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Letter from Calvin A. Warren, 31 August 1841

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Letter from Calvin A. Warren, 31 August 1841

Source Note

, Letter, , Adams Co., IL, to JS, , Hancock Co., IL, 31 Aug. 1841; handwriting of ; one page; JS Collection, CHL. Includes address and docket.
Single leaf measuring 12⅝ × 7⅞ inches (32 × 20 cm), ruled with thirty-eight horizontal blue lines. The letter was written on the recto and then trifolded twice in letter style and addressed. The document was folded for filing.
The document was docketed by , who served as JS’s scribe from December 1841 until JS’s death in June 1844 and served as church historian from December 1842 until his own death in March 1854. The letter is listed in a Church Historian’s Office inventory from circa 1904. By 1973 this letter had been included in the JS Collection at the Church Historical Department (now CHL). The docket, inventory, and inclusion in the JS Collection suggest this letter has remained in continuous institutional custody since its receipt in 1841.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    JS, Journal, 13 Dec. 1841 and 21 Dec. 1842; Orson Spencer, “Death of Our Beloved Brother Willard Richards,” Deseret News (Salt Lake City), 16 Mar. 1854, [2].

    Deseret News. Salt Lake City. 1850–.

  2. [2]

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

Historical Introduction

On 31 August 1841, of , Illinois, addressed a letter to JS in , Illinois, about a proposed property purchase in , Illinois. Warren wrote the letter in response to an earlier conversation with JS, in which they discussed the possibility of JS purchasing property in Warsaw Township that was owned by a Mr. Morris, likely Warren’s brother-in-law , a former resident of Warsaw. The letter provided JS with details regarding the price of the land and the terms under which it might be purchased.
and JS had become acquainted by June 1841. Warren, acting as the master in in , Illinois, helped JS obtain a writ of following an arrest at , Illinois. Soon thereafter, Warren and JS began negotiating the ’s purchase of Warsaw Township’s school section. Such a land purchase was intended to help JS accommodate the influx of people into , including over eight hundred Saints from the British Isles, who had arrived in by mid-July 1841. Although the land purchase in Warsaw had not been finalized, JS had already announced that the church would establish a number of new settlements, including a town in Warsaw Township’s school section. The new town was to be named , Illinois—after Calvin A. Warren—and would be located one mile south from the town of .
While JS and the church were making preliminary efforts to establish a new town in the school section, sent the letter featured here to invite JS to purchase additional land in the Warsaw Township. After conferring with Morris, Warren offered JS the option to acquire Morris’s home and seven-acre tract of land for the price of $2,250.
After wrote the letter, he sent it to JS with an unnamed courier identified only as “your brother”—likely . It was received and then filed by JS’s secretary, , most likely at the time of receipt. No additional correspondence provides further information regarding either the land or the loan, but a Latter-day Saint settlement near existed briefly.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    Warren became involved in Hancock County real estate in 1836. In August 1836, Warren and fellow Warsaw residents Mark Aldrich and Daniel S. Witter purchased land that had been designated as the township’s school section. Warren moved back to Quincy in 1839; his real estate investments in Warsaw had become a financial strain, and he and his partners sought to sell the land. During a meeting with JS in December 1841, Warren acknowledged the financial strain of his 1836 deal and confided to JS that “his temporal salvation depended on the success of the enterprize.” (“Our Town and County,” Western World [Warsaw, IL], 13 May 1840, [2]; Gregg, History of Hancock County, Illinois, 277, 413, 418, 637–638; History of Adams County, Illinois, 413; JS, Journal, 13 and 30–31 Dec. 1841; for more on Warren’s real estate dealings, see Hancock Co., IL, Deed Records, 1817–1917, vol. C, pp. 256–257, 2 Aug. 1836, microfilm 954,193; vol. 11F, pp. 270–272, 30 Aug. 1838, microfilm 954,194; vol. 12G, pp. 293–294, 16 July 1839, microfilm 954,195; vol. H, pp. 112–113, 15 May 1839, microfilm 954,598, U.S. and Canada Record Collection, FHL.)

    Western World. Warsaw, IL. 1840–1841.

    Gregg, Thomas. History of Hancock County, Illinois, Together with an Outline History of the State, and a Digest of State Laws. Chicago: Charles C. Chapman, 1880.

    The History of Adams County, Illinois. Containing a History of the County—Its Cities, Towns, Etc. . . . Chicago: Murray, Williamson, and Phelps, 1879.

    U.S. and Canada Record Collection. FHL.

