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Letter to John McKee, 28 March 1843

Source Note

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...

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on behalf of 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
John McKee

ca. 1805–after 1880. Tailor, carpenter. Born in Pennsylvania. Married Hanna Askins. Lived in Claysville, Washington Co., Pennsylvania, by 1840. Moved to Buffalo Township, Washington Co., by 1850.

View Full Bio
, [
Claysville

Township and post office located about 40 miles southwest of Pittsburgh. Stopping point on National Road. Population in 1850 about 275. John McKee wrote to JS from township regarding increasing number of people in region who were interested in church and ...

More Info
, Washington Co., PA], 28 Mar. 1843. Featured version inscribed 28 Mar. 1843 in John McKee, Letter, Claysville, Washington Co., PA, to JS, Nauvoo, Hancock Co., IL, 7 Mar. 1843; handwriting and signature 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
; one page; JS Collection, CHL.
Bifolium measuring 12 × 7¾ inches (30 × 20 cm). Each page is ruled with thirty-two horizontal blue lines. This letter draft was inscribed on the verso of the first leaf of the 7 March 1843 letter from
John McKee

ca. 1805–after 1880. Tailor, carpenter. Born in Pennsylvania. Married Hanna Askins. Lived in Claysville, Washington Co., Pennsylvania, by 1840. Moved to Buffalo Township, Washington Co., by 1850.

View Full Bio
. McKee wrote his original letter on the recto of the first leaf and both sides of the second leaf. He then reversed the fold of the bifolium, addressed the letter on the remaining blank page (the verso of the first leaf), sealed it with a red adhesive wafer, and posted it. When the letter was opened, two holes were torn in the first leaf, resulting in the loss of some text.
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
wrote a reply to McKee around the address block on the verso of the first leaf. The document was later refolded for filing.
Leo Hawkins

19 July 1834–28 May 1859. Clerk, reporter. Born in London. Son of Samuel Harris Hawkins and Charlotte Savage. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by John Banks, 23 Oct. 1848. Immigrated to U.S. with his family; arrived in New Orleans...

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, who served as a clerk in the Church Historian’s Office (later Church Historical Department) from 1853 to 1859, docketed the original letter from McKee.
1

“Obituary of Leo Hawkins,” Millennial Star, 30 July 1859, 21:496–497.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Latter-day Saints’ Millennial Star. Manchester, England, 1840–1842; Liverpool, 1842–1932; London, 1932–1970.

That letter was listed in an inventory that was produced by the Church Historian’s Office circa 1904.
2

“Letters to and from the Prophet,” ca. 1904, [2], Historian’s Office, Catalogs and Inventories, 1846–1904, CHL.


Comprehensive Works Cited

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 endorsement and docket, its listing in a circa 1904 inventory, and its later inclusion in the JS Collection indicate continuous institutional custody.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    “Obituary of Leo Hawkins,” Millennial Star, 30 July 1859, 21:496–497.

    Latter-day Saints’ Millennial Star. Manchester, England, 1840–1842; Liverpool, 1842–1932; London, 1932–1970.

  2. [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. [3]

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

Historical Introduction

On 28 March 1843,
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
wrote a letter in
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
, Illinois, on behalf of JS to
John McKee

ca. 1805–after 1880. Tailor, carpenter. Born in Pennsylvania. Married Hanna Askins. Lived in Claysville, Washington Co., Pennsylvania, by 1840. Moved to Buffalo Township, Washington Co., by 1850.

View Full Bio
, in
Claysville

Township and post office located about 40 miles southwest of Pittsburgh. Stopping point on National Road. Population in 1850 about 275. John McKee wrote to JS from township regarding increasing number of people in region who were interested in church and ...

More Info
, Pennsylvania, replying to McKee’s 7 March 1843 letter to JS. McKee had inquired about joining the
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
and asked several questions regarding Nauvoo, stating that there was “a Grate many people” in Claysville who intended to move there. McKee asked for information about the location and health of Nauvoo, what kinds of employment would be available, and whether he and others would need to donate property to the church if they moved to Nauvoo.
1

Letter from John McKee, 7 Mar. 1843.


Richards answered most of these questions in his reply.
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
either drafted the reply or made a retained copy of it on the same letter that
McKee

ca. 1805–after 1880. Tailor, carpenter. Born in Pennsylvania. Married Hanna Askins. Lived in Claysville, Washington Co., Pennsylvania, by 1840. Moved to Buffalo Township, Washington Co., by 1850.

View Full Bio
sent to JS. Richards presumably sent the letter to McKee after he composed it, but the sent copy is apparently not extant. No further communications to or from McKee have been located, nor is there any indication that he joined the church or migrated to
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
.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    Letter from John McKee, 7 Mar. 1843.

