Levi W. Hancock
Encyclopedia
Levi Ward Hancock was an early convert to Mormonism
and was a general authority
of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for nearly fifty years. He was also one of the witnesses of the Book of Commandments
.
Hancock was born in Springfield, Massachusetts
. In 1830, while living in Ohio
, Hancock heard Latter Day Saint missionaries
Parley P. Pratt
, Sidney Rigdon
, and Oliver Cowdery
preaching in Mayfield
. Convinced by their words, Hancock was baptized in the Latter Day Saint church. He was ordained an elder shortly after his baptism and in 1831 he served a proselyting mission to Missouri
with Zebedee Coltrin
.
In 1834 Hancock participated in Zion's Camp
, traveling from Ohio to Missouri
in an effort to assist Church member who were experiencing trouble there. On March 1, 1835, Hancock was ordained a seventy in the Church and was selected as one of the first seven presidents of the Seventy. On April 6, 1837, Hancock was released from this position because it was mistakenly believed that he, like five of the other presidents of the Seventy, had already been ordained a high priest. When it was discovered that this was not the case, Hancock was restored to his position on September 3, 1837. Hancock would serve as one of the presidents of the Seventy until his death.
Hancock wrote the words to several songs. His "My Peaceful Home, 1837" captures the feelings of Latter-day Saints about their new homes in the communities they had set up. Hancock wrote the words of the twelve verse-song sung at the placing of the Far West
Temple cornerstone
s in 1838.
Hancock followed the Latter Day Saints as they moved to Missouri, and then to Nauvoo, Illinois
. He was a member of the Nauvoo Legion
and the Nauvoo police force. In 1843 Hancock was made the chief musician in the Nauvoo Legion.
Hancock was one of the Church members in Missouri
that sustained the truth of the Book of Commandments
. He signed the testimony with a pencil
and he also added the text "never to be erased", when "he saw that the others had signed with a pen." Because of the circumstances when the book was printed, the document was not included in the printing.
In 1844 Hancock became a member of the Council of Fifty
, and in 1846 joined the Mormon Battalion
. In 1847 he traveled with the Mormon pioneer
s to the Salt Lake Valley
. In Utah Territory
, he became a member of the 1st Utah Territorial Legislature
. He served a full-time mission for the Church attempting to grow cotton
in southern Utah
. Hancock helped settle Washington, Utah
, and was ordained a church patriarch in 1872. He died at Washington, Utah.
Like many early Latter Day Saints, Hancock practiced plural marriage
. Hancock was married to five wives, three of whom eventually divorced him; he was the father of 18 children.
Mormonism
Mormonism is the religion practiced by Mormons, and is the predominant religious tradition of the Latter Day Saint movement. This movement was founded by Joseph Smith, Jr. beginning in the 1820s as a form of Christian primitivism. During the 1830s and 1840s, Mormonism gradually distinguished itself...
and was 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...
of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for nearly fifty years. He was also one of the witnesses of the Book of Commandments
Book of Commandments
The Book of Commandments is the earliest published volume said to contain the revelations of Joseph Smith Jr. Text published in the Book of Commandments is now considered scripture by Latter-day Saints as part of the larger Doctrine and Covenants....
.
Hancock was born in Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield is the most populous city in Western New England, and the seat of Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers; the western Westfield River, the eastern Chicopee River, and the eastern...
. In 1830, while living in 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...
, Hancock heard Latter Day Saint missionaries
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...
Parley P. Pratt
Parley P. Pratt
Parley Parker Pratt, Sr. was a leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and an original member of Quorum of the Twelve Apostles from 1835 until his murder in 1857. He served in the Quorum with his younger brother, Orson Pratt...
, Sidney Rigdon
Sidney Rigdon
Sidney Rigdon was a leader during the early history of the Latter Day Saint movement.-Baptist background:...
, and Oliver Cowdery
Oliver Cowdery
Oliver H. P. Cowdery was, with Joseph Smith, Jr., an important participant in the formative period of the Latter Day Saint movement between 1829 and 1836, becoming one of the Three Witnesses of the Book of Mormon's golden plates, one of the first Latter Day Saint apostles, and the Second Elder of...
preaching in Mayfield
Mayfield, Ohio
Mayfield is a village in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. The population was 3,460 at the 2010 census. The village is officially named Mayfield, but is typically referred to as Mayfield Village...
. Convinced by their words, Hancock was baptized in the Latter Day Saint church. He was ordained an elder shortly after his baptism and in 1831 he served a proselyting mission 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...
with Zebedee Coltrin
Zebedee Coltrin
Zebedee Coltrin was a Mormon pioneer and a general authority in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints from 1835 to 1837....
