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Letter from B. G. Weedgil, 29 May 1844

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Letter from B. G. Weedgil, 29 May 1844

Source Note

[B. G. Weedgil?], Letter, , Mobile Co., AL, to JS, , Hancock Co., IL, 29 May 1844; handwriting and signature presumably of B. G. Weedgil; one page; JS Collection, CHL. Includes address, postal stamp, postal notation, docket, and notation.
Bifolium measuring 9⅞ × 7¾ inches (25 × 20 cm). The letter was written in blue ink on the recto of the first leaf. The document was then trifolded twice in letter style, addressed, sealed with a red adhesive wafer, and postmarked. Remnants of the wafer are located on the recto of the first leaf and the verso of the second. The letter was later refolded for filing.
The docket “Letter from B. G. Weedgil” was added by , who served as JS’s scribe from 1843 to 1844 and as clerk to the church historian and recorder from 1845 to 1865. The document was listed in an inventory that was produced by the Church Historian’s Office (later Church Historical Department) circa 1904. By 1973 the letter had been included in the JS Collection at the Church Historical Department (now CHL). The document’s early docket, its inclusion in the circa 1904 inventory, and its later inclusion in the JS Collection indicate continuous institutional custody.

Footnotes

  1. Jessee, “Writing of Joseph Smith’s History,” 456, 458; Woodruff, Journal, 22 Jan. 1865.

    Jessee, Dean C. “The Writing of Joseph Smith’s History.” BYU Studies 11 (Summer 1971): 439–473.

    Woodruff, Wilford. Journals, 1833–1898. Wilford Woodruff, Journals and Papers, 1828–1898. CHL. MS 1352.

  2. “Letters to and from the Prophet,” ca. 1904, [4], Historian’s Office, Catalogs and Inventories, 1846–1904, CHL.

    Historian’s Office. Catalogs and Inventories, 1846–1904. CHL. CR 100 130.

  3. See the full bibliographic entry for JS Collection, 1827–1844, in the CHL catalog.

Historical Introduction

On 29 May 1844, a person later identified as B. G. Weedgil wrote a letter from , Alabama, to JS in , Illinois, asking about JS and the ’s history. Apparently, Weedgil, who was not personally acquainted with JS, was often involved in religious debates in which others disparaged JS. In his letter, Weedgil asked JS to provide him with information about JS’s mission, the foundation of the church, and the Latter-day Saints’ difficulties in . He also requested a copy of the church’s periodical Times and Seasons and expressed his satisfaction with JS’s political correspondence with .
Weedgil’s letter was postmarked on 30 May 1844. It is unclear when it arrived in or whether JS received it before his death on 27 June. There is no known response.

Footnotes

  1. The signature of the letter’s author is illegible, but Thomas Bullock docketed the back of the document as a “Letter from B. G. Weedgil.” The letter does not indicate what state Weedgil was writing from. However, the city in Alabama is the only known municipality of this name in the United States that existed at the time.

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<​25​>
<​ ◊◊a. [Alabama] MAY 30​>
Mr Joseph Smith,
Ill.
The head of the . [p. [4]]
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Source Note

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Document Information

Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Letter from B. G. Weedgil, 29 May 1844
ID #
1373
Total Pages
4
Print Volume Location
Handwriting on This Page
  • Unidentified
  • Printed text
  • B. G. WeedgilName could be Weedgil, Wedgie, Wedgil

Footnotes

  1. Postage in unidentified handwriting in purple ink.

  2. TEXT: The ink did not fully transfer, rendering the first two letters in “Ala.” illegible.

  3. Circular postmark stamped in blue ink.

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