John Alpheus Cutler
(February 29, 1784 – June 10, 1864) was an early leader in 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 ...
who founded the
Church of Jesus Christ (Cutlerite)
The Church of Jesus Christ (Cutlerite) is a denomination of the Latter Day Saint movement headquartered in Independence, Missouri, Independence, Missouri, United States. The church derives its epithet from its founder, Alpheus Cutler, a membe ...
in 1853. He had previously served in several church positions under
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 ...
, as well as captain of Smith's personal
bodyguard
A bodyguard (or close protection officer/operative) is a type of security guard, government law enforcement officer, or servicemember who protects an very important person, important person or group of people, such as high-ranking public offic ...
and "Master Builder and Workman on all God's Holy Houses." Following the
death of Joseph Smith
Joseph Smith, the founder and leader of the Latter Day Saint movement, and his brother, Hyrum Smith, were killed by a mob in Carthage, Illinois, United States, on June 27, 1844, while awaiting trial in the town jail on charges of treason.
The ...
in June 1844, Cutler at first followed the
Twelve Apostles
In Christian theology and ecclesiology, the apostles, particularly the Twelve Apostles (also known as the Twelve Disciples or simply the Twelve), were the primary disciples of Jesus according to the New Testament. During the life and minist ...
under
Brigham Young
Brigham Young ( ; June 1, 1801August 29, 1877) was an American religious leader and politician. He was the second President of the Church (LDS Church), president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1847 until h ...
, but later left Young's church to reorganize the Church of Jesus Christ, with himself serving as its first president. Cutler claimed that this was the sole legitimate continuation of Smith's organization, and he served as its leader until his death.
Early years

Cutler was born in
Plainfield, New Hampshire
Plainfield is a town in Sullivan County, New Hampshire, United States. At the time of the 2020 census, the town had a population of 2,459. The town is home to the Helen Woodruff Smith Bird Sanctuary and Annie Duncan State Forest.
The village of ...
, to Knight Cutler, a veteran of the
American Revolution
The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...
, and Elizabeth Boyd. He married Lois Lathrop of
Lebanon, New Hampshire
Lebanon ( ) is the only city in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 14,282 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, up from 13,151 at the 2010 United States census, 2010 census. Lebanon is in western New Hampshi ...
, on November 17, 1808. Lathrop was a descendant of Rev.
John Lothropp (1584–1653), and thus a distant cousin of Latter Day Saint
prophet
In religion, a prophet or prophetess is an individual who is regarded as being in contact with a divinity, divine being and is said to speak on behalf of that being, serving as an intermediary with humanity by delivering messages or teachings ...
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 ...
. Cutler fought as a private in the
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...
, serving in Cpt. E. Smith's company of New York Militia from September to December 1812. Although later Latter Day Saint sources would refer to Cutler as "Captain Alpheus Cutler" and say that he had fought at the battles of
Chippewa Falls and
Lundy's Lane, his service record does not support either assertion.
Cutler was a
stonemason
Stonemasonry or stonecraft is the creation of buildings, structures, and sculpture using stone as the primary material. Stonemasonry is the craft of shaping and arranging stones, often together with mortar and even the ancient lime mortar ...
by occupation.
He stood over six feet tall, and was described by one biographer as being "heavy set," "powerfully built," "critical" and "sarcastic," while generally expressing himself in "an extremely candid, sharp and brusque manner." Some of Cutler's contemporaries would later refer to him as having a "natural parabolical, allegorical, symbolical, mysterious, secretive way of telling things."
[Jorgensen, Danny, Ph.D.]
The Old Fox: Alpheus Cutler
Quoted in Lannius, Roger D. ''Differing Visions: Dissenters in Mormon History'', Univ. of Illinois press, p. 166.
Conversion to the Latter Day Saint movement
Following the War of 1812, Cutler and his family were living in western
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
New York may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* ...
, where they heard
David W. Patten of 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 ...
preach about the coming forth of the
Book of Mormon
The Book of Mormon is a religious text of the Latter Day Saint movement, first published in 1830 by Joseph Smith as ''The Book of Mormon: An Account Written by the Hand of Mormon upon Plates Taken from the Plates of Nephi''.
