Letter to Edward Hunter, 26 January 1842

Home >
The Papers >

Letter to Edward Hunter, 26 January 1842
Source Note

JS, Letter,
Nauvoo
Principal gathering place for Saints following expulsion from Missouri. Beginning in 1839, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints purchased lands in earlier settlement of Commerce and planned settlement of Commerce City, as well as surrounding areas....
More Info
, Hancock Co., IL, to
Edward Hunter
22 June 1793–16 Oct. 1883. Farmer, currier, surveyor, merchant. Born at Newtown Township, Delaware Co., Pennsylvania. Son of Edward Hunter and Hannah Maris. Volunteer cavalryman in Delaware Co. militia, 1822–1829. Served as Delaware Co. commissioner. Moved...
View Full Bio
,
West Nantmeal
Sits at headwaters of east branch of Brandywine River. Settled by Welsh immigrants, ca. 1700. Split into West and East Nantmeal, 1739. Divided again, 1789. Population in 1820 about 1,400. Brandywine branch of church established in town, by July 1840.
More Info
, Chester Co., PA, 26 Jan. 1842; handwriting of
Willard Richards
24 June 1804–11 Mar. 1854. Teacher, lecturer, doctor, clerk, printer, editor, postmaster. Born at Hopkinton, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts. Son of Joseph Richards and Rhoda Howe. Moved to Richmond, Berkshire Co., Massachusetts, 1813; to Chatham, Columbia Co...
View Full Bio
; two pages; JS Collection, CHL. Includes address, postal stamp, postal notation, and docket.

Bifolium measuring 12⅛ × 7½ inches (31 × 19 cm). The recto of the first leaf was left blank and the letter was inscribed on the verso of the first leaf and the recto of the second leaf. The bifolium was trifolded twice in letter style, sealed with a red adhesive wafer, addressed, and postmarked. Wafer residue appears on the recto and the verso of the second leaf. The document was later refolded for filing. The document has undergone conservation.

The document was docketed by
William Clayton
17 July 1814–4 Dec. 1879. Bookkeeper, clerk. Born at Charnock Moss, Penwortham, Lancashire, England. Son of Thomas Clayton and Ann Critchley. Married Ruth Moon, 9 Oct. 1836, at Penwortham. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by Heber...
View Full Bio
, who served as scribe to JS from 1842 to 1844 and as
Nauvoo
More Info
temple recorder from 1842 to 1846.
1
JS, Journal, 29 June 1842; “Clayton, William,” in Jenson, Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia, 1:718; Clayton, History of the Nauvoo Temple, 18, 30–31.
Comprehensive Works Cited
Jenson, Andrew. Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia: A Compilation of Biographical Sketches of Prominent Men and Women in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 4 vols. Salt Lake City: Andrew Jenson History Co., 1901–1936.
Clayton, William. History of the Nauvoo Temple, ca. 1845. CHL. MS 3365.
It was listed in an inventory that was produced by the Church Historian’s Office (later Church Historical Department) circa 1904.
2
“Letters to and from the Prophet,” ca. 1904, [2], Historian’s Office, Catalogs and Inventories, 1846–1904, CHL.
Historian’s Office. Catalogs and Inventories, 1846–1904. CHL. CR 100 130.
By 1973 the document had been included in the JS Collection at the Church Historical Department (now CHL).
3
See the full bibliographic entry for JS Collection, 1827–1844, in the CHL catalog.
The document’s early docket as well as its inclusion in the circa 1904 inventory and in the JS Collection by 1973 indicate continuous institutional custody.
Footnotes
[1]
JS, Journal, 29 June 1842; “Clayton, William,” in Jenson, Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia, 1:718; Clayton, History of the Nauvoo Temple, 18, 30–31.
Jenson, Andrew. Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia: A Compilation of Biographical Sketches of Prominent Men and Women in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 4 vols. Salt Lake City: Andrew Jenson History Co., 1901–1936.
Clayton, William. History of the Nauvoo Temple, ca. 1845. CHL. MS 3365.
[2]
“Letters to and from the Prophet,” ca. 1904, [2], Historian’s Office, Catalogs and Inventories, 1846–1904, CHL.
Historian’s Office. Catalogs and Inventories, 1846–1904. CHL. CR 100 130.
[3]
See the full bibliographic entry for JS Collection, 1827–1844, in the CHL catalog.
Historical Introduction
On 26 January 1842 JS composed a letter in
Nauvoo
More Info
, Illinois, to
church
The Book of Mormon related that when Christ set up his church in the Americas, “they which were baptized in the name of Jesus, were called the church of Christ.” The first name used to denote the church JS organized on 6 April 1830 was “the Church of Christ...
View Glossary

