Edward Partridge

Edward Partridge (1793-1840)

Edward Partridge was the first bishop of the Church. Photograph courtesy LDS Church Archives.

Family Background

1793. August 27: Born in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. He became a hatter, following the waterways to obtain the beaver pelts necessary to his work. He later moved to Painsville, Ohio, where his business prospered.

In 1819 he married Lydia Clisbee; they had seven children. Two daughters, Eliza Marie and Emily Dow, married Joseph Smith on the same day in 1843. After the Prophet's death, Eliza married Amasa Lyman, and Emily married Brigham Young. Two other daughters, Caroline Ely and Lydia, also married Amasa Lyman.

Convert

1830. Edward Partridge had been a member of Sidney Rigdon's Campbellite congregation for two years when the Mormon missionaries visited his hatter's shop. He quickly sent the "imposters" packing, but then had a change of heart and sent an employee after them to bring back a Book of Mormon.

He read it, was converted, and went to New York to meet Joseph Smith. The Prophet baptized him in the Seneca River on December 11.

First Bishop of the Church

1831. Partridge is mentioned in twelve sections of the Doctrine and Covenants, including section 41: "He should be appointed by the voice of the Church and ordained a Bishop unto the Church, to leave his merchandise and to spend all his time in the labors of the Church. And this is because his heart is pure before me, for he is like unto Nathaniel of old, in whom there is no guile."

Anxious about leaving a flourishing business, Partridge wrote Lydia, "I must not fail, pray for me that I will not fail." The prayers were answered; his financial competence was soon appreciated in the Church.

1831. August 3: Partridge attended the dedication of the temple site at Independence, Missouri, and eventually became "head of the Church in Zion."

For ten months, Partridge was the only bishop in the Church. Then Newel K. Whitney was appointed in Ohio.

1832. For a time, Joseph Smith thought Partridge was usurping authority. Doctrine and Covenants 85:8 warned, "that man, who was called of God and appointed, that putteth forth his hand to steady the ark of God, shall fall by the shaft of death, like as a tree that is smitten by the vivid shaft of lightning." But Partridge and the Prophet reconciled, and the bishop continued to preside over the Church in Zion.

Tar-and-Feather Martyr

1833. July 20: A mob attacked the home of W.W. Phelps and destroyed the print shop of the Evening and Morning Star. Partridge was dragged from his home and taken to the public square. The mob demanded that the Mormons leave Jackson County. "I told them that the Saints had suffered persecution in all ages of the world; that I had done nothing which ought to offend anyone; that if they abused me, they would abuse an innocent person; that I was willing to suffer for the sake of Christ; but, to leave the country, I was not then willing to consent to it."

Having made his speech, Partridge was daubed with tar "from the crown of my head to my feet, after which feathers were thrown over me. … I bore my abuse with so much resignation and meekness, that it appeared to astound the multitude, who permitted me to retire in silence, many looking very solemn, their sympathies having been touched as I thought; and as to myself, I was so filled with the Spirit and love of God, that I had no hatred towards my persecutors or anyone else."

Partridge, John Corrill, John Whitmer, W.W. Phelps, Algernon S. Gilbert, and Isaac Morley offered themselves as hostages if the Missourians would leave the rest of the Saints alone, but their offer was rejected; every Mormon would have to leave Jackson County. As presiding authority, Partridge signed an agreement to remove the Saints by January 1, 1834. In return, Missourians were not to interfere with their preparations.

November 5: Mobs destroyed more than two hundred Mormon homes in Jackson County. "Gangs of men, sixty or more, went from house to house, whipping the men, driving the women and children at the point of their guns from their homes, and then setting fire to the houses." With hundreds of others, the Partridge family was driven across the Missouri River into Clay County.

1838. November: After five more years of mounting hostility and violence, Partridge, Joseph Smith, and other leaders were arrested and charged with "high treason against the state, murder, burglary, arson, robbery, and larceny." Scores of Mormons were rounded up and "confined in a large open room, where the cold northern blast penetrated freely. Our fires were small and our allowance for wood and food was scanty; they gave us not even a blanket to lie upon; our beds were the cold floors." Three weeks later Partridge and most of the other prisoners were released and ordered from the state. Joseph Smith and several others were remanded to the jail at Liberty. Leaving his family in the care of King Follett, Partridge fled to Quincy, Illinois, where his family later joined him.

Death

1840. While the family remained in Quincy, Partridge made preparations to relocate in Nauvoo. He built a stable and was working on the house when word arrived that his daughter Harriet had died in Quincy. After her funeral, he moved the rest of the family into the stable. But the burdens proved too great; he succumbed to exhaustion and exposure on May 27, at the age of forty-seven.

"No man had the confidence of the Church more than he," the Times and Seasons reported. "His station was highly responsible …. Deeds and conveyances of land to a large amount were put into his hands for the benefit of the poor and for the church's purpose; for all of which the directest account was rendered, to the fullest satisfaction of all concerned."

Partridge was buried on the family property in Nauvoo.

Sources
Collette, D. Brent. "In Search of Zion: A Description of Early Mormon Millennial Utopianism as Revealed Through the Life of Edward Partridge." Master's thesis, Brigham Young University, 1977.
History of the Church, 1:390-391.
Jenson, Andrew. LDS Biographical Encyclopedia. 4 vols. Salt Lake City: Andrew Jenson Historical Company, 1901-1936.
Quinn, D. Michael. "Evolution of the Presiding Quorums of the LDS Church." Journal of Mormon History 1 (1974)21-38.

