TO EMMA SMITH
1832 OCTOBER 1 3

ALS Joseph Smith, New York City, to Emma Smith, Kirtland, Ohio, 13 October 1832, 3 pp., RLDS Church Archives, Independence, Missouri.

As partners in a prosperous Kirtland, Ohio, mercantile firm, Newel K. Whitney and Sidney Gilbert played a key role in the economic development of Mormon communities in Ohio and Missouri. After their baptism in fall 1830, these men gave nearly all their time and means to the cause of the Church.

Traveling to Independence, Missouri, with Joseph Smith in 1831, Gilbert heard the revelation designating Jackson County as the place for the city of Zion and calling him to remain there and establish a store, profits from which would be used to assist those migrating there.447

In March 1832 a business partnership known as the United Order, or United Firm, was established by revelation in Kirtland, Ohio. The purpose of the organization was to consolidate business activity for the benefit of the Church.448 When Joseph Smith, Newel Whitney, Jesse Gause, and Sidney Rigdon (all members of the Firm) traveled to Missouri in April 1832, one item of business transacted was to consolidate the mercantile activities of the Church in Missouri and Ohio under the United Firm. The Missouri branch was to be called Gilbert, Whitney and Company; the Ohio branch was to be called Newel K. Whitney and Company. Gilbert and Whitney were to be agents of the Firm. During the meetings held by the Prophet in Missouri, Whitney negotiated a $15,000 loan to assure the stability of the Firm. He was also called by revelation to travel among the branches of the Church to solicit funds for the poor and to warn the people in certain eastern cities of the desolation that would come upon those who rejected the gospel.

To fill these assignments, Whitney headed east in fall 1832, accompanied by Joseph Smith.449 Summarizing his travels, he later wrote: "My leg was not perfectly well, but I proceeded with Joseph . . . to New York, Providence and Boston, and through New England. We visited Bishop [Benjamin T.] Onderdonk of the Episcopal Church of the United States while at N. York,450 and returned back to Kirtland. This journey was taken to fulfill the revelation."451

While Whitney was engaged in New York City purchasing goods for the mercantile business, the two men lodged at the Pearl Street House on Manhattan Island.452 From his room there on 13 October Joseph wrote the following letter to Emma.

Oct 13 1832

P Pearl Street House N Y

My Dear Wife

This day I have been walking through the most splended part of the City of n New Y 453 the buildings are truly great and wonderful to the astonishing <of> to eve[r]y beholder and the language of my heart is like this can the great God of all the Earth maker of all thing[s] magnificent and splendid be displeased with man for all these great inventions saught out by them my answer is no it can not be seeing these works are are calculated to mak[e] men comfortable wise and happy therefore not for the works can the Lord be displeased only aganst man is the anger of the Lord Kindled because they Give him not the Glory therefore their iniquities shall <be> visited upon their heads and their works shall be burned up with unquenchable fire the inequity of the people is printed in every countinance and nothing but the dress of the people makes them look fair and butiful all is deformity their is something in every countinance that is disagreable with few exceptions Oh how long Oh Lord Shall this order of things exist and darkness cover the Earth and gross darkness cover the people after beholding all that I had any desire to behold I returned to my room to meditate and calm my mind and behold the thaughts of home of Emma and Julia [Murdock Smith] rushes upon my mind like a flood and I could wish for [p. 1] [a] moment to be with them my breast is filld with all the feelings and tenderness of a parent and a Husband and could I be with you I would tell you many things yet when I reflect upon this great city like Ninevah not desearning their right hand from their left yea more then two hundred <thousand> souls my bowels is filled with compasion towards them and I am determined to lift up my voice in this City and leave the Event with God who holdeth all things in his hands and will not suffer an hair of our heads unnoticed to fall to the ground there is but few Cases of the cholra in this City454 now and if you should see the people you would not that know that they people had ever heard of the <cholra> I hope you will excuse me for writting this letter so soon after w[r]iting for I feel as if I wanted to <say> you say something to you to comfort you in your beculier triel and presant affliction455 I hope God will give you strength that you may not faint I pray God to soften the hearts of those arou[n]d you to be kind to you and take <the> burdon off your shoulders as much as posable and not afflict you I feel for you for I know you[r] state and that others do not but you must cumfort yourself knowing that God is your friend in heaven and that you hav[e] one true and living friend on Earth your Husband

Joseph Smith Jr [p. 2]

PS while Brother Whitney [is] Selecting goods I have nothing to [do] but to sit in my room and pray for him that he may have strength to indure his labours for truly it is [a] tedious Job to stand on the feet all day to select goods its wants good Judgement and a long acquantence with goods to git good ones and a man must be his own Judge for no one will Judge for him and it is much pepleccity [perplexity] of mind I prefer reading and praying and holding comuneion with the holy spirit and writing to<you> then walking the streets and beholding the distraction of man I have <had> some conversation with few which gave satisfaction and one very butiful young gentleman from Jersy whose countinance was very sollam he came and set by my side and began to converce with me about the Cholra and I learned he had been seased with it and came very near die[i]ng with it he said the Lord had spared him for some wise pu[r]pose I took advantage of this and opened a long discours with him he received my teaching with appearan[t]ly with much pleasure and becam[e] very strongly attacth to me we talkd till late at night and concluded to omit <conversation> till the next day but having some business to do he was detained untill the boat was ready to go out and must leave he came to me and bid me Farewell <and we parted> with much reluctance Brother Whitney is received with great kindness by all his old acquaintance[s] he is faithful in prayr and fervant in spirit and he we take great comfort together there is about one hundred boarders and sometimes more in this house every <day> from one to two from all parts of the world I think you would hav[e] laughed right harty if you could been whe[r]e you could see the waiters to day noon [as they] waited on the table both Black and white and molato runing bowing and maneuvering but I must conclude I remain your affectionate Husband until Death

Joseph Smith Junior [p. 3]

Emma Smith

Kirtland Geauga Co

Ohio