Letter from Oliver Cowdery, 28 January 1832
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Source Note
, Letter, , Jackson Co., MO, to JS, , Kirtland Township, OH, 28 Jan. 1832; handwriting of ; three pages; JS Collection, CHL. Includes postal markings and redactions.Bifolium measuring 15⅝ × 10¼ inches (40 × 26 cm). The letter was tri-folded twice in letter style for mailing, addressed, and sealed. The front and back of the second leaf, which was used as the wrapper for mailing the letter, bear residue from morsels of an adhesive wafer that were removed. The bottom half of the front of the second leaf originally contained a printing bill for , but it was excised from the document and is no longer extant. Half the address block and postmarks are now missing from the wrapper because of the excision of the bill. The inscriptions “Bad” and “◊◊” appear at the top of the back of the second leaf in unidentified handwriting. A mark in red pencil follows ’s signature. The letter was later folded in half and tri-folded for filing purposes. All folds are partially broken, and there is a slight loss of inscription from the separations and holes in the filing folds. The letter has undergone conservation.The custodial history of this document is uncertain. The letter was initially sent to JS and is listed in the 1973 register of the JS Collection—which suggests continuous institutional custody.
Footnotes
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1
Part of one illegible character remains.
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2
Johnson, Register of the Joseph Smith Collection, 11.
Johnson, Jeffery O. Register of the Joseph Smith Collection in the Church Archives, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City: Historical Department of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1973.
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1
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Historical Introduction
This 28 January 1832 letter from provided JS with important information about the welfare of the Mormon community in . Cowdery and were directed in a November 1831 revelation to travel to , Jackson County, Missouri, carrying copies of JS’s revelations, which the church planned to publish. They were also instructed to take with them money donated by church members to aid in purchasing land in the Independence area. Departing on 20 November 1831, Cowdery and Whitmer arrived in Independence on 5 January 1832. On 23–24 January, they held a two-day in the home of in , Missouri; they supplemented it with a special conference on 27 January at ’s residence in Independence. As clerk of the conferences, Cowdery kept the minutes and shortly thereafter copied them into this 28 January letter to JS.The minutes highlight the continued development of in northwestern and the role of leaders such as and in that development. As , Partridge was responsible for overseeing the purchase of land in Jackson County in concert with Gilbert, who was an agent to the church in . Partridge also had the task of providing Saints with their “,” and Gilbert was directed by revelation to operate a in to generate revenues with which to purchase more land and to provision the church members who settled it. The minutes contain accountings from both Partridge and Gilbert of the moneys expended by them and a report from Partridge on land purchases. The minutes also record discussions concerning plans for schools for the Saints, the need for more skilled craftsmen to come to Missouri, and other subjects. In addition to the minutes, ’s letter includes a transcript of a note from Partridge to JS, a few words of general correspondence from Cowdery himself, and a list of projected costs of printing the revelations, which was to be conveyed to .’s letter was written to JS, who was living in , Ohio, but it was sent to in , Ohio, even though there was a post office in Hiram. Cowdery had directed previous correspondence from to Whitney, who served as the postmaster of Kirtland, in part because he believed Whitney’s position allowed Whitney franking privileges, which gave him “the benefits of free postage.” JS may have obtained the letter when he made a short visit to Kirtland from 29 February to 4 March 1832, or someone from Kirtland could have brought the letter to JS in Hiram before then. Regardless of the method of delivery, it is clear the letter reached Kirtland because in March, several leaders issued charges of misconduct against the Missouri conference based on their reading of Cowdery’s minutes. Also, the list of printing costs intended for Harris was cut from the letter, as Cowdery suggested, and presumably given to him.
Footnotes
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1
Revelation, 11 Nov. 1831–A [D&C 69:1–2].
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2
An August 1831 revelation instructed Sidney Rigdon to write “an Epistle & subscription to be presented unto all the Churches to obtain money to be put into the hands of the Bishop to purchase lands for an inheritance for the children of God.” (Revelation, 1 Aug. 1831 [D&C 58:50–51].)
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3
Whitmer, History, 38; Minute Book 2, 23 Jan. 1832.
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4
Cowdery’s minutes in this letter are more expansive than those Ebenezer Robinson later copied into Minute Book 2. It is possible that Whitmer, who kept minutes of several Missouri conferences in 1832, kept his own record of the 23 January meeting. If so, Robinson may have copied Whitmer’s minutes. (See Minute Book 2, 23 Jan. 1832.)
