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Letter from Francis M. Higbee, 10 January 1844

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Letter from Francis M. Higbee, 10 January 1844

Source Note

, Letter, , Hancock Co., IL, to JS, , Hancock Co., IL, 10 Jan. 1844; handwriting of ; three pages; JS Collection, CHL. Includes address, dockets, and archival notations.
Bifolium measuring 12½ × 7⅞ inches (32 × 20 cm). The paper is ruled with approximately forty printed lines, now faded. inscribed the letter in blue and black ink. The letter was trifolded twice in letter style, addressed, and sealed with a red adhesive wafer. The letter was torn when opened, and remnants of the wafer remain on the recto of the second leaf. The bifolium was later refolded for filing.
The document was docketed by , who served as scribe to JS from 1842 to 1844, and 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 document had been included in the JS Collection at the Church Historical Department (now CHL). The document’s early dockets, its listing in a circa 1904 inventory, and its later inclusion in the JS Collection indicate continuous institutional custody.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    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.

  2. [2]

    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.

  3. [3]

    “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.

  4. [4]

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

Historical Introduction

On 10 January 1844, wrote a letter to JS in , Illinois, complaining of recent criticisms JS had leveled against him. Five days earlier, the Nauvoo City Council had investigated rumors that member and Nauvoo president were disloyal to JS. According to the minutes of the meeting, Higbee—who was summoned to the meeting by the city marshal—testified that he had heard “from some source” that Law, Marks, and others in the “could not subscribe to all things in the church, and it might make trouble.” later testified that after speaking, Higbee left the council’s ongoing proceedings without permission. After Higbee’s departure, JS said that Higbee “had better stay at home & hold his tongue, lest rumor turn upon him” and that “the young men of the city had better withdraw from him & let him stand on his own merits, not consider him the standard, of the city.” According to Law, who was at the meeting, JS also stated that Higbee was “conniving with ” and that he disgraced his associates.
In his 10 January letter, complained of JS’s “unwarented, and unheard of Attack” on his character during the 5 January meeting. He wrote that he could not understand JS’s motive for making such an accusation but intimated that he thought it might be connected to Higbee’s opposition to plural marriage. Higbee concluded by demanding that an ecclesiastical court immediately investigate the charges against him.
The letter, which bears no postal marks or notations, was apparently hand delivered to JS—possibly by . It is unknown whether JS wrote a response, but the situation escalated in the ensuing weeks. Although Higbee demanded that a church council investigate his case, there is no evidence that the , First Presidency, or held a formal meeting about Higbee’s conduct. However, the matter became a legal issue and was revisited by the city council. On 15 January, informed JS that Higbee intended to put JS “under $10.000 bonds for speaking agai[n]st h[i]m.” The same day, JS issued an arrest warrant for Higbee based on an affidavit from stating that Higbee had used “slanderous and abusive epithets and language” toward JS while in Pratt’s home on 14 January. On 16 January, however, Higbee appeared before the Nauvoo Municipal Court and reconciled with JS, with each expressing feelings of friendship.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    Nauvoo City Council Rough Minute Book, 5 Jan. 1844, 36–40. In an address to forty newly sworn Nauvoo policemen on 29 December 1843, JS said he felt as if he were in more “danger from some little doe head of a fool” or a “Brutus” in the city than from the state of Missouri or other outside threats. Within a few days, rumors were circulating that JS was referring to either William Law or William Marks. The rumors and resulting rift between JS and these men were discussed at city council meetings on 3 and 5 January 1844. Law’s opposition to plural marriage was discussed as part of the reason Law had been identified as the target of JS’s remarks. (Nauvoo City Council Rough Minute Book, 29 Dec. 1843, 30–31; 3 Jan. 1844, 32–36; 5 Jan. 1844, 36–40; JS, Journal, 3–5 Jan. 1844.)

  2. [2]

    Orson Pratt, Complaint, 15 Jan. 1844, City of Nauvoo v. F. M. Higbee (Nauvoo Mun. Ct. 1844), Nauvoo, IL, Records, CHL.

  3. [3]

    Nauvoo City Council Rough Minute Book, 5 Jan. 1844, 39; 16 Jan. 1844, 45.

  4. [4]

    Law, Record of Doings, 5 Jan. 1844, in Cook, William Law, 45–46.

    Cook, Lyndon W. William Law: Biographical Essay, Nauvoo Diary, Correspondence, Interview. Orem, UT: Grandin Book, 1994.

  5. [5]

    Tensions between Higbee and JS over plural marriage surfaced at least as early as May 1842, when Higbee began spreading rumors about Sidney Rigdon’s family and JS—possibly in connection with JS’s apparent proposal to Nancy Rigdon. (JS, Journal, 13 May and 29 June 1842; Francis M. Higbee, Letter to the Editor, Warsaw [IL] Signal, 29 May 1844, [2]; see also “Municipal Court,” Times and Seasons, 15 May 1844, 5:539.)

    Warsaw Signal. Warsaw, IL. 1841–1853.

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

  6. [6]

    JS, Journal, 15 Jan. 1844.

  7. [7]

    JS, Journal, 15 Jan. 1844; Orson Pratt, Complaint, 15 Jan. 1844, City of Nauvoo v. F. M. Higbee (Nauvoo Mun. Ct. 1844), Nauvoo, IL, Records, CHL.

  8. [8]

    JS, Journal, 16 Jan. 1844; Nauvoo City Council Rough Minute Book, 16 Jan. 1844, 45; Nauvoo Municipal Court Docket Book, 90; Clayton, Journal, 16 Jan. 1844. Several months later, however, Higbee sued JS for $5,000 in damages for his comments on 5 January and on other occasions. (JS, Journal, 6 May 1844.)

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

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Mr. Joseph Smith
Hancock Co,
Ill— [p. [4]]
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Document Information

Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Letter from Francis M. Higbee, 10 January 1844
ID #
1248
Total Pages
4
Print Volume Location
Handwriting on This Page
  • Francis M. Higbee
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