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Letter to Emma Smith, 4 June 1834

Source Note

JS, Letter, [Pike Co., IL], to
Emma Smith

10 July 1804–30 Apr. 1879. Scribe, editor, boardinghouse operator, clothier. Born at Willingborough Township (later in Harmony), Susquehanna Co., Pennsylvania. Daughter of Isaac Hale and Elizabeth Lewis. Member of Methodist church at Harmony (later in Oakland...

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,
Kirtland Township

Located ten miles south of Lake Erie. Settled by 1811. Organized by 1818. Latter-day Saint missionaries visited township, early Nov. 1830; many residents joined Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Population in 1830 about 55 Latter-day Saints and...

More Info
, Geauga Co., OH, 4 June 1834. Retained copy, [between ca. June and ca. Oct. 1839], in JS Letterbook 2, pp. 56–59; handwriting of
James Mulholland

1804–3 Nov. 1839. Born in Ireland. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Married Sarah Scott, 8 Feb. 1838/1839, at Far West, Caldwell Co., Missouri. Engaged in clerical work for JS, 1838, at Far West. Ordained a seventy, 28 Dec. 1838....

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; JS Collection, CHL. For more complete source information, see the source note for JS Letterbook 2.

Historical Introduction

On 4 June 1834, JS dictated this letter to his wife
Emma Hale Smith

10 July 1804–30 Apr. 1879. Scribe, editor, boardinghouse operator, clothier. Born at Willingborough Township (later in Harmony), Susquehanna Co., Pennsylvania. Daughter of Isaac Hale and Elizabeth Lewis. Member of Methodist church at Harmony (later in Oakland...

View Full Bio
from the eastern banks of the
Mississippi River

Principal U.S. river running southward from Itasca Lake, Minnesota, to Gulf of Mexico. Covered 3,160-mile course, 1839 (now about 2,350 miles). Drains about 1,100,000 square miles. Steamboat travel on Mississippi very important in 1830s and 1840s for shipping...

More Info
in
Illinois

Became part of Northwest Territory of U.S., 1787. Admitted as state, 1818. Population in 1840 about 480,000. Population in 1845 about 660,000. Plentiful, inexpensive land attracted settlers from northern and southern states. Following expulsion from Missouri...

More Info
, where he and the rest of the
Camp of Israel

A group of approximately 205 men and about 20 women and children led by JS to Missouri, May–July 1834, to redeem Zion by helping the Saints who had been driven from Jackson County, Missouri, regain their lands; later referred to as “Zion’s Camp.” A 24 February...

View Glossary
had arrived earlier that morning. In the roughly two and a half weeks that had passed since he wrote to Emma on 18 May, JS and the expedition had traveled through
Indiana

First settled by French at Vincennes, early 1700s. Acquired by England in French and Indian War, 1763. U.S. took possession of area following American Revolution, 1783. Area became part of Northwest Territory, 1787. Partitioned off of Northwest Territory ...

More Info
and into Illinois, frequently using the National Road, a thoroughfare that ran from Maryland, through Indiana, and into Illinois.
1

Bruce, National Road, 11.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Bruce, Robert. The National Road: Most Historic oroughfare in the United States, and Strategic Eastern Link in the National Old Trails Ocean-to-Ocean Highway. Washington DC: National Highways Association, 1916.

Residents of the towns they passed through noticed the company, particularly its relatively large numbers of armed men. Having received recruits from
branches

An ecclesiastical organization of church members in a particular locale. A branch was generally smaller than a stake or a conference. Branches were also referred to as churches, as in “the Church of Shalersville.” In general, a branch was led by a presiding...

View Glossary
of the church along the way, the expedition’s numbers were approximately 170 at this point.
2

Kimball, “Journal and Record,” 10; Woodruff, Journal, 1 May 1834; Radke, “We Also Marched,” 149. George A. Smith later remembered that Parley P. Pratt and Amasa Lyman were sent to a branch of the church at Eugene, Indiana; they returned on 26 May with “a company and some additional funds.” Pratt himself recalled that he “was chiefly engaged as a recruiting officer,” calling on branches of the church in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri for “men and means.” (George A. Smith, Autobiography, 20; Pratt, Autobiography, 122.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Kimball, Heber C. “The Journal and Record of Heber Chase Kimball an Apostle of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints,” ca. 1842–1858. Heber C. Kimball, Papers, 1837–1866. CHL. MS 627, box 1.

Woodruff, Wilford. Journals, 1833–1898. Wilford Woodruff, Journals and Papers, 1828–1898. CHL. MS 1352.

Radke, Andrea G. “We Also Marched: The Women and Children of Zion’s Camp, 1834.” BYU Studies 39 (2000): 147–165.

Smith, George A. Autobiography, ca. 1860–1882. George Albert Smith, Papers, 1834–1877. CHL. MS 1322, box 1, fd. 2.

Pratt, Parley P. The Autobiography of Parley Parker Pratt, One of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Embracing His Life, Ministry and Travels, with Extracts, in Prose and Verse, from His Miscellaneous Writings. Edited by Parley P. Pratt Jr. New York: Russell Brothers, 1874.

