Phineas Young
Encyclopedia
Phineas Howe Young (16 February 1799 – 10 October 1879) was a prominent early convert in the Latter Day Saint movement
and was later a Mormon pioneer
and a missionary
for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Phineas Young is an older brother of Brigham Young
, who was the president of the LDS Church and the first governor of the Territory of Utah.
, Massachusetts
, the seventh child of Joseph Young and Abigail Howe. Early in his life, Phineas was a Methodist preacher.
In 1830, Young was contacted by Samuel H. Smith
, a missionary in the recently-established Latter Day Saint movement. Smith gave Young a copy of the Book of Mormon
and told him that it had been translated from ancient records
by his brother Joseph Smith, Jr. Young undertook a careful study of the book and eventually passed it on to others in his family, including his brothers Brigham
, Joseph
and John.
On April 5, 1832, Young and his brother John were baptized
into the Latter Day Saint Church of Christ. His brother Joseph was baptized the next day and Brigham Young was baptized approximately one week later. Phineas' wife Clarissa was also baptized about this same time. Shortly after their baptisms, Phineas Young and Joseph Young became ordained elders in the church began preaching as missionaries in New York
and Upper Canada
.
While not on missions, Young lived with the Latter Day Saints in Kirtland
, Ohio
and Far West
, Missouri
. In 1835, the Three Witnesses
selected Young as one of the inaugural members of the Quorum of the Twelve
. However, church president Joseph Smith, Jr. insisted that his brother William Smith be selected in place of Young.
In 1840, Young moved to Scott County, Illinois when the Latter Day Saints were expelled from Missouri. By 1841 he had relocated to Nauvoo
. Later in 1841, Young served a mission to Cincinnati and its environs with Franklin D. Richards.
Young was married to Lucy , the half-sister of Oliver Cowdery
. After Cowdery was excommunicated from the church in 1838, Young wrote him several letters pleading with him to come back into the church. Young was present in Richmond, Missouri
when Cowdery died. Young testified that Cowdery's last statements were on the truth of Mormonism
as revealed through Joseph Smith.
After Joseph Smith was killed
in 1844, Young joined the majority of Latter Day Saints in accepting the leadership of Brigham Young and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
. Phineas Young was among the first Mormon pioneer company to reach the Salt Lake Valley
in July 1847. In this company Young served as a captain of ten.
Young settled in Salt Lake City. He went on to become a missionary
in England
. In 1853, he became the second counselor to David Fullmer
in the presidency of the Salt Lake Stake of the church.
From 1864 through 1871 Young served as the bishop of the Salt Lake City 2nd Ward. In Utah Territory
, Young worked as a printer, saddler and contrator.
Young died in Salt Lake City, Utah Territory at the age of 80.
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...
and was later a Mormon pioneer
Mormon Pioneer
The Mormon pioneers were members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also known as Latter-day Saints, who migrated across the United States from the Midwest to the Salt Lake Valley in what is today the U.S. state of Utah...
and a missionary
Mormon missionary
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 Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Phineas Young is an older brother 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...
, who was the president of the LDS Church and the first governor of the Territory of Utah.
Life
Young was born in HopkintonHopkinton, Massachusetts
Hopkinton is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, just under 30 miles west and south of Boston. The town is best known as the starting point of the Boston Marathon, held annually on Patriots' Day in April, and as the home of computer storage firm EMC Corporation.For geographic and demographic...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, the seventh child of Joseph Young and Abigail Howe. Early in his life, Phineas was a Methodist preacher.
In 1830, Young was contacted by Samuel H. Smith
Samuel Harrison Smith
Samuel Harrison Smith was one of the younger brothers of Joseph Smith, Jr., founder of the Latter Day Saint movement. Samuel was a leader in his own right and a successful missionary. Smith is commonly regarded as the first Latter Day Saint missionary following the organization of the Church of...
