Letter from Oliver Cowdery, 6 November 1829

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Letter from Oliver Cowdery, 6 November 1829
Source Note

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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, Letter,
Manchester Township
Settled 1793. Formed as Burt Township when divided from Farmington Township, 31 Mar. 1821. Name changed to Manchester, 16 Apr. 1822. Included village of Manchester. Population in 1825 about 2,700. Population in 1830 about 2,800. JS reported first vision of...
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, Ontario Co., NY, to JS, [
Harmony Township
Located in northeastern Pennsylvania. Area settled, by 1787. Organized 1809. Population in 1830 about 340. Population in 1840 about 520. Contained Harmony village (no longer in existence). Josiah Stowell hired JS to help look for treasure in area, Oct. 1825...
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, Susquehanna Co., PA], 6 Nov. 1829. Featured version copied [between ca. 27 Nov. 1832 and ca. Jan. 1833] in JS Letterbook 1, pp. 6–8; handwriting of JS; JS Collection, CHL. For more complete source information, see the source note for JS Letterbook 1.
Historical Introduction
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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composed this letter in response to JS’s letter two weeks earlier.
1
Letter to Oliver Cowdery, 22 Oct. 1829.
By this time Cowdery had been involved with the printing of the Book of Mormon for several weeks, and here he provided JS with a brief update of that work. He also informed JS of the estimated date of completion and explained that illness had delayed the work. In the postscript, Cowdery noted his progress copying the original Book of Mormon manuscript. Pages of the resulting “printer’s manuscript” were then delivered to the printer,
E. B. Grandin
30 Mar. 1806–16 Apr. 1845. Printer, newspaper editor and publisher, butcher, shipper, tanner. Born in Freehold, Monmouth Co., New Jersey. Son of William Grandin and Amy Lewis. Moved to Williamson, Ontario Co., New York, by 1810; to Pultneyville, Ontario Co...
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, ensuring that if the copy were damaged, either through mischief or carelessness, the original would still be preserved.
2
Lucy Mack Smith, History, 1844–1845, bk. 9, [2]; John H. Gilbert, Memorandum, 8 Sept. 1892, photocopy, CHL.
Comprehensive Works Cited
Gilbert, John H. Memorandum, 8 Sept. 1892. Photocopy. CHL. MS 9223.
The sentiments and language of Cowdery’s expressions of faith in the letter reveal his familiarity with passages from the manuscript.
Footnotes
[1]
Letter to Oliver Cowdery, 22 Oct. 1829.
[2]
Lucy Mack Smith, History, 1844–1845, bk. 9, [2]; John H. Gilbert, Memorandum, 8 Sept. 1892, photocopy, CHL.
Gilbert, John H. Memorandum, 8 Sept. 1892. Photocopy. CHL. MS 9223.
Asterisk (*) denotes a "featured" version, which includes an introduction and annotation. *Letter from Oliver Cowdery, 6 November 1829 Letterbook 1
Page 6
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<Let[ter] 4>
This scribal notation, in the handwriting of Frederick G. Williams, indicates that this was the fourth letter copied into JS Letterbook 1.
<
Manchester
Settled 1793. Formed as Burt Township when divided from Farmington Township, 31 Mar. 1821. Name changed to Manchester, 16 Apr. 1822. Included village of Manchester. Population in 1825 about 2,700. Population in 1830 about 2,800. JS reported first vision of...
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>
1
At the time he wrote this letter, Cowdery was likely at the Hyrum Smith residence in Palmyra. If this is the case, the letter was written in Palmyra, not in Manchester.
November the 6th. 1829
Brother Joseph Smith Jr.

I received your leter yesterday bearing date Oct. 22d I had long time expectted to hear from you
2
More than a month had passed since JS’s departure from Manchester. (See Letter to Oliver Cowdery, 22 Oct. 1829.)
and had often enquired at the post office for a letter and of course it was gladly received by us all[.] we rejoice to hear that you are well and we expect also rejoice to hear that you have a prospect of obtaining Some mony
3
Cowdery referred here to JS’s report of Josiah Stowell’s willingness to invest “five or six hundred dollars” in the publication of the Book of Mormon. (Letter to Oliver Cowdery, 22 Oct. 1829.)
and we further rejo[i]ce that you are at rest from your percecutors and we rejoice [p. 6]
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Page 6
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Footnotes
This scribal notation, in the handwriting of Frederick G. Williams, indicates that this was the fourth letter copied into JS Letterbook 1.
[1]
At the time he wrote this letter, Cowdery was likely at the Hyrum Smith residence in Palmyra. If this is the case, the letter was written in Palmyra, not in Manchester.
[2]
More than a month had passed since JS’s departure from Manchester. (See Letter to Oliver Cowdery, 22 Oct. 1829.)
[3]
Cowdery referred here to JS’s report of Josiah Stowell’s willingness to invest “five or six hundred dollars” in the publication of the Book of Mormon. (Letter to Oliver Cowdery, 22 Oct. 1829.)