Letter from Edward Partridge, 13–15 June 1839
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Source Note
, Letter, , Adams Co., IL, to JS, , Hancock Co., IL, 13–15 June 1839. Featured version copied [between 27 June and 30 Oct. 1839] in JS Letterbook 2, pp. 68–69; handwriting of ; JS Collection, CHL. For more complete source information, see the source note for JS Letterbook 2.
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Historical Introduction
wrote a letter to JS on 13–15 June 1839, responding to a letter from JS. In the response, Partridge noted that several church members were in need of assistance and that he was unable to help them because he had minimal funds and no prospects of earning money. JS likely received this letter on 26 June, when he returned to , Illinois, after an eleven-day trip to visit his brothers in other areas of the state. The letter was possibly delivered by , who arrived in Commerce from , Illinois, on 17 June. As a bishop in the church, Knight was aware of church members’ financial needs and may have traveled to Commerce to seek assistance for the Quincy Saints. The original letter is not extant, but copied the letter into Letterbook 2 between 27 June and 30 October 1839.
Footnotes
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1
JS, Journal, 15–26 June 1839; see also Editorial Note preceding journal entry for 15–17 June 1839.
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3
Mulholland copied this letter into JS Letterbook 2 after a letter dated 27 June 1839, making that the earliest likely copying date for this letter from Partridge.
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1

June 13th 1839
Prest, Smith
Sir
Your letter in Answer to my note to I recieved by the hand of br Harris,— Respecting the cattle I had promised three or four yoke to Father Myers, I did expect br Shearer would have sent the cattle down immediately or I should not have been quite so willing to have accommodated him with some to moved with. Some of our poor brethren wished me to furnish them teams to move up to with and I promised them that when the teams returned I should, they were very anxious to get up in time to get in a little garden, And were not my plans frustrated I could have accommodated them greatly to their satisfaction, the brethren that I allude to are the blind brethren, who say that they had as lieve live in tents there as here, it is now too late to think of making gardens and what is best for them brn to do I know not.—
I had promised some money as soon as I could sell a yoke of cattle, I know of nothing else I have that I can raise money with at this time, and they are getting to be dull sale to what they were.
Sister Meeks has been quite sick but she is getting better, she has nothing to eat only what she is helped to, a number of other poor here I think need assistance Widow Sherman for one but if you think that all the means should be kept up there I have nothing to say only that I do not believe it to be my duty to stay here living on expence where I can earn nothing for myself, nor do anything to benefit others.
As I before stated I have promised some money as soon as I can raise it, I have not at this time two dollars in the world $1- 44 is all I owe for my rent And for making clothes for some of the , And some other things, I am going into the room, br Harris leaves to save rent, what it is best for me to do I hardly know, hard labor I cannot perform, light labor I can but I know of no chance to earn any thing, at any thing that I can stand it to do— It is quite sickly here five were buried in four days, br More’s Child Sis Louisa P and And son Hiram 18 or 19 years of age the other two were children of the world.
I spoke to br about his siene [seine] he said that he would speak to his brother about it, He said he thought that they would sell it, or they would come up in the fall and fish awhile but to lend it he thought it would not be best as those unaccustomed to fish in the rivers would [p. 68]
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