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Letter to John M. Bernhisel, 7 September 1842

Source Note

JS, Letter, , Hancock Co., IL, to , , New York Co., NY, 7 Sept. 1842; handwriting of ; three pages; JS Collection, CHL. Includes address, postal stamp, postal notation, and dockets.
Bifolium measuring 9¾ × 7¾ inches (25 × 20 cm) when folded. The first three pages of the bifolium are inscribed. The document was trifolded in letter style, addressed, and sealed with a red adhesive wafer.
docketed the letter when he received it, and an unknown scribe added a docket as well. It is unclear how and when this letter came into the possession of the Church Historian’s Office (later Church Historical Department). By 1973 the document had been included in the JS Collection at the Church Historical Department (now CHL).

Footnotes

  1. [1]

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

Historical Introduction

On 7 September 1842, JS composed a letter in , Illinois, to in , updating him on several matters, including the status of the construction of the Nauvoo and the ongoing attempts to arrest him and extradite him to . Bernhisel had been appointed of the New York City of the in 1841, and although he had corresponded with JS since then, the two men had never met. JS’s communication was a response to a letter Bernhisel had written to JS a month earlier on 8 August 1842. JS apparently received that letter when he was in hiding at the home of . The entry in JS’s journal for 7 September notes that in the morning, church members and of brought JS “several letters from some of the brethren in that region.” Bernhisel’s letter was likely one of them.
had apparently inquired about the material JS and others planned to use for the roofing on the and evidently offered to help acquire tin from for that purpose. Bernhisel had also apparently made arrangements to give JS as trustee-in-trust of the church part of a tract of land he had purchased near Nauvoo earlier that year. In his 7 September reply, JS informed Bernhisel that church leaders had not yet decided on the roofing material and that he would send him a deed for his purchased property. JS then described the ongoing efforts of certain officials in and to arrest and extradite him. Finally, he informed Bernhisel that and others—including members of the —were en route to on a mission and would more fully update him on the ongoing extradition attempts when they arrived.
JS likely dictated this letter to his clerk . The letter was sent to by post on 14 September. It was mailed from , Illinois, instead of , perhaps because JS suspected that some of his mail was being stolen by the men running the Nauvoo post office. Alternatively, because he was in hiding in Nauvoo at this time, JS may have had the letter mailed from Quincy in order to avoid alerting others to his continued presence in Nauvoo. It is unclear who mailed the letter, but it may have been either or , both of whom were and trusted associates of JS and were in Quincy on 14 September. Bernhisel received the letter by 1 October 1842, when he replied to JS.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    Letter to James Arlington Bennet, 8 Sept. 1842.

  2. [2]

    This 8 August 1842 letter from Bernhisel is apparently not extant.

  3. [3]

    JS, Journal, 7 Sept. 1842.

  4. [4]

    Bernhisel sold six acres southeast of the platted portion of Nauvoo to JS for one dollar. The low price suggests that this tract of land was a gift to JS as trustee-in-trust of the church, and the resulting deed states that Bernhisel made the transaction “for and in consideration of the love and good will he bears to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.” Bernhisel had previously purchased sixty acres of land in the area for $485, which he had apparently paid for in full by 11 April 1842. (Hancock Co., IL, Deed Records, 1817–1917, vol. M, pp. 6–7, 24 Sept. 1842, microfilm 954,600, U.S. and Canada Record Collection, FHL; Letter from John M. Bernhisel, 11 Apr. 1842.)

  5. [5]

    In a letter written the next day, JS informed James Arlington Bennet that he suspected that a “confederate” of John C. Bennett in the Nauvoo post office had made the office “exceedingly corrupt.” (Letter to James Arlington Bennet, 8 Sept. 1842.)

  6. [6]

    In a letter he composed to the church around the same time, JS indicated that he was “journeying,” possibly to remain undetected by authorities seeking his arrest. (Letter to the Church, 7 Sept. 1842 [D&C 128].)

  7. [7]

    On 9 September, George A. Smith and Lyman visited with JS while he was in hiding before departing Nauvoo the next day for Quincy by way of Lima, Illinois. (JS, Journal, 9 Sept. 1842; Lyman, Journal, 10–14 Sept. 1842; George A. Smith, Journal, 10 Sept. 1842, 54.)

