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Letter to John Hewitt, 14 June 1835

Source Note

[Kirtland
high council

A governing body of twelve high priests. The first high council was organized in Kirtland, Ohio, on 17 February 1834 “for the purpose of settling important difficulties which might arise in the church, which could not be settled by the church, or the bishop...

View Glossary
(including JS)], Letter,
Kirtland Township

Located ten miles south of Lake Erie. Settled by 1811. Organized by 1818. Latter-day Saint missionaries visited township, early Nov. 1830; many residents joined Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Population in 1830 about 55 Latter-day Saints and...

More Info
, Geauga Co., OH, to John Hewitt,
Fairport

Situated on southern shore of Lake Erie; area originally called Grandon; settled 1803. Located twelve miles northeast of Kirtland. Harbor established at mouth of Grand River, by 1812. Harbor became significant port. Name officially changed to Fairport, 14...

More Info
, Geauga Co, OH, 14 June 1835. Featured version copied [not before 25 Feb. 1836] in Minute Book 1, p. 92; handwriting of
Warren Cowdery

17 Oct. 1788–23 Feb. 1851. Physician, druggist, farmer, editor. Born at Wells, Rutland Co., Vermont. Son of William Cowdery and Rebecca Fuller. Married Patience Simonds, 22 Sept. 1814, in Pawlet, Rutland Co. Moved to Freedom, Cattaraugus Co., New York, 1816...

View Full Bio
; CHL. For more complete source information, see the source note for Minute Book 1.

Historical Introduction

On 14 June 1835,
William W. Phelps

17 Feb. 1792–7 Mar. 1872. Writer, teacher, printer, newspaper editor, publisher, postmaster, lawyer. Born at Hanover, Morris Co., New Jersey. Son of Enon Phelps and Mehitabel Goldsmith. Moved to Homer, Cortland Co., New York, 1800. Married Sally Waterman,...

View Full Bio
wrote this letter to John Hewitt on behalf of the
Kirtland

Located ten miles south of Lake Erie. Settled by 1811. Organized by 1818. Latter-day Saint missionaries visited township, early Nov. 1830; many residents joined Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Population in 1830 about 55 Latter-day Saints and...

More Info
, Ohio,
high council

A governing body of twelve high priests. The first high council was organized in Kirtland, Ohio, on 17 February 1834 “for the purpose of settling important difficulties which might arise in the church, which could not be settled by the church, or the bishop...

View Glossary
, which JS presided over.
1

Phelps signed the letter as clerk. A later JS history states that Phelps wrote the letter on behalf of “a council of the presidency.” (JS History, vol. B-1, 594.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

JS History / Smith, Joseph, et al. History, 1838–1856. Vols. A-1–F-1 (original), A-2–E-2 (fair copy). Historian’s Office, History of the Church, 1839–ca. 1882. CHL. CR 100 102, boxes 1–7. The history for the period after 5 Aug. 1838 was composed after the death of Joseph Smith.

The high council directed
Oliver Cowdery

3 Oct. 1806–3 Mar. 1850. Clerk, teacher, justice of the peace, lawyer, newspaper editor. Born at Wells, Rutland Co., Vermont. Son of William Cowdery and Rebecca Fuller. Raised Congregationalist. Moved to western New York and clerked at a store, ca. 1825–1828...

View Full Bio
to deliver the letter to Hewitt in
Fairport

Situated on southern shore of Lake Erie; area originally called Grandon; settled 1803. Located twelve miles northeast of Kirtland. Harbor established at mouth of Grand River, by 1812. Harbor became significant port. Name officially changed to Fairport, 14...

More Info
, Ohio, where Hewitt was apparently teaching school, and discuss with him “the subject of the Religion which he professes.”
2

Letter from Oliver Cowdery, 15 June 1835. Although Oliver Cowdery’s 15 June letter specifically states that the Kirtland high council instructed him to visit Hewitt and present to him “your letter,” there are no extant minutes of a council—either the high council or a council of the presidency—recording this direction to Cowdery.


Hewitt had represented himself as a preacher from
England

Island nation consisting of southern portion of Great Britain and surrounding smaller islands. Bounded on north by Scotland and on west by Wales. Became province of Roman Empire, first century. Ruled by Romans, through 447. Ruled by Picts, Scots, and Saxons...

