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Also a Patriarch in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latterlatterdayday Saints the LIFE and Contributions of ISAAC MORLEY

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Also a Patriarch in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latterlatterdayday Saints the LIFE and Contributions of ISAAC MORLEY ISAAC MORLEY 1786 1865 photograph taken in 1855 when isaac morley was 69 at this tiltiitimene he was serving his third term in the utah legislative council he was also a patriarch in the church of jesus christ of latterlatterdayday saints THE LIFE AND contributions OF ISAAC MORLEY A thesis submitted to the college of religious instruction brigham young university provo utah in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree master of arts by richard henrie morley july1965july 1965 to my son and daughter dickson two years 3 and natalie two months that they might follow the christian example set by isaac morley i this thesis by richard H morley is accepted in its present form by the college of religious instruction of brigham young university as satisfying the thesis require- ments for the degree of master of arts zap date f r milton V backman jr committee chairman 1 A u l A L L Hoardhoward H barranbarr6n committee member r chauncey C riddle chairman major department 131.3 acknowledgements the author was not defeated by the discouraging vicissitudes attending the task of writing this biography on the life of isaac morley because he felt the research when once organized and written would be valuable to others only through the services of some generous people however was the completion of this work made possible dr milton V backman jr my graduate committee chairman read every chapter offering valuable suggestions the time dr backman devoted to this work is deeply appreciated dr howard H barron read each chapter and with his profound knowledge of LDS church history suggested changes which make the work more accurate to mrs edith allred of the college of eastern utah who proofread and made grammatical changes I1 offer my gratefulness mrs alice king of manti utah mr monroe C tyler of aconucon idaho and mrs larene I1 andersen of salt lake city utah all played a valuable role in the completion of this work by directing its author to original diaries poems and genealogical data to each of these persons the writer expresses gratitude and finally to my lovely wife diane who has born two children during the process of my graduate studies her assistance in typing has been a valuable service dianedlanedianetsI1 s faith that I1 would finish this work 3 however 9 and her ever gentle urging for me to keep writing was more helpful than anything else iii TABLE OF CONTENTSCONTENTS page LIST OF illustrations 0 0 0 0 v chapter I1 THE conversion OF ISAAC MORLEY I1 II11 OBEDIENCE TO COMMAND 22 MOB illIII111 ACTION AGAINST VIOLENCE 0 0 39 IV LOVE YOUR ENEMIES BE HAPPY IN SPITE OF THEM 0 55 V YELROME MORLEYMORLEYS settlement IN ILLINOIS 75 VI THE NAUVOO STAKE BECOMES EXILED FROM THE UNITED STATES 97 VII GATHERING TO THE MOUNTAIN TOPS 115 VIII colonizing AMONG THE LAMANITES 0 137 ii1 THE FIRST YEAR IN MANTI 152 X FIRM AS A MOUNTAIN 173 XI A DECADE AS PATRIARCH 191 appendices 204 A ancestry of isaac morley aiandid lucy gunngumn 204 B isaac morley war records 0 207 C complete listing of isaac morlessmorle3lsmorleysMor leys family 212 bibliography 213 IV LIST OF illustrations figure page 1 frontispiece 2 map of western illinois 96 3 morley coat of arms and pictures of six generations of the morley family 0 201 4 monument to original manti colonists 202 5 A rec11recent photograph of the south side of the manti temple hill 202 6 gravestone of isaac morley 0 202 7 home of ancient morlessmorleysMor leys 0 20320 3 8 st paters church with annex for morley graves 203 v CHAPTER I1 THE conversion OF ISAAC MORLEY conversion is not implanting eyes for they already giving 9a exist but 1 1 right direction which they have not platopiatop kirtland ohio lies approximately six hundred miles from montague franklin county massachusetts twentysixtwenty six year old isaac morley had just made that long trip with a team and wagon he was hurrying back to montague to marry gunn his childhood sweetheart 9 lucy a pretty girl fortysixforty six days older than himself 2 after his return preparations were made for their wedding which took place on june 20 1812 just two days after congress declared war against great britain after the weddingweddinweddingeweddingggg the newly weds set out for their new house which the groom had built while he was in the western reserve 3 the western reserve was a tract of land in the north- east section of what is now the state of ohio at one time this land was claimed by connecticut in the northwest terri tory after great britain relinquished the territory south 1tryonstryontryon edwards the new dictionary of thouthoughts new york city classic publishing company 18779 