Petition to Arial Hanson, 7 November 1836

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Petition to Arial Hanson, 7 November 1836
Source Note

JS and others, Petition,
Kirtland Township
Located ten miles south of Lake Erie. Settled by 1811. Organized by 1818. Latter-day Saint missionaries visited township, early Nov. 1830; many residents joined Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Population in 1830 about 55 Latter-day Saints and...
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, Geauga Co., OH, to
Arial Hanson
6 Mar. 1800–28 Aug. 1862. Farmer. Born in New Salem, Franklin Co., Massachusetts. Son of William Hanson and Persis Gunn. Moved to Shelburne, Franklin Co., by 1820. Moved to Kirtland, Geauga Co., Ohio, 1821. Married Sally Ward, 4 Oct. 1829, in Cuyahoga Co....
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, [
Kirtland Township
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, Geauga Co., OH], 7 Nov. 1836. Featured version copied [ca. 1837–1838]; handwriting likely of Elijah A. Ward; one page; Lake County Historical Society, Painesville, OH. Includes docket and redaction. Transcription from a digital color image made of original in 2001.

Three conjoined leaves; the first measures 12 × 7¾ inches (30 × 20 cm), the second 11¾ × 7¾ inches (29 × 20 cm), and the third 12 × 7¾ inches (30 × 20 cm). The three leaves were made into one cohesive document measuring 34⅜ × 7¾ inches (87 × 20 cm) by joining the bottom of the first leaf and the top of the second leaf with three adhesive wafers and by joining the bottom of the second leaf and the top of the third leaf with three additional adhesive wafers. The first leaf contains thirty-seven brown lines; the second and third leaves have thirty-six brown lines each. The petition was likely folded into fourths and then trifolded to form three panels. It was docketed on the right side of the left panel. A bottom segment of the petition is torn entirely at a fold. This copy of the original letter was likely created by Elijah A. Ward, the brother-in-law of
Arial Hanson
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, while serving as deputy sheriff in Cuyahoga County, Ohio. The location of the original letter is unknown.

A typed note accompanying the letter states it was donated by Philip Ward, a grandson of Elijah A. Ward, to the Lake County Historical Society.
1
Upton, History of the Western Reserve, 758–760.
Comprehensive Works Cited
Upton, Harriet Taylor. History of the Western Reserve. 3 vols. Chicago: Lewis, 1910.
The donation occurred between 1938, when the historical society was organized, and 1954, when Ward died.
2
“Philip Emmerson Ward,” Melbourne Cemetery, Melbourne, Brevard Co., FL, U.S. Find a Grave Index.
Find a Grave. http://www.findagrave.com.
Footnotes
[1]
Upton, History of the Western Reserve, 758–760.
[2]
“Philip Emmerson Ward,” Melbourne Cemetery, Melbourne, Brevard Co., FL, U.S. Find a Grave Index.
Find a Grave. http://www.findagrave.com.
Historical Introduction
In early November 1836, JS and other residents of
Kirtland
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, Ohio, drafted a petition to
Arial Hanson
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, a justice of the peace in Kirtland, asking him to resign his office and leave the
county
Located in northeastern Ohio, south of Lake Erie. Rivers in area include Grand, Chagrin, and Cuyahoga. Settled mostly by New Englanders, beginning 1798. Formed from Trumbull Co., 1 Mar. 1806. Chardon established as county seat, 1808. Population in 1830 about...
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.
1
Arial Hanson, born in Massachusetts in 1800, moved to Kirtland in 1821. He married Sally Ward on 4 October 1829 in Cuyahoga County, Ohio. He served as overseer of the poor in Kirtland from 1834 to 1835 and justice of the peace in Kirtland from 1834 to 1837. (Upton, History of the Western Reserve, 759; List of Letters, Painesville [OH] Telegraph, 7 Apr. 1837, [3].)
Painesville Telegraph. Painesville, OH. 1822–1986.
The petition was signed by seventy-two Kirtland residents; all but a few are known to have been members of the
Church of the Latter Day Saints
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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.
2
Five of the signers cannot be confirmed as members of the church: John Davidson, Joseph Willard, L. J. Reave, John Gamble, and Jacob Harvey.
In scathing language, they charged Hanson with incompetence as a justice of the peace and with acting contrary to his duties in that office, especially regarding his actions toward church members.

Justices of the peace were important figures in antebellum towns and were recognized as local government officials by their communities. Elected by the residents of their township, justices of the peace oversaw the local court, also called the “justice of the peace court” or “small claims court,” which heard civil cases for debts of less than one hundred dollars. Justices had jurisdiction in criminal cases relating to assault and battery or fear of violence and in this role were appointed “conservators of the peace.” The position also included record-keeping responsibilities. Justices were required to keep a docket recording the lawsuits and other actions that related to their court duties; they also administered oaths and acknowledged contracts, such as deeds and mortgages.

