While my mother is not Mormon, her paternal line is, having been connected with the Latter Day Saints almost since its inception. By some accounts, my great x4 grandfather, William Burgess, joined the church in 1832. However, there are church records stating that he joined the church and was ordained a deacon on April 6 1830 – the date the church was formally established. Despite this, I suspect that William’s ordination date may have been “backdated” and the accounts that he joined in 1832 are correct.
The church was founded by Joseph Smith. his successor was Brigham Young. However, the transition in leadership was not seamless. Joseph had actually designated his brother Hyrum as his successor; however, Hyrum was killed by a mob along with his brother in 1844. This resulted in a leadership crisis within the church.
While Brigham Young quickly took control and the majority of the church came to support him in short order, several other church leaders continued to maintain their claims to leadership. Among other things, this resulted in the establishment of other, albeit smaller, denominations within the Latter Day Saint movement. Many church members, including my ancestors, were caught up in the chaos created by the power struggle and church schisms.
On another branch of my mother’s paternal line is Susan Turple, my great x3 grandmother, who was born in Halifax in 1818. Susan, her mother, and several of her siblings joined the church in the late 1840s. Susan was baptised into the church in 1849.
However, in August 1851, Susan found herself excommunicated from the church, because she had aligned herself with one of the factions who were not backing Young. Her mother and her siblings shared in that experience. After confessing her “error”, Susan was rebaptized and rejoined the church in October 1851. However, her mother and siblings ultimately left the church. This led to estrangement from her family.
The next year Susan struck out on her own and emigrated to the United States, with the goal of joining the Mormon migration to Utah. By September 1852, Susan was in Salt Lake City, where she was an outcast no more. Within weeks of her arrival, she married Henry Lyman Cook, who was fifteen years her senior. Together they had four children, including Sarah Florilla Cook, my great great grandmother.
A Deck of Ancestors 