agent
A specific church office and, more generally, someone “entrusted with the business of another.” Agents in the church assisted other ecclesiastical officers, especially the bishop in his oversight of the church’s temporal affairs. A May 1831 revelation instructed...
View Glossary

Edward Hunter
View Full Bio
in
West Nantmeal
Sits at headwaters of east branch of Brandywine River. Settled by Welsh immigrants, ca. 1700. Split into West and East Nantmeal, 1739. Divided again, 1789. Population in 1820 about 1,400. Brandywine branch of church established in town, by July 1840.
More Info
, Pennsylvania, concerning a debt Hunter owed him. The debt had accrued by the previous summer. On 27 October 1841 Hunter asked JS to accept a shipment of goods as payment, and JS agreed to this in two letters, dated 21 December 1841 and 5 January 1842.
1
Letter from Edward Hunter, 27 Oct. 1841; Letter to Edward Hunter, 21 Dec. 1841; Letter to Edward Hunter, 5 Jan. 1842.
However, according to the letter featured below, JS subsequently transferred Hunter’s promissory note for $1,100 to Nauvoo businessmen and prominent Latter-day Saints
William
8 Sept. 1809–12/19 Jan. 1892. Merchant, millwright, physician. Born in Co. Tyrone, Ireland. Son of Richard Law and Ann Hunter. Immigrated to U.S. and settled in Springfield Township, Mercer Co., Pennsylvania, by 1820. Moved to Delaware Township, Mercer Co...
View Full Bio
and
Wilson Law
26 Feb. 1806–15 Oct. 1876. Merchant, millwright, land speculator, farmer. Born in Ireland. Son of Richard Law and Ann Hunter. Immigrated to U.S. and settled in Springfield Township, Mercer Co., Pennsylvania, by 1820. Moved to Delaware Township, Mercer Co....
View Full Bio
.
2
William Law was appointed a member of the First Presidency in January 1841. Starting in November 1841, he also served as a member of the Nauvoo City Council. Wilson Law also served as a member of the city council, and he held the rank of brigadier general in the Nauvoo Legion. Both William and Wilson Law ran a general store in Nauvoo and had, at this time, begun plans for a steam mill. (Revelation, 19 Jan. 1841 [D&C 124:91]; Nauvoo City Council Minute Book, 3 Feb. 1841, 1; 1 Nov. 1841, 28; Nauvoo Legion Minute Book, 4 Feb. 1841, 5; Editorial, Times and Seasons, 15 Jan. 1842, 3:663–664.)
Nauvoo Legion Minute Book, 1843–1844. Nauvoo Legion, Records, 1841–1845. CHL. MS 3430, fd. 1.
Times and Seasons. Commerce/Nauvoo, IL. Nov. 1839–Feb. 1846.
The transfer was likely related to business transactions JS made with the Laws two days earlier. On 24 January, JS sold land to them so that they could construct a sawmill and a gristmill.
3
JS, Journal, 24 Jan. 1842.
These transactions were apparently complex, as he also signed over to them a note of $500 from “J. Campbell of
Upper Canada
British colony of Canada divided into Upper Canada and Lower Canada, 1791; reunited 1841. Upper Canada’s boundaries corresponded roughly to portion of present-day Ontario south of Hudson Bay watershed. Population in 1840 about 430,000. Immigrants mainly from...
More Info
,” the payment on which they would forward to JS.
4
Hancock Co., IL, Deed Records, 1817–1917, vol. K, pp. 490–492, 24 Jan. 1842, microfilm 954,599, U.S. and Canada Record Collection, FHL; William Law and Wilson Law to JS, Receipt, 24 Jan. 1842, Illinois State Historical Society, Circuit Court Case Files [Cases pertaining to Mormon Residents], 1830–1900, CHL.
U.S. and Canada Record Collection. FHL.