The petition featured here notes several ways in which the signers felt
Hanson
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had acted contrary to his elected position as a peacekeeper, impartial judge, and arbiter of community conflicts.
3
The Ohio legislature clarified the duties of justices of the peace in 1831. (An Act Defining the Powers and Duties of Justices of the Peace and Constables, in Criminal Cases [11 Mar. 1831]; An Act Defining the Powers and Duties of Justices of the Peace and Constables, in Civil Cases [14 Mar. 1831]; An Act to Regulate the Action for Forcible Entry and Detainer [25 Feb. 1831], Acts of a General Nature [1831], pp. 170–214.)
Acts of a General Nature, Enacted, Revised and Ordered to Be Reprinted, at the First Session of the Twenty-Ninth General Assembly of the State of Ohio. Columbus: Olmsted and Bailhache, 1831.
According to the petition, Hanson encouraged mob violence, wrote slanderous statements, and aided enemies of church members in acting against them. Though there is little extant evidence regarding the allegations found in the petition, some reminiscent accounts support the claims that Hanson was antagonistic toward church members.

In an autobiographical letter possibly written several decades after he left
Kirtland
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, church member
Daniel Wood
16 Oct. 1800–25 Apr. 1892. Farmer. Born in Duchess Co., New York. Son of Henry Wood and Elizabeth Demett. Moved with family to Ernestown, Midland District, Upper Canada (later in Lennox and Addington Co., Ontario), ca. 1803. Married Mary Snyder, after 1822...
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related an instance when the justice of the peace seized his property in 1837. Wood had acted as the surety for another church member’s promissory note and later had his wagon confiscated by
Hanson
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. Wood felt this was done unfairly, since the church member who issued the note had also provided ample land as security. Wood’s letter further described the arbitrary property seizures by some local constables and justices of the peace, likely including Hanson, that became so severe by 1837–1838 that “no Latter Day Saint could consider any property secure which he possessed.”
4
Wood, “Letter to Daniel Wood’s Brother Hosea Wood,” 3–4. A constable was a town officer of the peace and had the authority to carry out civil and criminal judgments under the direction of justices of the peace.
Wood, Daniel. “A Letter to Daniel Wood’s Brother Hosea Wood.” No date. Typescript. Danidl Wood, Histories, ca. 1890. CHL.
Wood noted that constables would find any excuse to confiscate a Mormon’s property. Should the owner object, arguing that he did not owe anyone money, then “the constable would curse and swear that they were Jo Smiths goods and they would take them to pay his debts or somebody else.” Confiscating good[s] for outstanding debts would be legal if church members had been acting as sureties on promissory notes of JS or other members. But Wood implied that Mormons’ goods were routinely confiscated even when not used to secure promissory notes, and he claimed that it was a common practice for some local officials to unfairly require additional security for promissory notes or other financial transactions involving church members. These abuses occurred, according to Wood, because of religious bias against the Church of the Latter Day Saints.
5
Wood, “Letter to Daniel Wood’s Brother Hosea Wood,” 4.

No statements by
Arial Hanson
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are extant, but there is evidence that his family members were opposed to JS and the church. A reminiscent statement by his wife, Sally Ward Hanson, was printed in Arthur Deming’s Naked Truths about Mormonism in 1888. In it, she claimed that when church members’ appeals to appoint a Mormon postmaster failed, they threatened her husband.
6
“Mrs. S. W. Hanson’s Statement,” Naked Truths about Mormonism, Apr. 1888, 3.
Naked Truths about Mormonism: Also a Journal for Important, Newly Apprehended Truths, and Miscellany. Oakland, CA. Jan. and Apr. 1888.
Arial Hanson’s father-in-law, Reverend Elijah Ward, was a minister for the Methodist Episcopal Church in neighboring
Willoughby
Village located in northeastern Ohio at mouth of Chagrin River, about three miles northwest of Kirtland, Ohio, and four miles from Lake Erie. Area settled, 1797. Township formerly named Charlton, then Chagrin. Became home of Willoughby Medical College, 1834...
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and preached against the Church of the Latter Day Saints.
7
Upton, History of the Western Reserve, 758. Isaac Russell, a church member living in Upper Canada, wrote to the editor of the Christian Guardian in Toronto, Canada, defending the Kirtland Safety Society—and by extension, the church—from earlier statements printed in the Christian Guardian from a “Methodist Minister who, it is stated, resided in the vicinity of Kirtland.” This minister might have been Reverend Elijah Ward, who lived with his son Elijah A. Ward in Willoughby, Ohio. According to Harriet Upton, Hanson donated land to the Methodist Episcopal Church. An 1839 Geauga County deed shows that Hanson and his brother-in-law Elijah A. Ward jointly transferred land to the trustees of the Kirtland Methodist Episcopal Church. This appears to be the land on which the Methodist Episcopal chapel was located. (Isaac Russell to Editor of the Christian Guardian, Toronto, Upper Canada, 11 Mar. 1837, Isaac Russell Correspondence, CHL; Upton, History of the Western Reserve, 757, 759; Geauga Co., OH, Deed Records, 1795–1921, vol. 30, pp. 361–362, 21 June 1839, microfilm 20,242, U.S. and Canada Record Collection, FHL.)
Russell, Isaac. Correspondence, 1837–1840. CHL. MS 6066.
U.S. and Canada Record Collection. FHL.

