Samuel Bent (July 19, 1778 – August 16, 1846) was a member of the

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 ...

and a leader in the early years of

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 ...

(LDS Church). Bent was born in Barre,

Worcester County, Massachusetts Worcester County ( ) is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 862,111, making it the second-most populous county in Massachusetts. Being 1,510.6 ...

. He lived in New York and Michigan through much of his life and was a Congregationalist and Presbyterian. He married Mary Hilbourne when he was 27, and the couple had four children. In January 1833, he was baptized a member 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 ...

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 ...

Pontiac, Michigan Pontiac ( ') is a city in and the county seat of Oakland County, Michigan, Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. Located roughly northwest of downtown Detroit, Pontiac is part of the Metro Detroit, Detroit metropolitan area, and is vari ...

. Within a few days he was serving as a missionary. Bent was a member 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 ...

, and spent time between Michigan and

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 ...

, for the next few years. He attended the

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 1836 he moved to

Liberty, Missouri Liberty is a city in and the county seat of Clay County, Missouri, United States and is a suburb of Kansas City, located in the Kansas City Metro Area. As of the 2020 United States census the population was 30,167. Liberty is home to Willia ...

. He was one of the main targets of the mobs in that place that caused the Latter Day Saints to relocate to

Caldwell County, Missouri Caldwell County is a county located in Missouri, United States. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 8,815. It is part of the Kansas City metropolitan area. Its county seat is Kingston. The county was organized December 29, 1836 ...

, where Bent was a key figure in the founding of

Far West, Missouri Far West was a settlement of the Latter Day Saint movement in Caldwell County, Missouri, United States, during the late 1830s. It is recognized as a historic site by the U.S. National Register of Historic Places, added to the register in 1970. I ...

. After his wife Hilbourne died, he married Lettuce Palmer in 1837. After going 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 ...

, at the time the Latter Day Saints were driven out of Missouri, Bent served as a colonel in the

Nauvoo Legion The Nauvoo Legion was a state-authorized Latter-day Saints Militias and Military Units, militia of Nauvoo, Illinois, United States from February 4, 1841 until January 29, 1845. Its main function was the defense of Nauvoo and surrounding Latte ...

and as a member of the Council of Fifty. In 1846 he was appointed as president of the Latter Day Saints in

Garden Grove, Iowa Garden Grove is a small town in Decatur County, Iowa, United States. The population was 174 at the time of the 2020 census. History On April 24, 1846, emigrants affiliated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints under the directio ...

, an office he filled until his death.

References

External links

Samuel Bent list of contributions
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 ...

Samuel Bent bond to Joseph Smith, Jr.
L. Tom Perry Special Collections, Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University
Samuel Bent account of subscriptions for printing books
L. Tom Perry Special Collections, Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University {{DEFAULTSORT:Bent, Samuel 1778 births 1846 deaths American Latter Day Saint missionaries American leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Converts to Mormonism from Presbyterianism Doctrine and Covenants people Latter Day Saint missionaries in the United States Latter Day Saints from Illinois Latter Day Saints from Michigan People from Barre, Massachusetts People from Far West, Missouri People from Nauvoo, Illinois People from Pontiac, Michigan

References

Further reading

External links