Robert B. Thompson
Encyclopedia
Robert Blashel Thompson (October 1, 1811 – August 27, 1841) was an associate of Joseph Smith, Jr., a Danite
and leader in the Latter Day Saint movement
, and an official historian
of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
Thompson was born in Great Driffield, in the East Riding of Yorkshire
, England
. He joined the Methodists at an early age and participated in preaching in Yorkshire. In 1834, Thompson emigrated to Upper Canada
and settled in Toronto
. In May 1836, he was baptized a member of the Church of the Latter Day Saints by Parley P. Pratt
, a missionary
who was preaching in Toronto. On July 22, 1836, Thompson was ordained an elder in the church by John Taylor.
Thompson moved to Kirtland, Ohio
, where the majority of Latter Day Saints were gathering. In June 1837, he and his new wife, Mercy Rachel Fielding, returned to Upper Canada as missionaries for the church. They returned to Kirtland in March 1838.
In 1839, the Thompsons attempted to settle in Missouri
with a large number of other Latter Day Saints. While in Missouri, Thompson was a Danite
and participated in the 1838 Mormon War. He was standing next to Apostle David W. Patten
when Patten was killed at the Battle of Crooked River
.
In March 1839, Thompson was the clerk to the disciplinary council
convened by Brigham Young
that excommunicated a number of prominent Latter Day Saints and Danites, including George M. Hinkle
, Sampson Avard
, John Corrill
, Reed Peck, W.W. Phelps, Frederick G. Williams
, Thomas B. Marsh
, Burr Riggs, and others.
At a conference of the church in May 1839, Thompson, Almon W. Babbitt
and Erastus Snow
were appointed to be a traveling committee that was charged with "gather[ing] up and obtain[ing] all the libelous reports and publications which had been circulated against the Church."
On September 15, 1840, Thompson delivered the funeral oration at the funeral of Joseph Smith, Sr.
, the presiding patriarch of the church. In October 1840, Thompson succeeded Elias Higbee
as official Church Historian, and in November of that year, Thompson and Higbee together drafted a petition to the United States Congress
for redress of the grievances of the Latter Day Saints from their experiences in Missouri.
Thompson was a colonel
and an aide-de-camp
in the Nauvoo Legion
. On May 1, 1841, he became an associate editor of the Times and Seasons
newspaper in Nauvoo, Illinois
. Due to the unhealthy conditions in the offices of the Times and Seasons, Thompson and chief editor Don Carlos Smith
both died from tuberculosis
in August 1841. He was survived by his wife and one daughter.
Thompson wrote the words to a hymn called "See, the Mighty Angel Flying", which is included in the 1985 English-language LDS Church hymnal
as hymn #330.
Danite
The Danites were a fraternal organization founded by Latter Day Saint members in June 1838, in the town of Far West in Caldwell County, Missouri. During their period of organization in Missouri, the Danites operated as a vigilante group and took a central role in the events of the 1838 Mormon War...
and leader in the Latter Day Saint movement
Latter Day Saint movement
The Latter Day Saint movement is a group of independent churches tracing their origin to a Christian primitivist movement founded by Joseph Smith, Jr. in the late 1820s. Collectively, these churches have over 14 million members...
, and an official historian
Church Historian and Recorder
Church Historian and Recorder is a priesthood calling in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The role of the Church Historian and Recorder is to keep an accurate and comprehensive record of the church and its activities...
of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
Thompson was born in Great Driffield, in the East Riding of Yorkshire
East Riding of Yorkshire
The East Riding of Yorkshire, or simply East Yorkshire, is a local government district with unitary authority status, and a ceremonial county of England. For ceremonial purposes the county also includes the city of Kingston upon Hull, which is a separate unitary authority...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. He joined the Methodists at an early age and participated in preaching in Yorkshire. In 1834, Thompson emigrated 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...
and settled in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
. In May 1836, he was baptized a member of the Church of the Latter Day Saints by 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...
, a missionary
Missionary (LDS Church)
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...
who was preaching in Toronto. On July 22, 1836, Thompson was ordained an elder in the church by John Taylor.
Thompson 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:...
, where the majority of Latter Day Saints were gathering. In June 1837, he and his new wife, Mercy Rachel Fielding, returned to Upper Canada as missionaries for the church. They returned to Kirtland in March 1838.
