William Bickerton
Encyclopedia
William Bickerton was a leader in the Latter Day Saint movement
after the 1844 succession crisis. In 1862, Bickerton became the founding president of the church now known as The Church of Jesus Christ (Bickertonite), which is one of many churches that claim to be a continuation of the Church of Christ founded by Joseph Smith, Jr. in 1830.
, Ancroft Parish, Northumberland
, England
, the seventh of eleven children of Thomas Bickerton and Isabella Hope. As an infant, he was not baptized
until February 4, 1816, which has resulted in some sources misreporting that Bickerton was born in 1816. Bickerton immigrated to the United States
and became a coal miner.
in 1845. Following Smith's death
in 1844, a number of Latter Day Saint leaders, including Rigdon, Brigham Young
, and James Strang
, claimed to be Smith's rightful successor to lead the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, which Smith had founded in 1830 as the Church of Christ.
The Latter Day Saints who followed Rigdon separated themselves from the followers of Young. While the group led by Young remained in Nauvoo
, Illinois
and eventually settled in Utah
, Rigdon and his followers settled in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
. On April 6, 1845, Rigdon presided over a conference of the Church of Christ, which he claimed was the rightful continuation of the church founded by Smith. (Historians often refer to Rigdon's church as the Church of Christ (Rigdonite) and its adherents as Rigdonite
s, Pennsylvania Latter Day Saints, or Pennsylvania Mormons.) Bickerton was converted by the preaching of Rigdon and was baptized at Pittsburgh in 1845. Later that same year Bickerton was ordained an Elder
and shortly after an Evangelist
in the church.
At a general conference of the church held that fall in Philadelphia, Rigdon announced that the church would re-establish a communitarian society on what was named "Adventure Farm" near Greencastle, Pennsylvania
. Many of Rigdon's followers, including Bickerton, opposed moving the headquarters of the church. By 1847, disagreement among the Rigdonites had led to the virtual disintegration of Rigdon's church. Several prominent members, including William E. M'Lellin and Benjamin Winchester
, separated from the church and established a rival organization
centered around the leadership of David Whitmer
. However, some followers of Rigdon, including Bickerton, refused to join the dissenters.
, and never moved to Greencastle with Rigdon. By April 1847, the Adventure Farm community had collapsed and Rigdon had abandoned his followers. Bickerton described his situation upon the collapse of the Rigdonite church:
Having a strong conviction in the beliefs he had gained, but left without an organization, Bickerton associated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Elizabeth, Pennsylvania
from March 1851 to March 1852 and became an elder in the Elizabeth congregation of the LDS Church. In 1852, representatives of LDS Church president Brigham Young
visited Bickerton and informed him that he must teach plural marriage
. Bickerton replied, "If the approval of God were to come to me by accepting the doctrine of polygamy, I prefer the displeasure of God.". Bickerton disassociated himself from the LDS Church because of its adherence to doctrines that he felt could not be substantiated in the Bible or the Book of Mormon, particularly plural marriage.
Bickerton continued to preach and by May 1851 a branch of the church was organized under the leadership of Bickerton in West Elizabeth
, Pennsylvania. Other ministers were ordained and branches were established in Allegheny, Rock Run, Green Oak, and Pine Run, Pennsylvania, as well as Wheeling
, West Virginia
. Many visitors inquired of this organization's position concerning Latter Day Saints who followed Brigham Young. The following statement was officially recorded in 1855:
At a conference of believers in Green Oak, Pennsylvania
in July 1862, leaders of several branches of the faith in Pennsylvania, Ohio
and Virginia
came together and formally organized what they called The Church of Jesus Christ
. Bickerton presided over the conference and reorganized the First Presidency
and Quorum of the Twelve
. Bickerton was accepted by his followers as the rightful successor to Joseph Smith, Jr. as a prophet
, seer, and revelator
. The past and present members of this church are sometimes referred to by historians as Bickertonites, and The Church of Jesus Christ has been nicknamed the "Bickertonite church" or the "Bickerton organization".
At a conference in 1872 in West Elizabeth, Bickerton was chosen to spend the remainder of his days on missionary work. His missionary endeavors culminated in 1875: Bickerton, accompanied by approximately thirty-five to forty families of the church, moved to Kansas
to found the Zion Valley Colony, which later became the town of St. John, Kansas
.
until 1880, when William Cadman succeeded Bickerton as president of the church. Charges of adultery
had been brought against Bickerton by another member of the church in Kansas. Although Bickerton maintained his innocence, a church council decision went against him and he was disfellowshipped from the church. In 1902, he was reinstated in the church and Bickerton remained a faithful church member until he died in January 1905.
