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The Life and Contributions of Lyman Wight

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The Life and Contributions of Lyman Wight Brigham Young University BYU ScholarsArchive Theses and Dissertations 1971 The Life and Contributions of Lyman Wight Philip C. Wightman Brigham Young University - Provo Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd Part of the History Commons, and the Mormon Studies Commons BYU ScholarsArchive Citation Wightman, Philip C., "The Life and Contributions of Lyman Wight" (1971). Theses and Dissertations. 5212. https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/5212 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by BYU ScholarsArchive. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of BYU ScholarsArchive. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. TH LIFE ADA D contibut10ns OF LYMANLITIANT WIGHT A theslcheslthesisS presented to the Peuartmetitdepartment of church hjhistory0 story and doctrine bribrighamahamgham young universityurrlv rs Jltyalty in fartPartpartialilalilaifulsfuisfulfillmentI1 llmentclment of the Requirerequirementsrequirevrequiredgentsmenesgenesent s for the degreeD g oeoe maslermastermasmasker kerler ol01or arts by philip C 111ahtmannightmanwightman august 1971 acknowledgments the writer expresses his appreciation to the follow- ing who have made it possible to bring this work to its present foratfonntformt to russell rich chairman of the advisory committeecommitteettees for willingly devoting many hours to see this work completed his kindness understanding and valuable suggestions will always be appreciated to milton V bactananBacbachananbacknianttananmanan whose suggestions on style andand form were ofole015OIE great value to lamar berrett and rush sumpter who were willing to read the manuscript and offer counsel and adaiadviadvicem that aaided1 in the completion of this thesis to my wonderful wife who sacrificed so much of her time to type and help edit this manuscript her devotion and constant encouragement were of utmost inportanceimportance in the completion of this requirement to my children todd jodljodidick and greggregsgrego who wrverewereN re willing to sacrifice time with their dad to see this goal aaccomplishedchompccomp I1ished iiilil TtahleTABLEABL 0OPF CONTENTSC01 A EN 71 S chapter page I1 introdixtiintroductionan 1 lleileII11 EARLY ANCESTORS 0 0 0 a 0 0 0 0 0 4 Q 0 a 0 11 0 0 0 7 itiIII111 EARLY LIFE 0 e IV THE lamanite MISSION 0 0 0 0 & 0 0 0 d 0 0 12 V AFFAIRS I1IN11 jacajac1JACKSONKS ON COUNTY 0 0 4 a 0 9 0 0 0 18 VI ZIONS CAMP 0 a 9 0 0 0 0 0 6 0 0 0 0 0 9 26 114 38 vilVIIvlie THE MOVE TO CALDWECALDWELL COUNTY 0 0 VIII LIBERTY JAIL 0 0 4 0 0 0 a 0 0 0 0 0 57 IX THE NAUVOOMAUVOO PERIOD ILNANDD CALL TO THE apostleshipAPOSTLESHIP 10 0 0 0 0 0 72 X THE MOVE TO PINE COUNTRY AND EVEXTS associated WITH THE DEATHD r-ath OF joseJOSEPHH SMITHsmramr TH 84 XI LYMANLYVJLN wioWIGHTWIC HT GOES TO TEXAS 0 0 0 97 XII SUMMARY ANDANTD conclusions 0 118 bibliography 0 t9ta 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 a 4 0 a 0 122 appendixes aoA letter to Brigbrighamharaharnhann young s 0 0 0 0 0 125 10 q 127 B leaflet by orson hyde 0 0 0 IV CHAPTER I1 introduction statementS tatemencemen t alof the problem the purpose of this study is to collect undtzunderkundtzr one cover accounts of the ssignificantignifignie 11 cant events in thethebthew liflifeilfee of lyman wight and his contributions to the church of jesus christ of latterlatterdayday saints justificationjustijuseijustajustxf x cationcatlonofkoflofl thethgehg problempobigm lyman wight was converted to the charchchurch of jesus christ ofoodi01501717 latterlatterdayday saints at kirtlandKirtlandtlandr ohio in 1830 soon after his conversion he was sent to missouri and played an important roleroiarolta in the defense of the saints against the mobs when sonsomeonesomleoneteone was needed to go to kirtland and inform the Propprophetpropheihetheijoseph smith that the1 saints had been driven from jackson county elder nightkightwight was the first to volunteer after arriving in kirtland he was called by the prophet to help organiorganiseorganishorganiseanizeze and lead ziosaziosziontszion9s camp colonel wight continued to be active in fighting the mobs until the siege of far west where he was takertaken captivecapt3capto ve with joseph smith and other leaders of the church and spent the winter in liberty jail with the prophetProphetphat with the death of Ljoseph sirtismithth lyman refused to follow brigham young and the rest of the twelve apostles I1 2 along with a small group of saints hehceventually settsettledlicad in texas where he helped okaoraopoorganizeanize ffiveI1ve different counties after the church was established in utahutahs Brigbrighamharu young sent for lyman to join the saints there j bubutt hehelhex