More Info
, and Cowdery understood him to be a member of the Catholic Apostolic Church, founded in part on the teachings of Edward Irving, a former Presbyterian minister, who had died in late 1834. Irving and his co-religionists believed in the restoration of spiritual gifts as displayed in the time of ancient Christianity and in the imminent second advent of Jesus Christ. By mid-1835, the Catholic Apostolic Church, which was centered in England, was led by twelve apostles and had such officers as elders, deacons, and bishops.
3

Bishops were referred to as “angels.” (Shaw, Catholic Apostolic Church, 35–36, 66, 72, 77–79, 90–91; Lively, “Comparative Study of Two Minority Millenarian Groups,” 62–71, 76, 81–84.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Shaw, P. E. The Catholic Apostolic Church, Sometimes Called Irvingite: A Historical Study. Morningside Heights, NY: King’s Crown, 1946.

Lively, Robert L., Jr. “The Catholic Apostolic Church and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: A Comparative Study of Two Minority Millenarian Groups in Nineteenth-Century England.” PhD diss., University of Oxford, 1977.

On 10 June 1835, Hewitt presented a letter of introduction written by Thomas Shaw to “certain elders of the church” in
Kirtland

Located ten miles south of Lake Erie. Settled by 1811. Organized by 1818. Latter-day Saint missionaries visited township, early Nov. 1830; many residents joined Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Population in 1830 about 55 Latter-day Saints and...

More Info
.
4

Editorial, LDS Messenger and Advocate, May 1836, 2:316.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Latter Day Saints’ Messenger and Advocate. Kirtland, OH. Oct. 1834–Sept. 1837.

The letter stated that he had served four years as pastor of the Barnsley Independent Church in
England

Island nation consisting of southern portion of Great Britain and surrounding smaller islands. Bounded on north by Scotland and on west by Wales. Became province of Roman Empire, first century. Ruled by Romans, through 447. Ruled by Picts, Scots, and Saxons...

More Info
before beginning to preach the doctrines of his new religion. In addition, the letter indicated that Hewitt had been appointed by a council of pastors to visit the Saints and see the people that God was “raising up . . . for himself in that part of the New World.” The letter further explained that if Hewitt “approve[d] of the country,” “many [would] follow” who would “help the cause because the Lord hath favoured them with this world’s goods.”
5

Thomas Shaw, Barnsley, England, to “the Saints of the Most High,” 21 Apr. 1835, CHL.


While the letter never stated what religion Hewitt belonged to, it implied that he represented the Catholic Apostolic Church. However, members of that church later stated that there was no record that either Hewitt or Shaw belonged to the church and that the letter was thus a forgery.
6

In 1856, one member of the Catholic Apostolic Church stated: “Now, that this letter is a forgery, is as demonstrable as the wickedness of it is astounding: for we have no church at Barnsley, and never had any people there. Who Thomas Shaw is, who signs the letter, we know not: all we know is, that he never held office in any church of ours. And as for sympathy with Mormonism, I may say that we of all people have had least of that. From the very first we have believed it to be a work of the Enemy, mimicking in its claim to spiritual gifts the work of the Holy Ghost.” Records of nonconformist churches in Barnsley show no evidence of a John Hewitt’s involvement during the period in question, and there appears to be no record that would confirm the existence of a congregation of the Catholic Apostolic Church nearer to Barnsley than Sheffield, a distance of about fifteen miles. (Edward Irving and the Catholic Apostolic Church, 7–8, emphasis in original; Births and Baptisms for Ebenezer Chapel, Barnsley, Yorkshire, England, 1785–1837; Births, Baptisms, and Burials for Salem Chapel, Barnsley, Yorkshire, England, 1818–1837; Births and Baptisms, Westgate Chapel, Barnsley, Yorkshire, England, 1797–1836; Births and Baptisms for New Street Chapel, Barnsley, Yorkshire, England, 1797–1837, microfilm 816,604; Births and Baptisms for Primitive Methodists, Barnsley, Yorkshire, England, 1822–1837, microfilm 816,605, British Isles Record Collection, FHL; Census of Great Britain, 1851, ccxxxii; Lively, “Comparative Study of Two Minority Millenarian Groups,” 108, 260; see also “Note to Art. II. of No. 202,” 303.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Edward Irving and the Catholic Apostolic Church, by One of Its Members. London: Bosworth and Harrison, 1856.

British Isles Record Collection. FHL.

