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Letter to John Smith, 17 June 1844

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Letter to John Smith, 17 June 1844

Source Note

JS, Letter, , Hancock Co., IL, to , [, Hancock Co., IL], 17 June 1844; handwriting of ; signature block in handwriting of JS; two pages; JS Collection, CHL. Includes dockets, redactions, use marks, and notation.
Single leaf measuring 9⅝ × 7¾ inches (24 × 20 cm). The leaf was hand cut along the left side of the recto, which suggests that it was removed from a book or larger sheet. The letter was trifolded and then folded in half twice for filing.
The letter was docketed by , who presumably kept it in his possession—perhaps until his death in 1854. The letter came into the possession of the Church Historian’s Office (later Church Historical Department), most likely through Smith’s son , who became church historian and recorder in 1854 and served until 1870. It was docketed again, likely by James Ure, who served as a clerk in the Church Historian’s Office from 1852 to 1855. Jonathan Grimshaw, who served as a clerk in the Church Historian’s Office from 1853 to 1856, copied the letter into JS’s history in 1856. The notation “A.J” was added by Andrew Jenson, who began working in the Church Historian’s Office in 1891 and served as assistant church historian from 1897 to 1941. By 1973 the letter had been included in the JS Collection at the Church Historical Department (now CHL). The letter’s early dockets, its use in JS’s history, its notation, and its later inclusion in the JS Collection indicate continuous institutional custody after John Smith’s death.

Footnotes

  1. “Death of the Patriarch John Smith,” Deseret News (Salt Lake City), 25 May 1854, [2].

    Deseret News. Salt Lake City. 1850–.

  2. “Minutes,” Deseret News (Salt Lake City), 13 Apr. 1854, [2]; “Smith, George Albert,” in Jenson, Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia, 1:41; Esshom, Pioneers and Prominent Men of Utah, 1283; “Fortieth Semi-annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,” Deseret News, 12 Oct. 1870, 419.

    Deseret News. Salt Lake City. 1850–.

    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.

    Esshom, Frank. Pioneers and Prominent Men of Utah: Comprising Photographs, Genealogies, Biographies. Salt Lake City: Utah Pioneers Book, 1913.

  3. Historian’s Office, Journal, 10 May 1852 and 1 Dec. 1855; Woodruff, Journal, 22 Apr. 1856.

    Historian’s Office. Journal, 1844–1997. CHL. CR 100 1.

    Woodruff, Wilford. Journals, 1833–1898. Wilford Woodruff, Journals and Papers, 1828–1898. CHL. MS 1352.

  4. Historian’s Office, Journal, 7 June 1853; Wilford Woodruff, Great Salt Lake City, Utah Territory, to George A. Smith, 30 Aug. 1856, in Historian’s Office, Letterpress Copybooks, vol. 1, p. 364; JS History, vol. F-1, 109–110. Grimshaw copied the letter into JS’s history sometime in 1856. (Source Note for and Historical Introduction to History, 1838–1856, vol. F-1.)

    Historian’s Office. Journal, 1844–1997. CHL. CR 100 1.

    Historian’s Office. Letterpress Copybooks, 1854–1879, 1885–1886. CHL. CR 100 38.

  5. Jenson, Autobiography, 192, 389; Cannon, Journal, 9 Feb. 1891; Jenson, Journal, 9 Feb. 1891 and 19 Oct. 1897; Bitton and Arrington, Mormons and Their Historians, 47–52.

    Jenson, Andrew. Autobiography of Andrew Jenson: Assistant Historian of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. . . . Salt Lake City: Deseret News Press, 1938.

    Cannon, George Q. Journals, 1855–1864, 1872–1901. CHL. CR 850 1.

    Jenson, Andrew. Journals, 1864–1941. Andrew Jenson, Autobiography and Journals, 1864–1941. CHL.

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

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

Historical Introduction

On 17 June 1844, JS dictated a letter from , Illinois, to his uncle in , Illinois, directing the in the Macedonia not to surrender their arms but to defend themselves if attacked. A day earlier had written to JS requesting instructions about how to proceed in light of the growing threats against , Illinois, church members living outside of Nauvoo. Smith, the and church in Macedonia, sent the letter to Nauvoo with a Mr. Perkins and another man, presumably both members of the Macedonia branch. JS received it on 17 June before ten o’clock in the morning.
After reading ’s plea for counsel, JS dictated the letter featured here to his scribe . He advised the Saints in the area to prepare to defend their homes and families in the event of a mob attack. JS suggested that, if necessary, they also might assist in protecting the Saints at from mob attacks. He further urged them to swear out affidavits to forward to governor , in hopes of securing the assistance of the against mob persecutions.
had requested that JS send his reply in the care of Perkins. The letter was presumably given to Perkins to carry back to Smith. It would have taken about a day to transport the letter over the twenty miles of prairie between and . One of the dockets on the letter is in Smith’s handwriting, which indicates that he received it. There is no known reply, and the Macedonia Saints do not appear to have sworn out affidavits to be sent to .

