Charles Ivins (April 16, 1799 – January 29, 1875) was an early member 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 a publisher of the ''

Nauvoo Expositor The ''Nauvoo Expositor'' was a newspaper in Nauvoo, Illinois, United States, that published only one issue. Its publication, and the destruction of the printing press ordered by Mayor Joseph Smith and the city council, set off a chain of even ...

''.

Early life

Ivins was born to Israel Ivins and Margaret Woodward in

Burlington County, New Jersey Burlington County is a county in the South Jersey region of the U.S. state of New Jersey. The county is the largest by land area in New Jersey and ranks second behind neighboring Ocean County in total area. Its county seat is Mount Holly.< ...

. On May 1, 1823, Ivins married Elizabeth Lippencott Shinn.

Baptized into the Latter Day Saint church

While living in New Jersey in February 1840, Ivins was baptized into 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 restorationist Christian denomination and the largest denomination in the Latter Day Saint movement. Founded dur ...

. In Spring 1841, Ivins moved 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 ...

to join the main gathering of church members On April 28, 1844, those dissenting from the leadership of

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 ...

at Nauvoo formed their own church, appointing Ivins to the post of

bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

''Nauvoo Expositor'' and the death of Joseph Smith

Ivins was

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 ...

from the church on May 18, 1844, and subsequently became one of the publishers of the ''

'', a newspaper critical of

and other church leaders. After Smith ordered the newspaper's press destroyed, Smith was arrested and ultimately killed by a mob while awaiting trial.

Later life

In 1845, a year after Smith's death, Ivins moved to

Keokuk, Iowa Keokuk is a city in and a county seat of Lee County, Iowa, United States. It is Iowa's southernmost city. The population was 9,900 at the time of the United States Census, 2020, 2020 census. The city is named after the Sauk people, Sauk chief K ...

, where he engaged in various professions, including merchant, hotelier, ferry owner, and farmer. He remained in Keokuk until his death on January 29, 1875.

References

1799 births 1875 deaths American newspaper publishers (people) Converts to Mormonism Former Latter Day Saints Latter Day Saints from New Jersey Nauvoo Expositor publishers People excommunicated by the Church of Christ (Latter Day Saints) People from Burlington County, New Jersey People from Keokuk, Iowa {{US-publish-bio-stub