Many observers, however, estimated a much larger number for the group. For example, the Huron Reflector, published in Norwalk, Ohio, stated that the expedition had 300 members, each marching “with the Book of Mormon in one hand and a musket in the other.”
3

“Mormonism,” Huron Reflector (Norwalk, OH), 20 May 1834, [2].


Comprehensive Works Cited

Huron Reflector. Norwalk, OH. 1830–1852.

The Richmond Palladium, an
Indiana

First settled by French at Vincennes, early 1700s. Acquired by England in French and Indian War, 1763. U.S. took possession of area following American Revolution, 1783. Area became part of Northwest Territory, 1787. Partitioned off of Northwest Territory ...

More Info
newspaper, described the expedition as numbering “about two hundred,” nearly all of whom carried firearms.
4

“Mormonites,” Richmond (IN) Palladium, 24 May 1834, [3].


Comprehensive Works Cited

Richmond Palladium. Richmond, IN. 1831–1837.

The Sangamo Journal of
Springfield

Settled by 1819. Incorporated as town, 1832. Became capital of Illinois, 1837. Incorporated as city, 1840. Sangamon Co. seat. Population in 1840 about 2,600. Stake of Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints organized in Springfield, Nov. 1840; discontinued...

More Info
, Illinois, reported that the “generally armed” group consisted of between 250 and 300 men.
5

Report, Sangamo Journal (Springfield, IL), 7 June 1834, [2].


Comprehensive Works Cited

Sangamo Journal. Springfield, IL. 1831–1847.

Heber C. Kimball

14 June 1801–22 June 1868. Blacksmith, potter. Born at Sheldon, Franklin Co., Vermont. Son of Solomon Farnham Kimball and Anna Spaulding. Married Vilate Murray, 22 Nov. 1822, at Mendon, Monroe Co., New York. Member of Baptist church at Mendon, 1831. Baptized...

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also reported that a man in
Jacksonville

Town located in west-central Illinois. Founded 1825. Established as county seat, 1825. Population in 1850 about 2,800. Camp of Israel expedition camped near town, 31 May–1 June 1834. Kirtland Camp passed through town en route to Missouri, 17 Sept. 1838.

More Info
, Illinois, counted the members of the expedition as they passed, giving the final count as more than 500. “This thing was attempted many times in villages and towns as we passed through,” Kimball explained, “but the people were never able to ascertain our number.”
6

“Elder Kimball’s Journal,” Times and Seasons, 15 Jan. 1845, 6:773; “Extracts from H. C. Kimball’s Journal,” Times and Seasons, 1 Feb. 1845, 6:788.


Comprehensive Works Cited

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

Similarly,
Joseph Noble

14 Jan. 1810–17 Aug. 1900. Farmer, miller, stock raiser. Born in Egremont, Berkshire Co., Massachusetts. Son of Ezekiel Noble and Theodotia Bates. Moved to Penfield, Monroe Co., New York, 1815. Moved to Bloomfield, Ontario Co., New York, ca. 1828. Baptized...

View Full Bio
later remembered, “I never heard of our being numbered less than twice our actual number.”
7

Noble and Noble, Reminiscences, [7].


Comprehensive Works Cited

Noble, Joseph B., and Mary Adeline Beman Noble. Reminiscences, ca. 1836. CHL. MS 1031, fd. 1.

After arriving at the
Mississippi River

Principal U.S. river running southward from Itasca Lake, Minnesota, to Gulf of Mexico. Covered 3,160-mile course, 1839 (now about 2,350 miles). Drains about 1,100,000 square miles. Steamboat travel on Mississippi very important in 1830s and 1840s for shipping...

More Info
, the group had to wait for a ferry before crossing. Using the extra time, JS dictated this letter to
Emma

10 July 1804–30 Apr. 1879. Scribe, editor, boardinghouse operator, clothier. Born at Willingborough Township (later in Harmony), Susquehanna Co., Pennsylvania. Daughter of Isaac Hale and Elizabeth Lewis. Member of Methodist church at Harmony (later in Oakland...

View Full Bio
, detailing the camp’s organization, the food its members ate, the health of individual members, the attention the expedition received from curious onlookers, and the burial mounds they discovered in
Illinois

Became part of Northwest Territory of U.S., 1787. Admitted as state, 1818. Population in 1840 about 480,000. Population in 1845 about 660,000. Plentiful, inexpensive land attracted settlers from northern and southern states. Following expulsion from Missouri...

More Info
that, for JS, confirmed the authenticity of the Book of Mormon. JS also shared his fears that he did not have enough men to protect the Saints once they were restored to their
Jackson County

Settled at Fort Osage, 1808. County created, 16 Feb. 1825; organized 1826. Named after U.S. president Andrew Jackson. Featured fertile lands along Missouri River and was Santa Fe Trail departure point, which attracted immigrants to area. Area of county reduced...

More Info
lands. He expressed hope that members of the church would quickly move to
Missouri

Area acquired by U.S. in Louisiana Purchase, 1803, and established as territory, 1812. Missouri Compromise, 1820, admitted Missouri as slave state, 1821. Population in 1830 about 140,000; in 1836 about 240,000; and in 1840 about 380,000. Latter-day Saint ...

