Historical Introduction
Soon after settling in what would become Nauvoo, Illinois, and the surrounding areas, Joseph Smith began calling male Church members on missions. Many of these missionaries were called to preach the gospel in Great Britain, where there was often astounding success at bringing converts into the Church. Soon, an important part of the missionary message was migration to the United States to join the Saints.1 British Latter-day Saint immigration increased rapidly, with almost 300 coming to the United States in 1840, about 900 in 1841, peaking at 1,500 in 1842, and then about 1,000 in 1843. Immigration from Great Britain continued but declined after Joseph and Hyrum Smith’s martyrdom.2
As a religious leader in Lancashire, England, Thomas Dent had likely heard of or interacted with many of these converts.3 He wrote to David Kilbourne to learn more about the Latter-day Saints, possibly to obtain information which would help discourage his local parishioners from joining the Saints. Kilbourne’s extensive reply gives an interesting portrayal of Nauvoo in 1842 from the perspective of an antagonist. If Dent was writing for information to discourage his parishioners from listening to the Saints, Kilbourne gave him plenty of material to accomplish that.
Document Transcript
Upper Mississippi River
Lee Co, Iowa Territory
Montrose Oct 20th 1842
Rev. T. Dent
Incumbent of Saugho in Blackburn
Lancashire
England
My dear Sir
On my return from a journey to the Sac & Fox Indians country, writing a day into found your letter of the 3rd Ultimo and with great pleasure hasten to reply your request for justice. I do not feel capable of doing the subject about ado. I have long felt that if I could be the means of preventing a single individual from joining this wretched community the Mormons & thereby save that individual from making shipreck of his future & character that I had not lived in vain.4
There are so many under connected with Smith and so many strange & unacountable & blasphemous proceedings at Nauvoo that I am at a loss to know who to [illegible]
But in this or any future communication to you I will tell the Simple unvarnished truth what I have heard with my own ears & seen with my own eyes. In this case you will find “truth stranger than fiction.”
Mormonism in Nauvoo is a very different matter from Mormonism abroad.
It is true that Joseph Smith, Hiram Smith, S Rigdon, many of the other leaders at Nauvoo have made application for the benefit of the Bank of 5 act of the N. S. Smith’s liabilities are about $100,000 dollars as set forth in his schedule & filed at Carthage about 18 miles from this, & should he not be presented (as I understand he’s approved) on the ground of fraud, he will receive a final discharge from all his liabilities. His apts will not pay the cost of the proceedings in Court.
Rigdon has not been in full fellowship for more than a year – he has been in his town cast aside by Joe to make room for some new dupe or knave who perhaps has come with some money.5
He has never been deceived by Joe—I have no doubt but Rigdon was the originator of the System & fearing how as to its success put Joe forward as a sort of fool in the play, but he finds now to his chagrin & mortification that Joe has the power (as he has always the will when any of his men seem in his view to be rising too fast in influenced) by a word to destroy all confidence in them, & cast them in the shade.
Orson Hyde is on a Mission to the Jews—he has been absent some two years.6 Kimball is in Nauvoo and I hear the saving reputation of the other leaders by all honest & respectable men in this country the leaders of this church are counted as blasphemers, swindlers, etc.7
In regard to the land Joe pretends to have purchased. It is included in a tract of 119,000 called the Half Bred Sac & Fox reservation; but he has not a valid title to a single acre—a notorious swindler who resided here by the name of Galland set up a claim to a great portion of this tract, joined the Mormons, & sold some 50 or 60,000 acres of this land to Joe & gave him warranty deeds. Joe then proclaims through the Times & Seasons to the Saints abroad that he is the owner of this land. Galland & others are sent by Joe to the Eastern States for the purpose of giving this land in exchange for good improved farms to such of the Saints as are about to immigrate to Nauvoo.8
Many have come & found that others are occupying the land which has been deeded to them, that they have been swindled out of their homes in the east & have no means left to defend their rights here & most of them passively submit to the injury.
If an English mormon arrives the first effort of Joe is to get his money if he has any. This in most cases is easily accomplished under a pledge from the Prophet that he can have it at any time on giving ten days notice. The man calls for his money he is treated kindly & told that it is not then convenient to pay—calls a second time the prophet cannot pay; but offers a lot in Nauvoo for $500—or land in the Half breed tract which cost perhaps as many cents at 5 to 15 per acre all of which he refuses to take on the ground that he’s suffering for the want of his money.