Asterisk (*) denotes a "featured" version, which includes an introduction and annotation.
*Letter to John McKee, 28 March 1843
Letter from John McKee, 7 March 1843

Page [1]

Answer
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
March 28 1843
Mr
John M. McKee

ca. 1805–after 1880. Tailor, carpenter. Born in Pennsylvania. Married Hanna Askins. Lived in Claysville, Washington Co., Pennsylvania, by 1840. Moved to Buffalo Township, Washington Co., by 1850.

View Full Bio
1

McKee signed his 7 March 1843 letter “John W. Mc. Kee,” so inscribing his middle initial as “M” appears to be Richards’s mistake. In an endorsement on that letter, Richards similarly wrote “John M McKee.” (Letter from John McKee, 7 Mar. 1843.)


Sir, In reply to your queries of the 7th inst, the first I have seen of yours,
2

McKee mentioned in his 7 March 1843 letter that he had previously sent another letter to JS. (Letter from John McKee, 7 Mar. 1843.)


I will say. the
city

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
is located on the east bench of the
Mississippi River

Principal U.S. river running southward from Itasca Lake, Minnesota, to Gulf of Mexico. Covered 3,160-mile course, 1839 (now about 2,350 miles). Drains about 1,100,000 square miles. Steamboat travel on Mississippi very important in 1830s and 1840s for shipping...

More Info
, in a fruitful county, best of soil all around, as healthy as any of the western country;
3

Despite Richards’s statement here, Nauvoo was not known for its healthy environment in the past. When the Saints first moved there in 1839, the area was a swamp filled with malaria-carrying mosquitoes. According to a later JS history, it was “so unhea[l]thy very few could live there.” However, after the Saints drained the swamps, it became “a great deel more healthy.” (Historian’s Office, JS History, Draft Notes, 11 June 1839; Butler, Autobiography, [34].)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Butler, John L. Autobiography, ca. 1859. CHL. MS 2952.

our
city

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
is free to every body, and our
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
to those who will believe, Repent & be
baptized

An ordinance in which an individual is immersed in water for the remission of sins. The Book of Mormon explained that those with necessary authority were to baptize individuals who had repented of their sins. Baptized individuals also received the gift of...

View Glossary
. & keep Gods Commandments, every man is his own steward. Mechanics are in good demand, there is no better place for building machin[er]y than
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
,— a good place for capitolists—
4

In a December 1840 letter to the apostles preaching in England, JS explained that because many of those joining the church in England were “not accustomed to the farming business,” he wanted individuals “accustomed to making machinery and those who can command a capital” to come to Nauvoo “as soon as convenient and put up machinery and make such other preparations as may be necessary, so, that when the poor come on they may have employment to come to.” JS also told the apostles that Nauvoo was well suited “for manufacturing and commercial purposes.” (Letter to Quorum of the Twelve, 15 Dec. 1840.)


Gold & Silver alone is our circulating medium,
5

Nauvoo’s economy was cash poor, which led the Nauvoo City Council to issue city scrip in 1842. This currency was to be used only within the community. Because of the scrip’s depreciating value, JS had given discourses over the past several months championing the use of gold and silver. In February 1843, the Nauvoo City Council debated an ordinance requiring the payment of city taxes, debts, and fines in gold and silver. The ordinance passed in March 1843 with amendments, but it is unclear what changes were made to it. (Nauvoo City Scrip, 14 July 1842; JS, Journal, 23 Feb. 1843; Discourse, 25 Feb. 1843; Nauvoo City Council Minute Book, 4 Mar. 1843, 167; Nauvoo City Council Rough Minute Book, 4 Mar. 1843, 10.)


and provisions the reward for labor.
6

Individuals who were working on the Nauvoo temple could receive provisions from the Nauvoo temple committee for their work. (Daybook B, 1841–1843, Nauvoo Temple Building Committee Records, CHL.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Nauvoo Temple Building Committee Records, 1841–1852. CHL. CR 342 9.

all men are protected in their religious faith in our
city

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
.
7

The Nauvoo City Council passed an ordinance in 1841 stating that all religious sects and denominations “shall have free toleration and equal Privilieges in this City.” Anyone found guilty of “ridiculing abusing, or otherwise depreciating another in consequence of his religion or of disturbing, or interrupting any religious meeting” in Nauvoo would be subject to a fine of up to five hundred dollars and six months’ imprisonment. (Minutes, 1 Mar. 1841.)


