by Terrie Lynn Bittner | Apr 22, 2013 | Past Leader Bios
Early Life Orson Pratt was born on September 19, 1811, in Hartford, New York, to Jared Pratt and Charity Dickenson. He lived in New Lebanon, Columbia City, New York, from 1814–1822. While there, he attended school in the winter, studying arithmetic and bookkeeping....
by Terrie Lynn Bittner | Jan 29, 2013 | Past Leader Bios
When people think of Mormon General Authorities (high level church leaders), they tend to think of dignified men who speak carefully and behave traditionally. Even for his own time, J. Golden Kimball defied tradition. He was nicknamed “The Swearing Apostle” and when...
by Keith L. Brown | Aug 15, 2012 | Past Leader Bios
By Terrie Ezra T. Benson is the grandfather of Ezra Taft Benson, a past prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (which church is frequently misnamed the Mormon Church) who was also Secretary of Agriculture in the 1950s. Members of The Church of...
by Keith L. Brown | Aug 8, 2012 | Past Leader Bios
By Terrie Sidney Rigdon was an early leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (often misnamed the “Mormon Church”). He was born in 1793 in Pennsylvania. When he was seventeen, his father died. His mother died when he was twenty-six, but the year prior...
by Keith L. Brown | Aug 1, 2012 | Past Leader Bios
By Terrie Oliver Cowdery, born 3 October 1806, in Wells, Rutland County, Vermont, played important roles in the early days of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (frequently misnamed the “Mormon Church”). He moved to western New York along with several of...
by | Dec 4, 2009 | Past Leader Bios
In adulthood, Hyrum Smith was described as being five feet, eleven inches tall and as weighing about 190 pounds. He and Joseph were of similar builds and very much resembled each other physically. They were also completely devoted to each other in the gospel. John...