He calls the third time—the Prophet is then enraged—inquiring if he expects to live in ease—tells him that he (the Prophet) has used the money for the advancement of the great work of the Lord in these last days—that he has suffered all but death for Christ’s sake & finally winds up by telling the man that he will not be troubled in this way & if he does not cease his importunity the curses of God shall rest upon him. Finally the man agrees to take his deed for land at a great price to which the Prophet has no valid title.
This is the History of hundreds of Cases. I will try & send you a copy of one of our published articles relative to this tract of land.
Nauvoo is in the state of Illinois on the east bank of the Mississippi River. This place is directly opposite in Iowa & on the Half Breed Tract—the tract is owned principally by some presidents & I am acting here as agent for most of the owners & have an interest of my own.
The land was last year partitioned by a Decree of our Courts among the several owners. It is well known by everybody here that neither Galland nor Smith have any legal or equitable right to an acre & it is further understood that they have heretofore conspired together to take advantage of the unsettled state of the title & swindle these honest dupes of their little all.9 Perhaps it will not be out of place to give you a specimen of Joe’s preaching—On Sabbath the 9th day of May a year ago he preached (as he calls it) to about 500 Mormons at this place.
During his discourse he remarked that many who came among them were dissatisfied & made their complaints to him – told them if they were not satisfied to go on and possess this beautiful land which was all opened to them, not to remain whining about him, but to go back & go to hell and be damned. He said his brethren made a great many complaints about him. Some complained because he wore a ruffle shirt—he had one on then pointing to it—he said the first time he wore one was last month at the conference at Nauvoo—that there had been so much talk about his dressing too well—that he told his wife if she would get him a ruffle that he would wear it to the conference to try the faith of the brethren – that his wife brought out a ruffle an old night cap ruffle he supposed with much [illegible] out & he pinned it on & went to the Conference & sure enough said he five or six of the brethren denied the faith on account of the ruffle.
He said his wife was not able to walk to the conference & he obtained a carriage & she rode up—while sitting there in the carriage the Horses became restless & upset the carriage & turned his wife out. He said he was told that some of the sisters said they were glad of it—& that a brother remarked that it was a pity that it had not broke her neck—now said he in great apparent wrath—I hope I may never find out who made that remark for if I do my appetite should never be satisfied till I have his blood. I will follow him as the hound follows the hearts blood of the hare & if he ever crosses my threshold I will send him to hell.
I have given the above in his own words as I heard it from his own lips & was careful to take it down at the time; and it is a fair specimen of all his sabbath discourses.
The History of every dupe ready Nauvoo in advance—when an elder abroad wins one over to the forth he makes himself perfectly acquainted with all his family arrangements—his standing in society, his ability & what is of the most importance the amount of ready money & other property that he will take to Nauvoo—these facts all having faithfully represented to the Prophet he knows how to approach the man & make him an easy prey.
So that all who join the Mormon Community (I will not call it Church) enter upon the road to begary & ruin. Their poor are left to die of neglect & actual want.
They want nothing more of a man than his money & he is then at the mercy of the leader of this banditti.
The English Mormons have suffered here beyond description I could mention names if it were necessary.
There is a family near me of 8 orphan children English by the name of Cope. The father & mother were hale & harty two months ago. They were taken ill of bilious form a fever which yields here readily to medicine; but the Elders of the Church were call in & laid on hands no medical aid or medicine was allowed & they died—they were about 38 [and] 60 years of age—& I judge were respectable in England. I could recite numerous other cases of a like nature.10
No brotherly love exists among the Mormons. I think I am safe in saying that one half of the Mormons are in the habit of drinking to intoxication.
I have seen Joe Smith drink Brandy & I have seen him very intoxicated & afterwards on a sabbath have heard him make confession before his people & given as a reason for getting drunk that several of his elders were in the habit of so doing & never made confessions, that he got drunk confessed his sin as an example for them to confess.11 They make no converts in this neighborhood & they would never make another convert if all could witness their conduct at Nauvoo for one month.
