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Letter from Clark Leal, 15 April 1844

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Letter from Clark Leal, 15 April 1844

Source Note

, Letter, , Hancock Co., IL, to JS, , Hancock Co., IL, 15 Apr. 1844; handwriting and signature presumably of ; one page; Helen Vilate Bourne Fleming, Collection, CHL. Includes address, postal notation, and docket.
Single leaf measuring 9⅝ × 7¾ inches (24 × 20 cm). Embossed in the upper left corner of the recto is “J. AMES” surrounded by an oval decorative border. The letter was inscribed in blue ink on the recto. The letter was trifolded in letter style, addressed, and sealed with a red adhesive wafer, the remnants of which are on the verso. There is a tear on the top of the leaf, likely from when the letter was opened. The letter has undergone conservation.
The letter was docketed by , who served as scribe to JS from 1842 to 1844. In late 1844, following JS’s death, became one of the interim church trustees and was appointed “first bishop” among other bishops. It was presumably during this time that many of the church’s financial and other administrative records passed into his possession. This document, along with some other personal and institutional documents that may have been kept by Whitney, was inherited by Whitney’s great-granddaughter Helen Vilate Bourne Fleming, who passed these and other family papers down to her daughter Helen Marian Fleming Petersen. In 1988, shortly after Petersen’s death, this collection was found in a box in her home, and later that year family members donated it to the Church Historical Department (now CHL).

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    The embossment may be that of D. & J. Ames, a paper mill. (Whiting, “Paper-Making in New England,” 309; Gravell et al., American Watermarks, 235.)

    Whiting, William. “Paper-Making in New England.” In The New England States: Their Constitutional, Judicial, Educational, Commercial, Professional and Industrial History, edited by William T. Davis, vol. 1, pp. 303–333. Boston: D. H. Hurd, 1897.

    Gravell, Thomas L., George Miller, and Elizabeth Walsh. American Watermarks: 1690–1835. 2nd ed. New Castle, DE: Oak Knoll Press, 2002.

  2. [2]

    JS, Journal, 29 June 1842; “Clayton, William,” in Jenson, Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia, 1:718.

    Jenson, Andrew. Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia: A Compilation of Biographical Sketches of Prominent Men and Women in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 4 vols. Salt Lake City: Andrew Jenson History Co., 1901–1936.

  3. [3]

    Richards, Journal, 9 Aug. 1844; “Conference Minutes,” Times and Seasons, 1 Nov. 1844, 5:693; see also Minutes, Times and Seasons, Dec. 1839, 1:30.

    Richards, Willard. Journals, 1836–1853. Willard Richards, Papers, 1821–1854. CHL. MS 1490, boxes 1–2.

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

  4. [4]

    See the full bibliographic entry for Helen Vilate Bourne Fleming, Collection, 1836–1963, in the CHL catalog.

Historical Introduction

On 15 April 1844, wrote a letter from , Illinois, to JS in , Illinois, offering to sell him a 160-acre tract of land in , Illinois. In May 1842, JS had met with Leal, who was a farmer in Fountain Green, and together they looked over this tract of land. Apparently, Leal was acting as the of , a merchant living in Delaware County, New York, who owned the property. JS subsequently “contracted for the refusal of the Same at $3 per Acre,” meaning he possessed the right to purchase the land before any other interested party should Sheldon sell it. Sheldon, however, sold the tract to Leal in October 1843 for $480, or $3 an acre. There is no record that JS and Leal had any further dealings until January 1844, when JS had write Leal a letter, which is apparently not extant. On 2 April 1844, Clayton met with Leal on behalf of JS and offered to buy the parcel of land, for which JS had previously contracted, offering $5 an acre. Leal told Clayton that he would let him know by 6 April if he wanted to sell the land.
In his 15 April letter, explained that the mail had been collected earlier than he had anticipated, which prevented him from sending his reply as soon as he had intended. In his short response, Leal agreed to sell the tract, offering two different prices depending on when JS would be able to pay him. In the meantime, Leal intended to go to , the seat of , to verify the land’s title. There is a handwritten postal notation on the letter indicating that Leal paid for its delivery. It is unclear when JS received the letter. There is no known response from JS and no evidence that JS purchased the property from Leal.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    JS, Journal, 17–18 May 1842; 1850 U.S. Census, Delhi, Delaware Co., NY, 248.

    Census (U.S.) / U.S. Bureau of the Census. Population Schedules. Microfilm. FHL.

  2. [2]

    Hancock Co., IL, Deed Records, 1817–1917, vol. M, pp. 76–77, 16 Oct. 1843, microfilm 954,600, U.S. and Canada Record Collection, FHL.

    U.S. and Canada Record Collection. FHL.

  3. [3]

    Clayton, Journal, 18 Jan. 1844; JS, Journal, 18 Jan. 1844. The content of this letter is unknown.

    Clayton, William. Journals, 1842–1845. CHL.

  4. [4]

    Clayton, Journal, 2 Apr. 1844.

    Clayton, William. Journals, 1842–1845. CHL.

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<​Paid— 6​>
Ill)
Apl 15—)
Gen Joseph Smith
Ills [p. [2]]
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Source Note

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Document Information

Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Letter from Clark Leal, 15 April 1844
ID #
1495
Total Pages
2
Print Volume Location
Handwriting on This Page
  • Unidentified
  • Clark Leal

Footnotes

  1. new scribe logo

    Postage in blue ink in unidentified handwriting.

  2. [2]

    JS was the lieutenant general of the Nauvoo Legion, an independent body of the Illinois state militia, and often went by this appellation.

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