Letter to Isaac Galland, 22 March 1839

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Letter to Isaac Galland, 22 March 1839
Source Note

JS, Letter,
Liberty
Located in western Missouri, thirteen miles north of Independence. Settled 1820. Clay Co. seat, 1822. Incorporated as town, May 1829. Following expulsion from Jackson Co., 1833, many Latter-day Saints found refuge in Clay Co., with church leaders and other...
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, Clay Co., MO, to
Isaac Galland
15 May 1791–27 Sept. 1858. Merchant, postmaster, land speculator, doctor. Born at Somerset Co., Pennsylvania. Son of Matthew Galland and Hannah Fenno. Married first Nancy Harris, 22 Mar. 1811, in Madison Co., Ohio. Married second Margaret Knight, by 1816....
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, [
Commerce
Located near middle of western boundary of state, bordering Mississippi River. European Americans settled area, 1820s. From bank of river, several feet above high-water mark, ground described as nearly level for six or seven blocks before gradually sloping...
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, Hancock Co., IL], 22 Mar. 1839. Featured version published in Times and Seasons, Feb. 1840, pp. 51–56.

Times and Seasons (
Commerce
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[later
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), vol. 1, no. 1–vol. 2, no. 3 (July 1839–1 Dec. 1840), edited by
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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and
Don Carlos 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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; vol. 2, nos. 4–12 (15 Dec. 1840–15 Apr. 1841), edited by
Don Carlos Smith
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; vol. 2, nos. 13–19 (1 May–2 Aug. 1841), edited by
Don Carlos Smith
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and
Robert B. Thompson
1 Oct. 1811–27 Aug. 1841. Clerk, editor. Born in Great Driffield, Yorkshire, England. Methodist. Immigrated to Upper Canada, 1834. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by Parley P. Pratt, May 1836, in Upper Canada. Ordained an elder by...
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; vol. 2, no. 20 (16 Aug. 1841), edited by
Robert B. Thompson
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and
Ebenezer Robinson
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; vol. 2, no. 21–vol. 3, no. 7 (1 Sept. 1841–1 Feb. 1842), edited by
Ebenezer Robinson
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; vol. 3, nos. 8–24 (15 Feb.–15 Oct. 1842), edited by JS; vol. 4, no. 1–vol. 6, no. 23 (15 Nov. 1842–15 Feb. 1846), edited by
John Taylor
1 Nov. 1808–25 July 1887. Preacher, editor, publisher, politician. Born at Milnthorpe, Westmoreland, England. Son of James Taylor and Agnes Taylor, members of Church of England. Around age sixteen, joined Methodist church and was local preacher. Migrated ...
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.

The Times and Seasons was a newspaper published in
Commerce
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(later
Nauvoo
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), Illinois, between July 1839 and 15 February 1846. The composition of the paper on which it was printed varied between wood pulp and linen fibers depending on what was available at the time of each issue’s publication. Each issue was printed on sixteen octavo pages measuring around 9½ × 6 inches (24 × 15 cm); the exact size varied depending on how an issue was cut. Each page contained two columns of text. In the issues prior to 1 July 1841, both columns were 2⅛ inches wide; in the later issues, the columns were 2¼ inches wide.
1
In a few issues, the initial page contained a single column. (See, for example, Times and Seasons, 15 Nov. 1841, 3:577.)
Comprehensive Works Cited
Times and Seasons. Commerce/Nauvoo, IL. Nov. 1839–Feb. 1846.