Smith is ambitious of Notoriety; but he is a knave of the basest kind—seeking to win indulgence in the two very basest passions, Lust & Avarice, through the highest of all sentiments—the religious.
The Heresy is not supported by any people of reputation or wealth.
Occasionally a man of education joins them; but in every such case I find that it has been from sinister motives.
Such men are not dupes. They do not remain long in the Church as a general rule. There are a great many at Nauvoo who had been Mormons & now deny that they are Mormons. This class say that the Mormon religion is just as good as any that they don’t believe in any religion—which strengthens my opinion that Mormonism leads to immoral infidelity.
We in this country think that a man who has once been a Mormon feels very much like a man who has been sent to State Prison for crime.
His character, self respect, every thing that was dear to him has been sacrificed to his fellow & he finds that he cannot go back to the world. You will probably have heard before this reaches you that Smith has been charged in accessory in an attempt to murder Ex Governor Boggs of the State of Missouri. Gov Reynolds of Mo some three months since made a requisition—on Gov Carlin of Illinois for the body of Smith. Gov Carlin issued a warrant & Smith was arrested at Nauvoo, but he made his escape from the office, & was for several days on this side of the river. A requisition is now in from on this side for his arrest but he has thus far eluded the officers of justice on both sides. A reward of $600 now offered for him as a fugitive from justice by the Gov. of Missouri.12
Sometimes his people say that he has gone to England, an others to Boston, New York, etc. But the fact is he is scented in Nauvoo. I hear one of his “Saints” boasting that “brother Joseph” had spoken with the sheriff who was in pursuit of him in Nauvoo—the story as told by the Mormons themselves is this; that Smith clothed himself in garments of rags, & otherwise disguised himself & with a large fish hung to his back accosted the sheriff & offered to sell the fish.
I long since famed the opinion that nothing could be gained by attacking their religious [illegible]—this could with some show of reason be called persecution; but hold up their daily conduct to View.
This for the last three years I have done by various communications written for public journals, in the eastern cities & towns & for this my brother & myself have suffered severely here in the loss of some 1500 or 2000 dollars worth of property prising of our horses, &c &c.
It is well known that their teachers justify them in appropriating the property of the Gentiles to the true Israel.
Many here are afraid to speak out—because it is well understood that the lives & property of them who oppose the leaders are in danger. Soon after Gov. Carlin of Ill issued his warrant for Smith’s arrest, he had taken from his stable a fine horse—the thief was detected and the horse recovered about 200 miles distant & the thief whose name was Plumb had been for some time previous in Smith’s Employ.13
We believe that he’s constantly sending out his emissaries to do those deeds of darkness & abominations throughout the land; But I will close fearing your patience will be wearied with so much minute detail.
Your object in seeking information is much laudable & if I can assist you in preventing any from making shipreck of their futures & character I shall be most happy to do so.
Had I the means to spare I believe I would spend one year in your country & follow up those elders who have gone from here & explore their vile practices here & the conduct of Smith & others. Within a month or two Smith has ordered about 500 men to go out through the county to preach.
I should have remarked that the Nauvoo Legion was legalized by an act of the State Legislature of Illinois which act it is thought will be repealed during the next session of that Legislature.14
Let me say that my heart has often bled for those honest Englishmen when I have seen them land here who I have no doubt join from honest purpose of heart & who come to a new country to be swindled out of their little all.
If their desire to get land leads them to join—tell them to come out before joining—& they can get land of the best quality for 2½ to $5 an acre at which price we are filling now on this tract & give one two & three years to pay.
But commencing about a days ride from this the Government has just proclaimed by treaty the Indians about 15,000.000 acres of the finest land in the world.
Settlers will be allowed to go on to this land in the early spring & take up as much as they wish not exceeding 320 acres each this is called making claims or squatting—they can then go on & make their improvements in the mean time government carries it to be privileged & in a year or two it will be offered for sale the settlers then purchase it at one dollar & twenty five cents per acre, cash.
1. Glen M. Leonard, Nauvoo: A Place of Peace, a People of Promise (Deseret Book; Brigham Young University Press, 2002), 74–81.
2. Richard L. Jensen, “Transplanted to Zion: The Impact of British Latter-day Saint Immigration upon Nauvoo,” BYU Studies 31, no. 4 (1991): 78.
