A Community Abandoned: W. W. Phelps’ 1839 Letter to Sally Waterman Phelps from Far West, Missouri
Keywords
W.W. Phelps, Far West Missouri, Mormon History, Early Church History
Abstract
During the early years of Mormonism, few men played a more prominent role in the religious movement than William W. Phelps. In April 1830, while engaged in a successful publishing and journalism career in Canandaigua, New York, Phelps secured a copy of the Book of Mormon. After reading it, he was convinced of its truthfulness but postponed baptism for over a year. Finally, in June 1831, he moved his family to Kirtland, Ohio, to unite with the Church. Soon after his baptism, Phelps was called as the first Church printer and publisher and was instructed to move to Independence, Missouri (D&C 55:4; 57:11).1
Original Publication Citation
“A Community Abandoned: W. W. Phelps’ May 1839 Letter to Sally Waterman Phelps from Far West, Missouri,” The Nauvoo Journal 10, no. 2 (Fall 1998): 19–32.
BYU ScholarsArchive Citation
Baugh, Alexander L., "A Community Abandoned: W. W. Phelps’ 1839 Letter to Sally Waterman Phelps from Far West, Missouri" (1998). Faculty Publications. 3717.
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/facpub/3717
Document Type
Peer-Reviewed Article
Publication Date
1998
Permanent URL
http://hdl.lib.byu.edu/1877/6527
Publisher
Mormon Historical Studies
Language
English
College
Religious Education
Department
Church History and Doctrine