The first of the newspaper’s six volumes consisted of twelve issues and one reprint; the first issue was dated July 1839 and then the paper was published monthly from November 1839 through October 1840. The second through fifth volumes contained twenty-four issues each and were published semimonthly—generally dated on the first and fifteenth of each month—from 1 November 1840 to 15 October 1841, 1 November 1841 to 15 October 1842, 15 November 1842 to 1 November 1843, and 1 January 1844 to 1 January 1845, respectively. The sixth volume contained only twenty-three issues and ran on a semimonthly basis from 15 January 1845 to 15 February 1846.
2
At times due to opposition to the newspaper and at times due to a lack of supplies, issues were not published for 1 November 1842, 15 November 1843, 1 and 15 December 1843, 15 June 1844, and the months of September and October 1845.
Volumes 1–3 were paginated 1–958; the numbers 577–582 were used on the pages at the end of volume 2 and were repeated on the pages at the beginning of volume 3. Volumes 4–6 were paginated 1–1135. Other minor errors in page numbers were made throughout both sets of pagination.

The volumes used in The Joseph Smith Papers were bound into several text blocks at a later date. Volumes 1 and 2 were bound together in three-quarter binding with textured red leather and shell marbled paper. The edges have been trimmed and speckled brown. The bound item measures 9 × 5⅝ × 1⅜ inches (23 × 14 × 3 cm). Another copy of volume 1 and of volume 2 were bound with volume 3 in a three-quarter case binding with black leather and textured cloth, measuring 9 × 6 × 2¼ inches (23 × 15 × 6 cm). Volumes 4 and 5 were bound individually but are identical in composition and materials, suggesting they were originally bound at around the same time. Both were likely compiled in
Nauvoo
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, as they each contain a title page and index. It is not clear where they were originally bound. The edges of the two volumes have been trimmed and speckled blue. Both are bound with a three-quarter binding of textured black leather and shell marbled paper. Volume 4 measures 9¼ × 6 × 1 inches (23 × 15 × 3 cm), and volume 5 measures 8⅞ × 5⅞ × 1 inches (23 × 15 × 3 cm). Volume 6 is likewise bound individually, though with a three-quarter binding of brown calf leather and marbled paper; the paper has been significantly worn down. The pages have been trimmed, and the edges have uneven brown coloring. The volume measures 9¼ × 6 × ¾ inches (23 × 15 × 2 cm). The spine of each bound item has gold tooling, along with the name of the newspaper and the volumes contained in the binding. The spine of volume 6 also has decorative blind roll tooling.

All of the bound volumes except the final volume were rebound one or more times and underwent significant conservation work during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Nearly all of the volumes contain diamond-shaped press marks on the paper, and all of the volumes include archival stamping and labels from the Church Historian’s Office (now CHL) or other earlier owners. Volumes of the Times and Seasons have been in the possession of the Church Historian’s Office since at least 1846; however, it is unclear whether any of the earliest-acquired copies are the ones featured in The Joseph Smith Papers.
3
“Schedule of Church Records. Nauvoo 1846,” [1], Historian’s Office, Catalogs and Inventories, 1846–1904, CHL.
Historian’s Office. Catalogs and Inventories, 1846–1904. CHL. CR 100 130.
There are no archival markings identifying the original owners of volumes 1–3. Volumes 4 and 5 apparently belonged to
Latter-day Saint
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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Robert Campbell until his death in 1872. By 11 December 1889, they were acquired by Andrew Jenson, an employee in the Church Historian’s Office, for his personal library. Volume 6 bears a partially removed label describing lending policies for an unidentified library, suggesting that that volume belonged to a lending library until Jenson acquired the volume by 1890. In 1930 the three volumes Jenson acquired were transferred, along with the rest of his library, to the Church Historian’s Office.
4
Jenson, Journal, 1 Feb. 1930.
Jenson, Andrew. Journals, 1864–1941. Andrew Jenson, Autobiography and Journals, 1864–1941. CHL.

The newspaper was established after the
First Presidency
The highest presiding body of the church. An 11 November 1831 revelation stated that the president of the high priesthood was to preside over the church. JS was ordained as president of the high priesthood on 25 January 1832. In March 1832, JS appointed two...
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and other church leaders in the
Commerce
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area met in June 1839. They determined that
Ebenezer Robinson
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and
Don Carlos Smith
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should publish the newspaper. The church would provide the printing press, with Robinson and Smith paying the publication expenses and receiving all profits from the business.
5
Ebenezer Robinson, “Items of Personal History of the Editor,” Return, May 1890, 257.
The Return. Davis City, IA, 1889–1891; Richmond, MO, 1892–1893; Davis City, 1895–1896; Denver, 1898; Independence, MO, 1899–1900.

