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Henry G. Sherwood, Account Book, November 1839–June 1844, November 1844

Source Note

Henry G. Sherwood

20 Apr. 1785–24 Nov. 1867. Surveyor. Born at Kingsbury, Washington Co., New York. Son of Newcomb Sherwood and a woman whose maiden name was Tolman (first name unidentified). Married first Jane J. McManagal (McMangle) of Glasgow, Lanark, Scotland, ca. 1824...

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, Account Book,
Nauvoo

Principal gathering place for Saints following expulsion from Missouri. Beginning in 1839, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints purchased lands in earlier settlement of Commerce and planned settlement of Commerce City, as well as surrounding areas....

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, Hancock Co., IL, November 1839–June 1844, November 1844; handwriting of
Henry G. Sherwood

20 Apr. 1785–24 Nov. 1867. Surveyor. Born at Kingsbury, Washington Co., New York. Son of Newcomb Sherwood and a woman whose maiden name was Tolman (first name unidentified). Married first Jane J. McManagal (McMangle) of Glasgow, Lanark, Scotland, ca. 1824...

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; twenty-one pages; CHL.
Henry G. Sherwood

20 Apr. 1785–24 Nov. 1867. Surveyor. Born at Kingsbury, Washington Co., New York. Son of Newcomb Sherwood and a woman whose maiden name was Tolman (first name unidentified). Married first Jane J. McManagal (McMangle) of Glasgow, Lanark, Scotland, ca. 1824...

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inscribed transactions and donations for the church as well as work performed for the city of
Nauvoo

Principal gathering place for Saints following expulsion from Missouri. Beginning in 1839, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints purchased lands in earlier settlement of Commerce and planned settlement of Commerce City, as well as surrounding areas....

More Info
in a commercially produced book with boards covered in marbled paper. The book was originally owned by
George W. Robinson

14 May 1814–10 Feb. 1878. Clerk, postmaster, merchant, clothier, banker. Born at Pawlet, Rutland Co., Vermont. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and moved to Kirtland, Geauga Co., Ohio, by 1836. Clerk and recorder for Kirtland high...

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and used to record a land survey made in
Daviess County

Area in northwest Missouri settled by European Americans, 1830. Sparsely inhabited until 1838. Created from Ray Co., Dec. 1836, in attempt to resolve conflicts related to Latter-day Saint settlement in that region. County is transected diagonally from northwest...

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, Missouri.
Sherwood

20 Apr. 1785–24 Nov. 1867. Surveyor. Born at Kingsbury, Washington Co., New York. Son of Newcomb Sherwood and a woman whose maiden name was Tolman (first name unidentified). Married first Jane J. McManagal (McMangle) of Glasgow, Lanark, Scotland, ca. 1824...

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used the book to keep his accounts from November 1839 to June 1844. A series of miscellaneous entries, unrelated to church business, were inscribed on the back flyleaf and pastedown. Most of these entries are undated; two include dates in November 1844.

Historical Introduction

From 1839 to 1844,
Henry G. Sherwood

20 Apr. 1785–24 Nov. 1867. Surveyor. Born at Kingsbury, Washington Co., New York. Son of Newcomb Sherwood and a woman whose maiden name was Tolman (first name unidentified). Married first Jane J. McManagal (McMangle) of Glasgow, Lanark, Scotland, ca. 1824...

View Full Bio
kept an account book of his work for the
church

The Book of Mormon related that when Christ set up his church in the Americas, “they which were baptized in the name of Jesus, were called the church of Christ.” The first name used to denote the church JS organized on 6 April 1830 was “the Church of Christ...

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and in the
Nauvoo

Principal gathering place for Saints following expulsion from Missouri. Beginning in 1839, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints purchased lands in earlier settlement of Commerce and planned settlement of Commerce City, as well as surrounding areas....

More Info
, Illinois, city government. Sherwood joined the church by 1832 and moved to
Kirtland

Located ten miles south of Lake Erie. Settled by 1811. Organized by 1818. Latter-day Saint missionaries visited township, early Nov. 1830; many residents joined Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Population in 1830 about 55 Latter-day Saints and...

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, Ohio, in 1834. From there he relocated to
Missouri

Area acquired by U.S. in Louisiana Purchase, 1803, and established as territory, 1812. Missouri Compromise, 1820, admitted Missouri as slave state, 1821. Population in 1830 about 140,000; in 1836 about 240,000; and in 1840 about 380,000. Latter-day Saint ...