In 1839, the Thompsons attempted to settle 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...
with a large number of other Latter Day Saints. While in Missouri, Thompson was a Danite
Danite
The Danites were a fraternal organization founded by Latter Day Saint members in June 1838, in the town of Far West in Caldwell County, Missouri. During their period of organization in Missouri, the Danites operated as a vigilante group and took a central role in the events of the 1838 Mormon War...
and participated in the 1838 Mormon War. He was standing next to Apostle David W. Patten
David W. Patten
David Wyman Patten was an early leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and an original member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles...
when Patten was killed at the Battle of Crooked River
Battle of Crooked River
The Battle of Crooked River was a skirmish between Latter Day Saint forces and Missouri state militia unit from southeast of Elmira, Missouri in Ray County under the command of Samuel Bogart...
.
In March 1839, Thompson was the clerk to the disciplinary council
Disciplinary council
In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , a disciplinary council is an ecclesiastical trial during which a member of the church is tried for alleged violations of church standards. If a member of the LDS Church is found guilty of an offence by a disciplinary council, he or she may be...
convened by 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...
that excommunicated a number of prominent Latter Day Saints and Danites, including George M. Hinkle
George M. Hinkle
George M. Hinkle was an early leader in the Latter Day Saint movement.Born in Jefferson County, Kentucky on November 13, 1801, Hinkle joined the early Latter Day Saint church in 1832. He sat on the church's High Council in Far West, Missouri and led the settlement of De Witt, Missouri...
, Sampson Avard
Sampson Avard
Sampson Avard was the leader of a band of Mormon vigilantes called the Danites, which existed in Missouri during the period of the 1838 Mormon War.-Biography:...
, John Corrill
John Corrill
John Corrill was an early member and leader of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and an elected representative in the Missouri State Legislature...
, Reed Peck, W.W. Phelps, Frederick G. Williams
Frederick G. Williams
Frederick Granger Williams was a leader in the early Latter Day Saint movement and served in the First Presidency as Second Counselor to church president Joseph Smith, Jr. from 1833 to 1837...
, Thomas B. Marsh
Thomas B. Marsh
Thomas Baldwin Marsh was an early leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and an original member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. He served as the first President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints from 1835 to 1839...
, Burr Riggs, and others.
At a conference of the church in May 1839, Thompson, Almon W. Babbitt
Almon W. Babbitt
Almon Whiting Babbitt was an early leader in the Latter Day Saint movement, a Mormon pioneer, and the first secretary and treasurer of the Territory of Utah...
and Erastus Snow
Erastus Snow
Erastus Fairbanks Snow , 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 from 1849 to 1888. Snow was also a leading figure in Mormon colonization of Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico.Snow Canyon State Park Erastus...
were appointed to be a traveling committee that was charged with "gather[ing] up and obtain[ing] all the libelous reports and publications which had been circulated against the Church."
On September 15, 1840, Thompson delivered the funeral oration at the funeral of Joseph Smith, Sr.
Joseph Smith, Sr.
Joseph Smith, Sr. was the father of Joseph Smith, Jr., the founder of the Latter Day Saint movement. Joseph Sr. was also one of the Eight Witnesses of the Book of Mormon, which Mormons believe was translated by Joseph Jr. from the Golden Plates. In 1833 Joseph Sr...
, the presiding patriarch of the church. In October 1840, Thompson succeeded Elias Higbee
Elias Higbee
Elias Higbee was an associate of Joseph Smith, Jr., a leader of the Danites, and an official historian and recorder in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.-Biography:...
as official Church Historian, and in November of that year, Thompson and Higbee together drafted a petition to the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
for redress of the grievances of the Latter Day Saints from their experiences in Missouri.
Thompson was a colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
and an aide-de-camp
Aide-de-camp
An aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state...
in 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...
. On May 1, 1841, he became an associate editor of the Times and Seasons
Times and Seasons
Times and Seasons was a 19th-century Latter Day Saint periodical published monthly or twice-monthly at Nauvoo, Illinois, from November 1839 to February 15, 1846...
newspaper in 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...
. Due to the unhealthy conditions in the offices of the Times and Seasons, Thompson and chief editor Don Carlos Smith
Don Carlos Smith
Don Carlos Smith was the youngest brother of Joseph Smith, Jr. and a leader, missionary, and periodical editor in the early days of the Latter Day Saint movement....
both died from tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
in August 1841. He was survived by his wife and one daughter.
Thompson wrote the words to a hymn called "See, the Mighty Angel Flying", which is included in the 1985 English-language LDS Church hymnal
Hymns of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (1985 book)
Hymns of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the official hymn book of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ....
as hymn #330.