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Letter to Isaac Morris, 16 June 1843

Source Note

on behalf of JS, Letter, , Hancock Co., IL, to , , Adams Co., IL, 16 June 1843. Featured version copied [ca. 16 June 1843]; handwriting of ; one page; Newel K. Whitney, Papers, BYU. Includes dockets and archival marking.
One leaf measuring 10 × 8 inches (25 × 20 cm), with twenty-six printed lines. The leaf was detached from a bifolium or a book, and the left edge was torn in the process. The document was folded for filing.
The letter was docketed by , who served as scribe to JS from 1842 to 1844. , who served as a church clerk in 1843, also 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]

    See Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Minutes, 11 May 1843; Brigham Young and John M. Bernhisel to JS, Bond, 30 May 1843, JS Collection (Supplement), CHL; and George Walker, St. Louis, MO, to William Clayton, Nauvoo, IL, 3 Jan. 1844, JS Office Papers, CHL.

    Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Minutes, 1840–1844. CHL.

  3. [3]

    Willard 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.

  4. [4]

    Andrus and Fuller, Register of the Newel Kimball Whitney Papers, 24; Wilkinson et al., Brigham Young University, 4:255.

    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.

    Wilkinson, Ernest L., Leonard J. Arrington, and Bruce C. Hafen, eds. Brigham Young University: The First One Hundred Years. Vol. 4. Provo, UT: Brigham Young University Press, 1976.

Historical Introduction

Writing on behalf of JS, penned a letter on 16 June 1843 in , Illinois, to in , Illinois, regarding a tract of land near Nauvoo. Morris, the editor of the Quincy Herald, had written a letter to JS, apparently no longer extant, in 1842 “enquiring the worth” of the southwest quarter of Section 4 in Township 6 North, Range 8 West—land that was near Nauvoo. Taking Morris’s inquiry to mean that he either owned the land or was an agent for the landowner, JS instructed Clayton to make an offer of four dollars an acre to acquire the land. Though Morris had several real estate holdings in western , he did not own the land, nor was he an agent for the owner, Daniel Meeker. Nevertheless, JS believed for unknown reasons that Morris could and would broker a deal for the land in question and thus proceeded to make transactions with William Gheen, , and James Beaven, selling to them portions of the land in question in May 1843 before he had acquired it. After JS made land agreements with Gheen, Pack, and Beaven, Clayton met with Morris “and ascertained that he did not own the land, and knew but little about it.”
A few weeks after this meeting, on 16 June 1843, wrote as JS’s to with the hope that Morris could do something to help the acquire the land. At about the same time Clayton wrote to Morris about this land, JS also instructed to make an offer to purchase the land directly from Meeker. The original letter to Morris is apparently not extant, so it is not known when the letter was mailed or if it was received by Morris. There is no known reply from Morris. As of January 1845, the land matter remained unresolved, and the church had still not acquired the land in the southwest quarter of Section 4 in Township 6 North, Range 8 West.
The only surviving copy of this letter is the retained copy featured here.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    William Clayton, Nauvoo, IL, to Parley P. Pratt, New York City, NY, 21 Jan. 1845, Parley P. Pratt, Correspondence, CHL.

    Pratt, Parley P. Correspondence, 1842–1855. CHL. MS 897.

  2. [2]

    William Clayton, Nauvoo, IL, to Parley P. Pratt, New York City, NY, 21 Jan. 1845, Parley P. Pratt, Correspondence, CHL. The correspondence between Clayton and Morris is apparently not extant.

    Pratt, Parley P. Correspondence, 1842–1855. CHL. MS 897.

  3. [3]

    Deed records attest to Morris’s real estate holdings and activity in land transactions in Hancock and Adams counties.a The first deed that shows Morris living in Adams County is dated 8 February 1839.b Meeker evidently acquired the land from its original patent owner, John Ryan.c John M. Bernhisel apparently informed Clayton that Meeker owned the land when Bernhisel arrived in Nauvoo from New York in spring 1843.d

    (aSee, for example, Hancock Co., IL, Deed Records, 1817–1917, vol. B, p. 478, 5 Sept. 1836, microfilm 954,192; vol. 10E, pp. 436–438, 26 July 1838, microfilm 954,194; vol. D, p. 288, 13 May 1837, microfilm 954,193, U.S. and Canada Record Collection, FHL;. bHancock Co., IL, Deed Records, 1817–1917, vol. 12G, p. 342, 8 Feb. 1839, microfilm 954,195, U.S. and Canada Record Collection, FHL. cLand Patent for John Ryan, Hancock Co., IL, no. 5663, General Land Office Records, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Department of the Interior. dWilliam Clayton, Nauvoo, IL, to Parley P. Pratt, New York City, NY, 21 Jan. 1845, Parley P. Pratt, Correspondence, CHL.)

    U.S. and Canada Record Collection. FHL.

    Records of the Bureau of Land Management, 1685–1993. National Archives, Washington DC.

    Pratt, Parley P. Correspondence, 1842–1855. CHL. MS 897.

