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Table of Contents
Preface. .........................................................................................3
Traveler 1 - Mr. Jonas, the Grand Master Mason in Ohio. .4
Traveler 2. .....................................................................................5
Traveler 3. .....................................................................................6
Traveler 4. ......................................................................................7
Traveler 5. .....................................................................................8
Traveler 6. ....................................................................................10
Traveler 8. ....................................................................................13
Traveler 9 - HOSPES. ................................................................14
Traveler 10 - Samuel A Prior, a Methodist Minister ...........16
Traveler 11 - A Clergyman from Illinois .................................19
Traveler 12 - An American. .....................................................20
Traveler 13 - HOSPES. .............................................................21
Traveler 14 - J. B. Newhall ......................................................23
Traveler 15 - An Englishman. .................................................24
Traveler 16 - VERITAS. ............................................................27
Traveler 17. .................................................................................28
Traveler 18. ................................................................................29
Traveler 19. ................................................................................31
Traveler 20. ...............................................................................32
Traveler 21 - Josiah Quincy. ..................................................34
Preface
After Dr. Hyrum L. Andrus passed away in the fall of 2015 a box of documents he had stored in his basement was discovered. The box contained an early draft of a book this editor has taken the privilege of naming They Observed The Prophet. The box contained reports of people who had visited Nauvoo and had observed the saints and their Prophet. Many of these reports were originally published in the travelers home newspaper and then reprinted in the Times and Seasons, The Millennial Star or History of the Church. These reports along with others were collected by Dr. Andrus as he reviewed old church records and journals early in his career. From this collection Dr. Andrus published two books, They Knew The Prophet and Personal Glimpses of The Prophet Joseph Smith both by Hyrum L. and Helen Mae Andrus. The box also contained a group of reports from people detailing their conversion to the Church which will be the subject of another publication.
This publication is a compilation of the reports Dr. Andrus had grouped together of those people who had visited Nauvoo, met the saints and either observed or met the Prophet and their resulting impressions. The list in this volume is not complete, but is a selection of many of the more interesting and representative statements. Major spelling errors have been corrected, and punctuation has been altered where necessary for clarity.
Most of the statements included in this volume may be classified as memoirs, and are subject to the limitations historians impose on this class of information. But they also have the value of giving personal accounts of those who witnessed history in the making. Above all, they reflect the lasting impressions that Nauvoo and Joseph Smith made on visitors.
Each entry is identified as a “Traveler” with a sequential number. The name of the author of the report is included where possible. This was necessary because in most cases no name was given with the published report. It is not possible to give thanks to all those who may have helped Dr. Andrus in collecting these reports, that information has been lost in time.
Larry Peterson, Editor (2017)