More Info
to strengthen the church there.
In general, JS downplayed the difficulties the expedition was encountering, probably to alleviate any concerns
Emma

10 July 1804–30 Apr. 1879. Scribe, editor, boardinghouse operator, clothier. Born at Willingborough Township (later in Harmony), Susquehanna Co., Pennsylvania. Daughter of Isaac Hale and Elizabeth Lewis. Member of Methodist church at Harmony (later in Oakland...

View Full Bio
might have had about him. Although he mentioned spies of “the enemy,” he did not discuss threats that these individuals sometimes made against the camp, including declarations that the expedition would never reach
Jackson County

Settled at Fort Osage, 1808. County created, 16 Feb. 1825; organized 1826. Named after U.S. president Andrew Jackson. Featured fertile lands along Missouri River and was Santa Fe Trail departure point, which attracted immigrants to area. Area of county reduced...

More Info
.
8

George A. Smith, Autobiography, 19.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Smith, George A. Autobiography, ca. 1860–1882. George Albert Smith, Papers, 1834–1877. CHL. MS 1322, box 1, fd. 2.

Likewise, JS stated that the camp experienced a “tolerable degree of union,” even though other accounts explained that the day before JS dictated this letter, he told the group that “the Lord was displeased” with them because of fault-finding and complaining.
9

George A. Smith, Autobiography, 26–27. George A. Smith also remembered an incident on 3 June in which some of the expedition’s members angrily hurled partially rotting ham at JS’s tent door, declaring, “We don’t eat dirty, stinking meat.”


Comprehensive Works Cited

Smith, George A. Autobiography, ca. 1860–1882. George Albert Smith, Papers, 1834–1877. CHL. MS 1322, box 1, fd. 2.

JS also depicted the expedition as having sufficient food, but according to
Heber C. Kimball

14 June 1801–22 June 1868. Blacksmith, potter. Born at Sheldon, Franklin Co., Vermont. Son of Solomon Farnham Kimball and Anna Spaulding. Married Vilate Murray, 22 Nov. 1822, at Mendon, Monroe Co., New York. Member of Baptist church at Mendon, 1831. Baptized...

View Full Bio
, their food was sometimes “scanty.”
10

Kimball, “Journal and Record,” 8.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Kimball, Heber C. “The Journal and Record of Heber Chase Kimball an Apostle of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints,” ca. 1842–1858. Heber C. Kimball, Papers, 1837–1866. CHL. MS 627, box 1.

George A. Smith

26 June 1817–1 Sept. 1875. Born at Potsdam, St. Lawrence Co., New York. Son of John Smith and Clarissa Lyman. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by Joseph H. Wakefield, 10 Sept. 1832, at Potsdam. Moved to Kirtland, Geauga Co., Ohio,...

View Full Bio
later stated that at one point, he was so “weary, hungry and sleepy” that he “dreamed while walking along the road of seeing a beautiful stream of water by a pleasant shade and a nice loaf of bread and a bottle of milk laid out on a cloth by the side of the spring.”
11

George A. Smith, Autobiography, 15.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Smith, George A. Autobiography, ca. 1860–1882. George Albert Smith, Papers, 1834–1877. CHL. MS 1322, box 1, fd. 2.

The original of this letter has not been located. JS likely dictated it to
Frederick G. Williams

28 Oct. 1787–10 Oct. 1842. Ship’s pilot, teacher, physician, justice of the peace. Born at Suffield, Hartford Co., Connecticut. Son of William Wheeler Williams and Ruth Granger. Moved to Newburg, Cuyahoga Co., Ohio, 1799. Practiced Thomsonian botanical system...

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, who penned a note at the end of it to his wife,
Rebecca Swain Williams

3 Aug. 1798–25 Sept. 1861. Born in Loyalsock, Lycoming Co., Pennsylvania. Daughter of Isaac Fisher Swain and Elizabeth Hall. Moved to near Niagara Falls, Genesee Co., New York, ca. 1807. Moved to Youngstown, Niagara Co., New York. Married first Frederick ...

View Full Bio
. The letter was probably mailed to
Emma

10 July 1804–30 Apr. 1879. Scribe, editor, boardinghouse operator, clothier. Born at Willingborough Township (later in Harmony), Susquehanna Co., Pennsylvania. Daughter of Isaac Hale and Elizabeth Lewis. Member of Methodist church at Harmony (later in Oakland...

View Full Bio
on 5 June after the group crossed the
Mississippi River

Principal U.S. river running southward from Itasca Lake, Minnesota, to Gulf of Mexico. Covered 3,160-mile course, 1839 (now about 2,350 miles). Drains about 1,100,000 square miles. Steamboat travel on Mississippi very important in 1830s and 1840s for shipping...

More Info
and camped near the town Louisiana, Missouri, where a post office was located.
12

Register of Officers and Agents, 161 (second numbering); “Extracts from H. C. Kimball’s Journal,” Times and Seasons, 1 Feb. 1845, 6:788.