Despite the demands made in the petition,
Hanson
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did not resign as justice of the peace in
Kirtland
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but remained in the position until his term ended in May 1837, when he was replaced by
Oliver Cowdery
3 Oct. 1806–3 Mar. 1850. Clerk, teacher, justice of the peace, lawyer, newspaper editor. Born at Wells, Rutland Co., Vermont. Son of William Cowdery and Rebecca Fuller. Raised Congregationalist. Moved to western New York and clerked at a store, ca. 1825–1828...
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. Hanson continued to live in Kirtland into the 1840s and remained in northeastern
Ohio
French explored and claimed area, 1669. British took possession following French and Indian War, 1763. Ceded to U.S., 1783. First permanent white settlement established, 1788. Northeastern portion maintained as part of Connecticut, 1786, and called Connecticut...
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until his death in 1862.
8
Upton, History of the Western Reserve, 758; “Death Notice,” Painesville (OH) Telegraph, 4 Sept. 1862, [3]; 1840 U.S. Census, Kirtland, Lake Co., OH, 97; 1850 U.S. Census, Mentor, Lake Co., OH, 277[B]; 1860 U.S. Census, Willoughby, Lake Co., OH, 172.
Census (U.S.) / U.S. Bureau of the Census. Population Schedules. Microfilm. FHL.
Footnotes
[1]
Arial Hanson, born in Massachusetts in 1800, moved to Kirtland in 1821. He married Sally Ward on 4 October 1829 in Cuyahoga County, Ohio. He served as overseer of the poor in Kirtland from 1834 to 1835 and justice of the peace in Kirtland from 1834 to 1837. (Upton, History of the Western Reserve, 759; List of Letters, Painesville [OH] Telegraph, 7 Apr. 1837, [3].)
[2]
Five of the signers cannot be confirmed as members of the church: John Davidson, Joseph Willard, L. J. Reave, John Gamble, and Jacob Harvey.
[3]
The Ohio legislature clarified the duties of justices of the peace in 1831. (An Act Defining the Powers and Duties of Justices of the Peace and Constables, in Criminal Cases [11 Mar. 1831]; An Act Defining the Powers and Duties of Justices of the Peace and Constables, in Civil Cases [14 Mar. 1831]; An Act to Regulate the Action for Forcible Entry and Detainer [25 Feb. 1831], Acts of a General Nature [1831], pp. 170–214.)
[4]
Wood, “Letter to Daniel Wood’s Brother Hosea Wood,” 3–4. A constable was a town officer of the peace and had the authority to carry out civil and criminal judgments under the direction of justices of the peace.
[5]
Wood, “Letter to Daniel Wood’s Brother Hosea Wood,” 4.
[6]
“Mrs. S. W. Hanson’s Statement,” Naked Truths about Mormonism, Apr. 1888, 3.
[7]
Upton, History of the Western Reserve, 758. Isaac Russell, a church member living in Upper Canada, wrote to the editor of the Christian Guardian in Toronto, Canada, defending the Kirtland Safety Society—and by extension, the church—from earlier statements printed in the Christian Guardian from a “Methodist Minister who, it is stated, resided in the vicinity of Kirtland.” This minister might have been Reverend Elijah Ward, who lived with his son Elijah A. Ward in Willoughby, Ohio. According to Harriet Upton, Hanson donated land to the Methodist Episcopal Church. An 1839 Geauga County deed shows that Hanson and his brother-in-law Elijah A. Ward jointly transferred land to the trustees of the Kirtland Methodist Episcopal Church. This appears to be the land on which the Methodist Episcopal chapel was located. (Isaac Russell to Editor of the Christian Guardian, Toronto, Upper Canada, 11 Mar. 1837, Isaac Russell Correspondence, CHL; Upton, History of the Western Reserve, 757, 759; Geauga Co., OH, Deed Records, 1795–1921, vol. 30, pp. 361–362, 21 June 1839, microfilm 20,242, U.S. and Canada Record Collection, FHL.)
Russell, Isaac. Correspondence, 1837–1840. CHL. MS 6066.
[8]
Upton, History of the Western Reserve, 758; “Death Notice,” Painesville (OH) Telegraph, 4 Sept. 1862, [3]; 1840 U.S. Census, Kirtland, Lake Co., OH, 97; 1850 U.S. Census, Mentor, Lake Co., OH, 277[B]; 1860 U.S. Census, Willoughby, Lake Co., OH, 172.
Census (U.S.) / U.S. Bureau of the Census. Population Schedules. Microfilm. FHL.
Page [1]
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Kirtland
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Nov 7th 1836,

Mr
A[rial] Hanson
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Esqr
1
“Esquire” in this case was a customary title given to Hanson because of his position as justice of the peace.