Census of Great Britain, 1851. Religious Worship in England and Wales. Abridged from the Official Report Made By Horace Mann, Esq., to George Graham, Esq., Registrar-General. London: George Routledge and Co., 1854.

Lively, Robert L., Jr. “The Catholic Apostolic Church and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: A Comparative Study of Two Minority Millenarian Groups in Nineteenth-Century England.” PhD diss., University of Oxford, 1977.

“Note to Art. II. of No. 202.” The Edinburgh Review or Critical Journal 100 (July 1854): 303.

During Hewitt’s initial visit to
Kirtland

Located ten miles south of Lake Erie. Settled by 1811. Organized by 1818. Latter-day Saint missionaries visited township, early Nov. 1830; many residents joined Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Population in 1830 about 55 Latter-day Saints and...

More Info
, JS and others explained to Hewitt “freely and frankly” their beliefs, with which Hewitt seemed to agree, except that he did not believe in the Book of Mormon. Hewitt said that his church “believed in the gift of tongues, visions, &c. and that himself had been favored with communications from heaven.”
7

Editorial, LDS Messenger and Advocate, May 1836, 2:316–317.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Latter Day Saints’ Messenger and Advocate. Kirtland, OH. Oct. 1834–Sept. 1837.

A later JS history noted that the “interview was short” and that Hewitt “left with the understanding he would call again, and renew his investigation.”
8

JS History, vol. B-1, 594.


Comprehensive Works Cited

JS History / Smith, Joseph, et al. History, 1838–1856. Vols. A-1–F-1 (original), A-2–E-2 (fair copy). Historian’s Office, History of the Church, 1839–ca. 1882. CHL. CR 100 102, boxes 1–7. The history for the period after 5 Aug. 1838 was composed after the death of Joseph Smith.

By 14 June, however, Hewitt had not returned.
Cowdery

3 Oct. 1806–3 Mar. 1850. Clerk, teacher, justice of the peace, lawyer, newspaper editor. Born at Wells, Rutland Co., Vermont. Son of William Cowdery and Rebecca Fuller. Raised Congregationalist. Moved to western New York and clerked at a store, ca. 1825–1828...

View Full Bio
was therefore directed to give Hewitt the letter from the high council, which stated that church leaders wished to continue a discussion of religion with him.
In accordance with these instructions,
Cowdery

3 Oct. 1806–3 Mar. 1850. Clerk, teacher, justice of the peace, lawyer, newspaper editor. Born at Wells, Rutland Co., Vermont. Son of William Cowdery and Rebecca Fuller. Raised Congregationalist. Moved to western New York and clerked at a store, ca. 1825–1828...

View Full Bio
went to
Fairport

Situated on southern shore of Lake Erie; area originally called Grandon; settled 1803. Located twelve miles northeast of Kirtland. Harbor established at mouth of Grand River, by 1812. Harbor became significant port. Name officially changed to Fairport, 14...

More Info
on 15 June 1835, but Hewitt was absent. Cowdery conversed with Hewitt’s wife, who stated that “her husband; had frequently spoken of his wish to become further acquaint[e]d with this people” and had not returned to
Kirtland

Located ten miles south of Lake Erie. Settled by 1811. Organized by 1818. Latter-day Saint missionaries visited township, early Nov. 1830; many residents joined Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Population in 1830 about 55 Latter-day Saints and...

More Info
for further discussions only “in consequence of rain.” Cowdery left with the conviction that Hewitt would eventually return to Kirtland to continue his dialogue with JS and others, especially since Hewitt was “contemplating on teaching” in the vicinity “for at least a few months.”
9

Letter from Oliver Cowdery, 15 June 1835.


However, it does not appear that Hewitt ever made a returning visit; instead, he distanced himself from the church.
10

John Hewitt, “To the Rev. Ferris Fitch,” Painesville (OH) Telegraph, 4 Mar. 1836, [3]; see also Ferris Fitch, “For the Telegraph,” Painesville (OH) Telegraph, 26 Feb. 1836, [3].


Comprehensive Works Cited

Painesville Telegraph. Painesville, OH. 1822–1986.

According to Cowdery, sometime later in 1835 or early 1836, Hewitt published a notice in the Painesville Telegraph stating that he was not an Irvingite and that he had never delivered a letter of introduction to the Saints.
11

Editorial, LDS Messenger and Advocate, May 1836, 2:316–317.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Latter Day Saints’ Messenger and Advocate. Kirtland, OH. Oct. 1834–Sept. 1837.

