Letter from Calvin A. Warren, circa 23 June 1842
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Source Note
, Letter, , Adams Co., IL, to JS, , Hancock Co., IL, [ca. 23] June 1842; handwriting of ; one page; JS Collection, CHL. Includes address and dockets.Single leaf measuring 12⅜ × 7¾ inches (31 × 20 cm). The leaf is ruled with thirty-six blue lines (now faded). It was trifolded twice in letter style, addressed, and sealed with a red adhesive wafer. Remnants of the wafer are on the recto and verso of the leaf. The document was later refolded for filing., who served as scribe to JS from 1842 to 1844, docketed the document. It was also docketed by , who served as a clerk in the Church Historian’s Office from 1853 to 1859. The document was listed in an inventory that was produced by the Church Historian’s Office circa 1904. By 1973 the document had been included in the JS Collection at the Church Historical Department (now CHL). The document’s early dockets, the circa 1904 inventory, and inclusion in the JS Collection by 1973 indicate continuous institutional custody.
Footnotes
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1
JS, Journal, 29 June 1842; “Clayton, William,” in Jenson, Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia, 1:718.
Jenson, Andrew. Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia: A Compilation of Biographical Sketches of Prominent Men and Women in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 4 vols. Salt Lake City: Andrew Jenson History Co., 1901–1936.
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2
“Obituary of Leo Hawkins,” Millennial Star, 30 July 1859, 21:496–497.
Latter-day Saints’ Millennial Star. Manchester, England, 1840–1842; Liverpool, 1842–1932; London, 1932–1970.
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3
“Letters to and from the Prophet,” ca. 1904, 1–[2], Historian’s Office, Catalogs and Inventories, 1846–1904, CHL.
Historian’s Office. Catalogs and Inventories, 1846–1904. CHL. CR 100 130.
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4
See the full bibliographic entry for JS Collection, 1827–1844, in the CHL catalog.
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1
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Historical Introduction
In June 1842 wrote from , Illinois, to JS in , Illinois, apprising him of the progress of the bankruptcy petitions of JS and other Nauvoo residents. Warren, a partner in the Quincy law firm Ralston, Warren & Wheat, had initiated bankruptcy proceedings for JS and several other Latter-day Saints in April 1842 and was continuing to work with Nauvoo residents interested in petitioning for bankruptcy. His letter informed JS of his success in advertising and filing several bankruptcy cases and listed the costs he had incurred during those pursuits. In addition to requesting reimbursement for these costs, Warren informed JS of an address he had given earlier that month, in which he countered accusations gubernatorial candidate had made publicly against JS and . In the letter, Warren also defended himself against allegations by the editors of the Quincy Whig that he was insincere in his relationship with the Latter-day Saints. He further informed JS about his efforts to have the court appoint an assignee specifically for the Nauvoo bankruptcy cases.Although dated the letter 3 June, its contents indicate the document was created in late June: Warren gave his speech in response to on 7 June, the letter mentions that Warren took on additional bankruptcy cases in on 8 June, and the article in the Quincy Whig criticizing Warren was published in the 18 June issue of that newspaper. Additionally, Warren mentioned his intention to visit JS in Nauvoo the following week, and JS’s journal records that Warren arrived in Nauvoo on Thursday, 30 June. This evidence suggests the letter was created between 18 and 25 June 1842. Because Warren wrote “3rd” in the dateline, it is probable that the letter was written on 23 June, with Warren accidentally omitting the “2” from “23rd”.Because the letter was misdated, it is unclear when JS received it, though it was presumably before ’s 30 June visit. The letter was retained in JS’s office, where it was docketed and filed by .
Footnotes
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1
The bankruptcy petitions for JS, Hyrum Smith, and several other Latter-day Saints were filed with the district court on 18 April 1842. On behalf of his law firm, Warren issued notices, dated 28 April, of their intention to file for bankruptcy; the notices were first printed in the 6 May 1842 issue of the Sangamo Journal and the 7 May 1842 issue of the Wasp. (JS, Journal, 18 Apr. 1842; Bankruptcy Notices, Sangamo Journal [Springfield, IL], 6 May 1842, [3]; Bankruptcy Notices, Wasp, 7 May 1842, [3]; see also Application for Bankruptcy, ca. 14–16 Apr. 1842; and Letter to Horace Hotchkiss, 13 May 1842.)
Sangamo Journal. Springfield, IL. 1831–1847.
The Wasp. Nauvoo, IL. Apr. 1842–Apr. 1843.
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2
The assignee appointed by the court was responsible for collecting and auctioning off a bankrupt individual’s property and other assets and then dividing the funds among that person’s creditors. (An Act to Establish a Uniform System of Bankruptcy [19 Aug. 1841], Public Statutes at Large, 27th Cong., 1st Sess., chap. 9, pp. 442–443, secs. 2–3.)
The Public Statutes at Large of the United States of America, from the Organization of the Government in 1789, to March 3, 1845. . . . Edited by Richard Peters. 8 vols. Boston: Charles C. Little and James Brown, 1846–1867.
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3
“Calvin A. Warren,” Quincy (IL) Whig, 18 June 1842, [2].
Quincy Whig. Quincy, IL. 1838–1856.
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5
Since Warren told JS he was coming the following week, and since Warren arrived on Thursday, 30 June, the latest date he could have written the letter was the previous Saturday, 25 June.
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1
| For advertising first notice in Journal | $2.00 |
| " second ditto do | 4.00 |
| Clerk on filing petition—— | 1.88 |
| " for 1st decree—— | 3.02 |
| $10.90 |
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