Minutes, 3 July 1840

Source Note

Nauvoo high council, Minutes,
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....
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, Hancock Co., IL, 3 July 1840. Featured version copied [between 14 Feb. 1842 and 1 Jan. 1843] in Nauvoo High Council Minutes, fair copy, pp. 64–66; 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
On 3 July 1840, 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...
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met to reconsider a memorial from JS requesting that he be relieved from his active involvement in the
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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’s temporal affairs, especially those related to land sales in Nauvoo, Illinois.
1
Memorial to Nauvoo High Council, 18 June 1840.
At its 20 June meeting, the high council passed resolutions aimed at granting JS’s request, but JS vetoed the council’s decisions.
2
Minutes, 20 June 1840; Minutes, 27 June 1840.
Although the high council passed additional resolutions at this 3 July meeting, the decisions were essentially the same as those made on 20 June. The 3 July minutes do not specify if JS attended, but it is probable he was there to ensure that the high council addressed his concerns in a way that met his approbation.

As clerk pro tem 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. At some point after 14 February 1842 and likely before the end of that year, Stout recorded the minutes 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.
3
Stout indicated that he recorded minutes of earlier meetings on 14 February 1842. He originally misdated these minutes, indicating that he copied the minutes in 1842. (Nauvoo High Council Minutes, 19 Apr. 1840, 56.)
Comprehensive Works Cited
Nauvoo High Council Minutes, 1839–1845. CHL. LR 3102 22.

Footnotes
1. 1
  Memorial to Nauvoo High Council, 18 June 1840.
2. 2
  Minutes, 20 June 1840; Minutes, 27 June 1840.
3. 3
  Stout indicated that he recorded minutes of earlier meetings on 14 February 1842. He originally misdated these minutes, indicating that he copied the minutes in 1842. (Nauvoo High Council Minutes, 19 Apr. 1840, 56.)
  Comprehensive Works Cited
  Nauvoo High Council Minutes, 1839–1845. CHL. LR 3102 22.

Document Transcript

July 3rd 1842 <1840>. The of the of Illinois met in Council at the office of Joseph Smith jr.

1 The subject of the memmorial of Joseph Smith jr was again taken up for a rehearing, according to the decision of the last Council (June 27) and the following resolutions were passed unanimously.

1st Resolved— that we feel perfectly satisfied with the course taken by Joseph Smith jr & feel a disposition as far as it is in our power to assist him so as to relieve him from the temporalities of the Church in [p. 64] order that he may devote his time more particularly to the spiritualities of the same, believeing by so doing we shall promote the good of the whole . But as he (Joseph Smith jr) is held responsible for the payment of the City <Plot>

and knowing no way to relieve him from that responsibility at present, we would request of him to act as treasurer for the City Plot and to whom those persons whom we may appoint to make sales of Lots and attend to the buisness affairs of the Church may at all times be responsible and make true and correct returns of all their proceedings as well as to account for all monies, properties &c which may come into their hands.

Therefore Resolved. That act as clerk for the same. That be appointed to provide for the wants of the and make such appropriations to them and to their Clerk or Clerks which they may require.

Resolved. that the funds of the City Plot shall [p. 65] not be taken to provide for the or Clerks but that the be instructed to raise funds from other sources to meet the calls made on them.

And mon[i]es recieved for lots shall be deposited in the hands of the treasurer to liquidate the debts of the City Plot.

Resolved that the shall have a stipulated sum for his services for transacting the buisness of the City Plot and that he recieve the sum of twenty-six dollars pr month for said services.—

Resolved— that the remaining items of buisness relative to the memmorial before the shall be laid over to be taken up again at the next Council.

Adjourned

Clerk pro tem [p. 66]

Footnotes

1
Minutes, 27 June 1840.
2
In his 18 June 1840 memorial, JS specified that his spiritual work included “translating the Ejyptian Records— the Bible— and wait upon the Lord for Such revelations as may be suited to the condition and circumstances of the church.” (Memorial to Nauvoo High Council, 18 June 1840.)
3
JS and his counselors in the First Presidency obligated themselves either directly to individuals from whom they purchased land in 1839 or to agents who purchased the land on their behalf. The debts for these land sales exceeded $150,000. (Agreement with George W. Robinson, 30 Apr. 1839; Bonds from Horace Hotchkiss, 12 Aug. 1839–A and B; Hancock Co., IL, Deed Records, 1817–1917, vol. 12-G, p. 247, 30 Apr. 1839, microfilm 954,195; Hancock Co., IL, Bonds and Mortgages, 1840–1904, vol. 1, pp. 31–32, 30 Apr. 1839, microfilm 954,776; Lee Co., IA, Land Records, 1836–1961, Deeds [South, Keokuk], vol. 1, pp. 507–509, microfilm 959,238; vol. 2, pp. 3–6, 13–16, microfilm 959,239, U.S. and Canada Record Collection, FHL; Cook, “Isaac Galland,” 270–275; Leonard, Nauvoo, 58.)
Comprehensive Works Cited
U.S. and Canada Record Collection. FHL.
Cook, Lyndon W. “Isaac Galland—Mormon Benefactor.” BYU Studies 19 (Spring 1979): 261–284.
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
In October 1839, the high council appointed JS as “Treasurer in the business” of the church. (Nauvoo High Council Minutes, 21 Oct. 1839, 25.)
Comprehensive Works Cited
Nauvoo High Council Minutes, 1839–1845. CHL. LR 3102 22.
5
Church leaders had earlier considered using town lot sales to help fund a delegation consisting of JS, Sidney Rigdon, and Elias Higbee on its mission to Washington DC to petition the federal government. (See Letter from Hyrum Smith, 2 Jan. 1840.)
6
Extant minutes of the next high council meeting and of subsequent meetings do not refer to JS’s memorial.

Minutes, 3 July 1840

Document Transcript

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