Charles B. Thompson
Encyclopedia
Charles Blancher Thompson (January 27, 1814 – February 27, 1895) was an American
leader of a schismatic
sect in the Latter Day Saint movement
from 1848 to 1858. He claimed the title Baneemy and his followers were known as "Baneemyites".
Thompson was born in Niskayuna, New York
to a Quaker
family. Thompson converted to Mormonism
in 1835. He became an elder in the church and was faithful to the church leadership until the death of founder Joseph Smith, Jr.
In 1841, Thompson published Evidence in Proof of the Book of Mormon in Batavia, New York.
Among the several aspirants to be Smith's successor, Thompson initially accepted James J. Strang as the rightful leader of the Latter Day Saints. However, in January 1848 Thompson broke with Strang after Thompson reported to having received a revelation
from God
while he was living in St. Louis, Missouri
. Thompson began to claim that he was the reincarnation of the biblical Ephraim
and that he was to be known as "Baneemy, patriarch of Zion". Thompson claimed that a revelation received by Joseph Smith on June 22, 1834, referred to him:
Thompson self-published a tract
entitled The Voice of Him!! That Crieth in the Wilderness, Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord!!, and gathered fifty to sixty followers around him, whom he instructed in his "School of Preparation". Thompson named his church the Congregation of Jehovah’s Presbytery of Zion, and his followers were often called Baneemyites because of Thompson's claim to the title. The group was also referred to as the Conjespresites.
In September 1853, Thompson moved his followers to Monona County, Iowa
, north of Council Bluffs
, where they established a communitarian
commune called "Preparation". Thompson enforced strict rules of behavior among his followers and published a variety of periodicals while in St. Louis and in Iowa, including Zion’s Harbinger and Baneemy’s Organ, Preparation News and Ephraim's Messenger. In 1858, Thompson published a 208-page tract
entitled Law and Covenants of Israel; Written to Ephraim from Jehovah, the Mighty God of Jacob: Ephraim and Baneemy’s Proclamation.
In October 1858, Thompson's followers "ran him out of town". The property owned by the commune was the subject of a lengthy court battle which was not resolved by the Iowa Supreme Court
until 1867. Thompson ultimately moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
, where in 1892 a city directory listed him as "Reverend Charles B. Thompson". He died in Philadelphia in 1895. The 344 acres (1.4 km²) Preparation Canyon State Park in Iowa now occupies the space where Thompson's commune of Preparation once was.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
leader of a schismatic
Schism (religion)
A schism , from Greek σχίσμα, skhísma , is a division between people, usually belonging to an organization or movement religious denomination. The word is most frequently applied to a break of communion between two sections of Christianity that were previously a single body, or to a division within...
sect 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...
from 1848 to 1858. He claimed the title Baneemy and his followers were known as "Baneemyites".
Thompson was born in Niskayuna, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
to a Quaker
Religious Society of Friends
The Religious Society of Friends, or Friends Church, is a Christian movement which stresses the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers. Members are known as Friends, or popularly as Quakers. It is made of independent organisations, which have split from one another due to doctrinal differences...
family. Thompson converted to Mormonism
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...
in 1835. He became an elder in the church and was faithful to the church leadership until the death of founder Joseph Smith, Jr.
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 1841, Thompson published Evidence in Proof of the Book of Mormon in Batavia, New York.
Among the several aspirants to be Smith's successor, Thompson initially accepted James J. Strang as the rightful leader of the Latter Day Saints. However, in January 1848 Thompson broke with Strang after Thompson reported to having received a revelation
Revelation
In religion and theology, revelation is the revealing or disclosing, through active or passive communication with a supernatural or a divine entity...
from God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
while he was living in St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
. Thompson began to claim that he was the reincarnation of the biblical Ephraim
Ephraim
Ephraim ; was, according to the Book of Genesis, the second son of Joseph and Asenath. Asenath was an Egyptian woman whom Pharaoh gave to Joseph as wife, and the daughter of Potipherah, a priest of On. Ephraim was born in Egypt before the arrival of the children of Israel from Canaan...
and that he was to be known as "Baneemy, patriarch of Zion". Thompson claimed that a revelation received by Joseph Smith on June 22, 1834, referred to him:
And I will soften the hearts of the people, as I did the heart of Pharaoh, from time to time, until my servant Baurak Ale, and Baneemy, whom I have appointed, shall have time to gather up the strength of my house ...
Thompson self-published a tract
Tract (literature)
A tract is a literary work, and in current usage, usually religious in nature. The notion of what constitutes a tract has changed over time. By the early part of the 21st century, these meant small pamphlets used for religious and political purposes, though far more often the former. They are...
entitled The Voice of Him!! That Crieth in the Wilderness, Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord!!, and gathered fifty to sixty followers around him, whom he instructed in his "School of Preparation". Thompson named his church the Congregation of Jehovah’s Presbytery of Zion, and his followers were often called Baneemyites because of Thompson's claim to the title. The group was also referred to as the Conjespresites.
In September 1853, Thompson moved his followers to Monona County, Iowa
Monona County, Iowa
-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 9,243 in the county, with a population density of . There were 4,697 housing units, of which 4,050 were occupied.-2000 census:...
, north of Council Bluffs
Council Bluffs, Iowa
Council Bluffs, known until 1852 as Kanesville, Iowathe historic starting point of the Mormon Trail and eventual northernmost anchor town of the other emigrant trailsis a city in and the county seat of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, United States and is on the east bank of the Missouri River across...
, where they established a communitarian
Communitarianism
Communitarianism is an ideology that emphasizes the connection between the individual and the community. That community may be the family unit, but it can also be understood in a far wider sense of personal interaction, of geographical location, or of shared history.-Terminology:Though the term...
commune called "Preparation". Thompson enforced strict rules of behavior among his followers and published a variety of periodicals while in St. Louis and in Iowa, including Zion’s Harbinger and Baneemy’s Organ, Preparation News and Ephraim's Messenger. In 1858, Thompson published a 208-page tract
Tract (literature)
A tract is a literary work, and in current usage, usually religious in nature. The notion of what constitutes a tract has changed over time. By the early part of the 21st century, these meant small pamphlets used for religious and political purposes, though far more often the former. They are...
entitled Law and Covenants of Israel; Written to Ephraim from Jehovah, the Mighty God of Jacob: Ephraim and Baneemy’s Proclamation.
In October 1858, Thompson's followers "ran him out of town". The property owned by the commune was the subject of a lengthy court battle which was not resolved by the Iowa Supreme Court
Iowa Supreme Court
The Iowa Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of Iowa. As constitutional head of the Iowa Judicial Branch, the Court is composed of a Chief Justice and six Associate Justices....
until 1867. Thompson ultimately moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
, where in 1892 a city directory listed him as "Reverend Charles B. Thompson". He died in Philadelphia in 1895. The 344 acres (1.4 km²) Preparation Canyon State Park in Iowa now occupies the space where Thompson's commune of Preparation once was.
External links
- Charles Blancher Thompson : short biography focusing on Thompson's time in Monona County, Iowa
- Charles Blancher Thompson : family biography