.
In 1834 Hancock participated in Zion's Camp
Zion's Camp
Zion's Camp was a paramilitary expedition of Latter Day Saints, led by Joseph Smith, Jr., from Kirtland, Ohio to Clay County, Missouri during May and June 1834 in an unsuccessful attempt to regain land from which the Saints had been expelled by non-Mormon settlers...
, traveling from Ohio 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...
in an effort to assist Church member who were experiencing trouble there. On March 1, 1835, Hancock was ordained a seventy in the Church and was selected as one of the first seven presidents of the Seventy. On April 6, 1837, Hancock was released from this position because it was mistakenly believed that he, like five of the other presidents of the Seventy, had already been ordained a high priest. When it was discovered that this was not the case, Hancock was restored to his position on September 3, 1837. Hancock would serve as one of the presidents of the Seventy until his death.
Hancock wrote the words to several songs. His "My Peaceful Home, 1837" captures the feelings of Latter-day Saints about their new homes in the communities they had set up. Hancock wrote the words of the twelve verse-song sung at the placing of the Far West
Far West, Missouri
Far West, Missouri, was a Latter Day Saint settlement in Caldwell County, Missouri.-Foundation and early history:The town was founded by Missouri Mormon leaders, W. W. Phelps and John Whitmer in August 1836 shortly before the county's creation. The town was platted originally as a square area,...
Temple cornerstone
Cornerstone
The cornerstone concept is derived from the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation, important since all other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure.Over time a cornerstone became a ceremonial masonry stone, or...
s in 1838.
Hancock followed the Latter Day Saints as they moved to Missouri, and then to 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...
. He was a member of the Nauvoo Legion
Nauvoo Legion
The Nauvoo Legion was a militia originally organized by the Latter Day Saints to defend the city of Nauvoo, Illinois, . To curry political favor with the ambiguously-political Saints, the Illinois state legislature granted Nauvoo a liberal city charter that gave the Nauvoo Legion extraordinary...
and the Nauvoo police force. In 1843 Hancock was made the chief musician in the Nauvoo Legion.
Hancock was one of the Church members in 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...
that sustained the truth of the Book of Commandments
Book of Commandments
The Book of Commandments is the earliest published volume said to contain the revelations of Joseph Smith Jr. Text published in the Book of Commandments is now considered scripture by Latter-day Saints as part of the larger Doctrine and Covenants....
. He signed the testimony with a pencil
Pencil
A pencil is a writing implement or art medium usually constructed of a narrow, solid pigment core inside a protective casing. The case prevents the core from breaking, and also from marking the user’s hand during use....
and he also added the text "never to be erased", when "he saw that the others had signed with a pen." Because of the circumstances when the book was printed, the document was not included in the printing.
In 1844 Hancock became a member of the Council of Fifty
Council of Fifty
The Council of Fifty was a Latter Day Saint organization established by Joseph Smith, Jr...
, and in 1846 joined the Mormon Battalion
Mormon Battalion
The Mormon Battalion was the only religiously based unit in United States military history, and it served from July 1846 to July 1847 during the Mexican-American War. The battalion was a volunteer unit of between 534 and 559 Latter-day Saints men led by Mormon company officers, commanded by regular...
. In 1847 he traveled with the Mormon pioneer
Mormon Pioneer
The Mormon pioneers were members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also known as Latter-day Saints, who migrated across the United States from the Midwest to the Salt Lake Valley in what is today the U.S. state of Utah...
s to the Salt Lake Valley
Salt Lake Valley
Salt Lake Valley is a valley in Salt Lake County in the north-central portion of the U.S. state of Utah. It contains Salt Lake City and many of its suburbs, notably West Valley City, Murray, Sandy, and West Jordan; its total population is 1,029,655 as of 2010...
. In 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....
, he became a member of the 1st Utah Territorial Legislature
1st Utah Territorial Legislature
The 1st Utah Territorial Legislature convened on September 22, 1851 and ended on March 6, 1852.-Sessions:* General Session: September 22, 1851 - February 18, 1852* Special Session: February 19, 1852 - March 6, 1852-Members:...
. He served a full-time mission for the Church attempting to grow cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
in southern 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...
. Hancock helped settle Washington, Utah
Washington, Utah
Washington is a city in Washington County, Utah, United States. The population was 8,186 at the 2000 census, and 18,761 as of the 2010 Census. Washington is east of St...
, and was ordained a church patriarch in 1872. He died at Washington, Utah.
Like many early Latter Day Saints, Hancock 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...
. Hancock was married to five wives, three of whom eventually divorced him; he was the father of 18 children.