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5
Revelation, 20 May 1831 [D&C 51:3–4]; Revelation, 8 June 1831 [D&C 53:4]; Revelation, 20 July 1831 [D&C 57:4–8].
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6
Register of Officers and Agents [1830], 49 (second numbering).
A Register of Officers and Agents, Civil, Military, and Naval, in the Service of the United States, on the Thirtieth Day of September, 1817; Together with the Names, Force, and Condition, of all the Ships and Vessels Belonging to the United States, and When and Where Built. Prepared at the Department of State, In Pursuance of a Resolution of Congress, of the 27th of April, 1816. Washington DC: E. De Krafft, 1818.A Register of Officers and Agents, Civil, Military, and Naval, in the Service of the United States, on the 30th of September, 1829; together with the Names, Force, and Condition, of All the Ships and Vessels Belonging to the United States, and When and Where Built. Washington DC: William A. Davis, 1830.A Register of Officers and Agents, Civil, Military, and Naval, in the Service of the United States, on the 30th of September, 1831; together with the Names, Force, and Condition, of All the Ships and Vessels Belonging to the United States, and When and Where Built. Washington DC: William A. Davis, 1831.
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7
Letter from Oliver Cowdery, 8 Apr. 1831. According to the statute governing franking, postmasters could use the privilege for both incoming and outgoing correspondence that was business related and weighed no more than half an ounce. It is unclear, however, whether Whitney ever invoked his franking privilege for letters to or from Cowdery. (An Act to Reduce into One the Several Acts Establishing and Regulating the Post-Office Department [3 Mar. 1825], in Post-Office Laws, Instructions and Forms, 15–16, sec. 27.)
Post-Office Laws, Instructions and Forms, Published for the Regulation of the Post-Office. Washington DC: Way and Gideon, 1828.
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8
Note, 8 Mar. 1832. Mail between Independence and Kirtland generally required three to four weeks of travel time. (Hartley, “Letters and Mail between Kirtland and Independence,” 176.)
Hartley, William G. “Letters and Mail between Kirtland and Independence: A Mormon Postal History, 1831–33.” Journal of Mormon History 35, no. 3 (Summer 2009): 163–189.
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9
Charges against Missouri Conference Preferred to JS, ca. Mar. 1832.
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1
Document Transcript
| January [2]8th 1832 | Bro. Joseph |
| Names of presant who were to the | Names of Elders who were not ordained to the H.P.H. |
| Joshua Fairchild | |
| Daniel Cathcart | |
| Priest | |
| Teacher | |
| Isaac Bebee [Beebe] |
| Amount of funds paid over to the up to Jan 24. 1832. including moneys of his own | $4508.24 |
| Amount of disbursments for lands and other necessaries for the church up to Jan 24. 1832. | $3449.90 |
| Total amount of funds now remaining in the s hands at this date Jan 24. 1832. | $1058.34 |
| Names of Elders presant. | |
| Received of | $1002.70 |
| Received of agent of the churches at the east and sundry other brethren on the way to this land. $169[2],00 | $1692.00 |
| Total amount received. | $2694,70 |
| Total amount paid out | 2677.83 |
| Sum remaining. | 16.87 |
| $________ | |
| Paid out for Goods for Gilbert & Whitney for Goods and transportation to this place | 827.94 |
| Paid for transportation for families and bagage &c from to this place | 804.89 |
| Other necessaries for the use and benefit of the Church | 1045.00 |
| Total amount paid out | 2677,83 |
Footnotes
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1
TEXT: “[Hole in paper]8th”.
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2
Extant records of general conferences held in 1831 and 1832 indicate that all other general conferences during that time period were held in Ohio. (Minutes, ca. 3–4 June 1831; Minutes, 25–26 Oct. 1831; Revelation, 25 Jan. 1832–A [D&C 75:1–22].)
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3
Knight lived twelve miles southwest of Independence, two miles east of the state border. His stewardship was in the northwestern quarter of Section 33 of Township 49 North, Range 33 West, in Jackson County. (Jackson Co., MO, Land and Property Records, 1832–1857, “Record of Original Entries to Lands in Jackson County Missouri,” 20 Dec. 1898, Township 49 North, Range 33 West, p. [16], microfilm 1,019,781, U.S. and Canada Record Collection, FHL; Berrett, Sacred Places, 4:84, 109–112.)
