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Minutes, 8 March 1840

Source Note

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
high council, Minutes, [
Commerce

Located near middle of western boundary of state, bordering Mississippi River. European Americans settled area, 1820s. From bank of river, several feet above high-water mark, ground described as nearly level for six or seven blocks before gradually sloping...

More Info
, Hancock Co., IL], 8 Mar. 1840. Featured version copied 7 Feb. 1842 in Nauvoo High Council Minutes, fair copy, pp. 49–50; handwriting of
Hosea Stout

18 Sept. 1810–2 Mar. 1889. Farmer, teacher, carpenter, sawmill operator, lawyer. Born near Pleasant Hill, Mercer Co., Kentucky. Son of Joseph Stout and Anna Smith. Moved to Union Township, Clinton Co., Ohio, 1819; to Wilmington, Clinton Co., fall 1824; to...

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; CHL. For more complete source information, see the source note for Minutes, 27 Oct. 1839.

Historical Introduction

JS and the
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
high council

A governing body of twelve high priests. The first high council was organized in Kirtland, Ohio, on 17 February 1834 “for the purpose of settling important difficulties which might arise in the church, which could not be settled by the church, or the bishop...

View Glossary
met on 8 March 1840 at
Oliver Granger

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. ...

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’s residence in
Commerce

Located near middle of western boundary of state, bordering Mississippi River. European Americans settled area, 1820s. From bank of river, several feet above high-water mark, ground described as nearly level for six or seven blocks before gradually sloping...

More Info
, Illinois, to discuss various aspects of
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...

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business. JS had only recently returned from
Washington DC

Created as district for seat of U.S. federal government by act of Congress, 1790, and named Washington DC, 1791. Named in honor of George Washington. Headquarters of executive, legislative, and judicial branches of U.S. government relocated to Washington ...

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, arriving in Commerce by 29 February 1840. On 6 March, he attended a high council meeting in
Montrose

Located in southern part of county on western shore of Mississippi River. Area settled by Captain James White, 1832, following Black Hawk War. Federal government purchased land from White to create Fort Des Moines, 1834. Fort abandoned; remaining settlement...

More Info
, Iowa Territory.
1

John Smith, Journal, 1836–1840, 29 Feb. 1840, [58]; Minutes and Discourse, 6 Mar. 1840.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Smith, John (1781-1854). Journal, 1833–1841. John Smith, Papers, 1833-1854. CHL. MS 1326, box 1.

At that meeting, he emphasized to the
Iowa

Area acquired by U.S. in Louisiana Purchase, 1803. First permanent white settlements established, ca. 1833. Organized as territory, 1838, containing all of present-day Iowa, much of present-day Minnesota, and parts of North and South Dakota. Population in...

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high council that the attempt to gain redress for the Saints’ expulsion from
Missouri

Area acquired by U.S. in Louisiana Purchase, 1803, and established as territory, 1812. Missouri Compromise, 1820, admitted Missouri as slave state, 1821. Population in 1830 about 140,000; in 1836 about 240,000; and in 1840 about 380,000. Latter-day Saint ...

More Info
was “the only thing that ought to interest the saints at present.”
2

Minutes and Discourse, 6 Mar. 1840.


As these minutes of the 8 March high council meeting indicate, however, other business—especially related to land purchases—still needed consideration.
One item discussed in the meeting involved a financial dispute between
Edward Partridge

27 Aug. 1793–27 May 1840. Hatter. Born at Pittsfield, Berkshire Co., Massachusetts. Son of William Partridge and Jemima Bidwell. Moved to Painesville, Geauga Co., Ohio. Married Lydia Clisbee, 22 Aug. 1819, at Painesville. Initially a Universal Restorationist...

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and former church member
John Whitmer

27 Aug. 1802–11 July 1878. Farmer, stock raiser, newspaper editor. Born in Pennsylvania. Son of Peter Whitmer Sr. and Mary Musselman. Member of German Reformed Church, Fayette, Seneca Co., New York. Baptized by Oliver Cowdery, June 1829, most likely in Seneca...

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. Whitmer claimed Partridge owed him money on an existing mortgage on land Partridge held in
Far West

Originally called Shoal Creek. Located fifty-five miles northeast of Independence. Surveyed 1823; first settled by whites, 1831. Site purchased, 8 Aug. 1836, before Caldwell Co. was organized for Latter-day Saints in Missouri. William W. Phelps and John Whitmer...

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, Missouri. Because Whitmer continued to demand payment on the mortgage, which church leaders did not believe was legitimate, JS and Partridge brought the matter before the high council. The high council also considered items related to other land debts, including a $1,000 payment church leaders owed
William White

25 Apr. 1813–22 Sept. 1872. River pilot. Born in St. Charles, St. Charles Co., Missouri Territory. Son of James White and Lurana Barber. Married first Achsa Golden, 25 Sept. 1838, in Hancock Co., Illinois. Sold property in and around what became Commerce ...