Cowdery appears to have been referring to a March 1836 letter from Hewitt, published in the Telegraph, which explained that he had visited church members in Kirtland but was “dissatisfied” with the church and did not believe in the Book of Mormon.
12

John Hewitt, “To the Rev. Ferris Fitch,” Painesville (OH) Telegraph, 4 Mar. 1836, [3]; see also Ferris Fitch, “For the Telegraph,” Painesville (OH) Telegraph, 26 Feb. 1836, [3].


Comprehensive Works Cited

Painesville Telegraph. Painesville, OH. 1822–1986.

As late as May 1836,
Parley P. Pratt

12 Apr. 1807–13 May 1857. Farmer, editor, publisher, teacher, school administrator, legislator, explorer, author. Born at Burlington, Otsego Co., New York. Son of Jared Pratt and Charity Dickinson. Traveled west with brother William to acquire land, 1823....

View Full Bio
was hopeful that adherents of the Catholic Apostolic Church in general would be receptive to the preaching of the Saints,
13

Parley P. Pratt, Toronto, Upper Canada, 9 May 1836, Letter to the Editor, LDS Messenger and Advocate, May 1836, 2:318.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Latter Day Saints’ Messenger and Advocate. Kirtland, OH. Oct. 1834–Sept. 1837.

but Hewitt clearly was not. As
John Whitmer

27 Aug. 1802–11 July 1878. Farmer, stock raiser, newspaper editor. Born in Pennsylvania. Son of Peter Whitmer Sr. and Mary Musselman. Member of German Reformed Church, Fayette, Seneca Co., New York. Baptized by Oliver Cowdery, June 1829, most likely in Seneca...

View Full Bio
declared, “This mr. Hewet did not obey the gospel neither would he investigate the matter. Thus ended the mission of mr. Hewet.”
14

Whitmer, History, 76.


Warren Cowdery

17 Oct. 1788–23 Feb. 1851. Physician, druggist, farmer, editor. Born at Wells, Rutland Co., Vermont. Son of William Cowdery and Rebecca Fuller. Married Patience Simonds, 22 Sept. 1814, in Pawlet, Rutland Co. Moved to Freedom, Cattaraugus Co., New York, 1816...

View Full Bio
,
Oliver

3 Oct. 1806–3 Mar. 1850. Clerk, teacher, justice of the peace, lawyer, newspaper editor. Born at Wells, Rutland Co., Vermont. Son of William Cowdery and Rebecca Fuller. Raised Congregationalist. Moved to western New York and clerked at a store, ca. 1825–1828...

View Full Bio
’s brother, copied the letter to Hewitt into Minute Book 1, probably sometime in 1836. He may have copied the original letter that the high council gave to Oliver, or he may have made the record using another copy of the letter that Oliver had made.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    Phelps signed the letter as clerk. A later JS history states that Phelps wrote the letter on behalf of “a council of the presidency.” (JS History, vol. B-1, 594.)

    JS History / Smith, Joseph, et al. History, 1838–1856. Vols. A-1–F-1 (original), A-2–E-2 (fair copy). Historian’s Office, History of the Church, 1839–ca. 1882. CHL. CR 100 102, boxes 1–7. The history for the period after 5 Aug. 1838 was composed after the death of Joseph Smith.

  2. [2]

    Letter from Oliver Cowdery, 15 June 1835. Although Oliver Cowdery’s 15 June letter specifically states that the Kirtland high council instructed him to visit Hewitt and present to him “your letter,” there are no extant minutes of a council—either the high council or a council of the presidency—recording this direction to Cowdery.

  3. [3]

    Bishops were referred to as “angels.” (Shaw, Catholic Apostolic Church, 35–36, 66, 72, 77–79, 90–91; Lively, “Comparative Study of Two Minority Millenarian Groups,” 62–71, 76, 81–84.)

    Shaw, P. E. The Catholic Apostolic Church, Sometimes Called Irvingite: A Historical Study. Morningside Heights, NY: King’s Crown, 1946.

    Lively, Robert L., Jr. “The Catholic Apostolic Church and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: A Comparative Study of Two Minority Millenarian Groups in Nineteenth-Century England.” PhD diss., University of Oxford, 1977.

  4. [4]

    Editorial, LDS Messenger and Advocate, May 1836, 2:316.