U.S. and Canada Record Collection. FHL.
Berrett, LaMar C., ed. Sacred Places: A Comprehensive Guide to Early LDS Historical Sites. 6 vols. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1999–2007.
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4
“H.P.H.” refers to the high priesthood (in this instance, the office of high priest). Minutes from a 25–26 October 1831 conference at Orange, Cuyahoga County, Ohio, similarly begin with a list of “those ordained to the Highpriesthood.” All but three of those on this list (William W. Phelps, Newel Knight, and Oliver Cowdery) received the high priesthood at an early June 1831 conference held in Kirtland, Ohio. (Minutes, 25–26 Oct. 1831; Minutes, ca. 3–4 June 1831.)
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5
Cowdery and Whitmer had recently brought Revelation Book 1, a manuscript book of JS’s revelations, to Missouri.
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6
Isaac Beebe Sr. is listed in the 1820 census as living in Chardon, Ohio, and Isaac Beebe Jr. and George Beebe are listed in the 1830 federal census as living in Chardon. The Beebes apparently relocated to Missouri in 1831. Which Isaac is referred to here is not clear. (1820 U.S. Census, Chardon, Geauga Co., OH, 101A; 1830 U.S. Census, Chardon, Geauga Co., OH, 253A; “Deaths,” The Evening and the Morning Star, Aug. 1834, 182.)
Census (U.S.) / U.S. Bureau of the Census. Population Schedules. Microfilm. FHL.
The Evening and the Morning Star. Independence, MO, June 1832–July 1833; Kirtland, OH, Dec. 1833–Sept. 1834.
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7
This number and the number “30” on the following line apparently refer to corresponding numbers that appear on revelations in Revelation Book 1. In that book, the revelation numbered “39” concerns Partridge’s call to preach. The revelation numbered “30” states that only JS can receive revelation for the church as a whole and gives Cowdery the responsibility to lead the mission to the Lamanites. (Revelation, 9 Dec. 1830, in Revelation Book 1, p. 48 [D&C 36]; Revelation, Sept. 1830–B, in Revelation Book 1, p. 40 [D&C 28].)
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8
Articles and Covenants, ca. Apr. 1830 [D&C 20:46–59]. In November 1831, a revelation called for the organization of the various offices in the church into bodies of designated sizes and for the appointment of presidents for each to “set in council with them & to teach them their duty.” (Revelation, 11 Nov. 1831–B [D&C 107:85].)
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9
A November 1831 revelation outlined a hierarchy of offices in the church, ascending “from Deacon to Teacher & from Teacher to Priest & from Priest to Elder,” after which came “the high Priest hood which is the greatest of all.” (Revelation, 11 Nov. 1831–B [D&C 107:63–64].)
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10
The “Articles and Covenants” of the church merely instructed that “every elder, priest, teacher, or deacon, is to be ordained according to the gifts and calling of God unto them by the power of the Holy Ghost, which is in the one who ordains them.” However, at a November 1831 conference in Hiram, Ohio, where two individuals from Nelson, Ohio, wanted to know whether they could preach the gospel, the conference decided that the two should “be ordained according to the voice of the church in which they live.” That decision was similar to the action taken at this Missouri conference. (Articles and Covenants, ca. Apr. 1830 [D&C 20:60]; Minutes, 9 Nov. 1831.)
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11
The Articles and Covenants directed that congregations “send one of their priests or teachers to attend the several conferences held by the elders of the church with a list of the names the several persons uniting themselves to the church since the last conference.” Presenting Ohio records in Zion was in harmony with a November 1831 revelation that stated that the “Saints which are abroad in the Earth should send forth their accounts to the Land of Zion for the Land of Zion shall be a seat & a place to receive & do all these things.” (Articles and Covenants, ca. Apr. 1830 [D&C 20:81–82]; Revelation, 11 Nov. 1831–A [D&C 69:5–6].)
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12
Partridge purchased these lands in several different transactions, all in his own name. They included a sixty-three-acre plot purchased in December 1831, which the Saints dedicated for the building of a temple. (Jones H. Flournoy and Clara Hickman Flournoy to Edward Partridge, Deed, Jackson Co., MO, 19 Dec. 1831, CHL; Edward Partridge, Petition for Redress, 15 May 1839, Edward Partridge, Papers, CHL; Land Patents for Edward Partridge, Jackson Co., MO, nos. 14, 1871, 1872, 1873, 1961, 1962, General Land Office Records, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Department of the Interior.)