Bickerton died at St. John
, Stafford County, Kansas
at the age of 90 as a member and leader of the church he organized in 1862. He is buried in the Fairview Cemetery in St. John.
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...
after the 1844 succession crisis. In 1862, Bickerton became the founding president of the church now known as The Church of Jesus Christ (Bickertonite), which is one of many churches that claim to be a continuation of the Church of Christ founded by Joseph Smith, Jr. in 1830.
Early life
Bickerton was born in KyloeKyloe
Kyloe is a civil parish in the county of Northumberland, situated about south-east of Berwick-on-Tweed.The former church in Kyloe was built in the eighteenth century, replacing a medieval building, and is now a private house....
, Ancroft Parish, Northumberland
Northumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
, 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...
, the seventh of eleven children of Thomas Bickerton and Isabella Hope. As an infant, he was not baptized
Baptism
In Christianity, baptism is for the majority the rite of admission , almost invariably with the use of water, into the Christian Church generally and also membership of a particular church tradition...
until February 4, 1816, which has resulted in some sources misreporting that Bickerton was born in 1816. Bickerton immigrated to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and became a coal miner.
Follower of Sidney Rigdon
Bickerton was not a Latter Day Saint during the lifetime of Joseph Smith. Rather, he was a practising Methodist who was converted to the faith by Sidney RigdonSidney Rigdon
Sidney Rigdon was a leader during the early history of the Latter Day Saint movement.-Baptist background:...
in 1845. Following Smith's death
Death of Joseph Smith, Jr.
The death of Joseph Smith, Jr. on June 27, 1844 marked a turning point for the Latter Day Saint movement, of which Smith was the founder and leader. When he was attacked and killed by a mob, Smith was the mayor of Nauvoo, Illinois, and running for President of the United States...
in 1844, a number of Latter Day Saint leaders, including Rigdon, 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...
, and James Strang
James Strang
James Jesse Strang was an American religious leader, politician and self-proclaimed monarch who founded the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints , a faction of the Latter Day Saint movement...
, claimed to be Smith's rightful successor to lead the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, which Smith had founded in 1830 as the Church of Christ.
The Latter Day Saints who followed Rigdon separated themselves from the followers of Young. While the group led by Young remained in Nauvoo
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...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
and eventually settled in Utah
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....
, Rigdon and his followers settled in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. On April 6, 1845, Rigdon presided over a conference of the Church of Christ, which he claimed was the rightful continuation of the church founded by Smith. (Historians often refer to Rigdon's church as the Church of Christ (Rigdonite) and its adherents as Rigdonite
Rigdonite
Rigdonite is a name given to members of the Latter Day Saint movement who accept Sidney Rigdon as the successor in the church presidency to movement founder, Joseph Smith, Jr. The early history of the Rigdonite movement is shared with the history of the Latter Day Saint movement, but as of the...
s, Pennsylvania Latter Day Saints, or Pennsylvania Mormons.) Bickerton was converted by the preaching of Rigdon and was baptized at Pittsburgh in 1845. Later that same year Bickerton was ordained an Elder
Elder (Christianity)
An elder in Christianity is a person valued for his wisdom who accordingly holds a particular position of responsibility in a Christian group. In some Christian traditions an elder is a clergy person who usually serves a local church or churches and who has been ordained to a ministry of Word,...
and shortly after an Evangelist
Evangelist (Latter Day Saints)
In the Latter Day Saint movement, an evangelist is an ordained office of the ministry. In some denominations of the movement, an evangelist is referred to as a patriarch . However, the latter term was deprecated by the Community of Christ after the church began ordaining women to the priesthood...
in the church.
At a general conference of the church held that fall in Philadelphia, Rigdon announced that the church would re-establish a communitarian society on what was named "Adventure Farm" near Greencastle, Pennsylvania
Greencastle, Pennsylvania
Greencastle is a borough in Franklin County in south-central Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 3,722 at the 2000 census.-History:...
