Lucy Jane ("Jennie") Brimhall Knight (December 13, 1875 – ) was a leader in
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...
(LDS Church). She was also one of the first two single female
missionaries
A missionary is a member of a religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Mi ...
of the LDS Church.
[Diane L. Mangum]
"The First Sister Missionaries"
''Ensign
An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...
'', July 1980.
Biography
Jennie Brimhall was born in
Spanish Fork,
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, the 45th state. ...
, to
George H. Brimhall and Alsina Elizabeth Wilkins. Jennie was educated as a teacher at
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...
(BYU) and taught school in
San Juan County, Utah
San Juan County ( ) is a County (United States), county in the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of Utah. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 14,746. Its county seat is Monticello, Utah, Monticello, while its most popul ...
.
On April 1, 1898, Jennie was
set apart as one of the first two single women in the LDS Church to be formally
selected as full-time church missionaries.
[ The other was her childhood friend ]Inez Knight
Amanda Inez Knight Allen (September 8, 1876 – June 5, 1937) was a Mormon missionary and a Utah politician. In 1898, she became one of the first two single women to be missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) ...
.[ Jennie Brimhall and Inez Knight were missionary companions in England in 1898; Jennie returned to Utah in November 1898 due to poor health.][
After she returned from her mission, Jennie Brimhall married J. William Knight in January 1899. (William Knight was the brother of Inez Knight, her friend and missionary companion.) Shortly thereafter, she accompanied her husband to ]Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
, where his father Jesse Knight
Jesse Knight (6 September 1845 — 14 March 1921) was an American mining magnate, one of relatively few Latter-day Saints in 19th century Western America to find major success in the field.
After the death of his father Newel Knight, Jesse's f ...
had established the Mormon
Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter Day Saint movement started by Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s. After Smith's death in 1844, the movement split into several ...
settlement of Raymond
Raymond is a male given name. It was borrowed into English from French (older French spellings were Reimund and Raimund, whereas the modern English and French spellings are identical). It originated as the Germanic ᚱᚨᚷᛁᚾᛗᚢᚾᛞ ( ...
in present-day Alberta
Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...
. While living in Raymond, Jennie Knight was the president of the Taylor Stake
Stake may refer to:
Entertainment
* '' Stake: Fortune Fighters'', a 2003 video game
* ''The Stake'', a 1915 silent short film
* "The Stake", a 1977 song by The Steve Miller Band from '' Book of Dreams''
* ''Stakes'' (miniseries), a Cartoon Netw ...
's Young Ladies Mutual Improvement Association from 1903 to 1906.
William Knight and Jennie Knight later returned to live in Utah
Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...
. In 1921, Jennie Knight was selected as the first counselor to Clarissa S. Williams in the General Presidency of the Relief Society
The Relief Society is a philanthropic and educational women's organization of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). It was founded in 1842 in Nauvoo, Illinois, United States, and has more than 7 million members in over 18 ...
. Along with Louise Y. Robison, Knight was a counselor to Williams until 1928, when the presidency was released from their duties.
Knight was the mother of two sons. The Knight Mangum Building on the BYU campus in Provo, Utah, is named after Knight and her sister-in-law Jennie Knight Mangum. Jennie died on March 31, 1957 of heart disease. Knight is buried in the Provo City Cemetery.
Publications
Articles
References
Further reading
*Andrew Jenson
Andrew Jenson, born Anders Jensen, (December 11, 1850 – November 18, 1941) was a Danish immigrant to the United States who acted as an Assistant Church Historian of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) for much of the ea ...
, ''Latter-day Saints Biographical Encyclopedia
''Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia: A Compilation of Biographical Sketches of Prominent Men and Women in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints'' (abbreviated ''LDS Biographical Encyclopedia'') is a four-volume biographical dic ...
'' 4:190–91.
*Inez Knight Allen
Amanda Inez Knight Allen (September 8, 1876 – June 5, 1937) was a Mormon missionary and a Utah politician. In 1898, she became one of the first two single women to be missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). ...
, "Jennie Brimhall Knight", ''Relief Society Magazine
''Relief Society Magazine'', including the ''Relief Society Bulletin'' of 1914, was the official publication of the Relief Society of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1915 to 1970. It succeeded the earlier and priva ...
'', December 1928, p. 645.
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Knight, Jennie B.
1875 births
1957 deaths
19th-century Mormon missionaries
American emigrants to Canada
American leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
American Mormon missionaries in England
Brigham Young University alumni
Counselors in the General Presidency of the Relief Society
Female Mormon missionaries
People from Raymond, Alberta
People from Spanish Fork, Utah
Young Women (organization) people
Knight family (Latter Day Saints)
Latter Day Saints from Utah