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William Bickerton and Mormon History Stone, Daniel Phillip (2018) Examining William Bickerton: a forgotten latter day prophet. Doctoral thesis (PhD), Manchester Metropolitan University. Downloaded from: https://e-space.mmu.ac.uk/621562/ Usage rights: Creative Commons: Attribution-Noncommercial-No Deriva- tive Works 4.0 Please cite the published version https://e-space.mmu.ac.uk Examining William Bickerton: A Forgotten Latter Day Prophet Daniel Phillip Stone A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of Manchester Metropolitan University for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy by Published Work (Route 2) Department of History, Politics and Philosophy 2018 Abstract The life of the nineteenth-century American prophet, William Bickerton, was not explored comprehensively until 2017-2018 — two centuries after his birth. His life offers new and exciting perspectives for the historiographies of American revivalism, Christian Restorationism, millennialism, Mormonism, and biography. My articles, “The Rocky Road to Prophethood: William Bickerton’s Emergence as an American Prophet” (2017) and “Opening the Windows of Heaven: The Bickertonite Spiritual Revival 1856-1858” (2018), along with my book, William Bickerton: Forgotten Latter Day Prophet (2018), utilise an emic approach to examine Bickerton and his religious movement within the contexts of American culture and Mormonism. Following in the footsteps of scholars such as Richard Lyman Bushman (biographer of Joseph Smith), John G. Turner (biographer of Brigham Young), and Deborah Madden (biographer of Richard Brothers), the work submitted applies a sympathetic, yet critical approach to examine Bickerton. It shows that he promoted unique Christian Restorationist, revivalist, and millennialist beliefs during the American Civil War, Reconstruction, and afterward, and fostered progressive theological innovations within the Latter Day Saint movement. The commentary on these submissions expands upon these ideas and argues that the most fruitful approach to Bickerton’s religious movement is to begin with the man himself. He was not only the leader, but the prophet, who motivated his people with exceptional visionary power. While accepting that there are weaknesses to biography (especially as the academy continues to favour scholarship that explores trends and processes within the confines of social history and bottom-up studies), this thesis argues that it continues to be a valuable approach for historians of religion. In particular, the hierarchical elements of biography work well when studying radical prophets and offer a foundational approach for understanding prophetic leaders, the culture they interacted with, and the people who followed them. Contents Analytical Commentary . .1 'The Rocky Road to Prophethood: William Bickerton's Emergence as an American Prophet', Journal of Mormon History, 43. 1 (2017), 1-29 . .70 'Opening the Windows of Heaven: The Bickertonite Spiritual Revival 1856-1858’, Journal of Mormon History, 44. 1 (2018) . 100 William Bickerton: Forgotten Latter Day Prophet (Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 2018), Introduction, Chapter Six, Chapter Seven, Chapter Eight, Chapter Nine . .120 Note: The content of Chapter Six in William Bickerton: Forgotten Latter Day Prophet transitions from the article, ‘Opening the Windows of Heaven: The Bickertonite Spiritual Revival 1856-1858’ 1 For over a century, the nineteenth-century American prophet, William Bickerton, and the religious movement he started, was relegated to the sidelines of Mormon studies and American religious history. Before the publication of William Bickerton: Forgotten Latter Day Prophet (2018), no comprehensive history had ever been written about him and his church, the Church of Jesus Christ. Other than a few general overviews published by the Church and independent historians, little information existed. To scholars interested in pursuing this topic, it could have appeared that there was little more to say. It was not until Gary R. Entz published two thoroughly researched articles about Bickerton that it became clear that more information existed.1 Years later, I gained access to the Church of Jesus Christ’s archives, allowing me to see thousands of pages of historical material few had accessed before. Through this experience, I learned just how polarising and complicated the Church’s history actually was, and yet how rich and fruitful the topic could be for historians, especially since few scholarly interpretations had been produced. Metaphorically speaking, the field was ripe for picking — a rare occasion for historians of religion. In order to study the Church of Jesus Christ within the subjects of Mormonism and American religion, it became clear to me that historians must first understand Bickerton. He was the man who initiated the religious movement, who dissented from mainstream Mormonism to establish a new American church. Bickerton’s followers converted to the Church, yet the Church was led by him through his prophetic insight, placing him at the forefront of its history. To some, this traditional, top-down approach may seem outdated, especially when compared to the rise of social history and bottom- 1 Gary R. Entz, “Zion Valley: The Mormon Origins of St. John, Kansas,” Kansas History 24, no. 2 (2001), pp. 98-117; Gary R. Entz, “The Bickertonites: Schism and Reunion in a Restoration Church,” Journal of Mormon History 32, no. 3 (2006), pp. 1-44. 