Letter from Parley P. Pratt, 23 May 1837
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Source Note
, Letter, , Geauga Co., OH, to JS, , Geauga Co., OH, 23 May 1837. Featured version published in “Parley P. Pratt’s Letter,” Naked Truths about Mormonism, Apr. 1888, p. 4.The newspaper Naked Truths about Mormonism was published in Oakland, California, by Arthur B. Deming & Co. The featured text comes from vol. 1, no. 2, which is four pages on two conjoined leaves measuring 23½ × 18 inches (60 × 46 cm). Each leaf contains seven columns, with each column measuring 17¼ × 2¼ inches (44 × 6 cm). The featured letter begins in the second column of page 4 and ends in the third column.
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Historical Introduction
wrote the letter featured here to JS in desperation over financial matters in , Ohio. Pratt even stood to lose his house. JS had purchased a large amount of land in Kirtland for the use of church members in 1836 and early 1837, a period when land costs increased significantly in Kirtland due to both population growth and inflation. At some point, likely in late 1836 or early 1837, Pratt arranged to purchase three lots of land for $2,000 from JS, and he provided JS with a financial instrument, probably a promissory note, for that amount. In May 1837, when Pratt found himself unable to fulfill this financial obligation, the demanded he forfeit his property.In April, a month after the death of his first wife, Thankful Halsey Pratt, traveled to and began making plans for a mission to . When this news reached Pratt’s fellow apostles and in , Missouri, they wrote Pratt and insisted that the must be united under Marsh’s leadership. They asked that he delay plans for a foreign mission and requested that he travel to for a meeting of the Quorum of the Twelve in late July. Pratt followed their direction and returned to Kirtland in early May, bringing with him Canadian convert Mary Ann Frost Stearns, whom he married in Kirtland on 14 May.Like , JS was absent from for much of April and returned in May 1837. After returning, JS gathered money and other assets in order to pay debts. Around 22 May he apparently transferred Pratt’s promissory note for $2,000 to the Kirtland Safety Society, which thus became responsible for collecting on Pratt’s debt. Pratt noted in his letter that although he had offered to return the land, , secretary for the Safety Society, required Pratt’s home as well as the lot on which it was located. This was not the situation Pratt expected. In his letter, Pratt reminded JS that he had promised Pratt that he “should not be ingured” by the transaction, and Pratt likely saw the financial losses as a betrayal by men he considered his spiritual leaders. According to the letter, other individuals were bound with Pratt for the debt, presumably because they had acted as co-financers in purchasing the land or as sureties on a promissory note.Fearing the financial ruin of losing his house and land, wrote this letter to JS, threatening to bring charges against him for extortion, covetousness, and taking advantage through religious influence. Pratt never formally made these charges; however, his brother and fellow apostle brought similar charges against JS six days later, on 29 May. On that same day, Parley P. Pratt and four other prominent men in the church were called before the for actions “injurious to the church of God.” Pratt’s discontent with JS over financial matters continued into June 1837, when he gave a discourse criticizing JS and the church before leaving for . While traveling, he met , , and , who were heading to . Marsh persuaded Pratt to return with them. Once he arrived in Kirtland, Pratt reconciled himself with JS. According to Pratt’s autobiography, “I went to brother Joseph Smith in tears, and, with a broken heart and contrite spirit, confessed wherein I had erred in spirit, murmured, or done or said amiss. He frankly forgave me, prayed for me and blessed me.” Pratt also made an acknowledgment of his faults in a Sunday meeting in Kirtland on 9 July, before setting off with his family to proselytize in .In early 1838, , a leader of the dissenters opposed to JS’s leadership, sent ’s 23 May 1837 letter along with one of his own to Zion’s Watchman, a publication of the New York Wesleyan Society edited by LaRoy Sunderland and Timothy Merritt. Parrish’s letter strongly condemned both JS and , and the editors of Zion’s Watchman printed Pratt’s and Parrish’s letters in the 24 March 1838 issue. Pratt responded to the Zion’s Watchman publication in a letter printed in the August 1838 issue of the Mormon newspaper Elders’ Journal. Pratt acknowledged he was the author of the letter, which he said he wrote intending to injure the feelings of JS and Rigdon. Pratt noted that he wrote it “in great severity and harshness” as a “private admonition,” not intended for public distribution. He further wrote that JS, like other men, was still “liable to errors, and nistakes [mistakes],” and he said he regretted writing the letter and had asked JS and Rigdon for their forgiveness. Pratt concluded his letter in the Elders’ Journal stating, “From 1830 until now, I have had full confidence in the book of Mormon, the Revelations of God to Joseph Smith Jr., and I still esteem both him and President Rigdon, as men of the highest integrity, the most exalted principles of virtue and honor.”Later that year, Richard Livesey, a Methodist Episcopal minister in , included both ’s and ’s letters from Zion’s Watchman in his pamphlet An Exposure of Mormonism. Pratt learned of this reprinting while in England proselytizing, and he responded with a pamphlet of his own defending himself and the . Another version of the letter exists independent of the Zion’s Watchman publication; it was printed in the 1888 publication Naked Truths about Mormonism, edited by Arthur Deming. This appears to be more complete than the earlier printing, as Deming wrote that the copy of the letter he printed in Naked Truths about Mormonism was “an exact copy of the original” found in the holdings of the Lake County Historical Society.’s original letter has not been located. Pratt claimed that the letter as published in Zion’s Watchman was “not a true copy” but had been “altered, so as to convey a different idea from the original.” The version printed in Zion’s Watchman appears to have been edited for spelling and punctuation, and it also contained some alterations to the text, most notably the omission of a postscript in which Pratt confirmed his belief in the Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants. Deming’s version includes the omitted postscript and what may be original spelling and punctuation errors. It appears to be the most complete extant version of the letter and is therefore the version featured here, but in the absence of the original, there is no way to be certain it is an exact copy as Deming affirmed. Substantive differences between Deming’s 1888 copy and the 1838 Zion’s Watchman version are annotated below.