Sir

The undersigned Subscribers inhabitants of
Kirtland
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being among the number of those or at least some of us who elevated you to the honourable office of Justis of the Peace
2
In the 1834 vote for justice of the peace, Hanson received fifty-six votes to Lyman Pitcher’s four votes and Oliver Hamon’s two. (Kirtland Township Trustees’ Minutes and Poll Book, 127.)
Kirtland Township Trustees’ Minutes and Poll Book, 1817–1838. Lake County Historical Society, Painesville, OH.
feeling themselves openly disgraced by your ignorance stupidity & in competency which has ben clearly manifested by the contempt that has been shown to your decisions in Law in the Court of the
County
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in which you live concider it an indispensable duty they owe to themselves & there families to request you by way of petition to resign the office with which you have ben honaured— & deliver them & there posterity from this open disgrace,— You must be sensible Sir that you have openly desgraced your friends that elivated you to office by reason of your incompetency & inability to discharge the duties of the same & that your continuanc[e] in office will bee heaping disgrace upon disgrace— We pray you there fore if there is yet remaining one spark of compassion in your sole soul that you will have mercy upon us & our children & our childrens children to the latest generation and suffer not this disgrace to be entailed upon our heads & upon the heads of our Children forever lest you bring down our gray hairs with sorrow to the grave—

You must also be sensible Sir that your continuance in this
Town
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of or
County
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must be an open rebuke & perpetual chastisement to those who were so far blinded to your abilities & to there own reputation as as to confer upon you the office of Justice of the Peace We therefore in the most solemn & aganising manner pray you as an act of duty you owe to us to our children forever that you that you with all possible speed & the greatest posible secrecy <secrecy> not even letting your right hand Know what you[r] left hand doeth
3
See Matthew 6:3; and Book of Mormon, 1830 ed., 482 [3 Nephi 13:3].
depart out of
Geauga County
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& seek your residence elsewhere— In doing this we wish to be distinctly understood that we intend no injury to your person property or Carracter in public or in private— but from a sense of duty we owe <owe> ourselves & families— For be assurid Sir we your humble petitioners concider you a pest & public nuisance to society Therefore we do again most sincearly adjure you to depart out of our coasts & deliver us from this evil that we have so Long groaned under in pain to be released— be assured Sir in the midst of all your slander misrepresentations & abuse we have paid you well for your nominal servises as a magistrate
4
Justices of the peace were paid for each action they performed: issuing writs such as summons, subpoenas, or warrants; recording judgments on cases and other information in their docket; certifying deeds or other financial instruments; and fulfilling other duties such as performing marriages or swearing in witnesses. Each of these tasks was assigned a fee that generally ranged from ten cents to seventy-five cents; performing a marriage paid $1.50. (See Swan, Treatise on the Law, 101–102.)
Swan, Joseph R. A Treatise on the Law Relating to the Powers and Duties of Justices of the Peace, and Constables, in the State of Ohio: with Practical Forms, &c. &c. Columbus, OH: Isaac N. Whiting, 1837.
& finally that society of people that you have so much persecuted have purchased your possessions & plased you in easy circumstances:
5
Some church members bought land from Hanson, including John F. Boynton and Luke Johnson. Reminiscent accounts by Ira Ames and Sally Ward Hanson note that Hanson regained possession of much of the land he had sold to church members in Kirtland when they defaulted on their payments or left Kirtland to move to Missouri. (Geauga Co., OH, Deed Records, 1795–1921, vol. 22, pp. 71–72, 28 June 1836, microfilm 20,239, U.S. and Canada Record Collection, FHL; Lake Co., OH, Deed Records, 1840–1950, bk. A, 429–431, microfilm 974,393, U.S. and Canada Record Collection, FHL; Ames, Autobiography and Journal, [13]; “Mrs. S. W. Hanson’s Statement,” Naked Truths about Mormonism, Apr. 1888, 3.)
Ames, Ira. Autobiography and Journal, 1858. CHL. MS 6055.
there fore we have claims on upon your Clemency & besech of you to not disregard our suplication but pity our deplorable condition & grant us this our last request do not longer harden your hart & stifen your neck against us Comply with our prayers for mercy sake In adition to you[r] ignoranc[e] & in competancy have you not Sir forgotten the duties of a peace maker & the solemnities of an oath
6
Ohio state law required that a justice of the peace take an oath of office. (An Act to Provide for the Election and Resignation of Justices of the Peace [31 Jan. 1831], Acts of a General Nature [1831], p. 169, sec. 11.)
that bound you to lift your voice against all violation of law & acts of violence against the peace & happiness of the citizens of the
united States
North American constitutional republic. Constitution ratified, 17 Sept. 1787. Population in 1805 about 6,000,000; in 1830 about 13,000,000; and in 1844 about 20,000,000. Louisiana Purchase, 1803, doubled size of U.S. Consisted of seventeen states at time ...
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by making a league with a mob who have driven defensless women & children from their houses & hom[e]s & trampled upon the rights against granted to them by the Laws of God & man and have you not Sir used all your influence to increace there miseries by encourageing mobs & inflaming the indignation of a lawless banditti by conveying secret letters full of falsehood & misrepresentations to increase there suffering & to strengthen the hands of murderers mourauders to put at defiance the constitution of the
United States
North American constitutional republic. Constitution ratified, 17 Sept. 1787. Population in 1805 about 6,000,000; in 1830 about 13,000,000; and in 1844 about 20,000,000. Louisiana Purchase, 1803, doubled size of U.S. Consisted of seventeen states at time ...
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which you Sir was bound by the solemnities of an oath
7
TEXT: Or “oaths”.
to defend In thus saying we arraign you before the bar of your own conscience & ask you in the presence of the searcher of all hearts are not thes[e] eternal realities do you not know Sir that when the great Orbiter of heaven & earth Judges your case that he will pronounce you guilty of these blackest of crimes & that you will be left with out excuse— Therefore be not surprised that we your petitioners should urge upon you in the most powerful manner in which language can express that you should depart forthwith out of
Kirtland
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and we presume that your presents presence would be as little mesed [missed] as any other man that ever left this place except that injustice & cruelty might find them selvs deprived of one of there strongest advocates and righteousness might find it self an abode in a place where it never bifore was priviledged to show its head.— Should you be so kind as to comply with this our humble petition we will ever pray that you may never com[e] back again

