Nauvoo high council, Minutes, , Hancock Co., IL, 17 Aug. [1840]. Featured version copied [between 14 Feb. 1842 and 1 Jan. 1843] in Nauvoo High Council Minutes, fair copy, pp. 70–74; handwriting of ; CHL. For more complete source information, see the source note for Minutes, 27 Oct. 1839.
Historical Introduction
On 17 August 1840, the of the met with the and the high council to consider a dispute between and , both of whom had been appointed to the Iowa high council in October 1839. The difficulties between Fordham and Patten extended back to February 1840, when Fordham and “expressed some dissatisfaction with J. Patten for some of his teaching at a meeting on the preceding Sabath” in , Iowa Territory. When the Iowa high council discussed the issue in a meeting on 6 March 1840 (which JS attended), “an unpleasant scene” unfolded, and Patten, Snow, and Fordham were all removed from the high council “till the affair was Settled.” According to these 17 August minutes, the situation between Patten and Fordham had escalated to encompass issues relating to Patten’s land claims in Iowa Territory and the actions of a Rogers, who was likely . Patten accused Fordham, among other offenses, of sanctioning the destruction of Patten’s garden, perjuring himself in court over the matter, and preventing Rogers from paying off his debts. The Iowa high council assigned a committee to investigate the difficulties. At a 1 August 1840 high council meeting, this committee reported that conflict between Patten and Fordham continued, leading to the convening of this 17 August meeting at JS’s office in Nauvoo, Illinois. After JS admonished Fordham and Patten, the two men reconciled.
As clerk pro tempore, took the minutes of the meeting. Sometime after 14 February 1842—but likely still in 1842—he entered the minutes into the high council record book.
Stout indicated that he had recorded minutes of earlier meetings on 14 February 1842. He misdated these minutes as 17 August 1842, suggesting that he was recording the minutes sometime in 1842. A rough draft of the minutes has the correct date of 17 August 1840. (Nauvoo High Council Minutes, 19 Apr. 1840, 56; Nauvoo High Council Minutes, draft, 17 Aug. 1840, 14.)
Nauvoo High Council Minutes, 1839–1845. CHL. LR 3102 22.
Nauvoo High Council Minutes, 1839–1845. Draft. CHL.
Page 71
did not know in a Court of Justice thereby perjuring himself in making the following statements, to wit,
1stly. That said ’s garden was on Mr Coleman’s Claim— 2ndly. That he never saw the garden. 3rdly That the damage done by destroying said garden did not amount to five dollars.
4thly That rails delivered were worth from one dollar to one dollar and a quarter and one dollar and a half: and—
5thly That every person in knew that Colemans had not relinquished his claim to the land on which said ’s garden was situated,
Fourthly. For being privy to taking my rails and destroying my garden.
Fifthly. For justifying for so doing & approving of the act or ’ conduct.
Sixthly For embezeling property to prevent the payment of ’ debts.
Seventhly For having made false statements about ’ pill nostrums, saying that they had had the effect in his family last fall and winter set forth by said, to wit: that he never failed of [p. 71]
It is unclear where Patten’s garden was located. This Mr. Coleman was most likely William Coleman, a voting judge in the Third Precinct in Montrose, who had purchased land in Montrose and the Half-Breed Tract beginning in 1837. Coleman was listed in the 1840 census as living in Township 66 in Lee County, Iowa Territory—the same township where Patten and Fordham lived. (History of Lee County, Iowa, 436; Lee Co., IA, Land Records, 1836–1961, Deeds [South, Keokuk], vol. 1, pp. 129–130, 361–362, 367–368, microfilm 959,238, U.S. and Canada Record Collection, FHL; 1840 U.S. Census, Township 66, Lee Co., Iowa Territory, 199–200.)
The History of Lee County, Iowa, Containing a History of the County, Its Cities, Towns, &c., a Biographical Directory of Citizens. . . . Chicago: Western Historical Co., 1879.
U.S. and Canada Record Collection. FHL.
Census (U.S.) / U.S. Bureau of the Census. Population Schedules. Microfilm. FHL.