	A Book of Mormons Richard S. Van Wagoner and Steven C. Walker Copyright 1982, Signature Books Salt Lake City, Utah Contents


	Family Background 1793. August 27: Born in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. He became a hatter, following the waterways to obtain the beaver pelts necessary to his work. He later moved to Painsville, Ohio, where his business prospered. In 1819 he married Lydia Clisbee; they had seven children. Two daughters, Eliza Marie and Emily Dow, married Joseph Smith on the same day in 1843. After the Prophet's death, Eliza married Amasa Lyman, and Emily married Brigham Young. Two other daughters, Caroline Ely and Lydia, also married Amasa Lyman. Convert 1830. Edward Partridge had been a member of Sidney Rigdon's Campbellite congregation for two years when the Mormon missionaries visited his hatter's shop. He quickly sent the "imposters" packing, but then had a change of heart and sent an employee after them to bring back a Book of Mormon. He read it, was converted, and went to New York to meet Joseph Smith. The Prophet baptized him in the Seneca River on December 11. First Bishop of the Church 1831. Partridge is mentioned in twelve sections of the Doctrine and Covenants, including section 41: "He should be appointed by the voice of the Church and ordained a Bishop unto the Church, to leave his merchandise and to spend all his time in the labors of the Church. And this is because his heart is pure before me, for he is like unto Nathaniel of old, in whom there is no guile." Anxious about leaving a flourishing business, Partridge wrote Lydia, "I must not fail, pray for me that I will not fail." The prayers were answered; his financial competence was soon appreciated in the Church. 1831. August 3: Partridge attended the dedication of the temple site at Independence, Missouri, and eventually became "head of the Church in Zion." For ten months, Partridge was the only bishop in the Church. Then Newel K. Whitney was appointed in Ohio. 1832. For a time, Joseph Smith thought Partridge was usurping authority. Doctrine and Covenants 85:8 warned, "that man, who was called of God and appointed, that putteth forth his hand to steady the ark of God, shall fall by the shaft of death, like as a tree that is smitten by the vivid shaft of lightning." But Partridge and the Prophet reconciled, and the bishop continued to preside over the Church in Zion. Tar-and-Feather Martyr 1833. July 20: A mob attacked the home of W.W. Phelps and destroyed the print shop of the Evening and Morning Star. Partridge was dragged from his home and taken to the public square. The mob demanded that the Mormons leave Jackson County. "I told them that the Saints had suffered persecution in all ages of the world; that I had done nothing which ought to offend anyone; that if they abused me, they would abuse an innocent person; that I was willing to suffer for the sake of Christ; but, to leave the country, I was not then willing to consent to it." Having made his speech, Partridge was daubed with tar "from the crown of my head to my feet, after which feathers were thrown over me. … I bore my abuse with so much resignation and meekness, that it appeared to astound the multitude, who permitted me to retire in silence, many looking very solemn, their sympathies having been touched as I thought; and as to myself, I was so filled with the Spirit and love of God, that I had no hatred towards my persecutors or anyone else." Partridge, John Corrill, John Whitmer, W.W. Phelps, Algernon S. Gilbert, and Isaac Morley offered themselves as hostages if the Missourians would leave the rest of the Saints alone, but their offer was rejected; every Mormon would have to leave Jackson County. As presiding authority, Partridge signed an agreement to remove the Saints by January 1, 1834. In return, Missourians were not to interfere with their preparations. November 5: Mobs destroyed more than two hundred Mormon homes in Jackson County. "Gangs of men, sixty or more, went from house to house, whipping the men, driving the women and children at the point of their guns from their homes, and then setting fire to the houses." With hundreds of others, the Partridge family was driven across the Missouri River into Clay County. 1838. November: After five more years of mounting hostility and violence, Partridge, Joseph Smith, and other leaders were arrested and charged with "high treason against the state, murder, burglary, arson, robbery, and larceny." Scores of Mormons were rounded up and "confined in a large open room, where the cold northern blast penetrated freely. Our fires were small and our allowance for wood and food was scanty; they gave us not even a blanket to lie upon; our beds were the cold floors." Three weeks later Partridge and most of the other prisoners were released and ordered from the state. Joseph Smith and several others were remanded to the jail at Liberty. Leaving his family in the care of King Follett, Partridge fled to Quincy, Illinois, where his family later joined him. Death 1840. While the family remained in Quincy, Partridge made preparations to relocate in Nauvoo. He built a stable and was working on the house when word arrived that his daughter Harriet had died in Quincy. After her funeral, he moved the rest of the family into the stable. But the burdens proved too great; he succumbed to exhaustion and exposure on May 27, at the age of forty-seven. "No man had the confidence of the Church more than he," the Times and Seasons reported. "His station was highly responsible …. Deeds and conveyances of land to a large amount were put into his hands for the benefit of the poor and for the church's purpose; for all of which the directest account was rendered, to the fullest satisfaction of all concerned." Partridge was buried on the family property in Nauvoo. Sources Collette, D. Brent. "In Search of Zion: A Description of Early Mormon Millennial Utopianism as Revealed Through the Life of Edward Partridge." Master's thesis, Brigham Young University, 1977. History of the Church, 1:390-391. Jenson, Andrew. LDS Biographical Encyclopedia. 4 vols. Salt Lake City: Andrew Jenson Historical Company, 1901-1936. Quinn, D. Michael. "Evolution of the Presiding Quorums of the LDS Church." Journal of Mormon History 1 (1974)21-38.