Laws of the State of Illinois Passed by the Twelfth General Assembly, at Their Session, Began and Held at Springfield, on the Seventh of December, One Thousand Eight Hundred and Forty

Springfield, Illinois: William Walter, 1841. 8vo, contemporary paper covered boards, 359, xxiv pp. With auditor and Treasurer’s reports bound at rear. Boards detached, text block excellent, good overall. Good.. During the 1840–1841 session of the Illinois General Assembly, several laws were enacted concerning Nauvoo. These included legislation incorporating the city itself (pp. 52–57), establishing the Nauvoo House Association (pp. 131–132), incorporating the Nauvoo Agricultural and Manufacturing Association (pp. 139–145), and appointing a notary public for the city (p. 190). Beyond defining municipal powers, elections, judicial structures, and the authority to create a university, the “Act to Incorporate the City of Nauvoo” contained a notable provision permitting the formation of a militia. The act authorized the city council to organize residents liable for military service into an independent force known as the “Nauvoo Legion,” whose court-martial would consist of commissioned officers empowered to enact and enforce regulations; the legion was also exempted from other military obligations (p. 57). An additional clause attached to the Road Act further allowed any citizen of Hancock County to join the Nauvoo Legion through voluntary enrollment, thereby receiving the privileges granted to that independent military body (p. 223). Key figures named throughout the legislation include Joseph Smith, Hyrum Smith, Orson Pratt, Sidney Rigdon, George Miller, Lyman Wright, John Snyder, and Peter Hawes. Overall a scarce collection, significant in the history of the Mormons’ stint in Nauvoo which would end five years later; attractive in a contemporary binding despite the detachment of the boards. We find no copies on the market at the time of writing, and a single auction record (Hindman, 10/8/2020, sold for $3,473).