The book is one of ...
and the ministry of Joseph Smith. Following what they claimed to be a miraculous cure of their daughter by Patten's prayers and
laying on of hands
The laying on of hands is a religious practice. In Judaism, ''semikhah'' (, "leaning f the hands) accompanies the conferring of a blessing or authority.
In Christianity, Christian churches, chirotony. is used as both a symbolic and formal met ...
, Cutler and his family were baptized by Patten on 20 January 1833. He moved to the main Mormon settlement at
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 ...
, the following year.
[Alpheus Cutler](_blank)
.
An enthusiastic convert, Cutler was invited to attend Smith's
School of the Prophets
In the early Latter Day Saint movement, the School of the Prophets (School, also called the "school of the elders" or "school for the Prophets") was a select group of early leaders who began meeting on January 23, 1833 in Kirtland, Ohio under the ...
in Kirtland, and assisted in the construction of the
Kirtland Temple there. Although brought before the Kirtland
High Council on 15 March 1835 on charges of arguing with fellow member
Reynolds Cahoon and complaining about not being paid enough for his work on the temple,
Cutler weathered the storm and remained in Smith's good graces. During the building's dedication on 27 March 1836, Cutler claimed to have seen a vision of
Jesus Christ
Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...
descending down a long carpet into the temple; he claimed that Christ spoke to him, but did not record what he said. He also claimed in this vision to have seen a large
gold
Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...
chain draped across the newly completed edifice.
When Joseph Smith moved church headquarters to
Caldwell County,
Missouri
Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...
, in 1837, Cutler followed him there and settled in adjacent
Ray County. A victim of Governor
Lilburn Boggs
Lilburn Williams Boggs (December 14, 1796March 14, 1860) was the sixth Governor of Missouri, from 1836 to 1840. He is now most widely remembered for his interactions with Joseph Smith and Porter Rockwell, and Missouri Executive Order 44, kno ...
's "
Extermination Order," Cutler was expelled from the state with the other Latter Day Saints during the winter of 1838–39. Together with members of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles and other leading Latter Day Saints, Cutler risked death and slipped back into
Far West, where as the newly named "chief architect and master workman of all God's holy houses", Cutler laid the cornerstone for the (never-built)
Far West Temple.
Relocating with his religious brethren to
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 ...
, Cutler was appointed one of three members of a committee to oversee construction of the
Nauvoo Temple on 3 October 1840. Directed to supervise the cutting of
timber
Lumber is wood that has been processed into uniform and useful sizes (dimensional lumber), including beams and planks or boards. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, window frames). ...
for the new edifice, Cutler led a group of workmen into the Pineries along the
Black River in
Wisconsin
Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...
, where they spent the next year cutting logs and floating them down the
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...
to Nauvoo.
While in
Nauvoo, Cutler served on the
Nauvoo High Council, and the
Anointed Quorum The Anointed Quorum, also known as the Quorum of the Anointed, or the Holy Order, was a select body of men and women who Joseph Smith initiated into Mormon Temple (Latter Day Saints), temple Ordinance (Latter Day Saints), ordinances at Nauvoo, Illin ...
; he was also named to Joseph Smith's
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 Lat ...
. Cutler received his
endowment under Smith's hand on 12 October 1843, and subsequently became only the sixth person to be given the rare
Second Anointing on 15 November—a full week before
Brigham Young
Brigham Young ( ; June 1, 1801August 29, 1877) was an American religious leader and politician. He was the second President of the Church (LDS Church), president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1847 until h ...
received his—which made him a "King and Priest" in Smith's still-secret Kingdom of God (see
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 Lat ...
). Cutler also served as captain of Smith's bodyguard.
Prior to Smith's murder in 1844, Cutler was called by Smith to undertake a mission to the "
Lamanites" (as
Native Americans were often called by the Saints during this time in history). However, he had not yet departed when Smith was
killed on 27 June at the
jail
A prison, also known as a jail, gaol, penitentiary, detention center, correction center, correctional facility, or remand center, is a facility where people are imprisoned under the authority of the state, usually as punishment for various cr ...
in Carthage, Illinois. Cutler was a pallbearer at Smith's funeral.
Events of 1844–51
Cutler remains in Nauvoo
Smith's death produced a profound
succession crisis A succession crisis is a crisis that arises when an order of succession fails, for example when a monarch dies without an indisputable heir. It may result in a war of succession.