Footnotes
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1
See Historical Introduction to Mortgage to Peter French, 5 Oct. 1836.
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2
Editorial, LDS Messenger and Advocate, June 1837, 3:521; Backman, Heavens Resound, 139–140; see also Historical Introduction to Minutes, 22 Dec. 1836; Historical Introduction to Notice, ca. Late Aug. 1837; and Historical Introduction to Mortgage to Peter French, 5 Oct. 1836.
Latter Day Saints’ Messenger and Advocate. Kirtland, OH. Oct. 1834–Sept. 1837.
Backman, Milton V., Jr. The Heavens Resound: A History of the Latter-day Saints in Ohio, 1830–1838. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1983.
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3
No deeds confirm JS’s or Pratt’s involvement in the transaction, probably because Pratt never acquired a deed for the lots, being unable to pay for the land.
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4
Pratt, Autobiography, 181–183.
Pratt, Parley P. The Autobiography of Parley Parker Pratt, One of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Embracing His Life, Ministry and Travels, with Extracts, in Prose and Verse, from His Miscellaneous Writings. Edited by Parley P. Pratt Jr. New York: Russell Brothers, 1874.
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5
Thomas B. Marsh and David W. Patten, Far West, MO, to Parley P. Pratt, Toronto, Upper Canada, 10 May 1837, in JS Letterbook 2, pp. 62–63.
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6
Geauga Co., OH, Probate Court, Marriage Records, 1806–1920, vol. C, p. 220, 14 May 1837, microfilm 873,464, U.S. and Canada Record Collection, FHL.
U.S. and Canada Record Collection. FHL.
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7
By May 1837, JS faced lawsuits on debts relating to land purchased from Timothy Martindale, money borrowed from the Bank of Geauga, goods purchased from the New York firm of Patterson & Patterson, and promissory notes given to Ezra Holmes and Hezekiah Kelley. (Transcript of Proceedings, 5 June 1837, Martindale v. JS et al. [Geauga Co. C.P. 1837]; Transcript of Proceedings, 5 June 1837, Bank of Geauga v. JS et al. [Geauga Co. C.P. 1837]; Transcript of Proceedings, 5 June 1837, Holmes v. Dayton et al. [Geauga Co. C.P. 1837]; Transcript of Proceedings, 5 June 1837, Kelley v. Rigdon et al. [Geauga Co. C.P. 1837], Record Book U, pp. 67–69, 86–87, 97–101, 106–108, Geauga County Archives and Records Center, Chardon, OH. For information on JS’s absence from Kirtland in April, see Letter from Newel K. Whitney, 20 Apr. 1837; and Notes Receivable from Rigdon, Smith & Co., 22 May 1837.)
Geauga Co., OH, Court of Common Pleas, Record Book U. Geauga County Archives and Records Center, Chardon, OH.
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8
The return of land that had been mortgaged or paid through promissory notes was a common settlement when the purchaser could not pay the promised amount. However, in such a case the Kirtland Safety Society would have lost money on the transaction. By requiring Pratt’s home—his improvement on the land—the society would make a small profit. For his part, Pratt requested the seventy-five dollars he had paid on the land transaction. Previous payments would not generally be returned but considered the loss of the purchaser. For similar resolutions of failed transactions, see Historical Introduction to Letter from Newel K. Whitney, 20 Apr. 1837; and Ames, Autobiography and Journal, [11]–[12].
Ames, Ira. Autobiography and Journal, 1858. CHL. MS 6055.
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9
Charges against JS Preferred to Bishop’s Council, 29 May 1837.
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11
Mary Fielding, Kirtland, OH, to Mercy Fielding, [Upper Canada], ca. June 1837, Mary Fielding Smith, Collection, CHL.