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in 1838, but he was expelled from the state along with his fellow Latter-day Saints the following year. After settling in
Illinois

Became part of Northwest Territory of U.S., 1787. Admitted as state, 1818. Population in 1840 about 480,000. Population in 1845 about 660,000. Plentiful, inexpensive land attracted settlers from northern and southern states. Following expulsion from Missouri...

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in 1839, he was appointed to the Nauvoo
high council

A governing body of twelve high priests. The first high council was organized in Kirtland, Ohio, on 17 February 1834 “for the purpose of settling important difficulties which might arise in the church, which could not be settled by the church, or the bishop...

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. During his time in Nauvoo, he filled important positions in the city government and as a financial
agent

A specific church office and, more generally, someone “entrusted with the business of another.” Agents in the church assisted other ecclesiastical officers, especially the bishop in his oversight of the church’s temporal affairs. A May 1831 revelation instructed...

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for JS and the church. Sherwood helped survey land in and around
Commerce

Located near middle of western boundary of state, bordering Mississippi River. European Americans settled area, 1820s. From bank of river, several feet above high-water mark, ground described as nearly level for six or seven blocks before gradually sloping...

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, Illinois, which later became the city of Nauvoo, and in October 1839, he was appointed by the Nauvoo high council to supervise the sale of town lots in Nauvoo.
1

Nauvoo Stake High Council Minutes, 21 Oct. 1839, 26; Memorial to Nauvoo High Council, 18 June 1840.  


Comprehensive Works Cited

Nauvoo Stake High Council Minutes, ca. 1839–ca. 1843. Fair copy. In Oliver Cowdery, Diary, Jan.–Mar. 1836. CHL.

The land he was selling had been purchased by JS,
Sidney Rigdon

19 Feb. 1793–14 July 1876. Tanner, farmer, minister. Born at St. Clair, Allegheny Co., Pennsylvania. Son of William Rigdon and Nancy Gallaher. Joined United Baptists, ca. 1818. Preached at Warren, Trumbull Co., Ohio, and vicinity, 1819–1821. Married Phebe...

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, and
Hyrum Smith

9 Feb. 1800–27 June 1844. Farmer, cooper. Born at Tunbridge, Orange Co., Vermont. Son of Joseph Smith Sr. and Lucy Mack. Moved to Randolph, Orange Co., 1802; back to Tunbridge, before May 1803; to Royalton, Windsor Co., Vermont, 1804; to Sharon, Windsor Co...

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for the church; JS held it through his position as the church’s trustee-in-trust. As a financial agent, Sherwood appears to have received a range of goods and donations.
2

Documents, Volume 6, Introduction to Part 4: 24 Apr.–12 Aug. 1839; Appointment as Trustee, 2 Feb. 1841; see also Historical Introduction to Agreement with George W. Robinson, 30 Apr. 1839. These were sometimes payments for land or donations for temple construction; it is also possible that Sherwood bartered goods on JS’s or the church’s behalf.  


He also settled the estate of JS’s scribe
James Mulholland

1804–3 Nov. 1839. Born in Ireland. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Married Sarah Scott, 8 Feb. 1838/1839, at Far West, Caldwell Co., Missouri. Engaged in clerical work for JS, 1838, at Far West. Ordained a seventy, 28 Dec. 1838....

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, who died in November 1839, by overseeing the construction of a home for Mulholland’s family and paying other expenses.
3

Receipt from William D. Huntington, 2 Jan. 1840; Receipt, Edmund Fisher to Henry G. Sherwood, 23 Feb. 1840; Receipt from Thomas Richmond, 17 Jan. 1840.  


In addition to his work as a financial agent,
Sherwood

20 Apr. 1785–24 Nov. 1867. Surveyor. Born at Kingsbury, Washington Co., New York. Son of Newcomb Sherwood and a woman whose maiden name was Tolman (first name unidentified). Married first Jane J. McManagal (McMangle) of Glasgow, Lanark, Scotland, ca. 1824...

View Full Bio
held several civic responsibilities. He was appointed the
Nauvoo

Principal gathering place for Saints following expulsion from Missouri. Beginning in 1839, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints purchased lands in earlier settlement of Commerce and planned settlement of Commerce City, as well as surrounding areas....