Joseph Smith Jr John Davidson

F. G. Willians [Frederick G. Williams]
28 Oct. 1787–10 Oct. 1842. Ship’s pilot, teacher, physician, justice of the peace. Born at Suffield, Hartford Co., Connecticut. Son of William Wheeler Williams and Ruth Granger. Moved to Newburg, Cuyahoga Co., Ohio, 1799. Practiced Thomsonian botanical system...
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Christopher W Stillwell

Sidney Rigdon
19 Feb. 1793–14 July 1876. Tanner, farmer, minister. Born at St. Clair, Allegheny Co., Pennsylvania. Son of William Rigdon and Nancy Gallaher. Joined United Baptists, ca. 1818. Preached at Warren, Trumbull Co., Ohio, and vicinity, 1819–1821. Married Phebe...
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David Dart [Dort]
6 Jan. 1793–10 Mar. 1841. Farmer, miller. Born at Gilsum, Cheshire Co., New Hampshire. Son of John Dort and Elishaba Briggs. Married first JS’s cousin Mary (Polly) Mack, 2 June 1813, at Gilsum. After Mary’s death, married her sister Fanny Mack. Moved to Pontiac...
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Edmund Bosley
25 June 1776–15 Dec. 1846. Miller. Born at Northumberland, Northumberland Co., Pennsylvania. Son of John P. Bosley and Hannah Bull. Married Ann Kelly of Northumberland Co. Lived at Livonia, Livingston Co., New York, 1792–1834. Moved to Kirtland, Geauga Co...
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Solomon Angell
21 Apr. 1806–20 Sept. 1881. Carpenter, joiner. Born in Florence, Oneida Co., New York. Son of James W. Angell and Phoebe Morton. Moved to North Providence, Providence Co., Rhode Island. Married Eunice C. Young, 13 Apr. 1828, in North Providence. Moved to ...
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D. H. Reedfide [David Harvey Redfield]
31 Aug. 1807–27 Dec. 1878. Teamster, farmer, merchant, coroner. Born at Herkimer, Herkimer Co., New York. Son of Samuel Russell Redfield and Sarah Gould. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, by 1831. Ordained a priest by Sidney Rigdon...
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Jared Carter
14 June 1801–6 July 1849. Born at Killingworth, Middlesex Co., Connecticut. Son of Gideon Carter and Johanna Sims. Moved to Benson, Rutland Co., Vermont, by 1810. Married Lydia Ames, 20 Sept. 1823, at Benson. Moved to Chenango, Broome Co., New York, by Jan...
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Beihias [Bechias] Dustin
Edwin Webb
Ca. 1813–after 1902. Blacksmith, carpenter. Born at Hanover, Chautauque Co., New York. Son of James Webb and Hannah Griswold. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, likely 1834. Moved to Kirtland, Geauga Co., Ohio, before Dec. 1835. Married...
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Lyman Sherman
22 May 1804–ca. 15 Feb. 1839. Born at Monkton, Addison Co., Vermont. Son of Elkanah Sherman and Asenath Hurlbut. Married Delcena Didamia Johnson, 16 Jan. 1829, at Pomfret, Chautauque Co., New York. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
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Artemus Millet
11 Sept. 1790–19 Nov. 1874. Farmer, lumberman, merchant, builder, stonemason. Born at Westmoreland, Cheshire Co., New Hampshire. Son of Ebenezer Millet and Catherine Dryden. Moved to Stockbridge, Windsor Co., Vermont, fall 1800; to Shelburn, Chittendon Co...
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Brigham Young
1 June 1801–29 Aug. 1877. Carpenter, painter, glazier, colonizer. Born at Whitingham, Windham Co., Vermont. Son of John Young and Abigail (Nabby) Howe. Brought up in Methodist household; later joined Methodist church. Moved to Sherburne, Chenango Co., New...
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John Read [Reed]

