ABOUT SPAULDING

Solomon Spaulding was born in 1761, in the town of Ashford, Connecticut, U.S.A. When a student in Dartmouth College, New Hampshire, from which he graduated, he became much interested in what became of the lost ten tribes of Israel, and imbibed the views of one of the officers of the college, that the American Indians were most probably their descendants. He entered the ministry, and for ten years preached about the country as an evangelist. He never was a settled pastor. He wrote a manuscript on a few quires of letter paper, purporting to be an account of the wanderings and arrival in America of the lost ten tribes (similar to the “Book of Mormon”), probably while he preached in Middletown, Vermont. He finally became his brother’s partner in mercantile business in Cherry Valley, New York. In two or three years they failed.

In 1808 or 1809 the Spaulding Brothers engaged in a land speculation in New Salem, the northeast town in Ohio, now called Conneaut, an Indian name, meaning many fish, which formerly abounded in the creek of that name, and was a great Indian resort. In digging into the mounds, which are numerous thereabouts, in search for iron ore, the workmen discovered large skeletons, and what they considered evidences of a prehistoric race. Spaulding became greatly interested, and his adopted daughter, who is still living, told me she well remembered seeing her father, when sitting (she standing by his side), place one of the bones of the skeleton beside his leg, and it reached considerable above his knee. He thought it was the skeleton of a giant.

The anticipation of war with England, which began in 1812, deterred people from settling near the lake for fear of an attack from Canada. The Spauldings being unable to sell their land, again failed. Solomon’s health was poor, and he wrote several historical stories, from the profits, when published and sold, he hoped to improve his financial condition, and pay his debts. The country at that time was sparsely settled, and Spaulding spent much time visiting about, usually three or four days at a friend’s. He was the great character in that section, and was welcomed everywhere because he read his writings to them.

Spaulding was recommended to go to Pittsburgh to have his book published, whither he removed his family in 1812. He left his “Manuscript Found” with Patterson Bros., who were publishers and book-sellers, for examination, hoping they would publish it. The climate of Pittsburgh did not agree with him, and he again moved to Goodwill, now called Amity, in Washington County, Pa., where he kept a temperance tavern, and died in 1816. Sidney Rigdon, who was born in St. Clair Township, Alleghany County, Pa., twelve miles south of Pittsburgh, in 1793, it is said, became acquainted with Spaulding and his manuscript in Pittsburgh.

His widow one year later (1817) moved to Central New York and finally married and settled in Monson, Mass, where she died. In July, 1884, Mr. Eber D. Howe, the publisher of “Mormonism Unveiled,” told me about the the Spaulding’s manuscript story, “ Conneaut Creek.” He said it was a romance of Indian wars along the shores of Lake Erie, written on one or two quires of paper. He did not know what became of it, he supposed it was destroyed when the newspaper office was burned. The files of the Telegraph, Howe's paper, of 1836—7-8, were burned. Mr. Howe said they contained much about Jo Smith’s bank and Mormon affairs. I advertised for numbers of those years, but received no reply. When Mr. Howe informed me about the "Conneaut Creek” Manuscript, word had not been received in America that it was in the possession of Mr. L. L. Rice, at Honolulu, S. I.

SPRINGFIELD, Pa., Dec. 9, 1834.

My father, John N. Miller, settled in Springfield, Erie County, Pa., near Conneaut, Ohio, in 180c0. He was elder of the Presbyterian Church over thirty years, and his father was before him. I have many times heard father say that in 1811 he and Andrew Cochran helped build a forge or furnace for General Keyes at Conneaut, Ohio, and that they boarded with Solomon Spaulding, who had been a preacher, but his wife was not religious. She was high-strung, a frolicker, fond of balls and parties, and drove him out of the ministry. He said he liked Spaulding. While they were at their meals Spaulding would lie on the bed and read to them his manuscripts. Father also frequently read them himself. I have often heard him tell about the Nephites and Zerahemlites before the “Book of Mormon” was published. I well remember D. P. Hurlbut’s coming to our house about fifty years ago, and his telling father that he was taking evidence to expose Mormonism, and hearing him read from the “Book of Mormon.” Frequently father would request Hurlbut to stop reading and he would state what followed and Hurlbut would say that it was so in the “Book of Mormon.” He expressed great surprise that father remembered so much of it. Father told him that the “Manuscript Found,” was not near all of Spaulding’s writings and that probably there would soon be another prophecy out. Father said he had no doubt the historical part of the “Book of Mormon” was Spaulding’s “Manuscript Found.” John Spaulding, Solomon’s brother, lived half a mile from "our house and our families were. quite intimate. I saw father sign a statement and give Hurlbut. He had statements from Henry Lake, Aaron Wright and Dr. Howard, of Conneaut. Hurlbut stayed two nights with a Mormon woman of very bad character, who lived alone. Several of the lowest families in Springfield became Mormons. Mr. Hartshorn, a Mormon, whose wife was a Methodist, did not want to go West, but he insisted and she hung herself on the way.

[Signed.] RACHEL DERBEY.

Witnessed by:

LEE DERBY,

A. B. DEMING.

(The original missing in Chicago.)

After taking -the above statement from Mrs. Derby, the writer returned to Conneaut on the Nickel Plate Railroad and called on Postmaster Keyes, son of General Keyes, who owned the iron furnace and requested that if he obtained any information of interest about Spaulding’s history to inform me. I left the same evening and the next morning received a letter at Painesville, O., which was written by Rev. W. H. Rice, of Addison, N. Y., to the postmaster, of Conneaut, O., stating that his father had in his possession the Spaulding manuscript, from which the “Book of Mormon” was made. I have not the letter with me and do not remember the exact words. He desired to know if Aaron Wright, Henry Lake and D. P. Hurlbut resided in Conneaut. I was reading the letter in the Temperance Reading-room in Painesville, O., when Deacon Crane, of the Baptist Church, aged eighty-five, passed the door. I ran to him and inquired if he ever was acquainted with L. L. Rice. He replied, “He used to edit the Painesville Telegraph about 1839—40, and his sister taught school in our district.” I immediately wrote the following letter, which Mr. Rice sent to his father at Honolulu, S. L, and his daughter, at my request, returned to me.

PAINESVILLE, O., Dec. 10, 1884.

Rev. W. H. Rice—Dear Brother: Postmaster Keyes, of Conneaut, sent your letter to me. I was Moderator in the Braden Kelly debate on Mormonism, held in Kirtland, Ohio, last February and March, and have since been engaged in collecting evidence for a new book, to be called, "A Death Blow to Mormonism.” I expect it will be published early next year. D. P. Hurlbut was a Methodist preacher in Ontario County, N. Y., joined the Mormons, left them and collected evidence for a book published by E. D. Howe, of Painesville, in 1834. Your father edited the Painesville Telegraph about 1838-40, and no doubt found it among Howe’s effects in the office. Howe founded the Tegraph. Please write at once to your father to send all the papers to you by express to Addison, N. Y., and I will pay the expressage. I desire to consult them as soon as possible.

A. B. Deming