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Letter from George J. Adams, 23 February 1843

Source Note

, Letter, , Suffolk Co., MA, to JS and , , Hancock Co., IL, 23 Feb. 1843; handwriting of ; four pages; JS Collection, CHL. Includes address, postal stamps, postal notation, endorsement, docket, and notation.
Bifolium measuring 9⅞ × 7¾ inches (25 × 20 cm) when folded. The letter is inscribed in blue ink. It was trifolded twice in letter style, addressed to , and sealed with a red adhesive wafer. The second leaf tore when the letter was opened, resulting in a loss of text. The letter was later refolded and docketed for filing.
The document was endorsed by , who served as scribe to JS from 1842 to 1844. It was also docketed by , who served as a clerk in the Church Historian’s Office (later Church Historical Department) from 1853 to 1859. The notation “copied by A.J” was added by Andrew Jenson, who began working in the Church Historian’s Office in 1891 and served as assistant church historian from 1897 to 1941. 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 endorsement, early dockets, and notation as well as its inclusion in the circa 1904 inventory and in the JS Collection by 1973 indicate continuous institutional custody.

Footnotes

  1. [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.

  2. [4]

    “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.

  3. [5]

    Jenson, Autobiography, 192, 389; Cannon, Journal, 9 Feb. 1891; Jenson, Journal, 9 Feb. 1891 and 19 Oct. 1897; Bitton and Arrington, Mormons and Their Historians, 47–52.

    Jenson, Andrew. Autobiography of Andrew Jenson: Assistant Historian of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. . . . Salt Lake City: Deseret News Press, 1938.

    Cannon, George Q. Journals, 1855–1864, 1872–1901. CHL. CR 850 1.

    Jenson, Andrew. Journals, 1864–1941. Andrew Jenson, Autobiography and Journals, 1864–1941. CHL.

    Bitton, David, and Leonard J. Arrington. Mormons and Their Historians. Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, 1988.

  4. [6]

    “Letters to and from the Prophet,” ca. 1904, [2], Historian’s Office, Catalogs and Inventories, 1846–1904, CHL.

    Historian’s Office. Catalogs and Inventories, 1846–1904. CHL. CR 100 130.

  5. [7]

    See the full bibliographic entry for JS Collection, 1827–1844, in the CHL catalog.

Historical Introduction

On 23 February 1843, wrote a letter from to JS in , Illinois, refuting additional rumors of his marital infidelity, reporting on his successes as a missionary, and reaffirming his loyalty to JS. In September or October 1842, JS confronted Adams with charges of adultery while Adams was visiting Nauvoo. He confessed to the charges in an 11 October 1842 letter to JS, claiming to be guilty only of a one-time indiscretion. After preaching for some time in the Nauvoo area, he returned to his home in to continue his missionary work in the eastern .
Around the beginning of January 1843, Mary Connor gave birth to a son and subsequently arrived at ’s home with the child, claiming Adams was the father. Adams’s wife, , wrote to JS informing him of the situation and asking him to recall her husband to . Unaware of his wife’s letter, George Adams resumed his missionary work in , where he had enjoyed considerable success a year earlier. Between January and March 1843, he held numerous public lectures in Boston and surrounding towns expounding Latter-day Saint doctrines and refuting the claims of other religious denominations.
By late February, apparently began to fear that rumors of his child that were circulating among Latter-day Saints in would reach JS. On 23 February 1843, he wrote this letter asking JS to ignore any charges made against him and to publish a statement in the Times and Seasons in support of his character. Adams also described the interest in and growth of the in , inviting JS to come east and join in his missionary efforts. Because of the private nature of his letter, he addressed the letter to , just as his wife had done a month earlier, believing that a letter sent to Emma was less likely to be seized or read by others.
By the time sent this letter, JS had already received ’s letter and had instructed the to call George and his family to . Adams received a letter from and conveying this message on 10 March 1843.
JS received this 23 February letter by 15 March 1843. On that date, he dictated a response, no longer extant, with likely serving as scribe. Clayton then endorsed this 23 February letter, noting that it had been answered.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    Letter from George J. Adams and David Rogers, 11 Oct. 1842.

  2. [2]

    Letter from Caroline Youngs Adams, ca. 15 Jan. 1843.