    Lyman, Amasa. Journals, 1832–1877. Amasa Lyman Collection, 1832–1877. CHL. MS 829, boxes 1–3.

    Smith, George A. Journal, 22 Feb. 1841–10 Mar. 1845. George Albert Smith, Papers, 1834–1877. CHL. MS 1322, box 2, fd. 4.

  8. [8]

    Letter from John M. Bernhisel, 1 Oct. 1842.

Page [3]

would not pay any attention to it. Thereby impeaching the proceedings of Congress and proving himself to be not a whit better than his Colleague of . He dispatched the , back with orders to take me at all hazards and pay no regard to our charter. But I concluded it best to keep out of their way, which I have been enabled to do. After tarrying a little over a week they went back to . I suppose they tarried away untill they thought I should be off my guard and last friday they started again with a reinforcment and (it is said) a new writ determining to take me in the night; but in this they were again disapointed for they did not arrive untill noon on Saturday, and when they got here I soon got out of their way. Thus you see I am obliged to exile myself to save the lives of the people as well as my own life from day to day, and for no cause. Now will not all true lovers of liberty and sacred rights arise and proclaim against the authors of such bloodthirsty and cruel persecution? Will the public not defend the innocent and stamp with indignity all such proceedings? Yes, let the public who love the constitution of <​our​> country arise and expose to the four quarters of the Earth the mean, low, abominable and blood thirsty conduct of those who are now seeking the innocent for no other purpose than to murder and spoil.
and the are on their way to your and will give you every information on the subject.
Yours in haste
Joseph Smith [p. [3]]
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Source Note

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Document Information

Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Letter to John M. Bernhisel, 7 September 1842
ID #
1580
Total Pages
4
Print Volume Location
JSP, D11:70–74
Handwriting on This Page
  • William Clayton

Footnotes

  1. [13]

    In a letter to Emma Smith, Carlin stated that despite the decisions of the Nauvoo Municipal Court, he must proceed with his requisition order for JS’s arrest, as United States law required him to do so. (Thomas Carlin, Quincy, IL, to Emma Smith, 24 Aug. 1842.)

  2. [14]

    This possibly refers to the Illinois legislature and the passage of the act incorporating the city of Nauvoo, or the Nauvoo charter, by the legislature in 1840. (Act to Incorporate the City of Nauvoo, 16 Dec. 1840.)

  3. [15]

    JS hid at the farm of Edward Sayers, located about two and a half miles northeast of Nauvoo, from 11 to 17 August 1842. (JS, Journal, 11–17 Aug. 1842.)

  4. [16]

    On Friday, 2 September 1842, JS learned that the sheriff and several other armed men were on their way to Nauvoo to arrest him. (JS, Journal, 2 Sept. 1842.)

  5. [17]

    When the men sent to arrest JS arrived at his home on 3 September 1842, JS fled through the back door and hid in the homes of friends in Nauvoo. (JS, Journal, 3 Sept. 1842; see also Historical Introduction to Letter to “All the Saints in Nauvoo,” 1 Sept. 1842 [D&C 127].)

  6. [18]

    At a special conference of the church on 29 August 1842, approximately four hundred men were assigned to serve missions throughout the country to simultaneously preach the gospel and counter John C. Bennett’s claims. Hyrum Smith left Nauvoo for New York along with William Law and elders Erastus Derby and Edwin Woolley on 4 September 1842. However, they ended up preaching in Massachusetts and New Hampshire before returning to Nauvoo on 4 November 1842. It is unclear if they stopped in New York City on their way. While several members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles were among those appointed to serve these missions, none of them traveled to New York as a result. Apostle Willard Richards had been in New York in August and was in Boston at this time, but he had traveled there on personal and church business prior to the special conference in August. (Historical Introduction to Discourse, 29 Aug. 1842; JS, Journal, 4 Sept. and 4 Nov. 1842; Letter to James Arlington Bennet, 8 Sept. 1842; Richards, Journal, 22 July–7 Sept. 1842.)

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

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