. Many of Rigdon's followers, including Bickerton, opposed moving the headquarters of the church. By 1847, disagreement among the Rigdonites had led to the virtual disintegration of Rigdon's church. Several prominent members, including William E. M'Lellin and Benjamin Winchester
Benjamin Winchester
Benjamin Winchester was an early leader in the Latter Day Saint movement. Winchester was the youngest adult member of Zion's Camp, an original member of the first Quorum of the Seventy, editor of the first independent Mormon periodical, the Gospel Reflector, president of a large branch of the...
, separated from the church and established a rival organization
Church of Christ (Whitmerite)
The Church of Christ was a denomination of the Latter Day Saint movement based on the claims of David Whitmer, one of the Three Witnesses to the Book of Mormon's Golden Plates....
centered around the leadership of David Whitmer
David Whitmer
David Whitmer was an early adherent of the Latter Day Saint movement who eventually became the most interviewed of the Three Witnesses to the Book of Mormon's Golden Plates.-Early life:...
. However, some followers of Rigdon, including Bickerton, refused to join the dissenters.
Establishing The Church of Jesus Christ
Bickerton remained in Monongahela, PennsylvaniaMonongahela, Pennsylvania
Monongahela, colloquially called "Mon City," is a Third Class City in Washington County, Pennsylvania, United States and is part of the Pittsburgh Metro Area, located approximately south of the city proper. The population was 4,761 at the 2000 census...
, and never moved to Greencastle with Rigdon. By April 1847, the Adventure Farm community had collapsed and Rigdon had abandoned his followers. Bickerton described his situation upon the collapse of the Rigdonite church:
"... The Church [had become] disorganized. Here I was left to myself. I paused to know what course to pursue. I knew my calling was from Heaven, and I also knew that a man cannot build up the Church of Christ without divine commandment from the Lord, for it would only be sectarianism, and man's authority. But the Lord did not leave me; no, he showed me a vision, and in the vision I was on the highest mountain on the earth; and he told me that if I did not preach the gospel I would fall into a dreadful chasm below, the sight thereof was awful. I moved with fear, having the Holy Spirit with me. Here I was, none to assist me, and without learning, popular opinion against me, and the Salt Lake Mormons stood in the way. I could not turn back unto Methodism again. No, I knew they had not the gospel. I stood in contemplation. The chasm was before me, no other alternative but to do my duty to God and man. I went ahead preaching repentance towards God, and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Some believed my testimony and were baptized, and we met together [and] the Lord met with us ...."
Having a strong conviction in the beliefs he had gained, but left without an organization, Bickerton associated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Elizabeth, Pennsylvania
Elizabeth, Pennsylvania
Elizabeth is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, on the east bank of the Monongahela River, where Pennsylvania Route 51 crosses, upstream of Pittsburgh and close to the county line. The population was 1,493 at the 2010 census...
from March 1851 to March 1852 and became an elder in the Elizabeth congregation of the LDS Church. In 1852, representatives of LDS Church president 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...
visited Bickerton and informed him that he must teach 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...
. Bickerton replied, "If the approval of God were to come to me by accepting the doctrine of polygamy, I prefer the displeasure of God.". Bickerton disassociated himself from the LDS Church because of its adherence to doctrines that he felt could not be substantiated in the Bible or the Book of Mormon, particularly plural marriage.
Bickerton continued to preach and by May 1851 a branch of the church was organized under the leadership of Bickerton in West Elizabeth
West Elizabeth, Pennsylvania
West Elizabeth is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 518 at the 2010 census.-Geography:West Elizabeth is located at ....
, Pennsylvania. Other ministers were ordained and branches were established in Allegheny, Rock Run, Green Oak, and Pine Run, Pennsylvania, as well as Wheeling
Wheeling, West Virginia
Wheeling is a city in Ohio and Marshall counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia; it is the county seat of Ohio County. Wheeling is the principal city of the Wheeling Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
. Many visitors inquired of this organization's position concerning Latter Day Saints who followed Brigham Young. The following statement was officially recorded in 1855:
"As some individuals have been inclining to the people of Salt Lake and their doctrines, we have felt it our duty while sitting in Council before the Lord, that all who hold such doctrines, after due examination before witnesses, shall be cut off from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, as the spirit may direct and shall have no fellowship with the Saints."
