Scope and Contents Handwritten letter dated 13 March 1820. Merrill writes to the Rev. Nathaniel Stacy in Hamilton, New York. Merrill urges Stacy to "come over and help us" by conducting a debate between J. Foster, a Universalist preacher, and Joseph Baker, a Methodist preacher. Merrill anticipates a favorable outcome for the Universalists. This item documents some of the religious activities in New York State at about the time when Joseph Smith (1805-1844), the first president of the Mormon Church, claimed...