Erastus Snow
Encyclopedia
Erastus Fairbanks Snow (November 9, 1818 – May 27, 1888), born in St. Johnsbury
, Vermont
, was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1849 to 1888. Snow was also a leading figure in Mormon
colonization of Arizona
, Colorado
, and New Mexico
.
Snow Canyon State Park
(near St. George
, Utah
), Snow College
(in Ephraim, Utah
along with Lorenzo Snow
) and the town of Snowflake, Arizona
(along with William J. Flake
) are named after Erastus Snow.
Snow joined the church in Vermont in the early 1830s. One of the missionaries who taught him was Orson Pratt
. His brother, Zerubbabel Snow
, joined the church before he did.
He moved to Kirtland, Ohio
but spent most of the time on missions, primarily in Pennsylvania. He later served a mission to Salem, Massachusetts
where he baptized several converts including Nathaniel Ashby, a man with whom he shared a duplex when they both resided in Nauvoo, Illinois.
Erastus Snow was in the first Mormon pioneer company to cross the plains. He was one of the first two Mormons to enter the Salt Lake Valley, the other being Orson Pratt.
Snow was ordained a member of the Quorum of the Twelve on February 12, 1849. This was the same day Charles C. Rich
, Lorenzo Snow
and Franklin D. Richards were ordained.
In October 1849 general conference, Snow was called to lead a mission
to Scandinavia
. He had as a companion a Danish convert, Peter O. Hansen
, who had joined the church in Boston
. They focused most of their efforts on Denmark
, but another convert had joined them, John E. Forsgren, who preached the gospel in Sweden
. While serving as a missionary in Denmark, Snow baptized the first Icelander
s to join the church, ordained them to the priesthood
, and sent them back to Iceland
to preach the gospel. Before the end of his mission Snow began the publication of a church periodical in Danish.
Latter in the 1850s Snow served as the presiding church authority in the mid-west United States, using St. Louis as his base. He returned to Utah in 1857 and engaged in farming.
In 1860 Snow went with Orson Pratt on a mission to the Eastern States. By the time they reached the Eastern United States Abraham Lincoln
had been elected president. With the impending war they were able to get many church members who had stayed in the east as well as many recent converts to move to Utah.
Much of this migration happened in 1861 after the American Civil War
had begun. After returning to Utah in 1861 Snow was made the apostle in charge of the Southern Utah Settlements.
Snow was the brother of Early Utah Judge Zerubbabel Snow
. Erastus Snow's daughter Elizabeth was the wife of Anthony W. Ivins
and the mother of Antoine R. Ivins
.
Snow died at Salt Lake City, Utah Territory
, at age 69. He was buried at Salt Lake City Cemetery
.
St. Johnsbury, Vermont
St. Johnsbury is the shire town of Caledonia County, Vermont, United States. The population was 7,571 at the 2000 census. St. Johnsbury is located approximately northwest of the Connecticut River and south of the Canadian border.St...
, Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
, was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1849 to 1888. Snow was also a leading figure in Mormon
Mormon
The term Mormon most commonly denotes an adherent, practitioner, follower, or constituent of Mormonism, which is the largest branch of the Latter Day Saint movement in restorationist Christianity...
colonization of Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, and New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
.
Snow Canyon State Park
Snow Canyon State Park
Snow Canyon State Park is a state park of Utah, USA, featuring a canyon carved from the red and white Navajo sandstone in the Red Mountains. The park is located near Ivins, Utah in Washington County...
(near St. George
St. George, Utah
St. George is a city located in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Utah, and the county seat of Washington County, Utah. It is the principal city of and is included in the St. George, Utah, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city is 119 miles northeast of Las Vegas, Nevada, and 303 miles ...
, 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...
), Snow College
Snow College
Snow College is a rural, two-year state college located in Ephraim, Utah, U.S. It offers certificates and associate degrees in a number of areas...
(in Ephraim, Utah
Ephraim, Utah
Ephraim is a city in Sanpete County, Utah, United States. The population was 6,135 at the 2010 census, making it the largest city in Sanpete County. It is the location of Snow College and is located along U.S. Route 89.-History:Ephraim was founded in 1854...
along with Lorenzo Snow
Lorenzo Snow
Lorenzo Snow was the fifth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1898 to his death. Snow was the last president of the LDS Church in the nineteenth century.-Family:...
