Solomon Wilbur Denton Sr. (1816–1864) was an early member 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 ...

Early life

Denton was born in Fitchville,

Huron County, Ohio Huron County ( ) is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 58,565. Its county seat is Norwalk. The county was created in 1809 and later organized in 1815. Huron County is included in the Norwal ...

In the Latter Day Saint church

In 1831, Denton joined

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 ...

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 ...

and moved to

Independence, Missouri Independence is a city in and one of two county seats of Jackson County, Missouri, United States. It is a satellite city of Kansas City, Missouri, and is the largest suburb on the Missouri side of the Kansas City metropolitan area. In 2020 Unite ...

to join the Latter Day Saints there. On March 1, 1835, he was ordained an elder in the church. Denton worked with

Don Carlos Smith Don Carlos Smith (March 25, 1816 – August 7, 1841) was the youngest brother of Joseph Smith and a leader, missionary, and periodical editor in the early days of the Latter Day Saint movement. Life and career Early life Smith was born in N ...

in the

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 ...

printing office of the church. In 1835, he married Fanny M. Stanley (Smith's first cousin once removed). He reported "having seen a great vision during the time of the washings and the annointings" in 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 ...

. Denton was also a helper in Smith's household. In 1835, Denton issued a sworn statement claiming that he had been part of a plot to murder Grandison Newell.

Later life

In 1837, Denton was

excommunicated Excommunication is an institutional act of religious censure used to deprive, suspend, or limit membership in a religious community or to restrict certain rights within it, in particular those of being in communion with other members of the con ...

from the church for "lack of faith, non-observance of duties, and contempt of the quorum of High Priests." He moved to

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 ...

, where he was co-editor of a newspaper and later postmaster. Denton died in Pontiac.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Denton, Solomon Wilbur 1816 births 1864 deaths American male journalists Michigan postmasters Converts to Mormonism Latter Day Saints from Ohio People excommunicated by the Church of Christ (Latter Day Saints) People from Huron County, Ohio People from Pontiac, Michigan 19th-century American newspaper editors Editors of Michigan newspapers