Erastus Snow
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Erastus Snow (November 9, 1818 – May 27, 1888) was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Restorationism, restorationist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, denomination and the ...
(LDS Church) from 1849 until his death. Snow was a leading figure in the
Mormon Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter Day Saint movement started by Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s. After Smith's death in 1844, the movement split into several ...
colonization of
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,
Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...
, and
New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...
.


Early life

Snow was born on November 9, 1818, in St. Johnsbury, Vermont, to Levi Snow (1782-1841) and Lucina Streeter Snow (1785-1858). Snow was baptized a member of the LDS Church (at that time known as the
Church of Christ Church of Christ may refer to: Church groups * Christianity, the Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ * Christian Church, an ecclesiological term used by denominations to describe the true body of Christia ...
) when he was 14 years old, on February 3, 1833, in Charleston,
Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...
.
Orson Pratt Orson Pratt Sr. (September 19, 1811 – October 3, 1881) was an American religious leader and mathematician who was an original member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Christ (Latter Day Saints). After the succession cri ...
was one of the missionaries who taught him. Snow's older brothers, William Snow (1806-1879), and Zerubbabel Snow had previously joined the church on May 19, 1832. Snow moved to
Kirtland, Ohio Kirtland is a city in Lake County, Ohio, United States. The population was 6,937 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Kirtland is known for being the early headquarters of the Latter Day Saint movement from 1831 to 1837 and the site of ...
, where the church was headquartered. In Kirtland, Snow was ordained a member of the Seventy in 1836 and witnessed the dedication of the Kirtland Temple in 1837.


Career

Snow spent much of his time on missions, primarily in Pennsylvania. He later served a mission to
Salem, Massachusetts Salem ( ) is a historic coastal city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, located on the North Shore (Massachusetts), North Shore of Greater Boston. Continuous settlement by Europeans began in 1626 with English colonists. Salem was one ...
, where he baptized several converts, including Nathaniel Ashby, a man with whom he shared a duplex when they both resided in
Nauvoo, Illinois Nauvoo ( ; from the ) is a small city in Hancock County, Illinois, United States, on the Mississippi River near Fort Madison, Iowa. The population of Nauvoo was 950 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Nauvoo attracts visitors for its h ...
. In April 1839, at age 20, Snow successfully petitioned the jailers at Liberty Jail to move
Joseph Smith Joseph Smith Jr. (December 23, 1805June 27, 1844) was an American religious and political leader and the founder of Mormonism and the Latter Day Saint movement. Publishing the Book of Mormon at the age of 24, Smith attracted tens of thou ...
(founder of the
Latter Day Saint movement The Latter Day Saint movement (also called the LDS movement, LDS restorationist movement, or Smith–Rigdon movement) is the collection of independent church groups that trace their origins to a Christian Restorationist movement founded by ...
) and the prisoners accompanying him to a different location. He was subsequently appointed a member of the high council of the church. In 1845, Snow received his endowment in the
Nauvoo Temple The Nauvoo Temple was the second temple constructed by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.''Manuscript History of the Church'', LDS Church Archives, book A-1, p. 37; reproduced in Dean C. Jessee (comp.) (1989). ''The Papers of Jose ...
. Over the course of his life, Snow served a total of sixteen missions to
New England New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the ...
,
St. Louis St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...
,
Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...
, southern
Utah Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...
,
Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...
,
Scandinavia Scandinavia is a subregion#Europe, subregion of northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It can sometimes also ...
, and
Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
. Writer George M. McCune has said of Snow: "He prevailed in debates over the Book of Mormon and healed and converted many during his life". Snow was in the first Mormon pioneer company to journey to the
Salt Lake Valley Salt Lake Valley is a valley in Salt Lake County, Utah, Salt Lake County in the north-central portion of the U.S. state of Utah. It contains Salt Lake City, Utah, Salt Lake City and many of its suburbs, notably Murray, Utah, Murray, Sandy, Uta ...
. He and Orson Pratt were the first two Mormons to enter the Valley, completing the journey on July 21, 1847. In October 1848, Snow began serving in the presidency of the
Salt Lake A salt lake or saline lake is a landlocked body of water that has a concentration of salts (typically sodium chloride) and other dissolved minerals significantly higher than most lakes (often defined as at least three grams of salt per liter). I ...
Stake A stake is a large wooden or metal implement designed to be driven into the ground and may refer to: Tools * Archer's stake, a defensive stake carried by medieval longbowmen * Survey stakes, markers used by surveyors * Sudis (stake) (Latin for ...
. On February 12, 1849, Snow was ordained a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. On the same day, Charles C. Rich,
Lorenzo Snow Lorenzo Snow (April 3, 1814 – October 10, 1901) was an American religious leader who served as the List of presidents of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, fifth president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS C ...
, and Franklin D. Richards were ordained. Snow served in this capacity until his death in 1888. At the October 1849 general conference, Snow was assigned to lead a mission to Scandinavia. He had as a companion a Danish convert, Peter O. Hansen, who had joined the church in
Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
. They focused most of their efforts in Denmark, but another convert had joined them, John E. Forsgren, who preached in
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
. While serving as a missionary in Denmark, Snow baptized the first
Icelanders Icelanders () are an ethnic group and nation who are native to the island country of Iceland. They speak Icelandic, a North Germanic language. Icelanders established the country of Iceland in mid 930  CE when the (parliament) met for th ...
to join the church, ordained them to the priesthood, and sent them to Iceland to preach. Before the end of his mission, Snow began the publication of a church periodical in Danish. In 1853, Snow was elected to the House of Representatives in the Utah territorial legislature. Later in the 1850s, Snow served as the presiding church authority in the
midwestern United States The Midwestern United States (also referred to as the Midwest, the Heartland or the American Midwest) is one of the four census regions defined by the United States Census Bureau. It occupies the northern central part of the United States. It ...
, using St. Louis, Missouri as his headquarters. While in Missouri, Snow edited the periodical ''St. Louis Luminary''. He returned to the
Utah Territory The Territory of Utah was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from September 9, 1850, until January 4, 1896, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Utah, the 45th st ...
in 1857 and engaged in farming. In 1860, Snow went with Orson Pratt on a mission to the Eastern states. By the time they reached the Eastern United States,
Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...
had been elected president. With the impending war, they were able to convince many church members to move to Utah Territory. Much of this migration happened in 1861, after the
American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
had begun. After returning to Utah in 1861, Snow was made the apostle in charge of the southern Utah Mormon settlements. He lived in
St. George Saint George (;Geʽez: ጊዮርጊስ, , ka, გიორგი, , , died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was an early Christian martyr who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to holy tradition, he was a soldier in the ...
.