refused to come and was therefore disfellowshipdisfellowshippedped frorrfrore thethlethie church although lyman was a close associate of joseph swithsmith and held many leadership positions in the church orgar1izorgainidorgainidd by joseph little has been written about this aspect of his life the only significant studies have dealt with his life and contributions1 while in texas it is therefore signifi-sicasicjni cant that a comprehensive study of lyman kightnightwight be mademcade method of procedure andsourcesand sources of data in thistinsstudy the principal sources were the oyajboyajjournal history of the church located in the Historiahistorianhistorianshistorianosnos office of the church of jesus christ of latterlatterdayday saints at salt lake citycihycleyo utah and a special file on lyman wight compiled by the church Historianhistoriansts offofficeice the jgumajournaloguma 1 of histohistqhi sto avry the history of the reorganized church of jesus christ of latter day saints as found on film at brigham young university was also examined along with personal diaries journals lettersletlehiehterss genealogies documents histories and pictures the documentary history of the churechurch1 compiled and edited by B H roberts was archedsearchedsersos carefully as were the church periodicals including the times and seasonsseasonsy the elders journal and ththe3 evenitzeveninzeyeningr and homingMornincr s1astarstasaa in addition 3 theses and dissertations that were relevant veirveixweixveirevereweireweree exara3examinedned defdefinitioniniti on of tenitenttemitermsilsims several terms used in this writing are peculiapeculiarpecullarr to the church of jesus christ of latterdaylatterlattery day saints thesethecptheape terms are as followfollowstst church refers to the church of jesus christ of latterlatterdayday saints puppuggugquorumrum of the twelve or the twelve refers to the twelve apostles of the church r saints refers to the members 0ofL the church reorganized church refrefersers to the reorganized church of jesus christ of latter day sasaintsints CHAPTPRchaaptaPTR I1IT EARLY ANCESTORS the first ofolfoff tlthethoe kightvightwightwlighl family to iimmigrate1tma9v ate to americaA arrived in the early ICOOs rfromwromrom the isle of Wwightahtght they left the british isles because of religious persecution thomas wight landed in salem massachusetts and hihiss broth brotherr landed in virginia 2 in july 1637 thethenthem totoentownt n of Deddedhamhams massachusetts was organized and thomasthomash name alqapqappearseairsezirson the records as one of ththe twelve original inhablinhaulinhabitantstants in 1652303.0le10 52 along with other dedham residents heheahen moved a short distance 0 where they settled the towntourn of medfield 3 it was hereheneheirehehre that his sonssgeonon ephraim utaswasmyas born on january 27 1645 ephriephaiephraimziimalmaim irovedmoved to medfield with his father in 1652 ahelwhelwheree he remained ununtiltj I1 h-haihisal s deadeathth 4 ephraimsephraimeEphraims son nathaniel was born september 12 1678 mo in adfieldedfieldmedfield but he later movedL and helped settle medway massamassachusettschasetchusetts in 1721 he purchased a large tract of land idanforthanforth phtpphippsphlpphap ps wight the uiaulalihtnihtwihtt farijacarijafamalfamxl bostonbostonebostonoBosbontonotonetono T R marvin 1841848at8t p 8S 2lymanblymanyman wight to wilford woodruff august 24 1s571857 lomlocatedted in church estoriwstorihistoriansans office 47 east south teterapleaipleniple streetstreetsstreeto salt lake city utah hereauhereajhereafterter referred to as wilford woodruff letter aw 3w .9 t williamilliam tardhardwardlard wight 9 thethjahteicheiqh s milmiimilwaukeelva uker swain and tatetates 16901890legoiegop I11 41 bidb1 d 4 5 in what iiss now Thavthawthawsonthompsonsoneon i connecticut eltenelfenwhen the first meetingmc eting house was completed in 1735 nathaniel andarlartd his1118lilsliis111.8 family were provided with one ofoll011029 the seventeen pews 5 lyman wightwight0s 8 grandfathergrandfgrandaather levi hightnightwight was bom at medfield on october 24 1712 he moved with his father nathaniel to thompson where he took an active part in the fight for religious freedom and the right of the baptist church to be established0 in northern connecticut 6 the story is told of how jeremiah barstow carecame to thompson proclaiming the doctrine of believers baatbaptbaptismism by immersion one sunday following reverend cabots serrsernsermonlonslonoiono he stood and asked for the liberty to relate his beliefs mr cabctcabatdenied his request and had the presumptuouspreztuaptuous intruder removed from the meeting househouseohousdo he continued to preach outside the church and was arrested and imprisoned for a month this treatment aroused the public including levi and hihiss brothers
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