F. G. Williams & Co. Account Book, October 1833–November 1835
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Source Note
, Account Book, , Geauga Co., OH, Oct. 1833–Nov. 1835; handwriting of , , and JS; thirty-four pages; CHL.Receipts and expenditures for the F. G. Williams & Co. printing firm in , Ohio, were inscribed in a narrow, commercially produced account book with boards covered in marbled paper. The book was originally used as a financial record book for F. G. Williams & Co. beginning in January 1834; twenty-five pages were inscribed with business records dating from October 1833 to May 1835. After a new arrangement was reached in May, a further twelve pages were inscribed with business records for the firm until November 1835. After the firm of F. G. Williams & Co. was dissolved, used the book to record his personal financial accounts from 1838 to 1839. In January 1849, Patience Simonds Cowdery, the wife of Warren A. Cowdery, inverted the book and used 167 pages to record diary entries from 1849 to 1851. Accounts from 1850–1851 were recorded on several of the pages originally containing business records for the firm of F. G. Williams & Co.; these later entries have been omitted from the featured transcript.
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Historical Introduction
The printing firm of was organized in September 1833. When the was dissolved in April 1834, and received the printing firm as their and continued to operate the in , Ohio, until June 1836.Although the firm was involved in many important church printing endeavors, most of its business records have not survived. One of the few extant records is an account book, which does not appear to be comprehensive. It contains the firm’s receipts and expenditures from October 1833 to November 1835. No one clerk appears to have been solely responsible for keeping this account, as it contains entries written by most of the men involved in the United Firm in . Much of the income recorded in the account book came from subscriptions to the church’s newspapers The Evening and the Morning Star and Latter Day Saints’ Messenger and Advocate. Additionally, the account book records not only specific business expenses for the printing firm but also entries related to other events occurring in 1834 and 1835. Because money was scarce, funds from the firm were used to pay for other needs like travel expenses or litigation. The book records ongoing financial difficulties for the firm in 1835, ultimately leading to its dissolution.
Footnotes
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2
Revelation, 23 Apr. 1834 [D&C 104:1, 29–30]; “Notice,” Messenger and Advocate, June 1836, 2:329; see also “Notice,” Messenger and Advocate, Aug. 1836, 2:364.
Latter Day Saints’ Messenger and Advocate. Kirtland, OH. Oct. 1834–Sept. 1837.
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3
The Evening and the Morning Star was printed from June 1832 to July 1833 in Independence, Missouri, and from December 1833 to September 1834 in Kirtland. The Latter Day Saints’ Messenger and Advocate was printed in Kirtland from October 1834 to September 1837. In January 1835, F. G. Williams & Co. began reprinting all issues of The Evening and the Morning Star, with editorial changes, under the shortened name Evening and Morning Star. (Introduction to F. G. Williams & Co.; Masthead, The Evening and the Morning Star, June 1832, [8]; Masthead, The Evening and the Morning Star, July 1833, 112; “Prospectus,” Messenger and Advocate, Sept. 1837, 3:571.)
The Evening and the Morning Star. Independence, MO, June 1832–July 1833; Kirtland, OH, Dec. 1833–Sept. 1834.
Latter Day Saints’ Messenger and Advocate. Kirtland, OH. Oct. 1834–Sept. 1837.
| March 31 | for J Marvin & Ezra Thornton’s Subscriptons of N.Y. | 2.00 |
| April 5 | for postage | 0.50 |
| for office furniture | 0.06 | |
| 6 | for bringing horse plate from | 0.25 |
| 7 | J. Smith jr. for school bill | 0.43 |
| [7] | school bill | 2.56 |
| for Josph Smith for expenses to the east | 27.00 | |
| for outs for J. Smith Jr & | 5.00 | |
| for home expense | 1.00 | |
| 9 | for J. Smith jr expenses at Court at | 6.00 |
| 14 | for J. Smith jr & for outs | 4.75 |
| 15 | for postage for J. Smith jr | 0.12½ |
| March | for J. Smith jr’s expenses at the East | 2.50 |
| April 17 | for Postage on letter for Types | 0.25 |
| 19 | for paper at fr office | 24.00 |
| 22 | for expenses to to Conference | 0.35 |
| 23 | for postage on letter from | 0.25 |
| 23 | for postage | 0.25 |
| 24 | for , to | 1.00 |
| 25 | for J. Smith jr to | 2.00 |
| 25 | for postage | .25 |
| [25] | paid by his direction to | 4.37½ |
| for ’s shoes to | 1.00 | |
| [25] | for postage | 0.25 |
| 29 | Joseph Smith jr. by his verbal order for | 6.00 |
| May 5. | Joseph Smith jun. and for expense mony to of which had, 20 | 50.00 |
| [May 5] | for acknowedging deeds— | 0.50 |
| [May 5] | for postage | 0.44 |
| 8 | [for postage] | 0.25 |
| [8] | for freight on Types | 8.25 |
| [8] | for ’ expenses to | 0.25 |
| 9 | for plaining cases | 0.25 |
| 13 | for postage | 0.25 |
| 16 | for Coat trimmings for | 0.50 |
| 17 | for postage | 0.50 |
| 21 | [for postage] | 0.25 |
| [21] | for onion seed per | 0.25 |
| 22 | for potatoes | 1.25 |
| 27 | for postage | 0.18¾ |
| for postage for Joseph Smith jr | 18¾ | |
| [27] | for [postage] for | 0.18¾ |
| Total | 154.65 |
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