In two separate deeds dated 11 February 1841, and Rosannah Robinson Marks transferred parts of lots 29, 30, and 31 in , Ohio, to JS. The deed featured here transferred the portion of lot 30 that included the Kirtland . In the related deed from 11 February, parts of the adjoining lots—29 and 31—were also transferred to JS, along with another portion of lot 30. The deed featured here is representative of both transactions. The deeds were created in , Illinois, and returned these Kirtland tracts to JS nearly four years after he had transferred them to William Marks.

was a trusted associate of JS, serving both as president of the and as an alderman in the Nauvoo City Council. The two men had also entered several land transactions together in the past. The original 1837 sale of lot 30 to Marks, along with the transfer of five other extant deeds, may have been done for strategic purposes to prevent the from being seized for debt payment. It is even possible that no money or other items of value changed hands at the original transfer. Although the paperwork for the 1837 transactions specified selling prices commensurate with the market price of real estate, this 11 February 1841 transaction listed only the nominal amount of one dollar to be paid to the Markses. As stated in the deed, the Markses were making the transaction not to obtain assets but out of their “love and attachment to the .”

In the period between the 1837 transactions and those of February 1841, the property described on the deed featured here was transferred to and then back to . Unfortunately, no extant sources clearly elucidate the reasons for the transfer of ownership.

It is also possible that ’s stewardship over the lots was in the capacity of informal for JS and the church. Marks mortgaged the property in 1837 to the firm of Mead, Stafford & Co. in accordance with a decision made by JS, , , , , and . This mortgage allowed the church leaders to continue using the building while repaying their debts. Apparently the mortgage had been fulfilled by late 1840, and it was time for Marks to return the ownership of the lot and to JS, who was authorized to act on behalf of the church.

After the deed was written and witnessed by JS’s clerk , it was certified by the justice of the peace, . Likely because the deed was for property in another state, the Hancock County clerk, , then certified that Wells was acting as an official justice of the peace in , and this certification was attached to the deed. The deed was then taken to the Lake County recorder in , where the property was located, and recorded in the local deed book in April 1841.