Hunter
View Full Bio
had traveled to
Pennsylvania
Area first settled by Swedish immigrants, 1628. William Penn received grant for territory from King Charles II, 1681, and established British settlement, 1682. Philadelphia was center of government for original thirteen U.S. colonies from time of Revolutionary...
More Info
to transact business for himself and JS. His most pressing task was to collect money on behalf of a recent Pennsylvanian convert, Margaret Smith, who intended the money to be turned over to JS. JS instructed Hunter to use these funds to redeem the note held by the Laws, thereby paying off Hunter’s debt to JS.

Willard Richards
24 June 1804–11 Mar. 1854. Teacher, lecturer, doctor, clerk, printer, editor, postmaster. Born at Hopkinton, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts. Son of Joseph Richards and Rhoda Howe. Moved to Richmond, Berkshire Co., Massachusetts, 1813; to Chatham, Columbia Co...
View Full Bio
acted as scribe for the letter. The letter was mailed at the
Nauvoo
More Info
post office, which postmarked it on 1 February 1842. By early March,
Hunter
View Full Bio
had apparently deposited the $1,100 in a bank in
Philadelphia
Port city founded as Quaker settlement by William Penn, 1681. Site of signing of Declaration of Independence and drafting of U.S. Constitution. Nation’s capital city, 1790–1800. Population in 1830 about 170,000; in 1840 about 260,000; and in 1850 about 410...
More Info
at the request of
William Law
8 Sept. 1809–12/19 Jan. 1892. Merchant, millwright, physician. Born in Co. Tyrone, Ireland. Son of Richard Law and Ann Hunter. Immigrated to U.S. and settled in Springfield Township, Mercer Co., Pennsylvania, by 1820. Moved to Delaware Township, Mercer Co...
View Full Bio
.
5
Letter to Edward Hunter, 9 and 11 Mar. 1842.
Footnotes
[1]
Letter from Edward Hunter, 27 Oct. 1841; Letter to Edward Hunter, 21 Dec. 1841; Letter to Edward Hunter, 5 Jan. 1842.
[2]
William Law was appointed a member of the First Presidency in January 1841. Starting in November 1841, he also served as a member of the Nauvoo City Council. Wilson Law also served as a member of the city council, and he held the rank of brigadier general in the Nauvoo Legion. Both William and Wilson Law ran a general store in Nauvoo and had, at this time, begun plans for a steam mill. (Revelation, 19 Jan. 1841 [D&C 124:91]; Nauvoo City Council Minute Book, 3 Feb. 1841, 1; 1 Nov. 1841, 28; Nauvoo Legion Minute Book, 4 Feb. 1841, 5; Editorial, Times and Seasons, 15 Jan. 1842, 3:663–664.)
Nauvoo Legion Minute Book, 1843–1844. Nauvoo Legion, Records, 1841–1845. CHL. MS 3430, fd. 1.
Times and Seasons. Commerce/Nauvoo, IL. Nov. 1839–Feb. 1846.
[3]
JS, Journal, 24 Jan. 1842.
[4]
Hancock Co., IL, Deed Records, 1817–1917, vol. K, pp. 490–492, 24 Jan. 1842, microfilm 954,599, U.S. and Canada Record Collection, FHL; William Law and Wilson Law to JS, Receipt, 24 Jan. 1842, Illinois State Historical Society, Circuit Court Case Files [Cases pertaining to Mormon Residents], 1830–1900, CHL.
U.S. and Canada Record Collection. FHL.
[5]
Letter to Edward Hunter, 9 and 11 Mar. 1842.
Asterisk (*) denotes a "featured" version, which includes an introduction and annotation. *Letter to Edward Hunter, 26 January 1842 Letterbook 2
Page [1]
Hide editing marks

[page [1] blank] [p. [1]]
View entire transcript
|
Cite this page
Source Note
Document Transcript
Page [1]
Document Information