  2. [2]

    “Mr. Morris” could also be Benjamin F. Morris, a Congregationalist minister who was living in Warsaw in 1841. Both men had reasons to be interested in selling land in Warsaw at that time. Prior to moving to Quincy, Isaac N. Morris partnered with Warren in several Warsaw land deals. Benjamin F. Morris, while not as active in buying and selling land in Warsaw, was deeply concerned about the proposed Latter-day Saint settlement near Warsaw. Ten days before Warren wrote to JS, Benjamin F. Morris predicted that many citizens would sell their property to avoid living near the Saints. (Hancock Co., IL, Deed Records, 1817–1917, vol. C, pp. 256–257, 2 Aug. 1836, microfilm 954,193; vol. 12G, pp. 293–294, 16 July 1839, microfilm 954,195; vol. H, pp. 112–113, 15 May 1839, microfilm 954,598, U.S. and Canada Record Collection, FHL; Benjamin F. Morris, Warsaw, IL, to Milton Badger, New York City, 21 Aug. 1841, American Home Missionary Society Incoming Correspondence, reel 18, CHL.)

    U.S. and Canada Record Collection. FHL.

    American Home Missionary Society Incoming Correspondence, 1816–1898. Microfilm. CHL.

  3. [3]

    On 5 June 1841, JS was arrested at Bear Creek, Illinois, based on a requisition issued by former Missouri governor Lilburn W. Boggs to have Illinois governor Thomas Carlin extradite JS as a fugitive from justice. JS obtained a writ of habeas corpus in Quincy, Illinois, and departed two days later for his hearing in Monmouth, Illinois. (Requisition for JS, 1 Sept. 1840, State of Missouri v. JS for Treason [Warren Co. Cir. Ct. 1841], JS Extradition Records, Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, Springfield, IL; “The Late Proceedings,” Times and Seasons, 15 June 1841, 2:447.)

    Times and Seasons. Commerce/Nauvoo, IL. Nov. 1839–Feb. 1846.

  4. [4]

    The Land Ordinance of 1785 specified that land in the United States be surveyed into townships of six miles square. Each township was further surveyed into thirty-six one-mile-square sections, one of which was designated the “school section.” Proceeds from the sale of the school section were to be used to fund public schools within the township. (“Our Town and County,” Western World [Warsaw, IL], 13 May 1840, [2]; Gregg, History of Hancock County, Illinois, 637–638.)

    Western World. Warsaw, IL. 1840–1841.

    Gregg, Thomas. History of Hancock County, Illinois, Together with an Outline History of the State, and a Digest of State Laws. Chicago: Charles C. Chapman, 1880.

  5. [5]

    “British Emigration to Nauvoo,” 5–6, in Historian’s Office, Church Emigration, CHL.

    Historian's Office. Church Emigration, no date. CHL.

  6. [6]

    “Conference Minutes,” Times and Seasons, 1 Sept. 1841, 2:522; JS, Journal, 13 Dec. 1841.

    Times and Seasons. Commerce/Nauvoo, IL. Nov. 1839–Feb. 1846.

  7. [7]

    Some immigrants settled in the Warren, Illinois, area in November 1841, but by mid-December “the First Presidency decided that the saints should remove from Warsaw To Nauvoo immediately.” The brevity of the settlement appears to have been primarily due to opposition to the church. While the Warren settlement was still being planned, the Warsaw Signal expressed hopes that the town would be spared the “curse” of a Latter-day Saint settlement and proposed that the town be named “Money-Diggersville,” highlighting accusations regarding JS’s involvement with treasure-seeking in his youth. Concerned that the proposed settlement would line the roads of Warsaw “with the waggons of this deluded people,” Warsaw’s Congregationalist minister, Benjamin F. Morris, predicted that the old citizens would “sell their property” and “move away” because of their “strong disinclination to live near the Mormons.” (JS, Journal, 13 Dec. 1841; News Item, Warsaw [IL] Signal, 14 July 1841, [2], italics in original; News Item, Warsaw Signal, 4 Aug. 1841, [2]; Benjamin F. Morris, Warsaw, IL, to Milton Badger, New York City, 21 Aug. 1841, American Home Missionary Society Incoming Correspondence, reel 18, CHL; see also Hamilton, “Money-Diggersville,” 49–58.)

    Warsaw Signal. Warsaw, IL. 1841–1853.

    American Home Missionary Society Incoming Correspondence, 1816–1898. Microfilm. CHL.

    Hamilton, Marshall. “‘Money-Diggersville,’—The Brief, Turbulent History of the Mormon Town of Warren.” The John Whitmer Historical Association Journal 9 (1989): 49–58.