Footnotes

  1. Letter from John Smith, 16 June 1844.

  2. Macedonia Branch, Record, 24 Sept. 1843, 35; “Death of the Patriarch John Smith,” Deseret News (Salt Lake City), 25 May 1854, [2]; Carter, Our Pioneer Heritage, 15:230. John Smith stated that he was sending “Bro Perkins’s two faithful Brethren” to speak with JS and noted on the address that the letter was sent via “Politeness Mr. Perkins.” He did not further identify these two men. William Clayton, who was keeping an account of JS’s activities in Nauvoo, identified them only as “two brethren . . . from Macedonia.” (Letter from John Smith, 16 June 1844; William Clayton, Daily Account of JS’s Activities, 14–22 June 1844.)

    Macedonia Branch, Record / “A Record of the Chur[c]h of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints in Macedonia (Also Called Ramus),” 1839–1850. CHL. LR 11808 21.

    Deseret News. Salt Lake City. 1850–.

    Carter, Kate B., comp. Our Pioneer Heritage. 20 vols. Salt Lake City: Daughters of Utah Pioneers, 1937–1977.

  3. William Clayton, Daily Account of JS’s Activities, 14–22 June 1844.

  4. Letter from John Smith, 16 June 1844.

Asterisk (*) denotes a "featured" version, which includes an introduction and annotation. *Letter to John Smith, 17 June 1844 History, 1838–1856, volume F-1 [1 May 1844–8 August 1844] “History of Joseph Smith”
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but never give up your arms, but die first. The brethren will give you information of the conversation between us. We have sent to the and are about to send again And we want you to send affidavits and demand the attention of the , and request protection at his hand in common with the rest of us, that by our continual wear[y]ing we may get him to come in and investigate the whole matter.
I now conclude with my best wishes and must refer you to the brethren for further information,
Joseph Smith
Mayor of the City of and Leutenant Gen. of [1/2 page blank] [p. [2]]
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Document Information

Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Letter to John Smith, 17 June 1844
ID #
1410
Total Pages
2
Print Volume Location
Handwriting on This Page
  • William Clayton
  • Joseph Smith Jr.

Footnotes

  1. On 15 June, writing as the lieutenant general of the Nauvoo Legion, JS advised the residents of Isaac Morley’s settlement “not to give up their arms but to keep them till they died.” The following day, he wrote to Morley and encouraged the Saints at Morley’s settlement to defend Latter-day Saints living near Lima “at every hazard.” Two days after this letter was written, JS urged the Saints “not to act in the least on the offensive but invariably in the defensive,” telling them, “if we die— die like men of God and secure a glorious resurrection.” (William Clayton, Daily Account of JS’s Activities, 14–22 June 1844; Letter to Isaac Morley, 16 June 1844; Discourse, 18 June 1844.)

  2. On 14 June, JS sent a letter to Illinois governor Thomas Ford explaining the reasons and justifications for the abatement of the Nauvoo Expositor. Two days later JS dictated another letter to Ford, informing him of threats of violence being made against the Saints and requesting that Ford “come down in person . . . and investigate the whole matter, without delay” so that peace could be restored in Hancock County. Although that letter was written on 16 June, it was not sent to Ford until the early afternoon of 17 June. (Letter to Thomas Ford, 14 June 1844; Letter to Thomas Ford, 16 June 1844.)

  3. Between 16 and 22 June, JS and others collected several affidavits detailing the various threats made against the Saints throughout Hancock County. JS made similar requests for affidavits from Saints in Nauvoo and other communities, including Isaac Morley’s settlement. These affidavits were collected to send to Ford. However, none of the affidavits that Ford received included information about the circumstances in and around Macedonia. (Letter to Isaac Morley, 16 June 1844; Minutes, 21 June 1844.)

  4. See Luke 18:1–8.

  5. Signature block in the handwriting of JS.

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