Letter from Benjamin Winchester, 18 September 1841
Source Note
, Letter, , Philadelphia Co., PA, to JS, , Hancock Co., IL, 18 Sept. 1841; handwriting of ; four pages; JS Collection, CHL. Includes address, postal stamps, dockets, and notation.
Bifolium measuring 9⅝ × 7⅝ inches (24 × 19 cm). The letter was trifolded twice in letter style, then sealed with a red adhesive wafer, addressed, and stamped with postmarks. The letter was later refolded for filing and docketed. There is some wear and tear along the folds, and a small hole is visible on the second leaf. The second leaf bears residue from the red adhesive wafer used to seal the letter. A pamphlet, titled An Address to the Citizens of Salem and Vicinity, was originally enclosed with the letter. This pamphlet is no longer preserved with the letter; however, a copy of it is archived in the Church History Library.
Three dockets appear on the verso of the second leaf. , who served as JS’s personal scribe beginning in late 1841, inscribed a docket on the letter in its original trifolded state. A graphite notation was later added, apparently by a clerk or secretary for Andrew Jenson, who served as assistant church historian from 1897 to 1941. Another unidentified Church Historian’s Office staff member inscribed a graphite notation indicative of manuscript filing methods used in the Church Historian’s Office during the same period. The letter is listed in a Church Historian’s Office inventory from circa 1904. By 1973 the document had been included in the JS Collection at the Church Historical Department (now CHL). The dockets, notation, inventory, and inclusion in the JS Collection indicate continuous institutional custody of the letter since its receipt.
See the full bibliographic entry for JS Collection, 1827–1844, in the CHL catalog.
Historical Introduction
Having just returned to from a mission in , Massachusetts, wrote a letter to JS on 18 September 1841, asking to be excused from another missionary assignment to the same place. Winchester had presided over the Philadelphia of the since April 1840 and had served a number of proselytizing missions in the eastern , including the one to Salem, which he served with from July to early September 1841. On 16 August 1841 a special church held in , Illinois, called Winchester to serve another mission in Salem with Snow. Citing his poor health, impoverished circumstances, and confidence in Snow’s independent preaching abilities, Winchester asked in the letter featured here to be relieved from his new missionary assignment. In addition to this request, Winchester provided his observations on , who had recently come to Philadelphia.
The letter featured here is the original sent from and received by JS in , likely a couple of weeks after it was mailed in on 18 September 1841.
Snow, Journal, 1841–1847, 3–13. For more on Benjamin Winchester’s role in the Philadelphiabranch, see Philadelphia Branch Record Book, 6 Apr. and 14 Dec. 1840; 6 Apr. 1841; Benjamin Winchester, Philadelphia, PA, 10 Feb. 1840, Letter to the Editor, Times and Seasons, May 1840, 1:104; and Letter from Parley P. Pratt, 22 Nov. 1839.
Having a few leisure Moments I set myself down to write a few lines to you Although it is some time since I have written to you yet I assure you that I have the same respect for you both in your public and private capassity that I ever had
<*> I have learned from a letter from addressed to one of the brethren in this that and are set apart to preach in Mass. Now when was here he requested me to accompany me to that place but did not mean which I promised to do but did not wish to be understood that [page torn]ould remain there any great length of time I have already performed that mission and assisted in commencing the work in that We published an “Address” to the citizens of that a copy of which I will mail to you with this letter Now if it is possible for me [p. [1]]
It is unclear when Winchester last wrote JS since no other letters from Winchester to JS have been located. Some of Winchester’s letters to various individuals did, however, appear in the church’s newspaper. (See “Important Church News,” Times and Seasons, May 1840, 1:109; and Benjamin Winchester, Philadelphia, PA, 10 Feb. 1840, Letter to the Editor, Times and Seasons, May 1840, 1:104.)
Times and Seasons. Commerce/Nauvoo, IL. Nov. 1839–Feb. 1846.
Hyrum Smith and William Law passed through Philadelphia in early July 1841, having previously traveled through Salem Massachusetts. At that time, they asked Erastus Snow and Benjamin Winchester to go to Salem and “try to establish the kingdom in that city.” (Snow, Journal, 1841–1847, 3.)
Snow and Winchester departed Philadelphia for Salem on 14 July 1841. Winchester left Salem by 9 September to return to Philadelphia. (Snow, Journal, 1841–1847, 5, 13.)
According to Snow, after he and Winchester held a meeting at a crowded hall in Salem, they “wrote an address to the citizens of Salem and vicinity setting forth our doctrine in short inviting them out to hear us preach. It contained 8 large royal octavo pages. We got 2500 copies printed.” In addition to explaining the doctrine and beliefs of the church, the address refuted negative claims and perceptions about the church and its founder. It also featured Snow and Winchester’s testimony of the Book of Mormon and a brief history of the persecution of the Latter-day Saints in Missouri. (Snow, Journal, 1841–1847, 13; Snow and Winchester, Address to the Citizens of Salem, 1–8; Crawley, Descriptive Bibliography, 1:171.)
The editor of the Times and Seasons published the Salem address in two parts: the first in the 15 October 1841 issue and the second in the 15 November 1841 issue. (Times and Seasons, 15 Oct. 1841, 2:574–576; 15 Nov. 1841, 3:578–584.)
Times and Seasons. Commerce/Nauvoo, IL. Nov. 1839–Feb. 1846.