Examples include (see List of wars of succession):
* The Wars of Th ...
in his movement, with members torn between competing claimants for Smith's prophetic mantle. These included the
Quorum of the Twelve, led by
Brigham Young
Brigham Young ( ; June 1, 1801August 29, 1877) was an American religious leader and politician. He was the second President of the Church (LDS Church), president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1847 until h ...
;
James Strang
James Jesse Strang (March 21, 1813 – July 9, 1856) was an American religious leader, politician and self-proclaimed monarch. He served as a member of the Michigan House of Representatives from 1853 until his assassination.
In 1844, he said he ...
, a newly baptized convert from
Wisconsin
Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...
; and
Sidney Rigdon
Sidney Rigdon (February 19, 1793 – July 14, 1876) was a leader during the early history of the Latter Day Saint movement.
Biography Early life
Rigdon was born in St. Clair Township, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, on February 19, 1793. He ...
, who had served as Joseph Smith's First Counselor in the
First Presidency
Among many churches in the Latter Day Saint movement, the First Presidency (also known as the Quorum of the Presidency of the Church) is the highest presiding or governing body. Present-day denominations of the movement led by a First Presidency ...
.
At first, Cutler threw in his lot with the Twelve. He continued to work on the Nauvoo Temple, where he was reportedly "
sealed" to Lois on 14 February 1846.
LDS Church
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a nontrinitarian restorationist Christian denomination and the largest denomination in the Latter Day Saint movement. Founded during ...
records indicate that Cutler was married to six other women during this timeframe, but the Cutlerite church adamantly denies this or any assertion that Cutler—or Joseph Smith, for that matter—approved of or practiced
plural marriage
Polygamy (called plural marriage by Latter-day Saints in the 19th century or the Principle by modern fundamentalist practitioners of polygamy) was practiced by leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) for more ...
. Although the Nauvoo Temple would be dedicated on 1 May 1846 by
apostle
An apostle (), in its literal sense, is an emissary. The word is derived from Ancient Greek ἀπόστολος (''apóstolos''), literally "one who is sent off", itself derived from the verb ἀποστέλλειν (''apostéllein''), "to se ...
Orson Hyde, Cutler would later insist that it had not been finished by the "sufficient time" given in the revelation authorizing its construction; this proved pivotal for his own claims to legitimacy when he decided to commence his own church organization in 1853.
At this point, however, Cutler's loyalties were clearly with Brigham Young; he participated as a member of the High Council in the
excommunication
Excommunication is an institutional act of religious censure used to deprive, suspend, or limit membership in a religious community or to restrict certain rights within it, in particular those of being in Koinonia, communion with other members o ...
trials of Rigdon and Strang, as well as Joseph Smith's own brother,
William
William is a masculine given name of Germanic languages, Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman Conquest, Norman conquest in 1066,All Things William"Meaning & Origin of the Name"/ref> and remained so throughout the Middle ...
, who had publicly endorsed Strang. During a discussion over the competing succession claims in the High Council, Cutler indicated that he "felt bound to sustain the Twelve, and all the Quorums of the Church with its present organization, for on that his salvation depended."
Winter Quarters

When Brigham Young decided to commence the Saints' trek 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 appointed Cutler as Captain of "Emigrating Company No. 3," one of twenty-five such travelling units into which the Mormon pioneers were organized. Cutler established
Cutler's Park,
Nebraska
Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...
, in 1846, and was appointed presiding member of the municipal High Council on 9 August of that year. Barely a month later, he was asked to find a new location for a settlement; on 11 September he selected the site that would become
Winter Quarters, Nebraska.
Trouble begins
Sometime prior to 1849, Cutler made a decision to withdraw from the main church body under the Twelve, and to go his own way. In the fall of 1847, Brigham Young had sanctioned his request to conduct the mission work among the Indians to which Joseph Smith had assigned him, and Cutler had commenced his efforts with nearby tribes. All seemed well at first. However, the arrival of apostle
Orson Hyde at nearby
Kanesville, Iowa
Council Bluffs is a city in and the county seat of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, United States. The population was 62,799 at the 2020 census, making it the state's tenth most populous city, and the most populous city in Southwest Iowa. The O ...
