JS, Letter, , Hancock Co., IL, to , , Hancock Co., IL, 12 Dec. 1840; handwriting of JS; one page; JS Collection, CHL. Includes docket.
One leaf, measuring 9¾ × 7¾ inches (25 × 20 cm). An illegible paper mill mark is present in the upper left-hand corner of the recto. The top, right, and bottom edges of the recto have the square cut of manufactured paper. The left edge is unevenly cut. The leaf was folded in half and then in fourths, presumably for filing, and has undergone some conservation.
The letter apparently has been in continuous church custody since received it. It was cataloged in the JS Collection in 1973 by Church Historical Department staff.
Johnson, Register of the Joseph Smith Collection, 8..
Johnson, Jeffery O. Register of the Joseph Smith Collection in the Church Archives, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City: Historical Department of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1973.
Historical Introduction
On 12 December 1840, JS wrote a letter to , one of the in , Illinois. The letter requested that the bearer—whose identity is unknown—be given wood for JS’s . JS had only recently moved into this office, which was later described by as a two-story building, with most of the office work occurring on the second floor. This letter is similar to pay orders JS wrote in 1840 to Whitney and , both of whom served as proprietors of a “Store of Goods” in Nauvoo that was likely used as a .
JS wrote the note himself and signed it. It was taken to in , who made a notation on the back of the document: “Joseph Smith, Letter for Wood 12 Der. 1840.”