Letter from Isaac W. Stathem, 10 May 1843
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Source Note
Isaac W. Stathem, Letter, , Philadelphia Co., PA, to JS, , Hancock Co., IL, 10 May 1843; handwriting of Isaac W. Stathem; dockets in handwriting of and ; three pages; JS Collection, CHL.
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Historical Introduction
On 10 May 1843, Isaac Stathem wrote a letter from Philadelphia to JS in Nauvoo, Illinois, to inquire about land arrangements Stathem had made in Nauvoo and to claim that he and his wife had been unjustly disfellowshipped by the Philadelphia branch of the church. Stathem purchased land in Nauvoo in 1841 and then entered an agreement with Arthur Morrison, who owned an adjoining tract, allowing Morrison to rent Stathem’s land and house for thirty-six dollars a year. Stathem also entered into an agreement with a “Mathews”—probably Anson Mathews—for additional land. In 1842, George W. Robinson brought a suit against Stathem in the Hancock County Circuit Court for nonpayment of a forty-dollar debt. When Stathem did not show up for the trial, the court ordered that a house owned by Stathem that was “a few paces North of the Store of Arhur Morison” be sold to pay the debt. This was probably the same house Morrison was renting from Stathem. If so, Stathem seemed unaware of the court order; he had previously asked Brigham Young to collect the rent from Morrison and pay it to Mathews as partial payment on the land, and he stated in the 10 May 1843 letter featured here that he expected that Young had collected another year’s rent. Young may have been involved in the transaction because he had made his own arrangement to purchase some land from Mathews. Stathem may have agreed to purchase some of the land Young bought from Mathews.Sometime before February 1842, Stathem arrived in Philadelphia, where he was a supporter of Benjamin Winchester, the presiding elder of the Philadelphia branch. When Winchester and a group of his supporters split off from the rest of the branch and began meeting in a new building, Stathem followed them. One branch member referred to Stathem as one of Winchester’s “immediate Friends that Constantly surround him.” Stathem ran into difficulties after Hyrum Smith and William Law set the Philadelphia branch in order under Peter Hess’s leadership as presiding elder. Hess informed Hyrum Smith and JS in February 1843 that Stathem and his wife (whose name is not known) were “keeping a Kind of tave[r]n and oyster house” in Philadelphia “for prostitutes and their associates to resort.” The Stathems were also accused of prostituting Sister Miller, a young woman who had come to live with them after her parents disowned her because she converted to the church. The Stathems countered these charges by accusing Miller of immorality.As a result of testimony regarding the Stathems’ accusations against Miller, Stathem’s wife was charged with defamation of character and using profane language. The first charge was “laid under the table” by the Philadelphia branch, a decision that Hess believed was orchestrated by Winchester and his supporters. Stathem’s wife confessed to the second charge of using profanity and was exonerated. However, two months later, a “Select Council of Elders” disfellowshipped the Stathems based on Hess’s charge that they were “keeping a house of ill-fame.” Isaac Stathem composed this 10 May letter to tell JS his side of the story and to seek information about his Nauvoo property dealings.The lack of postal markings on the letter suggests a courier delivered it to Nauvoo. The courier may have been Winchester, who was present at a 27 May 1843 meeting held to consider his standing in the church. Although three other letters written by Philadelphia branch members were read at this meeting, the minutes of the meeting do not mention Stathem’s letter. No response from JS has been located.
Document Transcript
May 10th 1843
Dear brother in the Lord
I embrace this oppertunity to Let you [k]now that I and my wiffe has not forgot you and famaley. we are well at present and and in hopes those lines will find you all well.
I have bin striven hard this last year to get a nuff [enough] a head to come out this spring but by being Cheeted out of a good deal I am a fraid that I will not be able to come out this spring but it is my wish.
but I wish you to [k]now I left my Retens [returns?] and bisness in ’s hands and he has not bin the man to send me anney word concerning it I sent him a letter last spring and at the same time send sent out a small pa[ck]age of goods by brother Coplen & others those goods was directed to you and I stated in the letter I wished those goods sold and the proseeds paid over to Brother Mathes on that Land I bought of him like wise enformed him that when Morrissons [Arthur Morrison’s] year was up their would be from 10 to 15 dollers due me thar and for to Collect those moneys and pay them over [to] Mathews and get a settlement with Mathews and Lat me [k]now by a letter what the ballence was comeing and I would get the money a[nd] send it out the first oppertunitey but I have not never bin able to [k]now how the things stands [p. [1]]
but I would not Like to Loos the Land for If their was not money a nuff to pay for the Land than thair must be now for their Is a nother year’s rent due on the hous I had not a chance of settleing with Mathews before I came a way their fore things was Lift at Loos ends but I had paid him a but [about] 20 dollers on the second note for he got a looking glass of us which was Eleven Dollers be sides other things
I will now Leve of now the temprel a fairs and say something a but spiritual th[i]ngs Things past a long with me and the Church verry well untill the 10 St Church and 3d Street Church Come to gether it was like Cold watter Comeing in Contact [with?] hot water in a red hot B[o]iler it must Colaps. and burst when the Julian St Church was a stablished Came to me and said he was going round a mung the 10 St members and Requested them all to turn out and in at the Colletions as much as they could for the 3d St members was a posed to that Church thairfore I as one went for werd and they got a bout one Doller a week from mee till forbid Comeing to the Church and a stablished Worton [William Wharton] on the throne who is a snake in the grass and a dictator of Lise [lies] which Can be prooven, for he has bin Caut more than once and then him and then took in them that had struck thair names of the Church books for more them one [p. [2]] one yeir and others that was dis fellow shiped took shuch [such] in full Communion and then turned round lide [lied] about the 10 St members and for so doing thair was Charges brought against which he would not give no satisfaction and be caus I went a gainst shuch proseedings thair was shower of Lies and slander Showered Down on me for which I presented too C[h]arges against one Conspiring a gainst me and the other Slander and I could brought one against him for Evedropen. [eavesdropping] thair fore they Cald a prevet meeten and disfellowshiped me and my wife. but I will fech those C[h]arges up to when I come and of Afadavid up with me to show what Cind [kind] of carectors they got to testify a gainst me I will leve the rest for to state for he [k]nows all about it and what they have Charged a gainst us is folse and God will Juge them for it
I remain yours under the bonds of the
Isaac W Stathem [5 lines blank] [p. [3]]
To Mr
Joseph Smith
Isaac W Strathem
May 10th. 1843.—
May 10. 1843
Isaac W. Stathem [p. [4]]
Footnotes
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Docket in handwriting of Willard Richards.
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Docket in handwriting of Thomas Bullock.
