Shadrach Roundy
Encyclopedia
Shadrach Roundy was an early Latter Day Saint leader born in Rockingham, Vermont
. Shadrach was the second oldest (59) member of Brigham Young
's Company, which arrived in the Salt Lake Valley
in 1847, and was one of the advance party which arrived in the valley ahead of the main party in order to start planting crops. He was one of the three men who, on July 23, 1847, were the first Mormon pioneers recorded to plow soil in what became Utah
. He is also listed in and was a bodyguard of Joseph Smith.
He was a Bishop in Winter Quarters, Nebraska
, a member of the first High Council
organized in the Salt Lake Valley
, again a Bishop in Salt Lake City, a senator in the first legislature of the provisional State of Deseret
.
. So much of the Mormons' property had been either destroyed or taken over by mobocrats
that a number of destitute refugees found it impossible to move themselves and families to safety. The timing of the expulsion during the winter of 1838-39 also greatly aggravated conditions, but the more fortunate promised to assist those in need. Quoting from a meeting held at Far West
on January 29, 1839:
Shadrach Roundy was the ninth to sign the covenant, which bound the signers to give freely of all their "available property, to be disposed of by a committee who shall be appointed for the purpose of providing means for the removing from this State of the poor and destitute who shall be considered worthy, till there shall not be one left who desires to remove from the State." Accordingly, a committee composed of Shadrach Roundy and six others directed the removal of the exiles, and provided means of conveyance, food, clothing, and temporary shelters for the destitute.
Rockingham, Vermont
Rockingham is a town in Windham County, Vermont, United States, along the Connecticut River. The population was 5,309 at the 2000 census. Rockingham includes the incorporated villages of Bellows Falls and Saxtons River, as well as a large rural area west of Interstate 91.Rockingham has no formal...
. Shadrach was the second oldest (59) member of 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...
's Company, which arrived in 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 1847, and was one of the advance party which arrived in the valley ahead of the main party in order to start planting crops. He was one of the three men who, on July 23, 1847, were the first Mormon pioneers recorded to plow soil in what became 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...
. He is also listed in and was a bodyguard of Joseph Smith.
He was a Bishop in Winter Quarters, Nebraska
Winter Quarters, Nebraska
Winter Quarters was an encampment formed by approximately 2,500 members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as they waited during the winter of 1846–47 for better conditions for their trek westward. It followed a preliminary tent settlement some 3½ miles west at Cutler's Park. The...
, a member of the first High Council
High council (Mormonism)
In Mormonism, a high council is one of several different governing bodies that have existed in the church hierarchy on many Latter-day Saint denominations...
organized in 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...
, again a Bishop in Salt Lake City, a senator in the first legislature of the provisional State of Deseret
State of Deseret
The State of Deseret was a proposed state of the United States, propositioned in 1849 by Latter-day Saint settlers in Salt Lake City. The provisional state existed for slightly over two years and was never recognized by the United States government...
.
Role during Mormon expulsion from Missouri
Shadrach Roundy played a very important part in the removal of the Latter Day Saints from MissouriMissouri
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...
. So much of the Mormons' property had been either destroyed or taken over by mobocrats
Ochlocracy
Ochlocracy or mob rule is government by mob or a mass of people, or the intimidation of legitimate authorities.As a pejorative for majoritarianism, it is akin to the Latin phrase mobile vulgus meaning "the fickle crowd", from which the English term "mob" was originally derived in the...
that a number of destitute refugees found it impossible to move themselves and families to safety. The timing of the expulsion during the winter of 1838-39 also greatly aggravated conditions, but the more fortunate promised to assist those in need. Quoting from a meeting held at 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,...
on January 29, 1839:
Shadrach Roundy was the ninth to sign the covenant, which bound the signers to give freely of all their "available property, to be disposed of by a committee who shall be appointed for the purpose of providing means for the removing from this State of the poor and destitute who shall be considered worthy, till there shall not be one left who desires to remove from the State." Accordingly, a committee composed of Shadrach Roundy and six others directed the removal of the exiles, and provided means of conveyance, food, clothing, and temporary shelters for the destitute.