More Info
city marshal

An officer of the United States appointed for specified time and bound to execute faithfully all legal processes of federal courts. A marshal can appoint deputies and normally has the same powers to execute federal laws as sheriffs have in executing laws ...

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and served from 1841 to 1843; his duties included informing the members of the Nauvoo City Council about meetings, attending council meetings, and serving documents from the Nauvoo courts, such as subpoenas and warrants. Sherwood became a tax assessor for the Fourth Ward of Nauvoo on 17 December 1842 and was responsible for assessing and collecting the taxes of those who lived in the southwest quarter of the city.
4

Oath from Henry G. Sherwood, 17 Dec. 1842; “Nauvoo Political Wards, 1843–1844,” in JSP, D13:485.  


Comprehensive Works Cited

JSP, D13 / Heimburger, Christian K., Jeffrey D. Mahas, Brent M. Rogers, Mason K. Allred, J. Chase Kirkham, and Matthew S. McBride, eds. Documents, Volume 13: August–December 1843. Vol. 13 of the Documents series of The Joseph Smith Papers, edited by Matthew C. Godfrey, R. Eric Smith, Matthew J. Grow, and Ronald K. Esplin. Salt Lake City: Church Historian’s Press, 2022.

He also helped keep order in the city, serving on the city watch in 1843 and as a guard in the
Nauvoo Legion

A contingent of the Illinois state militia provided for in the Nauvoo city charter. The Nauvoo Legion was organized into two cohorts: one infantry and one cavalry. Each cohort could potentially comprise several thousand men and was overseen by a brigadier...

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.
5

Claim from Shadrach Roundy and Others, 23 Feb. 1843; Claim from Henry G. Sherwood, 4 Nov. 1843; Claims from Shadrach Roundy and Others, 4 and circa 19 Dec. 1843.  


Sherwood

20 Apr. 1785–24 Nov. 1867. Surveyor. Born at Kingsbury, Washington Co., New York. Son of Newcomb Sherwood and a woman whose maiden name was Tolman (first name unidentified). Married first Jane J. McManagal (McMangle) of Glasgow, Lanark, Scotland, ca. 1824...

View Full Bio
kept a record of his work and the donations he received, specifically noting that he was “keeping accounts that relate to the business of H[enry] G. Sherwood for the Church of Jesus Christ L. D. Saints.” He apparently considered his work for the city and court to be part of the business he was conducting for the church. Sherwood’s attitude was not unusual; in
Nauvoo

Principal gathering place for Saints following expulsion from Missouri. Beginning in 1839, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints purchased lands in earlier settlement of Commerce and planned settlement of Commerce City, as well as surrounding areas....

More Info
there often was not a clear separation between ecclesiastical and municipal responsibilities.
6

See Act to Incorporate the City of Nauvoo, 16 Dec. 1840.  


However, Sherwood submitted claims to the Nauvoo City Council requesting payment for his civic work, which were evaluated by the council and usually paid.
7

See Claim from Shadrach Roundy and Others, 23 Feb. 1843; Claim from Henry G. Sherwood, 4 Nov. 1843; Claims from Shadrach Roundy and Others, 4 and circa 19 Dec. 1843.  


So, even though Sherwood included municipal work in the account book designated for church transactions, he seems to have expected the city rather than the church to pay for his civic efforts.
Sherwood

20 Apr. 1785–24 Nov. 1867. Surveyor. Born at Kingsbury, Washington Co., New York. Son of Newcomb Sherwood and a woman whose maiden name was Tolman (first name unidentified). Married first Jane J. McManagal (McMangle) of Glasgow, Lanark, Scotland, ca. 1824...

View Full Bio
kept his accounts in a small book he acquired in
Nauvoo

Principal gathering place for Saints following expulsion from Missouri. Beginning in 1839, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints purchased lands in earlier settlement of Commerce and planned settlement of Commerce City, as well as surrounding areas....

More Info
. The book had previously been used by
George W. Robinson

14 May 1814–10 Feb. 1878. Clerk, postmaster, merchant, clothier, banker. Born at Pawlet, Rutland Co., Vermont. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and moved to Kirtland, Geauga Co., Ohio, by 1836. Clerk and recorder for Kirtland high...

