Letter from Hyrum Smith, 2 January 1840
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Source Note
, Letter, [], Hancock Co., IL, to JS and , , 2 Jan. 1840. Featured version copied [between Apr. and June 1840] in JS Letterbook 2, pp. 91–94; handwriting of ; JS Collection, CHL. For more complete source information, see the source note for JS Letterbook 2.
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Historical Introduction
On 2 January 1840, wrote a letter to JS and , who were in , in response to a number of letters he had received from the two men. With and JS out of town, Smith was the only member of the in , Illinois, which made him responsible for managing affairs there and responding to inquiries from church spread throughout the country.In his letter, updated JS and on his efforts to gather duplicates of land records that JS and Higbee apparently planned to submit to Congress as support for the church’s petition for redress. He also reported on his work to secure more financing for their trip, as JS had directed, especially since the delegation was already running short on funds. Smith apprised JS and Higbee of ’s request to publish editions of the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the church’s hymnbook in . In addition, Smith informed them of ’s delay in traveling to to help settle some of the church’s debts. Finally, Smith asked JS for advice on several other matters, including whether their parents should accompany Granger to , Ohio.likely sent the letter by post, the primary method by which the church’s delegation to the federal government communicated with church leaders in . No response from JS has been located. The original letter from Smith is apparently not extant, but copied it into JS Letterbook 2 sometime between April and June 1840.
Footnotes
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1
Two prior letters JS and Higbee wrote to church leaders in Commerce were recorded in JS Letterbook 2. It is likely that these are the letters to which Smith referred in this letter, though there may have been other letters that did not survive. (See Letter to Hyrum Smith and Nauvoo High Council, 5 Dec. 1839; and Letter to Seymour Brunson and Nauvoo High Council, 7 Dec. 1839.)
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2
See Letter to Hyrum Smith and Nauvoo High Council, 5 Dec. 1839.
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3
Pratt’s publication request and Hyrum Smith’s rationale for denying it are recorded in several pieces of correspondence between Smith, Pratt, and Lucian R. Foster. A certificate created in May 1839 documents Granger’s role as an agent for the church. As agent he was responsible for arranging the discharge of the church’s debts to New York merchants. (Letter from Parley P. Pratt, 22 Nov. 1839; Hyrum Smith, Nauvoo, IL, to Parley P. Pratt, New York City, NY, 22 Dec. 1839, in JS Letterbook 2, pp. 80–81; Hyrum Smith, Nauvoo, IL, to Lucian R. Foster, New York City, NY, Jan. 1840, in JS Letterbook 2, pp. 82–84; Authorization for Oliver Granger, 13 May 1839.)
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4
See Letter to Hyrum Smith and Nauvoo High Council, 5 Dec. 1839.
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5
Coray, Autobiographical Sketch, 17, 19.
Coray, Howard. Autobiographical Sketch, after 1883. Howard Coray, Papers, ca. 1840–1941. Photocopy. CHL. MS 2043, fd. 1.
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1
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