Comprehensive Works Cited

A Register of Officers and Agents, Civil, Military, and Naval, in the Service of the United States, on the Thirtieth Day of September, 1817; Together with the Names, Force, and Condition, of all the Ships and Vessels Belonging to the United States, and When and Where Built. Prepared at the Department of State, In Pursuance of a Resolution of Congress, of the 27th of April, 1816. Washington DC: E. De Krafft, 1818.A Register of Officers and Agents, Civil, Military, and Naval, in the Service of the United States, on the 30th of September, 1829; together with the Names, Force, and Condition, of All the Ships and Vessels Belonging to the United States, and When and Where Built. Washington DC: William A. Davis, 1830.A Register of Officers and Agents, Civil, Military, and Naval, in the Service of the United States, on the 30th of September, 1831; together with the Names, Force, and Condition, of All the Ships and Vessels Belonging to the United States, and When and Where Built. Washington DC: William A. Davis, 1831.

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

In 1839,
James Mulholland

1804–3 Nov. 1839. Born in Ireland. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Married Sarah Scott, 8 Feb. 1838/1839, at Far West, Caldwell Co., Missouri. Engaged in clerical work for JS, 1838, at Far West. Ordained a seventy, 28 Dec. 1838....

View Full Bio
copied the letter into Letterbook 2, including the note from Williams to his wife.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    Bruce, National Road, 11.

    Bruce, Robert. The National Road: Most Historic oroughfare in the United States, and Strategic Eastern Link in the National Old Trails Ocean-to-Ocean Highway. Washington DC: National Highways Association, 1916.

  2. [2]

    Kimball, “Journal and Record,” 10; Woodruff, Journal, 1 May 1834; Radke, “We Also Marched,” 149. George A. Smith later remembered that Parley P. Pratt and Amasa Lyman were sent to a branch of the church at Eugene, Indiana; they returned on 26 May with “a company and some additional funds.” Pratt himself recalled that he “was chiefly engaged as a recruiting officer,” calling on branches of the church in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri for “men and means.” (George A. Smith, Autobiography, 20; Pratt, Autobiography, 122.)

    Kimball, Heber C. “The Journal and Record of Heber Chase Kimball an Apostle of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints,” ca. 1842–1858. Heber C. Kimball, Papers, 1837–1866. CHL. MS 627, box 1.

    Woodruff, Wilford. Journals, 1833–1898. Wilford Woodruff, Journals and Papers, 1828–1898. CHL. MS 1352.

    Radke, Andrea G. “We Also Marched: The Women and Children of Zion’s Camp, 1834.” BYU Studies 39 (2000): 147–165.

    Smith, George A. Autobiography, ca. 1860–1882. George Albert Smith, Papers, 1834–1877. CHL. MS 1322, box 1, fd. 2.

    Pratt, Parley P. The Autobiography of Parley Parker Pratt, One of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Embracing His Life, Ministry and Travels, with Extracts, in Prose and Verse, from His Miscellaneous Writings. Edited by Parley P. Pratt Jr. New York: Russell Brothers, 1874.

  3. [3]

    “Mormonism,” Huron Reflector (Norwalk, OH), 20 May 1834, [2].

    Huron Reflector. Norwalk, OH. 1830–1852.

  4. [4]

    “Mormonites,” Richmond (IN) Palladium, 24 May 1834, [3].

    Richmond Palladium. Richmond, IN. 1831–1837.

  5. [5]

    Report, Sangamo Journal (Springfield, IL), 7 June 1834, [2].

    Sangamo Journal. Springfield, IL. 1831–1847.

  6. [6]

    “Elder Kimball’s Journal,” Times and Seasons, 15 Jan. 1845, 6:773; “Extracts from H. C. Kimball’s Journal,” Times and Seasons, 1 Feb. 1845, 6:788.

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

  7. [7]

    Noble and Noble, Reminiscences, [7].

    Noble, Joseph B., and Mary Adeline Beman Noble. Reminiscences, ca. 1836. CHL. MS 1031, fd. 1.

  8. [8]

    George A. Smith, Autobiography, 19.

    Smith, George A. Autobiography, ca. 1860–1882. George Albert Smith, Papers, 1834–1877. CHL. MS 1322, box 1, fd. 2.

  9. [9]

    George A. Smith, Autobiography, 26–27. George A. Smith also remembered an incident on 3 June in which some of the expedition’s members angrily hurled partially rotting ham at JS’s tent door, declaring, “We don’t eat dirty, stinking meat.”

    Smith, George A. Autobiography, ca. 1860–1882. George Albert Smith, Papers, 1834–1877. CHL. MS 1322, box 1, fd. 2.

  10. [10]

    Kimball, “Journal and Record,” 8.

    Kimball, Heber C. “The Journal and Record of Heber Chase Kimball an Apostle of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints,” ca. 1842–1858. Heber C. Kimball, Papers, 1837–1866. CHL. MS 627, box 1.

  11. [11]

    George A. Smith, Autobiography, 15.

    Smith, George A. Autobiography, ca. 1860–1882. George Albert Smith, Papers, 1834–1877. CHL. MS 1322, box 1, fd. 2.

  12. [12]

    Register of Officers and Agents, 161 (second numbering); “Extracts from H. C. Kimball’s Journal,” Times and Seasons, 1 Feb. 1845, 6:788.

