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OBITUARIES AND
LIFE SKETCHES
OF THE EARLY SAINTS WHO
LIVED AND DIED IN THE
KIRTLAND, OHIO AREA
--by Janet Lisonbee
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KIRTLAND NORTH CEMETERY
This cemetery was known as the Kirtland Mills Burying Ground in the 1830’s. The
earliest known burial is Philo Ingersoll who died Oct. 23, 1827. He is buried close to the
location of the old Methodist meeting house. This building, removed in the 1880’s, was
located on the southeast corner and extended halfway into what is known as Maple Street
today. In an 1889 visit to Kirtland by Andrew Jensen, Edward Stephenson and Joseph S.
Black, recorded,
“Opposite the street from the Temple, north, on the brow of the hill, is the village
churchyard, in which rest many faithful Saints awaiting the morning of the glorious
resurrection. Some years ago one of the good Christians of Kirtland undertook to plow a
certain part of the graveyard, leveling head-boards, mounds and all, evidently from
disrespect to the ‘Mormons’. Later an attempt was made to replace some of the old
gravestones, but it is a question whether they were put in the proper places or not.
Among the tombstones which evidently had not been disturbed, we noticed a rude
sandstone designating the resting place of the late Oliver Granger, and another bearing
the inscription: ‘Eunice Thompson, who died Sept. 26, 1831, 27 years old.’ We copied
the inscriptions of a few others.” [History Record, 1889, Jenson, Infancy of the Church,
Pgs. 43-44]
The cemetery is owned and maintained by the City of Kirtland and is still active. The
deceased that are highlighted in this work are located on the map by name. Some of the
early saints have memorial stones because the exact burial location in the cemetery is
unknown, such as Jerusha Smith, Mary Duty Smith and Thankful Pratt. Some have
headstones missing and their burial location is estimated on the map. Also buried in this
cemetery are some of Kirtland’s first settlers and others of reputation that are included in
this work. Obituaries are transcribed and/or other information is given about their lives.
MEMBERS OF THE EARLY CHURCH WHO ARE
BURIED IN KIRTLAND NORTH CEMETERY
BABBITT, AUSTIN BISHOP Nov. 24, 1811 - April 17, 1843
Born in Cheshire, Berkshire, MA. Son of Ira Babbitt and Nancy Crosier, members of the
early church.
From Times and Seasons, Jan. 16, 1843, pp. 62 -63
There have been, since the above stated time several person baptized, which have
looked on, and have seen the rise and progress of this church from the
commencement, and many smart, intelligent young men have also been ordained
elders: amongst the number are Austin Babbit and William Wilson.
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BABBITT, HIRAM 1828 – 1841
Buried in North Kirtland Cemetery – no headstone
Son of Ira Babbitt and Nancy Crosier, members of the early church.
BINGHAM, SALLY July 31, 1799 – Jan. 23, 1835
Daughter of Thomas Gates and Patty (Lucy) Plumley
From the Messenger and Advocate - Jan. 1835, p. 63
On the 23rd just. widow Sally Bingham, daughter of Thomas Gates, aged 35
years.
BOND, CHARLOTTE Dec, 17, 1803 - Dec. 17, 1882
Daughter of Henry Wilcox and Polly Sibley.
Willoughby Independent - Dec., 1882
Charlotte W. Bond, a resident of Kirtland during the last 48 years, is dead. She
had lived 79 years, passing away on her 79th birthday—17th day of December,
1882. Her birth, consequently, occurred December 17th, 1803. The town
Honeoye Falls, in the State of New York. Her married life extended over a period
of sixty years, one month and ten days. The husband of her youth of that
marriage, in that long ago time--was Ira Bond--still survives, at the ripe old age of
nearly 85 years. She leaves six children, ten grand-children, and four great grand-children. A strong religious element early manifested itself in her character, as
we find her uniting with the “Christian” Church soon after the fervid preaching of
the new strange faith of Mormon, by Brigham Young, she became a firm,
conscientious believer and member of the “Church of Latter Day Saints”--Young
officiating at her baptism. A new Zion was, or was to be, established in the Far
West; a magnificent Temple should be erected, dedicated to the Lord, and here
should the faithful worship. That “Far West” was Ohio, and Kirtland was the
place of the Temple. It was enjoined by the authorities of the church and strongly
seconded by the members that all, if possible, should gather themselves together
in this place, where they might dwell with each other under the shadow of the
house they had builded, even the Temple of Mormon.
The close of these two years referred to above finds her, her husband, and
family wending their slow and toilsome way to Kirtland. They had encountered
the strong, bitter opposition of a large circle of friends and relatives; but weighty
as these considerations undoubtedly were, they failed to shake their resolutions.
Their means of travel was a team and common lumber wagon. The distance
made might be 15, 29 and sometimes, but rarely, 39 miles a day. What a contrast,
when compared with the rapid transit of these days.
No one was more bitterly opposed to the great departure of the church into the
terrible wickedness and abominations of polygamy than Charlotte Bond. Her
faith was in the doctrines taught in the earlier and purer days of the church. She
thought the old churches were largely wanting in that zeal and fervid belief which
characterized the apostles and early christian believers. That the signs that should
follow belief was the evidence of it; that for many generations these evidences
had been unknown to the church, and hence the true faith had been lost or greatly
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corrupted. She believed in the Bible, the Book of Mormon, as a part of it, and
this belief remained with her to the last moment.
Those who remember her in her palmiest days describe her as tall and finely
formed, tireless in energy, and almost boundless in ambition. In intellect she
greatly exceeded the average, as much as the race from which she sprung. The
records show that in lineal descent she was the sixth from John Sibley, who came
from England in 1629, settling in Salem, Mass. His descendants have become
very numerous, numbering, it is thought, 1500 persons, widely scattered through
every section of the Union, and well represented in every department of human
industry.
In Times and Seasons, Vol. 6 No. 7 we read that she, along with others who had united
with the Rigdon party, were cut off from the church. [pp. 871-72]
BOND, IRA Jan. 19,1798 – Nov. 30, 1887
Son of Abner Bond and Mary Elizabeth Gould.