  3. [3]

    “Review of the Mormon Lectures,” Times and Seasons, 1 Mar. 1843, 4:126. For sources reporting Adams’s earlier success, see, for example, “The Mormons in Salem,” Salem (MA) Register, 2 June 1842, [2]; “From Our Boston Correspondent,” Norfolk Democrat (Dedham, MA), 17 June 1842, [2]; “The Mormon Controversy at Marlboro’ Chapel,” Christian Freeman and Family Visiter, 1 July 1842, 34; “Mormonism,” New-London (CT) Gazette and Advertiser, 6 July 1842, [2]; and “Latter Day Saints, or Mormons,” Times and Seasons, 1 July 1842, 3:835–836.

    Times and Seasons. Commerce/Nauvoo, IL. Nov. 1839–Feb. 1846.

    Salem Register. Salem, MA. 1841–1903.

    Norfolk Democrat. Dedham, MA. 1839–1854.

    Christian Freeman and Family Visiter. Boston. 1841–1843.

    New-London Gazette and Advertiser. New London, CT. 1840–1844.

  4. [4]

    See, for example, “Millerism,” Daily Bee (Boston), 20 Jan. 1843, [2]; Notice, Daily Bee, 26 Jan. 1843, [2]; and Notice, Daily Bee, 25 Feb. 1843, [2].

    Boston Daily Bee. Boston. 1842–1857.

  5. [5]

    In June 1843, after meeting with Adams, JS published a notice in the Times and Seasons stating that Adams had been appointed to serve a mission to Russia and had been “found worthy of the confidence of the saints.” After the Nauvoo high council tried Adams in September, William Marks also published a notice, stating that Adams had been “honorably acquitted by the High Council in Nauvoo, from all charges heretofore preferred against him from any and all sources.” (“Recommendatory,” Times and Seasons, 1 June 1843, 4:218; “To Whom It May Concern,” Times and Seasons, 15 Aug. 1843, 4:303.)

    Times and Seasons. Commerce/Nauvoo, IL. Nov. 1839–Feb. 1846.

  6. [6]

    Letter from Caroline Youngs Adams, ca. 15 Jan. 1843.

  7. [7]

    George J. Adams, New York City, NY, to Brigham Young and Willard Richards, Nauvoo, IL, 10 Mar. 1843, Brigham Young Office Files, CHL.

    Brigham Young Office Files, 1832–1878. CHL. CR 1234 1.

  8. [8]

    Clayton spent at least part of the day on 15 March 1843 working in JS’s mayoral office. (JS, Journal, 15 Mar. 1843; Clayton, Journal, 15 Mar. 1843.)

    Clayton, William. Journals, 1842–1845. CHL.

Page [2]

none, whateaver I <​have​> done You know, and you also know I have cincerely repented months ago— now My Dear Brother I am I to be Sacrificed to gratify the envious, and Jelous, dispos[it]ions, of cold half hearted, professors or will you Save me that I may yet have the privalage to redeem my Selph. I thing think Bro— , and , will go Bail for me— if they wont for Gods sake save me without Bail, if you could put a Short article in the “times and seasons” to Say you had investigated those reports concerning me, that would crush evry thing.— So far as the churches was concernd and I have no fears from the world. My Dear is with me in good health and Spirits considering evrything She exspects a letter from you Soon— She Joins in love to your belove[d] and Children, two more papers have commenced to publish in our favor there is a complete Revolution takeing place here I have from 12 to 15 of the State legislators to hear me, evry Sunday. I exspect two of them will be Soon I preach evry wensday night over in Charlestown in the great town Hall to a congragation of over twelve hundred people— Many are going foward in the waters of baptism to God by all Glory. [p. [2]]
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Document Information

Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Letter from George J. Adams, 23 February 1843
ID #
997
Total Pages
4
Print Volume Location
JSP, D11:468–474
Handwriting on This Page
  • George J. Adams

Footnotes

  1. [5]

    Adams previously told JS that only the two of them and church member David Rogers knew about the affair and that Adams had taken measures so that “no Shade of testomony” could be brought against him. (Letter from George J. Adams and David Rogers, 11 Oct. 1842.)

  2. [6]

    TEXT: Possibly “months”.

