Thompsonville, Kansas
Encyclopedia
Thompsonville is an unincorporated community
in Jefferson County
, Kansas
, United States
. It was established in 1851 by a group of Mormon settlers who refused to follow the main group led by Brigham Young
into the Salt Lake Valley
of Utah
. Among those settlers was Emily Trask Cutler, one of the plural wives
of Heber C. Kimball
, counselor to Young and daughter of John Alpheus Cutler
, who founded the Cutlerite
sect at Manti, Iowa while en route with the main body to the Salt Lake Valley.
While there is no evidence that the founding group of the settlement had doctrinal differences with the main body of the church or were affiliated with the Cutlerite church, it is possible that they were opposed to the doctrine of polygamy
inasmuch as Emily Cutler Kimball did not accompany the main group. It is equally likely that the group saw no need to go so far west when new frontier lands were open and available in the Kansas Territory
and were actively recruiting new settlers from anti-slavery parts of the country.
However, the Mormon settlement did not last. Emily Cutler Kimball died not long after the settlement was established and is buried there. Two other Mormon women died there also and up until the mid 1960s, the stones were still evident. Some of the settlers moved to Utah within the next two to five years as violence from the chaos of Bleeding Kansas
intensified, while others may have given up their Mormon identity and blended in with the local populace.
The town was renamed Thompsonville in 1865 by C. L. Thompson, who erected a mill on the site of the old Mormon settlement of 1851. A post office
was established in 1878 with C. T. Tolles as postmaster.
The community is located on the Delaware River
, about 11 miles (17½ km) southwest of Oskaloosa
, the county seat
, and 3 miles (5 km) northwest of Perry
.
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
in Jefferson County
Jefferson County, Kansas
Jefferson County is a county located in Northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 19,126. Its county seat is Oskaloosa, and its most populous city is Valley Falls...
, Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It was established in 1851 by a group of Mormon settlers who refused to follow the main group led 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...
into 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...
of 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...
. Among those settlers was Emily Trask Cutler, one of the plural wives
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...
of Heber C. Kimball
Heber C. Kimball
Heber Chase Kimball was a leader in the early Latter Day Saint movement. He served as one of the original twelve apostles in the early Latter Day Saint church, and as first counselor to Brigham Young in the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1847 until his...
, counselor to Young and daughter of John Alpheus Cutler
Alpheus Cutler
Alpheus Cutler was an early leader in the Latter Day Saint movement who served in several church positions under Mormon founder Joseph Smith, Jr...
, who founded the Cutlerite
Church of Jesus Christ (Cutlerite)
The Church of Jesus Christ is a denomination of the Latter Day Saint movement headquartered in Independence, Missouri. This church derives its epithet from its founder, Alpheus Cutler, a member of the Nauvoo High Council and of Joseph Smith's secretive Council of Fifty...
sect at Manti, Iowa while en route with the main body to the Salt Lake Valley.
While there is no evidence that the founding group of the settlement had doctrinal differences with the main body of the church or were affiliated with the Cutlerite church, it is possible that they were opposed to the doctrine of polygamy
Polygamy
Polygamy is a marriage which includes more than two partners...
inasmuch as Emily Cutler Kimball did not accompany the main group. It is equally likely that the group saw no need to go so far west when new frontier lands were open and available in the Kansas Territory
Kansas Territory
The Territory of Kansas was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 30, 1854, until January 29, 1861, when the eastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Kansas....
and were actively recruiting new settlers from anti-slavery parts of the country.
However, the Mormon settlement did not last. Emily Cutler Kimball died not long after the settlement was established and is buried there. Two other Mormon women died there also and up until the mid 1960s, the stones were still evident. Some of the settlers moved to Utah within the next two to five years as violence from the chaos of Bleeding Kansas
Bleeding Kansas
Bleeding Kansas, Bloody Kansas or the Border War, was a series of violent events, involving anti-slavery Free-Staters and pro-slavery "Border Ruffian" elements, that took place in the Kansas Territory and the western frontier towns of the U.S. state of Missouri roughly between 1854 and 1858...
intensified, while others may have given up their Mormon identity and blended in with the local populace.
The town was renamed Thompsonville in 1865 by C. L. Thompson, who erected a mill on the site of the old Mormon settlement of 1851. A post office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
was established in 1878 with C. T. Tolles as postmaster.
The community is located on the Delaware River
Delaware River (Kansas)
The Delaware River is a river located in the northeastern part of the state of Kansas. The Delaware River basin drains from the outflow of the Perry Lake reservoir...
, about 11 miles (17½ km) southwest of Oskaloosa
Oskaloosa, Iowa
Oskaloosa is the county seat of Mahaska County, Iowa, United States. The population was 11,463 in the 2010 census, an increase from 10,938 in the 2000 census. -History:...
, the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
, and 3 miles (5 km) northwest of Perry
Perry, Iowa
Perry is a city in Dallas County, Iowa, United States, along the North Raccoon River. The population was 7,633 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Des Moines–West Des Moines Metropolitan Statistical Area....
.