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Subscriptions for Willard Richards, 2 August 1843–12 March 1844

Source Note

JS and others, Subscriptions, for , , Hancock Co., IL, 2 Aug. 1843–12 Mar. 1844; handwriting of , JS, and other subscribers; signatures of JS, subscribers, and on behalf of subscribers; sixteen pages; Willard Richards, Journals and Papers, CHL.
The subscriptions are contained in a booklet measuring 5¾ × 3½ inches (15 × 9 cm). The booklet comprises forty-four leaves, each ruled with seventeen blue horizontal lines. The booklet’s cover is composed of cardboard covered with a thin cloth veneer. inscribed “Willard Richards 1843” on the recto of a piece of cardboard glued to the first leaf; a similar piece of cardboard is glued to the verso of the last leaf. Richards inscribed the featured text on the recto of the second leaf through the verso of the ninth leaf. Nine blank leaves follow the featured text, after which Richards relisted the subscribers by the cash, material, or labor subscribed. The verso of the forty-first leaf through the verso of the forty-third leaf are inscribed with miscellaneous account entries written upside down relative to the earlier pages. The recto of the final leaf is inscribed with a brief index.
Though it is unclear when ’s booklet became part of the church’s collection, it has likely been in continuous institutional custody. In an 1846 inventory of church records created before the Latter-day Saints migrated from , Richards’s assistant briefly noted, “Drs private books & Papers” were among the collection. An 1858 inventory notes that Richards’s 1843–1847 journals and pocket companion were part of the collection. A graphite docket below the title of the booklet, which says “Perused by A.J.”, is in the handwriting of Andrew Jenson, who began working in the Church Historian’s Office in 1891 and served as assistant church historian from 1897 to 1941. These clues suggest that the booklet has been in church custody since at least the late nineteenth or early twentieth century.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    “Schedule of Church Records. Nauvoo 1846,” [1], Historian’s Office, Catalogs and Inventories, 1846–1904, CHL.

    Historian’s Office. Catalogs and Inventories, 1846–1904. CHL. CR 100 130.

  2. [2]

    “Historian’s Office Catalogue Book March 1858,” [4], Historian’s Office, Catalogs and Inventories, 1846–1904, CHL. An 1878 inventory also lists Richards’s journals and pocket companion, as well as a notebook from 1836 to 1840, among the collection. (“Index of Records and Journals in the Historian’s Office 1878,” [11], Historian’s Office, Catalogs and Inventories, 1846–1904, CHL.)

    Historian’s Office. Catalogs and Inventories, 1846–1904. CHL. CR 100 130.

  3. [3]

    Jenson, Autobiography, 192, 389; Cannon, Journal, 9 Feb. 1891; Jenson, Journal, 9 Feb. 1891 and 19 Oct. 1897; Bitton and Arrington, Mormons and Their Historians, 47–52.

    Jenson, Andrew. Autobiography of Andrew Jenson: Assistant Historian of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. . . . Salt Lake City: Deseret News Press, 1938.

    Cannon, George Q. Journals, 1855–1864, 1872–1901. CHL. CR 850 1.

    Jenson, Andrew. Journals, 1864–1941. Andrew Jenson, Autobiography and Journals, 1864–1941. CHL.

    Bitton, David, and Leonard J. Arrington. Mormons and Their Historians. Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, 1988.

