Letter to Oliver Granger, 30 August 1841
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Source Note
and JS, Letter, , Hancock Co., IL, to , , Lake Co., OH, 30 Aug. 1841; handwriting of ; two pages; The Huntington Library (HM 28167), San Marino, CA. Includes address, postal stamp, and postal notation.Bifolium measuring 12¼ × 7¾ inches (31 × 20 cm). The letter was written on the recto and verso of the first leaf and then trifolded twice in letter style, addressed, sealed with a red adhesive wafer, and stamped at the Nauvoo post office.Along with other Granger family documents, this letter came into the possession of Maxwell Hunley. In 1964, Hunley sold these documents to the Henry E. Huntington Library.
Footnotes
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1
Denman, Guide to Mormon Manuscripts at the Huntington Library, 13.
Denman, Katrina C. “A Firm Testimony of the Truth”: A Guide to Mormon Manuscripts at the Huntington Library. San Marino, CA: Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens, Library Division—Manuscripts Department, 2015.
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Historical Introduction
On 30 August 1841, wrote a letter on behalf of himself and JS to in , Ohio, to solicit more information concerning the settlement of debts in the eastern . Granger had been acting as an for the church to settle debts for over a year. In earlier communications, the requested that Granger inform them of his progress, and because he had become ill, they also urged him to transfer some of his duties to . For unknown reasons, Galland never met with Granger to assume the financial responsibilities.In addition to giving instruction and inquiring about ’s progress with settling church debts, this 30 August letter also informed Granger of the recent deaths of and . Unbeknownst to JS and , however, Granger had also passed away in the last week of August. Hyrum Smith wrote this letter on 30 August, appended JS’s name, and mailed it through the Nauvoo post office on 4 September. The letter was likely received by Granger’s surviving family members later that month.
Footnotes
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1
Letter to Oliver Granger, 26 Jan. 1841; Letter to Oliver Granger, 4 May 1841.
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2
Obituary for Oliver Granger, Times and Seasons, 15 Sept. 1841, 2:550.
Times and Seasons. Commerce/Nauvoo, IL. Nov. 1839–Feb. 1846.
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Oct. 1812–Sept. 1856. Postmaster, editor, attorney. Born at Cheshire, Berkshire Co., Massachusetts. Son of Ira Babbitt and Nancy Crosier. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, ca. 1830. Located in Amherst, Lorain Co., Ohio, July 1831....
View Full BioPort 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 InfoThe 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 GlossaryAs directed by early revelations, church members “gathered” in communities. A revelation dated September 1830, for instance, instructed elders “to bring to pass the gathering of mine elect” who would “be gathered in unto one place, upon the face of this land...
View GlossaryThe highest presiding body of the church. An 11 November 1831 revelation stated that the president of the high priesthood was to preside over the church. JS was ordained as president of the high priesthood on 25 January 1832. In March 1832, JS appointed two...
View GlossaryLocated ten miles south of Lake Erie. Settled by 1811. Organized by 1818. Latter-day Saint missionaries visited township, early Nov. 1830; many residents joined Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Population in 1830 about 55 Latter-day Saints and...
More InfoIn March 1841, Hyrum Smith met with Almon Babbitt and William W. Phelps during his trip to the eastern United States with Isaac Galland. He and Galland had been sent as agents for JS, and they asked Babbitt for help in executing some land transactions.a Hyrum Smith also apparently conversed with Babbitt and Phelps about the future of Nauvoo and of Kirtland, which had long been the central gathering place for church members. Apparently there existed some ambiguity concerning the future of Kirtland. As early as 1838, Wilford Woodruff recorded in his journal that he had heard JS prophesy of a scourge over Kirtland.b A revelation in January 1841 similarly pronounced “a scourge prepared for the inhabitants” of Kirtland, but only after stating that the Lord would “build up Kirtland.” The same revelation declared, “Let all my saints, [come] from afar” and reinforced Nauvoo’s designation as the central stake and gathering place for church members.c In May the First Presidency published a charge instructing church members to discontinue all stakes outside Hancock County, Illinois, and Lee County, Iowa Territory. Members outside those areas were specifically directed to relocate to Hancock County.d Phelps and Babbitt were unsure whether they should maintain their stake of the church in Kirtland or discontinue the stake and move to Nauvoo. Babbitt expressed his desire to follow the First Presidency but felt he deserved clarification regarding the future of the Kirtland stake. Recalling his meeting with Hyrum Smith, Babbitt wrote in October 1841, “I do not want to be rebelous the Lord Knows my heart . . . but I want somthing tangeable to act upon if you want all the bretheren to leave this place Say it in so many words.”e (aLetter from Isaac Galland, 5 Apr. 1841; Letter from Almon Babbitt, 19 Oct. 1841.b
31 May 1806–27 Apr. 1863. Merchant, iron foundry operator, mail carrier. Born in West Fairlee, Orange Co., Vermont. Son of Phineas Kimball and Abigail. Moved to Commerce (later Nauvoo), Hancock Co., Illinois, 1833, and established several stores. Married ...
View Full Bio29 Dec. 1818–1 Dec. 1898. Schoolteacher. Born in Phelps, Ontario Co., New York. Daughter of Oliver Granger and Lydia Dibble. Moved to Kirtland, Geauga Co., Ohio, 1833. Married Hiram Kimball, 22 Sept. 1840. Moved to Nauvoo, Hancock Co., Illinois, fall 1840...
View Full BioSarah Granger Kimball was a daughter of Oliver and Lydia Dibble Granger and had married Hiram Kimball in 1840. (Sarah Granger Kimball, “Auto-biography,” Woman’s Exponent, 1 Sept. 1883, 12:51.)
Woman’s Exponent. Salt Lake City. 1872–1914.
Located in portion of Nauvoo known as the bluff. JS revelation dated Jan. 1841 commanded Saints to build temple and hotel (Nauvoo House). Cornerstone laid, 6 Apr. 1841. Saints volunteered labor, money, and other resources for temple construction. Construction...
More InfoLocated in lower portion of Nauvoo (the flats) along bank of Mississippi River. JS revelation, dated 19 Jan. 1841, instructed Saints to build boardinghouse for travelers and immigrants. Construction of planned three-story building to be funded by fifty-dollar...
More InfoIn addition to commanding the Saints to build a temple, a revelation received in January 1841 also directed them to build a “boarding house,” called the Nauvoo House, to accommodate travelers. During the general conference of the church in October 1841, JS announced that there would not be another conference until the Saints could meet in the temple, implying that construction was expected to move quickly enough that the building would be sufficiently advanced to use as a meeting place by the time of the next general conference six months later. On 2 October 1841, the First Presidency laid the cornerstone of the Nauvoo House, signaling that construction on that building had begun in earnest. (Revelation, 19 Jan. 1841 [D&C 124:23, 56, 60]; Minutes and Discourse, 1–5 Oct. 1841.)
7 Feb. 1794–23/25 Aug. 1841. Sheriff, church agent. Born at Phelps, Ontario Co., New York. Son of Pierce Granger and Clarissa Trumble. Married Lydia Dibble, 8 Sept. 1813, at Phelps. Member of Methodist church and licensed exhorter. Sheriff of Ontario Co. ...
View Full BioSee Revelation, 23 July 1837 [D&C 112:24].
9 Feb. 1800–27 June 1844. Farmer, cooper. Born at Tunbridge, Orange Co., Vermont. Son of Joseph Smith Sr. and Lucy Mack. Moved to Randolph, Orange Co., 1802; back to Tunbridge, before May 1803; to Royalton, Windsor Co., Vermont, 1804; to Sharon, Windsor Co...
View Full Bio