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Letter from John Taylor, 3 February 1841

Source Note

, Letter, , Lancashire, England, to JS, , Hancock Co., IL, 3 Feb. 1841. Featured version published in Times and Seasons, 1 May 1841, vol. 2, no. 13, 400–402. For more complete source information, see the source note for Letter to Isaac Galland, 22 Mar. 1839.

Historical Introduction

Written on 3 February 1841 in , England, ’s letter to JS in , Illinois, recounted Taylor’s travel to and proselytizing work in the British Isles during the previous year and a half.
In July 1838, JS dictated a revelation appointing and three other men to fill vacant positions in the . The revelation instructed the Twelve to “go over the great waters and there promulge [promulgate] my gospel.” The revelation’s call to fulfill a proselytizing mission abroad “next spring” allowed the apostles some time for preparation, but it likely tested their commitment, as it came on the cusp of the 1838 conflict between the and other Missourians that resulted in many deaths, the incarceration of JS and other church leaders, and the expulsion of the Latter-day Saints from , which led the Saints to flee to and . As a result of the expulsion, most Saints lived in temporary housing and in poor conditions. Taylor and his family temporarily resided in a one-room section of a “miserable, old log barrack” in , Iowa Territory, and, though they were grateful for this lodging, they nevertheless lacked many basic necessities. Despite these hardships, Taylor and the other apostles began preparing for their mission overseas.
On 8 August 1839, set out for the British Isles with , who was “severely afflicted with fever.” Shortly after departing , Taylor also came down with a high fever, an illness that almost took his life; because of his extreme illness, he and Woodruff eventually parted ways as Woodruff left Taylor behind to recover. Taylor later met fellow apostle in , Ohio, and they continued to . When Taylor arrived in in November, he and Woodruff reunited and booked passage to with , a member of the . At the conclusion of a stormy, three-week crossing of the Atlantic, the men arrived in on 11 January 1840. After his arrival in England, Taylor spent most of his time in Liverpool but also preached in Ireland, Scotland, and the Isle of Man.
expressed his intention to send the letter featured here the day after he completed it by “Steam Packet,” or mail steamer. The letter probably arrived in sometime within the next five to eight weeks. That JS received the letter is confirmed by its publication in the May 1841 issue of Times and Seasons, the church periodical in Nauvoo. The original letter is apparently no longer extant. JS, who had two months earlier replied to several letters from the Twelve in a general letter to the group, apparently never responded directly to this letter from Taylor.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    Revelation, 8 July 1838–A [D&C 118:4].

  2. [2]

    See Introduction to Part 3: 4 Nov. 1838–16 Apr. 1839.

  3. [3]

    John Taylor, “Reminiscences,” Juvenile Instructor, 30 Oct. 1875, 256.

    Noble, Joseph B. “Early Scenes in Church History.” Juvenile Instructor, 15 May 1880, 112.

  4. [4]

    John Taylor, Letter to the Editor, Millennial Star, May 1841, 2:13; John Taylor, Germantown, IN, to Leonora Cannon Taylor, Commerce, IL, 19 Jan. 1839, John Taylor, Collection, CHL; see also Esplin, “Sickness and Faith, Nauvoo Letters,” 425–434.

    Latter-day Saints’ Millennial Star. Manchester, England, 1840–1842; Liverpool, 1842–1932; London, 1932–1970.

    Esplin, Ronald K. “Sickness and Faith, Nauvoo Letters.” BYU Studies 15, no. 4 (Summer 1975): 425–434.

  5. [5]

    John Taylor, Letter to the Editor, Millennial Star, May 1841, 2:13–14; John Taylor, Liverpool, England, to Leonora Cannon Taylor, Commerce, IL, 30 Jan. 1840, John Taylor, Collection, CHL.

    Latter-day Saints’ Millennial Star. Manchester, England, 1840–1842; Liverpool, 1842–1932; London, 1932–1970.

  6. [6]

    Even the fastest Atlantic mail steamers took approximately two weeks, and the additional distance from New York to Nauvoo added another several weeks. (See Shulman, Coal and Empire, 17–21.)

    Shulman, Peter A. Coal and Empire: The Birth of Energy Security in Industrial America. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2015.

  7. [7]

    JS had written to the Twelve in England: “Having several communications laying before me, from my Brethren the ‘Twelve’ some of which have ere this merited a reply, but from the multiplicity of business which necessarily engages my attention I have delayed communicating to them, to the present time.” (Letter to Quorum of the Twelve, 15 Dec. 1840.)