Historical Introduction

From 2 August 1843 to 12 March 1844, JS and others pledged property, materials, and labor toward the construction of a house for in , Illinois. Several relocations and continuous service had apparently prevented Richards from building a permanent residence in the city. Richards moved from to , Ohio, in 1836 and began living with his cousin . Richards joined the church in December of that year and left on a special “business Mission” to the eastern states roughly two and a half months later. Two days after returning from this mission, Richards joined , , and others on a vanguard proselytizing mission to . Richards preached in England from 1837 to 1841. While laboring in , England, he married convert , and in 1840, Jennetta gave birth to their son, Heber. After traveling to , Jennetta and Heber lived with Willard’s sisters in Massachusetts, and Willard migrated to the burgeoning city of Nauvoo in August 1841.
’s housing situation remained transitory in the years after he arrived in . He boarded in the homes of JS and , and Mary Ann Angell Young, and and , as well as in a small room in JS’s , for various lengths of time between late 1841 and early 1842. In February 1842, Richards apparently lived in the Times and Seasons for a brief period of time. On 1 July 1842, he left to accompany and Heber from , and by November of that year, Jennetta and Heber had moved to Nauvoo and the family lived in a dwelling on ’s property there. In May 1843, the family relocated to JS’s store.
Demanding church responsibilities also contributed to ’s inability to construct a home in . Shortly after Richards’s initial arrival in the city in 1841, JS appointed him as a scribe and temple recorder, roles that included keeping JS’s daily journal and recording donations made by thousands of church members in North America and . Within months of his appointment, Richards’s workload became so burdensome that the called British immigrant to assist him in the recorder’s office. In summer 1842, Richards took leave from his clerical responsibilities to accompany his and son from ; a few months after Richards returned to Nauvoo, JS designated him as his private secretary and church historian. On 30 July 1843, a few days before Richards wrote the subscriptions featured here, JS also appointed him as the general church recorder.
On 2 August 1843, began inscribing the subscriptions in a small booklet. He wrote a short purpose statement, followed by a list of church members who pledged to contribute property, labor, or materials to aid him in building a permanent home in . JS, the first subscriber, signed his name and pledged a city lot. Seventeen more individuals made pledges that day—some recorded the subscriptions in their own hand, while others made their pledges verbally and Richards wrote them down. In the following weeks, over 175 more subscriptions were made; the final entry was entered on 12 March 1844. Throughout the document, Richards noted where in Nauvoo subscribers lived or when certain subscriptions were fulfilled. He later inserted use marks throughout the document that have been omitted in the text featured here.
Construction on ’s house apparently commenced on 8 August 1843, when six men excavated the first shovelfuls of dirt for a cellar on lot 2 of block 103, located on the southeast corner of White and Partridge streets. Richards and his family lived in JS’s previous home on Water Street during much of the construction. On 13 August, church member spoke during a Sunday worship service “about a contribu[tion] to get lumber for Bro Richards house.” The new house was reportedly completed in fall 1844.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    Richards, Journal, 13 Mar. 1837; Orson Spencer, “Death of Our Beloved Brother Willard Richards,” Deseret News (Salt Lake City), 16 Mar. 1854, [2]. Young baptized Richards on 31 December 1836. (Richards, Journal, 31 Dec. 1836.)

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

    Deseret News. Salt Lake City. 1850–.

  2. [2]

    Richards, Journal, 11–13 June 1837; Willard Richards, History, [11]–[12], Historian’s Office, Histories of the Twelve, 1856–1858, 1861, CHL. Richards was ordained a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles while laboring in Preston. (Richards, Journal, 14 Apr. 1840; Revelation, 8 July 1838–A [D&C 118:6]; Brigham Young, “From England,” Times and Seasons, June 1840, 1:119.)

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

    Historian’s Office. Histories of the Twelve, 1856–1858, 1861. CHL. CR 100 93.

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

  3. [3]

    Richards, Journal, 24 Sept. 1838, 11 Oct. 1840, and 16 Aug. 1841; Woodruff, Journal, 20 Apr. 1841; “History of Willard Richards,” Millennial Star, 18 Mar. 1865, 27:166.

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

    Woodruff, Wilford. Journals, 1833–1898. Wilford Woodruff, Journals and Papers, 1828–1898. CHL. MS 1352.

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

  4. [4]

    Richards, Journal, 8 and 16 Sept. 1841; 11 Dec. 1841; 13 Jan. 1842. In August 1841, the Quorum of the Twelve requested that Richards “locate himself for a season” at or around Warsaw, Illinois, “for the purpose of selling Lots on the town plat of Warren.” (Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Minutes, 31 Aug. 1841.)

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

    Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Minutes, 1840–1844. CHL.

  5. [5]

    Richards, Journal, 1 July 1842; Ebenezer Robinson, “Items of Personal History of the Editor,” Return, Oct. 1890, 346–347; Richards, Journal, 10–11 Nov. 1842; Historian’s Office, JS History, Draft Notes, 23 Jan. 1843, 11.

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

    The Return. Davis City, IA, 1889–1891; Richmond, MO, 1892–1893; Davis City, 1895–1896; Denver, 1898; Independence, MO, 1899–1900.

  6. [6]

    Richards, Journal, 1 May 1843.

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

  7. [7]

    Willard Richards, [Nauvoo, IL], to Jennetta Richards Richards, [Richmond, MA], 26 Feb. 1842, Jennetta Richards Richards, Collection, CHL; JS, Journal, 13 Dec. 1841.

    Richards, Jennetta Richards. Collection, 1842–1845. CHL.

  8. [8]

    Clayton, History of the Nauvoo Temple, 16–18.

    Clayton, William. History of the Nauvoo Temple, ca. 1845. CHL. MS 3365.

  9. [9]

    JS, Journal, 21 Dec. 1842; Richards, Journal, 21 Dec. 1842. During Richards’s absence, Clayton assumed his role as temple recorder and clerk. When Richards returned in late October, Clayton continued to act as temple recorder, while Richards focused on keeping JS’s daily journal and writing his history. (Historical Introduction to “Journal, December 1843–June 1844.”)

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

  10. [10]

    Richards, Journal, 30 July 1843.

