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Pay Order to James Mulholland for John Snider, 8 November 1839

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Pay Order to James Mulholland for John Snider, 8 November 1839

Source Note

JS, Pay Order, , Sangamon Co., IL, to , for , [, Hancock Co., IL], 8 Nov. 1839; handwriting of ; signature of JS; one page; Materials Received from Mark W. Hofmann, CHL. Includes archival markings.
One leaf, measuring 3¾ × 7½ inches (10 × 19 cm). The document was originally folded in half and then was folded again twice. It appears that the document was stained in several places after it was folded.
Wilford C. Wood purchased this pay order and other materials from Charles E. Bidamon, ’s stepson, on 10 July 1937. Wood shortly thereafter sold most of the materials to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but he retained possession of this 1839 order. An alphanumeric code (“4-N-b-2”) inscribed in graphite on the upper right-hand corner of the order indicates that it was part of Wood’s collection when LaMar Berrett created a register for the collection during the summers of 1969 and 1970; the code is now partially erased. The pay order remained in the possession of the Wilford Wood Museum as late as fall 1973, when the collection was microfilmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah (Salt Lake City). In 1981 the document was listed for sale in a catalog issued by manuscript dealer Mark Hofmann. A comparison of the 1973 microfilm capture with the manuscript shows no alteration to the original manuscript except for the partial erasure of the alphanumeric code. The order was in the possession of document collector Brent Ashworth in 1984, when a photograph of it was published in an article titled “From the Prophet’s Life: A Photo Essay.” It is unclear when and from whom the Church Historical Department received the document, though the department had preliminary control of the document in 1993.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    Charles E. Bidamon, Statement of Sale, 10 July 1937, microfilm, reel 16; Wilford C. Wood, Statement, 10 July 1937, microfilm, reel 16, Wilford C. Wood, Collection of Church Historical Materials, CHL.

    Wilford C. Wood Collection of Church Historical Materials. Microfilm. CHL. MS 8617.

  2. [2]

    David O. McKay to Arthur Winter, 21 July 1937, microfilm, reel 16, Wilford C. Wood, Collection of Church Historical Materials, CHL; “Documents Obtained by Wilford Wood,” Deseret News (Salt Lake City), 21 July 1937, 13; Berrett, Wilford C. Wood Collection, iii, 95; “Wilford C. Wood Collection,” microfilm, Oct. 1973, CHL.

    Wilford C. Wood Collection of Church Historical Materials. Microfilm. CHL. MS 8617.

    Deseret News. Salt Lake City. 1850–.

    Berrett, LaMar C. The Wilford C. Wood Collection: An Annotated Catalog of Documentary- Type Materials in the Wilford C. Wood Collection. Vol. 1. [Woods Cross, UT]: Wilford C. Wood Foundation, 1972.

  3. [3]

    Hofmann, “Mormon Manuscripts, List #1,” item 2. Although Hofmann forged or altered some of the documents he sold, he also dealt in authentic documents that have custodial histories predating his possession. (See Turley, Victims, 346–394.)

    Hofmann, Mark W. “Mormon Manuscripts, List #1.” Manuscript catalog. Salt Lake City, 1981. Photocopy at CHL.

    Turley, Richard E., Jr. Victims: The LDS Church and the Mark Hofmann Case. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1992.

  4. [4]

    Youngreen, “From the Prophet’s Life: A Photo Essay,” 40–41.

    Youngreen, Buddy. “From the Prophet’s Life: A Photo Essay.” Ensign, Jan. 1984, 32–41.

Historical Introduction

On 8 November 1839, JS signed this pay order asking that be given a credit on a lot of land in exchange for a horse. JS dictated the order while he, , , , and stayed at Snider’s home in , Illinois, from 4 November to 9 November 1839 while en route to . Before resuming the journey, JS acquired the extra horse to assist with the group’s travels.
The land the pay order refers to was apparently a lot that purchased in the new plat. Two weeks before JS signed this order, the Nauvoo decided that “for the three ensuing months” the “standard price” on the lots would be $500, with acceptable prices ranging from $200 to $800. It is likely that Snider’s lot fell within this price range.
JS addressed this pay order to , who was the subtreasurer and clerk for land contracts for the . The note is in ’s handwriting, and JS signed it. Because the pay order bears no addressing or postage, it is possible that JS had a friend or acquaintance carry it back to , Illinois, as he did with other correspondence. The order never reached Mulholland, however, because he died on 3 November 1839, five days before JS wrote the note. JS did not learn of Mulholland’s death for several more weeks.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    Historian’s Office, JS History, Draft Notes, 29 Oct. 1839; 2 and 4 Nov. 1839, 66–67; Letter to Emma Smith, 9 Nov. 1839. Snider had moved to Springfield following his expulsion from Far West, Missouri.

  2. [2]

    JS and Rigdon wrote letters on 9 November indicating that Rigdon, who was still suffering from malaria, would remain at Snider’s home when the remainder of the group resumed traveling to Washington DC. However, this decision was apparently reversed later in the day, and Rigdon left with the rest of the group that same day. The group eventually left Rigdon, Foster, and Rockwell in Columbus, Ohio, because of Rigdon’s continued poor health. (Historical Introduction to Letter of Introduction from James Adams, 9 Nov. 1839; Letter of Introduction from Sidney Rigdon, 9 Nov. 1839; Letter to Emma Smith, 9 Nov. 1839; Historian’s Office, JS History, Draft Notes, 18 Nov. 1839, 68.)

  3. [3]

    There are no extant records of Snider having purchased land in Commerce, Illinois, by this date. The lot in question may have been block 148, lot 2, situated on the southeast corner of Sidney and Granger streets, for which Snider was taxed in 1842. (See “List of Property in the City of Nauvoo,” 1841, Nauvoo block 148, lot 2, Nauvoo, IL, Records, CHL; and Miller, “Study of Property Ownership: Nauvoo,” 148.)

    Nauvoo, IL. Records, 1841–1845. CHL. MS 16800.

    Miller, Rowena J. “Study of Property Ownership: Nauvoo; Original Town of Nauvoo, 1839–1850,” ca. 1965. In Nauvoo Restoration, Inc., Corporate Files, 1839–1992. CHL.

  4. [4]

    Nauvoo High Council Minutes, 21 Oct. 1839, 26.

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

  5. [5]

    Nauvoo High Council Minutes, 20 Oct. 1839, 25; Minutes, 27 Oct. 1839.

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

  6. [6]

    See, for example, Letter from Emma Smith, 6 Dec. 1839.

  7. [7]

    JS first learned of Mulholland’s death in a letter he received from his wife Emma. She reported to JS that Mulholland fell ill the day after JS departed Commerce (29 October 1839) and that she cared for him in her and JS’s home until his death six days later. (Letter from Emma Smith, 6 Dec. 1839; Historian’s Office, JS History, Draft Notes, 29 Oct. 1839, 66.)

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November 8th. 1839
Bro
Sir you will please to Credit Bro Sixty dollars on his Lot it being for a horse Receiv’d of him to prosecute his <​our​> journey Yours &c
Joseph Smith Jr [p. [1]]
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Document Information

Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Pay Order to James Mulholland for John Snider, 8 November 1839
ID #
4113
Total Pages
2
Print Volume Location
JSP, D7:51–52
Handwriting on This Page
  • Elias Higbee
  • Joseph Smith Jr.

Footnotes

  1. new scribe logo

    Signature of JS.

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