, in early 1848 changed the situation. Cutler soon became the subject of lurid rumors concerning his Indian mission, with spurious reports indicating that he had been elected as the "Generalissimo" of a union of "thirty-seven nations". Further allegations of disloyalty to the Twelve by Cutler among the "Lamanites" fueled the fire; a visit by
Ezra T. Benson,
George A. Smith and others to Cutler's mission only partially calmed the situation. Although Brigham Young wrote to Cutler, offering him aid to move west, a house 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 ...
and a warm welcome once he arrived, the "Old Fox" (as Cutler was affectionately called) refused to go.
According to Cutler biographer Danny Jorgensen, Cutler had been appointed to a committee of the Council of Fifty specializing in "Lamanite" affairs, and he might have seen his mission as ultimately being Council of Fifty business, rather than as church business; thus, his resistance to Hyde and the others' attempts to regulate his activities among the
Kansas
Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...
tribes. However, since the role and place of the Fifty within Joseph Smith's overall scheme of things was not well known to many Latter Day Saints (due in part to its secret nature, and in part to Smith's untimely demise), many Latter Day Saints misunderstood Cutler's intentions and pronouncements on this subject, and this contributed to the eventual severing of his ties with Brigham Young's church.
Excommunication
Hyde ultimately became convinced that Cutler considered himself to be a greater authority than the council over which he (Hyde) presided, and ordered his mission suspended. Insisting that Cutler had become an enemy to Young's organization, the Kanesville High Council
excommunicated
Excommunication is an institutional act of religious censure used to deprive, suspend, or limit membership in a religious community or to restrict certain rights within it, in particular those of being in communion with other members of the con ...
him on 20 April 1851. Young labored to bring Cutler back into the fold, writing of an ardent desire to see his old friend and promising him protection against any enemies he might have in the church. Even as late as 1856, long after Cutler had founded his own organization, Young indicated to LDS Church
general authorities that he would forgive everything if Cutler would only come 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 st ...
.
Founding a new church
The "Cutlerite" reorganization
But Cutler had no intention of going to Utah. Having broken with Young's organization, he set about creating his own. Having been forced to abandon his mission in 1851 under pressure from local
Indian Agent
In United States history, an Indian agent was an individual authorized to interact with American Indian tribes on behalf of the U.S. government.
Agents established in Nonintercourse Act of 1793
The federal regulation of Indian affairs in the Un ...
s and government authorities, he and his followers relocated to
Manti, Iowa
Manti, Iowa is an Unincorporated area#United States, unincorporated community in Fremont County, Iowa, Fremont County, in the U.S. state of Iowa. Manti was founded in 1852 by Alpheus Cutler and Edmund Fisher, both of whom were prominent members of ...
, in the southwestern part of that state. On September 19, 1853, Cutler organized
The Church of Jesus Christ, claiming that he had seen a prophesied celestial sign (two crescent-moons with their backs together) which Joseph Smith had allegedly told him to wait for before commencing this "reorganization" of the church. Cutler claimed that Smith's church had been "rejected" by God, and that only he possessed the power to reorganize it. Thus, claimed Cutler, his new organization was the sole legitimate continuance of Joseph Smith's work.
According to Cutler, the misdeed that brought about the rejection of Joseph Smith's church was its failure to complete the Nauvoo Temple within the "sufficient time" mentioned in
Doctrine and Covenants
The Doctrine and Covenants (sometimes abbreviated and cited as D&C or D. and C.) is a part of the open scriptural canon of several denominations of the Latter Day Saint movement. Originally published in 1835 as Doctrine and Covenants of the Chur ...
124:31–32; that organization had accordingly ceased to exist as a legitimate entity. This did not mean that Smith's restored
priesthood had been withdrawn from the earth, said Cutler, for he viewed the church and the priesthood as two separate things. While the former had been rejected, said he, the latter had not, and now remained solely with him as the seventh and final member of a furtive "Quorum of Seven" appointed by Smith to carry on his authority independently of the rejected church. All previous members of this quorum had died or apostatized, said Cutler;
[Fletcher, p. 54.] hence, he and he alone possessed power to "reorganize" Smith's church. Historian
D. Michael Quinn surmises that this Quorum might have been the same as the so-called "Committee of the Council" or "Committee of Seven" spoken of in documents relating to the Council of Fifty, but questions whether it was ever anything more than a political body within the Council, as opposed to a group with "extraordinary religious or theocratic powers."
