Edward Stevenson
Encyclopedia
Edward Stevenson was a prominent Mormon missionary
of the 19th century. He also served as a general authority
in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) as one of the seven presidents of the Seventy.
to British
parents. His family moved to the United States
when he was young. As a young man, he was living in Pontiac
, Michigan
when he was contacted by a group of Latter Day Saint missionaries, including Joseph Smith, Jr., who were on a return leg of a trip to Upper Canada
. Stevenson joined the Latter Day Saint church and relocated to its headquarters in Kirtland
, Ohio
in 1834. He later relocated with the main body of Latter Day Saints to Missouri
, then Nauvoo, Illinois
, and finally Salt Lake City, Utah Territory
.
, two missions to the southern United States
, and one mission to Mexico
. He is recorded as having traveled the most miles under his own expense of any missionary in the history of the LDS Church.
Stevenson settled in Salt Lake City with the first group of Mormon pioneers in 1847, and spent the first five years there getting established, and traveling Utah with Brigham Young
and other church authorities to help oversee the establishment of several new settlements, before leaving on one of his missions in 1852.
Stevenson also served as the co-leader of one of the Utah pioneer teams in 1855, and served as the leader of a second one in 1859.
Like most prominent Mormon leaders at the time, Stevenson practiced plural marriage
, eventually marrying seven simultaneous wives, including two sets of sisters. He had at least 24 children.
and Jesus Christ as two separate beings in his First Vision
.
He is the author of the self-published Reminiscences of Joseph, the Prophet (1893). A large collection of Stevenson's journals are still available and have served as a significant historical resource. They are kept at the Special Collections department of the Harold B. Lee Library
at Brigham Young University
.
One of the buildings at the LDS Church's main Missionary Training Center
in Provo
, Utah
is named the Edward Stevenson Building, and his portrait hangs in the lobby.
Mormon missionary
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is one of the most active modern practitioners of missionary work, with over 52,000 full-time missionaries worldwide, as of the end of 2010...
of the 19th century. He also served as a general authority
General authority
In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , a general authority is a member of certain leadership organizations who are given administrative and ecclesiastical authority over the church...
in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) as one of the seven presidents of the Seventy.
Early life
Stevenson was born in GibraltarGibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
to British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
parents. His family moved to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
when he was young. As a young man, he was living in Pontiac
Pontiac, Michigan
Pontiac is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan named after the Ottawa Chief Pontiac, located within the Detroit metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 59,515. It is the county seat of Oakland County...
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
when he was contacted by a group of Latter Day Saint missionaries, including Joseph Smith, Jr., who were on a return leg of a trip to Upper Canada
Upper Canada
The Province of Upper Canada was a political division in British Canada established in 1791 by the British Empire to govern the central third of the lands in British North America and to accommodate Loyalist refugees from the United States of America after the American Revolution...
. Stevenson joined the Latter Day Saint church and relocated to its headquarters in Kirtland
Kirtland, Ohio
Kirtland is a city in Lake County, Ohio, USA. The population was 6,670 at the 2000 census. Kirtland is famous for being the early headquarters of the Latter Day Saint movement.-Origins of Kirtland:...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
in 1834. He later relocated with the main body of Latter Day Saints to Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
, then Nauvoo, Illinois
Nauvoo, Illinois
Nauvoo is a small city in Hancock County, Illinois, United States. Although the population was just 1,063 at the 2000 census, and despite being difficult to reach due to its location in a remote corner of Illinois, Nauvoo attracts large numbers of visitors for its historic importance and its...
, and finally Salt Lake City, Utah Territory
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....
.
LDS Church service
Stevenson also made six missionary journeys, for up to five years at a time. These included three missions to EuropeEurope
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, two missions to the southern United States
Southern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
, and one mission to Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. He is recorded as having traveled the most miles under his own expense of any missionary in the history of the LDS Church.
Stevenson settled in Salt Lake City with the first group of Mormon pioneers in 1847, and spent the first five years there getting established, and traveling Utah with Brigham Young
Brigham Young
Brigham Young was an American leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and a settler of the Western United States. He was the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1847 until his death in 1877, he founded Salt Lake City, and he served as the first governor of the Utah...
and other church authorities to help oversee the establishment of several new settlements, before leaving on one of his missions in 1852.
Stevenson also served as the co-leader of one of the Utah pioneer teams in 1855, and served as the leader of a second one in 1859.
Like most prominent Mormon leaders at the time, Stevenson practiced plural marriage
Plural marriage
Polygamy was taught by leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for more than half of the 19th century, and practiced publicly from 1852 to 1890.The Church's practice of polygamy has been highly controversial, both within...
, eventually marrying seven simultaneous wives, including two sets of sisters. He had at least 24 children.
Writings
He is also notable for writing a memoir of Joseph Smith in 1893, which ended up being the earliest surviving documentary source supporting the story of Joseph Smith having taught prior to 1836 that he had seen GodGod
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
and Jesus Christ as two separate beings in his First Vision
First Vision
The First Vision refers to a vision that Joseph Smith, Jr. said he received as a youth in a wooded area in Manchester, New York, which his followers call the Sacred Grove. Smith described it as a personal theophany in which he received a forgiveness of sins...
.
He is the author of the self-published Reminiscences of Joseph, the Prophet (1893). A large collection of Stevenson's journals are still available and have served as a significant historical resource. They are kept at the Special Collections department of the Harold B. Lee Library
Harold B. Lee Library
The Harold B. Lee Library , located in Provo, Utah, is the main academic library of Brigham Young University, the largest religious and second-largest private university in the United States. The library has approximately of shelving for the more than 6 million items in its various collections, as...
at Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
.
One of the buildings at the LDS Church's main Missionary Training Center
Missionary Training Center
Missionary Training Centers are centers devoted to training missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The flagship MTC is located in Provo, Utah, USA, adjacent to the campus of Brigham Young University....
in Provo
Provo
Provo was a Dutch counterculture movement in the mid-1960s that focused on provoking violent responses from authorities using non-violent bait. It was preceded by the nozem movement and followed by the hippie movement...
, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
is named the Edward Stevenson Building, and his portrait hangs in the lobby.
External links
- Mormon Pioneer Overland Travel, 1847–1868: Stevenson, Edward part 1, from the LDS Church History Library and Archives online
- Mormon Pioneer Overland Travel, 1847–1868: Stevenson, Edward part 2, from the LDS Church History Library and Archives online
- Mormon Pioneer Overland Travel, 1847–1868: Seth M. Blair/Edward Stevenson Company (1855), from the LDS Church History Library and Archives online
- Mormon Pioneer Overland Travel, 1847–1868: Edward Stevenson Company (1859), from the LDS Church History Library and