Part 3: 3 July–30 September 1841

With tuberculosis and malaria spreading through the area, the summer months of 1841 in , Illinois, were marked by the deaths of several people close to JS. In the midst of mourning, JS continued to correspond widely and respond to the multiplying concerns of the city’s citizens. The documents for July through September 1841 include eighteen letters covering financial, ecclesiastical, and organizational matters. The letters reveal ongoing negotiations with creditors and , reports from missionaries proselytizing abroad, and several inquiries involving land transactions. The letters also continue negotiations with over parcels of land he wanted JS to purchase on his behalf. In August, JS mourned the death of his brother . A week later, JS’s infant son, also named , died as well. , a clerk for JS, and , JS’s primary , both died in August, leading JS to ruminate on the escalating death toll.

During a special on 16 August, the approved JS’s proposal that the “stand in their place next to the .” The shift was meant to alleviate JS’s temporal responsibilities so that he could attend more to spiritual matters, while the Twelve were to manage the business of the church and “the affairs of the kingdom.” Beyond letters and minutes, part 3 of this volume also includes a discourse on patriotism given to the and the Saints in , as well as a revelation for apostle .