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Letter from Udney H. Jacob, 6 January 1844

Source Note

, Letter, [likely Pilot Grove Township, Hancock Co., IL], to JS, , Hancock Co., IL, 6 Jan. 1844; handwriting presumably of ; three pages; JS Collection, CHL. Includes address, notations, and docket.
Bifolium measuring 12¼ × 7⅝ inches (31 × 19 cm). The pages are ruled with thirty-six horizontal lines printed in blue ink, now faded. The document was trifolded twice in letter style, addressed, and sealed with a red adhesive wafer, the remnants of which are present on the verso of the second leaf. The letter was later refolded for filing.
The document 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. 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 letter had been included in the JS Collection at the Church Historical Department (now CHL). The document’s early docket, its listing in a circa 1904 inventory, and its later inclusion in the JS Collection indicate continuous institutional custody.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    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.

  2. [2]

    “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.

  3. [3]

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

Historical Introduction

On 6 January 1844, member wrote a letter to JS in , Illinois, expressing his concerns about certain passages in the Book of Mormon and asking for an explanation. Jacob, who had joined the church in 1843, apparently had never met JS. Prior to his , Jacob was hostile to the Latter-day Saints. In March 1840, he sent church member an excerpt on baptism from a book manuscript he had written, encouraging him to forward it “to your Printer, & to Joseph Smith, and to , and let them refute it if they can.” Later that month, Jacob wrote a letter to president in which he called the Saints “a deluded and dangerous set of fanatics.” Udney Jacob’s son Norton subsequently joined the church on 15 March 1841, and Norton reported that his father had violently opposed his decision, saying that “he had rather heard I was dead than that I was a Mormon.” In 1842, however, Udney Jacob employed the church’s , which JS owned, to publish a pamphlet endorsing polygamy called An Extract, from a Manuscript Entitled The Peace Maker. Jacob claimed in his pamphlet that he had used the Nauvoo printing office because “it was the most convenient.” JS, however, subsequently denounced Jacob’s pamphlet in the 1 December 1842 issue of the Times and Seasons, explaining that the pamphlet had been printed without his knowledge and that he would not have printed it otherwise. JS concluded by calling Jacob’s work “an unmeaning rigmarole of nonsence, folly, and trash.” Although Udney Jacob was baptized in 1843, Norton Jacob later reported that his father “did not know [this work] to be true” at the time and that he fell away from the church sometime before November 1845. It is unknown whether Udney Jacob was disaffected from the church at the time he wrote this letter.
In his 6 January letter to JS, wondered at the occurrences of the terms crucify and infinite atonement in an ancient book written by prophets who lived before the time of Jesus Christ. Jacob also argued that the word atonement could not be qualified and questioned the doctrine of unrepentant sinners suffering endless torment. He explained that he asked these questions in a sincere effort to find the truth.
likely wrote this letter in Pilot Grove Township, Illinois, where he resided. The letter bears no evidence of postal delivery, indicating that Jacob probably sent it to JS by courier. This possibility is further supported by the fact that Jacob intended to have a friend pick up JS’s response. It is unknown when JS received this letter, but it was likely in early January, shortly after Jacob composed it. There is no known response.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    Jacob, Reminiscence and Journal, 22.

    Jacob, Norton. Reminiscence and Journal, May 1844–Jan. 1852. CHL. MS 9111.

  2. [2]

    Udney H. Jacob to Oliver Granger, Commerce, IL, 3 Mar. 1840, copy, CHL.

    Jacob, Udney H. Letter, to Oliver Granger, Commerce, IL, 3 Mar. 1840. Copy. CHL.

  3. [3]

    Udney H. Jacob, La Harpe, IL, to Martin Van Buren, Washington DC, 19 Mar. 1840, microfilm, Illinois State Historical Society, Papers, CHL.

    Illinois State Historical Society, Papers, 1840–1845. CHL. Microfilm. MS 8180.

  4. [4]

    Jacob, Reminiscence and Journal, 1, 3.

    Jacob, Norton. Reminiscence and Journal, May 1844–Jan. 1852. CHL. MS 9111.

  5. [5]

    See Historical Introduction to Notice, ca. 1 Dec. 1842.

  6. [6]

    Jacob, Extract, [2].

    Jacob, Udney Hay. An Extract, from a Manuscript Entitled The Peace Maker, or the Doctrines of the Millennium: Being a Treatise on Religion and Jurisprudence. . . . Nauvoo, IL: J. Smith, 1842.

  7. [7]

    Notice, ca. 1 Dec. 1842.

  8. [8]

    Jacob, Reminiscence and Journal, 22, underlining in original.

    Jacob, Norton. Reminiscence and Journal, May 1844–Jan. 1852. CHL. MS 9111.

  9. [9]

    Jacob, Reminiscence and Journal, 3, 22.

    Jacob, Norton. Reminiscence and Journal, May 1844–Jan. 1852. CHL. MS 9111.

Page [3]

The tenacity with which they cling to this horible doctrine, even without any proof from the scriptures, must forever show the absurdity of supposeing that they have expunged it from the scriptures— Indeed they have endeavoured to twist the word evry way to support it. I can easily believe that wicked unbelieveing persecuteing wretches will be punished according to their works, and be degraded in form and faculties as far below the Saints as a dog is below us. Which idea is often expressed in the scriptures— Is it meet to take the childrens bread and cast it to dogs— And to them is reserved the blackness of darkness forever Punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power— But I need not quote scripture to you only to show my own ideas— yet I will say that I never knew that a dog, or an Idiot, was tormented in their minds on account of their degradation or mental darkness— much less did I suppose that their misery was perpetual like burning in flames of fire— How can I think that such endless torment is necessary or consistant with the character or feelings of a mercifull God— Surely he will prevent it if he can— Such doctrine must have originated in Pagan darkness and not from that light which has pledged itself to finish transgression, and to make an end of sin— to swallow up death in victory— and to destroy him who has the power of death, that is the Devil— and especially as we know that it is not the fear of Endless torments that can do away sin; (Or Pagans would have been made holy long ago.) But the bringing in a better hope— even the hope of Eternal life which God <​who​> cannot lie; promised before the world began.
Please give me a candid answer to all these things, and where I am wrong, set me right, for which you shall be entitled to my thanks and greatfull acknowledgments—
Ps A Friend in due time will call at the for an Answer—
Gen Joseph Smith [p. [3]]
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Document Information

Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Letter from Udney H. Jacob, 6 January 1844
ID #
1242
Total Pages
4
Print Volume Location
Handwriting on This Page
  • Udney H. Jacob

Footnotes

  1. [14]

    See Matthew 15:26; and Mark 7:27.

  2. [15]

    See Jude 1:13.

  3. [16]

    See 2 Thessalonians 1:9.

  4. [17]

    See Daniel 9:24.

  5. [18]

    See Isaiah 25:8.

  6. [19]

    See Hebrews 2:14.

  7. [20]

    See Hebrews 7:19.

  8. [21]

    See Titus 1:2.

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