Reynolds Cahoon (April 30, 1790 – April 29, 1861) was an early leader in

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 J ...

and later, in

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 nontrinitarian Christian church that considers itself to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ. The ch ...

(LDS Church). He was one of the inaugural members of the

Council of Fifty "The Council of Fifty" (also known as "the Living Constitution", "the Kingdom of God", or its name by revelation, "The Kingdom of God and His Laws with the Keys and Power thereof, and Judgment in the Hands of His Servants, Ahman Christ") was a La ...

, organized by

Joseph Smith Joseph Smith Jr. (December 23, 1805June 27, 1844) was an American religious leader and founder of Mormonism and the Latter Day Saint movement. When he was 24, Smith published the Book of Mormon. By the time of his death, 14 years later, ...

in 1844.

Early life

Cahoon was born on April 30, 1790 to William Cahoon and Mehitabel Hodge Cahoon in

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a College town, university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cam ...

, New York. He married Thurza Stiles on December 11, 1810 in

Newport, New York Newport is a town in Herkimer County, New York, United States. The population was 2,302 at the 2010 census. The town, located on the western edge of the county, contains the village of Newport. The town is northeast of Utica. History The fi ...

. The following year, Cahoon moved to Harpersfield, Ohio. He then served in the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States, United States of America and its Indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom ...

. Cahoon and Stiles had four daughters. Cahoon worked as a farmer, tanner, and shoemaker.

Latter Day Saint movement

Cahoon was baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints by

Parley P. Pratt Parley Parker Pratt Sr. (April 12, 1807 – May 13, 1857) was an early leader of the Latter Day Saint movement whose writings became a significant early nineteenth-century exposition of the Latter Day Saint faith. Named in 1835 as one of the first ...

on October 11, 1830. After his baptism, he was ordained a high priest by

. On June 6, 1831, Cahoon was called to serve a

mission Mission (from Latin ''missio'' "the act of sending out") may refer to: Organised activities Religion *Christian mission, an organized effort to spread Christianity *Mission (LDS Church), an administrative area of The Church of Jesus Christ of ...

Missouri Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...

with Samuel Smith, a brother of Joseph Smith. While living in

Kirtland, Ohio Kirtland is a city in Lake County, Ohio, United States. The population was 6,937 at the 2020 census. Kirtland is known for being the early headquarters of the Latter Day Saint movement from 1831 to 1837 and is the site of the movement's first t ...

, he was appointed a member of the committee to oversee the construction of the first Latter Day Saint temple. He began work on the structure's foundation and raised funds for the project by working at a store. He also participated in the

Kirtland Safety Society The Kirtland Safety Society (KSS) was first proposed as a bank in 1836, and eventually organized on January 2, 1837, as a joint stock company, by leaders and followers of the Church of the Latter Day Saints. According to KSS's 1837 "Articles of ...

. On February 10, 1832, Cahoon was made first counselor to

Bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...

Newel K. Whitney Newel Kimball Whitney (February 5, 1795 – September 23, 1850, his first name being sometimes found as Newell) was a prominent member and leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and an American businessman. Whitney married Elizabeth Ann Smith in ...

. He was also a member of the Kirtland High Council. Cahoon again served as a

missionary A missionary is a member of a religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Mi ...

in 1833, this time traveling to Warsaw, New York to preach alongside David W. Patten. In 1834, Joseph Smith named Cahoon's newborn son "Mahonri Moriancumer Cahoon," explaining that the name was the name of the Brother of Jared, a figure in the

Book of Mormon The Book of Mormon is a religious text of the Latter Day Saint movement, which, according to Latter Day Saint theology, contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the American continent from 600 BC to AD 421 and during an interlude d ...

. In 1838, Cahoon relocated to

Daviess County, Missouri Daviess County is a county located in the U.S. state of Missouri. As of the 2020 census, the population was 8,430. Its county seat is Gallatin. The county was organized December 29, 1836, from Ray County and named for Major Joseph Hamilton ...

and served in the stake presidency of

Adam-ondi-Ahman Adam-ondi-Ahman (, sometimes clipped to Diahman) is a historic site in Daviess County, Missouri, about five miles south of Jameson. It is located along the east bluffs above the Grand River. According to the teachings of the Church of Jesus C ...

