Part 4: 1 October–30 November 1841
In October and November
1841, JS continued communicating with
creditor and
in the eastern regarding debt
payments on land purchased from Hotchkiss and his partners. Other
featured letters concern missionary work, business matters, or
ecclesiastical instruction. , the
only remaining in after the mission of the
Quorum of the Twelve concluded, reported on the growth of the church
there and pledged donations for the in , Illinois.
At the October
, JS taught more about for the dead and declared the performance of the would be temporarily halted until the baptismal
font in the was
complete. The conference also replaced deceased church officials and
discussed the gathering of the Saints to .
Because of the death of church agent , JS
transferred Granger’s
power of attorney to in October.
Continuing confusion about whether church members living in
, Ohio, were obligated to gather to prompted a
letter
from in October and another
letter
from Kirtland church leaders in November. By fall 1841, theft by
church members and mounting accusations of church leaders’ encouragement
of that theft led JS and to publish affidavits in the
Times and
Seasons condemning any illegal activity. Several members
of the church were disciplined for theft, and members of the were expelled from the legion for the same reason.
By the end of November, measures
had been taken to purge illegal activity, new negotiations were under
way to settle outstanding debts to with
a specific property in , and the baptismal font in the basement of the Nauvoo
was
dedicated. The first baptism for the dead was performed in this new font
by on 8 November, the same day the font was dedicated.