| Isaac Morley | |
|---|---|
 | |
| First Counselor to theBishop of the Church | |
| June 3, 1831 (1831-06-03)[1] – May 27, 1840 (1840-05-27) | |
| Called by | Edward Partridge |
| End reason | Honorably released at death ofEdward Partridge |
| Leader of Sanpete Mormon Colony | |
| In office | |
| 1849 – 1854 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1786-03-11)March 11, 1786 Montague, Massachusetts, United States |
| Died | June 24, 1865(1865-06-24) (aged 79) Fairview,Utah Territory, United States |
| Resting place | Manti Cemetery 39°16′35″N111°37′58″W / 39.2764°N 111.6328°W /39.2764; -111.6328 (Manti Cemetery) |
| Spouse(s) | Lucy Gunn Leonora Snow Hannah Blakesley Hannah Knight Libby Harriet Lucinda Cox Hannah Sibley Nancy Anne Bache |
Isaac Morley (March 11, 1786 – June 24, 1865) was an early member of theLatter Day Saint movement and a contemporary of bothJoseph Smith andBrigham Young. He was one of the first converts to Smith'sChurch of Christ. Morley was present at many of the early events of the Latter Day Saint movement, and served as a church leader inOhio,Missouri, andUtah Territory.
Morley was born on March 11, 1786, inMontague, Massachusetts[2] to Thomas E. Morley and Editha Morley (née Marsh). His parents were members of thePresbyterian faith. Morley served in theWar of 1812 from 1812–15, holding the position of captain in the Ohio militia.[3]
In 1812, Morley married Lucy Gunn,[2] with whom he had seven children. Some years after becoming a member of the church in 1830, he practicedplural marriage, taking Leonora Snow (the older sister ofLorenzo andEliza R. Snow) and Hannah Blakesley (also found as Blaixly or Blakeslee) as his second and third wife in 1844 inNauvoo, Illinois. He had three children with Blakesley. His other wives included Hannah Knight Libby, Harriet Lucinda Cox, Hannah Sibley, and Nancy Anne Bache (also found as Back).
Morley was an early settler in theWestern Reserve wilderness area of northernOhio, and created a productive farm in the region nearKirtland, Ohio.[citation needed] While in this area, he joined the reformed Baptist faith (also known as theCampbellites) under the ministry ofSidney Rigdon.[3] Morley was also the leader of a utopian group that practiced communal principals, holdinggoods in common for the benefit of all. Members of this group includedLyman Wight and Morley's brother-in-lawTitus Billings. Eight additional families joined in 1830. The society was sometimes called the "Morley Family," as Rigdon caused a row of log houses to be built on Morley's farm, where a number of the society's members could live periodically.
On November 5, 1830, Morley was baptized into the newly organizedChurch of Christ byParley P. Pratt.[3] He had been introduced to the teachings of Smith whenOliver Cowdery and several other missionaries passed through Ohio. He was ordained anelder shortly after his baptism.
When the Latter Day Saints began to settle in Kirtland, Morley opened up his home to them.[3]Joseph Smith and his family lived with Isaac Morley when they first came to Kirtland. Morley later built a small house for them on his farm, where Joseph's andEmma's twins, Thaddeus and Louisa, were born and died only three hours later on April 30, 1831. Isaac's daughter, Lucy, and her elder sister kept house for Emma while she was ill.
Morley was ordained a High Priest on June 4, 1831, by Lyman Wight[3] and was immediately selected for a leadership position. He was ordained on June 6 as First Counselor to BishopEdward Partridge and served until Partridge's death in 1840.
On June 7, 1831, Morley was asked to sell his farm and act as a missionary while traveling toIndependence, Missouri withEzra Booth (an assignment given to him throughDoctrine and Covenants 52:23). Morley and Booth werechastised for lack of obedience three months later in a revelation given in Doctrine and Covenants 64:15–16.[2] Here, Morley faced the violence generated by disagreements and misunderstandings between Mormon settlers and Missouri residents. In July 1833, a mob of about 500 men demolished the home and printing office ofWilliam Wines Phelps at Independence andtarred and feathered Bishop Partridge.[citation needed] Morley and five others stepped forward and offered themselves as a ransom for these men.[2] After negotiation, the Missouri citizens agreed to stop the violence and the Mormons agreed to leave the county by April 1, 1834.[citation needed] Morley moved fromJackson County toClay County with his fellow Latter Day Saints.[3]
Morley left Missouri and returned to Kirtland in early 1835. He was in attendance at the dedication of theKirtland Temple in March 1836 and was among the first to receive thewashing and anointingordinance, also known as the "initiatory".