3. Warren A. Jennings, “The Lynching of an American Prophet,” BYU Studies 40, no. 1 (2001): 205.
4. This is almost a verbatim quote from David Kilbourne and Edward Kilbourne’s earlier “Latter-Day-Ism: Number One,” Warsaw (Ill.) Signal, October 6, 1841, in which they said they hoped that they “may be the means of preventing some individuals from making shipwreck of their fortunes and character.” See p. 191 herein.
5. While it was not publicly known, Sidney Rigdon’s estrangement from the Church at this time was likely related to his rejection of polygamy. During 1842, according to some sources, Joseph Smith tried to court Rigdon’s daughter, Nancy Rigdon. Rigdon rejected plural marriage. Leonard, Nauvoo, 348, 361.
6. Orson Hyde had left Nauvoo for his mission to the Holy Lands on April 15, 1840, with fellow Apostle John E. Page accompanying him for a short part at the beginning, and returned to Nauvoo on December 7, 1842, having traveled extensively and dedicated Jerusalem for the return of the Jews. His was, at that point, the longest missionary journey of an Apostle. Roy Huff, “Orson Hyde: A Life of Lessons Learned,” Religious Educator 3, no. 2 (2002): 176–81.
7. Heber C. Kimball, the one Kilbourne is most likely referencing, had been serving a mission to Great Britain from 1839 to 1841, but returned and became a member of the Nauvoo City Council. See “Kimball, Heber Chase,” Joseph Smith Papers, Church Historian’s Press, accessed August 20, 2025, https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/person/heber-chase-kimball; Andrew Jenson, Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia: A Compilation of Biographical Sketches of Prominent Men and Women in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, vol. 1 (Andrew Jenson History, 1901), 36.
8. For more information on Isaac Galland, see Susan Easton Black, “Isaac Galland: Both Sides of the River,” Nauvoo Journal 8, no. 2 (1996): 3–9.
9. For more information on the decree, how it was passed, and how it affected the Latter-day Saints living on the Half-Breed Tract, see Mark Goodmansen, Conspiracy at Carthage: The Plot to Murder Joseph Smith (Cedar Fort, 2016), 165–75.
10. Kilbourne talks more about the Copes in other letters. The parents were Samuel and Ann Cope. The family rented land from Kilbourne in Montrose when they emigrated from England. The parents took sick and died in the fall of 1842, and families in the area took in their eight orphaned children. David and Harriett Kilbourne took in two of the daughters, Ann and Ellen. Brady Winslow, “David W. Kilbourne: The Creation of an Iowa Anti-Mormon,” Annals of Iowa, 3rd ser., 78, no. 3 (2019): 261–62. Two of the daughters, Ellen and Hannah, are listed as members in the Iowa Stake minutes, p. 428 herein.
11. If there is truth to Kilbourne’s statements here, it is inexplicable why this event was never mentioned by anyone else, whether friend or foe of Joseph.
12. During this time, Joseph Smith was avoiding extradition attempts, often hiding in safe houses around Nauvoo or across the river in Iowa Territory. Emma Smith wrote several letters to Governor Carlin appealing to him to drop the charges on her husband. Carlin refused to do so, and instead, on September 20, 1842, issued a proclamation which offered a $200 reward for apprehending Smith or Porter Rockwell. As news traveled, the amount offered in the reward was often exaggerated. For more information on the attempts to extradite Joseph Smith to Missouri for charges regarding the attempted assassination of Lilburn Boggs, see Morris A. Thurston, “The Boggs Shooting and Attempted Extradition: Joseph Smith’s Most Famous Case,” BYU Studies 48, no. 1 (2009): 5–56.
13. Hawkins Taylor discusses pursuing a horse thief named Plumb in Hawkins Taylor, Autobiographical Sketch (1880s), in Caleb F. Davis Collection, 3:48–50, Caleb F. Davis Collection, State Historical Society of Iowa, Des Moines, p. 138 herein. Taylor was pursuing him for a horse theft in Van Buren County, Iowa, not for the theft of Governor Carlin’s horse.
14. For more information on the Nauvoo Legion, see Leonard, Nauvoo, 112–19.
