Newel Knight (September 13, 1800 – January 11, 1847) was a close friend 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 ...

and one of the first

branch president A branch president is a leader of a "branch" congregation of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). The calling of branch president is very similar to the calling of bishop, except that instead of presiding over a ward, th ...

s 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 b ...

. Born at

Marlboro, Vermont Marlboro is a New England town, town in Windham County, Vermont, Windham County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,722 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. The town is home to the Southern Vermont Natural History Museum and P ...

, Knight was the son of Joseph Knight, Sr. and Polly Peck. When Newel was about eight years old his family moved to

Colesville, New York Colesville is a town in Broome County, New York, United States. The population was 4,877 at the 2020 census. The town is in the northeastern part of the county and is northeast of Binghamton. History The area was first settled circa 1785 ...

. He married Sally Colburn on June 7, 1825. The couple had three children. Knight was

baptized Baptism (from ) is a Christian sacrament of initiation almost invariably with the use of water. It may be performed by sprinkling or pouring water on the head, or by immersing in water either partially or completely, traditionally three ...

into 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 ...

(the original name of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints), in May 1830 by

David Whitmer David Whitmer (January 7, 1805 – January 25, 1888) was an early leader of the Latter Day Saint Movement and one of the Three Witnesses to the gold plates of the Book of Mormon. Whitmer later distanced himself from Joseph Smith and was excommu ...

. Prior to this,

, the 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 ...

, had cast an evil spirit out of Knight. This event is considered by some to be the first miracle performed in the history of the Latter-day Saint movement. Shortly after this, Knight had a vision of heaven. With the baptism of Knight's parents, siblings, and aunts and uncles in July 1830, the Colesville Branch of the church was organized with Knight as its presiding authority. He continued to preside over this branch through its relocation to

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

and then to

Jackson County, Missouri Jackson County is located in the western portion of the U.S. state of Missouri, on the border with Kansas. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 717,204. making it the second-most populous county in the state (af ...

. When the second high council of the church was organized in Missouri in 1834, Knight was appointed a member of it. He would serve on three more high councils. In September 1834, Knight's wife Sally died in Missouri during the persecution of the Latter Day Saints. On November 24, 1835, Knight married Lydia Goldthwaite Bailey 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 ...

. This was the first marriage performed by Joseph Smith. In both Missouri and later at

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 ...

, Knight constructed mills. In 1846–1847, Knight was part of the Ponca Encampment, led by George Miller. While in Nebraska preparing to travel west, Knight grew sick and received a blessing at the hands of his wife Lydia. It was then reported that "all pain left him and in a short time he sweetly fell asleep in death without a struggle or a groan." Knight died at Ponca (in what is today

Knox County, Nebraska Knox County is a county in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 8,391. Its county seat is Center. Knox County was named for Continental and U.S. Army Major General Henry Knox. In the Nebraska ...

) from lung inflammation, probably pneumonia. His widow Lydia gave birth to Newel's ninth child, Hyrum Knight, seven months after Newel died. She brought the family to Utah in 1850. Newel's eighth child,

Jesse Knight Jesse Knight (6 September 1845 — 14 March 1921) was an American mining magnate, one of relatively few Latter-day Saints in 19th century Western America to find major success in the field. After the death of his father Newel Knight, Jesse's ...

, was later prominent as a successful mining magnate and philanthropist.

References

*''Encyclopedia of Latter-day Saint History'', p. 628. * Black, Susan Easton. ''Who's Who in the Doctrine and Covenants''. (Salt Lake City:

Bookcraft Bookcraft was a major publisher of books and products for members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). History In 1940, LDS Church president Heber J. Grant asked the church's ''Improvement Era'' magazine to compile ...

, 1997) p. 168-171. *William G. Hartley, ''“They Are My Friends”: A History of the Joseph Knight Family, 1825–1850'', pp. 169–180.

External links

Newel Knight autobiography
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 ...

Lydia G. Knight genealogical records and correspondence
L. Tom Perry Special Collections, Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University {{DEFAULTSORT:Knight, Newel 1800 births 1847 deaths American leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Converts to Mormonism Doctrine and Covenants people Exorcised people Knight family (Latter Day Saints) Mormon mystics People from Colesville, New York People from Marlboro, Vermont