Page 401

that I may be kept humble, and that I may be able to realize continually the importance of my calling and finish my work with joy.
I have no doubt but that the rest of my brethren in the have all written to you, and no doubt will have put you in possession of all general information in relation to the work here; you have also received intelligence of our movements through the medium of the “Star” it would therefore be superfluous in me to enter into, those things generally. I am happy to state, however, that we have been united in our councils to the present time; that there has been no discordant feeling, nor jarring string; we were very happy to receive a communication from you, and to hear that things were prospering so well in , and wi the generally; we were pleased to have your approbation and council which at all times is very acceptable. We have also received your letter in the “Times and Seasons” which also gave us satisfaction: and we feel thankful to our Heavenly Father that in all things we have gone right both in regard to our publishing the Hymn Book, the Book of Mormon and to our purposes in regard to coming home, and in regard to our labors. We find that in all things our proceedings have precisely accorded with your council.
As it regards the work in general it is prospering here on all hands, in , where it first commenced; they are continually adding to the church in , Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, and in Lancashire. In , the work is beginning to break out, and in Edinburg, and Glasgow it is prospering. In the Isle of Man, and in Wales, it is rolling forth and to use a Sectarian expression “there has been a going among the mulberry trees” “a shaking among the dry bones.”
Perhaps it may not be altogether uninteresting for me to give a brief history of my proceedings since I left in company with , it would be superfluous for me to state the route we took to . Our mode of traveling, my sickness on the road, and our visit to &c. Suffice it to say, , and I landed in January 1840 and immediately proceeded to , to council with the of the church in and his , as to our best mode of proceeding until the rest of our Quorum came, when it was agreed upon that I should go to , and go to Staffordshire and then go to Birmingham if they thought proper; we took the parting hand the day following and each one took his respective course. accompanied me to where we immediately commenced our labors: the first Sabbath we visited several places of worship I asked liberty to make a few remarks in one and had an opportunity of speaking in their vestry to 18, or 20, preachers, and leaders while I was delivering my testimony some wept and others shouted Glory be to God, but when on being asked; I informed them what society we belonged to, they were afraid of us, having heard so many reports. One of their preachers, however, invited us home in the evening, and we appointed a meeting at his house in the week—members attended, to whom we conversed. We then took a room that would hold 4 or 500 people and in the meantime visited all that we could get access to. We called upon many of the leading ministers of different denominations, and delivered our testimony to them, some received us kindly, some otherwise but none would let us have their Chapels to hold forth in, they were so good in general, and so pure, that they had no room for the gospel, they were too holy to be righteous, too good to be pure, and had too much religion to enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Our being in town soon got rumored about and I suppose about 300 attended our first meeting, in preaching the power of God rested upon the people, and on my asking them if it was not good news they responded “yes”—while many wept under the influence of the spirit; and after preaching, ten persons came forward to be , some of which felt convinced as soon as they saw us that we were men of God, and others had dreamed about us. Thus we see that the power was of God and not of man and to Him be the Glory. Things have continued to progress in this place from that time to the present we have now about 160 in society: 3 Elders, 5 Priests, 2 Teachers, and 2 Deacons.— We have taken the largest Hall in , and in the most eligible situation for twelve months, and things seem more likely for progressing than ever they have done from the commencement.
I visited Ireland some time ago and planted the standard of truth in that nation I stayed there something over a week, preached in several places, and baptized 2 before I left. Elder [Theodore] Curtis is now there and there is between 20 and 30 baptized. I did purpose making a stand in Belfast, but as I had other engagements in Scotland and , I knew that I would not commence without giving our adversaries an advantage which I knew that they would make a dishonorable use of; so I thought it best not to commence, as I had not time to stay. From thence I went to the City of Glasgow in Scotland where I met with , who had raised up a small church, to whom I preached. On my way to Glasgow a gentleman on the same boat informed me that had written a letter to his friends concerning the persecution and that as he was acquainted with him he, had published it in a periodical of that City (Belfast) I preached several times also in a place called Paisely in Scotland, where Elders and [Alexander] Wright had raised up a church and obtained considerable influence, from thence I returned to , soon after I started to the Isle of Man, where I hired a large room capable of containing 1000 persons and commenced delivering lectures: great excitement prevailed and a persecuting spirit soon manifested itself. I held a discussion with one man, a preacher which had a tendency to enlighten the eyes of the public. Another wrote in the papers, and I answered him, another published pamphlets, and I answered them; another delivered lectures and I answer [p. 401]
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Letter from John Taylor, 3 February 1841
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Footnotes

  1. [7]

    For letters from other members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, see, for example, Letter from Brigham Young, 29 Apr. 1840; Letter from Brigham Young, 7 May 1840; Letter from Heber C. Kimball and Others, 25 May 1840; Letter from Heber C. Kimball, 9 July 1840; and Letter from Brigham Young and Willard Richards, 5 Sept. 1840.

  2. [8]

    The Latter-day Saints’ Millennial Star, the church’s periodical in England, was founded in May 1840, with Parley P. Pratt as editor. The paper facilitated a great deal of the communication between church leaders in England and the church presidency in Nauvoo. (“Prospectus,” Millennial Star, May 1840, 1:1.)