Husband of Charlotte Bond. Son, EZRA (1826 – 1908) and daughter, MARY E. (1828
– 1899) are buried nearby. In the spring of 1832, Ira and Charlotte were baptized. Heber
Kimball recorded, “In about two weeks, my wife, Vilate, was baptized by brother, Joseph
Young, with several others in a small stream close to my house, and we numbered about
thirty in that Branch, viz.:-[he listed several folks]… Ira Bond and his wife Charlotte…”
[Heber Kimball Journal, Millennial Star 26 (1864), Pg.519]
Heber also wrote on November 16th, 1839, “I made my home at Dean Gould's in the
house of Ira Bond. They and families were all very kind to me and made me as
comfortable as they could. I stayed with them most of the time I was in Kirtland, during
which the weather was very stormy.” [Heber Kimball Journal in “Helen Whitney”,
Women’s Exponent, Vol. 9 (1880)]
Wilford Woodruff recorded, “I was counselled by the Presidency to attend the school in
the temple, taught by Professor Haws. I studied the Latin language and English
grammar, and boarded with Brother Ira Bond.” [Wilford Woodruff, "History" Millennial
Star, Vol. 27 (1865), Pg.263]
Ira recived a blessing for working on the temple and presided over the Deacons in 1836.
In Joseph Smith’s Diary, it reads, “Ira Bond was nominated and seconded to preside over
the deacons in Kirtland--vote called and passed unanimously.”
[Jessee, Dean, Personal Writings of Joseph Smith (PWJS), Joseph Smith Diary, 1835-1836 p. 134] Ira was also a stockholder in the Kirtland Safety Society in 1837.
BUMP, ASA J. 1823 – 1895
Son of Jacob Bump, an early member, who was one of the master builders who worked
on the Kirtland Temple.
BUMP, CHARITY E. CARTER May 20, 1833 – Oct. 11, 1894
Daughter of Luman and Susanna Carter and wife of Asa Bump. Her father led the music
at the dedication of the Kirtland Temple.
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CAHOON, ELIZABETH July 27, 1792 - Sept. 22, 1838
Daughter of William and Mehitable Hodges Cahoon and sister to Reynolds Cahoon.
CARTER, JABEZ - April 2, 1752 - Aug. 19, 1836
Son of John Carter and Judith DeWolf. Married Hannah Jones. Father of seven children:
Luman, who led the music in the Kirtland temple, Jonah, Rebecca, Daniel who converted
him, Clarissa, James and Charity.
In the Messenger and Advocate - Sep. 1836, p. 382
Of a pulmonic affliction, in this town, on the 29th of August, brother Jabez
Carter, aged 86 years; he embraced the faith of the gospel through much
opposition and persecution somewhat over three years since. This aged brother
was born in Killingsworth in the State of Connecticut, where the early part of his
life was spent; he emigrated from thence to Rutland co., town of Benson and state
of Vermont, where the fulness of the gospel first saluted his ears; he, like a true
child of god embraced it with all his heart, and often expressed anxiety to come to
this place before he died, saying that he should then be satisfied. Suffice it to say,
that he came here in good heath, walked our streets with a firm step, viewed the
house of the Lord, & then felt to express his satisfaction as did old Simeon when
he saw the Savior, “now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace for mine eyes
have seen thy salvation.” He was taken suddenly and violently ill, lingered about
12 days and God called his happy spirit home.
CARTER, ORIN Mar. 3, 1834 – July 29, 1836
Son of Daniel Carter and Clarrisa A. Foster, members of the early church.
From the Messenger and Advocate, Vol. 2, Sep. 1836, p. 383
Died, In this town on the 29th of July, an infant son of Daniel Carter, aged one
year and four months.
COE, JOSEPH Nov. 12, 1784 - Oct. 17, 1854
Son of Joseph Coe and Huldah Horton.
Joseph traveled with the Joseph Smith and others to dedicate the land of Zion in Jackson
County, Missouri in June 1831. He was ordained a High Priest in Oct. 1832 by Joseph
Smith and served a mission with Ezra Thayre to New York in the winter of 1831. He
served on committee to purchase land in Kirtland. He was honored in laying the
foundations stones for the Kirtland Temple. Joseph was appointed a member of the
Kirtland High Council and assisted in purchasing the Egyptian Mummies. He was a
member of Zion’s Camp. Joseph ended his affiliation with the Church by 1837.
From the Willoughby Independent – Oct. 1854
Mr. Joseph Coe, of Kirtland, was killed on Tuesday of last week, in the
following shocking manner. He went into his field in the afternoon for the
purpose of catching his Bull, which he had frequently done, and being absent
unusually long, search was made for him, when his body was found mangled in a
shocking manner. It appeared that the animal had thrown Mr. Coe to the ground
and jumped upon his breast, which doubtless caused his death almost instantly.
His clothes were nearly stripped from his body, and his flesh, in many places, torn
off. Mr. C was in the 70th years of his age. He leaves a wife and four children.
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COE, SOPHIA June 22, 1788 - Sep. 27, 1864
Wife of Joseph Coe. Daughters, CAROLINE (1825 – 1890) and JANE P. (1827 –
1855), Son, JOHN R. (1817 – 1856) are buried next to parents.
COWDERY, WILLIAM Sept. 5, 1765- Feb. 26, 1847
Son of William Cowdery and Hannah Emmons. He was the father of Oliver Cowdery.
William was born at East Haddam, Connecticut. He married Rebecca Fuller about 1787
and they were parents of eight children. She died when Oliver, the youngest, was only
two years old. After her death, he married Keziah Pearce Austin and together they had 3
daughters. William presided over the Priests in Kirtland.
FOSMIRE, HENRY 1767 – Mar. 10, 1851
Henry is mentioned in the Kirtland Elders’ Quorum Records on Oct. 18, 1840 for a
complaint against John Norton. [Backman & Cook eds., Kirtland Elders' Quorum Record
(1985), Pg.50] According to cemetery records, his daughter MARY, (1828 – 1846) and
son, M. W. (who died May 16, 1861) are buried next to him. His wife was Olivia.
GRANGER, OLIVER Feb. 7, 1794 - Aug. 25, 1841
Oliver was born at Phelps, New York, son of Pierce and Clarissa Granger. He married
Lydia Dibble (1789 – 1862) on Sep. 8, 1813, parents of eight children. He was sheriff of
Ontario County, NY and colonel in the militia. At the age of 33, Oliver contracted a
serious eye disease and traveled to a hospital in New York City in hopes of being cured.