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Aug. 31. 1841
To Revd. Mr. Joseph Smith;
Dear Sir; Agreeably to promise I called on Mr. Morris of in relation to his house of which I have informed your brother the bearer hereof. His asking price has been $3000. for House improvements & the seven acres of Land on which they stand— He has promised me to convey it for $2250.00 in payments as follows;
to wit;— Cash in hand $500.00
" Assumption of his debt to School Comr Marsh 700.00 750.00
" to for debt due on his Lot 150.00
1400.00
" Payable next April 850.00
$2250.00
Your Brother will examine it— & think it a good bargain—
& wish to borrow $500 at twelve per cent till spring for emergencies— We are incouraged to believe that sum might be had on good security in your — We offer ourselves and General [Samuel] Leech and as many more as may be thought to give security additional strength— Can you assist by giving a recommendation for the proposed Loan & security?—
Very Respectfully &c—
P.S. I hope to hear that the new is rising rapidly and must go ahead—
[p. [1]]
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Document Information

Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Letter from Calvin A. Warren, 31 August 1841
ID #
680
Total Pages
2
Print Volume Location
JSP, D8:247–250
Handwriting on This Page
  • Calvin A. Warren

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    No available deeds indicate that either Isaac N. Morris or Benjamin F. Morris sold property for this amount in 1841 or 1842.

  2. [2]

    Benjamin F. Marsh was the school commissioner of Hancock County. As commissioner, Marsh acquired properties in behalf of the county schools. In March 1840, Isaac N. Morris owed Marsh approximately $800. (Hancock Co., IL, Deed Records, 1817–1917, vol. H, pp. 217–218, 5 Mar. 1840, microfilm 954,598, U.S. and Canada Record Collection, FHL.)

    U.S. and Canada Record Collection. FHL.

  3. [3]

    Mark Aldrich was a Warsaw businessman and real estate proprietor. (Gregg, History of Hancock County, Illinois, 637–638, 654; Hancock Co., IL, Deed Records, 1817–1917, vol. 10E, pp. 140–141, microfilm 954,194, U.S. and Canada Record Collection, FHL.)

    Gregg, Thomas. History of Hancock County, Illinois, Together with an Outline History of the State, and a Digest of State Laws. Chicago: Charles C. Chapman, 1880.

    U.S. and Canada Record Collection. FHL.

  4. [4]

    “Your Brother” likely referred to Hyrum Smith, who was in the area and involved in land transactions for the church in 1841. (Authorization for Hyrum Smith and Isaac Galland, 15 Feb. 1841; JS History, vol. C-1, addenda, 10–11.)

  5. [5]

    Aldrich and Warren were partners in previous land deals, including the purchase of the Warsaw school section in August 1836. (Hancock Co., IL, Deed Records, 1817–1917, vol. 11F, pp. 270–272, 30 Aug. 1838, microfilm 954,194, U.S. and Canada Record Collection, FHL; Gregg, History of Hancock County, Illinois, 637–638.)

    U.S. and Canada Record Collection. FHL.

    Gregg, Thomas. History of Hancock County, Illinois, Together with an Outline History of the State, and a Digest of State Laws. Chicago: Charles C. Chapman, 1880.

  6. [6]

    James H. Ralston was a member of the Illinois state senate. In January 1841 the First Presidency praised Ralston and others for the assistance that they rendered to the Saints in Quincy in 1839, and in June 1841, Ralston helped defend JS in court. Like Warren, Ralston was a resident of Quincy but was involved in Hancock County real estate. (Palmer, Bench and Bar of Illinois, 2:875; Proclamation, 15 Jan. 1841; JS History, vol. C-1, 1205; Hancock Co., IL, Deed Records, 1817–1917, vol. I, pp. 417–418, 12 Aug. 1841, microfilm 954,598, U.S. and Canada Record Collection, FHL.)

    Palmer, John M., ed. The Bench and Bar of Illinois. 2 vols. Chicago: Lewis Publishing, 1899.

    U.S. and Canada Record Collection. FHL.

  7. [7]

    Samuel Leech (Leach) was a Quincy resident and veteran of the Black Hawk War; he was evidently commissioned a general by April 1832. In March 1837 he moved to Quincy, where he took charge of the Federal Land Office. In 1839 he was instrumental in organizing the city’s relief efforts for the Saints. (History of Wayne and Clay Counties, Illinois, 48, 56, 66, 76–77; “Jackson and Johnson Convention,” Sangamo Journal [Springfield, IL], 5 Apr. 1832, [2]; News Item, Sangamo Journal, 4 Mar. 1837, [3]; “A Land-Office-Ridden State,” Sangamo Journal, 26 May 1838, [2]; Greene, Facts Relative to the Expulsion, iii, 6.)

    History of Wayne and Clay Counties, Illinois. Chicago: Globe Publishing, 1884.

    Sangamo Journal. Springfield, IL. 1831–1847.

    Greene, John P. Facts Relative to the Expulsion of the Mormons or Latter Day Saints, from the State of Missouri, under the “Exterminating Order.” By John P. Greene, an Authorized Representative of the Mormons. Cincinnati: R. P. Brooks, 1839.

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