Cyrus Hubbard Wheelock (February 28, 1813 – October 11, 1894) was an early missionary and leader 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 ...

. He wrote the words to the

Latter-day Saint 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 sever ...

hymn "Ye Elders of Israel". Wheelock was born at Henderson,

Jefferson County, New York Jefferson County is a county on the northern border of the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 116,721. Its county seat is Watertown. The county is named after Thomas Jefferson, third President of the United St ...

. He was

baptized Baptism (from grc-x-koine, βάπτισμα, váptisma) is a form of ritual purification—a characteristic of many religions throughout time and geography. In Christianity, it is a Christian sacrament of initiation and adoption, almost inv ...

a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of L atter-day Saints on September 1, 1839. Shortly afterward, he served as a

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, 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.Tho ...

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the ...

. In 1844, Wheelock tried to convince Governor Thomas Ford of

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Roc ...

to release Joseph Smith Jr. from Carthage Jail. Wheelock gave Smith the pistol which he had when the mob attacked the jail at Carthage. Wheelock served three missions to England. He presided over the

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...

Liverpool Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...

and

Preston Preston is a place name, surname and given name that may refer to: Places England *Preston, Lancashire, an urban settlement **The City of Preston, Lancashire, a borough and non-metropolitan district which contains the settlement **County Boro ...

Conferences.Aird, Polly
"Bound for Zion: The Ten- and Thirteen-Pound Emigrating Companies, 1853-54"
''Utah Historical Quarterly'' p. 306 In 1853, Wheelock was a counselor to Isaac Haight, president of a camp of Latter-day Saints waiting to set out from

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

. Wheelock was the captain of one of the pioneer companies that crossed the plains 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 sta ...

. Hartley, William G.
"LDS Emigration in 1853: The Keokuk Encampment and Outfitting Ten Wagon Trains for Utah"
'' Mormon Historical Studies'' Fall 2003, 43-76. In 1854, Wheelock became the president of the 37th

Quorum A quorum is the minimum number of members of a deliberative assembly (a body that uses parliamentary procedure, such as a legislature) necessary to conduct the business of that group. According to '' Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised'', the ...

of the Seventy.James Ririe: Autobiography of James Ririe, Part 2, Ririe.org
In 1856, Wheelock was part of a rescue party

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 his ...

sent to assist the stranded pioneer companies including the Martin Handcart Company near the Sweetwater River in Wyoming. He served as chaplain of one of the rescue companies Wheelock settled in Mount Pleasant, Utah Territory. He wrote several hymns while living here.Mormon Literature & Creative Arts
/ref> In 1878 and 1879, Wheelock served as president of the Northern States Mission which then consisted of the states of

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the List of U.S. states and territories by population, 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minne ...

Iowa Iowa () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wiscon ...

and

. He died in Mount Pleasant, Utah Territory.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wheelock, Cyrus H. 1813 births 1894 deaths 19th-century American writers 19th-century Mormon missionaries American Latter Day Saint hymnwriters American Latter Day Saints American Mormon missionaries in England American Mormon missionaries in the United States Converts to Mormonism Mission presidents (LDS Church) Mormon pioneers People from Henderson, New York People from Mount Pleasant, Utah