The Papers
Browse the PapersDocumentsJournalsAdministrative RecordsRevelations and TranslationsHistoriesLegal RecordsFinancial RecordsOther Contemporary Papers
Reference
PeoplePlacesEventsGlossaryLegal GlossaryFinancial GlossaryCalendar of DocumentsWorks CitedFeatured TopicsLesson PlansRelated Publications
Media
VideosPhotographsIllustrationsChartsMapsPodcasts
News
Current NewsArchiveNewsletterSubscribeJSP Conferences
About
About the ProjectJoseph Smith and His PapersFAQAwardsEndorsementsReviewsEditorial MethodNote on TranscriptionsNote on Images of People and PlacesReferencing the ProjectCiting This WebsiteProject TeamContact Us
Published Volumes
  1. Home > 
  2. The Papers > 

Bond from First Presidency, 4 January 1842

Source Note

JS, , and , Bond for property in , Hancock Co., IL, to JS as trustee-in-trust for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 4 Jan. 1842; signed by JS, , and ; acknowledged by . Featured version copied 18 Apr. 1842 in Hancock County Bonds and Mortgages, vol. 1, pp. 221–223; unidentified handwriting; Hancock County Courthouse, Carthage, IL. At some point, these pages were torn from the volume, resulting in some loss of text. For more complete source information, see the source note for Appointment as Trustee, 2 Feb. 1841

Historical Introduction

On 4 January 1842 members JS, , and signed a bond transferring land in , Illinois, to JS as trustee-in-trust for the . The bond identified ninety-one lots and a couple of incidental smaller properties in Nauvoo being sold to JS for $1. Despite this purchase price, the members of the First Presidency bound themselves as liable for $27,300, an amount equaling $300 per lot for ninety-one lots, likely reflecting the perceived value of the land.
The apparent intention of this transfer was to legally place the land in the church’s possession via its trustee-in-trust, the legal for the church; however, the amount of land being sold vastly exceeded the amount that a religious organization could own under law. According to the Act concerning Religious Societies, passed by the Illinois General Assembly in 1835, religious organizations could “purchase a quantity of land not exceeding five acres.” The majority of lots in this bond were an acre each.
It is unclear why the First Presidency transferred only the selected land and not other land on the peninsula. It may be noteworthy that all the lots listed in this bond were in the northern half of the , on land purchased from the partnership of , , and on 12 August 1839. No property from the church’s other early land purchases on the peninsula—those from Hotchkiss and , from , and from —was included in this transfer from the First Presidency to JS as trustee.
The bond was recorded in the county clerk’s office in , Illinois, on 18 April 1842. ’s assistant, , inscribed the original signed copy of this bond, which includes signatures not only of JS, , , and Richards but also of county clerk .

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    On 21 October 1839 the Nauvoo high council recommended that Nauvoo lots be sold for $500 each, with no lots sold for less than $200 or more than $800. Not all of the lots listed in the 4 January 1842 bond were full lots; many—particularly those abutting the Mississippi River—were fractional lots with a lower value than full lots. (Nauvoo Stake High Council Minutes, fair copy, 21 Oct. 1839, 26.)

    Nauvoo Stake High Council Minutes, ca. 1839–ca. 1843. Fair copy. In Oliver Cowdery, Diary, Jan.–Mar. 1836. CHL.

  2. [2]

    An Act concerning Religious Societies [6 Feb. 1835], Laws of the State of Illinois [1834–1835], p. 147, sec. 1.

    Incorporation Laws of the State of Illinois; Passed at a Session of the General Assembly, Begun and Held at Vandalia the 6th Day of December, 1836. Vandalia, IL; William Walters, 1837.

  3. [3]

    Bond from Horace Hotchkiss, 12 Aug. 1839–A. The most southern lots listed in the 1842 bond were in Nauvoo blocks 90 and 92, located on the north side of Ripley Street.

  4. [4]

    See Bond from Horace Hotchkiss, 12 Aug. 1839–B; and Hancock Co., IL, Deed Records, 1817–1917, vol. 12-G, p. 274, 30 Apr. 1839, microfilm 954,195; Hancock Co., IL, Bonds and Mortgages, 1840–1904, vol. 1, pp. 31–32, 30 Apr. 1839, microfilm 954,776, U.S. and Canada Record Collection, FHL.

    U.S. and Canada Record Collection. FHL.

  5. [5]

    JS, Sidney Rigdon, and Hyrum Smith to JS as Trustee-in-Trust, Bond, 4 Jan. 1842, JS Collection, CHL.

Asterisk (*) denotes a "featured" version, which includes an introduction and annotation. Bond from First Presidency, 4 January 1842, in handwriting of William Clayton *Bond from First Presidency, 4 January 1842

Page 223

and void otherwise to be and remain in full force and virt[ue]
Given under our hands and seals this fourth Day of January one thousand Eight hundred and forty two at
Joseph Smith Seal
Seal
Seal
Acknowledged
in presence of
[p. 223]
View entire transcript

|

Cite this page

Source Note

Document Transcript

Page 223

Document Information

Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Bond from First Presidency, 4 January 1842
ID #
7250
Total Pages
3
Print Volume Location
JSP, D9:73–77
Handwriting on This Page
  • Unidentified

Footnotes

  1. [31]

    TEXT: “virt[page torn]”.

  2. [32]

    TEXT: Each instance of “Seal” is enclosed in a hand-drawn seal.

© 2024 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.Terms of UseUpdated 2021-04-13Privacy NoticeUpdated 2021-04-06