernard. “A Fertile Field: Scotland in the Days of the Early Missions.” In Mormons in Early Victorian Britain, edited by Richard L. Jensen and Malcolm R. Thorp, 104–117. Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, 1989.
It is also unclear why, as a member of the Church of Scotland, Cadett alluded to a prophecy in the Koran in describing himself. The letter’s wrapper, which would have included the address and any postal markings, is apparently missing. It is therefore unknown how Cadett sent this letter to JS in Nauvoo. It may have been mailed or carried to Nauvoo by a private party, possibly a missionary returning to Nauvoo from Great Britain. It is unclear if and when JS received the letter, although the church’s archival possession of it by the 1850s indicates he likely did.
Footnotes
[1]
Very little is known about Cadett. He was the son of James Cadett and was married to Sarah Boydone in Dumfries, Scotland, in 1838. In 1892 Cadett bequeathed a portion of his estate to support two parishes in the Church of Scotland. (“Parish Trusts [Scotland] No. II,” 88; Church of Scotland, Parish Church of St. Mungo, Dumfriesshire, Scotland, Parish Registers, 1700–1854, Marriages, 1820–1854, p. 8, 21 May 1838, microfilm 1,067,970, British Isles Record Collection, FHL.)
“Parish Trusts (Scotland) No. II.” In House of Commons, Sessional Papers, Account and Papers, Vol. 68, Local Taxation and Local Government: Local Taxation (Scotland). Session 14 February 1905–11 Aug. 1905. [London]: House of Commons, 1905.
British Isles Record Collection. FHL.
[2]
Church missionaries in Great Britain traveled throughout Scotland in the early 1840s, distributing tracts and copies of the Book of Mormon and of the church’s British newspaper, Latter-day Saints’ Millennial Star. In 1842 there was no branch of the church in Annan, but the town was likely part of the Brampton Conference, which consisted of 171 members in four branches. (“General Conference,” Millennial Star, June 1842, 3:29; Aspinwall, “Fertile Field,” 104–117.)
Aspinwall, Bernard. “A Fertile Field: Scotland in the Days of the Early Missions.” In Mormons in Early Victorian Britain, edited by Richard L. Jensen and Malcolm R. Thorp, 104–117. Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, 1989.
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shall appear before the tribunal of Almighty God the only Creator and preserver of Heaven and Earth— Hoping this may sink deeply into your heart and work your salvation I subscribe myself very respectfully

Yours
William Cadett
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Document Information
Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Letter from William Cadett, September 1842
ID #
920
Total Pages
4
Print Volume Location
JSP, D11:113–115
Handwriting on This Page
William Cadett