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Letter from Orson Hyde, 28 September 1840

Source Note

, Letter, , NJ, to “Dear Brethren” (including JS), [, Hancock Co., IL], 28 Sept. 1840. Featured version published in Times and Seasons, 1 Nov. 1840, 204–205. For more complete source information, see the source note for Letter to Isaac Galland, 22 Mar. 1839.

Historical Introduction

On 28 September 1840, wrote to JS and other leaders in , Illinois, reporting on his recent proselytizing efforts. On 6 April 1840, Hyde spoke to a general of the church in Nauvoo of an earlier prophecy that he “had a great work to perform among the Jews” and afterward stated his intention to undertake a mission to preach to the Jews. He proposed to visit and gather information from Jews in , , , Constantinople, and the Holy Land, a plan the conference approved. At another session of the conference two days later, apostle was appointed to accompany Hyde, and the two men departed Nauvoo a week later. Hyde and Page made their way eastward, procuring funds for their trip and proselytizing en route. They spent much of the time separated, and Hyde eventually traveled through Europe and on to alone.
On 28 April, and wrote from , Illinois, to the editors of the church’s newspaper, Times and Seasons, regarding their travels and the results of their proselytizing efforts up to that point. Hyde wrote to the newspaper again from Franklin, Ohio, on 7 July. Page wrote to JS and church members in Nauvoo about his recent travels on 23 September, five days before Hyde wrote this 28 September letter. In this letter, Hyde described the events of his mission beginning with his separation from Page in at the end of August. Hyde related the details of his journey through and , noting his own successes and the efforts of other missionaries in developing church throughout the area, especially in and , Pennsylvania.
The original letter is apparently not extant. The version featured here was published in the 1 November 1840 issue of the Times and Seasons.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    Minutes and Discourse, 6–8 Apr. 1840.

  2. [2]

    Orson Hyde and John E. Page, Quincy, IL, 28 Apr. 1840, Letter to the Editor, Times and Seasons, June 1840, 1:116–117.

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

  3. [3]

    “Conference Minutes,” Times and Seasons, 15 Apr. 1842, 3:761–763.

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

  4. [4]

    Orson Hyde and John E. Page, Quincy, IL, 28 Apr. 1840, Letter to the Editor, Times and Seasons, June 1840, 1:116–117; Orson Hyde, Franklin, OH, 7 July 1840, Letter, Times and Seasons, Aug. 1840, 1:156–157.

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

  5. [5]

    Letter from John E. Page, 23 Sept. 1840.

Asterisk (*) denotes a "featured" version, which includes an introduction and annotation.
*Letter from Orson Hyde, 28 September 1840
History, 1838–1856, volume C-1 [2 November 1838–31 July 1842] “History of Joseph Smith”

Page 104 [204]

N. J. Sept. 28, 1840.
Dear Brethren.
I left at the latter part of August, and came on up the Ohio river as far as Wellsburgh, Va. I stopped with father James, who received and entertained me with great kindness and hospitality. He and his daughter, a very fine amiable young lady, were keeping house together; and very pleasantly situated on the delightful banks of the beautiful Ohio. Here I preached twice and three persons.— Had a very pleasant visit with a brother of ’s; came on by stage and Steam Boats to : from thence took the canal to Leechburgh, where I stopped and preached to a small number of saints, raised up by the instrumentality of father Nickerson—all in good spirits. As I left this place, about 9 o’clock in the morning, the most remarkable phenomenon occured in the heavens that I ever witnessed. There appeared two bright and luminous bodies, one on the north, and the other on the south side of the sun: in length about ten yards, inclining to a circle resembling a Rainbow, about fifty yards distant from the sun; apparently east of the sun, about twenty-five yards, was a body of light as briliant, almost, as the sun itself; and on the west, a great distance from the sun, appeared a white simi-circle passing half way round the horizon, and another crossing it at right angles, exhibiting a scenery of the sublimest kind. It was a great wonder to the passengers on board the boat. Put this with the fact that the Jews are [p. 104 [204]]
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Source Note

Document Transcript

Page 104 [204]

Document Information

Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Letter from Orson Hyde, 28 September 1840
ID #
574
Total Pages
2
Print Volume Location
JSP, D7:405–409
Handwriting on This Page
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Footnotes

  1. [1]

    Possibly Lewis James, a Wellsburg, Virginia, resident and a member of the church who had served a proselytizing mission in Pennsylvania in June. Alternatively, Hyde may have stayed with William James and his daughter Eliza, who also lived in Wellsburg. (Snow, Journal, 28 Apr. 1840, 74–75; “Conference Minutes,” Times and Seasons, 1 Nov. 1840, 2:206; Erastus Snow, Nauvoo, IL, 31 Oct. 1840, Letter to the Editor, Times and Seasons, 15 Nov. 1840, 2:221; 1840 U.S. Census, Wellsburg, Brooke Co., VA, 229; Reader, Diary, [2]; Reader, Autobiography, 2.)

    Snow, Erastus. Journals, 1835–1851; 1856–1857. CHL. MS 1329, box 1, fds. 1–3.

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

    Census (U.S.) / U.S. Bureau of the Census. Population Schedules. Microfilm. FHL.

    Reader, Samuel James. Diary, 1853–1913. Samuel James Reader, Papers, 1853–1914. Kansas Historical Society, Topeka. Portions available at kshs.org.

    Reader, Samuel. Autobiography, 1849–1864. Samuel James Reader, Papers, 1853–1914. Kansas Historical Society, Topeka. Available at kshs.org.

  2. [2]

    Probably Carvel Rigdon, who lived in Upper St. Clair, Pennsylvania. (1840 U.S. Census, Upper St. Clair Township, Allegheny Co., PA, 128.)

    Census (U.S.) / U.S. Bureau of the Census. Population Schedules. Microfilm. FHL.

  3. [3]

    The church branch in Leechburgh, Pennsylvania, reported between thirty and forty members “in good standing” at a conference in Chester County on 18 July 1840. (“Conference Minutes,” Times and Seasons, 1 Nov. 1840, 2:206.)

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

  4. [4]

    Probably Freeman Nickerson, who spent winter 1838–1839 in Pennsylvania while moving west with his family. (Historian’s Office, Obituary Notices of Distinguished Persons, 1854–1872, 45–46.)

    Historian’s Office. Obituary Notices of Distinguished Persons, 1854–1872. CHL. MS 3449.

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