. When the Mormon Extermination Order forced the Latter Day Saints to leave Missouri, Cahoon fled to

Iowa Territory The Territory of Iowa was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 4, 1838, until December 28, 1846, when the southeastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the state of Iowa. The remain ...

before settling in Nauvoo, Illinois. There, he served as a guard in the

Nauvoo Legion The Nauvoo Legion was a state-authorized militia of the city of Nauvoo, Illinois, United States. With growing antagonism from surrounding settlements it came to have as its main function the defense of Nauvoo, and surrounding Latter Day Saint ...

from March 1841 and was on the building committee for 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 ...

. On March 11, 1844, Cahoon was appointed to the

, a church organization of a secular nature that sought to "obtain redress for the Missouri persecutions and to find a safe haven where the saints could move." When Joseph and

Hyrum Smith Hyrum Smith (February 9, 1800 – June 27, 1844) was an American religious leader in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, the original church of the Latter Day Saint movement. He was the older brother of the movement's founder, J ...

attempted to flee Nauvoo, Cahoon traveled across the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it fl ...

with

Porter Rockwell Orrin Porter Rockwell (June 28, 1813 or June 25, 1815 – June 9, 1878) was a figure of the Wild West period of American history. A lawman in the Utah Territory, he was nicknamed ''Old Port'' and ''The Destroying Angel of Mormondom''. Rockwell se ...

to deliver a message from

Emma Smith Emma Hale Smith Bidamon (July 10, 1804 – April 30, 1879) was an American homesteader, the official wife of Joseph Smith, and a prominent leader in the early days of the Latter Day Saint movement, both during Smith's lifetime and afterward as ...

, Joseph's wife. Cahoon encouraged Smith to return to Nauvoo, despite the danger from mobs. Cahoon and others "advised the Prophet Joseph to surrender to the law at

Carthage Carthage was the capital city of Ancient Carthage, on the eastern side of the Lake of Tunis in what is now Tunisia. Carthage was one of the most important trading hubs of the Ancient Mediterranean and one of the most affluent cities of the cla ...

." After the death of Joseph and Hyrum Smith, Cahoon served as a guard for their bodies. He was then arrested for

treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplo ...

, but the case was dismissed due to lack of evidence. He later practiced plural marriage, marrying Lucina Roberts in 1843 and Mary Hildrath in 1846 while living in Nauvoo, Illinois. He had two sons and one daughter with Roberts and no known children with Hildrath. In 1846, Cahoon and his wives Thurza Stiles and Lucina Roberts moved to Winter Quarters, Nebraska with their children. In 1848, Cahoon traveled west to

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 state ...

, serving as captain of the 6th company of Mormon pioneers. He settled in

Murray, Utah Murray () is a city situated on the Wasatch Front in the core of Salt Lake Valley in the U.S. state of Utah. Named for territorial governor Eli Houston Murray, Eli Murray, it is the state's fourteenth largest city. According to the 2020 census, M ...

. There is no record of his wife Mary Hildrath accompanying him.

Death and legacy

Cahoon died in

Salt Lake City, Utah Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...

on April 29, 1861. He was 71 years old. His cause of death was recorded as

dropsy Edema, also spelled oedema, and also known as fluid retention, dropsy, hydropsy and swelling, is the build-up of fluid in the body's tissue. Most commonly, the legs or arms are affected. Symptoms may include skin which feels tight, the area ma ...

. In an announcement of his death, the '' Deseret News'' called him "a cheerful partaker in all their he Latter Day Saints'tribulations, privations and persecutions; an active member; a faithful servant". He is mentioned in the LDS Church edition of the Doctrine and Covenants four times., , , and .

Notes

References

* Marrott, Robert L. "Reynolds Cahoon" in Garr, Arnold K., Donald Q. Cannon and Richard O. Cowan, ed. ''Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia''. (Salt Lake City, Utah:

Deseret Book Deseret Book () is an American publishing company headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, that also operates a chain of bookstores throughout the western United States. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Deseret Management Corporation (DMC), the ...

, 2000) p. 164–165

External links

Reynolds Cahoon and Elias Higbee contract for Warren Smith's blacksmith shop, 1842 March 19
L. Tom Perry Special Collections
Photograph of men of the Cahoon family, circa 1880
L. Tom Perry Special Collections
Reynolds Cahoon account
L. Tom Perry Special Collections {{DEFAULTSORT:Cahoon, Reynolds 1790 births 1861 deaths 19th-century Mormon missionaries American Mormon missionaries in the United States American leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Converts to Mormonism Doctrine and Covenants people Mormon pioneers People from Cambridge, New York People from Kirtland, Ohio Religious leaders from New York (state) Utah city council members Harold B. Lee Library-related 19th century articles