) and the town of Snowflake, Arizona
Snowflake, Arizona
Snowflake is a town in Navajo County, Arizona, United States. It was founded in 1878 by Erastus Snow and William Jordan Flake, Mormon pioneers and colonizers. According to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the town is 4,958....
(along with William J. Flake
William J. Flake
William Jordan Flake was a prominent member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who helped settle parts of Arizona, and was imprisoned for polygamy.- Biography :William Flake was born in North Carolina...
) are named after Erastus Snow.
Snow joined the church in Vermont in the early 1830s. One of the missionaries who taught him was Orson Pratt
Orson Pratt
Orson Pratt, Sr. was a leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and an original member of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles...
. His brother, Zerubbabel Snow
Zerubbabel Snow
Zerubbabel Snow was an early leader in the Latter Day Saint movement, a Mormon pioneer, and an Attorney General of the Territory of Utah....
, joined the church before he did.
He moved to Kirtland, Ohio
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:...
but spent most of the time on missions, primarily in Pennsylvania. He later served a mission to Salem, Massachusetts
Salem, Massachusetts
Salem is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 40,407 at the 2000 census. It and Lawrence are the county seats of Essex County...
where he baptized several converts including Nathaniel Ashby, a man with whom he shared a duplex when they both resided in Nauvoo, Illinois.
Erastus Snow was in the first Mormon pioneer company to cross the plains. He was one of the first two Mormons to enter the Salt Lake Valley, the other being Orson Pratt.
Snow was ordained a member of the Quorum of the Twelve on February 12, 1849. This was the same day Charles C. Rich
Charles C. Rich
Charles Coulson Rich was an early leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and served as an apostle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ....
, Lorenzo Snow
Lorenzo Snow
Lorenzo Snow was the fifth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1898 to his death. Snow was the last president of the LDS Church in the nineteenth century.-Family:...
and Franklin D. Richards were ordained.
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...
to Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
. He had as a companion a Danish convert, Peter O. Hansen
Peter O. Hansen
Peter Olsen Hansen was the translator of the Book of Mormon into Danish.He was born in Copenhagen, Denmark. A sailor by trade, he joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Boston in 1844. After this Hansen moved to Nauvoo...
, who had joined the church in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
. They focused most of their efforts on Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, but another convert had joined them, John E. Forsgren, who preached the gospel in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. While serving as a missionary in Denmark, Snow baptized the first Icelander
Icelander
Icelander can refer to:*A person from the country of Iceland, see Icelanders.*Icelander , by Dustin Long, published in 2006 by McSweeney's.*Íslendingur , a replica viking ship whose name means Icelander...
s to join the church, ordained them to the priesthood
Priesthood (LDS Church)
In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , the priesthood is the power and authority to act in the name of God for the salvation of humankind...
, and sent them back to Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
to preach the gospel. Before the end of his mission Snow began the publication of a church periodical in Danish.
Latter in the 1850s Snow served as the presiding church authority in the mid-west United States, using St. Louis as his base. He returned to Utah in 1857 and engaged in farming.
In 1860 Snow went with Orson Pratt on a mission to the Eastern States. By the time they reached the Eastern United States Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
had been elected president. With the impending war they were able to get many church members who had stayed in the east as well as many recent converts to move to Utah.
Much of this migration happened in 1861 after the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
had begun. After returning to Utah in 1861 Snow was made the apostle in charge of the Southern Utah Settlements.
Snow was the brother of Early Utah Judge Zerubbabel Snow
Zerubbabel Snow
Zerubbabel Snow was an early leader in the Latter Day Saint movement, a Mormon pioneer, and an Attorney General of the Territory of Utah....
. Erastus Snow's daughter Elizabeth was the wife of Anthony W. Ivins
Anthony W. Ivins
Anthony Woodward Ivins born in Toms River, New Jersey, was a high-ranking official of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints .-Early life and family :...
and the mother of Antoine R. Ivins
Antoine R. Ivins
Antoine Ridgeway Ivins was a member of the First Council of the Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1931 until his death.- Youth and family :...
.
Snow died at 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....
, at age 69. He was buried at Salt Lake City Cemetery
Salt Lake City Cemetery
thumb|The northern section of the cemetery at night, looking towards Salt Lake CityThe Salt Lake City Cemetery is in The Avenues neighborhood of Salt Lake City, Utah. Approximately 120,000 persons are buried in the cemetery. Many religious leaders and politicians, particularly many leaders of The...
.