Roger Orton
Ca. 1799–1851. Miller. Son of Roger Orton and Esther Avery. Moved to Geneseo, Ontario Co., New York, by 1810. Married Clarissa Bicknell, ca. 1822. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Ordained an elder, by 1834. Participated in Camp ...
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Georg[e] A. Smith
26 June 1817–1 Sept. 1875. Born at Potsdam, St. Lawrence Co., New York. Son of John Smith and Clarissa Lyman. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by Joseph H. Wakefield, 10 Sept. 1832, at Potsdam. Moved to Kirtland, Geauga Co., Ohio,...
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Wm. Smith
13 Mar. 1811–13 Nov. 1893. Farmer, newspaper editor. Born at Royalton, Windsor Co., Vermont. Son of Joseph Smith Sr. and Lucy Mack. Moved to Lebanon, Grafton Co., New Hampshire, 1811; to Norwich, Windsor Co., 1813; and to Palmyra, Ontario Co., New York, 1816...
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I[saac] H Bishop
1804–24 Dec. 1854. Carpenter. Born in New York. Son of Isaac Gates Bishop and Mary Hyde. Raised Methodist. Resided in Livonia, Ontario Co., New York, ca. 1809–1819. Moved to Gates, Genesee Co. (later in Monroe Co.), New York, by 1820. Married Harriet Phebe...
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Jacob Bump
1791–by 10 Oct. 1865. Brickmason, plasterer, carpenter, mechanic, farmer, craftsman. Born at Butternuts, Otsego Co., New York. Son of Asa Bump and Lydia Dandley. Married Abigail Pettingill, ca. 1811. Moved to Meadville, Crawford Co., Pennsylvania, by 1826...
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Reynolds Cahoon
30 Apr. 1790–29 Apr. 1861. Farmer, tanner, builder. Born at Cambridge, Washington Co., New York. Son of William Cahoon Jr. and Mehitable Hodges. Married Thirza Stiles, 11 Dec. 1810. Moved to northeastern Ohio, 1811. Located at Harpersfield, Ashtabula Co.,...
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W A Cowdry [Warren A. Cowdery]
17 Oct. 1788–23 Feb. 1851. Physician, druggist, farmer, editor. Born at Wells, Rutland Co., Vermont. Son of William Cowdery and Rebecca Fuller. Married Patience Simonds, 22 Sept. 1814, in Pawlet, Rutland Co. Moved to Freedom, Cattaraugus Co., New York, 1816...
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V[inson] Knight
14 Mar. 1804–31 July 1842. Farmer, druggist, school warden. Born at Norwich, Hampshire Co., Massachusetts. Son of Rudolphus Knight and Rispah (Rizpah) Lee. Married Martha McBride, July 1826. Moved to Perrysburg, Cattaraugus Co., New York, by 1830. Owned farm...
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Jacob Parker
John Smith
16 July 1781–23 May 1854. Farmer. Born at Derryfield (later Manchester), Rockingham Co., New Hampshire. Son of Asael Smith and Mary Duty. Member of Congregational church. Appointed overseer of highways at Potsdam, St. Lawrence Co., New York, 1810. Married...
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Martin D. Cowdry Joseph Willard

Warrn F Cowdry [Warren F. Cowdery]
12 Sept. 1817–23 Oct. 1895. Sawmill operator; businessman. Born in Livingston Co., New York. Son of Warren A. Cowdery and Patience Simonds. Stockholder in Kirtland Safety Society. Married Jane Pomeroy Reed, 22 Apr. 1847, in Wooster, Wayne Co., Ohio. Moved...
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Hiram Clark
22 Sept. 1795–28 Dec. 1853 Born in Rutland Co., Vermont. Son of Lyman Clark and Parmela. Married first Mary Fenno. Moved to Antwerp, Jefferson Co., New York, by 1820. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, ca. 1835. Married second Thankful...
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Benja[min] Sweat Solomon Fre[e]man

L J Reave Roswell Blood

John Gamble
Wm F Cahoon
7 Nov. 1813–6 Apr. 1893. Shoemaker, carpenter, joiner. Born at Harpersfield, Ashtabula Co., Ohio. Son of Reynolds Cahoon and Thirza Stiles. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by Parley P. Pratt, 16 Oct. 1830, at Kirtland, Geauga Co....
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Ebenezer Robinson
25 May 1816–11 Mar. 1891. Printer, editor, publisher. Born at Floyd (near Rome), Oneida Co., New York. Son of Nathan Robinson and Mary Brown. Moved to Utica, Oneida Co., ca. 1831, and learned printing trade at Utica Observer. Moved to Ravenna, Portage Co....
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Harv[e]y Stanley
21 Dec. 1812–16 Feb. 1862. Stonecutter, dairyman. Born in Vermont. Son of Benjamin Stanley and Ruth. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, by Apr. 1834. Participated in Camp of Israel expedition to Missouri, 1834. Labored on temple in...
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Willard Woodstock
29 Apr. 1800–7 Feb. 1863. Farmer. Born in Vermont. Son of William Woodstock and Elizabeth Sims. Moved to Putnam, Washington Co., New York, by 1810. Married Samantha Husbrook, 5 June 1825, in Benson, Rutland Co., Vermont. Moved to Benson, between Aug. 1826...
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Hyrum Struttan [Hiram Stratton]

P[arley] P. Pratt
12 Apr. 1807–13 May 1857. Farmer, editor, publisher, teacher, school administrator, legislator, explorer, author. Born at Burlington, Otsego Co., New York. Son of Jared Pratt and Charity Dickinson. Traveled west with brother William to acquire land, 1823....
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Horace Burges[s]

R[oyal] Barney Jr.
15 Dec. 1808–9 June 1890. Farmer, carpenter. Born in Ellisburg, Jefferson Co., New York. Son of Royal Barney Sr. and Rachel Marsh. Moved to Amherst, Lorain Co., Ohio, ca. 1825. Married Sarah Estabrooks, 6 Nov. 1829, in Lorain Co. Served as captain in Ohio...
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Lorren [Loren] Babbit
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Nathan Haskins
10 Mar. 1808–22 Mar. 1857. Physician, farmer. Born in Granger, Allegany Co., New York. Married Almena Thompson. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, by July 1836. Moved to Kirtland, Geauga Co., Ohio, by July 1836. Received elder’s certificate...
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Normen Ruall
8
Possibly Norman Buell. (See “Death of Presendia Kimball,” Deseret Evening News, 6 Feb. 1892, 4.)
Deseret News. Salt Lake City. 1850–.