According to family records, while he was there, he received an angelic minister who
testified of the Book of Mormon, the prophetic role of Joseph Smith and told Oliver that
he had an important role to play in the latter-day work. He was also informed that his
eye-sight would not be cured with medical aid. By 1833, he and his family were living in
Kirtland. He served missions and worked on the Kirtland Temple from 1833-1836.
Oliver was appointed agent for the church in Kirtland to clear up the church’s debts and
creditors wrote Joseph Smith in Nauvoo, praising him for his fine work. He died at the
age of 47, nearly blind.
From the Times and Seasons - Sept. 15, 1841, p. 550
DIED In Kirtland Lake co. Ohio, on the 23rd utl. Elder Oliver Granger aged 49
years.
Lines, suggested by intelligence of the death of Elder Olier Granger; and are
respectfully inscribed to his mourning relatives;
BY MISS ELIZA R. SNOW,
(see Times & Seasons for the poem)
Received a blessing given through Joseph Smith at Far West, Missouri on July 8, 1838.
“And again, I say unto you, I remember my servant Oliver Granger: behold, verily I say
unto him that his name shall be had in sacred remembrance from generation to
generation, forever and ever, saith the Lord. Therefore, let him contend earnestly for the
redemption of the First Presidency of my Church, saith the Lord; and when he falls he
shall rise again, for his sacrifice shall be more sacred unto me than his increase, saith the
Lord….Therefore let no man despise my servant Oliver Granger, but let the blessings of
my people be on him forever and ever.” [History of the Church, Vol. 3, p. 45-46]
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HARMON, NAOMI July 3, 1824 - June 15, 1836
Buried at Kirtland North Cemetery – no headstone.
Daughter of Oliver and Sarah Harmon, the seventh of nine children. The Harmons came
to Kirtland in 1835 from Erie, Pennsylvania.
From the Messenger and Advocate – June, 1836
Died In this place, on the 15th inst. Noame Harmon; aged 11 was a member of the
church of the Latter Day Saints, and died in the triumph of faith, often saying to
her parents, and to her brothers and sisters, not to weep for her; or in other words,
not to feel bad, for she said that it was better for her to go than to stay! For she
knew that she should be happy, she wanted to go and be with Christ and her
brothers that had died and gone before her.
Her headstone read, “In Memory of Naomi, dau of Oliver and Sarah Harmon, who died,
June 15, 1836, Age 11 yrs, 11 mo, 12 da”
JOHNSON, JOHN Apr. 11, 1778 - July 30, 1843
Son of Israel Johnson and Abiel Higgins. Married Alice Elsa Jacobs on Feb. 2, 1800 in
Putney, Vermont. They were parents of fifteen children. Two of their sons, Luke and
Lyman, were apostles of the early church. They opened their home to Joseph and Emma
Smith in Hiram, Ohio. The vision of the three degrees of glory occurred in their home.
John sold his farm in Hiram and the profit from that sale helped to pay the debt on the
Peter French property in Kirtland that the church had recently purchased. The Kirtland
Temple is located on portion of that property. John and Elsa’s Kirtland home still exists
today west of the Temple on Maple Street.
From the Painesville Telegraph - Aug 9, 1843
In Kirtland, Lake county, Ohio, July 30th, 1843, Mr. JOHN JOHNSON, aged
sixty-five years. Mr. Johnson emigrated from Pomfret, Vt., more than twenty-five years, since which time he has resided in this state, and for the last ten years
in this township. He was a man noted for his characteristic precision in all his
dealings with others, always cheerful, and at the same time reserved and very
exemplary; always ready to alleviate the necessities of the destitute, his
generosity never withheld from doing good to his fellows when required, and
from an acquaintance with him, all were his friends. He was a very devoted and
affectionate in his family, and seemed most happy when seated with them around
his domestic fireside. In him, the widow and family have truly lost an
affectionate and devoted husband and father.
Editors in Vermont and Illinois will please copy.
JOHNSON, MARY BEAL May 24, 1818 - May 30, 1833
Buried at Kirtland North Cemetery
Daughter of John and Elsa Johnson. Joseph Holbrook wrote in his autobiography, “Mary
Johnson, a sister of Luke and Lyman Johnson, died at the Prophet Joseph Smith, Jr.’s
home, age about 15 years, which caused much gloominess at the prophet’s house.”
[Joseph Holbrook, 1806-Autobiography (1806-1846) Typescript, BYU-Special
Collections, pg 26]
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MARKELL, ELIZABETH KOCH 1773 – Sept. 5, 1855
Married PETER MARKELL (1765 – 1837) on Dec. 9, 1792 and they were the parents of
ten children. Peter, Elizabeth and their family came to Kirtland in 1816, bringing with
them some of the finest horses ever seen in the area. Markell road in Kirtland is named
after their family. In 1845 a meeting was held in the temple and as recorded in the Times
and Seasons, “Some remarks were then made by Elder John Young upon the subject of
dissensions which had taken place in the church. A motion was then made, seconded and
carried, also unanimously; that Elder Hiram Kellogg and wife; Elder Amos Babcock and
his wife, also Mrs. Bond, Betsy Markell and Betsy Farrington, who had united with the
Rigdon party, be cut off from the church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints.”[Vol. 6,
No. 7, pp. 871-2, emphasis added]
MCWETHY, AMOS Sep. 20, 1808 – Jan. 11, 1884
Amos married Elizabeth Johnson on Sep. 10, 1837 in New York, and they immediately
moved to Kirtland. They were parents of five children. Amos is a son of Isaac and
Hannah McWethy, members of the early church.
From the Painesville Telegraph – Jan. 17, 1884, p. 3
Still another of the pioneers of Kirtland has departed. How fast they are hurrying
on; the time will soon come when the last man who can be called an old settler, an
early pioneer, will have passed away. Amos McWethy departed this life on
Friday, Jan 1884 at the age of 75 years and one day. Just 24 hours older than his
father who died many years before. When he came to Kirtland he was 28 years
old and has lived here ever since. He leaves a widow and four children, two sons
and two daughters. Thirteen years ago he came in from his farm and gave up
work forever. All these long years have been to him one continuous scene of
torture, literally no well day with its blessing ever came to him, but the days of
intense suffering and anguish were counted by the hundreds. So, he lived and
waited, longing for the end. He was preeminently one of the most quiet, and
peaceable of men. During these 47 years, no man has ever called his honesty in
question. His funeral took place on Sunday, the 13th, at the Baptist Church, Rev.