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

  11. [11]

    Richards, Journal, 8 Aug. 1843; JS, Journal, 5 Sept. 1843.

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

  12. [12]

    Richards and his family moved into JS’s old home, located on a lot on the corner of Water and Main streets, on 20 November 1843. They remained there through late August 1844, when Emma Smith moved back into the home following the death of her husband. (Richards, Journal, 20–22 Nov. 1843; Jonathan C. Wright, Nauvoo, IL, to William Smith, [New York City, NY], 28 Aug. 1844, in Prophet, 21 Dec. 1844, [2].)

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

    The Prophet. New York City, NY. May 1844–Dec. 1845.

  13. [13]

    JS, Journal, 13 Aug. 1843.

  14. [14]

    David Moore was still laboring on Richards’s house in early August 1844, when Brigham Young returned to Nauvoo in the wake of JS’s murder. Richards apparently moved into the house by 8 December 1844, the date on which he opened a city recorder’s office in the structure. (Moore, “Compiled Writings of David Moore,” 27; Young, Journal, 8 Aug. 1844; Historian’s Office, Journal, 9–10 Dec. 1844.)

    Moore, David. “Compiled Writings of David Moore,” ca. 1860. Typescript. Provo, UT: Brigham Young University Library, 1962. Copy at CHL.

    Young, Brigham. Journals, 1832–1877. Brigham Young Office Files, 1832–1878. CHL. CR 1234 1, boxes 71–73.

    Historian’s Office. Journal, 1844–1997. CHL. CR 100 1.

Page 2

agree to furnish such materials, means, or labor as may be necessary to build the said a comfortable house, in common with the rest of his fellow laborers in the vineyard of the Lord, according as we subscribe: that is, we agree to furnish what we subscribe opposite our names, mutually, when called for, knowing that the laborer in spiritual things is worthy of his hire, and that the liberal man shall [p. 2]
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Document Information

Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Subscriptions for Willard Richards, 2 August 1843–12 March 1844
ID #
13309
Total Pages
16
Print Volume Location
JSP, D13:7–20
Handwriting on This Page
  • Willard Richards

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    Many of the wives and children of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles lived in poverty while their husbands and fathers preached in England between 1837 and 1841. Some of the men built permanent homes in Nauvoo when they returned from England, including Brigham Young, Parley P. Pratt, and Orson Hyde in 1843 and Wilford Woodruff in 1844. Similar to Richards’s subscription, a collection was taken on 4 July 1843 to help build Hyde’s house. (Hyrum Smith, Nauvoo, IL, to Parley P. Pratt, New York City, NY, 22 Dec. 1839, in JS Letterbook 2, p. 81; Vilate Murray Kimball, Nauvoo, IL, to Heber C. Kimball, 6 Sept. or Oct. 1840, typescript, Heber C. Kimball Family Organization, Compilation of Heber C. Kimball Correspondence, 1983, CHL; Phebe Carter Woodruff, Lee Co., Iowa Territory, to Wilford Woodruff, Manchester, England, 6–19 Oct. 1840, pp. [3]–[4], digital scan; Phebe Carter Woodruff, Montrose, Iowa Territory, to Wilford Woodruff, London, England, 25 Oct.–2 Nov. 1840, pp. [1], [3], digital scan, Wilford Woodruff, Collection, 1831–1905, CHL; Marinda Nancy Johnson Hyde, Donation, 29 Jan. 1842, in Book of the Law of the Lord, 71; Wells, “Biography of Mary Ann Angell Young,” 56–57; Helen Mar Kimball Whitney, “Scenes in Nauvoo,” Woman’s Exponent, 15 Sept. 1881, 10:58; “History of Brigham Young,” Deseret News [Salt Lake City], 17 Mar. 1858, 9; Parley P. Pratt, Nauvoo, IL, to John Van Cott, Canaan Four Corners, NY, 7 May 1843, CHL; Richards, Journal, 10 June 1843; JS, Journal, 4 July 1843; Woodruff, Journal, 4 May 1844.)

    Heber C. Kimball Family Organization. Compilation of Heber C. Kimball Correspondence, 1983. Unpublished typescript. CHL.

    Woodruff, Wilford. Collection, 1831–1905. CHL. MS 19509.

    Juvenile Instructor. Salt Lake City. 1866–1929.

    Woman’s Exponent. Salt Lake City. 1872–1914.

    Deseret News. Salt Lake City. 1850–.

    Pratt, Parley P. Letter, Nauvoo, IL, to John Van Cott, Canaan Four Corners, NY, 7 May 1843. CHL. MS 5238.

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

    Woodruff, Wilford. Journals, 1833–1898. Wilford Woodruff, Journals and Papers, 1828–1898. CHL. MS 1352.

  2. [2]

    See Deuteronomy 24:15; and Luke 10:7.

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