In 1835, Morley served a mission with Partridge to the Eastern States.[3] They returned to Kirtland on November 5, 1835. On November 7, Joseph Smith wrote:
The word of the Lord came to me, saying: "Behold I am well pleased with my servant Isaac Morley and my servant Edward Partridge, because of the integrity of their hearts in laboring in my vineyard, for the salvation of the souls of men."[4]
Morley returned to Missouri with his family in early 1836, and helped establish the city ofFar West. Then, on November 7, 1837, he was chosen as thepatriarch of Far West and ordained under the hands of Joseph Smith,Sidney Rigdon, andHyrum Smith.[3] He lived in Far West until he was arrested with fifty-five other Mormon citizens on the basis of theExtermination Order of Missouri governorLilburn W. Boggs. The citizens were taken by the Missouri militia toRichmond, Missouri to await trial. After being held for three weeks, all the prisoners were released by JudgeAustin A. King on November 24, 1838.
Upon leaving Missouri with the expelled Saints, Morley settled inHancock County, Illinois, in a settlement called Yelrome[3] (from the reverse spelling of "Morley"). There, he established a prosperous business as a cooper. In October 1840, Hyrum Smith[citation needed] appointed Morley to serve as president of the stake centered inLima, Illinois,[3] with John Murdock and Walter Cox as counselors.[citation needed] On April 11, 1845, he was selected to be a member of theCouncil of Fifty.[3] However, in September 1845, his houses, cooper's shop, property, and grain were burned by a mob, and his family took refuge in the Mormon center ofNauvoo.[citation needed] From there, they moved toWinter Quarters,[3] where Morley's first wife, Lucy, died.
Morley emigrated to theGreat Salt Lake Valley in 1848[3] withthe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) following thedeath of Joseph Smith, and is considered to be the founder ofManti, Utah. After Ute Indian leaderWalkara invited Church presidentBrigham Young to send Mormon colonists to theSanpitch (now Sanpete) Valley in central Utah, Young dispatched Morley and James Russell Ivie as leaders of the first company of 225 settlers. Morley and his group felt that part of the purpose of the settlement was to bring the gospel to the Indians. He wrote, "Did we come here to enrich ourselves in the things of this world? No. We were sent to enrich the Natives and comfort the hearts of the long oppressed." (May, p. 104)
Morley and the settlers arrived at the present location of Manti in November 1849, and established a winter camp, digging temporary shelters into the south side of the hill on which theManti Utah Temple now stands. It was an isolated place, at least four days by wagon from the nearest settlement. Relations between the Mormons and the local Utes were cooperative. The first winter was severe, and, although the settlers were fairly well supplied, they had great difficulties. Ameasles epidemic broke out and the settlers used their limited medicine to nurse the Utes. When supplies ran low, the Utes helped settlers haul food on sleds through the snow.
Morley encouraged the settlers in their work and assured them that their community would grow to be one of the best in the mountains. The settlers and members of the Ute Sanpitch tribe referred to him affectionately as "Father Morley".[1] Morley supervised the building of the first schoolhouse and the firstgristmill in Sanpete Valley. The Sanpete Valley settlement grew and prospered and became known as a prime agricultural area.
Morley served as a senator in the general assembly of the provisionalState of Deseret.[3] He represented Sanpete county in theUtah territorial legislature[2] from 1851 to 1857.[3]
During his last years, Morley spent most of his time on his calling as a patriarch, conferring priesthood blessings on thousands of church members.[citation needed] He died on June 24, 1865, inFairview, Utah.[3]
On a wall inside theManti Utah Temple is a framed piece oftemple clothing used by Morley in theNauvoo Temple when he wasendowed there.[citation needed]
| Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| New title | First Counselor to theBishop of the Church February 4, 1831 – May 27, 1840 | Position Vacant: May 27, 1840 – October 7, 1844 Succeeded by: George Miller asSecond Bishop of the Church |
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