Smith, Mary Fielding. Collection, ca. 1832–1848. CHL. MS 2779.
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12
John Smith, Kirtland, OH, to George A. Smith, West Township, Columbiana Co., OH, 28 July 1837, George Albert Smith, Papers, CHL; Mary Fielding, Kirtland, OH, to Mercy Fielding, [Upper Canada], ca. June 1837, Mary Fielding Smith, Collection, CHL.
Smith, George Albert. Papers, 1834–1877. CHL. MS 1322.
Smith, Mary Fielding. Collection, ca. 1832–1848. CHL. MS 2779.
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13
Pratt, Autobiography, 183–184.
Pratt, Parley P. The Autobiography of Parley Parker Pratt, One of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Embracing His Life, Ministry and Travels, with Extracts, in Prose and Verse, from His Miscellaneous Writings. Edited by Parley P. Pratt Jr. New York: Russell Brothers, 1874.
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14
Mary Fielding, Kirtland, OH, to Mercy Fielding Thompson, [Upper Canada], 8 July 1837, Mary Fielding Smith, Collection, CHL; Pratt, Autobiography, 184.
Smith, Mary Fielding. Collection, ca. 1832–1848. CHL. MS 2779.
Pratt, Parley P. The Autobiography of Parley Parker Pratt, One of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Embracing His Life, Ministry and Travels, with Extracts, in Prose and Verse, from His Miscellaneous Writings. Edited by Parley P. Pratt Jr. New York: Russell Brothers, 1874.
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15
It is not clear how Parrish acquired a copy of Pratt’s letter. Even though Pratt later stated it was not intended for publication, he may have circulated it among those individuals in Kirtland who shared his frustrations with JS and Rigdon in the summer of 1837. The letter Parrish sent to Zion’s Watchman first appeared as a letter to the editor of the Painesville (Ohio) Republican, an original copy of which has not been located. (Parley P. Pratt, Kirtland, OH, to JS, 23 May 1837, in Zion’s Watchman, 24 Mar. 1838, 46; “To the Public,” Elders’ Journal, Aug. 1838, 50–51.)
Zion's Watchman. New York City. 1836–1838.
Elders’ Journal of the Church of Latter Day Saints. Kirtland, OH, Oct.–Nov. 1837; Far West, MO, July–Aug. 1838.
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16
“Mormonism,” Zion’s Watchman, 24 Mar. 1838, 46.
Zion's Watchman. New York City. 1836–1838.
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17
“To the Public,” Elders’ Journal, Aug. 1838, 50–51.
Elders’ Journal of the Church of Latter Day Saints. Kirtland, OH, Oct.–Nov. 1837; Far West, MO, July–Aug. 1838.
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18
Richard Livesey, Exposure of Mormonism (Preston: J. Livesey, 1838).
Livesey, Richard. An Exposure of Mormonism, Being a Statement of Facts relating to the Self- Styled “Latter Day Saints,” and the Origin of the Book of Mormon. Preston, England: J. Livesey, 1838.
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19
Pratt, Reply, 7.
Pratt, Parley P. A Reply to Mr. Thomas Taylor’s “Complete Failure,” &c., and Mr. Richard Livesey’s “Mormonism Exposed.” Manchester: R. Thomas, 1840.
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20
“Parley P. Pratt’s Letter,” Naked Truths about Mormonism (Oakland, CA), Apr. 1888, 4.
Naked Truths about Mormonism: Also a Journal for Important, Newly Apprehended Truths, and Miscellany. Oakland, CA. Jan. and Apr. 1888.
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21
Arthur Deming, Preface to “Parley P. Pratt’s Letter,” Naked Truths about Mormonism (Oakland, CA), Apr. 1888, 4. A “Lake County Library and Historical Society” was founded in June 1876, but that organization, long discontinued, has no relation to the present-day Lake County Historical Society, which was started in 1936 and has no record of the letter being in their collection. (History of Geauga and Lake Counties, 43.)
Naked Truths about Mormonism: Also a Journal for Important, Newly Apprehended Truths, and Miscellany. Oakland, CA. Jan. and Apr. 1888.
History of Geauga and Lake Counties, Ohio, with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of Its Pioneers and Most Prominent Men. Philadelphia: Williams Brothers, 1878.
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22
“To the Public,” Elders’ Journal, Aug. 1838, 50.
Elders’ Journal of the Church of Latter Day Saints. Kirtland, OH, Oct.–Nov. 1837; Far West, MO, July–Aug. 1838.
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23
It is not clear who was involved in making these changes. Parrish may have altered the letter before sending it, or the editors of Zion’s Watchman may have imposed changes to conform with standardized spelling in their publication. Sunderland and Merritt may also have decided to omit the postscript because of its affirmation of the Book of Mormon.
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