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for approximately ninety acres of land in
Commerce

Located near middle of western boundary of state, bordering Mississippi River. European Americans settled area, 1820s. From bank of river, several feet above high-water mark, ground described as nearly level for six or seven blocks before gradually sloping...

More Info
that they had purchased from him and
Horace Hotchkiss

15 Apr. 1799–21 Apr. 1849. Merchant, land speculator. Born in East Haven, New Haven Co., Connecticut. Son of Heman Hotchkiss and Elizabeth Rowe. Moved to New Haven, New Haven Co., by 1815. Married Charlotte Austin Street, 22 Feb. 1824, in East Haven. Purchased...

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in August 1839.
3

Bond from Horace Hotchkiss, 12 Aug. 1839–B; JS History, vol. C-1, 965; Leonard, Nauvoo, 58.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Leonard, Glen M. Nauvoo: A Place of Peace, a People of Promise. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book; Provo, UT: Brigham Young University Press, 2002.

In January 1840,
Hyrum Smith

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...

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stated that he did not believe church leaders would be able to raise the money by the time it was due, necessitating the high council’s involvement.
4

Letter from Hyrum Smith, 2 Jan. 1840.


The high council additionally continued its efforts to establish a ferry across 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
5

At meetings in October 1839, the high council instructed Vinson Knight to pay $150 for the ferry at Montrose and voted to place Daniel C. Davis in charge of it. (Nauvoo High Council Minutes, 20 Oct. 1839, 24; Minutes, 27 Oct. 1839; Agreement with Daniel C. Davis, 21 Oct. 1839.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Nauvoo High Council Minutes, 1839–1845. CHL. LR 3102 22.

and also considered the case of
David W. Rogers

4 Oct. 1787–21 Sept. 1881. Born in New Hampshire. Son of Samuel Rogers and Hannah Sinclair. Married Martha Collins, 5 Dec. 1811, in Montreal, Lower Canada. Moved to Pomfret, Chautauque Co., New York, by 1820. Moved to New York City, 1830. Baptized into Church...

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, who had published an unauthorized church hymnal in
New York

Dutch founded New Netherland colony, 1625. Incorporated under British control and renamed New York, 1664. Harbor contributed to economic and population growth of city; became largest city in American colonies. British troops defeated Continental Army under...

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.
6

Minutes and Discourses, 5–7 Oct. 1839.


As clerk of the meeting,
Hosea Stout

18 Sept. 1810–2 Mar. 1889. Farmer, teacher, carpenter, sawmill operator, lawyer. Born near Pleasant Hill, Mercer Co., Kentucky. Son of Joseph Stout and Anna Smith. Moved to Union Township, Clinton Co., Ohio, 1819; to Wilmington, Clinton Co., fall 1824; to...

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took the minutes, which he copied into the
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
high council record book on 7 February 1842.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    John Smith, Journal, 1836–1840, 29 Feb. 1840, [58]; Minutes and Discourse, 6 Mar. 1840.

    Smith, John (1781-1854). Journal, 1833–1841. John Smith, Papers, 1833-1854. CHL. MS 1326, box 1.

  2. [2]

    Minutes and Discourse, 6 Mar. 1840.

  3. [3]

    Bond from Horace Hotchkiss, 12 Aug. 1839–B; JS History, vol. C-1, 965; Leonard, Nauvoo, 58.

    Leonard, Glen M. Nauvoo: A Place of Peace, a People of Promise. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book; Provo, UT: Brigham Young University Press, 2002.

  4. [4]

    Letter from Hyrum Smith, 2 Jan. 1840.

  5. [5]

    At meetings in October 1839, the high council instructed Vinson Knight to pay $150 for the ferry at Montrose and voted to place Daniel C. Davis in charge of it. (Nauvoo High Council Minutes, 20 Oct. 1839, 24; Minutes, 27 Oct. 1839; Agreement with Daniel C. Davis, 21 Oct. 1839.)

    Nauvoo High Council Minutes, 1839–1845. CHL. LR 3102 22.

  6. [6]

    Minutes and Discourses, 5–7 Oct. 1839.

Page [50]

6th Voted that
Peter Hawes [Haws]

17 Feb. 1796–1862. Farmer, miller, businessman. Born in Leeds Co., Johnstown District (later in Ontario), Upper Canada. Son of Edward Haws and Polly. Married Charlotte Harrington. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Moved to Kirtland...

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be appointed to negotiate a loan of one thousand
6

TEXT: Double underlined.


dollars, to be paid to
William White

25 Apr. 1813–22 Sept. 1872. River pilot. Born in St. Charles, St. Charles Co., Missouri Territory. Son of James White and Lurana Barber. Married first Achsa Golden, 25 Sept. 1838, in Hancock Co., Illinois. Sold property in and around what became Commerce ...

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on certain lands.—
7th Voted that the
Council

A governing body of twelve high priests. The first high council was organized in Kirtland, Ohio, on 17 February 1834 “for the purpose of settling important difficulties which might arise in the church, which could not be settled by the church, or the bishop...

