To give yet another variation on this issue’s Nauvoo theme, “The Historians Corner” includes letters written by two Nauvoo immigrants, who reveal the feelings and everyday concerns of “typical” Saints and citizens. The letters have been edited by Glen M. Leonard, coauthor of The Story of the Latter-day Saints.
Not all who came to Nauvoo found their hopes fulfilled. But as Leonard’s documents show, many found their new home to their liking. They were impressed not only by its promised bounty, but also by the community’s spirit and religious teaching. We will not fully understand the Mormon city on the Mississippi without this view.
Leonard, whose Farmington home lies on ground owned and settled by Truman Leonard, his pioneer progenitor, is currently preparing for publication a collection of Nauvoo letters and a history of Nauvoo.