    A Register of Officers and Agents, Civil, Military, and Naval, in the Service of the United States, on the Thirtieth Day of September, 1817; Together with the Names, Force, and Condition, of all the Ships and Vessels Belonging to the United States, and When and Where Built. Prepared at the Department of State, In Pursuance of a Resolution of Congress, of the 27th of April, 1816. Washington DC: E. De Krafft, 1818.A Register of Officers and Agents, Civil, Military, and Naval, in the Service of the United States, on the 30th of September, 1829; together with the Names, Force, and Condition, of All the Ships and Vessels Belonging to the United States, and When and Where Built. Washington DC: William A. Davis, 1830.A Register of Officers and Agents, Civil, Military, and Naval, in the Service of the United States, on the 30th of September, 1831; together with the Names, Force, and Condition, of All the Ships and Vessels Belonging to the United States, and When and Where Built. Washington DC: William A. Davis, 1831.

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

Asterisk (*) denotes a "featured" version, which includes an introduction and annotation. *Letter to Emma Smith, 4 June 1834 Letterbook 2

Page 57

considerable fever in consequence of taking cold—
1

A medical guide published in 1835 similarly stated that adults contracted the mumps through exposure to cold. (Gregory, Elements of the Theory and Practice of Medicine, 215–216.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Gregory, George. Elements of the Theory and Practice of Physic, Designed for the Use of Students. New York: M. Sherman, 1830.

and bro Foster who came from
Genseeo

Agricultural area twenty-five miles west of Canandaigua. Incorporated as village, 1832. Population in 1840 about 900. While recruiting for Camp of Israel, JS and Sidney Rigdon preached to large congregation at conference in village, 16 Mar. 1834. Geneseo ...

More Info
2

The “bro Foster” referred to here is probably Solon Foster, who lived in Warsaw, Genesee County, New York, although a James Foster also participated in the expedition. (Account with the Church of Christ, ca. 11–29 Aug. 1834; Backman, Profile, 93; Solon Foster, Warsaw, NY, to Julius Foster, Clinton, NY, 25 Mar. 1833, Foster Family Correspondence, CHL.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Backman, Milton V., Jr., comp. A Profile of Latter-day Saints of Kirtland, Ohio, and Members of Zion’s Camp, 1830–1839: Vital Statistics and Sources. 2nd ed. Provo, UT: Department of Church History and Doctrine and Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 1983.

Foster Family Correspondence, 1833–1922. CHL. MS 6177.

who was taken last evening with the Typhus Fever, but are both better to day, and we are in hopes will be able to proceed on their journey to morrow, I have been able to endur[e] the fatigue of the journey far beyond my most sanguine expectations, except have been troubled some with lameness,
3

JS’s lameness may have been an effect of an 1813 bone infection in his lower left leg and the subsequent surgery to treat it. (See Wirthlin, “Joseph Smith’s Boyhood Operation,” 131–154.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Wirthlin, LeRoy S. “Joseph Smith’s Boyhood Operation: An 1813 Surgical Success.” BYU Studies 21, no. 2 (Spring 1981): 131–154.

have had my feet blistered, but are now well, and have also had a little touch of my side complaint,
4

On the night of 24–25 March 1832, JS was tarred and feathered by a mob in Hiram, Ohio. That attack, he noted in an 1835 letter to his brother William, “wounded . . . my side,” an affliction that apparently troubled him periodically thereafter. (JS History, vol. A-1, 205–207; Letter to William Smith, 18 or 19 Dec. 1835.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

JS History / Smith, Joseph, et al. History, 1838–1856. Vols. A-1–F-1 (original), A-2–E-2 (fair copy). Historian’s Office, History of the Church, 1839–ca. 1882. CHL. CR 100 102, boxes 1–7. The history for the period after 5 Aug. 1838 was composed after the death of Joseph Smith.

Bro
Harper [Harpin] Riggs

12 Apr. 1809–2 Nov. 1865. Farmer, cooper. Born in Oxford, New Haven Co., Connecticut. Son of Gideon Riggs and Susan Pitcher. Moved to Kirtland, Geauga Co., Ohio, by 1820. Served as election clerk, 8 Sept. 1830, in Kirtland. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ...

View Full Bio
is now able to travel all day & his health is improving very fast, as is the case with all the weakly ones, Addison Wren
5

“Wren” may have been a transcription error by James Mulholland. The only “Addison” listed as part of the Missouri expedition was Addison Green, who was fourteen years old at the time (he turned fifteen on 12 June). (Account with the Church of Christ, ca. 11–29 Aug. 1834; Backman, Profile, 30; see also Bradley, Zion’s Camp 1834, 268–275.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Backman, Milton V., Jr., comp. A Profile of Latter-day Saints of Kirtland, Ohio, and Members of Zion’s Camp, 1830–1839: Vital Statistics and Sources. 2nd ed. Provo, UT: Department of Church History and Doctrine and Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 1983.

Bradley, James L. Zion’s Camp 1834: Prelude to the Civil War. Logan, UT: By the author, 1990.

has been an exceeding good boy and has been very obedient to me in all things, as much so as tho I was his own father, and is healthy and able to travel all day.
William [Smith]

13 Mar. 1811–13 Nov. 1893. Farmer, newspaper editor. Born at Royalton, Windsor Co., Vermont. Son of Joseph Smith Sr. and Lucy Mack. Moved to Lebanon, Grafton Co., New Hampshire, 1811; to Norwich, Windsor Co., 1813; and to Palmyra, Ontario Co., New York, 1816...