A. P. Buel of Cleveland, officiating. The text of the preacher is found in St.
Paul’s 2nd epistle to Timothy 4th chapter and 6th verse: “For I am ready to be
offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.” From this text was heard a
most fervid and eloquent discourse.
Mr. N. Markell took charge of the funeral arrangements. Chester Clapp, Royal
Green, Hiram Harmon, Hiram Squares and Bartee Whiting bore his remains to the
grave. He died, his last hour lighted up by the full consciousness of a life in the
future laid up for him in which there should be no pain, no suffering, no sickness,
but perfect joy forevermore.
Kirtland, Jan. 14.
MCWETHY, ISAAC 1778 – June 4, 1851
Married HANNAH (1779 – Jan. 2, 1857) and they were parents of four children. He was
ordained an Elder on Feb. 15, 1833 by Joseph Smith. Isaac was a tavern keeper and
commissioned, along with a few others, to raise $2,000 for relief of Kirtland. In June of
1836, Isaac was called before the Kirtland High Council because of a complaint against
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him and Preserved Harris for “A want of benevolence to the poor, and charity to the
Church.” Isaac felt the case was unwarranted and said that he had relieved the wants of
the poor, and did so many good things and asked for forgiveness if he had done wrong.
[History of the Church, Vol. 2, p. 445] On December 13, 1835, Joseph Smith wrote, “We
then rode to Mr. McWithy’s a distance of about 3 miles from Town, where I had been
Solicited, to attend and solemnize, the matrimonial covenant between Mr. E. Webb &
Miss E. A. McWithy, the parents and many of the connections of both parties were
present, with a large and respectable company of friends…I delivered a lecture of about
40 minutes in length…I sealed the matrimonial ceremony in the name of God, and
pronounced the blessings of heaven upon the heads of the young married couple…”
[Jessee, PWJS, Joseph Smith Diary, 1835-1836 p. 103]
MILLIKEN, NATHANIEL Dec. 25, 1793 - July 28, 1874.
Son of Nathaniel Milliken and Mary Lord. Nathaniel married MARY F. HAYES on
Apr. 22, 1819. They were the parents of six children. He was a member of the 2nd
Quorum of the Seventy and served a mission in Maine. Nathaniel left the church and
joined with Warren Parrish’s Church of Christ. He purchased the print shop behind
temple in January of 1838. It was burned by an arsonist that night.
In the Painesville Telegraph - Aug. 6, 1874
AN OLD CITIZEN GONE. - Died in Kirtland on Tuesday, July 28th, Nathaniel
Milliken in the 81st year of his age. For more than forty years the deceased had
been a resident of that town, and held the esteem and respect of all who knew
him, and his funeral obsequies were marked by a large attendance of friends and
acquaintances.
MILLIKEN, MARY F. HAYES Feb. 12, 1799 - Mar. 31, 1853.
Daughter of John Hayes and Sarah Alden King.
In the Painesville Telegraph - Apr. 13, 1853, p. 3
In Kirtland, on the 31st Ult., Mrs. Mary Milliken wife of Nathaniel Milliken, aged
54 years.
ORTON, ELIZABETH Oct.4, 1808 - June 20, 1837
In the Messenger and Advocate - July 1837, p. 544
DIED, on the 20th of June last Elizabeth Orton, consort of Amos R. Orton aged
43 years. The deceased was a member of the church of Latter Day Saints, a tender
parent, an affectionate companion, but she is gone, “to that undiscovered country
from whose bourn no traveller returns.” She has left a husband, five children, and
a circle of friends and relatives to mourn her loss.
PLAISTED, ROGER 1793 - July 1877
Parents of three children.
In the Saint’s Herald -15 Sep. 1877, p. 287
At Kirtland, Lake county, Ohio, July 3d, 1877, Rodger Plaisted. He was born in
Buxton, York county, Maine, in the year 1793; joined the Church in 1835, in
Maine, emigrated to Kirtland in 1836, where he resided until he fell asleep, to
await the resurrection morning. he was a good and much respected citizen by all
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who knew him. Funeral services held in the Baptist Church, conducted by Elder
Joseph F. McDowell. Text 2 Cor. 5:1-4.
PLAISTED, SUSAN ANDREWS June 1, 1800 - Feb. 1879
Wife of Roger Plaisted.
In the Saint’s Herald - June 15, 1879, p. 191
PLAISTED.--Susan Andrews Plaisted, born June lst, 1800, in Buxton, Maine;
came from Maine to Ohio in 1836; died February 19th, 1879, in Kirtland, Ohio,
aged 79 years.
PRATT, THANKFUL HALSEY Mar. 18, 1797 - Mar. 25, 1837
Daughter of William Halsey and Thankful Cooper. Married Parley P. Pratt on Sept. 9,
1827 in Canaan, Columbia, NY. Memorial in North Kirtland Cemetery, exact burial
location in this cemetery unknown. Ten years later, they will still childless because of
Thankful’s ill health. In April of 1836, while living in Kirtland, Heber C. Kimball
extended a mission call to Parley Pratt to Toronto, Canada. Filled with the spirit of
prophecy, he said, “Brother Parley, thy wife shall be healed from this hour, and shall bear
a son, and his name shall be Parley, and he shall be a chosen instrument in the hands of
the Lord to inherit the priesthood and to walk in the steps of his father.” [Parley Pratt
Autobiography, p. 110] “A few days previous to her death, she had a vision in open day
while sitting in her room. She was overwhelmed or immersed in a pillar of fire, which
seemed to fill the whole room as if it would consume it and all things therein; and the
Spirit bred to her mind, saying: ‘Thou art baptized with fire and the Holy Ghost’. It also
intimated to her that she should have the privilege of departing from this world of sorrow
and pain, and of going to the Paradise of rest as soon as she had fulfilled the prophecy in
relation to the promised son.” [Ibid, p. 141] “My dear wife had now lived to accomplish
her destiny; and when the child was dressed, and she had looked upon it and embraced it,
she ceased to live in the flesh. Her death happened about three hours after birth of this
child of promise.” [Ibid] “She was buried in the churchyard near the Temple in Kirtland.
