Mark Hill Forscutt
Encyclopedia
Mark Hill Forscutt was an English hymn
writer and a leader in several denominations of the Latter Day Saint movement
. A convert to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), Forscutt broke with that denomination for a number of reasons, not the least of which was the practice of plural marriage
. Forscutt went on to serve in leadership positions in the Morrisite sect
and later in the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (RLDS Church).
Forscutt was born in Godmanchester
, England
. When Forscutt joined the LDS Church as a 19-year-old in 1853, his father disowned him and insisted that he move out of his childhood home. From 1855 to 1860, Forscutt was a missionary
for the LDS Church in England.
Forscutt was married in March 1860 to fellow Latter-day Saint Elizabeth Unsworth. On their marriage day, Forscutt and his wife began their emigration to Utah Territory
with the intention of joining the gathering of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City. Upon arriving in Utah, he became a secretary to Brigham Young
, the president of the LDS Church. Shortly after his arrival, Forscutt began to learn about the LDS practice of plural marriage
, which he had not been aware of previously. This discovery, combined with other disagreements with Brigham Young, led Forscutt to disassociate himself from the LDS Church. Forscutt became affiliated with a group led by Joseph Morris; he was an apostle in the Morrisite organization and was involved in the 1861 Morrisite War
. After these incidents, Forscutt joined the United States Army
unit at Fort Douglas in Salt Lake City and was stationed in Ruby Valley (now Nevada) before returning to Salt Lake City.
In 1865, Forscutt joined the RLDS Church in Salt Lake City. He soon left the territory fearing for his life as an apostate from the LDS Church. Forscutt became a close personal friend of Joseph Smith III
. Forscutt later served as a full-time missionary for the RLDS Church in England
and the Society Islands
. He was a copyist in the process that led to the 1866 publication of the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible
in 1866. Forscutt composed a number of hymns and was the editor of Saints' Harmony, an RLDS Church hymnal
published in 1889.
Forscutt was a preacher in the RLDS Church until his death. On 2 May 1879, Forscutt preached the sermon at the funeral of Emma Smith Bidamon, the widow of Joseph Smith, Jr. and mother of Joseph Smith III.
Mark and Elizabeth Forscutt were the parents of three children Amy Forscutt Parr, Ruby Forscutt Faunce, and Mark Zenas Forscutt. They divorced in 1867.
Hymn
A hymn is a type of song, usually religious, specifically written for the purpose of praise, adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification...
writer and a leader in several denominations of 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...
. A convert to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), Forscutt broke with that denomination for a number of reasons, not the least of which was the practice of 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...
. Forscutt went on to serve in leadership positions in the Morrisite sect
Church of the Firstborn (Morrisite)
The Church of the Firstborn was a sect of the Latter Day Saint movement that formed as an offshoot of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1861 and was involved in the Morrisite War...
and later in the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (RLDS Church).
Forscutt was born in Godmanchester
Godmanchester
Godmanchester is a small town and civil parish within the Huntingdonshire district of Cambridgeshire, in England. It lies on the south bank of the River Great Ouse, south of the larger town of Huntingdon, and on the A14 road....
, 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...
. When Forscutt joined the LDS Church as a 19-year-old in 1853, his father disowned him and insisted that he move out of his childhood home. From 1855 to 1860, Forscutt was 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...
for the LDS Church in England.
Forscutt was married in March 1860 to fellow Latter-day Saint Elizabeth Unsworth. On their marriage day, Forscutt and his wife began their emigration to Utah Territory
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....
with the intention of joining the gathering of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City. Upon arriving in Utah, he became a secretary to 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...
, the president of the LDS Church. Shortly after his arrival, Forscutt began to learn about the LDS practice of 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...
, which he had not been aware of previously. This discovery, combined with other disagreements with Brigham Young, led Forscutt to disassociate himself from the LDS Church. Forscutt became affiliated with a group led by Joseph Morris; he was an apostle in the Morrisite organization and was involved in the 1861 Morrisite War
Morrisite War
The Morrisite War was a skirmish between a Latter Day Saint sect known as the "Morrisites" and the Utah territorial government.-Morrisites:In 1857 Joseph Morris, an English convert to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Utah, reported receiving revelations naming him the Seventh...
. After these incidents, Forscutt joined the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
unit at Fort Douglas in Salt Lake City and was stationed in Ruby Valley (now Nevada) before returning to Salt Lake City.
In 1865, Forscutt joined the RLDS Church in Salt Lake City. He soon left the territory fearing for his life as an apostate from the LDS Church. Forscutt became a close personal friend of Joseph Smith III
Joseph Smith III
Joseph Smith III was the eldest surviving son of Joseph Smith, Jr., founder of the Latter Day Saint movement, and Emma Hale Smith...
. Forscutt later served as a full-time missionary for the RLDS Church in 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...
and the Society Islands
Society Islands
The Society Islands are a group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean. They are politically part of French Polynesia. The archipelago is generally believed to have been named by Captain James Cook in honor of the Royal Society, the sponsor of the first British scientific survey of the islands;...
. He was a copyist in the process that led to the 1866 publication of the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible
Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible
The Joseph Smith Translation , also called the Inspired Version , was a revision of the Bible by Joseph Smith, the founder of the Latter Day Saint movement. Smith considered this work to be "a branch of his calling" as a prophet. Smith was murdered before he ever deemed it complete, though most of...
in 1866. Forscutt composed a number of hymns and was the editor of Saints' Harmony, an RLDS Church hymnal
Hymnal
Hymnal or hymnary or hymnbook is a collection of hymns, i.e. religious songs, usually in the form of a book. The earliest hand-written hymnals are known since Middle Ages in the context of European Christianity...
published in 1889.
Forscutt was a preacher in the RLDS Church until his death. On 2 May 1879, Forscutt preached the sermon at the funeral of Emma Smith Bidamon, the widow of Joseph Smith, Jr. and mother of Joseph Smith III.
Mark and Elizabeth Forscutt were the parents of three children Amy Forscutt Parr, Ruby Forscutt Faunce, and Mark Zenas Forscutt. They divorced in 1867.