View Full Bio
has been some unwell, but is now enjoying good health
George [A. Smith]

26 June 1817–1 Sept. 1875. Born at Potsdam, St. Lawrence Co., New York. Son of John Smith and Clarissa Lyman. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by Joseph H. Wakefield, 10 Sept. 1832, at Potsdam. Moved to Kirtland, Geauga Co., Ohio,...

View Full Bio
has been afflicted with his eyes, but they are getting better,
6

George A. Smith later recollected that at the beginning of the journey, “My eyes which were always very weak were inflamed.” (George A. Smith, Autobiography, 14.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Smith, George A. Autobiography, ca. 1860–1882. George Albert Smith, Papers, 1834–1877. CHL. MS 1322, box 1, fd. 2.

and in fine, all the
Camp

A group of approximately 205 men and about 20 women and children led by JS to Missouri, May–July 1834, to redeem Zion by helping the Saints who had been driven from Jackson County, Missouri, regain their lands; later referred to as “Zion’s Camp.” A 24 February...

View Glossary
is in as good a situation as could be expected; but our numbers and means are altogether too small for the accomplishment of such a great enterprise, but they are falling daily
7

It is possible that this was supposed to say “but they are falling in daily,” but the “in” was inadvertently left out. No records indicating desertions or other loss of men have been located; instead, records highlight increases in the expedition’s numbers.


and our only hope is that whilst we deter the enemy, and terrify them for a little season (for we learn by the means of some spies we send out for that purpose that they are greatly terrified) notwithstanding they are endeavoring to make a formidable stand, and their numbers amount to several hundred,
8

By “enemies”—the number of which may have been exaggerated—JS may have been referring to the men waiting for them in Jackson County. Other individuals also closely followed the Camp of Israel and periodically threatened them on their journey. To acquire more intelligence on these individuals, Frederick G. Williams was sent “forward” from the camp one morning “to select a camp ground” close to Jacksonville, Illinois, and to “watch the movements of our enemies.” (“Extracts from H. C. Kimball’s Journal,” Times and Seasons, 1 Feb. 1845, 6:787–788; George A. Smith, Autobiography, 22–23.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

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

Smith, George A. Autobiography, ca. 1860–1882. George Albert Smith, Papers, 1834–1877. CHL. MS 1322, box 1, fd. 2.

and the Lord shows us to good advantage in the eyes of their spies,
9

George A. Smith made several references to spies in his account of the expedition. On Tuesday, 20 May, he related, three men came into camp asking questions. “These same spies who had come from the West, passed us several times that day and the next, changing their horses and clothes and disguising themselves in various ways, yet we knew them.” On Sunday, 25 May, “a ruffianly looking fellow came into Camp professing to be drunk, but Joseph recognized him to be a man he had seen in Jackson Co. Mo.” On Friday, 30 May, “the Spies that had followed us so long, watched us very closely, changing their dress and horses several times a day.” George A. Smith also noted that “as we were aware of Spies being around us who sought to Kill Joseph Smith we called him Squire Cook.” (George A. Smith, Autobiography, 18–19, 22, 26, underlining in original.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Smith, George A. Autobiography, ca. 1860–1882. George Albert Smith, Papers, 1834–1877. CHL. MS 1322, box 1, fd. 2.

for in counting us the[y] make of our 170 men from five to seven hundred and the reports of the people are not a little calculated [to] frighten and strike terror through their ranks for the general report is that four or five hundred Mormons are traveling through the Country well-armed, and disciplined; and that five hundred more has gone a south west [course?] and expect to meet us, and also another company are on a rout[e] North of us, all these things serve to help us, and we believe the hand of the Lord is in it, Now is the time for 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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abroad to come to
Zion

A specific location in Missouri; also a literal or figurative gathering of believers in Jesus Christ, characterized by adherence to ideals of harmony, equality, and purity. In JS’s earliest revelations “the cause of Zion” was used to broadly describe the ...

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. It is our prayer day and night that God will open the heart of the Churches to pour in men and means to assist us, for the redemption of Zion and upbuilding of Zion. We want the
Elders

A male leader in the church generally; an ecclesiastical and priesthood office or one holding that office; a proselytizing missionary. The Book of Mormon explained that elders ordained priests and teachers and administered “the flesh and blood of Christ unto...

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in
Kirtland

Located ten miles south of Lake Erie. Settled by 1811. Organized by 1818. Latter-day Saint missionaries visited township, early Nov. 1830; many residents joined Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Population in 1830 about 55 Latter-day Saints and...

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to use every exertion to influence the Church to come speedily to our relief.
10

A circular letter sent by Sidney Rigdon and Oliver Cowdery to church branches on 10 May 1834 counseled those outside of Zion to “dispose of their property, (such as they cannot carry,) and gather in upon the consecrated land” in Missouri. “The Lord has said,” the letter continued, “that there was abundant means in his church to establish the places where he had appointed his [the Saints] to gether.” (Sidney Rigdon and Oliver Cowdery, Kirtland, OH, to “Dear Brethren,” 10 May 1834, in Cowdery, Letterbook, 50.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Cowdery, Oliver. Letterbook, 1833–1838. Huntington Library, San Marino, CA.