The press was first set up in the basement of a structure on the banks of the
Mississippi River
Principal U.S. river running southward from Itasca Lake, Minnesota, to Gulf of Mexico. Covered 3,160-mile course, 1839 (now about 2,350 miles). Drains about 1,100,000 square miles. Steamboat travel on Mississippi very important in 1830s and 1840s for shipping...
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, and two hundred copies of the first issue were printed in July. Severe illness among the editors and their families prevented more copies from being printed. In November 1839, with the assistance of Lyman Gaylord and in a new structure on the northeast corner of Water and Bain streets, the first issue was printed again, redated November 1839. The yearly subscription fee for the newspaper was one dollar.
6
Ebenezer Robinson, “Items of Personal History of the Editor,” Return, May 1890, 257–258; “To the Patrons of the Times and Seasons,” Times and Seasons, Nov. 1839, 1:15–16.
The paper listed its publication location as
Commerce
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until the May 1840 issue, when the location was changed to
Nauvoo
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.

With the second volume, begun 1 November 1840, the paper began to be issued semimonthly and the subscription price increased to two dollars per year.
7
Times and Seasons, 1 Nov. 1840, 2:193, 208.
The issues were dated the first and fifteenth of each month, but print runs were frequently a week or more late; in some cases, they were months behind schedule. On 14 December 1840,
Robinson
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and
Don Carlos Smith
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dissolved their partnership, and Smith became the sole editor of the next nine issues, beginning with the 15 December issue.
8
“Dissolution,” Times and Seasons, 15 Dec. 1840, 2:256.

Robert B. Thompson
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joined Smith as a coeditor for the issues of 1 May 1841 through 2 August 1841.
9
“New Arrangement,” Times and Seasons, 1 May 1841, 2:402.
After Smith’s death on 7 August 1841, Robinson once again joined the paper, coediting the 16 August issue with Thompson.
10
“Death of General Don Carlos Smith,” Times and Seasons, 16 Aug. 1841, 2:503.
Thompson died before the next issue was printed, leaving Robinson as the sole editor beginning with the 1 September 1841 issue. In November 1841, Robinson moved the Times and Seasons printing office across the street to the northwest corner of Water and Bain streets.
11
“Death of Col. Robert B. Thompson,” Times and Seasons, 1 Sept. 1841, 2:519.

A 28 January 1842 revelation directed the
Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
Members of a governing body in the church, with special administrative and proselytizing responsibilities. A June 1829 revelation commanded Oliver Cowdery and David Whitmer to call twelve disciples, similar to the twelve apostles in the New Testament and ...
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to take responsibility for the paper.
John Taylor
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and
Wilford Woodruff
1 Mar. 1807–2 Sept. 1898. Farmer, miller. Born at Farmington, Hartford Co., Connecticut. Son of Aphek Woodruff and Beulah Thompson. Moved to Richland, Oswego Co., New York, 1832. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by Zera Pulsipher,...
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were assigned to act as editors, and
Robinson
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sold the printing establishment to JS on 4 February 1842.
12
JS, Journal, 28 Jan. and 4 Feb. 1842.
JS was identified as the editor of the paper for the issues of 15 February through 15 October 1842.
13
Even though JS was identified as the editor of the paper beginning with the 15 February 1842 issue, he did not acknowledge that he was acting as such until the 1 March 1842 issue.
In early December 1842, JS leased the printing office to Taylor and Woodruff, who had been heavily involved in editing and printing the paper throughout JS’s tenure as editor.
14
JS, Journal, 2 Dec. 1842; Crawley, Descriptive Bibliography, 1:92–94.
Crawley, Peter. A Descriptive Bibliography of the Mormon Church. 3 vols. Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 1997–2012.
Beginning with the first issue of volume 4, dated 15 November 1842, Woodruff was named as a publisher, with Taylor listed as a publisher and editor.