, a missionary in the recently-established Latter Day Saint movement. Smith gave Young a copy of the Book of Mormon
Book of Mormon
The Book of Mormon is a sacred text of the Latter Day Saint movement that adherents believe contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the American continent from approximately 2600 BC to AD 421. It was first published in March 1830 by Joseph Smith, Jr...
and told him that it had been translated from ancient records
Golden Plates
According to Latter Day Saint belief, the golden plates are the source from which Joseph Smith, Jr. translated the Book of Mormon, a sacred text of the faith...
by his brother Joseph Smith, Jr. Young undertook a careful study of the book and eventually passed it on to others in his family, including his brothers Brigham
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...
, Joseph
Joseph Young
Young was born in Hopkinton, Massachusetts, the eighth child born to John Young and Abigail Howe.In 1830, while he was a preacher for the Methodist Church in Upper Canada, Young was introduced to the Book of Mormon by his younger brother Brigham...
and John.
On April 5, 1832, Young and his brother John were 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...
into the Latter Day Saint Church of Christ. His brother Joseph was baptized the next day and Brigham Young was baptized approximately one week later. Phineas' wife Clarissa was also baptized about this same time. Shortly after their baptisms, Phineas Young and Joseph Young became ordained elders in the church began preaching as missionaries in 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...
and Upper Canada
Upper Canada
The Province of Upper Canada was a political division in British Canada established in 1791 by the British Empire to govern the central third of the lands in British North America and to accommodate Loyalist refugees from the United States of America after the American Revolution...
.
While not on missions, Young lived with the Latter Day Saints in Kirtland
Kirtland, Ohio
Kirtland is a city in Lake County, Ohio, USA. The population was 6,670 at the 2000 census. Kirtland is famous for being the early headquarters of the Latter Day Saint movement.-Origins of Kirtland:...
, 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 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,...
, Missouri
Missouri
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...
. In 1835, the Three Witnesses
Three Witnesses
The Three Witnesses were a group of three early leaders of the Latter Day Saint movement who signed a statement in 1830 saying that an angel had shown them the golden plates from which Joseph Smith, Jr. translated the Book of Mormon and that they had heard God's voice testifying that the book had...
selected Young as one of the inaugural members of the 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...
. However, church president Joseph Smith, Jr. insisted that his brother William Smith be selected in place of Young.
In 1840, Young moved to Scott County, Illinois when the Latter Day Saints were expelled from Missouri. By 1841 he had relocated to 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...
. Later in 1841, Young served a mission to Cincinnati and its environs with Franklin D. Richards.
Young was married to Lucy , the half-sister of Oliver Cowdery
Oliver Cowdery
Oliver H. P. Cowdery was, with Joseph Smith, Jr., an important participant in the formative period of the Latter Day Saint movement between 1829 and 1836, becoming one of the Three Witnesses of the Book of Mormon's golden plates, one of the first Latter Day Saint apostles, and the Second Elder of...
. After Cowdery was excommunicated from the church in 1838, Young wrote him several letters pleading with him to come back into the church. Young was present in Richmond, Missouri
Richmond, Missouri
Richmond is a city in Ray County, Missouri, United States. The population was 5,797 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Ray County.-Geography:Richmond is located at...
when Cowdery died. Young testified that Cowdery's last statements were on the truth of 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...
as revealed through Joseph Smith.
After Joseph Smith was killed
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, Young joined the majority of Latter Day Saints in accepting the leadership of Brigham Young and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles is one of the governing bodies in the church hierarchy...
. Phineas Young was among the first Mormon pioneer company to reach 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 July 1847. In this company Young served as a captain of ten.
Young settled in Salt Lake City. He went on to become a missionary
Mormon missionary
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...
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...
. In 1853, he became the second counselor to David Fullmer
David Fullmer
David Fullmer was an American politician, church leader, and farmer, born in Chillisquaque, Pennsylvania. He was the older brother of John S. Fullmer, another politician...
in the presidency of the Salt Lake Stake of the church.
From 1864 through 1871 Young served as the bishop of the Salt Lake City 2nd Ward. In 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....
, Young worked as a printer, saddler and contrator.
Young died in Salt Lake City, Utah Territory at the age of 80.