“[We] have been delegated by their brethren and fellow citizens, the “Latter Day Saints” (commonly called Mormons) to prepare and present to your Honorable bodies, a statement of their wrongs, and a prayer for their relief, which they now have the honor to submit to the consideration of the Congress of the United States.” — Elias Higbee¹

Born in 1795 in New Jersey, Elias Higbee was baptized into the Church of Christ in 1832.² In Missouri he served as a judge, was a leader in the Danites, and was appointed to be a church historian.² After the Saints were expelled from Missouri, he was part of the committee that investigated lands for sale, eventually purchasing property in Commerce (later Nauvoo), Illinois, where the Saints could settle.^2,3 In October 1839, Higbee accompanied Joseph Smith to Washington, D.C., to seek redress for the Saints' suffering in Missouri and compensation for their losses.^4,5 Both President Martin Van Buren and Congress ultimately decided not to intervene.⁵

1. Memorial to the United States Senate and House of Representatives, circa 30 October 1839–27 January 1840, 1, josephsmithpapers.org

2. “Higbee, Elias,” josephsmithpapers.org

3. Receipt to Jonathan Harrington, 8 July 1842, footnote 1, 1, josephsmithpapers.org

4. “Elias Higbee,” Doctrine and Covenants Historical Resources, churchofjesuschrist.org

5. Saints, Volume 1, Chapter 34, 407-409, 414