In January 1844, JS initiated the sale of the printing office to
Taylor
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, but the transaction was not finalized prior to JS’s death in June 1844.
15
JS, Journal, 23 Jan. 1844.
Taylor remained the sole named editor for the remainder of the paper’s publication, which concluded with the 15 February 1846 issue.
Footnotes
[1]
In a few issues, the initial page contained a single column. (See, for example, Times and Seasons, 15 Nov. 1841, 3:577.)
[2]
At times due to opposition to the newspaper and at times due to a lack of supplies, issues were not published for 1 November 1842, 15 November 1843, 1 and 15 December 1843, 15 June 1844, and the months of September and October 1845.
[3]
“Schedule of Church Records. Nauvoo 1846,” [1], Historian’s Office, Catalogs and Inventories, 1846–1904, CHL.
Historian’s Office. Catalogs and Inventories, 1846–1904. CHL. CR 100 130.
[4]
Jenson, Journal, 1 Feb. 1930.
Jenson, Andrew. Journals, 1864–1941. Andrew Jenson, Autobiography and Journals, 1864–1941. CHL.
[5]
Ebenezer Robinson, “Items of Personal History of the Editor,” Return, May 1890, 257.
[6]
Ebenezer Robinson, “Items of Personal History of the Editor,” Return, May 1890, 257–258; “To the Patrons of the Times and Seasons,” Times and Seasons, Nov. 1839, 1:15–16.
[7]
Times and Seasons, 1 Nov. 1840, 2:193, 208.
[8]
“Dissolution,” Times and Seasons, 15 Dec. 1840, 2:256.
[9]
“New Arrangement,” Times and Seasons, 1 May 1841, 2:402.
[10]
“Death of General Don Carlos Smith,” Times and Seasons, 16 Aug. 1841, 2:503.
[11]
“Death of Col. Robert B. Thompson,” Times and Seasons, 1 Sept. 1841, 2:519.
[12]
JS, Journal, 28 Jan. and 4 Feb. 1842.
[13]
Even though JS was identified as the editor of the paper beginning with the 15 February 1842 issue, he did not acknowledge that he was acting as such until the 1 March 1842 issue.
[14]
JS, Journal, 2 Dec. 1842; Crawley, Descriptive Bibliography, 1:92–94.
Crawley, Peter. A Descriptive Bibliography of the Mormon Church. 3 vols. Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 1997–2012.
[15]
JS, Journal, 23 Jan. 1844.
Historical Introduction
On 22 March 1839, JS wrote from the
Clay County
Settled ca. 1800. Organized from Ray Co., 1822. Original size diminished when land was taken to create several surrounding counties. Liberty designated county seat, 1822. Population in 1830 about 5,000; in 1836 about 8,500; and in 1840 about 8,300. Refuge...
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jail
Two-story building containing dungeon on lower floor with access through trap door. Wood building constructed, ca. 1830. Outer stone wall added and building completed, 1833. JS and five others confined there for just over four months, beginning 1 Dec. 1838...
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in
Liberty
Located in western Missouri, thirteen miles north of Independence. Settled 1820. Clay Co. seat, 1822. Incorporated as town, May 1829. Following expulsion from Jackson Co., 1833, many Latter-day Saints found refuge in Clay Co., with church leaders and other...
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, Missouri, to land speculator
Isaac Galland
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in
Commerce
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, Illinois. The month before, Galland met with
church
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members
Israel Barlow
13 Sept. 1806–1 Nov. 1883. Farmer, nurseryman, stockraiser. Born in Granville, Hampden Co., Massachusetts. Son of Jonathan Barlow and Anniss Gillett. Moved to New York. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by Brigham Young, 16 Mar. 1834...
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and
David W. Rogers
4 Oct. 1787–21 Sept. 1881. Born in New Hampshire. Son of Samuel Rogers and Hannah Sinclair. Married Martha Collins, 5 Dec. 1811, in Montreal, Lower Canada. Moved to Pomfret, Chautauque Co., New York, by 1820. Moved to New York City, 1830. Baptized into Church...
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regarding his offer to sell the church twenty thousand acres of land in
Lee County
First permanent settlement established, 1820. Organized 1837. Population in 1838 about 2,800; in 1840 about 6,100; in 1844 about 9,800; and in 1846 about 13,000. Following expulsion from Missouri, 1838–1839, many Saints found refuge in eastern Iowa Territory...
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, Iowa Territory, for Latter-day Saint refugees.
1
Rogers, Statement, [1], CHL; Quincy Committee, Minutes, ca. 9 Feb. 1839, Far West Committee, Minutes, CHL.
Rogers, David W. Statement, [not before 1846]. CHL.
Far West Committee. Minutes, Jan.–Apr. 1839. CHL. MS 2564.
Later in the month, on 26 February 1839, Galland wrote a letter to Rogers, expressing sympathy for the suffering church members and offering to assist them in any way possible.
2
Isaac Galland, Commerce, IL, to David W. Rogers, [Quincy, IL], 26 Feb. 1839, in JS Letterbook 2, pp. 1–3.
In late February or early March, likely after reading Galland’s letter, church leaders in
Quincy
Located on high limestone bluffs east of Mississippi River, about forty-five miles south of Nauvoo. Settled 1821. Adams Co. seat, 1825. Incorporated as town, 1834. Received city charter, 1840. Population in 1835 about 800; in 1840 about 2,300; and in 1845...
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, Illinois, assigned Rogers to deliver the letter and other important documents to JS. Rogers left soon thereafter, arriving in Liberty on 19 March 1839.
3
Historical Introduction to Letter from Edward Partridge, 5 Mar. 1839; Letter to the Church and Edward Partridge, 20 Mar. 1839; Hyrum Smith, Liberty, MO, to Mary Fielding Smith, Quincy, IL, 19 Mar. 1839, Mary Fielding Smith, Collection, CHL.
Smith, Mary Fielding. Collection, ca. 1832–1848. CHL. MS 2779.
The following day, JS wrote a general epistle to the church, encouraging church leaders in
Illinois
Became part of Northwest Territory of U.S., 1787. Admitted as state, 1818. Population in 1840 about 480,000. Population in 1845 about 660,000. Plentiful, inexpensive land attracted settlers from northern and southern states. Following expulsion from Missouri...
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to exercise their discretion in whether to accept Galland’s offer. Before making a decision, however, church leaders were to consult with “the most faithfull and the most respictible of the authorities of the church” at general conferences.
4
Letter to the Church and Edward Partridge, 20 Mar. 1839.

