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Letter from William Worthyson, 31 May 1842

Source Note

William Worthyson, Letter, , Sangamon Co., IL, to JS, , Hancock Co., IL, 31 May 1842; handwriting of William Worthyson; one page; Newel K. Whitney, Papers, BYU. Includes address, postal stamp, postal notations, docket, and archival marking.
Single leaf, which has separated into two pieces, with the upper section of the leaf measuring 3¼ × 8 inches (8 × 20 cm) and the lower section of the leaf measuring approximately 7½–8 × 7¾–8 inches (20 × 20 cm). When intact, the letter was trifolded twice in letter style, then later folded again for filing. Marked water damage has caused severe deterioration, separating the letter at horizontal and vertical folds, resulting in the loss of text. Three additional fragments, each measuring less than one-inch square, are also detached.
, who served as scribe to JS from 1842 to 1844, docketed the letter. In late 1844, following JS’s death, became one of the interim church trustees and was appointed “first bishop” among other . It was presumably during this time that many of the church’s financial and other administrative records passed into his possession. This document, along with many other personal and institutional documents that Whitney kept, was inherited by Newel K. and ’s daughter Mary Jane Whitney, who was married to Isaac Groo. The documents were passed down within the Groo family. Between 1969 and 1974, the Groo family donated their collection of Newel K. Whitney’s papers to the J. Reuben Clark Library (renamed Harold B. Lee Library in 1973) at Brigham Young University.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    JS, Journal, 29 June 1842; “Clayton, William,” in Jenson, Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia, 1:718.

    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.

  2. [2]

    Richards, Journal, 9 Aug. 1844; “Conference Minutes,” Times and Seasons, 1 Nov. 1844, 5:693; see also Minutes, Times and Seasons, Dec. 1839, 1:30.

    Richards, Willard. Journals, 1836–1853. Willard Richards, Papers, 1821–1854. CHL. MS 1490, boxes 1–2.

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

  3. [3]

    Andrus and Fuller, Register of the Newel Kimball Whitney Papers, 24.

    Andrus, Hyrum L., and Chris Fuller, comp. Register of the Newel Kimball Whitney Papers. Provo, UT: Division of Archives and Manuscripts, Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University, 1978.

Historical Introduction

On 31 May 1842, William Worthyson wrote from , Illinois, to JS in , Illinois, reporting on the progress of the in Springfield and on local news. Little is known about Worthyson. His letter suggests he was a relatively new member of the church in Springfield. Church leaders had created a in Springfield, the state capital, in November 1840, with Edwin P. Merriam as president. The Springfield stake was discontinued in May 1841 when the dissolved all stakes outside of , Illinois, and , Iowa, and directed the Saints to to Nauvoo. In January 1842, a Springfield was organized with , a probate judge and close friend of JS, as president. Presumably, Worthyson was a member of this branch.
Worthyson’s 31 May letter to JS emphasized the healthy state of the church in and noted the recent mechanical failure of a locomotive there. He also asked JS to write back with news of . The stamped postmark indicates the letter was sent from Springfield on 12 June 1842, nearly two weeks after Worthyson began writing the letter. The letter would have taken a few days to reach Nauvoo. No reply from JS is apparently extant.
Because of deterioration along the first horizontal fold, the letter has separated into two pieces, resulting in missing or obscured text. Where possible, text has been editorially supplied in square brackets based on context.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    Although labeled a “branch” in some sources, the church unit created in November 1840 included a presidency and a bishop’s court, which suggests it was a stake. Furthermore, in 1842, Abraham C. Hodge described the unit that was organized in 1840 as a “stake.” The terms stake and branch were sometimes used interchangeably during this period. (JS History, vol. C-1 Addenda Book, 3; Letter from Abraham C. Hodge and Springfield, IL, Branch, 25 Jan. 1842; see also “Branch” and “Stake” in the glossary.)

  2. [2]

    Letter to the Saints Abroad, 24 May 1841.

  3. [3]

    Letter from Abraham C. Hodge and Springfield, IL, Branch, 25 Jan. 1842; Proclamation, 15 Jan. 1841.

Page [1]

Ill May 31th 1842
Dear sir
I take this oppertunity of writing a few words to you to give you the principle news of this and to tell you the fine prospects we have of a great revival. I do think sir that it will not be long before you will hear of a great revival; to go too our now and to see the crouded house to see [illegible] deep convicton that the [3 illegible words] sa◊◊◊ to labour
[page torn]
so beau[tiful]
[page torn]
◊◊◊d inside and out, so deeply affecte[d]; it makes me feel glad I say and thank think that bef[o]re long the Mor<​mons​> (as the Vulgar’s choose to call them) rule all , Asia, Europe, and Africa and about that ti[m]e I think that Christ will appear and wont tha[t] be a glorius oh a Heavenly time. But now to differen[t] news for I have not got much time to spend about the subject I like to talk about best. Our brethren about here are all pretty well I believe and the citiz[e]ns in general.
On last saturday the Locomotive as she was coming from Meridosia about midway fr[o]m the piston rod on the main shaft broke but they went ahe[a]d some farther untill within 3 miles of when she got smashed into a perfect cocked hat. I have not time to say much more so I come to a close
Yours respectively
William. Worthyson
PS Sir I wish you to answer this letter soon and tell me how the is growing and heow you are getting along in religeon and so forth
this is all I have to say so good by
Worthyson [p. [1]]
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Document Information

Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Letter from William Worthyson, 31 May 1842
ID #
845
Total Pages
2
Print Volume Location
JSP, D10:108–112
Handwriting on This Page
  • William Worthyson

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    TEXT: Page torn.

  2. [2]

    TEXT: Page torn.