Edson Barney
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Ezra Strong
26 June 1788–3 Apr. 1877. Farmer. Born at Philipstown, Albany Co., New York. Son of Ezra Strong and Nancy Gates. Married Olive Lowell, 19 Nov. 1814. Moved to Erie Co., New York, by Jan. 1816. Moved to Sheldon, Genesee Co., New York, by June 1830. Baptized...
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Chancy [Chauncey] G Webb Lysandar M Davis

Burton H. Phelps
4 May 1806–7 May 1885. Constable, wainwright, attorney, laborer, wheelwright. Born in New York. Son of Samuel Phelps and Rebecca. Married first Amanda, ca. 1831. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Feb. 1833. Moved to Geauga Co., Ohio...
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Asahel Smith
21 May 1773–22 July 1848. Farmer. Born at Windham, Rockingham Co., New Hampshire. Son of Asael Smith and Mary Duty. Moved to Dunbarton, Hillsborough Co., New Hampshire, 15 Apr. 1774; to Derryfield (later Manchester), Hillsborough Co., New Hampshire, 1778;...
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Sterry Fisk
Jonathan H. Holm[e]s
11 Mar. 1806–18 Aug. 1880. Shoemaker, farmer. Born in Georgetown, Essex Co., Massachusetts. Son of Nathaniel Holmes and Sally Harriman. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by John F. Boynton, 1832. Moved to Kirtland, Geauga Co., Ohio...
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Peter Shirts
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Williams [William] D Pratt
3 Sept. 1802–15 Sept. 1870. Schoolteacher. Born at Worcester, Otsego Co., New York. Son of Jared Pratt and Charity Dickinson. Moved to Ohio, 1830. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1831. Ordained an elder by Sidney Rigdon, 10 Feb....
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Wm. Felshaw
George W Gee
13 Aug. 1815–20 Jan. 1842. Schoolteacher, farmer, clerk. Born in Ashtabula Co., Ohio. Son of Salmon Gee and Sarah (Sally) Watson Crane. Moved to Richfield, Ashtabula Co., by 1820; to Geauga Co., Ohio, 1828; and to Madison, Geauga Co., by 1830. Baptized into...
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Jacob Harvey
Samuel H Smith
13 Mar. 1808–30 July 1844. Farmer, logger, scribe, builder, tavern operator. Born at Tunbridge, Orange Co., Vermont. Son of Joseph Smith Sr. and Lucy Mack. Moved to Royalton, Windsor Co., Vermont, by Mar. 1810; to Lebanon, Grafton Co., New Hampshire, 1811...
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Joseph Young
7 Apr. 1797–16 July 1881. Farmer, painter, glazier. Born at Hopkinton, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts. Son of John Young and Abigail (Nabby) Howe. Moved to Auburn, Cayuga Co., New York, before 1830. Joined Methodist church, before Apr. 1832. Baptized into Church...
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Don C[arlos] Smith
25 Mar. 1816–7 Aug. 1841. Farmer, printer, editor. Born at Norwich, Windsor Co., Vermont. Son of Joseph Smith Sr. and Lucy Mack. Moved to Palmyra, Ontario Co., New York, 1816–Jan. 1817. Moved to Manchester, Ontario Co., 1825. Baptized into Church of Jesus...
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Z Coltrain [Zebedee Coltrin]
7 Sept. 1804–21 July 1887. Born at Ovid, Seneca Co., New York. Son of John Coltrin and Sarah Graham. Member of Methodist church. Married first Julia Ann Jennings, Oct. 1828. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by Solomon Hancock, 9 Jan...
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John P Green[e]
3 Sept. 1793–10 Sept. 1844. Farmer, shoemaker, printer, publisher. Born at Herkimer, Herkimer Co., New York. Son of John Coddington Greene and Anna Chapman. Married first Rhoda Young, 11 Feb. 1813. Moved to Aurelius, Cayuga Co., New York, 1814; to Brownsville...
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E[zekiel] Rider
1 Mar. 1787–8 Oct. 1843. Manufacturer, joiner. Born in Poultney, Rutland Co., Vermont. Son of Mary. Moved to Sudbury, Rutland Co., by 16 Sept. 1798. Married Sarah (Sally) Hitchcock, 16 Feb. 1809, in Sharon, Schoharie Co., New York. Moved to Sharon, by Aug...
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Oliver Cowdrey [Cowdery]
3 Oct. 1806–3 Mar. 1850. Clerk, teacher, justice of the peace, lawyer, newspaper editor. Born at Wells, Rutland Co., Vermont. Son of William Cowdery and Rebecca Fuller. Raised Congregationalist. Moved to western New York and clerked at a store, ca. 1825–1828...
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Leonard Rich
1800–1868. Farmer. Born in New York. Married first Keziah. Lived at Warsaw, Genesee Co., New York, 1830. Participated in Camp of Israel expedition to Missouri, 1834. Served as a president of First Quorum of the Seventy, 1835–1837. Stockholder in Kirtland ...
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Lorenzo L Lewis
Ca. 1809–ca. May 1897. Millwright. Born in New York. Son of Job L. Lewis and Margaret Lowers. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, probably at Westfield, Chautauque Co., New York. Ordained an elder, 13 May 1835, in Kirtland, Geauga Co...
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M[arvel] C Davis
18 Dec. 1801–8 Jan. 1877. Physician. Born at Wardsboro, Windham Co., Vermont. Son of Paul C. Davis and Rachel Chapin. Married Rebecca Jane Sloan, 8 June 1823, in Ellicottville, Cattaraugus Co., New York. Moved to Kirtland, Geauga Co., Ohio, 1833. Baptized...
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G W Meelks [Garland W. Meeks]