Many hundreds attended the funeral and wept sorely, for she was extensively known.
Her trials, for the gospel’s sake, while her husband had been absent from time to time on
distant missions, her lingering sickness of years, her barrenness, her miraculous cure, her
conception of the promised child, were all matters of note in the Church far and near.
But she had gone behind the veil to rest, where the wicked cease from troubling and the
weary are at rest; while I was left to toil and struggle alone. My grief, and sorrow, and
loneliness I shall not attempt to describe.” [Ibid, p. 143] Parley recorded that a sister
Allen, who had just then lost an infant, nursed the baby.
In the Messenger and Advocate - Apr. 1837
DIED—In this town on the 24 ultimo of puerperal convulsions Sister T. consort
of Elder Parley P. Pratt, aged 40 years.
From the sudden and afflictive manner of her exit, the sensation produced in the
minds of her acquaintance and friends, was peculiarly shocking, but it was doubly
so to her surviving partner, who is thus called to part with the companion of his
youth at a time when the maternal hand seemed of all periods to be most needed
in rearing a tender offspring, the mutual pledge of his union with the deceased.
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We trust the Lord has kindly relieved her from the evils to come, and that from
her obedience to the truth and the love of it, she will have a part in the first
resurrection.
Sister Pratt, had for years been in a feeble state of health, yet she has endured,
with her husband, the slanderous calumny and abuse of this present generation,
and once been driven by a ruthless mob from a peaceable dwelling in Jackson
County Mo. In consequence of her religion. She shared with her partner in the
loss and abuse incident to that unhallowed and disgraceful scene, and returned
with him to this state. She has been deprived of his society much of the time
since her marriage, having ill health, and her peculiar anxieties for him in his
absence, to prey upon & depress her spirit. But she is now released from her
clayey tenement-The Lord has kindly invited her home.
From Wilford Woodruff’s Journal
“March 25th Sunday communed with the saints in the fore part of the day In the latter
part, Elder W. Parrish Preached the funeral sermon of Sister Pratt the wife of Elder P. P.
Pratt one of the twelve who died March 25th 1837. [ Jessee, Dean, BYU Studies, Vol.. 12,
No. 4, p. 386]
QUINN, EMILY H. JOHNSON Aug 13, 1813 - May 14, 1855.
Daughter of John and Elsa Johnson. Wife of Christopher Quinn. Married on Sep. 7,
1837. Parents of 3 children.
RICH, LEONARD 1800 – 1868
Married KEZIAH (1805-1853) and they were the parents of four children. Leonard was
called before a council of High Priests and Elders in Kirtland on Feb. 12, 1834 for
intemperance and for selling copies of the revelations at an extraordinarily high price
while journeying east with Father Lyons. After confessing, the council forgave him upon
his promise to do better and reform his life. Fulfilling the promise, he later marched to
Missouri as a member of Zion’s Camp and was ordained one of the Presidents of the
Seventies. Joseph Smith wrote in his history of Dec. 9, 1835, “I would remember Elder
Leonard Rich, who was the first one that proposed to the brethren to assist me in
obtaining wood for the use of my family, for which I pray my heavenly father to bless
him.”[Andrew Jenson, LDS Biographical Encyclopedia, Vol l, p. 189-90] Joseph also
wrote in his diary on Dec. 23, 1835, “Wednesday 23rd In the forenoon at home studying
the greek Language and also waited upon the brethren who cam in and exhibiting to them
the papyrus, in the afternoon visited brother Leonard Rich with the relatives of bro Oliver
Cowdery had not a very agreeable visit for I found them filled with prejudice against the
work of the Lord and their minds blinded with superstition and ignorance &c” [Jesse,
Personal Writings of Joseph Smith, p. 177-118] He left the church in 1838 and joined
with William E. McLellin, Jacob Bump and others in organizing a new religious group,
the Church of Christ.
SANBORN, ALDEN E. Dec. 30, 1818 – Mar. 5, 1896
Son of Enoch S. Sanborn and Louise Elliott. He came with his parents to Kirtland in
1834. His father was ordained a seventy. They were driven from the state of Missouri and
his father filed a Redress Petition [Johnson, Clark ed., Mormon Redress Petitions, p. 334
Page 13
5). After his parents died in Nauvoo, Alden returned to Kirtland. He married Laura L.
White (1816 – 1901) and they were the parents of six children.
SMITH TWINS – Son and daughter of Joseph and Emma Smith. Born and died on
April 30, 1831 at the Morley Farm. Memorial in North Kirtland Cemetery. Burial
location unknown in Kirtland.
SMITH, JERUSHA BARDEN Feb. 15, 1805 - Oct. 13, 1837
Daughter of Seth and Sarah Barden. Married Hyrum Smith in Manchester, NY on Nov.
2, 1826. Died due to complications of giving birth to their sixth child, a girl they named
Sarah. Memorial in North Kirtland Cemetery. She is probably buried in this cemetery.
Elder’s Journal Oct. 1837, p. 16
Died, in this place on the 13th Inst. after an illness of about ten days, Mrs.
Jerusha T. Smith, the wife of Hyrum Smith. She has left five small children
together with numerous relatives to mourn her loss, a loss which is severely felt
by all.
Our sister was beloved and highly esteemed by every lover of truth and virtue,
but she has been taken from us in an untimely or rather an unexpected hour, as
her companion was from home perhaps near one thousand miles at the time of her
decease, and was deprived of the privilege of witnessing her exit from a world of
sorrow and perplexity to the paradise of God.
But, Alas! she is gone home! Yes, (using her own language to one of her tender
offspring when on her dying bed,)
“Tell your father when he comes that the Lord has taken your mother home, and
left you for him to take care of.”
She had her senses until the last, and fell asleep, leaving this assurance behind as
a reward for leaving all that was dear for the sake of a risen Savior, and enduring
in faith, on his name to the end, that she should have a part in the first
resurrection, and come forth and inherit the mansion that is prepared for the
faithful and receive the welcome plaudit, “Come ye blest of my Father, inherit
that kingdom prepared for you from before the foundation of the world.
