1881 – A three-page memorandum for record regarding the settlement of a will handwritten on letterhead from The Saints’ Herald and signed by Joseph Smith III
Lamoni, Iowa: 1881. Unbound. This document is written on blue stationery that reads
Publishers, Booksellers, Stationers, / The Saints’ Herald Zion’s Hope / $2.15 per year 60c per year / HERALD OFFICE / Lamoni, Iowa, ______, 188_
It is dated May 9th, 1888, and titled “Herald office Moneys advanced to Mrs Kearney’s use . . .” and identifies funds used for rental houses in Plano, Illinois and Lamoini, Iowa, freight, and transportation fares totaling $398.59.
In the two-page memorandum that follows, Smith explains,
“There remains yet due on Mr Kelley’s not the balance when paid of course I shall pay to her; as I was instructed in Mrs Thurston’s will to od. I put Mrs Kearney into possession of the property as soon as I could, and have done the best I could to carry out Mrs Thurstons wishes except in the item of bequest of %50.00 left to the church; which under Mrs Kearneys poor condition I felt constrained to refuse to do. Mrs Kearney has worked hard, is poor and straightly put to it to earn a living and so I thought it unwise to pay to the church the $50.00. In all else I have acted conscientiously, and I believe honestly. . .. I remain Yours in Respect Joseph Smith. . ..”
A third sheet contains summarized ledger entries recording all payments and charges related to this memorandum that occurred between 29 December 1880 and 26 December 1881. Very good. Item #010768Joseph Smith III was the eldest surviving son of Joseph Smith Jr. (founder of the Latter-Day Saint movement). After his father was assassinated in 1844, the church splintered into factions with Brigham Young leading the largest to settle in Utah. In 1860, Joseph Smith III became the Prophet-President of the second largest denomination, the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, or RLDS Church (now the Community of Christ), which considers itself to be the continuation of the original church. In 1866, Smith III moved the RDS Church from Nauvoo to Plano, Illinois, where its printing house published The Saints’ Herald, and personally began to edit the newspaper. In 1881, Smith relocated the RLDS Church once more, joining a Mormon enclave in Lamoni, Iowa. In 1920, the Community of Christ moved its headquarters from Lamoni to Independence, Missouri, the location where John Smith Jr originally intended to be the religion’s great temple.
(For more information, see “Community of Christ: Lamoni, Iowa. . ..” at the Cannundrums blog.)
At the time of listing, no original Joseph Smith III items are for sale in the trade. The Rare Book Hub identifies only one item (a typed letter from 1891) has appeared at auction. OCLC shows that Yale holds original Smith III letters, photocopies of Smith III letters are held by Brigham Young University,
.Price: $1,250.00