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This item is reproduced by permission of The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.
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Letter to Oliver Granger, 30 August 1841

Source Note

and JS, Letter, , Hancock Co., IL, to , , Lake Co., OH, 30 Aug. 1841; handwriting of ; two pages; The Huntington Library (HM 28167), San Marino, CA. Includes address, postal stamp, and postal notation.
Bifolium measuring 12¼ × 7¾ inches (31 × 20 cm). The letter was written on the recto and verso of the first leaf and then trifolded twice in letter style, addressed, sealed with a red adhesive wafer, and stamped at the Nauvoo post office.
Along with other Granger family documents, this letter came into the possession of Maxwell Hunley. In 1964, Hunley sold these documents to the Henry E. Huntington Library.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    Denman, Guide to Mormon Manuscripts at the Huntington Library, 13.

    Denman, Katrina C. “A Firm Testimony of the Truth”: A Guide to Mormon Manuscripts at the Huntington Library. San Marino, CA: Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens, Library Division—Manuscripts Department, 2015.

Historical Introduction

On 30 August 1841, wrote a letter on behalf of himself and JS to in , Ohio, to solicit more information concerning the settlement of debts in the eastern . Granger had been acting as an for the church to settle debts for over a year. In earlier communications, the requested that Granger inform them of his progress, and because he had become ill, they also urged him to transfer some of his duties to . For unknown reasons, Galland never met with Granger to assume the financial responsibilities.
In addition to giving instruction and inquiring about ’s progress with settling church debts, this 30 August letter also informed Granger of the recent deaths of and . Unbeknownst to JS and , however, Granger had also passed away in the last week of August. Hyrum Smith wrote this letter on 30 August, appended JS’s name, and mailed it through the Nauvoo post office on 4 September. The letter was likely received by Granger’s surviving family members later that month.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    Letter to Oliver Granger, 26 Jan. 1841; Letter to Oliver Granger, 4 May 1841.

  2. [2]

    Obituary for Oliver Granger, Times and Seasons, 15 Sept. 1841, 2:550.

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

Page [1]

Agust 30th 1841
Brother Dear Sir
We was cal[le]d upon a few Days since by a Gentleman from by the Name of Devenport with a Judgement In favor of & of that Place & as I Had no recollection of the Debt I cited him to you beleiving you would understand all a bout it for the Judgement was rendered at
Mr Devenport appeared to be qite a Gentleman & said he would call, on you & If there is any means Possible to Settle it we wish you to do so if the debt is a Just one he will be willing to take any Kind of property in a most any place on the Earth— all things Prosper in this Place Except the Loss we have sustaind in the death of two of our most valuable men Brother & Both have recently Died of what I call a qick Consumption theyr Desease was upon theyr Lungs they wasted a way in one week & Spit up theyr verry vitals— they are gone. theyr Loss is Irreparable but we must be submisive to the will of god & try to Stand in our Lot bothe wow <​now​> & at this End we have not heard from you of Late we would be glad to hear from you often Let us Know how you Prosper in all yours affairs & ours also
I Saw widow <​this morning​> She wished me to say to you She hoped you would remember the widow & fartherless & be shure to deed the House & Lot in to her for it is all She has it is like the widows Mite She is Left qite dest[i]tute we wish you to do so if you have not. we will be responsible for the moneys you have Expended for the Place we have recently received a letter from reqesting Councill I gave him Council when I was there Last March I think that if he had had as mall mutch faith in my Council as he had in [p. [1]]
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Document Information

Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Letter to Oliver Granger, 30 August 1841
ID #
678
Total Pages
4
Print Volume Location
JSP, D8:243–247
Handwriting on This Page
  • Hyrum Smith

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    The judgment was for an attempted collection of assets and was the result of a previous suit brought against JS and Hyrum Smith in Kirtland by Ray Boynton and Harry Hyde. Devenport was apparently acting as agent for a Mr. Mathews of Painesville, Ohio, who was willing to receive land or other assets to cover the amount of the judgment ($953.21). (Transcript of Proceedings, ca. 3 Apr. 1838, Boynton and Hyde v. JS [Geauga Co. C.P. 1838], Final Record Book U, pp. 512–513, Geauga County Archives and Records Center, Chardon, OH; Reuben McBride, Kirtland, OH, to JS, Nauvoo, IL, 3 Jan. 1842, JS Collection, CHL.)

  2. [2]

    Although the debts did not necessarily originate in Chardon, Ohio, the judgments concerning the debts did. Granger resided in Kirtland and likely would have been familiar with judgments in Chardon, which was located immediately east of Kirtland.

  3. [3]

    Don Carlos Smith died on 7 August 1841 and Thompson on 27 August. (“Death of General Don Carlos Smith,” Times and Seasons, 16 Aug. 1841, 2:503; “Death of Col. Robert B. Thompson,” Times and Seasons, 1 Sept. 1841, 2:519.)

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

  4. [4]

    Many Nauvoo residents suffered and died from malaria. However, the description here suggests the two men may have died of pulmonary tuberculosis, a disease that was identified and officially named during the mid-nineteenth century. (Ivie and Heiner, “Deaths in Early Nauvoo,” 163–173; Saleem and Azher, “Next Pandemic,” 21–28.)

    Ivie, Evan L., and Douglas C. Heiner. “Deaths in Early Nauvoo, 1839–46, and Winter Quarters, 1846–48.” Religious Educator 10, no. 3 (2009): 163–173.

    Saleem, Amer, and Mohammed Azher. “The Next Pandemic—Tuberculosis: The Oldest Disease of Mankind Rising One More Time.” British Journal of Medical Practitioners 6, no. 2 (June 2013): 21–28. Available at BJMP.org.

  5. [5]

    The last extant communication from Granger was a pay order written in July. (Pay Order from Oliver Granger for Samuel Clark, 5 July 1841.)

  6. [6]

    JS had corresponded with Granger in May about securing Don Carlos Smith’s lot and home in Kirtland and deeding it to Don Carlos’s wife, Agnes Coolbrith Smith. (Letter to Oliver Granger, 4 May 1841.)

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