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Letter to Edward Hunter, 26 January 1842

Source Note

JS, Letter, , Hancock Co., IL, to , , Chester Co., PA, 26 Jan. 1842; handwriting of ; two pages; JS Collection, CHL. Includes address, postal stamp, postal notation, and docket.
Bifolium measuring 12⅛ × 7½ inches (31 × 19 cm). The recto of the first leaf was left blank and the letter was inscribed on the verso of the first leaf and the recto of the second leaf. The bifolium was trifolded twice in letter style, sealed with a red adhesive wafer, addressed, and postmarked. Wafer residue appears on the recto and the verso of the second leaf. The document was later refolded for filing. The document has undergone conservation.
The document was docketed by , who served as scribe to JS from 1842 to 1844 and as temple recorder from 1842 to 1846. It was listed in an inventory that was produced by the Church Historian’s Office (later Church Historical Department) circa 1904. By 1973 the document had been included in the JS Collection at the Church Historical Department (now CHL). The document’s early docket as well as its inclusion in the circa 1904 inventory and in the JS Collection by 1973 indicate 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]

    “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. [3]

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

Historical Introduction

On 26 January 1842 JS composed a letter in , Illinois, to in , Pennsylvania, concerning a debt Hunter owed him. The debt had accrued by the previous summer. On 27 October 1841 Hunter asked JS to accept a shipment of goods as payment, and JS agreed to this in two letters, dated 21 December 1841 and 5 January 1842. However, according to the letter featured below, JS subsequently transferred Hunter’s promissory note for $1,100 to Nauvoo businessmen and prominent Latter-day Saints and . The transfer was likely related to business transactions JS made with the Laws two days earlier. On 24 January, JS sold land to them so that they could construct a sawmill and a gristmill. These transactions were apparently complex, as he also signed over to them a note of $500 from “J. Campbell of ,” the payment on which they would forward to JS.
had traveled to to transact business for himself and JS. His most pressing task was to collect money on behalf of a recent Pennsylvanian convert, Margaret Smith, who intended the money to be turned over to JS. JS instructed Hunter to use these funds to redeem the note held by the Laws, thereby paying off Hunter’s debt to JS.
acted as scribe for the letter. The letter was mailed at the post office, which postmarked it on 1 February 1842. By early March, had apparently deposited the $1,100 in a bank in at the request of .

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    Letter from Edward Hunter, 27 Oct. 1841; Letter to Edward Hunter, 21 Dec. 1841; Letter to Edward Hunter, 5 Jan. 1842.

  2. [2]

    William Law was appointed a member of the First Presidency in January 1841. Starting in November 1841, he also served as a member of the Nauvoo City Council. Wilson Law also served as a member of the city council, and he held the rank of brigadier general in the Nauvoo Legion. Both William and Wilson Law ran a general store in Nauvoo and had, at this time, begun plans for a steam mill. (Revelation, 19 Jan. 1841 [D&C 124:91]; Nauvoo City Council Minute Book, 3 Feb. 1841, 1; 1 Nov. 1841, 28; Nauvoo Legion Minute Book, 4 Feb. 1841, 5; Editorial, Times and Seasons, 15 Jan. 1842, 3:663–664.)

    Nauvoo Legion Minute Book, 1843–1844. Nauvoo Legion, Records, 1841–1845. CHL. MS 3430, fd. 1.

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

  3. [3]

    JS, Journal, 24 Jan. 1842.

  4. [4]

    Hancock Co., IL, Deed Records, 1817–1917, vol. K, pp. 490–492, 24 Jan. 1842, microfilm 954,599, U.S. and Canada Record Collection, FHL; William Law and Wilson Law to JS, Receipt, 24 Jan. 1842, Illinois State Historical Society, Circuit Court Case Files [Cases pertaining to Mormon Residents], 1830–1900, CHL.

    U.S. and Canada Record Collection. FHL.

  5. [5]

    Letter to Edward Hunter, 9 and 11 Mar. 1842.

Asterisk (*) denotes a "featured" version, which includes an introduction and annotation. *Letter to Edward Hunter, 26 January 1842 Letterbook 2

Page [3]

draw the writings.— We have no a[n]swer from yet. though I think there is no doubt— I shall get the land.
With my best wishes I remain your Brothr in Christ
Joseph Smith
Scribe [3/4 page blank] [p. [3]]
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Document Information

Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Letter to Edward Hunter, 26 January 1842
ID #
1576
Total Pages
4
Print Volume Location
JSP, D9:122–124
Handwriting on This Page
  • Willard Richards

Footnotes

  1. [7]

    JS mentioned trying to acquire land from McFall in letters he wrote on 21 December 1841 and 5 January 1842. (Letter to Edward Hunter, 21 Dec. 1841; Letter to Edward Hunter, 5 Jan. 1842.)

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