Flournoy, Jones H., and Clara Hickman Flournoy. Deed to Edward Partridge, Jackson Co., MO, 19 Dec. 1831. CHL. MS 14294.
Edward Partridge, Papers, 1818–1839. CHL. MS 892.
General Land Office Records. Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Department of the Interior. Digital images of the land patents cited herein are available at http://www.glorecords.blm.gov/.
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13
“Pertaining to artisans or mechanics.” As evidenced by the request later in the letter for specific individuals skilled in blacksmithing, shoemaking, and masonry to come to Jackson County, “mechanics” as used here apparently meant craftsmen of various kinds. (“Mechanic,” in American Dictionary [1845], 523.)
An American Dictionary of the English Language; Exhibiting the Origin, Orthography, Pronunciation, and Definitions of Words. Edited by Noah Webster. New York: Harper and Brothers, 1845.
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14
TEXT: “be[hole in paper]efit”.
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15
TEXT: “o[hole in paper]e”.
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16
TEXT: “o[hole in paper]e”.
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17
TEXT: “Sm[hole in paper]h”.
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18
Because the Santa Fe Trail began at Independence, Jackson County, Missouri, the town probably already had some craftsmen. This resolution indicates that the elders were committed to building a self-sustaining Mormon community. (See History of Jackson County, Missouri, 170.)
The History of Jackson County, Missouri, Containing A History of the County, Its Cities, Towns, Etc. . . . Cape Girardeau, MO: Cape Ramfre Press, 1966.
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19
TEXT: “abo[hole in paper]e”.
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20
The conference report in Minute Book 2 records that John Corrill offered the closing prayer. Corrill offered the opening prayer at the conference held at Sidney Gilbert’s home on 27 January 1832, which may have confused the recorder of the minutes in Minute Book 2. (Minute Book 2, 23 Jan. 1832.)
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21
See Revelation, 9 Feb. 1831 [D&C 42:34–36]; and Revelation, 20 May 1831 [D&C 51:8].
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22
Partridge distributed funds to elders who were required by a 6 June 1831 revelation to travel to Zion. An 8 August 1831 revelation instructed Partridge to aid these elders on their return journey as well. (Revelation, 6 June 1831 [D&C 52]; Revelation, 8 Aug. 1831 [D&C 60:10].)
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23
It is unclear how much Partridge had expended on land to this point. He purchased much of the land for $1.25 an acre. This would mean that he had paid approximately $1,500 for the nearly 1,200 acres he had purchased. Records indicate that he had spent at least $875 for nearly 660 acres by the end of 1831. (Land Patents for Edward Partridge, Jackson Co., MO, nos. 14, 1871, 1872, 1873, 1961, 1962, General Land Office Records, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Department of the Interior; Jones H. Flournoy and Clara Hickman Flournoy to Edward Partridge, Deed, Jackson Co., MO, 19 Dec. 1831, CHL.)
General Land Office Records. Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Department of the Interior. Digital images of the land patents cited herein are available at http://www.glorecords.blm.gov/.
Flournoy, Jones H., and Clara Hickman Flournoy. Deed to Edward Partridge, Jackson Co., MO, 19 Dec. 1831. CHL. MS 14294.
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24
A June 1831 revelation assigned Cowdery and Phelps the task of publishing schoolbooks. Some leaders in Kirtland objected to the appointment of Corrill to superintend schools, believing that his work as an assistant to Partridge required his full attention. (Revelation, 14 June 1831 [D&C 55:4]; Charges against Missouri Conference Preferred to JS, ca. Mar. 1832.)
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25
About sixty church members from Colesville, New York, relocated together to Kaw Township after a sojourn in Thompson, Ohio, arriving in late July 1831. They settled on an eighty-acre tract of land in the northwest corner of Section 33 of Township 49 North, Range 33 West. (Knight, Reminiscences, 9; Jackson Co., MO, Land and Property Records, 1832–1857, “Record of Original Entries to Lands in Jackson County Missouri,” 20 Dec. 1898, Township 49 North, Range 33 West, p. [16], microfilm, 1,019,781, U. S. and Canada Record Collection, FHL; Berrett, Sacred Places, 4:110n12.)
Knight, Joseph, Sr. Reminiscences, no date. CHL. MS 3470.
U.S. and Canada Record Collection. FHL.