Soon after completing the general epistle on 20 March 1839, JS wrote to
Galland
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, apparently responding to items in Galland’s February missive to
Rogers
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. Galland had inquired about the status of Rogers’s “captive brethren in
Missouri
Area acquired by U.S. in Louisiana Purchase, 1803, and established as territory, 1812. Missouri Compromise, 1820, admitted Missouri as slave state, 1821. Population in 1830 about 140,000; in 1836 about 240,000; and in 1840 about 380,000. Latter-day Saint ...
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” and whether JS had yet been released. Galland had also conceded that he had “little knowledge . . . as yet of the doctrines, order or practice of the church.”
5
Isaac Galland, Commerce, IL, to David W. Rogers, [Quincy, IL], 26 Feb. 1839, in JS Letterbook 2, p. 2.
In JS’s response, he described the Saints’ sufferings and the prisoners’ misfortunes. He also gave an extended description of Latter-day Saint beliefs about the Bible, revelation, authority, and other “leading items of the gospel.” JS concluded the letter by stating his intention to purchase Galland’s land upon being released from prison. This statement indicates that JS’s thinking had changed since writing the 20 March general epistle to the church.
6
In contrast to the general epistle of 20 March 1839, which encouraged church leaders in Quincy to decide whether to purchase Galland’s land, the second general epistle strongly encouraged church leaders “to secure to themselves the contract of the Land which is proposed to them by Mr. Isaac Galland.” In this second epistle, written about the same time that JS completed the letter to Galland, JS described Galland as a “man of honor and a friend to humanity.” (Letter to Edward Partridge and the Church, ca. 22 Mar. 1839; see also Letter to the Church and Edward Partridge, 20 Mar. 1839.)

