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Letter to Smith Tuttle, 9 October 1841

Source Note

JS, Letter, , Hancock Co., IL, to , , New Haven Co., CT, 9 Oct. 1841; handwriting of ; four pages; JS, Papers, Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum, Springfield, IL. Includes address, postal stamp, and postal notation.
Bifolium measuring 12¼ × 7½ inches (31 × 19 cm). The letter was written on all four pages and then trifolded twice in letter style, addressed, sealed with a red adhesive wafer, and mailed from , Illinois. The paper has separated along the bottom fold on both leaves. An adhesive wafer remains on the verso of the second leaf.
The custodial history of the letter is unknown before it came into the possession of the Abraham Lincoln Bookshop in Chicago, Illinois, who sold it in 1972 to the Illinois State Historical Library (now the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum).

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    This letter was apparently one of ten documents relating to JS purchased by the library at the time. (Schroeder-Lein, Treasures of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library, 59; see also the full bibliographic record for JS, Papers, 1839–1844, in the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum catalog.)

    Schroeder-Lein, Glenna R., ed. Treasures of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library. Carbondale: Illinois Historic Preservation Agency and Southern Illinois University Press, 2014.

Historical Introduction

On 9 October 1841, JS wrote a letter from , Illinois, to his creditor in , Connecticut, regarding debts owed to Tuttle and his business partners. Tuttle, , and had sold land in to JS, , and in 1839. JS had been corresponding with Hotchkiss about the money owed and was striving to find ways to pay the debt, but tensions had arisen between the parties. Because of miscommunication and JS’s failure to make the scheduled payments, recent letters between the two men had included “harsh remarks.”
While and were dissatisfied with the lack of timely payment, JS was also frustrated because he believed several obstacles had prevented him from making payments. For instance, JS was temporarily detained in , Illinois, in early June 1841, when governor attempted to have him extradited. Although he was released five days later when his arrest warrant was deemed invalid, the trip to , Illinois, for his hearing delayed his business dealings. Additionally, , an for the , was sent to deliver land deeds as payment to Hotchkiss and Tuttle but failed to fulfill this assignment. Hotchkiss had eagerly awaited Galland’s arrival, but without informing JS, Galland wrote to Hotchkiss, informing him that he, Galland, was headed west and would not be arriving in after all. Galland’s absence surprised both Hotchkiss and JS and added to their frustrations.
After learning of the increasingly hostile communications between and JS, wrote a conciliatory letter to JS in mid-September 1841. Tuttle’s letter was read aloud during the church’s October 1841 general . JS’s letter of 9 October, featured here, was written in response. In this letter, JS explained his inability to make payments on schedule, his intention to pay the debts as soon as possible, and his desire to maintain friendly relations with his creditors.
JS apparently dictated the letter to his clerk . The letter was mailed to through the post office on 12 October 1841. Before Tuttle received the letter, sent JS another letter regarding the debts on 11 October.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    Bond from Horace Hotchkiss, 12 Aug. 1839–A.

  2. [2]

    See Letter from Smith Tuttle, ca. 15 Sept. 1841; Letter to Horace Hotchkiss, 25 Aug. 1841; and Letter from Horace Hotchkiss, 13 Sept. 1841.

  3. [3]

    “The Late Proceedings,” Times and Seasons, 15 June 1841, 2:447–448.

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

  4. [4]

    Letter from Horace Hotchkiss, 24 July 1841.

  5. [5]

    See Letter from Horace Hotchkiss, 24 July 1841; and Letter to Horace Hotchkiss, 25 Aug. 1841.

  6. [6]

    Letter from Smith Tuttle, ca. 15 Sept. 1841.

  7. [7]

    Letter from Smith Tuttle, ca. 15 Sept. 1841; Minutes and Discourse, 1–5 Oct. 1841.

Asterisk (*) denotes a "featured" version, which includes an introduction and annotation. *Letter to Smith Tuttle, 9 October 1841 Letterbook 2 History, 1838–1856, volume C-1 [2 November 1838–31 July 1842] “History of Joseph Smith”

Page [3]

“Times and Seasons,” were ordered by the to make arrangements in the eastern of the , ordering them to go to you & turn over their property as you & they could agree, & take up our obligations & bring them here, & receive property here for them. & I have been ordered by the Genl. Conference to write this letter to you, informing you of the measures which are about being taken to make all things right. I would inform you that has not returned to the Western Country as yet. He has a considerable amt. of our money in his hands, which was to have been paid to you as was intended. He is on his way for aught we know, & is retarded in his journey by some misfortune or other He may return, however, as yet, & give a just and honorable account of himself. We hope this may be the case. I am sorrowful on account of yr. disappointments. It is a great disappointment to me as well as to yourselves. As to the growth of our place, it is very rapid; & it would be more so, were it not for sickness & death. There have been many deaths which leaves a melancholly reflection, but we can not help it. When God speaks from the heavens to call us home, we must submit to his mandate.— And for your sincerity & friendship, gentlemen, we have not the most distant doubt. We will not harbour any. We know it is for your interest to do us good, & for our happiness & welfare, to be punctual in the fulfilment of all our vows. And we think for the future you will have no cause of complaint. We intend to struggle with all the misfortunes of life, & shoulder them all up handsomely & honorably, even like men. We ask nothing, therefore, but what ought to be granted <​required​> between man & man, & by those principles which bind man to man by kindred blood, in bearing our own part in every thing which duty calls us to do or not inferior to any of the human race, & will be treated as such, although differing with some in matters of opinion in things, (viz:— religious matters,) for which we only feel ourselves amenable to the Eternal God. And may God forbid that pride, ambition, a want of humility [p. [3]]
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Document Information

Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Letter to Smith Tuttle, 9 October 1841
ID #
1639
Total Pages
4
Print Volume Location
JSP, D8:303–308
Handwriting on This Page
  • John S. Fullmer

Footnotes

  1. [10]

    Minutes and Discourse, 1–5 Oct. 1841.

  2. [11]

    The minutes of the October church conference contain a resolution that “Pres’t. Joseph Smith write an answer to Mr. [Horace] Hotchkiss on the subject of his claim.” JS may have chosen to write Tuttle instead of Hotchkiss because Tuttle was the most recent correspondent from among the business partners, and a response written to Tuttle was as good as a response to Hotchkiss. (Minutes and Discourse, 1–5 Oct. 1841.)

  3. [12]

    Galland was in Keokuk, Iowa Territory, by 11 December 1841, when he wrote to JS. (Isaac Galland, Keokuk, Iowa Territory, to JS, Nauvoo, IL, 11 Dec. 1841, JS Collection, CHL.)

  4. [13]

    JS’s brother Don Carlos and one of JS’s sons, also named Don Carlos, were among many who had recently died. In 1841 there were approximately 175 deaths in Nauvoo—112 more than the previous year, many resulting from malaria and tuberculosis. (“Death of General Don Carlos Smith,” Times and Seasons, 16 Aug. 1841, 2:503; Obituary for Don Carlos Smith, Millennial Star, Nov. 1841, 2:108; Letter to Oliver Granger, 30 Aug. 1841; Historical Introduction to Minutes, 16 Aug. 1841; Ivie and Heiner, “Deaths in Early Nauvoo,” 165–169.)

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

    Latter-day Saints’ Millennial Star. Manchester, England, 1840–1842; Liverpool, 1842–1932; London, 1932–1970.

    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.

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