Charles Blancher Thompson (January 27, 1814 – February 27, 1895) was an American leader of a

schismatic Schismatic may refer to: * Schismatic (religion), a member of a religious schism, or, as an adjective, of or pertaining to a schism * a term related to the Covenanters, a Scottish Presbyterian movement in the 17th century * pertaining to the schi ...

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 Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of Christian denomination, denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belie ...

family. Thompson converted to Mormonism in 1835. He became an

elder An elder is someone with a degree of seniority or authority. Elder or elders may refer to: Positions Administrative * Elder (administrative title), a position of authority Cultural * North American Indigenous elder, a person who has and tr ...

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 Batavia is a city in and the county seat of Genesee County, New York, United States. It is near the center of the county, surrounded by the Town of Batavia, which is a separate municipality. Batavia's population as of the 2020 census was 15,6 ...

. Among the several aspirants to be Smith's successor, Thompson initially accepted

James J. Strang James is a common English language surname and given name: *James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambiguat ...

as the rightful leader of the

Latter Day Saint The Latter Day Saint movement (also called the LDS movement, LDS restorationist movement, or Smith–Rigdon movement) is the collection of independent church groups that trace their origins to a Christian Restorationist movement founded by Jo ...

s. 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 St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...

. Thompson began to claim that he was the reincarnation of the biblical

Ephraim Ephraim (; he, ''ʾEp̄rayīm'', in pausa: ''ʾEp̄rāyīm'') was, according to the Book of Genesis, the second son of Joseph ben Jacob and Asenath. Asenath was an Ancient Egyptian woman whom Pharaoh gave to Joseph as wife, and the daughte ...

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 may refer to: Geography and real estate * Housing tract, an area of land that is subdivided into smaller individual lots * Land lot or tract, a section of land * Census tract, a geographic region defined for the purpose of taking a census ...

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 Communitarianism is a philosophy that emphasizes the connection between the individual and the community. Its overriding philosophy is based upon the belief that a person's social identity and personality are largely molded by community relati ...

commune called

Preparation Preparation may refer to: * Preparation (dental), the method by which a tooth is prepared when removing decay and designing a form that will provide adequate retention for a dental restoration * Preparation (music), treatment of dissonance in tona ...

. 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

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".Gregory L. Hawley and

William G. Hartley William George Hartley (born 10 February 1942; died 10 April 2018) was an American historian and author. He wrote many books primarily on family history research, histories of specific families and 19th-century Latter-day Saint history. Biograp ...

"Before the ''Arabia'' Sank: Mormon Passengers up the Missouri in 1856"
''

Nauvoo Journal The Ensign Peak Foundation (formerly the Mormon Historic Sites Foundation) is an independent organization that seeks to contribute to the memorialization of sites important to the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The o ...

'', Fall 1998, p. 130, note 48. 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

Preparation Canyon State Park Preparation Canyon State Park is located north of Pisgah, Iowa, United States. Located in the Loess Hills, the park is a relatively undisturbed and undeveloped place. It provides space for picnicking, hiking, and camping in ten hike-in camp sit ...

in Iowa now occupies the space where Thompson's commune of Preparation once was.

Notes

References

*C. R. Marks, “History of Monona County,” ''Annals of Iowa'', vol. 7, no. 5, (3d series), Apr. 1906, 321–346 *

B.H. Roberts Brigham Henry Roberts (March 13, 1857 – September 27, 1933) was a historian, politician, and leader in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). He edited the seven-volume ''History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...

(1930). '' Comprehensive History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: Century I'' (Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret Book) 2:437–438 *Steven L. Shields (1990, 4th ed.). ''Divergent Paths of the Restoration'' (Independence, Mo.: Herald House) pp. 51–53

External links

Charles Blancher Thompson
: short biography focusing on Thompson's time in Monona County, Iowa

: family biography {{DEFAULTSORT:Thompson, Charles B. 1814 births 1895 deaths American Latter Day Saint leaders American Latter Day Saints Converts to Mormonism from Quakerism Editors of Latter Day Saint publications Founders of new religious movements Latter Day Saint leaders People from Niskayuna, New York Prophets in Mormonism