p 102 2familygenealogicalfamily genealogical records in possession of mrs larene ipson Anoandersenersen salt lake city utah see appendix A for the ancestry 0off isaac morley and lucy gunn 3diary3diary of cordeliagordelia morley cox in possession of mrs alice king manti utah 2 of the great lakes by the treaty of paris of 1783 new york virginia Massachusettsmassachusetts9massachusettsy9 and connecticut disputed over the right of occupancy of this land therhefhe difficulty was finally settled by the cession of the whole to the federal govern ment connecticut 9 however reserved a tract of nearly 4000000 acres on lake erieerleerieoeribo the state decided to dispose of this property by selling small lots to colonists hencehenccc 4 a very large school fund was accumalatedaccumulatedaceumalaede the first home built by isaac morley was located where the city of kirtland 01abiogobiogliodio was later established when this energetic young man brought his new bride to this place it was little more than a cabin inirairnlna a wilderness life there was difficult and the young couple proved to be pioneers in providing m-mostmodtost of the necessities of life they must have expected many hardships in that virgin land yet it was im possible to know how soon they would come 5 or the exact nature 11 of them the words of the prepreacheralcheraccher 9 for better or for worsekworse9worse 3 would surely test them in a land so newnewe scarcely had they become settled when isaac was called to serve his country in the war of 1812 he served in active military service inin the ohio militia under captain darkclarkmark parker 4encyclopaedia encyclopaedia britannicbritannica a chicago 0 william benton publisher 1964 avigxvigXVI appp 730 731 3 florence harriet alienallenailen cheney a surviving granddaughter of isaac morley has penned the following verses which express lucyslucy monumental courage in the face of such great danger ALONE LUCY MORLEY her husband isaac morley was drafted in the war of 1812 like a sculptsculpteredsculpturedered marble statue standing silently in fear heaving breast and tears like freshets with no human comfort near silent arms all hanging limply thrilling still from his embrace laden feet stood in the woodlotwood lot trail she could not yet retrace forest gloomed as a prison even now her call seemed locked god in heaven her one comfort wretched grief her whole frame shocked this place late enhanced by love dreams home and health and sweet content now so suddenly a doom cell every way where danger went reddensredmensRedmens knives and wolfs fierce snarling wolswois winter should he not return seemed her very mind would turn hands all wrapped up in her apron bonnet pushed back from her brow shedshe T d no heart to move or struggle thinking of their wedding vows thoughts went winging out there to him how the blood surged in her veins heart and nerve and every fiber cried and cried for him in vain climbing sun bespoke the hour azure dome a silent sea none to whisper words of comfort alone alone in misery 4 echoes throbbed within her ear drums OF departing wagon wheels his kind words be brave now choked her mockingly where danger steals now she stumbled to the cabin took a bucket to the spring watered fouls and fed the creatures with no heart for anything if a fire she built 9 its smoke plume might betrabetrayy9ya she was alone 9 some wild savage might be sneaking to wrest from her the laslastr bone day hung like a pall throthroughaghugh hours the night winked down through stars 9 tillshe hungbung blankets oieroeroter the window closed the door with heavy bars with her fear her heart went pounding seemed the tromp of indian feet how she prayed for gods protection and the enemys defeat war waged on and fever claimed him chills and fever day by day but no letter could he send her from the mails too far away all she had was wilds companioncompanon and gods comfort through the nights weeks and months and almost winter desolate herheuhe lonely plight then almost too ill to travel yet with gladness in his heart friendly buddy did his teaming till he reached his wooded part ears alert 5 lucy heard rumbling faintly telling wagon wheels eyes astare sheahe3he gave quick heeding heart outdistancing her heels stumblingstumblinggStumblingg falling in her speeding joy waswa gushing out in tears lucy lucy I1 am coming p was the welcome to her ears 5 cflorence5florenceflorence harriet alienallenailen cheney anuan intimate c91lecelleccpllecc tion of poems provoproveprovo reproduced by monroe tyler 1962 appp 202120 21 mimeographed see appendix B11 for isaac morleys official papers of the war of 1812 5 during the absence of isaac morley his young wife lived alone in the wild woods never seeing a humanhuman face and continually in fear of indians and wild beasts 6 there were no settlers near the home where lucy lived no store post office neighbors or church existed in the wilderness in that year of 1812
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