William Huntington (March 28, 1784 – August 19, 1846) was an early leader in

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), most prominently during the time the

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 ...

were moving from

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 ...

, to

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 ...

. Huntington was born in New Grantham, New Hampshire, to William and Prescindia Lathrop Huntington on March 28, 1784. In 1804, he and his parents moved to Watertown,

Jefferson County, New York Jefferson County is a county on the northern border of the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 116,721. Its county seat is Watertown. The county is named after Thomas Jefferson, third President of the United S ...

. On December 28, 1806, Huntington married Zina Baker and they became the parents of ten children. He then served in the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

, becoming involved in conflicts such as the

Battle of Sackett's Harbor The Second Battle of Sacket's Harbor, or simply the Battle of Sacket's Harbor, took place on 29 May 1813, during the War of 1812. A British force was transported across Lake Ontario and attempted to capture the town, which was the principal docky ...

. Huntington was a member of the local

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...

Church, but decided to step away from the faith after concluding that none of the religions on earth were correct. Then, in the winter of 1832–33, William and Zina Huntington first read the

Book of Mormon The Book of Mormon is a religious text of the Latter Day Saint movement, first published in 1830 by Joseph Smith as ''The Book of Mormon: An Account Written by the Hand of Mormon upon Plates Taken from the Plates of Nephi''. The book is one of ...

. Both were baptized members of the Church of the Latter Day Saints in 1835. In 1836, Huntington 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 ...

in a company of Latter Day Saints from upstate New York led by

Orson Pratt Orson Pratt Sr. (September 19, 1811 – October 3, 1881) was an American religious leader and mathematician who was an original member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Christ (Latter Day Saints). After the succession cri ...

and Luke S. Johnson. Huntington was one of the investors in the

Kirtland Safety Society The Kirtland Safety Society (KSS) was first proposed as a bank in 1836, and eventually organized on January 2, 1837, as a joint stock company, by leaders and followers of the then-named Church of the Latter Day Saints. According to KSS's 1837 " ...

, in which institution he lost about $500. While in Ohio, Huntington served on the Kirtland High Council. He also housed Joseph Smith's Egyptian mummies for a time. He then moved to

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 ...

and settled in

Adam-ondi-Ahman Adam-ondi-Ahman (, sometimes clipped to Diahman) is a historic site in Daviess County, Missouri, about five miles south of Jameson. It is located along the east bluffs above the Grand River. According to the teachings of The Church of Jesus C ...

. As the commissary for provisions and arms for the church in Missouri, Huntington often took charge of negotiations with local mobs. When the Latter Day Saints were forced to leave Missouri in the winter of 1838–39, Huntington was appointed by

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 ...

to be one of the men to supervise the helping of the poor. As they were leaving Missouri, William Huntington's wife Zina died. Huntington was one of the first Mormons to settle in

. In October 1839, he was appointed a member of the Nauvoo High Council, a position he held until the Mormons left the city in 1846. He also played a role in the construction and operation of the

Nauvoo Temple The Nauvoo Temple was the second temple constructed by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.''Manuscript History of the Church'', LDS Church Archives, book A-1, p. 37; reproduced in Dean C. Jessee (comp.) (1989). ''The Papers of Jose ...

, laying one of the building's cornerstones and serving as an

ordinance Ordinance may refer to: Law * Ordinance (Belgium), a law adopted by the Brussels Parliament or the Common Community Commission * Ordinance (India), a temporary law promulgated by the President of India on recommendation of the Union Cabinet * Em ...

worker once the edifice was completed. On August 28, 1840, he married Lydia Clisbee Partridge, the widow of

Edward Partridge Edward Partridge Sr. (August 27, 1793 – May 27, 1840) was one of the earliest converts to the Latter Day Saint movement and served as the first Bishop of the Church. Early life Edward Partridge was born on August 27, 1793, to William and J ...

. Huntington left Nauvoo on February 9, 1846. He led a group of

(consisting of 50 wagons) westward to

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

. In 1846, Huntington was made the presiding authority of the church in Mount Pisgah, Iowa. His counselors were

Ezra T. Benson Ezra Taft Benson (February 22, 1811 – September 3, 1869) (commonly referred to as Ezra T. Benson to distinguish him from his great-grandson of the same name) was an apostle and a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church o ...

and Charles C. Rich, both of whom would later be called to the

Quorum of the Twelve Apostles A quorum is the minimum number of members of a group necessary to constitute the group at a meeting. In a deliberative assembly (a body that uses parliamentary procedure, such as a legislature), a quorum is necessary to conduct the business of ...

. Huntington died on August 9, 1846, in Mount Pisgah, Iowa. Huntington's daughter

Zina D. H. Young Zina Diantha Huntington Young (January 31, 1821 – August 28, 1901) was an American social activist and religious leader who served as the third general president of the Relief Society of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Chu ...

would later serve as president of the LDS Church's

Relief Society The Relief Society is a philanthropic and educational women's organization of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). It was founded in 1842 in Nauvoo, Illinois, United States, and has more than 7 million members in over 1 ...

. His son

Dimick B. Huntington Dimick Baker Huntington (May 26, 1808 – February 1, 1879) was a leading Indian interpreter in early Utah Territory. He commissioned a 22-foot-long missionary panorama of C. C. A. Christensen to use in his presentations of the gospel to the Na ...

was a major figure in relations between the Mormon settlers and the

Native Americans Native Americans or Native American usually refers to Native Americans in the United States. Related terms and peoples include: Ethnic groups * Indigenous peoples of the Americas, the pre-Columbian peoples of North, South, and Central America ...

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 ...

. Author George McCune has written of Huntington: "His love and zeal for the Kingdom were unsurpassed by any. His judgment was respected, his conduct never questioned, and he never had a difficulty with a Church member."

Notes

References

*Ray L. Huntington
"William Huntington: The Iowa Experience"
from the

Mormon Historic Sites Foundation The Ensign Peak Foundation (formerly the Mormon Historic Sites Foundation) is an independent organization that seeks to contribute to the memorialization of sites important to the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The o ...

website.

External links

William Huntington diary and autobiography
L. Tom Perry Special Collections
Zina Young Card Brown family papers
L. Tom Perry Special Collections
A thrilling dream
L. Tom Perry Special Collections {{DEFAULTSORT:Huntington, William 1784 births 1846 deaths American leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Converts to Mormonism from Presbyterianism Doctrine and Covenants people Latter Day Saints from Illinois Latter Day Saints from Iowa Latter Day Saints from Missouri Latter Day Saints from New Hampshire Latter Day Saints from New York (state) Latter Day Saints from Ohio Mormon pioneers Nauvoo, Illinois city council members People from Grantham, New Hampshire People from Watertown, New York