John Tanner (August 15, 1778 – April 13, 1850) was a leading figure in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and a chief financial backer of the

Kirtland Temple The Kirtland Temple is the first temple built by adherents of the Latter Day Saint movement, located in Kirtland, Ohio, and dedicated in March 1836. Joseph Smith, the movement's founder, directed the construction following a series of reported ...

. Tanner was a native of

Rhode Island Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Is ...

. He moved to New York when fairly young. Of his 21 children from three successive wives (his first two wives died before he married his next wife), 14 lived to adulthood. Tanner was a

Baptist Baptists are a Christian denomination, denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers (believer's baptism) and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches ge ...

until he joined

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 ...

in 1832. He was baptized by

Jared Carter Jared Carter may refer to: * Jared Carter (Latter Day Saints) (1801–1849), an early missionary in the Latter Day Saint movement *Jared Carter (poet) Jared Carter (born January 10, 1939) is an American poet and editor. Life Carter was born in a ...

. Ten of his 14 children who lived to adulthood affiliated with

and eventually moved 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 ...

. In late 1834, Tanner sold his property in and around Lake George, New York which included a hotel. He then 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 in early 1835 he lent money and assumed loans to keep the building of the Kirtland Temple moving forward. When

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 ...

tried to repay him he refused any payment saying they owed him nothing. Tanner moved with the main body of the Church to Missouri, where he was on one occasion attacked as a result of mob and government persecution that led to the Saints fleeing the state. He then moved to

Montrose, Iowa Montrose is a city in Lee County, Iowa. The population was 738 at the time of the 2020 census. The town is located on the Mississippi River. It is part of the Fort Madison-Keokuk Micropolitan Statistical Area. History The area around Montros ...

where he lived for six years. He then moved for a time 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 ...

. Tanner eventually went west with the pioneers. He led the large family of his son-in-law

Amasa Lyman Amasa Mason Lyman (March 30, 1813 – February 4, 1877) was an early leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and was an apostle. He was also a counselor in the First Presidency to Joseph Smith. Early life and conversion Lyman was born in Lyman, ...

west, since Lyman was in the advanced pioneer company. Two of Tanner's sons were in the

Mormon Battalion The Mormon Battalion was the only religious unit in United States military history in federal service, recruited solely from one religious body and having a religious title as the unit designation. The volunteers served from July 1846 to Jul ...

. He settled in Cottonwood, Utah Territory where he died in 1850.

Legacy and descendants

T. C. Christensen Thomas C. Christensen (born 1953) is an American cinematographer, film director, and writer best known for his work on films related to the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), including '' Joseph Smith: The P ...

produced a short film based on Tanner's life, ''Treasure in Heaven: The John Tanner Story''. ;Children Sidney Tanner was involved in the

Battle of Crooked River The Battle of Crooked River was a skirmish that occurred on October 25, 1838, and was a major escalator of the 1838 Mormon War. A Mormon rescue party, led by David W. Patten, formed to free three Mormon captives taken from Caldwell County the ...

. He then lived in Montrose. His wife and the three youngest of his five children all died at the time that they joined the body of the Mormons in heading west. He later served on the city council and the Mormon high council in

San Bernardino, California San Bernardino ( ) is a city in and the county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States. Located in the Inland Empire region of Southern California, the city had a population of 222,101 in the 2020 census, making it the List of ...

. In 1857 he moved to Utah, eventually settling in

Beaver Beavers (genus ''Castor'') are large, semiaquatic rodents of the Northern Hemisphere. There are two existing species: the North American beaver (''Castor canadensis'') and the Eurasian beaver (''C. fiber''). Beavers are the second-large ...

. He was a polygamist and had 22 children.George Shepherd Tanner, John Tanner and His Family, The John Tanner Family Association, Publishers Press, Salt Lake City, Utah (1974) John Joshua Tanner and Nathan Tanner were part of

Zion's Camp Zion's Camp was an expedition of Latter Day Saints led by Joseph Smith, from Kirtland, Ohio, to Clay County, Missouri, during May and June 1834 in an unsuccessful attempt to regain land from which the Saints had been expelled by non-Mormon sett ...

. Louisa Maria Tanner married

Amasa M. Lyman Amasa Mason Lyman (March 30, 1813 – February 4, 1877) was an early leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and was an apostle. He was also a counselor in the First Presidency to Joseph Smith. Early life and conversion Lyman was born in Lyman, ...

. Albert Tanner and Myron Tanner were in the

. ;Other descendants Among Tanner's grandchildren were Joseph M. Tanner and Francis M. Lyman (the son of his daughter Louisa Maria). His granddaughter Emily S. Tanner Richards was one of the main founders of the Utah Woman's Suffrage Association. Other prominent later descendants of John Tanner were

Hugh B. Brown Hugh Brown Brown (October 24, 1883 – December 2, 1975) was an American attorney, educator, author and leader in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was a member of the church's Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and First Presidency ...

and N. Eldon Tanner, members of 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 ...

of the LDS Church, Ronald M. Tanner product manager in charge of the creation of

FamilySearch FamilySearch is a nonprofit organization and website offering genealogical records, education, and software. It is operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and is part of the Church's Family History Department (FHD). The Fami ...

FamilyTree, and several companion features & products,https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/speakers/ron-tanner/en and John S. Tanner, a poet, literary scholar and academic vice president at

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 ...

. Ethnobotanist and prominent Latter-day Saint conservationist

Paul Alan Cox Paul Alan Cox is an American ethnobotanist whose scientific research focuses on discovering new medicines by studying patterns of wellness and illness among indigenous peoples. Cox was born in Salt Lake City in 1953. Education After receiving h ...

is also a descendant of John Tanner. Radio talk show personality Martin Tanner, host of the Religion Today show on KSL Radio, a frequent defender of Mormonism, is a great-great-great-grandson of John Tanner.

Jerald Tanner Jerald Dee Tanner (June 1, 1938 – October 1, 2006) and Sandra McGee Tanner (born January 14, 1941) are American writers and researchers who publish archival and evidential materials about the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day S ...

, a prominent critic of Mormonism, was John Tanner's great-great-grandson.

References

* Arrington, Leonard J.
"The John Tanner Family"
''

Ensign Ensign most often refers to: * Ensign (flag), a flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality * Ensign (rank), a navy (and former army) officer rank Ensign or The Ensign may also refer to: Places * Ensign, Alberta, Alberta, Canada * Ensign, Ka ...

'' Mar 1979. {{DEFAULTSORT:Tanner, John 1778 births American Latter Day Saints Mormon pioneers Converts to Mormonism from Baptist denominations 1850 deaths Tanner family People from Beaver, Utah John Tanner and His Family Sidney Tanner: His Ancestors and Descendants Pioneers and Prominent Men of Utah Membership of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 1830–1848 Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia Scraps of Biography: Tenth Book of the Faith Promoting Series Descendants of John Tanner William Tanner of North Kingstown, Rhode Island and His Descendants Descendants of John Joshua Tanner

Legacy and descendants

See also

References