Joseph H. Jackson was a resident of Nauvoo, Illinois in the 1840s. He played role in Mormon founder Joseph Smith's arrest, which ultimately lead to his killing at the hands of a lynch mob.[1] [2] [3]
Jackson arrived in Nauvoo on October 10, 1842.[3] He spent the winter of 1842–1843 in Carthage, returning to Nauvoo in the Spring.[3] On January 5, 1844, Jackson was appointed aide-de-camp to Joseph Smith in his capacity as leader of the Nauvoo Legion.[3] In May 23 1844, Jackson provided testimony before a grand jury that led to Smith's indictment for perjury.[3] [4] On May 27, Joseph Smith entered Carthage, where Charles Foster reportedly told Joseph Smith that Joseph Jackson planned to kill him.[5]
On June 1, Jackson authored a letter to the editor of the Warsaw Signal which was published. In it he alleged that Joseph Smith had sent Porter Rockwell to assassinate Missouri governor Lilburn Boggs, offered Jackson $3000 to kill Boggs. He further accused Smith of counterfeiting.[6]
On June 21, he swore two affidavits about recent events in Nauvoo.[7] [8] In August 1844, Jackson published a pamphlet about his experiences in Nauvoo.[9] In that document, Jackson alleged that Smith has issued revelations to marry three members of his own family: his brother William's wife Caroline, his sister Lucy, and his niece Lavina..[10]