    Latter Day Saints’ Messenger and Advocate. Kirtland, OH. Oct. 1834–Sept. 1837.

  5. [5]

    Thomas Shaw, Barnsley, England, to “the Saints of the Most High,” 21 Apr. 1835, CHL.

  6. [6]

    In 1856, one member of the Catholic Apostolic Church stated: “Now, that this letter is a forgery, is as demonstrable as the wickedness of it is astounding: for we have no church at Barnsley, and never had any people there. Who Thomas Shaw is, who signs the letter, we know not: all we know is, that he never held office in any church of ours. And as for sympathy with Mormonism, I may say that we of all people have had least of that. From the very first we have believed it to be a work of the Enemy, mimicking in its claim to spiritual gifts the work of the Holy Ghost.” Records of nonconformist churches in Barnsley show no evidence of a John Hewitt’s involvement during the period in question, and there appears to be no record that would confirm the existence of a congregation of the Catholic Apostolic Church nearer to Barnsley than Sheffield, a distance of about fifteen miles. (Edward Irving and the Catholic Apostolic Church, 7–8, emphasis in original; Births and Baptisms for Ebenezer Chapel, Barnsley, Yorkshire, England, 1785–1837; Births, Baptisms, and Burials for Salem Chapel, Barnsley, Yorkshire, England, 1818–1837; Births and Baptisms, Westgate Chapel, Barnsley, Yorkshire, England, 1797–1836; Births and Baptisms for New Street Chapel, Barnsley, Yorkshire, England, 1797–1837, microfilm 816,604; Births and Baptisms for Primitive Methodists, Barnsley, Yorkshire, England, 1822–1837, microfilm 816,605, British Isles Record Collection, FHL; Census of Great Britain, 1851, ccxxxii; Lively, “Comparative Study of Two Minority Millenarian Groups,” 108, 260; see also “Note to Art. II. of No. 202,” 303.)

    Edward Irving and the Catholic Apostolic Church, by One of Its Members. London: Bosworth and Harrison, 1856.

    British Isles Record Collection. FHL.

    Census of Great Britain, 1851. Religious Worship in England and Wales. Abridged from the Official Report Made By Horace Mann, Esq., to George Graham, Esq., Registrar-General. London: George Routledge and Co., 1854.

    Lively, Robert L., Jr. “The Catholic Apostolic Church and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: A Comparative Study of Two Minority Millenarian Groups in Nineteenth-Century England.” PhD diss., University of Oxford, 1977.

    “Note to Art. II. of No. 202.” The Edinburgh Review or Critical Journal 100 (July 1854): 303.

  7. [7]

    Editorial, LDS Messenger and Advocate, May 1836, 2:316–317.

    Latter Day Saints’ Messenger and Advocate. Kirtland, OH. Oct. 1834–Sept. 1837.

  8. [8]

    JS History, vol. B-1, 594.

    JS History / Smith, Joseph, et al. History, 1838–1856. Vols. A-1–F-1 (original), A-2–E-2 (fair copy). Historian’s Office, History of the Church, 1839–ca. 1882. CHL. CR 100 102, boxes 1–7. The history for the period after 5 Aug. 1838 was composed after the death of Joseph Smith.

  9. [9]

    Letter from Oliver Cowdery, 15 June 1835.

  10. [10]

    John Hewitt, “To the Rev. Ferris Fitch,” Painesville (OH) Telegraph, 4 Mar. 1836, [3]; see also Ferris Fitch, “For the Telegraph,” Painesville (OH) Telegraph, 26 Feb. 1836, [3].

    Painesville Telegraph. Painesville, OH. 1822–1986.

  11. [11]

    Editorial, LDS Messenger and Advocate, May 1836, 2:316–317.

    Latter Day Saints’ Messenger and Advocate. Kirtland, OH. Oct. 1834–Sept. 1837.

  12. [12]

    John Hewitt, “To the Rev. Ferris Fitch,” Painesville (OH) Telegraph, 4 Mar. 1836, [3]; see also Ferris Fitch, “For the Telegraph,” Painesville (OH) Telegraph, 26 Feb. 1836, [3].

    Painesville Telegraph. Painesville, OH. 1822–1986.

  13. [13]

    Parley P. Pratt, Toronto, Upper Canada, 9 May 1836, Letter to the Editor, LDS Messenger and Advocate, May 1836, 2:318.