Cutler viewed the death of Joseph Smith as the rejection by the "Gentiles" of the restored gospel; as a result, the new sect believed that the gospel was to go to "the Jews and the House of Israel, including the Lamanites (Native Americans)."
However, the Cutlerites proselyted to other groups of people regardless.
Manti
While in Manti, the Cutlerite church attained its highest membership figure: 183 persons. The church endeavored to establish a
United Order, but soon gave up the attempt. Cutler became convinced that he was destined to lead a Mormon return to
Independence, Missouri
Independence is a city in and one of two county seats of Jackson County, Missouri, United States. It is a satellite city of Kansas City, Missouri, and is the largest suburb on the Missouri side of the Kansas City metropolitan area. In 2020 Unite ...
, and build there the great temple that the Mormons had tried (and failed, due to intense local opposition) to construct in 1832–33; in an 1861 sermon, Cutler prophesied that he would "be standing in Zion, if he were 80 years old." According to
Joseph Smith III
Joseph Smith III (November 6, 1832 – December 10, 1914) was the eldest surviving son of Joseph Smith (founder of the Latter Day Saint movement) and Emma Hale Smith. Joseph Smith III was the Prophet-President of what became the Reorganized Chu ...
, eldest son of Joseph Smith and leader of a rival faction known as the
New Organization, Cutler's followers were so convinced that they would be moving to Independence soon that they refused to make substantial improvements to their homes and lands, and remained in a constant state of readiness to leave at a moment's notice for "
Zion
Zion (; ) is a placename in the Tanakh, often used as a synonym for Jerusalem as well as for the Land of Israel as a whole.
The name is found in 2 Samuel (), one of the books of the Tanakh dated to approximately the mid-6th century BCE. It o ...
."
Manti was visited during this period by missionaries from Joseph Smith III's church, now known as the
Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
Community of Christ, known legally and from 1872 to 2001 as the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (RLDS), is an American-based international church, and is the second-largest denomination in the Latter Day Saint movement ...
(RLDS Church). These visits began in 1855 with a letter from
Zenos Gurley inviting Cutler to join their movement. Cutler rebuffed Gurley's overtures with a tersely-worded letter of his own, in which he openly ridiculed the RLDS Church's claims and insisted that ''his'' organization alone was possessed of the true priesthood authority. Nevertheless, many Cutlerites chose to accept "young Joseph;" among them was Cutler's son (and designated successor), Thaddeus.
[Fletcher, p. 63.] Joseph Smith III visited Cutler in person in 1863; he reported that the once-robust prophet had become partially paralyzed (due to a recent stroke) and weighed nearly 300 pounds; he struggled to speak, Joseph reported, but was no longer able to communicate effectively.
Death and aftermath
Cutler died from complications of
pulmonary tuberculosis
Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...
on 10 June 1864, and is buried in Manti, Iowa.
On 10 August 1864, those members of his church who had remained loyal to Cutler (including his wife, Lois) relocated to
Clitherall, near
Battle Lake,
Minnesota
Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...
, in response to an alleged vision.
RLDS Church evangelists followed the Cutlerites to their new home and culled many more from their ranks, ultimately leaving Cutler's church with a mere three elders and a few members. The remaining Cutlerites refused to give up, however, constructing a new church building in Clitherall and successfully establishing a church corporation in 1912 to effect the ideals of Joseph Smith's United Order; this corporation continues to function today.
During the 1920s, church members began to fulfill Cutler's long-cherished dream when they relocated their headquarters to Independence, Missouri; there they built a meetinghouse that remains today as the only functioning Cutlerite church building. As Cutler had taught in Manti, his followers continue to perform
endowments and
baptisms for the dead today, virtually alone among all non–LDS Church-derived Latter Day Saint churches.
Two schisms emerged from the original Cutlerite organization: the
first was started by
Clyde Fletcher in 1953 and vanished with his death in 1969. The
second
The second (symbol: s) is a unit of time derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes, and finally to 60 seconds each (24 × 60 × 60 = 86400). The current and formal definition in the International System of U ...
was begun by former member
Eugene Walton in 1980, after the mainline Cutlerite organization rejected his claims to be the "
One Mighty and Strong." Cutler's church continues to function today, albeit with diminutive membership numbers (12 members in 2010, all in Independence). Its current president is (as of 2013) Vernon Whiting.