  3. [3]

    TEXT: “sa[page torn]”.

  4. [4]

    TEXT: Multiple lines of text missing due to separation of leaf along a former fold.

  5. [5]

    TEXT: “beau[page torn]”.

  6. [6]

    TEXT: “[page torn]d”.

  7. [7]

    TEXT: “affecte[page torn]”.

  8. [8]

    TEXT: “bef[page torn]re”.

  9. [9]

    In the early 1830s, church members were occasionally referred to as “Mormonites,” because of their belief in the Book of Mormon as scripture. This moniker was later shortened to “Mormons.” Within a few years, the Latter-day Saints also began selectively using the term Mormons to describe themselves. In an account of JS’s 5 June 1842 discourse recorded in the journal of John D. Lee, JS used the term to describe the Saints. (Staker, Hearken, O Ye People, 73–74; Discourse, 5 June 1842.)

    Staker, Mark L. Hearken, O Ye People: The Historical Setting of Joseph Smith’s Ohio Revelations. Salt Lake City: Greg Kofford Books, 2009.

  10. [10]

    TEXT: “ti[page torn]e”.

  11. [11]

    TEXT: “tha[page torn]”.

  12. [12]

    A number of JS’s early revelations and teachings indicated that the Lord’s people would reign with Christ during an imminent Millennium.a By 1838, some of the Saints were applying Daniel’s prophecies concerning the kingdom of God, which would consume all other kingdoms, to themselves.b The idea that the Latter-day Saints would rule with Christ in the Millennium took further shape in the writings of Parley P. Pratt in the early 1840s. Pratt sometimes named existing nations as those that would be dissolved during the Millennium.c

    (aSee, for example, Revelation, Feb. 1831–A [D&C 43:29]; “The Elders in the Land of Zion to the Church of Christ Scattered Abroad,” The Evening and the Morning Star, July 1832, [5]; and Revelation, 22–23 Sept. 1832 [D&C 84:119]. bSee Daniel chaps. 2 and 7; Letter to Wilford Woodruff, ca. 18 June 1838; Discourse, between ca. 26 June and ca. 4 Aug. 1839–A; Letter to Elias Higbee, 7 Mar. 1840; and Letter from William Appleby, ca. Mar. 1842; see also Whittaker, “Book of Daniel in Early Mormon Thought,” 158–166. cSee, for example, Parley P. Pratt, “Farewell Song,” Times and Seasons, May 1840, 1:111; [Parley P. Pratt], “The Millennium,” Millennial Star, May 1840, 1:4–8; and Pratt, Letter to the Queen, 3–6; see also Hill, Quest for Refuge, xvii–xx.)

    The Evening and the Morning Star. Independence, MO, June 1832–July 1833; Kirtland, OH, Dec. 1833–Sept. 1834.

    Whittaker, David J. “The Book of Daniel in Early Mormon Thought.” In By Study and Also by Faith: Essays in Honor of Hugh W. Nibley on the Occasion of His Eightieth Birthday, 27 March 1990, edited by John M. Lundquist and Stephen D. Ricks, 1:155–201. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book; Provo, UT: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, 1990.

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

    Latter-day Saints’ Millennial Star. Manchester, England, 1840–1842; Liverpool, 1842–1932; London, 1932–1970.

    Pratt, Parley P. A Letter to the Queen of England, Touching the Signs of the Times, and the Political Destiny of the World. Manchester, England: By the author, 1841.

    Hill, Marvin S. Quest for Refuge: The Mormon Flight from American Pluralism. Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 1989.

  13. [13]

    TEXT: “differen[page torn]”.

  14. [14]

    TEXT: “citiz[page torn]ns”.

  15. [15]

    Meredosia, Morgan County, Illinois, is located on the Illinois River about fifty miles west of Springfield. The Northern Cross Railroad, the first railroad in Illinois, ran from Meredosia to Springfield. The railroad’s first locomotive operated out of Meredosia in 1838. The line to Springfield was completed in early 1842. (History of Morgan County, Illinois, 229, 310–311; Stratton, “Northern Cross Railroad,” 5–6, 25, 30, 33.)

    History of Morgan County, Illinois, Its Past and Present, Containing a History of the County; Its Cities, Towns, etc. . . . Chicago: Donnelley, Loyd & Co., 1878.

    Stratton, H. J. “The Northern Cross Railroad.” Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society 28, no. 2 (July 1935): 5–52.

  16. [16]

    TEXT: “fr[page torn]m”.

  17. [17]

    Jacksonville, Morgan County, Illinois, is located about twenty miles southeast of Meredosia and about thirty miles west of Springfield. Jacksonville was an important station on the railroad route between Meredosia and Springfield. Locomotives first reached Jacksonville from Meredosia in 1839. (Stratton, “Northern Cross Railroad,” 5, 31.)

    Stratton, H. J. “The Northern Cross Railroad.” Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society 28, no. 2 (July 1935): 5–52.

  18. [18]

    The expression “cocked hat,” which referred to a hat with turned-up brims and a peaked crown, was often used to describe something smashed or disfigured. The Northern Cross Railroad often experienced mechanical problems during the early 1840s. (Genin, Illustrated History of the Hat, 46–48; Paulding, Banks of the Ohio, 1:217; Stratton, “Northern Cross Railroad,” 37–38.)

    Genin, John N. An Illustrated History of the Hat, from the Earliest Ages to the Present Time. New York: By the author, 1848.

    Paulding, James Kirke. The Banks of the Ohio; or, Westward Ho! A Tale. 3 vols. London: A. K. Newman, 1833.

    Stratton, H. J. “The Northern Cross Railroad.” Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society 28, no. 2 (July 1935): 5–52.

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