View Glossary
purchase the horses, waggon, and harness belonging to
George W. Harris

1 Apr. 1780–1857. Jeweler. Born at Lanesboro, Berkshire Co., Massachusetts. Son of James Harris and Diana (Margaret) Burton. Married first Elizabeth, ca. 1800. Married second Margaret, who died in 1828. Moved to Batavia, Genesee Co., New York, by 1830. Married...

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— and that the horses are purchased for the use of the Ferry Boat
7

Horses were used on horse ferries, or team boats, which began operating in the United States in the 1810s. Albert Koch, a German paleontologist traveling in the United States in the mid-1840s, described a horse ferry on the Ohio River: the ferry was “set into motion by two horses, of which one on either side in a little house turned a wheel which was connected to a waterwheel. A single man managed the whole thing.” (Greene, Horses at Work, 69–70; Koch, Journey through a Part of the United States of North America in the Years 1844 to 1846, 114.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Greene, Ann Norton. Horses at Work: Harnessing Power in Industrial America. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2008.

Koch, Albert C. Journey through a Part of the United States of North America in the Years 1844 to 1846. Translated by Ernst A. Stadler. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 1972.

and that the waggon and harness be for the use of
President

The 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...

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Joseph Smith jr— and that
G. W. Harris

1 Apr. 1780–1857. Jeweler. Born at Lanesboro, Berkshire Co., Massachusetts. Son of James Harris and Diana (Margaret) Burton. Married first Elizabeth, ca. 1800. Married second Margaret, who died in 1828. Moved to Batavia, Genesee Co., New York, by 1830. Married...

View Full Bio
be assisted to pay a debt of $25.
8

TEXT: Double underlined.


to
Amos Davis

Ca. 20 Sept. 1813–22 Mar. 1872. Merchant, farmer, postmaster, tavernkeeper. Born in New Hampshire or Vermont. Son of Wells Davis and Mary. Moved to Commerce (later Nauvoo), Hancock Co., Illinois, ca. fall 1836. Married first Elvira Hibard, 1 Jan. 1837, in...

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if he cannot other wise pay it himself and that $30.
9

TEXT: Double underlined.


be canselled which he owes to President Joseph Smith jr
10

Harris apparently had owed money that he could not pay to a Brother Annis and a Brother Fuller. In January 1840, Annis and Fuller brought a charge against Harris before the high council, but the charge was dropped when the high council ordered the money repaid and directed Harris to repay JS. The thirty dollars Harris owed JS may have been to repay JS for covering this earlier debt. (Nauvoo High Council Minutes, 12 Jan. 1840, 43.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Nauvoo High Council Minutes, 1839–1845. CHL. LR 3102 22.

Adjourned.
Hosea Stout

18 Sept. 1810–2 Mar. 1889. Farmer, teacher, carpenter, sawmill operator, lawyer. Born near Pleasant Hill, Mercer Co., Kentucky. Son of Joseph Stout and Anna Smith. Moved to Union Township, Clinton Co., Ohio, 1819; to Wilmington, Clinton Co., fall 1824; to...

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Clerk pro tem.
Recorded on the 7th of February 1842 by
Hosea Stout

18 Sept. 1810–2 Mar. 1889. Farmer, teacher, carpenter, sawmill operator, lawyer. Born near Pleasant Hill, Mercer Co., Kentucky. Son of Joseph Stout and Anna Smith. Moved to Union Township, Clinton Co., Ohio, 1819; to Wilmington, Clinton Co., fall 1824; to...

View Full Bio
Clerk [p. [50]]
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Source Note

Document Transcript

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Document Information

Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Minutes, 8 March 1840
ID #
9579
Total Pages
2
Print Volume Location
JSP, D7:220–223
Handwriting on This Page
  • Hosea Stout

Footnotes

  1. [6]

    TEXT: Double underlined.

  2. [7]

    Horses were used on horse ferries, or team boats, which began operating in the United States in the 1810s. Albert Koch, a German paleontologist traveling in the United States in the mid-1840s, described a horse ferry on the Ohio River: the ferry was “set into motion by two horses, of which one on either side in a little house turned a wheel which was connected to a waterwheel. A single man managed the whole thing.” (Greene, Horses at Work, 69–70; Koch, Journey through a Part of the United States of North America in the Years 1844 to 1846, 114.)

    Greene, Ann Norton. Horses at Work: Harnessing Power in Industrial America. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2008.

    Koch, Albert C. Journey through a Part of the United States of North America in the Years 1844 to 1846. Translated by Ernst A. Stadler. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 1972.

  3. [8]

    TEXT: Double underlined.

  4. [9]

    TEXT: Double underlined.

  5. [10]

    Harris apparently had owed money that he could not pay to a Brother Annis and a Brother Fuller. In January 1840, Annis and Fuller brought a charge against Harris before the high council, but the charge was dropped when the high council ordered the money repaid and directed Harris to repay JS. The thirty dollars Harris owed JS may have been to repay JS for covering this earlier debt. (Nauvoo High Council Minutes, 12 Jan. 1840, 43.)

    Nauvoo High Council Minutes, 1839–1845. CHL. LR 3102 22.

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