Her mother-in-law, Lucy Mack Smith wrote, “She was a woman whom everybody loved
that was acquainted with her, for she was every way worthy. The family were so warmly
attached to her, that, had she been our own sister, they could not have been more afflicted
by her death.” [Lucy Mack Smith, History of Joseph Smith, p. 334]
Her brother Samuel, wrote on October 13, 1837, “Dear Brother Hyrum, this evening I sit
down to write to you to perform a duty knowing that every reasonable man wants to
know exactly the state of his family. Jerusha has gone from a world of trouble and
affliction and toil…to rest until the morning of the resurrection. She died this evening
about half past seven o’clock. She was delivered of a daughter on the first or second of
this month. She had been very low ever since though some of the time she seemed to be
on the gain and we had hopes she would get along. Our prayers did no[t] prevail. She
had her senses until the last. She told the children to tell their father that the Lord had
taken their mother and left them for you to take care of. I [am] p[r]aying that the Lord
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will give you strength that your afflictions will not be more than you can bear.” [Jeffrey
S. O’Driscoll, Hyrum Smith: A Life of Integrity, p. 159]
Don Carlos appended a few lines. “Rest assured that we have done all that we could do
to save Jerusha, but in vain. She is no more. Her place can never be supplied! O the
scenery, the scenery, how afflicting!” [Ibid, p. 160]
SMITH, MARY DUTY Oct. 16, 1743 - May 27, 1836
Wife of Asael Smith, parents of eleven children. Mother of Joseph Smith, Sr. Memorial
in North Kirtland Cemetery, exact burial location unknown in this cemetery. In the
History of the Church, Vol. 2, p. 442 - 3, Joseph Smith wrote, “I went in company with
my brother Hyrum, in a carriage to Fairport, and brought home my grandmother, Mary
Smith, aged ninety-three years. She had not been baptized, on account of the opposition
of Jesse Smith, her eldest son, who has always been an enemy to the work. She had
come five hundred miles to see her children, and knew all of us she had ever seen. She
was much pleased at being introduced to her great grand-children, and expressed much
pleasure and gratification on seeing me….On May 27, after a few days’ visit with her
children, which she enjoyed extremely well, my grandmother fell asleep without
sickness, pain or regret. She breathed her last about sunset, and was buried in the burial
ground near the Temple, after a funeral address had been delivered by Sidney Rigdon.
She had buried one daughter, Sarah; two Sons, Stephen and Samuel; and her husband,
who died October 30, 1830, and left five sons and three daughters still living. At the
death of my grandfather, who had kept a record, there were one hundred and ten children,
grand children and great grand children.”
In the Messenger and Advocate - June 1836, p. 336
--In this town, on the 27th ult. Mrs. Mary Smith, widow of Asahel Smith, aged 93
years.
SMITH, MARY June 27, 1829 – May 29, 1832
Daughter of Hyrum and Jerusha Smith. Exact burial location unknown. Hyrum wrote, “I
was called to view a scene which brought sorrow and mourning. Mary was called from
time to eternity on the 29th of May. She expired in my arms—such a day I never before
experienced, and oh may God grant that we may meet her again on the great day of
redemption to part no more.” [Pearson H. Corbett, Hyrum Smith, Patriarch, p. 103]
SMITH, SYLVESTER M. 1835 – 1835 Stone says S.M.S.
In the Messenger and Advocate - Dec. 1835, p. 240
--Of whoopingcough, in Kirtland, Ohio. Sylvester M. Smith; son of Sylvester and
Elizabeth Smith, aged eleven weeks and four days, after an short illness of two
weeks.
Joseph Smith wrote, “After dinner, attended the funeral of Sylvester Smith’s youngest
child.”[Faulring, Scott, An American Prophet’s Record; The Diaries and Journals of
Joseph Smith, p. 77, November 14th, 1835]
SMITH, WILLIAM Nov. 8, 1779 – May 31, 1858
Old white marble headstones illegible.
Page 15
William married LYDIA JANE CALKINS (Feb. 17, 1787 – Nov. 13, 1872) on Mar. 27,
1803 in New York, parents of fifteen children. Nathan Tanner recorded that while on his
mission to the eastern states in 1836, he married Rebecca A. Smith. When he returned to
Kirtland, “My Father in Law & famely (family) Old Father Wm Smith & Amos Perry
came back with me.”
[Tanner, Nathan, Descendants of Nathan Tanner (1942), Pg. 55]
STODDARD, ALMIRA KNIGHT June 21, 1827 – Jan. 23, 1912
Daughter of Vinson and Martha McBride Knight. When Almira was seven years of age,
her family joined the church in New York. She moved with her family to Kirtland in
1834. She attended school the next year in the Kirtland Temple. She traveled with her
family to Missouri and then onto Nauvoo. Her father died at the young age of 38 in July
of 1842 in Nauvoo. Joseph Smith said of him, “There lies a man that has done more for
me than my own brother would do.” Joseph Smith approached Martha McBride Knight
and asked her to ask her daughter Almira, to marry his brother Hyrum Smith. Almira
refused and subsequently left the LDS Church [Hyrum Belnap Autobiography, p. 109].
According to Adaline Belnap, “The eldest daughter (Almira), unto whom the mother
looked for so much comfort, left the church. She was sewing wherever she could get
work to support herself and help others, when her employment brought her to the home
of a widower Stoddard. He was an apostate, whose heart was full of bitterness toward
the church. He deceived Almira with a smooth tongue and told all manner of untrue
stories about her people, and the first that the mother knew she had married this man was
when she came to bid them all good-bye.” [Coolbear, Lola, Adalaine Belnap Biography,
pg. 1] She married Sylvester B. Stoddard on Nov. 10, 1844 in Nauvoo, Illinois.