Let them come pitching their tents by the way,
11

An August 1831 revelation similarly counseled the Saints traveling to Missouri to “do like unto the children of Israel pitching their tents by the way.” (Revelation, 12 Aug. 1831 [D&C 61:25].)


remembering to keep the sabbath day according to the
articles and covenants

A foundational document presented at the first conference of the church for the approval of church members. The Articles and Covenants included a brief historical prologue, a declaration of beliefs, and a description of the offices, ordinances, and procedures...

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12

The “Articles and Covenants” of the church did not specifically contain an injunction about Sabbath observance. An August 1831 revelation, however, instructed the Saints in proper Sabbath observance. (Articles and Covenants, ca. Apr. 1830 [D&C 20:75]; Revelation, 7 Aug. 1831 [D&C 59:9–13].)


the same as at home, buying flour and cooking their own provision which they can do, with little trouble, and the expence will be trifling. We have our company divided into messes of 12 or 13— each having a cook and cooking utensils, all that is necessary; so that we are not obliged to trouble any mans house, and we buy necessaries such as butter, sugar and honey, so that we live as well as heart can wish. After we left the eastern part of the State of
Ohio

French explored and claimed area, 1669. British took possession following French and Indian War, 1763. Ceded to U.S., 1783. First permanent white settlement established, 1788. Northeastern portion maintained as part of Connecticut, 1786, and called Connecticut...

More Info
we could get provision on an average as follows; flour by the hundred $1.50, bacon from 4½ to 6 dollar per Hundred butter from 6 to 8 cents pr pound, honey from 3 to 4 shilling the gallon,
13

A shilling was an English silver coin valued at 1/20 of a pound sterling, or twelve pence. According to Webster’s 1828 dictionary, it was equivalent to almost twenty-two cents in United States currency; by 1828, its value in states such as New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia had depreciated significantly. In New York, a Spanish coin worth twelve and a half cents was also called a shilling. George A. Smith later recollected that the group purchased honey in Atlas, Illinois, for twenty-five cents a gallon. (“Shilling,” in American Dictionary; George A. Smith, Autobiography, 27.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

An American Dictionary of the English Language: Intended to Exhibit, I. the Origin, Affinities and Primary Signification of English Words, as far as They Have Been Ascertained. . . . Edited by Noah Webster. New York: S. Converse, 1828.

Smith, George A. Autobiography, ca. 1860–1882. George Albert Smith, Papers, 1834–1877. CHL. MS 1322, box 1, fd. 2.

new milk from 3 4 to 6 ct per gallon. The whole of our journey, in the midst of so large a company of social honest men and sincere men, wandering over the plains of the
Nephites

A term used in the Book of Mormon to refer to the descendants and followers of Nephi, as well as those who later identified themselves as Nephites for religious reasons. According to JS and the Book of Mormon, Lehi and Sariah, Nephi’s parents, and their family...

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, recounting [p. 57]
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Page 57

Document Information

Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Letter to Emma Smith, 4 June 1834
ID #
225
Total Pages
4
Print Volume Location
JSP, D4:52–59
Handwriting on This Page
  • James Mulholland

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    A medical guide published in 1835 similarly stated that adults contracted the mumps through exposure to cold. (Gregory, Elements of the Theory and Practice of Medicine, 215–216.)

    Gregory, George. Elements of the Theory and Practice of Physic, Designed for the Use of Students. New York: M. Sherman, 1830.

  2. [2]

    The “bro Foster” referred to here is probably Solon Foster, who lived in Warsaw, Genesee County, New York, although a James Foster also participated in the expedition. (Account with the Church of Christ, ca. 11–29 Aug. 1834; Backman, Profile, 93; Solon Foster, Warsaw, NY, to Julius Foster, Clinton, NY, 25 Mar. 1833, Foster Family Correspondence, CHL.)

    Backman, Milton V., Jr., comp. A Profile of Latter-day Saints of Kirtland, Ohio, and Members of Zion’s Camp, 1830–1839: Vital Statistics and Sources. 2nd ed. Provo, UT: Department of Church History and Doctrine and Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 1983.

    Foster Family Correspondence, 1833–1922. CHL. MS 6177.

  3. [3]

    JS’s lameness may have been an effect of an 1813 bone infection in his lower left leg and the subsequent surgery to treat it. (See Wirthlin, “Joseph Smith’s Boyhood Operation,” 131–154.)

    Wirthlin, LeRoy S. “Joseph Smith’s Boyhood Operation: An 1813 Surgical Success.” BYU Studies 21, no. 2 (Spring 1981): 131–154.

  4. [4]

    On the night of 24–25 March 1832, JS was tarred and feathered by a mob in Hiram, Ohio. That attack, he noted in an 1835 letter to his brother William, “wounded . . . my side,” an affliction that apparently troubled him periodically thereafter. (JS History, vol. A-1, 205–207; Letter to William Smith, 18 or 19 Dec. 1835.)