    Latter-day Saints’ Millennial Star. Manchester, England, 1840–1842; Liverpool, 1842–1932; London, 1932–1970.

  3. [9]

    See Letter to Quorum of the Twelve, 15 Dec. 1840.

  4. [10]

    This counsel most likely referred to the excerpt from JS’s 15 December 1840 letter to the Council of the Twelve that appeared in the January 1841 Times and Seasons. The printed excerpt included the bulk of the epistle while omitting the last section on baptism for the dead and particular instructions for the apostles serving in England. (“Extract from an Epistle to the Elders in England,” Times and Seasons, 1 Jan. 1841, 2:258–261.)

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

  5. [11]

    The church’s proselytizing efforts in Europe began in earnest in Preston, England, with the apostles’ first mission to the British Isles in July 1837. (Kimball, Journal, 22 July 1837.)

    Kimball, Heber C. Journal, June 1837–Feb. 1838; Feb.–Mar. 1840; May 1846–Feb. 1847. Heber C. Kimball, Papers, 1837–1866. CHL. MS 627, box 3, fd. 2.

  6. [12]

    See 2 Samuel 5:24.

  7. [13]

    See Ezekiel 37:1–13.

  8. [14]

    Taylor’s fever exhausted his strength so severely that he tumbled out of the carriage onto the road twice. The second fall apparently caused Taylor to lose consciousness, as it was only “with difficulty that [he] was restored to animation.” Fever and fatigue delayed Taylor’s travels and forced him to rest in Indiana under the care of Jacob Waltz and his family, who ran the Waltz Inn in Germantown. (John Taylor, Letter to the Editor, Millennial Star, May 1841, 2:13–14; Woodruff, Journal, 1–2 Sept. 1839; Young, History of Wayne County, Indiana, 245; see also Esplin, “Sickness and Faith, Nauvoo Letters,” 425–434.)

    Latter-day Saints’ Millennial Star. Manchester, England, 1840–1842; Liverpool, 1842–1932; London, 1932–1970.

    Woodruff, Wilford. Journals, 1833–1898. Wilford Woodruff, Journals and Papers, 1828–1898. CHL. MS 1352.

    Young, Andrew W. History of Wayne County, Indiana, from Its First Settlement to the Present Time; with Numerous Biographical and Family Sketches. Cincinnati: Robert Clark & Co., 1872.

    Esplin, Ronald K. “Sickness and Faith, Nauvoo Letters.” BYU Studies 15, no. 4 (Summer 1975): 425–434.

  9. [15]

    During his stay in Kirtland between 4 and 22 November 1839, Taylor and other members of the Quorum of the Twelve, including Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, and George A. Smith, visited the House of the Lord, participated in sacred rituals, and met regularly. On 9 November, Taylor was ceremonially washed in Reuben McBride’s home and anointed in the House of the Lord in preparation for his mission to the British Isles. (Turley, Reminiscences and Journal, 4–22 Nov. 1839.)

    Turley, Theodore. Reminiscences and Journal, Sept. 1839–July 1840. Photocopy. CHL. MS 1950.

  10. [16]

    Taylor, Woodruff, and Turley arrived in Liverpool on 11 January 1840 and traveled to Preston on 13 January. (Fielding, Journal, 1838–1840, 104; John Taylor, Liverpool, England, to Leonora Cannon Taylor, Commerce, IL, 30 Jan. 1840, John Taylor, Collection, CHL.)

    Fielding, Joseph. Journals, 1837–1859. CHL. MS 1567.

  11. [17]

    Joseph Fielding was serving as the president of the British mission with Willard Richards and William Clayton serving as his counselors. (Thompson, Journal of Heber C. Kimball, 37–38; Fielding, Journal, 1837–1838, 60.)

    Thompson, Robert B. Journal of Heber C. Kimball an Elder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Nauvoo, IL: Robinson and Smith, 1840.

    Fielding, Joseph. Journals, 1837–1859. CHL. MS 1567.

  12. [18]

