The Blood Stone Letter (1854)

Transcription | 𐐓𐑉𐐰𐑌𐑅𐐿𐑉𐐮𐐹𐑇𐐲𐑌

We provide a complete transcription of George D. Watt’s Blood Stone Letter in two formats. Choose your preferred version below:

SAMPA 𐐔𐐯𐑅𐐨𐑉𐐯𐐻

Brother Brigham,

The bearer came to me and desired the use of the blood stone[.] I immediately sent him to you, as you are the owner of it.

I think this is a good case to try the efficacy which tradition has given to it; but as to the risk of trusting the property in this person’s hands, that remains with yourself, for he is a stranger to me.

Your brother [etc.],

G. D. Watt

August 2nd[,] 1854

About the Blood Stone Letter | 𐐈𐐺𐐵𐐻 𐑄 𐐒𐑊𐐲𐐼 𐐝𐐻𐐬𐑌 𐐢𐐯𐐻𐐯𐑉

The letter is held by the Church History Library in the Brigham Young office files, General Correspondence Incoming, 2 August 1854, images 3–4 (CHL CR 1234 1). It is a holograph letter from George D. Watt to Brigham Young, written in Watt’s economical Deseret cursive. The original can be viewed here.

Watt explains that a stranger had approached him about an amulet known as the blood stone. He referred the man to Brigham Young, whom he acknowledges as the owner of the object. Watt describes the encounter as an opportunity to test “the efficacy which tradition has given to it,” while recognizing that “trusting the property in his hands” involved risk.

Of particular paleographic and orthographic interest is Watt’s use of the character ⟨𐐧⟩ for the diphthong in mule.

Historical Context | 𐐐𐐮𐑅𐐻𐐱𐑉𐐨𐐿𐐲𐑊 𐐗𐐱𐑌𐐻𐐯𐐿𐑅𐐻

The Pioneer Memorial Museum of the Daughters of Utah Pioneers in Salt Lake City preserves a “bloodstone” identified as item no. 1076. Its accompanying information states that the stone was said to have been given to Thomas Brown by Captain Cook in the 1700s, descended through the Brown family to 1851 pioneer Mary Ann Wood Brown, and was then given by her to Brigham Young. Young reportedly carried it “when going into unknown or dangerous places.” The recorded donor is Marian J. Folsom.

This artifact is very likely the blood stone discussed in Watt’s letter. Mary Ann Wood Watt Brown was George D. Watt’s mother, the museum record places a Brown-family bloodstone in Brigham Young’s possession, and Watt’s dated letter independently refers to such a stone while treating Young as its owner. The convergence of family provenance, object type, recipient, and ownership makes the identification highly probable.

The letter is significant because it records the stone not simply as a family keepsake, but as an object whose traditional efficacy might be tested. At the same time, Watt’s caution about entrusting it to a stranger shows that the amulet was regarded as valuable property as well as an object of inherited belief.

Blood stone amulet at the Pioneer Memorial Museum of the Daughters of Utah Pioneers in Salt Lake City, Utah — Bloodstone amulet, item no. 1076, Pioneer Memorial Museum, Daughters of Utah Pioneers, Salt Lake City, Utah. Photograph by Ryan K. Shosted, 2026. Courtesy of the Daughters of Utah Pioneers.

𐐜 𐐒𐑊𐐲𐐼 𐐝𐐻𐐬𐑌 𐐢𐐯𐐻𐐯𐑉

Transcription | 𐐓𐑉𐐰𐑌𐑅𐐿𐑉𐐮𐐹𐑇𐐲𐑌

About the Blood Stone Letter | 𐐈𐐺𐐵𐐻 𐑄 𐐒𐑊𐐲𐐼 𐐝𐐻𐐬𐑌 𐐢𐐯𐐻𐐯𐑉

Historical Context | 𐐐𐐮𐑅𐐻𐐱𐑉𐐨𐐿𐐲𐑊 𐐗𐐱𐑌𐐻𐐯𐐿𐑅𐐻