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, who had served as a church recorder and clerk for the
First Presidency

The highest presiding body of the church. An 11 November 1831 revelation stated that the president of the high priesthood was to preside over the church. JS was ordained as president of the high priesthood on 25 January 1832. In March 1832, JS appointed two...

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.
8

Minute Book 2, 6 Apr. 1838.  


Robinson had used it to record a survey of land in
Missouri

Area acquired by U.S. in Louisiana Purchase, 1803, and established as territory, 1812. Missouri Compromise, 1820, admitted Missouri as slave state, 1821. Population in 1830 about 140,000; in 1836 about 240,000; and in 1840 about 380,000. Latter-day Saint ...

More Info
.
9

For more information on the Missouri land survey that Robinson made, see Historical Introduction to Land Survey, May–July 1838.  


Sherwood used the mostly blank book to keep a record of the transactions he oversaw for JS and the city of Nauvoo, and he then used it to verify accounts, submit claims to the city council requesting payment, or copy other records into the proper books. Sherwood’s account book contains entries from November 1839 to June 1844. A few later miscellaneous entries written on the back pastedown and flyleaf are separated from the main accounts by approximately ninety blank pages. Most of these entries are undated, but two are dated November 1844.
10

See Henry G. Sherwood, Daybook, 111–112.  


Three of these later entries appear to have a connection to counterfeiting. Sherwood wrote statements on the two pages containing the entries indicating that they were “in no way connected with any Church affair” but were instead “private in nature—or apart from the Church.” However, because he recorded them in this account book and they relate to his
Nauvoo

Principal gathering place for Saints following expulsion from Missouri. Beginning in 1839, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints purchased lands in earlier settlement of Commerce and planned settlement of Commerce City, as well as surrounding areas....

More Info
finances, they are reproduced here as miscellaneous accounts.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    Nauvoo Stake High Council Minutes, 21 Oct. 1839, 26; Memorial to Nauvoo High Council, 18 June 1840.  

    Nauvoo Stake High Council Minutes, ca. 1839–ca. 1843. Fair copy. In Oliver Cowdery, Diary, Jan.–Mar. 1836. CHL.

  2. [2]

    Documents, Volume 6, Introduction to Part 4: 24 Apr.–12 Aug. 1839; Appointment as Trustee, 2 Feb. 1841; see also Historical Introduction to Agreement with George W. Robinson, 30 Apr. 1839. These were sometimes payments for land or donations for temple construction; it is also possible that Sherwood bartered goods on JS’s or the church’s behalf.  

  3. [3]

    Receipt from William D. Huntington, 2 Jan. 1840; Receipt, Edmund Fisher to Henry G. Sherwood, 23 Feb. 1840; Receipt from Thomas Richmond, 17 Jan. 1840.  

  4. [4]

    Oath from Henry G. Sherwood, 17 Dec. 1842; “Nauvoo Political Wards, 1843–1844,” in JSP, D13:485.  

    JSP, D13 / Heimburger, Christian K., Jeffrey D. Mahas, Brent M. Rogers, Mason K. Allred, J. Chase Kirkham, and Matthew S. McBride, eds. Documents, Volume 13: August–December 1843. Vol. 13 of the Documents series of The Joseph Smith Papers, edited by Matthew C. Godfrey, R. Eric Smith, Matthew J. Grow, and Ronald K. Esplin. Salt Lake City: Church Historian’s Press, 2022.

  5. [5]

    Claim from Shadrach Roundy and Others, 23 Feb. 1843; Claim from Henry G. Sherwood, 4 Nov. 1843; Claims from Shadrach Roundy and Others, 4 and circa 19 Dec. 1843.  

  6. [6]

    See Act to Incorporate the City of Nauvoo, 16 Dec. 1840.  

  7. [7]

    See Claim from Shadrach Roundy and Others, 23 Feb. 1843; Claim from Henry G. Sherwood, 4 Nov. 1843; Claims from Shadrach Roundy and Others, 4 and circa 19 Dec. 1843.  

  8. [8]

    Minute Book 2, 6 Apr. 1838.  

  9. [9]

    For more information on the Missouri land survey that Robinson made, see Historical Introduction to Land Survey, May–July 1838.  

  10. [10]

    See Henry G. Sherwood, Daybook, 111–112.  

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Editorial Title
Henry G. Sherwood, Account Book, November 1839–June 1844, November 1844
ID #
15486
Total Pages
117
Print Volume Location
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