STODDARD, SYLVESTER B. Feb. 7, 1801 – Aug. 18, 1867
Sylvester was driven from the state of Missouri along with the Saints and filed a Redress
Petition [Johnson, Mormon Redress Petitions, p. 357]. Owned and operated a tin shop in
Nauvoo. In 1840 he was a counselor in the Bishopric in Quincy, IL. In 1844 he was
called on a mission to Maine. Shortly after his wife Charity’s death, he married Almira
Knight. In 1845 he was living in Kirtland and, according to a letter written by Reuben
McBride, he along with Jacob Bump, Hiram Kellogg, Leonard Rich and Jewel Rany
broke into the House of the Lord and took possession of it and were trying to take
possession of the Church farm. [History of the Church, Vol.7, p.484]
STRATTON, ELECTA Nov. 1802 - May 18, 1891
In the Saint’s Herald – June 27, 1891, p. 419
Electa Ann Stratton died at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Mary L. Judd,
Kirtland, Ohio, May 28th, last, at 2:30, a.m. She was the widow of Ebenezer
Stratton. She had a family of nine children--seven boys and two girls. All are
living except three. She was born in Amber, Onondaga county, New York,
October 7th, 1801. She was the daughter of Judge Willard and would have been
ninety years old at her next birthday. When about twenty-one years of age with
her husband she moved to Chester, Ohio. She was then a member of the
Presbyterian Church. About 1833 she joined the church of the Saints, and moved
to Kirtland near the same time, where she has since resided. She was personally
Page 16
acquainted with Joseph Smith, Jr., Sidney Rigdon and others of prominence in the
early days of Kirtland, whom she always held in the highest esteem, believing
them to be sincere and good men. She adhered to the faith until the last and
among her last work she exhorted her relatives to join the church.
She died without a struggle--quietly dropped to sleep and has gone to her rest.
Funeral sermon by Elder W. H. Kelley.
“When the main body of the Mormons left Kirtland the family of Mr. And Mrs. Stratton
held the key of the temple and claimed to have a title to it. A few years since a body
calling themselves the ‘Reorganized Church of Latter Day Saints’ returned to Kirtland
and laid claim to the old deserted temple….Mrs. Electa Stratton still held the key.”
[Howe, Ohio History by Howe, Vol. 2, p. 41]
On a return visit to Kirtland, Orson Pratt and Joseph F. Smith “had very pleasant
interviews with two old sisters by the name of Mrs. Rebecca Dayton and Mrs. Electa
Stratton, who treated them kindly. These sisters knew the Prophet and Patriarch and their
wives.” [Joseph Fielding Smith, Life of Joseph F. Smith, pg. 250-252]
TANNER, SALLY CAHOON Feb.17, 1805 – Mar. 20, 1873
Daughter of William Cahoon, sister of Reynolds Cahoon, and wife of JAMES TANNER
(July 23, 1799 – July 15, 1880). Married on Oct. 14, 1829 in Geauga County, Ohio.
VAN DEUSEN, INCREASE 1809 - Aug 4, 1882
His wife, MARIA HOFFMAN(1823 – 1901) is buried next to him. In 1860, Increase
interrupted a meeting in the temple by walking across the tops of the pews and leaping
upon the pulpits and after climbing to the top, he turned and faced the frightened
audience and stripped off his coat, tore it in shreds, stamped and hissed and swing his
torn coat shouting repeatedly, “Now is come the time of your trial!”, which frightened
some ladies and made for a very memorable church meeting.
In the Painesville Telegraph - Aug. 10, 1882, p. 3
Increase Van Deusen died August 4, at his home, in Kirtland, in the 74th year of
his age. He was born in Hilsdale, N.Y., in 1809. When 24 years of age he
emigrated to Lapier, Mich. While there, he became acquained with Maria
Hoffman and married her in 1833. Soon after he moved west, settling in Nauvoo,
Ill. He staid there three years, then came back to Michigan, staying but a short
time, however, when he pushed on east, stopped at Syracuse, staid five or six
months and set out for Albany, but not contented here he struck out for the city of
New York. After spending three years in that city he started for the West. He
reached Kirtland, Ohio, in 1860. This was his last move and here he has lived
ever since. He has been ill a long time with disease of the kidneys, suffering
intensely at times. He was a Methodist exhorter for a short time, was taken up
with the Mormon doctrines but soon left them. He held, however, that the gift of
prophesy and power of healing may be, and ought to be, in the church. His native
powers of intellect were strong, much above the average, in person he was quite
tall and very erect, quick in all his movements, yet perfectly easy in his carriage.
He was industrious, temperate, and disposed to mind his own business, not
Page 17
meddling with the affairs of others. His funeral services were held at the house
on the 6th of August. Remarks were made by Mr. Hale. He leaves a widow and
three children--two sons and a daughter--all living in Kirtland.
WHITNEY, SAMUEL Apr. 18, 1772 – Mar. 17,1846
Son of Samuel Whitney and Phoebe Harrington. Married Susanna Kimball on Apr. 7,
1792 in Windham, VT. They were the parents of ten children, including Newel K.
Whitney. Also, son SAMUEL FRANKLIN WHITNEY, who became a traveling
Methodist Circuit preacher, is buried nearby. Joseph Smith recorded in his diary in
October of 1835, “we went to visit Bro. Roundy and family who live near Willoughby,
we had an interesting visit at br. Roundy’s as soon as I returned I was called upon to
baptize Samuel Whitney and his Wife and Daughter after baptism we returned to their
house and offered Our thanks, in prayer…”[Jessee, PWJS, p. 69]
Helen Mar Whitney wrote, “Grandfather Whitney was in Nauvoo at the time. He had
come from Kirtland to receive the holy ordinances in the temple, and his last words to me
were, ‘I shall try and secure the old homestead, in Kirtland, for you and Horace; I want
you to come and live there by us.’ His wife was in Kirtland, and he was taken sick on his
way back and died in a day or two after; and she survived him but a short time.” [Helen
Mar Whitney, A Women’s View, p. 328]
WHITNEY, SUSANNA KIMBALL July 21, 1767 – Apr. 3, 1859
Daughter of Boyce and Rebecca Kimball, wife of Samuel Whitney.
WIGHTMAN, AMY SHOLES Aug. 14, 1776 - Dec. 18, 1861.
Daughter of Joseph Sholes and Amy Rodgers, and the wife of Joseph Wightman. Amy
so desired a copy of the Bible that she purchased it with money received from the sale of
her cherished gold beads. This book also contains her family record [Our Pioneer
Heritage, Vol. 2, p. 213]
WIGHTMAN, JOSEPH Oct. 13, 1773 - Sept. 23, 1843.
Son of Valentine D. Wightman. Married Amy Sholes on Mar. 24, 1799. Parents of eight
children.
OTHERS OF INTEREST
CAHOON, WILLIAM1763 – 1828
Father of Reynolds Cahoon and grandfather of William F. Cahoon, who were among the
first converts in Ohio. Died before the Church was introduced to Ohio.