  4. [4]

    Trustees Land Book B, 19. In a later letter about this section of land, William Clayton wrote, “On the strength of Mr Morris’ letter brother Joseph sold the land and got the money down for near the whole of it.” (William Clayton, Nauvoo, IL, to Parley P. Pratt, New York City, NY, 21 Jan. 1845, Parley P. Pratt, Correspondence, CHL.)

    Pratt, Parley P. Correspondence, 1842–1855. CHL. MS 897.

  5. [5]

    William Clayton, Nauvoo, IL, to Parley P. Pratt, New York City, NY, 21 Jan. 1845, Parley P. Pratt, Correspondence, CHL.

    Pratt, Parley P. Correspondence, 1842–1855. CHL. MS 897.

  6. [6]

    William Clayton, Nauvoo, IL, to Parley P. Pratt, New York City, NY, 21 Jan. 1845, Parley P. Pratt, Correspondence, CHL.

    Pratt, Parley P. Correspondence, 1842–1855. CHL. MS 897.

  7. [7]

    See William Clayton, Nauvoo, IL, to Parley P. Pratt, New York City, NY, 21 Jan. 1845, Parley P. Pratt, Correspondence, CHL.

    Pratt, Parley P. Correspondence, 1842–1855. CHL. MS 897.

Page [1]

June 16th. 1843
Mr Esqr
Dr Sir:—
Since my interview with you at a few weeks ago I have endeavoured to find the letter I spoke to you about but have been unsuccessful. I have found a minute of the propositions which I took at the time, And from that minute it appears that the S. W. 4— 6— 8 is owned by Mr Meekes [Daniel Meeker] of and upon <​the strength of​> which we have sold or rather bargained the land to some emigrants, Now Sir, if you can come to any conclusions [as] to what you would like to do in the case, I would be happy to receive a line, as the agency is in your hands. We are ready at any time to enter into a contract according to the terms I mentioned in my last.
We would also contract for the S. W. 84— 6— 8 if you will make known your terms, and we can comply with them. Please write us immediately on the subject.
Yours respy— for Joseph Smith
Adams Coy Ill: [p. [1]]
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Page [1]

Document Information

Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Letter to Isaac Morris, 16 June 1843
ID #
1098
Total Pages
2
Print Volume Location
JSP, D12:396–399
Handwriting on This Page
  • William Clayton

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    Clayton could have been referring to one of two trips he made to Carthage, Illinois, in May 1843. The first was on 18 May 1843. The second trip, on 25 May 1843, was likely the visit referenced here. According to Clayton’s journal, he left Nauvoo early on 25 May for Carthage “to redeem the City lots” and later that day “completed the business” and returned to Nauvoo. (Clayton, Journal, 18 and 25 May 1843.)

    Clayton, William. Journals, 1842–1845. CHL.

  2. [2]

    The letter referenced here is likely Morris’s original 1842 inquiry. (See William Clayton, Nauvoo, IL, to Parley P. Pratt, New York City, NY, 21 Jan. 1845, Parley P. Pratt, Correspondence, CHL.)

    Pratt, Parley P. Correspondence, 1842–1855. CHL. MS 897.

  3. [3]

    In summer 1842, Clayton made a note in the Trustees Land Book about this section of land. He wrote, “SW. 4 6N. 8W. I. N. Morris Quincy is the Agent. owned by Mr Meeker Philladelphia. NW 33. 7N. 8W I. N. Morris Quincy.” This notation is likely based on whatever information was in Morris’s letter “enquiring the worth” of this section of land. (Trustees Land Book B, 14; William Clayton, Nauvoo, IL, to Parley P. Pratt, New York City, NY, 21 Jan. 1845, Parley P. Pratt, Correspondence, CHL.)

    Pratt, Parley P. Correspondence, 1842–1855. CHL. MS 897.

  4. [4]

    Meeker appears in United States censuses from 1840 through 1860 in Chatham Township, Morris County, New Jersey. Though a resident of New Jersey, Meeker apparently spent significant time in Philadelphia. In the 1850 census, he was listed as a farmer with $6,000 in real estate. In 1860, he was still listed as a farmer, but with $10,000 in real estate and $9,000 in personal estate. (1840 U.S. Census, Chatham, Morris Co., NJ, 264; 1850 U.S. Census, Chatham, Morris Co., NJ, 474[A]; 1860 U.S. Census, Chatham, Morris Co., NJ, 817; Morris Co., NJ, Record of Wills, 1740–1900, no. 4406 N, microfilm 550,997, U.S. and Canada Record Collection, FHL; William Clayton, Nauvoo, IL, to Parley P. Pratt, New York City, NY, 21 Jan. 1845, Parley P. Pratt, Correspondence, CHL.)

    Census (U.S.) / U.S. Bureau of the Census. Population Schedules. Microfilm. FHL.

    U.S. and Canada Record Collection. FHL.

    Pratt, Parley P. Correspondence, 1842–1855. CHL. MS 897.

  5. [5]

    William Gheen, John Pack, and James Beaven. (Trustees Land Book B, 19.)

  6. [6]

    TEXT: Page torn.

  7. [7]

    Available records for Morris and Meeker reveal nothing regarding this section of land.

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