At a conference of believers in Green Oak, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
in July 1862, leaders of several branches of the faith in Pennsylvania, 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...
and Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
came together and formally organized what they called The Church of Jesus Christ
Church of Jesus Christ (Bickertonite)
The Church of Jesus Christ is a Christian religious denomination headquartered in Monongahela, Pennsylvania, United States. The Church of Jesus Christ is a Restorationist church and is historically part of the Latter Day Saint movement...
. Bickerton presided over the conference and reorganized the First Presidency
First Presidency
In the Latter Day Saint movement, the First Presidency was the highest governing body in the Latter Day Saint church established by Joseph Smith, Jr. in 1832, and is the highest governing body of several modern Latter Day Saint denominations...
and Quorum of the Twelve
Quorum of the Twelve
In the Latter Day Saint movement, the Quorum of the Twelve was one of the governing bodies of the church hierarchy organized by the movement's founder Joseph Smith, Jr., and patterned after the twelve apostles of Christ In the Latter Day Saint movement, the Quorum of the Twelve (also known as the...
. Bickerton was accepted by his followers as the rightful successor to Joseph Smith, Jr. as a prophet
Prophet
In religion, a prophet, from the Greek word προφήτης profitis meaning "foreteller", is an individual who is claimed to have been contacted by the supernatural or the divine, and serves as an intermediary with humanity, delivering this newfound knowledge from the supernatural entity to other people...
, seer, and revelator
Revelator
Revelator may be*the agent noun of "to reveal", any agent in a Revelation*specifically, John of Patmos "the Revelator"*Prophet, seer, and revelator, an ecclesiastical title used in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
. The past and present members of this church are sometimes referred to by historians as Bickertonites, and The Church of Jesus Christ has been nicknamed the "Bickertonite church" or the "Bickerton organization".
At a conference in 1872 in West Elizabeth, Bickerton was chosen to spend the remainder of his days on missionary work. His missionary endeavors culminated in 1875: Bickerton, accompanied by approximately thirty-five to forty families of the church, moved to 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...
to found the Zion Valley Colony, which later became the town of St. John, Kansas
St. John, Kansas
St. John is a city in and the county seat of Stafford County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 1,295.-19th century:...
.
Transition of leadership
Bickerton led The Church of Jesus ChristChurch of Jesus Christ (Bickertonite)
The Church of Jesus Christ is a Christian religious denomination headquartered in Monongahela, Pennsylvania, United States. The Church of Jesus Christ is a Restorationist church and is historically part of the Latter Day Saint movement...
until 1880, when William Cadman succeeded Bickerton as president of the church. Charges of adultery
Adultery
Adultery is sexual infidelity to one's spouse, and is a form of extramarital sex. It originally referred only to sex between a woman who was married and a person other than her spouse. Even in cases of separation from one's spouse, an extramarital affair is still considered adultery.Adultery is...
had been brought against Bickerton by another member of the church in Kansas. Although Bickerton maintained his innocence, a church council decision went against him and he was disfellowshipped from the church. In 1902, he was reinstated in the church and Bickerton remained a faithful church member until he died in January 1905.
Marriage and family
Bickerton married Dorothy Breminger in 1845; the couple had one son, James, and six daughters: Eliza Ann, Clara Virginia, Angeline Ann, Josephine, and Florence. After the death of Dorothy, Bickerton married his second wife, Charlotte Hibbs, on July 8, 1863. Charlotte bore him one child, William Alma.Bickerton died at St. John
St. John, Kansas
St. John is a city in and the county seat of Stafford County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 1,295.-19th century:...
, Stafford County, Kansas
Stafford County, Kansas
Stafford County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 4,437. Its county seat is St. John...
at the age of 90 as a member and leader of the church he organized in 1862. He is buried in the Fairview Cemetery in St. John.
See also
- Primitive Church of Jesus Christ (Bickertonite)Primitive Church of Jesus Christ (Bickertonite)The Primitive Church of Jesus Christ was a schismatic sect that was created in 1914 from dissenting members of The Church of Jesus Christ . Like its parent church, the Primitive Church of Jesus Christ was a Rigdonite and Bickertonite organization: it traced the claim of succession to Latter Day...
- Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ (Bickertonite)Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ (Bickertonite)The Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ was a schismatic sect that was created in 1907 from dissenting members of The Church of Jesus Christ . Like its parent church, the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ was a Rigdonite and Bickertonite organization: it traced the claim of succession to Latter Day...