MARTINDALE, TIMOTHY – (1798 – 1861) He and his wife, HARRIET (1789 –
1888), were the parents of five children. His home is located on the northwest corner of
Chillocothe and Rt. 615 and they were neighbors of the Morleys. He helped to found two
seminaries or schools: Western Reserve Teacher’s Seminary (which met one year in the
Kirtland Temple) and Lake Erie Female Seminary (which is known today as Lake Erie
College). His daughter, HATTIE, who is buried nearby is the famed “veiled lady” of
Page 18
Kirtland. After her betrothed, Thomas Morley (grandson of Thomas & Editha Morley)
informed her during their wedding rehearsal that he was not in love with her anymore but
with her younger sister, Lucy (whom he married two days later), Harriet vowed she
would never show her face in public again. She wore a brown veil the rest of her
life—she lived to be 81 years old.
MORLEY, EZEKIEL – (1759 – 1852) He was the uncle of Isaac Morley, brother of
Thomas. He and Thomas were two out of 18 children born to Thomas and Mary Wood
Morley. Ezekiel was in the original surveying party of the Western Reserve under the
leadership of Moses Cleveland in 1796. He assisted in building the first log cabin in
Cleveland, Ohio.
MORLEY, THOMAS – (1758 – 1844) He and his wife, EDITHA (1762 – 1843) were
the parents of eleven children. His son, Isaac and daughter, Diantha were the only
members of the early Latter Day Saint church. Thomas served in the Revolutionary War.
The Morley’s are among the first families to settle the Kirtland area. He helped to
establish the First Congregational Church in Kirtland in 1818. This organization still
exists and is known as the Old South Church, located two miles south of the Temple.
RUSSELL, Alpheus – (1795 – 1961) Married Elizabeth Conant (1792 – 1865) in 1818
and moved to Kirtland that same year. He introduced the first Merino wool sheep in the
area. They were members of the First Congregational Church and parents of three
children. They owned a quarry on their farm, located east of the Old South Church. His
grandson recorded that Alpheus “once had a dream or a sort of vision in which in a very
real manner he seemed to see team after team pass through the yard, loaded heavily.
Later when preparations were being made to build the Temple they came to him to obtain
stone from his quarry. He was a very conscientious man and at first doubted if it would
be right to sell stone to people of such a strange religion, but he recalled his dream and
decided to do business with them.” He also recorded that much of the stone in the temple
came from their farm. “I remember a stone several feet long which lay beside the little
quarry creek. He told me that this stone was intended for one of the sides of the front
door of the Temple but was discarded because it was a little too short.” [Recollections of
Dr. George C. Russell, copy in Kirtland file, Kirtland library, Kirtland, Ohio] Alpheus
taught a Bible class for many years and was also the Justice of the Peace in Kirtland for
several years, known as Esquire Russell.
SMITH, ELIJAH (1776 – 1855) and SARAH SMITH (1767 - 1850). They were the
uncle and aunt of Elizabeth Ann Smith Whitney, Newell K. Whitney’s wife. Newel first
operated his store out of Elijah’s log cabin. Elijah built the home that is currently located
on the Morley farm (it used to be on the east side of Chillicothe Road). His first wife
was RACHEL WEBSTER (1791 – 1834) and after she passed away, he married MARY
CAHOON (1774 - 1863), widow of William Cahoon, on Nov. 6, 1836 by Rev. Truman
Coe. After the tar and feathering incident in Hiram, Ohio, Joseph and Newel Whitney left
for Missouri and sent Emma and baby Julia back to Kirtland to live with Elizabeth
Whitney. Aunt Sarah turned them way. Elizabeth wrote, “Aunt Sarah, who had always
lived with me, and felt a sort of supervision of everything pertaining to my welfare and
Page 19
happiness, and who had been a true and faithful friend to us, under all circumstances, was
very much disconcerted by the turn things had taken; she looked upon Joseph like all
other preachers, and did not like to see us made the dupes of priestcraft, which was her
version of all religious doctrine and opinions; and acting upon her own theory and
responsibility, when my husband was absent with the Prophet Joseph upon business, and
I was in delicate health, and unable to attend to any domestic duties, she took the
opportunity to rid herself and us of the family, considering it not only an incumbrance,
but an entirely unnecessary inconvenience. I would have shared the last morsel with
either of them [both Sarah and Emma] and was grieved beyond comparison when I found
what she [Sarah] had done, but she had a good motive in it, and really thought she was
consulting the best interest of those who were far dearer to her than her own life.”
There are two Apostles of the Community of Christ (formerly known as the Reorganized
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) buried in Kirtland North Cemetery.
GRIFFITH, Gomer – (1856 – 1950) Born in Minersville, PA and worked in the coal
mines until age 19. Was illiterate and at the age of 20, he became active in the RLDS
Church. During a prayer meeting, a Sister Smith arose, and spoke in tongues to him and
gave the interpretation. He was told that the Lord had heard his prayer and that He would
enable him to read and understand His word, that He would use him as an instrument to
perform a great work in his day in baptizing hundreds through his travels and preaching
the gospel here and in foreign lands. In January of 1878 he was ordained an Elder and
soon was able to deliver sermons fluently. His conversion and intellectual improvements
were accounted by all who knew him as striking evidence of the power of God. He was
called to be a Seventy in 1879 and at the General Conference in Kirtland in 1887, he was
ordained an Apostle. He married Harriet Robbins (1858-1923) in 1881 and they were the
parents of eight children. In 1890, he was instrumental in obtaining a bell for the Temple.
During the winter of 1894-5, three of their sons died due to scarlet fever and are buried
next to them.
LAKE, John – (1829 – 1914) In December of 1860, he became a member of the RLDS
Church. In June of 1863 he was ordained to the office of Elder and made President of the
Keokuk Branch in String Prairie, Iowa and soon after, the Nauvoo District. In 1873 he
was ordained an Apostle at Plano, Illinois. In February of 1877, his second wife,
Maryette Griffith died (his first wife, Mary Low, had passed away in 1857), leaving him
with 4 children to raise. He married Mary Huggins in 1878 and she died that same year.
In April of 1887 he married Martha G. Woods (1836 - 1914), who is buried next to him.
Elder Lake served continually in the field as a missionary, having charge of Michigan
and Indiana.
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