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26
That is, the Articles and Covenants. These stated that a “regular list of all the names of the members of the whole church” were to be kept in a book “by one of the elders whomesoever the other elders shall appoint from time to time.” That list was called “the general church record of names.” Although a March 1831 revelation gave John Whitmer the responsibility to “keep the Church Record & History continually,” Corrill was here appointed to keep the record for Zion—an assignment to which some Ohio leaders objected. (Articles and Covenants, ca. Apr. 1830 [D&C 20:82–83]; Revelation, ca. 8 Mar. 1831–B [D&C 47:3]; Charges against Missouri Conference Preferred to JS, ca. Mar. 1832.)
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27
TEXT: “i[hole in paper]”.
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28
There is no extant record that a “house of entertainment” was ever built or begun. By 1838, Smallwood Noland, who was not a member of the church, was operating a log hotel and tavern in Independence that Parley P. Pratt called a “respectable hotel.” Whether that hotel was in operation in January 1832 is unclear. (Berrett, Sacred Places, 4:49–50; Pratt, History of the Late Persecution, 46.)
U.S. and Canada Record Collection. FHL.
Pratt, Parley P. History of the Late Persecution Inflicted by the State of Missouri Upon the Mormons, In Which Ten Thousand American Citizens were Robbed, Plundered, and Driven From the State, and Many Others Imprisoned, Martyred, &c. For Their Religion, and All This by Military Force, by Order of the Executive. By P. P. Pratt, Minister of the Gospel. Written During Eight Months Imprisonment in that State. Detroit: Dawson and Bates, 1839.
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29
TEXT: “b[hole in paper]”.
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30
A February 1831 revelation stated, “& it shall come to pass that the Bishop of my church after that he has received the properties of my church that it cannot be taken from you he shall appoint every man a Steward over his own property or that which he hath received.” (Revelation, 9 Feb. 1831 [D&C 42:32].)
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31
That is, the February 1831 “Laws of the Church of Christ,” which outlined the principles of consecration. (Revelation, 9 Feb. 1831 [D&C 42:30–38].)
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32
After this time, upon receiving a donation Partridge prepared an agreement of consecration, which functioned as the “receipt” requested. This agreement stated that Partridge, having received the donation, bound himself to “cause the same to be expended” for the purposes stated on the agreement of consecration. The agreement also declared that if Partridge was “removed from the office of bishop of said church, by death or otherwise,” he and his heirs were legally bound to transmit all such donated property to the new bishop. (See, for example, James Lee and Edward Partridge, Agreement of Consecration, ca. 1832–1833, incorporated as part of Edward Partridge, Jackson Co., MO, to “Honored Father” et al., 22 Oct. 1834, Edward Partridge, Papers, CHL.)
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33
Corrill and Morley were appointed “assistants” to Partridge in June 1831. (Minutes, ca. 3–4 June 1831.)
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34
These charges apparently stemmed from encounters between Partridge and JS in Missouri during the summer of 1831. A September 1831 letter from Ezra Booth reminded Partridge of an argument Partridge had with JS over the selection of land to purchase in Missouri. This argument, Booth recounted, culminated in Partridge telling JS, “I wish you not to tell us any more, that you know these by the spirit when you do not.” Rigdon likely had this incident in mind when he charged Partridge with “having insulted the Lord’s prophet in particular & assumed authority over him in open violation of the Laws of God.” Rigdon also questioned how Partridge reimbursed him for expenses incurred in the trip to Missouri. (Ezra Booth, “Mormonism—No. VII,” Ohio Star [Ravenna], 24 Nov. 1831, [1]; Minute Book 2, 10 Mar. 1832.)
Ohio Star. Ravenna. 1830–1854.
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35
“Abating pride.” (“Humiliating,” in American Dictionary [1828].)
An American Dictionary of the English Language: Intended to Exhibit, I. the Origin, Affinities and Primary Signification of English Words, as far as They Have Been Ascertained. . . . Edited by Noah Webster. New York: S. Converse, 1828.
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36
There is no extant record of a conference being held in Missouri on 3 April 1832.
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37
According to his father, Gilbert was an “invalid” in a “low state of health” in 1832. His ailment is unknown. (Eli Gilbert, Huntington, CT, 24 Sept. 1834, Letter to the editor, LDS Messenger and Advocate, Oct. 1834, 1:9.)
Latter Day Saints’ Messenger and Advocate. Kirtland, OH. Oct. 1834–Sept. 1837.
