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Blessing to John and Catharine Paine Wilkie, 15 March 1844

Source Note

JS, Blessing, to and , [, Hancock Co., IL], 15 Mar. 1844. Featured version copied [ca. 15 Mar. 1844] in Book of the Law of the Lord, p. 449; handwriting of ; CHL. For more complete source information, see the source notes for JS, Journal, Dec. 1841–Dec. 1842 and Book of the Law of the Lord, Book A.

Historical Introduction

On 15 March 1844, JS gave a blessing in , Illinois, to members and in relation to a sizable contribution they made toward the construction of the in Nauvoo. As the temple recorder, kept a record of all donations—the express purpose for which at the time was to fund the construction of the temple—in a large ledger book titled “The Book of the Law of the Lord.” When a donation, or “consecration,” was of unusual interest, Clayton sometimes noted this in the ledger—if the contribution represented a considerable sacrifice on the part of the donor, for example. On rare occasions, Clayton inscribed blessings given to donors for their faithfulness.
Although these tithing entries established precedent for the blessing to the Wilkies, their blessing was atypical because of JS’s involvement in collecting the tithing and extending the blessing. Whereas residents usually gave their contributions directly to the temple recorder, made a “special request” for JS to come to the Wilkies’ home “to give him some instructions relative to his duty in regard to tithing and .” According to , Wilkie had struggled with concerns about, among other things, the reported actions of “the authorities of the church.” had “persevered diligently, . . . with fervent prayer” on her husband’s behalf, and John was now “anxious to do right in all things, and especially to pay his tithing to the full.” During his visit to the Wilkie home, JS discussed the principle of consecration and how to “realize the fullness of the blessings of the .” Wilkie then donated $300 in gold and silver and indicated that he intended to pay more “as soon as he could get matters properly arranged.” After receiving this donation, JS pronounced a blessing upon the Wilkies.
, who spent the day visiting with members to collect tithing, evidently accompanied JS and wrote a description of the interaction and the blessing. Clayton presumably inscribed the account of JS’s conversation with the Wilkies and their blessing on a loose leaf or in a small notebook and later copied them into the Book of the Law of the Lord, possibly on the same day.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    Book of the Law of the Lord, 449.

  2. [2]

    “Baptism for the Dead,” Times and Seasons, 15 Dec. 1841, 3:626.

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

  3. [3]

    See, for example, blessings to Emily Frink, Marinda Nancy Johnson Hyde, and Agnes Coolbrith Smith. (Book of the Law of the Lord, 55, 71.)

  4. [4]

    John and Catharine Paine Wilkie owned over fifty lots of land in and around Nauvoo at one time or another, and it is unclear on which lot they lived at the time of this blessing. (See, for example, Hancock Co., IL, Bonds and Mortgages, 1840–1904, vol. 1, pp. 137–138, 30 June 1841, microfilm 954,776, U.S. and Canada Record Collection, FHL; Nauvoo Third Ward Census, [18], Nauvoo Stake, Ward Census, 1842, CHL; Book of Assessment, 1842, Fourth Ward, 2, Nauvoo, IL, Records, CHL.)

    U.S. and Canada Record Collection. FHL.

    Nauvoo Stake. Ward Census, 1842. CHL.

    Nauvoo, IL. Records, 1841–1845. CHL. MS 16800.

  5. [5]

    On 13 December 1841, the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles wrote an open letter stating that church members could consecrate all they desired but that the required tithe was “one tenth of all any one possessed at the commencement of the building [of the Nauvoo temple], and one tenth part of all his increase from that time till the completion of the same.” (“Baptism for the Dead,” Times and Seasons, 15 Dec. 1841, 3:626.)

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

  6. [6]

    Book of the Law of the Lord, 449. JS dictated a revelation in 1832 regarding three levels of glory in heaven, the highest level being the celestial kingdom. (Vision, 16 Feb. 1832 [D&C 76:50–113].)

  7. [7]

    Book of the Law of the Lord, 449.

  8. [8]

    See Clayton, Journal, 15 Mar. 1844; and Book of the Law of the Lord, 449.

    Clayton, William. Journals, 1842–1845. CHL.

Asterisk (*) denotes a "featured" version, which includes an introduction and annotation.
*Blessing to John and Catharine Paine Wilkie, 15 March 1844
The Book of the Law of the Lord, Book A History, 1838–1856, volume E-1 [1 July 1843–30 April 1844] “History of Joseph Smith”

Page 449

The President then pronounced a blessing upon him [] and his companion [], that they should have the blessing of God to attend them in their basket and in their store; that they should have the blessing of health and salvation and long life, inasmuch as they would continue to walk in obedience to the commandments of God. May the Lord grant his spirit and peace to abide upon and his through the remainder of their days, may their hearts expand and become enlarged to receive the fulness: of the blessings of <​the​> Kingdom of heaven; may they have the light of eternal truth continual springing up in them like a well of living water; may they be shielded from the powers of Satan, and the influence of designing men, and their faith increase from day to day untill they shall have power to lay hold on the blessings of God and the gifts of the spirit untill they are satisfied, and finally may they live to a good old age and when they have lived while they desire life may the[y] die in peace and be received into the mansions of eternal life and enjoy a for ever and ever even so Amen.— [p. 449]
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Page 449

Document Information

Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Blessing to John and Catharine Paine Wilkie, 15 March 1844
ID #
8978
Total Pages
1
Print Volume Location
Handwriting on This Page
  • William Clayton

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    See Deuteronomy 28:5.

  2. [2]

    See John 14:2.

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