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Singley v. Rigdon, Hancock Co., IL, Circuit Court, 6 May 1841
Sidney Little had a law practice in Carthage, Illinois, and Archibald Williams had a practice in Quincy; they advertised their joint legal services under the firm Little & Williams.
Rigdon, JS, and other church leaders were involved in several business ventures in the Kirtland area in 1837, including a store in nearby Chester, Ohio, and the Kirtland Safety Society. (Historical Introduction to Notes Receivable from Rigdon, Smith & Co., 22 May 1837.)
Petition, ca. 6 Nov. 1839 [Singley v. Rigdon]; An Act, Simplifying Proceedings at Law for the Collection of Debts [25 Feb. 1833], Public and General Statute Laws of the State of Illinois [1839], p. 538, sec. 1, sec. 6; see also Introduction to Boosinger v. JS et al. and Boosinger v. O. Cowdery et al.
The Public and General Statute Laws of the State of Illinois: Containing All the Laws . . . Passed by the Ninth General Assembly, at Their First Session, Commencing December 1, 1834, and Ending February 13, 1835; and at Their Second Session, Commencing December 7, 1835, and Ending January 18, 1836; and Those Passed by the Tenth General Assembly, at Their Session Commencing December 5, 1836, and Ending March 6, 1837; and at Their Special Session, Commencing July 10, and Ending July 22, 1837. . . . Compiled by Jonathan Young Scammon. Chicago: Stephen F. Gale, 1839.
Summons, 7 Nov. 1839 [Singley v. Rigdon]. Rigdon started on the journey to Washington DC with JS and Elias Higbee in October 1839, but a continued bout of malaria necessitated that he stop in Springfield, Illinois, to recover. Though Rigdon apparently returned to Nauvoo in May 1840, he remained bedridden as late as July. (Historical Introduction to Statement, ca. 1 Nov. 1839–B; Historian’s Office, JS History, Draft Notes, 19 Nov. 1839; Richard M. Young to Elias Higbee, 9 Apr. 1840, JS Letterbook 2, pp. 133–134; Historical Introduction to Letter to Crooked Creek, Illinois, Branch, ca. 7 or 8 July 1840.)
Replication, ca. 5 May 1841 [Singley v. Rigdon]. Both parties requested a jury trial. However, the statute outlining the debt collection procedure made no mention of a jury, referring only to the parties appearing before the court, which would issue a verdict. (An Act, Simplifying Proceedings at Law for the Collection of Debts [25 Feb. 1833], Public and General Statute Laws of the State of Illinois [1839], p. 538, secs. 5–6.)
The Public and General Statute Laws of the State of Illinois: Containing All the Laws . . . Passed by the Ninth General Assembly, at Their First Session, Commencing December 1, 1834, and Ending February 13, 1835; and at Their Second Session, Commencing December 7, 1835, and Ending January 18, 1836; and Those Passed by the Tenth General Assembly, at Their Session Commencing December 5, 1836, and Ending March 6, 1837; and at Their Special Session, Commencing July 10, and Ending July 22, 1837. . . . Compiled by Jonathan Young Scammon. Chicago: Stephen F. Gale, 1839.
Cahoon and Ripley filed affidavits attesting to their presence in court on 6 May 1841. If JS filed a similar affidavit, it has not been located. JS wrote a letter from Nauvoo on 6 May, although it is possible that he wrote the letter either before or after a day trip to Carthage. Alternatively, JS may have given a statement regarding the case to Douglas when he visited Nauvoo on 2 May 1841. (Affidavit, 6 May 1841–A [Singley v. Rigdon]; Affidavit, 6 May 1841–B [Singley v. Rigdon]; Letter to Editors, 6 May 1841; see also JS, Journal, 27 May 1844.)
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