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38
TEXT: “[Hole in paper]ought”.
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39
According to a later reminiscence of Emily Dow Partridge Young, Edward Partridge’s family and Isaac Morley’s family traveled to Missouri with “a company of Saints under the direction of W. W. Phelps and A. S. Gilbert.” (Young, “What I Remember,” 4–5.)
Young, Emily Dow Partridge. “What I Remember,” 1884. Typescript. CHL. MS 5718.
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40
The store was probably not in operation at this time. Gilbert apparently obtained a merchant’s license in the name of “Gilbert & Whitney” from Jackson County sometime prior to 6 February 1832. On 20 February 1832, “Gilbert & Whitney” paid $371 for the former log courthouse in Independence. (Jackson Co., MO, Deed Records, 1827–1909, vol. B, pp. 32–33, 20 Feb. 1832, microfilm 1,017,978, U. S. and Canada Record Collection, FHL; Eakin and Eakin, Jackson County Missouri Court Minutes Book 1, 127, 143–144; Berrett, Sacred Places, 4:47–48, 58.)
U.S. and Canada Record Collection. FHL.
Eakin, Joanne C., and O. B. Eakin, comp. Jackson County Missouri Court Minutes Book 1, 1827–1833, with Index; and Jackson County Missouri Death Register, 1883–1891. Independence, MO: By the author, 1988.
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41
An August 1831 revelation designated Whitney as “an agent unto the Desiples” in Kirtland. A December 1831 revelation, dictated two weeks after Cowdery and Whitmer departed for Missouri, designated Whitney as bishop for the Kirtland area. (Revelation, 30 Aug. 1831 [D&C 63:45]; Revelation, 4 Dec. 1831–A [D&C 72:7–8].)
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42
A July 1831 article in the Missouri Intelligencer indicates that both corn and wheat crops were “very light,” in part because of “excessive rains” and high water. The lack of production in fall 1831 probably increased the price of grain. (“The Crops,” Missouri Intelligencer and Boon’s Lick Advertiser [Columbia], 30 July 1831, [1]; “Wheat,” Missouri Intelligencer and Boon’s Lick Advertiser, 13 Aug. 1831, [3]; News Item, Missouri Intelligencer and Boon’s Lick Advertiser, 13 Oct. 1832, [4].)
Missouri Intelligencer and Boon’s Lick Advertiser. Franklin, MO, 1819–1827; Fayette, MO, 1827–1830; Columbia, MO, 1830–1835.
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43
Emily M. Coburn, who came to Missouri in 1831, later recalled that “teams were constantly on the road to St. Louis, Missouri, not only for farming machinery, but for other necessaries, such as mercantile goods, all of such as were needful, both in groceries and dry goods.” (Austin, Life among the Mormons, 66.)
Austin, Emily M. Mormonism; or, Life among the Mormons: Being an Autobiographical Sketch, Including an Experience of Fourteen Years of Mormon Life. Madison, WI: M. J. Cantwell, 1882.
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44
Weather was a substantial cause of Gilbert’s delay in reaching Missouri. Accompanied by his nephew James Rollins, Gilbert departed Kirtland for Missouri sometime in mid-October and arrived about 1 January 1832. Rollins later recalled, “We were delayed when we got to Arrow Rock, [Missouri,] one hundred miles below Independence, on account of the great flow of ice. The steamer turned back, and we remained there with W. W. Phelps for at least 5 weeks.” Emily Dow Partridge Young, who was with the group, recalled that they had to stay in a log cabin in Arrow Rock for two or three weeks until the weather improved. (Rollins, Reminiscences, 2; Young, “What I Remember,” 5.)
Rollins, James H. Reminiscences, 1896, 1898. Typescript. CHL. MS 2393.
Young, Emily Dow Partridge. “What I Remember,” 1884. Typescript. CHL. MS 5718.
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45
TEXT: “h[hole in paper]ve”.
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46
TEXT: “know[hole in paper]ng”.
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47
TEXT: “[Hole in paper]ill”.
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48
An August 1831 revelation stated that “in as much as there is lands obtained [in Missouri] let there be workmen sent forth of all kinds unto this land to labour for the saints of God.” This same revelation instructed those wanting to migrate to Missouri to obtain approval from the “Elders of the Church.” In addition, another August 1831 revelation stated that JS would have “power . . . to descern by the spirit those who shall go up unto the land of Zion & those of my Desiples that shall tarry.” However, as Partridge anticipated, some moved to the state without gaining such approval. (Revelation, 1 Aug. 1831 [D&C 58:54, 56]; Revelation, 30 Aug. 1831 [D&C 63:41]; see, for example, Letter to William W. Phelps, 31 July 1832; and Whitmer, History, 30.)
