Footnotes
Whiting, “Paper Making in New England,” 309; Gravell et al., American Watermarks, 235.
Whiting, William. “Paper-Making in New England.” In The New England States: Their Constitutional, Judicial, Educational, Commercial, Professional and Industrial History, edited by William T. Davis, vol. 1, pp. 303–333. Boston: D. H. Hurd, 1897.
Gravell, Thomas L., George Miller, and Elizabeth Walsh. American Watermarks: 1690–1835. 2nd ed. New Castle, DE: Oak Knoll Press, 2002.
See the full bibliographic entry for JS Collection, 1827–1844, in the CHL catalog.
Footnotes
“The Late Hon. John M. Bernhisel,” Deseret News (Salt Lake City), 26 Oct. 1881, 616; New York City Branch History, [18]; “Conference Minutes,” Times and Seasons, 2 Aug. 1841, 2:499.
Deseret News. Salt Lake City. 1850–.
New York City Branch History, no date. In High Priests Quorum Record, 1844–1845. CHL.
Times and Seasons. Commerce/Nauvoo, IL. Nov. 1839–Feb. 1846.
In addition to the letter featured here, see Letter from John M. Bernhisel, 12 July 1841; Letter to John M. Bernhisel, 3 Aug. 1841; Letter from John M. Bernhisel, 18 Aug. 1841; Letter from John M. Bernhisel, 8 Sept. 1841; and Letter to John M. Bernhisel, 16 Nov. 1841. The property arrangements made through their correspondence were finally executed in early 1842. (JS, Nauvoo, IL, to John Bernhisel, New York City, NY, 4 Jan. 1842, in JS Letterbook 2, p. 221.)
JS likely received Bernhisel’s 6 March letter by the end of March; his inability to respond to Bernhisel’s letter right away was likely due in part to the commemorative events of early April. The church had just commemorated its eleventh anniversary with a church conference and the laying of cornerstones for the Nauvoo temple on 6 April. (See Benediction, 6 Apr. 1841; and Report of the First Presidency to the Church, ca. 7 Apr. 1841.)
Congress passed a land law in 1820 that made public lands available from the federal government for a minimum price of $1.25 per acre, which was known as the “congress price.” JS had also applied for land patents in Missouri with the congress price in 1836. Land at this price in Illinois was made available to veterans of the War of 1812, who in turn often sold their large purchases for a profit to land syndicates in the East. JS and the church purchased their Illinois land from one of these land syndicates, namely the partnership of Horace Hotchkiss, Smith Tuttle, and John Gillet. By the time Bernhisel wrote his letter, any news of available land in Illinois at congress price was outdated and unrealistic. (Rohrbough, Land Office Business, 141; Application for Land Patent, 22 June 1836; Carlson, Illinois Military Tract, 7–9, 25–26, 40; Anthony Hoffman, Rushville, IL, to John Reid, Argyle, NY, 1 Nov. 1833, Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, Springfield, IL; Bond from Horace Hotchkiss, 12 Aug. 1839–A.)
Rohrbough, Malcolm J. The Land Office Business: The Settlement and Administration of American Public Lands, 1789–1837. New York: Ocford University Press, 1968.
Carlson, Theodore L. The Illinois Military Tract: A Study of Land Occupation, Utilization, and Tenure. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1951.
Hoffman, Anthony. Letter, Rushville, IL, to John Reid, Argyle, NY, 1 Nov. 1833. Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library, Springfield, IL.
Bernhisel’s initial letter presumably outlined the details of his real estate desires; his response a few months later to the letter featured here made it clear that he prioritized the size of the land and availability of timber over location. (Letter from John M. Bernhisel, 12 July 1841.)
Members of the church had lost property and suffered injury during a conflict with other Missourians in 1838 that culminated in the expulsion of the Saints from the state. For more on the Missouri conflict see Introduction to Part 3: 4 Nov. 1838–16 Apr. 1839.