Mormon Redress Petitions and Harvey Olmstead

A few days ago, I talked about my 4th-great-grandfather, Harvey Olmstead, who was an early member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Joining the church sometime in the first few years of its organization in the 1830's, he suffered many of the persecutions of those early saints.

When Governor Boggs of Missouri issued the Extermination Order, allowing any Mormons in the state to be shot on sight, no questions asked, the Saints had just a few days to leave Missouri (and the United States). While Joseph Smith was imprisoned in Liberty, Missouri, he asked all of the 12.000 - 15,000 refuges to petition for redress. His instructions are recorded in the 126th section of the Doctrine & Covenants:

1. And again, we would suggest for your consideration the propriety of all the saints gathering up a knowledge of all the facts, and sufferings and abuses put upon them by the people of this State;
2. And also of all the property and amount of damages which they have sustained, both of character and personal injuries, as well as real property;
3.  And also the names of all persons that have had a hand in their oppressions, as far as they can get hold of them and find them out.
4. And perhaps a committee can be appointed to find out these things, and to take statements and affidavits; and also to gather up the libelous publications that are afloat;
5. And all that are in the magazines, and in the encyclopedias, and all the libelous histories that are published, and are writing, and by whom, and present the whole concatenation of diabolical rascality and nefarious and murderous impositions that have been practiced upon this people—
6. That we may not only publish to all the world, but present them to the heads of government in all their dark and hellish hue, as the last effort which is enjoined on us by our Heavenly Father, before we can fully and completely claim that promise which shall call him forth from his hiding place; and also that the whole nation may be left without excuse before he can send forth the power of his mighty arm.

About 800 people did this. Although no redress was ever given by the government, these petitions have been gathered and published in the book, Mormon Redress Petitions. Harvey has two petitions in this book.

The first was issued on May 13th 1839: (spelling is as in the original)

An account That I Hervy omsted have against the state of Missouri in Consequence of Mobocracy first the expences and time for moveing from Illinois to Jackson County State of Missouri: $50.00
For improvements in Jackson County Made on Congress Land: $25.00
Lost 2 hundred Bushels of Corn at 25 cent pr Bushel: $50.00
To fodder of 2 acres: $10.00
To Ten bushels of Potatoes at 25 cets pr Bushel: $2.50
To one Calf: $3.00
To 32 acres of Deeded Land at 5 Dollars pr acre: $160.00
To Expences of Crossing the River into Clay county: $2.50
To Time taken to hunt a house and fencing it and moveing into it in Clay County: $16.00
Expences of moveing from Clay to Ray County Mo: $3.50
Expences of moveing from Ray to Davis Co makeing 5 trips Takeing 20 days at 3 1/2 Dollars pr Day $70.00
To improvement & Claim on Congress land in Davis Co: $250.00
To Six hundred Bushels of Corn at 25 cents pr Bushel: $150.00
To 15 bushel of potatoes at 50 cents pr Bushel: $7.50
To 8 hundred Bundles of fodder at $1.25 cents per Hundred: $10.00
To seven Tons of hay at 3 Dollars pr ton: $21.00
To three Calves take from me out of the field worth: $11.00
Two ploughs taken out of the field worth: $12.00
one horse: $40.00
Eight head of hogs worth eight Dollars a piece: $64.00
thirteen shoats worth 2 Dollars a piece: $26.00
Building a house in Diahman worth: $30.00
2 axes 1 Bedsted grubbing hoe and three hoes worth: $9.00
2 Sheep worth 4 Dollars a piece: $8.00
Moveing from Davis to Caldwel County: $7.00
Expence of Building a house in Caldwell County: $20.00
Expence of Moveing from caldwel County to the state of Illinois and the time it took to move: $97.50
Subtotal: $1254.50
To 4 acres of wheat at 10 Dollars pr acre: $40.00
Total: $ 1,296.50

I Shall not attempt to put any amount on my sufferings as it is out of my power to Describe my feelings and I am inadequate to the task but will Just Relate that I was one with my family that was Drove from Jackson County in the time that the Mob Broke out against the people of god there and myself wife & Children were driven out in the Cold winter from out homes & possessions into Clay County where we had to hunt a Covering to keep us from the blasts of winter again we were Driven with out Children from Davis County out of the State of Missouri and in consequence of So long an exposure to the inclement weather it proved Almost to intolerable a burthen to be borne but after a long and serious fit of sickness in the State of Illinois She through the Mercy of god I hope will Recover but our sufferings we cannot Relate in full therefore I shall leave it with your honorable Body to Determene what I Should have or whether I Should have any thing or not. 

The second was an individual affidavit signed in 1840:

I doe here by testify that I emigrated to Jackson Co and State of Missouri in the year 1832 and in 1833 a mob arose and I saw them throw down a two story brick building ocupyed as a private dwelling below and a printing office above and they broke the press Scatterd the type and paper and they tared and fethered Bishop Patridge and they took me prisner and kept after this they met in council and resolved to put us out of the County (peaceably if we can, forceable if we must) they took one prisner and the next morning a company headed by a Baptist Priest came to my house and warnd me to leave the county which I we did.

whil in clay co we wan threatend if we did not leave there, and they agread to let us have Caldwell Co I moved from there to David Co in 1838 made a claim and intended to enter when it came in market but a mob arose and I was compeld to move to Adam Ondi Ahman and soon after my house was burnt my plows taken my stock distroyed soon after I was cald away on buisnes, and when I returned I found an armed soldiery encamped in the Town under the command of Gen. Wilson and non was allowd to pass out without a pass from him, and then they must be escorted out and ten days was given for all to move out of the county in and we was only permitted to stay till spring and then to leave the State at the perril of our lived which we did Signed this 4 day of Jan A D 1840.

What a wonderful addition to our family history! These two statements give us a lot of insight about the life and times of these saints. There is no record of the death of Harvey's wife, Hannah Mingus Olmstead, but she probably died somewhere in the Winter Quarters, Iowa area.

If you have surfed into my blog, and want to know if one of your ancestors are in the Mormon Redress Petitions book, leave a comment below with the name and I will look it up for you.