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Letter from John E. Page, 1 September 1841

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Letter from John E. Page, 1 September 1841

Source Note

, Letter, , Philadelphia Co., PA, to JS and “council,” , Hancock Co., IL, 1 Sept. 1841; handwriting of ; eight pages; JS Collection, CHL. Includes docket and notation.
Two bifolia—each measuring 12¾ × 7⅞ inches (32 × 20 cm)—fastened together with thread. The document is inscribed with both blue ink and black ink. The document was folded for filing. Several staple holes appear on each page of the letter in the upper left corner. The document shows discoloration from an unknown substance.
A docket in the upper left corner of the first page was inscribed by , who served as JS’s scribe from December 1841 until JS’s death in June 1844 and served as church historian from December 1842 until his own death in March 1854. A graphite notation in the same area was apparently added by a clerk or secretary for Andrew Jenson, who served as assistant church historian from 1897 to 1941. The letter is listed in a Church Historian’s Office inventory from circa 1904. By 1973 this letter had been included in the JS Collection at the Church Historical Department (now CHL). The docket, notation, and inclusion in the JS Collection indicate this letter has remained in continuous institutional custody since its receipt in 1841.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    JS, Journal, 13 Dec. 1841 and 21 Dec. 1842; Orson Spencer, “Death of Our Beloved Brother Willard Richards,” Deseret News (Salt Lake City), 16 Mar. 1854, [2].

    Deseret News. Salt Lake City. 1850–.

  2. [2]

    Bitton and Arrington, Mormons and Their Historians, 48–55.

    Bitton, David, and Leonard J. Arrington. Mormons and Their Historians. Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, 1988.

  3. [3]

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

Historical Introduction

On 1 September 1841, , a member of the , wrote to JS and other leaders in , Illinois, to express his condolences for the death of JS’s brother and to provide them with an update of his travels and missionary efforts. At the April 1840 general , Page had been appointed to travel with fellow apostle to Europe and . Page and Hyde separated in sometime in late August 1840, with Hyde venturing on to before sailing to . Hyde had hoped to meet Page in in fall 1840, but these plans did not materialize, and Page did not accompany Hyde overseas.
Both and received a public rebuke for their inability to quickly reach the destination of their mission. In January 1841 the Times and Seasons printed a terse message to the men: “ Orson Hyde and John E. Page are informed, that the Lord is not well pleased with them in consequence of delaying their mission, (Elder John E. Page in particular,) and they are requested by the to hasten their journey towards their destination.” In addition, at the April 1841 general conference, attendees objected to Page’s membership in the Quorum of the Twelve; reasons for their objection are unknown, but after an investigation he was not removed from the by the conference.
After traveling and proselytizing through , , and other parts of the eastern , arrived in shortly before he penned this 1 September letter. It appears that Page wrote the following letter in part to justify his actions, explaining the missionary labors he undertook on his own and with others, including ; the difficulties he experienced with ; and the reasons he felt he was unable to travel to Europe and at the present. Page nevertheless expressed his hope and intent to go eventually to the Holy Land. He also reported on a variety of other matters, most notably his observations of the church in Philadelphia under the leadership of . Though extant evidence does not reveal any improprieties on Winchester’s part, Page recommended that the First Presidency remove Winchester as the of the Philadelphia .
The letter featured here is the original sent from and received by JS in , probably in mid-September 1841. Page requested that JS respond to his letter, though it is unclear if JS did so since no immediate reply has been located.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    There are no extant letters from Page to the Nauvoo church leaders between September 1840 and September 1841. (Letter from John E. Page, 23 Sept. 1840.)

  2. [2]

    Minutes and Discourse, 6–8 Apr. 1840; Letter from Orson Hyde, 28 Sept. 1840; Letter from Orson Hyde, 17 Apr. 1841.

  3. [3]

    Letter from Orson Hyde, 28 Sept. 1840.

  4. [4]

    Notice, Times and Seasons, 15 Jan. 1841, 2:287.

  5. [5]

    Minutes, 7–11 Apr. 1841.

  6. [6]

    Winchester and Page appear to have had a mutual dislike for one another. Later in September, Winchester wrote a letter to JS in which he complained about Page’s conduct in the eastern branches. (Letter from Benjamin Winchester, 18 Sept. 1841.)

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it is true I have not had the oppertunity of acquireing that degree of literary science as he has done— yet I feel that my feeling are as fine and as delicate as his— I am a man that allways was willing to pull in an even yoke with my fellowmen but I am not willing to submit to an assuming disposition neither willingly suffer myself to be treated with neglect or to become any persons lacky or foot Page without proper resentment— I would not have you understand by this that I wish to be excused from my mishion no by no means— I have always delighted in the Idea of speaking comfortably to and my heart and soul is as much engaged in the cause as ever and my faith is I shall yet see and preach the gospel where Christ and his apostles Preached it— But I do think that any man that would treat me with that neglect that has me he would betray me in a more criticle hour if by so doing he could save his own life (read the story of the two bears)
The fact of the in returning to euro from Europe haveing not means to return home without raising means in tells me there is a poor chance for me to rais means in Europe to go to see<​ing​> also that has done there as he has here gone ahead and raised all for us both and gon with the same— I think that I shall see sooner by staying in this winter in order to rais means as I think I can rais three dollars in where I can one dollar in Europe— I have what would take me in Europe and get me some clothes when I get there and then I mus[t] stop till I can rais means to procede to as has all in my name and his own also— I must close by saying that I hope to ever sustain you confidence and an intrest in you Prayers of faith—
yours in the bonds of the New Cov.
To
Joseph Smith Jr and And his council— Write me at — No— 13. Oliver Street care of
<​Give my love to the Twelve and all the —​> [p. 8]
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Source Note

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Document Information

Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Letter from John E. Page, 1 September 1841
ID #
681
Total Pages
8
Print Volume Location
JSP, D8:250–260
Handwriting on This Page
  • John E. Page

Footnotes

  1. [20]

    Although Page mentioned two bears, he may have actually been referring to Aesop’s fable “The Travellers and the Bear,” in which there are two men and one bear. The fable reads: “Two men being to travel through a forest together, mutually promised to stand by each other in any danger they should meet upon the way. They had not gone far before a Bear came rushing towards them out of a thicket; upon which, one being a light nimble fellow, got up into a tree; the other falling flat upon his face, and holding his breath, lay still, while the Bear came up and smelled at him; but that creature, supposing him to be a dead carcase, went back again into the wood, without doing him the least harm. When all was over, the spark who had climbed the tree came down to his companion, and, with a pleasant smile, asked him what the Bear had said to him; ‘for,’ says he, ‘I took notice that he clapt his mouth very close to your ear.’ ‘Why,’ replies the other, ‘he charged me to take care for the future, not to put any confidence in such cowardly rascals as you are.’” In essence, Page was suggesting that Hyde did not act as a true friend and that Page no longer trusted Hyde because Hyde was not willing to remain with Page on their mission. (Croxall, Fables of Aesop, 83–84.)

    Croxall, Samuel. Fables of Aesop and Others: Translated into English with Instructive Applications, and a Cut before Each Fable. New ed. London: A. Millar, W. Law, and R. Cater, 1792.

  2. [21]

    TEXT: This insertion was inscribed along the top left edge of the page.

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