Annis, a millwright and member of the Nauvoo Legion, met with the city council three times in March to discuss the placement of his mill, which was near the river bank and in proximity to Sidney Rigdon’s residence at the Lower Stone House on the north side of Parley Street. On 15 March, the city council ordered in favor of ferry rights and required Annis to remove his mill at his own expense within the following four months. A month and a half later, on 30 April, Annis wrote a petition to the city council asking for the “privaledg of putting Said mill out on the Out Side butment and the ferry boate goe up on the Shore Side.” Annis further indicated in his petition that removing his mill from its current location would cause great damage to him financially. (Minutes, 1 Mar. 1841; Nauvoo City Council Rough Minute Book, 8 Mar. 1841, 10; Nauvoo City Council Minute Book, 8 and 15 Mar. 1841, 15–16; John C. Annis, Petition, Nauvoo, IL, 30 Apr. 1841, Nauvoo, IL, Records, CHL.)

Sloan’s rough minutes state: “The Mayor spoke, & wished to be excused from voting as he did not consider it beneficial to Mr. Annis to have it accepted. Col D: C: Smith spoke, & wished to be excused from Voting, as he did not consider Mr. Annis’ labour wd be available. Voted, that Mr. Annis be at liberty to explain his Views, & he did so. Col Law wished that Mr. Annis shd have privilege of trying out his experiment, & thinks he is entitled to it. Aldmn Wells said if the Col tampered with this business, they wd have their first works to do over again. Col J: Smith stated the rights & priviledges of the owners of the Ferry, & that City Col has not right to take away Ferry rights, without damages being paid to the Proprietor, & he will set his Face agst the Petn altogether, if the Ferry rights be infringed upon. Question put, & motion put whether Petn wd be recd, & lost.” (Nauvoo City Council Rough Minute Book, 1 May 1841, 19–20; for earlier discussions of Annis’s case, see Nauvoo City Council Minute Book, 8 Mar. 1841, 15.)

For the remainder of this paragraph, Sloan lifted the language directly from Higbee’s petition. (Elias Higbee, Petition, 1 May 1841, Nauvoo, IL, Records, CHL.)

JS had recently agreed to deed land in block 80 to Hugh Herringshaw and Edward Thompson, who had jointly paid JS $400 for the same. The land in the block sat between Young and Knight streets, which ran east to west, and adjacent to Wells Street, which ran north to south. Because the city council granted Higbee’s petition, Wells Street on the eastern edge of block 80 was constructed, or opened. (JS, Bond, Hancock Co., IL, to Hugh Herringshaw and Edward Thompson, 12 Apr. 1841, Newel K. Whitney, Papers, BYU.)

On 29 March the city council passed an ordinance “in relation to Dogs” that fined any owner of a dog that attacked cattle, hogs, or persons. Other cities in Illinois also had laws giving the city power to repress dogs from running free in the streets and to fine their owners for improper regulation. (Nauvoo City Council Minute Book, 29 Mar. 1841, 17; see also An Act to Incorporate the Town of Caledonia, [21 July 1837], Laws of the State of Illinois [1837], p. 32, sec. 6; An Act to Incorporate the Town of Danville [3 Feb. 1839], Incorporation Laws of the State of Illinois, p. 9, sec. 6; An Act to Increase the Corporate Powers of the Town of Chester [12 Feb. 1839], Incorporation Laws of the State of Illinois, pp. 51–52, sec. 7; and Gregg, History of Hancock County, Illinois, 1035.)

Laws of the State of Illinois, Passed by the Tenth General Assembly, at Their Session Commencing December 5, 1836, and Ending March 6, 1837. Vandalia, IL: William Walters, 1837.

Gregg, Thomas. History of Hancock County, Illinois, Together with an Outline History of the State, and a Digest of State Laws. Chicago: Charles C. Chapman, 1880.

A “slut” referred to a female dog. The city of St. Louis, Missouri, passed a similar ordinance requiring dog owners or keepers to pay costs for any damage done by their animals running at large. The St. Louis ordinance also contained a section stating that “every slut found running at large in this city during her season of salacity shall be slain by any person appointed for the purpose by the constable.” (See “Slut,” in Oxford English Dictionary, 9:251; and An Ordinance for Registering and Restraining Dogs from Running at Large [3 June 1835], Revised Ordinances of the City of Saint Louis, pp. 93–94, secs. 7, 8.)

Oxford English Dictionary. Compact ed. 2 vols. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1971.

The Revised Ordinances of the City of Saint Louis; Revised and Digested by the Board of Aldermen, during the Years 1835 and 1836. To Which Are Prefixed the Constitution of the United States, and the Amendments Thereto; The Constitution of the State of Missouri, and the Amendments Thereto; The Charter of the City of St. Louis, and the Act of the Legislature for the Sale of the Common. St. Louis: Missouri Argus, 1836.