Any further information you may wish may be obtained through our papers; the “Times & Seasons” or “Wasp”—
8

The Times and Seasons, the church’s American periodical, was published semimonthly in Nauvoo. The Wasp was the Nauvoo city newspaper and was published weekly. (Crawley, Descriptive Bibliography, 1:91–96, 192–193.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Crawley, Peter. A Descriptive Bibliography of the Mormon Church. 3 vols. Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 1997–2012.

or lette[r]s Post Paid!
9

Because McKee’s first letter to JS, on which he had paid postage, had apparently been lost, McKee decided not to pay postage on his 7 March letter. When the sender did not pay postage, the recipient had to pay it to receive the letter from the post office. (Letter from John McKee, 7 Mar. 1843; Notice, ca. 1 June 1841; Summerfield and Hurd, U.S. Mail, 45–46.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Summerfield, Arthur E., with Charles Hurd. U.S. Mail: The Story of the United States Postal Service. New York: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 1960.

Yours Repectfully
W[illard] 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
for J Smith
PS. we are always pleased to receive all good people in our midst— & we want no other but those who will abide the laws of the Land [p. [1]]
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Document Information

Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Letter to John McKee, 28 March 1843
ID #
1023
Total Pages
1
Print Volume Location
JSP, D12:126–129
Handwriting on This Page
  • Willard Richards

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    McKee signed his 7 March 1843 letter “John W. Mc. Kee,” so inscribing his middle initial as “M” appears to be Richards’s mistake. In an endorsement on that letter, Richards similarly wrote “John M McKee.” (Letter from John McKee, 7 Mar. 1843.)

  2. [2]

    McKee mentioned in his 7 March 1843 letter that he had previously sent another letter to JS. (Letter from John McKee, 7 Mar. 1843.)

  3. [3]

    Despite Richards’s statement here, Nauvoo was not known for its healthy environment in the past. When the Saints first moved there in 1839, the area was a swamp filled with malaria-carrying mosquitoes. According to a later JS history, it was “so unhea[l]thy very few could live there.” However, after the Saints drained the swamps, it became “a great deel more healthy.” (Historian’s Office, JS History, Draft Notes, 11 June 1839; Butler, Autobiography, [34].)

    Butler, John L. Autobiography, ca. 1859. CHL. MS 2952.

  4. [4]

    In a December 1840 letter to the apostles preaching in England, JS explained that because many of those joining the church in England were “not accustomed to the farming business,” he wanted individuals “accustomed to making machinery and those who can command a capital” to come to Nauvoo “as soon as convenient and put up machinery and make such other preparations as may be necessary, so, that when the poor come on they may have employment to come to.” JS also told the apostles that Nauvoo was well suited “for manufacturing and commercial purposes.” (Letter to Quorum of the Twelve, 15 Dec. 1840.)

  5. [5]

    Nauvoo’s economy was cash poor, which led the Nauvoo City Council to issue city scrip in 1842. This currency was to be used only within the community. Because of the scrip’s depreciating value, JS had given discourses over the past several months championing the use of gold and silver. In February 1843, the Nauvoo City Council debated an ordinance requiring the payment of city taxes, debts, and fines in gold and silver. The ordinance passed in March 1843 with amendments, but it is unclear what changes were made to it. (Nauvoo City Scrip, 14 July 1842; JS, Journal, 23 Feb. 1843; Discourse, 25 Feb. 1843; Nauvoo City Council Minute Book, 4 Mar. 1843, 167; Nauvoo City Council Rough Minute Book, 4 Mar. 1843, 10.)

  6. [6]

    Individuals who were working on the Nauvoo temple could receive provisions from the Nauvoo temple committee for their work. (Daybook B, 1841–1843, Nauvoo Temple Building Committee Records, CHL.)

    Nauvoo Temple Building Committee Records, 1841–1852. CHL. CR 342 9.

  7. [7]

    The Nauvoo City Council passed an ordinance in 1841 stating that all religious sects and denominations “shall have free toleration and equal Privilieges in this City.” Anyone found guilty of “ridiculing abusing, or otherwise depreciating another in consequence of his religion or of disturbing, or interrupting any religious meeting” in Nauvoo would be subject to a fine of up to five hundred dollars and six months’ imprisonment. (Minutes, 1 Mar. 1841.)

  8. [8]

    The Times and Seasons, the church’s American periodical, was published semimonthly in Nauvoo. The Wasp was the Nauvoo city newspaper and was published weekly. (Crawley, Descriptive Bibliography, 1:91–96, 192–193.)

    Crawley, Peter. A Descriptive Bibliography of the Mormon Church. 3 vols. Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 1997–2012.

  9. [9]

    Because McKee’s first letter to JS, on which he had paid postage, had apparently been lost, McKee decided not to pay postage on his 7 March letter. When the sender did not pay postage, the recipient had to pay it to receive the letter from the post office. (Letter from John McKee, 7 Mar. 1843; Notice, ca. 1 June 1841; Summerfield and Hurd, U.S. Mail, 45–46.)

    Summerfield, Arthur E., with Charles Hurd. U.S. Mail: The Story of the United States Postal Service. New York: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 1960.

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