2 up studies in the latter half of the twentieth century. It is true these methods are often preferred by the academy and offer more holistic approaches that are invaluable to the study of history.2 Nevertheless, biography, with its hierarchical elements, is also a foundational approach that can be used to understand the Bickertonites and make a significant contribution to Mormon studies and American religion.3 As historian Stephen C. Taysom stated, Bickerton’s “life is the story of the inextricable links among individual personalities on one hand and how religions form, change, grow, decline, and situate themselves in varied geographical settings on the other.” As a result, his life “will be of interest not only to scholars of the Latter Day Saint traditions but also those seeking a better understanding of the complexities of cultural/religious interactions in the American context.”4 The articles, “The Rocky Road to Prophethood: William Bickerton’s Emergence as an American Prophet” (2017) and “Opening the Windows of Heaven: The Bickertonite Spiritual Revival 1856-1858” (2018), along with the book, William 2 For a good synopsis of how the “new” social history has evolved since 1970, especially how it has fragmentised and synthesised American history, see Nicole Eustace, “When Fish Walk on Land: Social History in a Postmodern World,” Journal of Social History 37, no. 1 (2003), pp. 77-91. For other studies on the “new” social history, see Harvey J. Graff, “The Shock of the ‘New (Histories)’: Social Science Histories and Historical Literacies, Social Science History 25, no. 4 (2001), pp. 483-533, Laurence Veysey, “The ‘New’ Social History in the Context of American Historical Writing,” Reviews in American History 7, no. 1 (1979), pp. 1-12, and J.R. Pole, “The New History and the Sense of Social Purpose in American Historical Writing,” Transactions of the Royal Historical Society 23 (1973), pp. 221-42. 3 Even though biography has hierarchical elements, William Bickerton’s life includes facets that would, no doubt, interest social historians. For instance, he was a lower-class English emigrant with little formal education who became a significant American religious figure. The social aspects of his life offer an interesting case study. Also, biographical writing often employs narrative, which at times, can be at odds with social historical writing. Yet in the postmodern age, narrative is still very important, even in social history. Nicole Eustace noted, “the urge to make meaning by telling stories is nearly universal,” and “no matter the philosophical and political objections to the totalizing and even brutalizing potential of narratives, many early American historians insist there must be a way to have their social history and their stories too,” see Eustace, “When Fish Walk on Land: Social History in a Postmodern World,” p. 84. Biography, therefore, can be a useful way to synthesise aspects of both social history and narrative. As Paula Backscheider stated, “Narrative is the chief means by which we understand a life, ours or anyone else’s, and endow it with coherence and meaning over time,” see Paula R. Backscheider, Reflections on Biography, 2nd ed. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001), p. 230. 4 Endorsement by Stephen C. Taysom in Daniel P. Stone, William Bickerton: Forgotten Latter Day Prophet (Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 2018), p. 407. 3 Bickerton: Forgotten Latter Day Prophet (2018), provide a detailed biography of Bickerton which aims to contribute to the fields of American religious history, and specifically Mormon studies. These two subjects are where my scholarship makes an immediate impact. Mormon studies (including Mormon biography), is a burgeoning field, and these works are some of the first, in-depth examinations of Bickerton and the Church of Jesus Christ. However, to begin this commentary, it is important to place Bickerton within the larger framework of American religion and its historiography, expanding on broader topics that my scholarship already touches on. By first contextualising Bickerton within a broader historical setting, it will set the stage for
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