JS, who was the only signatory of the letter, likely dictated it to one of his fellow prisoners, perhaps
Alexander McRae
7 Sept. 1807–20 June 1891. Tailor, sheriff, prison warden. Born in Anson Co., North Carolina. Son of John B. McRae and Mary. Moved to South Carolina; to Iredell Co., North Carolina; and back to South Carolina. Enlisted in U.S. Army, Mar. 1829, and served ...
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, who performed most of the scribal duties for JS’s extended compositions in March 1839.
7
See Petition to George Tompkins, between 9 and 15 Mar. 1839; Letter to the Church and Edward Partridge, 20 Mar. 1839; and Letter to Edward Partridge and the Church, ca. 22 Mar. 1839. In contrast, around this time JS wrote two short letters to Emma Smith in his own hand. (See Letter to Emma Smith, 21 Mar. 1839; and Letter to Emma Smith, 4 Apr. 1839.)
The missive may have been included in the “package of letters for
Quincy
Located on high limestone bluffs east of Mississippi River, about forty-five miles south of Nauvoo. Settled 1821. Adams Co. seat, 1825. Incorporated as town, 1834. Received city charter, 1840. Population in 1835 about 800; in 1840 about 2,300; and in 1845...
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” that the prisoners gave church member
Alanson Ripley
8 Jan. 1798–before 1860. Surveyor, lawyer. Born at New York. Son of Asa Ripley and Polly Deforest. Married Sarah Finkle. Resided in Massachusetts, 1827. Member of Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Ohio. Participated in Camp of Israel expedition...
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when he visited the
jail
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on 22 March 1839.
8
Lyman Wight, Journal, in History of the Reorganized Church, 2:323.
The History of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. 8 vols. Independence, MO: Herald Publishing House, 1896–1976.
How the letter was carried to
Galland
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in
Illinois
Became part of Northwest Territory of U.S., 1787. Admitted as state, 1818. Population in 1840 about 480,000. Population in 1845 about 660,000. Plentiful, inexpensive land attracted settlers from northern and southern states. Following expulsion from Missouri...
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is unknown. The land speculator’s immediate reaction to the letter is also unknown; extant records do not indicate whether he reserved the land for the Saints, but the land in question was available when JS arrived in Illinois on 22 April 1839, and soon afterward the church bought the land.
9
The church purchased land from Galland in Commerce and Lee County in April, May, and June 1839. (JS, Journal, 24 Apr.–3 May 1839; Minutes, 24 Apr. 1839; Agreement with George W. Robinson, 30 Apr. 1839.)
Additionally, the letter probably influenced Galland’s decision to join the church in July 1839.
10
JS baptized Galland and ordained him an elder on 3 July 1839. (JS, Journal, 3 July 1839.)