Personal life and death

Erastus Snow had four wives, 23 sons, and 13 daughters. His son Edward H. Snow followed him into the legislature as part of the first Senate after Utah achieved statehood. One of Snow's daughters, Elizabeth, became the wife of Anthony W. Ivins and the mother of Antoine R. Ivins. Snow died on May 27, 1888, in
Salt Lake City Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in the state. The city is the core of the Salt Lake Ci ...
,
Utah Territory The Territory of Utah was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from September 9, 1850, until January 4, 1896, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Utah, the 45th st ...
, at age 69.


Legacy

* Snow Canyon State Park (near St. George, Utah) *
Snow College Snow College is a Public college, public community college in Ephraim, Utah. It offers certificates and associate degrees along with bachelor's degrees in music, software engineering, and nursing. Snow College is part of the Utah System of High ...
(in
Ephraim, Utah Ephraim is a city in Sanpete County, Utah, Sanpete County, Utah, United States. The population was 5,611 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, making it the largest city in Sanpete County. It is the location of Snow College and is locat ...
) *
Snowflake, Arizona Snowflake () is a town in Navajo County, Arizona, Navajo County, Arizona, United States. It was founded in 1878 by Erastus Snow and William J. Flake, William Jordan Flake, Mormon pioneers. Snowflake is south of Interstate 40 in Arizona, Interst ...
Snowflake is also named after William J. Flake.


See also

* Hurricane, Utah


References


External links


"Snow, Erastus"
in the ''Utah History Encyclopedia''
Erastus Fairbanks Snow papers
L. Tom Perry Special Collections
Erastus Fairbanks Snow agreements
L. Tom Perry Special Collections
History of Erastus Snow
L. Tom Perry Special Collections
Printer's galley proofs of "Erastus Snow,"
L. Tom Perry Special Collections
Photographs of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles under President John Taylor
L. Tom Perry Special Collections
Erastus Fairbanks and Artemisia Beman Snow family temple records
L. Tom Perry Special Collections {{DEFAULTSORT:Snow, Erastus 1818 births 1888 deaths 19th-century Mormon missionaries American Mormon missionaries in Denmark American Mormon missionaries in Mexico American Mormon missionaries in the United States American general authorities (LDS Church) Apostles (LDS Church) Burials at Salt Lake City Cemetery Converts to Mormonism Doctrine and Covenants people Editors of Latter Day Saint publications Latter Day Saints from Illinois Latter Day Saints from Missouri Latter Day Saints from Ohio Latter Day Saints from Utah Latter Day Saints from Vermont Members of the Utah Territorial Legislature Mormon pioneers