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Letter from Roelef Wyckoff, 25 February 1844

Source Note

, Letter, , New York Co., NY, to JS, , Hancock Co., IL, 25 Feb. 1844; handwriting and signature presumably of ; one page; JS Collection, CHL. Includes address, postal notation, postal stamp, endorsement, dockets, and notation.
Bifolium measuring 9⅞ × 7¾ inches (25 × 20 cm). There is a circular embossment in the upper left corner of the rectos of both leaves. The paper is ruled with horizontal lines printed in blue ink. The recto of the first leaf contains twenty-six lines, the verso of the first leaf and the recto of the second leaf contain twenty-eight lines, and the verso of the second leaf is unruled. The letter was inscribed on the recto of the first leaf, and the other three pages were left blank. The bifolium was then trifolded twice in letter style, addressed, and sealed with a red adhesive wafer. The wafer remains on the recto of the second leaf, and remnants of it are present on the verso of the same leaf. The document was later refolded for filing.
The document was endorsed 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. It was docketed by Jonathan Grimshaw, who served as a clerk in the Church Historian’s Office (later Church Historical Department) from 1853 to 1856. A notation was added by an unidentified scribe. The document was listed in an inventory that was produced by the Church Historian’s Office circa 1904. By 1973 the letter had been included in the JS Collection at the Church Historical Department (now CHL). The document’s early endorsement and 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, 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]

    Historian’s Office, Journal, 7 June 1853; Wilford Woodruff, 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.

  3. [3]

    “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.

  4. [4]

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

Historical Introduction

On 25 February 1844, wrote a letter from to JS in , Illinois, expressing his interest in moving to Nauvoo and inquiring about conditions there. There is no record of Wyckoff having had any previous dealings with JS, and it is not known whether he was a member of the . He was, however, acquainted with church member , who had served as a missionary in State. Despite this connection, Wyckoff contacted JS because Martin did not live in Nauvoo.
In his letter, sought information about ’s economy to determine the best business to pursue were he to move there. He also wanted to know the best route to Nauvoo and what his family ought to bring. Wyckoff asked that JS send answers to his questions or have someone else write back to him with the requested information. Although Wyckoff did eventually relocate to , he moved to Geneseo in Henry County instead of Nauvoo.
mailed the letter on 27 February, and it arrived in by 16 March, when , who was JS’s “private se[c]retary & historian,” answered it. ’s response is apparently not extant.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    Requests for this type of information were not uncommon. (See Letter from John McKee, 7 Mar. 1843; Letter from Halsey Cook, 20 Mar. 1843; Letter from Harrison S. White, 10 May 1843; and Letter from Thomas Foster, 8 Jan. 1844.)

  2. [2]

    Letter from Moses Martin, 23 May 1842; “Conference Minutes,” Times and Seasons, 15 July 1842, 3:861; Conference Minutes, Times and Seasons, 15 Apr. 1843, 4:174–175. It is unclear how Wyckoff and Martin came to know each other. Martin left Lee County, Iowa Territory, on 9 August 1841 to serve a proselytizing mission in New London County, Connecticut, on assignment from the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. For unknown reasons, he instead preached in New York State, where he may have met Wyckoff. Martin also authored a pamphlet that he published in New York City in 1842. (Letter from Moses Martin, 7 Nov. 1841; Moses Martin, A Treatise on the Fulness of the Everlasting Gospel . . . [New York: J. W. Harrison, 1842].)

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

    Martin, Moses. A Treatise on the Fulness of the Everlasting Gospel, Setting Forth Its First Principles, Promises, and Blessings. In Which Some of the Most Prominent Features That Have Ever Characterized That System, When on the Earth, Are Made Manifest. . . . New York: J. W. Harrison, 1842.

  3. [3]

    Marcus Osborn and Eliza Osborn to Roelef Wyckoff, Deed, 8 July 1845, Henry Co., IL, Deeds, 1818–1912, vol. 4, pp. 372–373, microfilm 1,434,977, U.S. and Canada Record Collection, FHL; “Died,” Brooklyn (NY) Daily Eagle, 29 Sept. 1846, [2]; History of Henry County, Illinois, 220.

    U.S. and Canada Record Collection. FHL.

    Brooklyn Daily Eagle. New York City. 1849–1938.