    Latter Day Saints’ Messenger and Advocate. Kirtland, OH. Oct. 1834–Sept. 1837.

  14. [14]

    Whitmer, History, 76.

Page 92

To the Rev. Mr. Hewett [John Hewitt].
Sir, In consequence of your not returning to us as we understood you at your introduction to us. It was resolved and approved in council, on the evening of the 14th Inst. that the bearer
Oliver Cowdery

3 Oct. 1806–3 Mar. 1850. Clerk, teacher, justice of the peace, lawyer, newspaper editor. Born at Wells, Rutland Co., Vermont. Son of William Cowdery and Rebecca Fuller. Raised Congregationalist. Moved to western New York and clerked at a store, ca. 1825–1828...

View Full Bio
, one of the presiding
Elders

A male leader in the church generally; an ecclesiastical and priesthood office or one holding that office; a proselytizing missionary. The Book of Mormon explained that elders ordained priests and teachers and administered “the flesh and blood of Christ unto...

View Glossary
of our church,
1

On 5 December 1834, Oliver Cowdery was ordained an assistant president in the presidency of the high priesthood. (Account of Meetings, Revelation, and Blessing, 5–6 Dec. 1834.)


should proceed to
Fairport

Situated on southern shore of Lake Erie; area originally called Grandon; settled 1803. Located twelve miles northeast of Kirtland. Harbor established at mouth of Grand River, by 1812. Harbor became significant port. Name officially changed to Fairport, 14...

More Info
&c. and ascertain, if possible, the cause of your delay. and this is done as one reason. that we feel an anxious desire, for the Salvation of the souls of men, and to satisfy your inquiries concerning the religion we Profess.
2

Ferris Fitch of the Congregational church later charged that Hewitt visited the Saints in Kirtland “for the purpose of joining that body.” Hewitt denied this, stating, “If this was my purpose, why did I not unite with them?” (Ferris Fitch, “For the Telegraph,” Painesville [OH] Telegraph, 26 Feb. 1836, [3]; John Hewitt, “To the Rev. Ferris Fitch,” Painesville [OH] Telegraph, 4 Mar. 1836, [3].)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Painesville Telegraph. Painesville, OH. 1822–1986.

If at
Fairport

Situated on southern shore of Lake Erie; area originally called Grandon; settled 1803. Located twelve miles northeast of Kirtland. Harbor established at mouth of Grand River, by 1812. Harbor became significant port. Name officially changed to Fairport, 14...

More Info
it is the sincere desire of the council that Mr. Hewet return, that we may satisfy him; concerning our Religion, and we satisfy us concerning his, for we feel as great a desire for the welfare of his people as he can have for ours.
With respect & esteem
I am, Sir, your friend
W[illiam] W. Phelps

17 Feb. 1792–7 Mar. 1872. Writer, teacher, printer, newspaper editor, publisher, postmaster, lawyer. Born at Hanover, Morris Co., New Jersey. Son of Enon Phelps and Mehitabel Goldsmith. Moved to Homer, Cortland Co., New York, 1800. Married Sally Waterman,...

View Full Bio
Clerk
Kirtland

Located ten miles south of Lake Erie. Settled by 1811. Organized by 1818. Latter-day Saint missionaries visited township, early Nov. 1830; many residents joined Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Population in 1830 about 55 Latter-day Saints and...

More Info
. June 14 1835 [p. 92]
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Source Note

Document Transcript

Page 92

Document Information

Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Letter to John Hewitt, 14 June 1835
ID #
8485
Total Pages
1
Print Volume Location
JSP, D4:339–342
Handwriting on This Page
  • Warren A. Cowdery

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    On 5 December 1834, Oliver Cowdery was ordained an assistant president in the presidency of the high priesthood. (Account of Meetings, Revelation, and Blessing, 5–6 Dec. 1834.)

  2. [2]

    Ferris Fitch of the Congregational church later charged that Hewitt visited the Saints in Kirtland “for the purpose of joining that body.” Hewitt denied this, stating, “If this was my purpose, why did I not unite with them?” (Ferris Fitch, “For the Telegraph,” Painesville [OH] Telegraph, 26 Feb. 1836, [3]; John Hewitt, “To the Rev. Ferris Fitch,” Painesville [OH] Telegraph, 4 Mar. 1836, [3].)

    Painesville Telegraph. Painesville, OH. 1822–1986.

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