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49
In an August 1831 revelation, Elliott and Babbitt were told it was “wisdom” that they should “Journey this fall to the land of Zion.” (Revelation, 31 Aug. 1831.)
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50
The commandment to travel to Zion by land rather than by water was given in an August 1831 revelation, while JS and others were journeying home to Ohio. (Revelation, 12 Aug. 1831 [D&C 61:18].)
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51
Buckwheat and clover had several uses. According to an 1820 farmer’s almanac, both were important as “vegetable manure.” Turning under a field of either buckwheat or clover greatly enriched the soil; red clover was especially effective in improving wheat yields. Buckwheat could also “mak[e] an agreeable bread” and could be used to feed pigs and other livestock. Clover also provided nourishing hay for horses. (Nicholson, Farmer’s Assistant, 38, 62–64.)
Nicholson, John. The Farmer’s Assistant; Being a Digest of All That Relates to Agriculture and the Conducting of Rural Affairs. . . . 2nd ed. Philadelphia: Benjamin Warner, 1820.
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52
That is, bushel.
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Insertion in the handwriting of Sidney Gilbert.
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53
Several of these individuals—Murdock, Wight, Pratt, Hancock, Whitlock, and Coltrin—were told in a June 1831 revelation to travel to Missouri, preaching along the way. Some did not arrive until fall 1831 and apparently decided to stay for a time before returning. An August 1831 revelation indicated that one reason that these individuals, as well as others, were commanded to go to Missouri was so that “the testimony might go forth from Zion yea from the mouth of the City of the heritage of God.” (Revelation, 6 June 1831 [D&C 52]; see, for example, Murdock, Journal, Aug.–Sept. 1831; and Revelation, 1 Aug. 1831 [D&C 58:13].)
Murdock, John. Journal, ca. 1830–1859. John Murdock, Journal and Autobiography, ca. 1830–1867. CHL. MS 1194, fd. 2.
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54
Beginning in the early industrial era, water-powered carding machines became essential in cloth production, as they “took over the arduous task of preparing wool for hand spinning.” A clothier, according to Webster’s 1828 dictionary, is “a man whose occupation is to full”—meaning to cleanse and thicken—“and dress cloth.” (Ulrich, Age of Homespun, 38; “Clothier,” in American Dictionary [1828].)
Ulrich, Laurel Thatcher. The Age of Homespun: Objects and Stories in the Creation of an American Myth. New York: Knopf, 2001.
An American Dictionary of the English Language: Intended to Exhibit, I. the Origin, Affinities and Primary Signification of English Words, as far as They Have Been Ascertained. . . . Edited by Noah Webster. New York: S. Converse, 1828.
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55
Ashley was apparently a tanner by trade.
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56
A revelation in August 1831 instructed Harris to “be an example unto the church in laying his money before the bishop of the Church” to provide funding for land purchases for the storehouse and for the “house of the Printing.” A revelation in November 1831 appointed Harris—as well as JS, Cowdery, Whitmer, Rigdon, and Phelps—as “stewards over the revelations & commandments.” (Revelation, 1 Aug. 1831 [D&C 58:35–37]; Revelation, 12 Nov. 1831 [D&C 70:3].)
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57
A conference of elders held in November 1831 “voted that there be ten thousand copies struck” of the Book of Commandments, a compilation of JS’s revelations. (Minutes, 1–2 Nov. 1831.)
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58
TEXT: This part of the page is damaged due to the removal of an adhesive wafer.
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59
TEXT: “[page cut]wel”
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Postmark in unidentified handwriting.
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60
This indicates that postage on the letter was fifty cents, which agrees with the rates of postage established by Congress in 1825 and 1827: “Double letters, or those composed of two pieces of paper,” were charged double the usual rate of twenty-five cents—the cost of a letter traveling over four hundred miles. (Force, National Calendar, 140, italics in original.)
Force, Peter. The National Calendar for MDCCCXXIX. Vol. VII. Washington DC: By the author, 1829.Force, Peter. The National Calendar for MDCCCXXX. Vol. VIII. Washington DC: By the author, 1830.