Ebenezer Borr [Barr]

James M Carrel
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printer
9
TEXT: This line was written vertically between the two columns of names. James M. Carrel was a member of the church and a foreman in the Kirtland printing office in 1835–1836. It is not clear if Carrel’s name appears here as a signature to the petition or if he is identified for printing an unlocated copy of the petition. (Historical Introduction to Doctrine and Covenants, 1835 ed.; Ebenezer Robinson, “Items of Personal History of the Editor,” Return, May 1889, 76; July 1889, 104.)
The Return. Davis City, IA, 1889–1891; Richmond, MO, 1892–1893; Davis City, 1895–1896; Denver, 1898; Independence, MO, 1899–1900.

A tru[e] copy of the origional by E[lijah] A Ward
10
Elijah A. Ward was the brother of Arial Hanson’s wife, Sally Ward Hanson.
Dep Sheriff [p. [1]]
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Footnotes
[1]
“Esquire” in this case was a customary title given to Hanson because of his position as justice of the peace.
[2]
In the 1834 vote for justice of the peace, Hanson received fifty-six votes to Lyman Pitcher’s four votes and Oliver Hamon’s two. (Kirtland Township Trustees’ Minutes and Poll Book, 127.)
Kirtland Township Trustees’ Minutes and Poll Book, 1817–1838. Lake County Historical Society, Painesville, OH.
[3]
See Matthew 6:3; and Book of Mormon, 1830 ed., 482 [3 Nephi 13:3].
[4]
Justices of the peace were paid for each action they performed: issuing writs such as summons, subpoenas, or warrants; recording judgments on cases and other information in their docket; certifying deeds or other financial instruments; and fulfilling other duties such as performing marriages or swearing in witnesses. Each of these tasks was assigned a fee that generally ranged from ten cents to seventy-five cents; performing a marriage paid $1.50. (See Swan, Treatise on the Law, 101–102.)
Swan, Joseph R. A Treatise on the Law Relating to the Powers and Duties of Justices of the Peace, and Constables, in the State of Ohio: with Practical Forms, &c. &c. Columbus, OH: Isaac N. Whiting, 1837.
[5]
Some church members bought land from Hanson, including John F. Boynton and Luke Johnson. Reminiscent accounts by Ira Ames and Sally Ward Hanson note that Hanson regained possession of much of the land he had sold to church members in Kirtland when they defaulted on their payments or left Kirtland to move to Missouri. (Geauga Co., OH, Deed Records, 1795–1921, vol. 22, pp. 71–72, 28 June 1836, microfilm 20,239, U.S. and Canada Record Collection, FHL; Lake Co., OH, Deed Records, 1840–1950, bk. A, 429–431, microfilm 974,393, U.S. and Canada Record Collection, FHL; Ames, Autobiography and Journal, [13]; “Mrs. S. W. Hanson’s Statement,” Naked Truths about Mormonism, Apr. 1888, 3.)
Ames, Ira. Autobiography and Journal, 1858. CHL. MS 6055.
[6]
Ohio state law required that a justice of the peace take an oath of office. (An Act to Provide for the Election and Resignation of Justices of the Peace [31 Jan. 1831], Acts of a General Nature [1831], p. 169, sec. 11.)
[7]
TEXT: Or “oaths”.
[8]
Possibly Norman Buell. (See “Death of Presendia Kimball,” Deseret Evening News, 6 Feb. 1892, 4.)
Deseret News. Salt Lake City. 1850–.
[9]
TEXT: This line was written vertically between the two columns of names. James M. Carrel was a member of the church and a foreman in the Kirtland printing office in 1835–1836. It is not clear if Carrel’s name appears here as a signature to the petition or if he is identified for printing an unlocated copy of the petition. (Historical Introduction to Doctrine and Covenants, 1835 ed.; Ebenezer Robinson, “Items of Personal History of the Editor,” Return, May 1889, 76; July 1889, 104.)
The Return. Davis City, IA, 1889–1891; Richmond, MO, 1892–1893; Davis City, 1895–1896; Denver, 1898; Independence, MO, 1899–1900.
[10]
Elijah A. Ward was the brother of Arial Hanson’s wife, Sally Ward Hanson.