The original letter is apparently not extant. However, a transcript of the letter was printed in the February 1840 issue of the Times and Seasons; this printed copy is the version featured here.
11
Other letters JS wrote from the Clay County jail were substantially edited before being published in the Times and Seasons, suggesting that the letter to Galland may have also been edited. At a minimum, the editors likely added citations to JS’s several references to the Bible since JS might not have had a Bible in the jail. (See Historical Introduction to Letter to the Church in Caldwell Co., MO, 16 Dec. 1838; Historical Introduction to Letter to the Church and Edward Partridge, 20 Mar. 1839; and Historical Introduction to Letter to Edward Partridge and the Church, ca. 22 Mar. 1839.)
Footnotes
[1]
Rogers, Statement, [1], CHL; Quincy Committee, Minutes, ca. 9 Feb. 1839, Far West Committee, Minutes, CHL.
Rogers, David W. Statement, [not before 1846]. CHL.
Far West Committee. Minutes, Jan.–Apr. 1839. CHL. MS 2564.
[2]
Isaac Galland, Commerce, IL, to David W. Rogers, [Quincy, IL], 26 Feb. 1839, in JS Letterbook 2, pp. 1–3.
[3]
Historical Introduction to Letter from Edward Partridge, 5 Mar. 1839; Letter to the Church and Edward Partridge, 20 Mar. 1839; Hyrum Smith, Liberty, MO, to Mary Fielding Smith, Quincy, IL, 19 Mar. 1839, Mary Fielding Smith, Collection, CHL.
Smith, Mary Fielding. Collection, ca. 1832–1848. CHL. MS 2779.
[4]
Letter to the Church and Edward Partridge, 20 Mar. 1839.
[5]
Isaac Galland, Commerce, IL, to David W. Rogers, [Quincy, IL], 26 Feb. 1839, in JS Letterbook 2, p. 2.
[6]
In contrast to the general epistle of 20 March 1839, which encouraged church leaders in Quincy to decide whether to purchase Galland’s land, the second general epistle strongly encouraged church leaders “to secure to themselves the contract of the Land which is proposed to them by Mr. Isaac Galland.” In this second epistle, written about the same time that JS completed the letter to Galland, JS described Galland as a “man of honor and a friend to humanity.” (Letter to Edward Partridge and the Church, ca. 22 Mar. 1839; see also Letter to the Church and Edward Partridge, 20 Mar. 1839.)
[7]
See Petition to George Tompkins, between 9 and 15 Mar. 1839; Letter to the Church and Edward Partridge, 20 Mar. 1839; and Letter to Edward Partridge and the Church, ca. 22 Mar. 1839. In contrast, around this time JS wrote two short letters to Emma Smith in his own hand. (See Letter to Emma Smith, 21 Mar. 1839; and Letter to Emma Smith, 4 Apr. 1839.)
[8]
Lyman Wight, Journal, in History of the Reorganized Church, 2:323.
The History of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. 8 vols. Independence, MO: Herald Publishing House, 1896–1976.
[9]
The church purchased land from Galland in Commerce and Lee County in April, May, and June 1839. (JS, Journal, 24 Apr.–3 May 1839; Minutes, 24 Apr. 1839; Agreement with George W. Robinson, 30 Apr. 1839.)
[10]
JS baptized Galland and ordained him an elder on 3 July 1839. (JS, Journal, 3 July 1839.)
[11]
Other letters JS wrote from the Clay County jail were substantially edited before being published in the Times and Seasons, suggesting that the letter to Galland may have also been edited. At a minimum, the editors likely added citations to JS’s several references to the Bible since JS might not have had a Bible in the jail. (See Historical Introduction to Letter to the Church in Caldwell Co., MO, 16 Dec. 1838; Historical Introduction to Letter to the Church and Edward Partridge, 20 Mar. 1839; and Historical Introduction to Letter to Edward Partridge and the Church, ca. 22 Mar. 1839.)
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Liberty jail
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, Clay co. Mo. March 22nd, 1839.

Mr.
Isaac Galland
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; Dear Sir:

I have just been privileged with a perusal of a letter, put into my hands by Mr.
D[avid] W. Rogers
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, which letter was directed to him, dated February 26th, 1839. and signed,
Isaac Galland
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.
1
See Isaac Galland, Commerce, IL, to David W. Rogers, [Quincy, IL], 26 Feb. 1839, in JS Letterbook 2, pp. 1–3.
The contents of said letter expresses a sympathy and a good feeling towards the people and
church of the Latter Day Saints
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, which I have the high honor, of being their religious leader; I say high honor, more especially, because I know them to be an honorable, a virtuous, and an upright people. And that honor, vir [p. 51]
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