    The History of Henry County, Illinois, Its Tax-Payers and Voters; containing also a Biographical Directory. . . . Chicago: H. F. Kett, 1877.

  4. [4]

    JS, Journal, 21 Dec. 1842.

Page [1]

25th. Feb 1844.
Dear Sir,
I trust the motives that impel me will when explained be a sufficient apoligy for this attempt to tresspass on what must be considered your valuable time.
I have long had it in contemplation to visit your and the west, with a view of establishing myself where I could to best advantage having a family to provide for—
My pursuits have always been mercantile, and If your in your opinion offers proper inducements in any of its branches I prefer to locate there. I have been engaged in the comm[issio]n, Grocery & Dry Goods business and would prefer one of these, perhaps the former,— how are Rents store & house average profits, expenses on transportation; domestic markets &c &c and what is the best route? Would it be advisable for families to to take their beds, bedding, bedsteads, chairs & carpets or which <​of​> or any of them,— I have been residing in the country and not engaged in business for several years, am now here endeavouring to settle up my affairs sell off Real Est &c—
Should these enquiries or rather the answer to them take too much of your time, will you hand them over to some one who will answer them understandingly & as early as convenient—
I have the pleasure of being acquainted with and should address this to him, but have been informed he is not now a resident of — Your indulgence and attention will confer a favor <​on​> yours most Respectfully,
[p. [1]]
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Document Information

Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Letter from Roelef Wyckoff, 25 February 1844
ID #
1286
Total Pages
4
Print Volume Location
Handwriting on This Page
  • Roelef Wyckoff

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    Wyckoff was married to Eliza Coles Wyckoff. The 1840 census listed fourteen people in the Wyckoff household. (1840 U.S. Census, Acquackanonk Township, Passaic Co., NJ, 102.)

    Census (U.S.) / U.S. Bureau of the Census. Population Schedules. Microfilm. FHL.

  2. [2]

    An 1835 notice in a New York City newspaper announced that Wyckoff had formed a temporary partnership with Robert Hutton to conduct “a general commission business.” A second notice, published in 1836, explained that the partners would be “buying and selling merchandize on commission or otherwise” and would be engaged in “the business of shipping merchants generally.” It also stated that Wyckoff had “contributed to the common stock of said partnership the sum of $15,000 in cash.” (“Notice,” Evening Post [New York City], 16 Dec. 1835, [3]; “Notice,” Evening Post, 16 Jan. 1836, [3].)

    Evening Post. New York City. 1801–.

  3. [3]

    An 1843 deed identified Wyckoff as a resident of Little Falls, New Jersey, which is about fifteen miles from New York City. (Roelef Wyckoff and Eliza Coles Wyckoff to Albert Wyckoff and Jacob Wyckoff, Deed, 7 Jan. 1843, Kings Co., NY, Conveyances, 1724–, vol. 112, pp. 115–116, microfilm 1,413,244, U.S. and Canada Record Collection, FHL.)

    U.S. and Canada Record Collection. FHL.

  4. [4]

    Martin resided in Nashville, Lee County, Iowa Territory. (Letter from Moses Martin, 7 Nov. 1841; Iowa Stake, Record, 35; Moses Martin, Will Co., IL, to Brigham Young, Nauvoo, IL, 29 Sept. 1841, Brigham Young Office Files, CHL; JS, Journal, 6 Apr. 1843; “Just Look Here Once!,” Nauvoo Neighbor, 28 Feb. 1844, [4].)

    Iowa Stake, Record. / Iowa Stake. “Church Record,” 1840–1841. CHL. LR 7817 21.

    Brigham Young Office Files, 1832–1878. CHL. CR 1234 1.

    Nauvoo Neighbor. Nauvoo, IL. 1843–1845.

  5. [5]

    Although the featured document does not supply Wyckoff’s first name, other sources reveal that it is Roelef. (See “Notice,” Evening Post [New York City], 16 Dec. 1835, [3]; History of Henry County, Illinois, 220; and “Died,” Brooklyn [NY] Daily Eagle, 29 Sept. 1846, [2].)

    Evening Post. New York City. 1801–.

    The History of Henry County, Illinois, Its Tax-Payers and Voters; containing also a Biographical Directory. . . . Chicago: H. F. Kett, 1877.

    Brooklyn Daily Eagle. New York City. 1849–1938.

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