    This account refers to Taylor’s experience in an Aitkenite chapel. The Aitkenites were followers of Reverend Robert Aitken, who broke with the Anglican Church and founded the “Christian Society” in 1835 in Liverpool. Aitken led his brand of Wesleyan congregations together with Reverend Timothy Matthews, the brother-in-law of Joseph Fielding, before eventually returning to Anglicanism. Matthews was familiar with Latter-day Saint teachings since this was not the first encounter between missionaries and the Aitkenites. Many of the early English converts from Heber C. Kimball’s mission in the late 1830s were Aitkenites. During Taylor’s 1841 encounters with them, Aitken’s followers proved to be receptive to the apostles’ message, even if their leaders vehemently opposed the missionaries. In fact, some of the bad reports mentioned by Taylor were from Matthews, who attempted to dissuade his congregation from listening to the missionaries. On this particular day, however, Matthews was not present, and another preacher delivered the sermon. The apostles’ preaching on the topics of authority and baptism convinced many Aitkenites that the apostles offered them something they were missing from Aitken and Matthews. (Fielding, Journal, 1838–1840, 108–109; Underwood, Millenarian World of Early Mormonism, 131–133; Oliver, Prophets and Millennialists, 222; John Taylor, Liverpool, England, to Leonora Cannon Taylor, Commerce, IL, 30 Jan. 1840, John Taylor, Collection, CHL; “Mission to England,” Millennial Star, Apr. 1841, 1:292–294.)

    Fielding, Joseph. Journals, 1837–1859. CHL. MS 1567.

    Underwood, Grant. The Millenarian World of Early Mormonism. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1993.

    Oliver, William Hosking. Prophets and Millennialists: The Uses of Biblical Prophecy in England from the 1790s to the 1840s. [Oxford]: Oxford University Press, 1978.

    Latter-day Saints’ Millennial Star. Manchester, England, 1840–1842; Liverpool, 1842–1932; London, 1932–1970.

  13. [19]

    This Aitkenite leader was William C. Mitchell, who was baptized a Latter-day Saint on 4 February 1840. (Fielding, Journal, 1838–1840, 108–109, 113.)

    Fielding, Joseph. Journals, 1837–1859. CHL. MS 1567.

  14. [20]

    Included in this group were Mitchell and his wife, Eliza. Joseph Fielding’s record of the interaction with these ten individuals also included a miraculous healing. (Fielding, Journal, 1838–1840, 113.)

    Fielding, Joseph. Journals, 1837–1859. CHL. MS 1567.

  15. [21]

    For his series of lectures, Taylor booked the Music Hall on Bold Street, which reportedly held over two thousand people. He had initially rented a smaller room in Renshaw Street, which only held three to four hundred. (George J. Adams, Liverpool, England, 14 Dec. 1841, Letter to the Editor, Millennial Star, Jan. 1842, 2:141; Fielding, Journal, 1840–1841, 1–2, 87.)

    Latter-day Saints’ Millennial Star. Manchester, England, 1840–1842; Liverpool, 1842–1932; London, 1932–1970.

    Fielding, Joseph. Journals, 1837–1859. CHL. MS 1567.

  16. [22]

    One of these two converts was Thomas Tait, who is considered the first convert to the church in Ireland. (John Taylor, Letter to the Editor, Millennial Star, May 1841, 2:15.)

    Latter-day Saints’ Millennial Star. Manchester, England, 1840–1842; Liverpool, 1842–1932; London, 1932–1970.

  17. [23]

    Theodore Curtis arrived in Ireland in September 1840 and continued preaching the gospel and attending to a small group of converts in Hillsborough. (Utah Pioneers, 26.)

    The Utah Pioneers. Celebration of the Entrance of the Pioneers into Great Salt Lake Valley. Thirty-Third Anniversary, July 24, 1880. Salt Lake City: Deseret News Printing, 1880.

  18. [24]

    In spring 1840, Reuben Hedlock joined Orson Pratt, Alexander Wright, and Samuel Mulliner as the first missionaries in Scotland. Hedlock had spent the better part of nine months proselytizing and organizing the church in Glasgow, leaving on 9 March 1841. (“Sketch of the Travels and Ministry of Elder R. Hedlock,” Millennial Star, Oct. 1841, 2:92–93.)

    Latter-day Saints’ Millennial Star. Manchester, England, 1840–1842; Liverpool, 1842–1932; London, 1932–1970.

  19. [25]

    The man Taylor encountered most likely printed James Mulholland’s poem “An Address to Americans” in a Belfast newspaper. Mulholland was a native of Ireland who immigrated to Canada and then the United States. This poem, which dealt with the persecutions the Latter-day Saints suffered in Missouri in the 1830s, was also published in Nauvoo in 1841 by Robert B. Thompson, one of the editors of the Times and Seasons. Mulholland died in November 1839. (Mulholland, Address to Americans, 2; Obituary for James Mulholland, Times and Seasons, Dec 1839, 1:32.)

    Mulholland, James. An Address to Americans: A Poem in Blank Verse. Nauvoo, IL: E. Robinson, 1841.

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

  20. [26]

    Taylor rented the Wellington Room in Douglas, Isle of Man, for his lecture series in September 1840. (John Taylor, Liverpool, England, 27 Feb. 1841, Letter to the Editor, Millennial Star, Mar. 1841, 1:276.)

    Latter-day Saints’ Millennial Star. Manchester, England, 1840–1842; Liverpool, 1842–1932; London, 1932–1970.

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