  3. [7]

    Adams associated closely with apostles Heber C. Kimball and Orson Hyde. He joined the church after hearing Kimball preach in February 1840; shortly thereafter, Kimball recommended that Adams be ordained an elder. Kimball and Orson Pratt also healed a woman—presumably Caroline Youngs Adams—shortly before the woman and her husband were baptized. Adams subsequently accompanied Hyde to England as the latter began his mission to Jerusalem. (George J. Adams, 7 Oct. 1840, Letter to the Editor, Times and Seasons, 15 Nov. 1840, 2:220–221; Heber C. Kimball, New York City, NY, to Vilate Murray Kimball, Commerce, IL, 19 Feb. 1840, photocopy, Heber C. Kimball, Letters, CHL; Foster, History of the New York City Branch, 4 Mar. 1840; “Letter from Elder George J. Adams,” Times and Seasons, 15 June 1842, 3:826–828.)

    Times and Seasons. Commerce/Nauvoo, IL. Nov. 1839–Feb. 1846.

    Kimball, Heber C. Letters, 1839–1854. Photocopy. CHL.

  4. [8]

    In contrast to George J. Adams’s claims, Caroline Youngs Adams had earlier informed JS that, compounding her chronically poor health, her husband’s affair had produced an “awful state of exitement” that left her unable to sleep or eat. (Letter from Caroline Youngs Adams, ca. 15 Jan. 1843.)

  5. [9]

    It is unclear which newspapers Adams was referencing here. A year earlier, several newspapers had given favorable reviews of Adams’s preaching and debating skills. More recently, the daily and weekly editions of the Boston Bee had devoted considerable space to Adams and the other Latter-day Saints in the city. Many of the reports in the Bee were later republished in the Times and Seasons. Four days after Adams wrote this letter, the Boston Daily Bee published a history of the church and its beliefs by Adams. (“What Do the Mormons Believe?” Daily Bee [Boston], 27 Feb. 1843, [1]; see also, for example, “Dr. West and the Mormons,” Boston Investigator, 22 June 1842, [3]; and “Mormon Conference,” Times and Seasons, 1 Mar. 1843, 4:124–125.)

    Boston Daily Bee. Boston. 1842–1857.

    Boston Investigator. Boston. 1831–1904.

    Times and Seasons. Commerce/Nauvoo, IL. Nov. 1839–Feb. 1846.

  6. [10]

    The Saints in Boston regularly held meetings at Boylston Hall, built in 1810 on the southwest corner of Washington and Boylston streets. The building contained a large assembly room, one hundred feet long and fifty feet wide, in an upper story above a market. In February and March 1843, Adams preached there three times a day on Sundays and also held occasional lectures there on other days of the week. (Snow, History of Boston, 332; “Ordination,” Daily Bee [Boston], 11 Feb. 1843, [2]; Notice, Daily Bee, 25 Feb. 1843, [2]; “The Mormons,” Trumpet and Universalist Magazine, 11 Mar. 1843, 149.)

    Snow, Caleb H. A History of Boston, the Metropolis of Massachusetts, from Its Origin to the Present Period; with Some Account of the Environs. Boston: Abel Bowen, 1825.

    Boston Daily Bee. Boston. 1842–1857.

    Trumpet and Universalist Magazine. Boston. 1828–1862.

  7. [11]

    The Charlestown town hall, built in 1818, was located just across the Charles River from Boston in the Charlestown town square. A local newspaper reported that at a meeting held there sometime in late February or early March, Adams delivered a lecture before a large congregation. After the lecture, he challenged the clergy from other denominations to a debate regarding Latter-day Saint beliefs. (Hunnewell, Century of Town Life, 71; “Throwing Down the Gauntlet,” Daily Bee [Boston], 4 Mar. 1843, [2].)

    Hunnewell, James F. A Century of Town Life: A History of Charlestown, Massachusetts, 1775– 1887. With Surveys, Records, and Twenty-Eight Pages of Plans and Views. Boston: Little, Brown, 1888.

    Boston Daily Bee. Boston. 1842–1857.

  8. [12]

    On 7 March 1843, nearly two weeks after Adams sent this letter, fifteen people were baptized in Boston Harbor near Commercial Street in front of a crowd of four or five hundred. (“Immersion,” Daily Bee [Boston], 9 Mar. 1843, [2].)

    Boston Daily Bee. Boston. 1842–1857.

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