Wife, alleged plural wives and children
Cutler's legal wife (and the only wife Cutlerites will acknowledge him having) was Lois Lathrop, who was born September 24, 1788, in
Lebanon, New Hampshire
Lebanon ( ) is the only city in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 14,282 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, up from 13,151 at the 2010 United States census, 2010 census. Lebanon is in western New Hampshi ...
, and remained married to Cutler until his death. She and Cutler had the following children:
*Thaddeus (b. June 18, 1809, in Lisle, Broome Co., N.Y.)
*Libeus (b. 1814 in Ontario, Broome)
*Louisa Elizabeth (b. May 16, 1816, in Lisle, Broome)
*Sally Mavea (b. Sept. 9, 1818 in Lisle, Broome)
*William (b. Feb. 6, 1821 in Ontario, Wayne Co., N.Y.)
*Benjamin Franklin (b. Apr. 13, 1823 in Pomfret, Chatauqua Co., N.Y.)
*Clarissa Crissy (b. Dec. 23, 1824 in Pomfret, Chattauqua)
*Emily Trask (b. Feb. 23, 1828 in Hanover, Chautauqua)
*Edwin H. (b. 1829 in New York)
*Betsy A. (b. 1832 in Pomfret, Chatauqua, N.Y.)
Cutler's daughter Louisa Elizabeth Cutler (1816–1854) married Tunis Rappleye (1807–1883), who led the second group of
Mormon pioneers
The Mormon pioneers were members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), also known as Latter-day Saints, who Human migration, migrated beginning in the mid-1840s until the late-1860s across the United States from the ...
(after
Brigham Young
Brigham Young ( ; June 1, 1801August 29, 1877) was an American religious leader and politician. He was the second President of the Church (LDS Church), president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1847 until h ...
's group) into 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 ...
in 1847. Their marriage produced 10 children and hundreds of descendants. Two other daughters, Clarissa (1824) and Emily (1828), married LDS Church apostle
Heber Chase Kimball (1801) as polygamous wives. Both later divorced him.
In addition to his legal wife, Lois, LDS Church records indicate Cutler as having married the following women in 1846:
*Luana Hart Beebe Rockwell (b. Oct. 3, 1814 in Lebanon, Madison, NY; d. Mar. 6, 1897 in West Tintic, Juab Co., UT)
*Margaret Carr (b. 1771 in North Carolina);
*Abigail Carr (b. 1780 in North Carolina);
*Sally Cox Smith Hutchings (b. Feb. 26, 1794 in Bernard, Somerset, NJ; d. Sept. 28, 1863 in Salt Lake City);
*Disey Caroline McCall (b. 1802 in North Carolina);
*Henrietta Clarinda Miller (b. 1822 in New York).
The contemporary Cutlerite church adamantly denies that any of these alleged marriages occurred, or that Cutler ever sanctioned or practiced
plural marriage
Polygamy (called plural marriage by Latter-day Saints in the 19th century or the Principle by modern fundamentalist practitioners of polygamy) was practiced by leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) for more ...
. According to non-Cutlerite biographer Danny L. Jorgensen, Cutler allegedly abandoned his plural wives (and plural marriage altogether) sometime during the 1850s after one of his disciples, F. Walter Cox, was threatened with imprisonment in
Iowa
Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...
. This same biographer also cites Heber C. Kimball's abandonment of Cutler's two daughters as another reason for Cutler's disaffection with polygamy.
Notes
Further reading
*Jorgensen, Danny, Ph.D
Building the Kingdom of God: Alpheus Cutler and the Second Mormon Mission to the Indians Excellent overview of Cutler's Indian mission.
*Jorgensen, Danny, Ph.D.
The Old Fox: Alpheus Cutler
External links
*
Manti, Iowa Contains information and a few modern photos of the old Cutlerite cemetery and settlement in Manti, Iowa, which was founded by Cutler in 1851. Also includes a map of the town, and photos of Cutler's gravestone.
Church of Jesus Christ (Cutlerites) collection L. Tom Perry Special Collections,
Harold B. Lee Library,
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University (BYU) is a Private education, private research university in Provo, Utah, United States. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is the flagship university of the Church Educational System sponsore ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cutler, Alpheus
1784 births
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19th-century deaths from tuberculosis
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