Shadrach Roundy (January 1, 1789 – July 4, 1872 Jenson, Andrew. ''

Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia ''Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia: A Compilation of Biographical Sketches of Prominent Men and Women in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints'' (abbreviated ''LDS Biographical Encyclopedia'') is a four-volume biographical di ...

'' (Salt Lake City, utah: Deseret news Press, 1936) vol. 4, p. 717.) was an early

Latter Day Saint 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 ...

leader born in

Rockingham, Vermont Rockingham is a New England town, town along the Connecticut River in Windham County, Vermont, Windham County, Vermont, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 4,832. Rockingham includes the incorporated ...

. Roundy was the second oldest (59) member of

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 h ...

's Company, which arrived in the

Salt Lake Valley Salt Lake Valley is a valley in Salt Lake County, Utah, Salt Lake County in the north-central portion of the U.S. state of Utah. It contains Salt Lake City, Utah, Salt Lake City and many of its suburbs, notably Murray, Utah, Murray, Sandy, Uta ...

in 1847, and was one of the advance party which arrived in the valley ahead of the main party in order to start planting crops. He was one of the three men who, on July 23, 1847, were the first

Mormon pioneers The Mormon pioneers were members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), also known as Latter-day Saints, who Human migration, migrated beginning in the mid-1840s until the late-1860s across the United States from the ...

recorded to

plow A plough or (Differences between American and British spellings, US) plow (both pronounced ) is a farm tool for loosening or turning the soil before sowing seed or planting. Ploughs were traditionally drawn by oxen and horses but modern ploughs ...

soil in what became

Utah Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...

. He is also mentioned in and was a bodyguard 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 ...

. He was a

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 ...

Winter Quarters, Nebraska Winter Quarters was an encampment formed by approximately 2,500 members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as they waited during the winter of 1846–47 for better conditions for their trek westward. It followed a preliminary te ...

, a member of the first High Council organized in the

, again a bishop in

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in the state. The city is the core of the Salt Lake Ci ...

, a senator in the first legislature of the provisional

State of Deseret The State of Deseret (modern pronunciation , contemporaneously , as recorded in the Deseret alphabet spelling 𐐔𐐯𐑅𐐨𐑉𐐯𐐻) was a proposed U.S. state, state of the United States promoted by leaders of the Church of Jesus Chri ...

Role during Mormon expulsion from Missouri

Roundy played a very important part in the removal of the

Latter Day Saints 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 ...

from

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

. So much of the Mormons' property had been either destroyed or taken over by mobocrats that a number of destitute refugees found it impossible to move themselves and families to safety. The timing of the expulsion during the winter of 1838-39 also greatly aggravated conditions, but the more fortunate promised to assist those in need. Quoting from a meeting held at

Far West Far West may refer to: Places * Western Canada, or the West ** British Columbia Coast * Western United States, or Far West ** West Coast of the United States * American frontier, or Far West, Old West, or Wild West * Far West (Taixi), a term used ...

on January 29, 1839: Roundy was the ninth to sign the covenant, which bound the signers to give freely of all their "available property, to be disposed of by a committee who shall be appointed for the purpose of providing means for the removing from this State of the poor and destitute who shall be considered worthy, till there shall not be one left who desires to remove from the State." Accordingly, a committee composed of Roundy and six others directed the removal of the exiles, and provided means of conveyance, food, clothing, and temporary shelters for the destitute.

Nauvoo Years (1839–46)

After their removal from Missouri, the majority of Latter Day Saints fled to Western Illinois, eventually concentrating at Commerce (renamed Nauvoo),

Hancock County, Illinois Hancock County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it has a population of 17,620. Its county seat is Carthage, Illinois, Carthage, and its largest city is H ...

. Although the Latter Day Saints were only in Hancock County for seven years, it provided a home where they experienced many changes and developments. During this time period Roundy was active in both civil and ecclesiastical affairs. Roundy was a member of the Nauvoo Police force beginning in 1843. He was also one of twelve men on the Board of Control for the Nauvoo Agricultural and Mechanical (or Manufacturing) Association. Roundy protected

on at least two occasions. Once, while a group of men led by

William Law William Law (16869 April 1761) was a Church of England priest who lost his position at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, when his conscience would not allow him to take the required oath of allegiance to the first Hanoverian monarch, George I of Grea ...

tried to enter the Smith home Roundy held them back with his cane. On another occasion he accompanied Smith to Monmouth, Illinois, for a trial. Roundy helped prepare the

Red Brick Store The Red Brick Store in Nauvoo, Illinois, was a building constructed and owned by Joseph Smith, founder of the Latter Day Saint movement. Original building Smith constructed the Red Brick Store in 1841. The building became a center of economic, p ...

for some of the first endowments performed in Nauvoo. Shortly before the exodus from Nauvoo, Roundy was assigned to explore

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

(apparently the plan was never carried out) as an option for settlement in the West opposed to the

Great Basin The Great Basin () is the largest area of contiguous endorheic watersheds, those with no outlets to the ocean, in North America. It spans nearly all of Nevada, much of Utah, and portions of California, Idaho, Oregon, Wyoming, and Baja Californi ...

Latter life in Utah

Roundy was bishop of the 16th Ward in Salt Lake City from 1849 until 1856. Roundy died in Salt Lake City. He is the 3rd great-grandfather of ''

The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City ''The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City'' (abbreviated as ''RHOSLC''), is an American reality television series originally developed and cast by Los Angeles-based production company InventTV and then Shed Media. It is broadcast on Bravo. The '' ...

'' cast member Whitney Rose.

Notes

References

*Pollock, Gail ''SHADRACH TREKS WESTWARD''

{{DEFAULTSORT:Roundy, Shadrach 1789 births 1872 deaths American leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Bodyguards Clergy from Salt Lake City Doctrine and Covenants people Latter Day Saints from Missouri Latter Day Saints from Utah Latter Day Saints from Vermont Mormon pioneers