    JS History / Smith, Joseph, et al. History, 1838–1856. Vols. A-1–F-1 (original), A-2–E-2 (fair copy). Historian’s Office, History of the Church, 1839–ca. 1882. CHL. CR 100 102, boxes 1–7. The history for the period after 5 Aug. 1838 was composed after the death of Joseph Smith.

  5. [5]

    “Wren” may have been a transcription error by James Mulholland. The only “Addison” listed as part of the Missouri expedition was Addison Green, who was fourteen years old at the time (he turned fifteen on 12 June). (Account with the Church of Christ, ca. 11–29 Aug. 1834; Backman, Profile, 30; see also Bradley, Zion’s Camp 1834, 268–275.)

    Backman, Milton V., Jr., comp. A Profile of Latter-day Saints of Kirtland, Ohio, and Members of Zion’s Camp, 1830–1839: Vital Statistics and Sources. 2nd ed. Provo, UT: Department of Church History and Doctrine and Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 1983.

    Bradley, James L. Zion’s Camp 1834: Prelude to the Civil War. Logan, UT: By the author, 1990.

  6. [6]

    George A. Smith later recollected that at the beginning of the journey, “My eyes which were always very weak were inflamed.” (George A. Smith, Autobiography, 14.)

    Smith, George A. Autobiography, ca. 1860–1882. George Albert Smith, Papers, 1834–1877. CHL. MS 1322, box 1, fd. 2.

  7. [7]

    It is possible that this was supposed to say “but they are falling in daily,” but the “in” was inadvertently left out. No records indicating desertions or other loss of men have been located; instead, records highlight increases in the expedition’s numbers.

  8. [8]

    By “enemies”—the number of which may have been exaggerated—JS may have been referring to the men waiting for them in Jackson County. Other individuals also closely followed the Camp of Israel and periodically threatened them on their journey. To acquire more intelligence on these individuals, Frederick G. Williams was sent “forward” from the camp one morning “to select a camp ground” close to Jacksonville, Illinois, and to “watch the movements of our enemies.” (“Extracts from H. C. Kimball’s Journal,” Times and Seasons, 1 Feb. 1845, 6:787–788; George A. Smith, Autobiography, 22–23.)

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

    Smith, George A. Autobiography, ca. 1860–1882. George Albert Smith, Papers, 1834–1877. CHL. MS 1322, box 1, fd. 2.

  9. [9]

    George A. Smith made several references to spies in his account of the expedition. On Tuesday, 20 May, he related, three men came into camp asking questions. “These same spies who had come from the West, passed us several times that day and the next, changing their horses and clothes and disguising themselves in various ways, yet we knew them.” On Sunday, 25 May, “a ruffianly looking fellow came into Camp professing to be drunk, but Joseph recognized him to be a man he had seen in Jackson Co. Mo.” On Friday, 30 May, “the Spies that had followed us so long, watched us very closely, changing their dress and horses several times a day.” George A. Smith also noted that “as we were aware of Spies being around us who sought to Kill Joseph Smith we called him Squire Cook.” (George A. Smith, Autobiography, 18–19, 22, 26, underlining in original.)

    Smith, George A. Autobiography, ca. 1860–1882. George Albert Smith, Papers, 1834–1877. CHL. MS 1322, box 1, fd. 2.

  10. [10]

    A circular letter sent by Sidney Rigdon and Oliver Cowdery to church branches on 10 May 1834 counseled those outside of Zion to “dispose of their property, (such as they cannot carry,) and gather in upon the consecrated land” in Missouri. “The Lord has said,” the letter continued, “that there was abundant means in his church to establish the places where he had appointed his [the Saints] to gether.” (Sidney Rigdon and Oliver Cowdery, Kirtland, OH, to “Dear Brethren,” 10 May 1834, in Cowdery, Letterbook, 50.)

    Cowdery, Oliver. Letterbook, 1833–1838. Huntington Library, San Marino, CA.

  11. [11]

    An August 1831 revelation similarly counseled the Saints traveling to Missouri to “do like unto the children of Israel pitching their tents by the way.” (Revelation, 12 Aug. 1831 [D&C 61:25].)

  12. [12]

    The “Articles and Covenants” of the church did not specifically contain an injunction about Sabbath observance. An August 1831 revelation, however, instructed the Saints in proper Sabbath observance. (Articles and Covenants, ca. Apr. 1830 [D&C 20:75]; Revelation, 7 Aug. 1831 [D&C 59:9–13].)

  13. [13]

    A shilling was an English silver coin valued at 1/20 of a pound sterling, or twelve pence. According to Webster’s 1828 dictionary, it was equivalent to almost twenty-two cents in United States currency; by 1828, its value in states such as New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia had depreciated significantly. In New York, a Spanish coin worth twelve and a half cents was also called a shilling. George A. Smith later recollected that the group purchased honey in Atlas, Illinois, for twenty-five cents a gallon. (“Shilling,” in American Dictionary; George A. Smith, Autobiography, 27.)

    An American Dictionary of the English Language: Intended to Exhibit, I. the Origin, Affinities and Primary Signification of English Words, as far as They Have Been Ascertained. . . . Edited by Noah Webster. New York: S. Converse, 1828.

    Smith, George A. Autobiography, ca. 1860–1882. George Albert Smith, Papers, 1834–1877. CHL. MS 1322, box 1, fd. 2.

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