Footnotes
Several of these letters were written to JS and, because of their earlier creation dates, are featured in a previous volume of The Joseph Smith Papers. (See Letter from Eli Maginn, 22 Mar. 1842; and Letter from William Appleby, ca. Mar. 1842.)
The Millennial Star was a monthly church newspaper edited by Parley P. Pratt and first published in Manchester, England, in May 1840. (“Prospectus,” Millennial Star, May 1840, 1:1–2.)
Latter-day Saints’ Millennial Star. Manchester, England, 1840–1842; Liverpool, 1842–1932; London, 1932–1970.
See “Editorial Method”.
The sources given are in error. (See Genesis 49:33–50:13; 50:26; and Exodus 1:1–6.)
An entry in the Book of the Law of the Lord identified forty Latter-day Saint men and women in the New Rochelle, New York, and New York City branches who donated a combined $181.75 for the temple. (Book of the Law of the Lord, 111; see also Letter from John M. Bernhisel, 11 Apr. 1842.)
Bernhisel informed JS about this deposit in an 11 April 1842 letter. Evidently, the cashier of the bank gave Bernhisel a financial document granting JS access to the deposited funds, which Bernhisel then forwarded to Nauvoo. It is likely that this document was not an actual certificate of deposit but rather notice of Bernhisel having deposited funds. A certificate of deposit, sometimes also called a “time certificate,” was a negotiable note issued by a bank and payable at a future date indicated on the certificate. (Letter from John M. Bernhisel, 11 Apr. 1842; Abbott and Abbott, Digest of New York Statutes, 393, 396; Abbott’s Cyclopedic Digest, 2:399.)
Abbott, Benjamin Vaughn, and Austin Abbott. A Digest of New York Statutes and Reports, from the Earliest Period to the Year 1860. Vol. 1. New York: John S. Voorhies, 1860.
Abbott’s Cyclopedic Digest of All the Decisions of All the Courts of New York from the Earliest Time to the Year 1900. 13 vols. New York: Baker, Voorhis, 1901–1902.
The Butchers’ and Drovers’ Bank of New York City was incorporated in 1830. It was solvent and in good standing in 1842 and was rechartered in 1852. (Sound Currency 1895, 291; “Annual Report of the Butchers’ and Drovers’ Bank,” doc. no. 12, 8 Jan. 1842, in Documents of the Senate of the State of New-York; Paine, Laws of the State of New York relating to Banks, 479.)
Sound Currency 1895: A Compendium of Accurate and Timely Information on Currency Questions Intended for Writers, Speakers, and Students. New York: Reform Club Sound Currency Committee, 1895.
Documents of the Senate of the State of New-York, Sixty-Fourth Session, 1842. Vol. 1, From No. 1 to 20. Albany, NY: Thurlow Weed, 1842.
Paine, Willis S. The Laws of the State of New York relating to Banks, Banking, Trust Companies, Loan, Mortgage, and Safe Deposit Corporations, Together with the Acts Affecting Monied Corporations Generally. . . . New York: L. K. Strouse, 1894.
Bernhisel had joined the church in New York City in November 1840 and was ordained a bishop in New York City on 15 April 1841. (Foster, History of the New York City Branch, [18]; Minutes, New York City, NY, 15 Apr. 1841, in Times and Seasons, 2 Aug. 1841, 2:499.)
Foster, Lucian R. History of the New York City Branch, 1837–1840. High Priests Quorum Record, 1841–1845. CHL.
Times and Seasons. Commerce/Nauvoo, IL. Nov. 1839–Feb. 1846.
There may have been an existing need as well. Former printing office proprietor Ebenezer Robinson ran a similar ad for a book binder in issues of the Times and Seasons from 1 January through 15 February 1842.