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Letter from Henry T. Hugins, 6 June 1844

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Letter from Henry T. Hugins, 6 June 1844

Source Note

, Letter, , Sangamon Co., IL, to JS, , Hancock Co., IL, 6 June 1844; handwriting and signature of ; one page; JS Collection, CHL. Includes address, dockets, use marks, and notation.
Bifolium measuring 9⅝ × 7¾ inches (24 × 20 cm). Embossed in the upper left corner of the recto of the first leaf is a decorative oval containing the name “J. AMES”. The recto of the first leaf is ruled with twenty-six horizontal lines (now faded); the verso of the first leaf and the recto of the second leaf are similarly ruled with twenty-eight lines (now faded). The verso of the second leaf is partially ruled with an unclear number of horizontal lines (now faded). The document was trifolded twice in letter style, addressed, and sealed with a red adhesive wafer, the remnant of which is on the recto of the second leaf. The upper left corners of both leaves contain a pair of holes from a staple that has since been removed. The document was later folded for storage.
The letter was docketed by , who served as JS’s scribe from 1843 to 1844 and as clerk to the church historian and recorder from 1845 to 1865. It was also docketed by Jonathan Grimshaw, who served as a clerk in the Church Historian’s Office (later Church Historical Department) from 1853 to 1856. The document was listed in an inventory that was produced by the Church Historian’s Office circa 1904. By 1973 it had been included in the JS Collection at the Church Historical Department (now CHL). The letter’s dockets, its listing in the circa 1904 inventory, and its later inclusion in the JS Collection indicate continuous institutional custody.

Footnotes

  1. The paper likely came from one of the Massachusetts or Connecticut paper mills owned by David and John Ames. (Gravell et al., American Watermarks: 1690–1835, 235; Weeks, History of Paper-Manufacturing in the United States, 124–126.)

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

    Weeks, Lyman Horace. A History of Paper-Manufacturing in the United States, 1690–1916. New York: Lockwood Trade Journal, 1916.

  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. Historian’s Office, Journal, 7 June 1853; Wilford Woodruff, Great Salt Lake City, Utah Territory, to George A. Smith, 30 Aug. 1856, in Historian’s Office, Letterpress Copybooks, vol. 1, p. 364.

    Historian’s Office. Journal, 1844–1997. CHL. CR 100 1.

    Historian’s Office. Letterpress Copybooks, 1854–1879, 1885–1886. CHL. CR 100 38.

  4. “Letters to and from the Prophet,” ca. 1904, [3], Historian’s Office, Catalogs and Inventories, 1846–1904, CHL.

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

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

Historical Introduction

On 6 June 1844, attorney wrote a letter from , Illinois, to JS in , Illinois, warning him that was attempting to obtain an indictment against members of the Municipal Court from a federal grand jury in . On 30 May 1844, had appeared before the municipal court for two hearings stemming from a charge of financial fraud against the government. Hugins served as one of Smith’s attorneys during the proceedings. Johnson, a former United States marshal who was deputized to pursue Smith, stated during the proceedings that he did not believe the Nauvoo Municipal Court had jurisdiction in the matter, it being a federal case. After the court discharged Jeremiah Smith in both hearings, , who carried a warrant for Smith’s arrest, took him to Springfield to appear before , the judge of the United States District Court for . Hugins traveled to Springfield as well, apparently to represent his client.
After arriving, wrote to JS to inform him that intended to have members of the Municipal Court, including JS, indicted for their participation in ’s habeas corpus proceedings. The information in Hugins’s letter was corroborated by a 6 June letter from . Hugins explained that he was warning JS of Johnson’s efforts so that JS could “act as circumstances may require.”
The letter does not bear any postal markings but was addressed to the postmaster, who had franking privilege, or the privilege of free mail delivery. , therefore, may have sent his letter to JS through the Nauvoo post office. The absence of postal markings might also suggest that the letter was hand delivered. apparently asked an “Elder Wright” to deliver his letter to JS, and Wright might have carried Hugins’s transmission as well. It is unclear when the letter arrived in Nauvoo, and there is no known response.

Footnotes

  1. See Docket Entry, 18–31 May 1844; Docket Entry, 30–31 May 1844; and Jordan, “Iowa’s Puzzling Jeremiah Smiths,” 368–375, 382n52.

    Jordan, Philip D. “Iowa’s Puzzling Jeremiah Smiths.” Annals of Iowa 45 (Summer 1980): 352–383.

  2. Historical Introduction to Docket Entry, 18–31 May 1844; Historical Introduction to Docket Entry, 30–31 May 1844. George Stiles, from Nauvoo, served as a second attorney to Jeremiah Smith.

  3. Docket Entry, 18–31 May 1844; Docket Entry, 30–31 May 1844.

  4. Historical Introduction to Letter of Introduction to Nathaniel Pope for Jeremiah Smith and Henry T. Hugins, 30 May 1844; Historical Introduction to Letter from Luther Hickok, 6 June 1844.

  5. Letter from Luther Hickok, 6 June 1844.

  6. An Act to Reduce into One the Several Acts for Establishing and Regulating the Post Office Department [3 Mar. 1825], Laws and Regulations for the Government of the Post Office Department, p. 16, sec. 27. Sidney Rigdon was appointed postmaster in 1841.

    Laws and Regulations for the Government of the Post Office Department. Washington DC: Alexander and Barnard, 1843.

  7. Letter from Luther Hickok, 6 June 1844. JS’s journal notes that he received Hickok’s letter by 11 June, but it does not mention any receipt of the letter from Hugins. JS responded to a 17 June missive from Hugins on 18 June and acknowledged receipt of Hugins’s 17 June letter but not Hugins’s 6 June letter. Hugins’s letter, if mailed, may have been delayed due to inclement weather, which had been causing problems with the mail delivery in Hancock County, Illinois. (JS, Journal, 11 June 1844; Letter to Henry T. Hugins, 18 June 1844.)

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Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Letter from Henry T. Hugins, 6 June 1844
ID #
1382
Total Pages
4
Print Volume Location
Handwriting on This Page
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