John Edward Page (February 25, 1799 – October 14, 1867) was an early leader in the

Latter Day Saint movement 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 ...

. Born in

Trenton, New York Trenton (called ''Ose-te-a-da-que'', "''in the bone''" by the Haudenosaunee) is a town in Oneida County, New York, United States. The population was 4,498 at the 2010 census. History The first settlement was developed in 1793 by Gerrit Boon in ...

, Page was the son of Ebenezer and Rachel Page. He was baptized into the Church of Christ on August 18, 1833 in Brownhelm,

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

by missionary Emer Harris. After his conversion, Page was ordained an elder on September 12, 1833. He married Lorain Stevens on December 26 of that year. The couple had two children, but both Stevens and the children later died. He remarried in 1839 to Mary Judd, with whom he had three sons. He relocated to

Kirtland, Ohio Kirtland is a city in Lake County, Ohio, United States. The population was 6,937 at the 2020 census. Kirtland is known for being the early headquarters of the Latter Day Saint movement from 1831 to 1837 and is the site of the movement's first t ...

, in 1835. Page served a mission in

Upper Canada The Province of Upper Canada (french: link=no, province du Haut-Canada) was a part of British Canada established in 1791 by the Kingdom of Great Britain, to govern the central third of the lands in British North America, formerly part of the ...

from 1836 to 1837. By his count, he baptized 600 persons. He also proselyted in the eastern United States from 1840 to 1842 and in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

in 1844. Page was called as a member of the

Quorum of the Twelve Apostles A quorum is the minimum number of members of a deliberative assembly (a body that uses parliamentary procedure, such as a legislature) necessary to conduct the business of that group. According to ''Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised'', the ...

in July 1838. In 1838, he moved to

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

, settling in Far West, Caldwell County. Page left personal accounts of attacks by mobs of Missouri residents, both while with the wagon train and while residing in Far West. He noted that he "buried one wife and two children as martyrs to our holy religion, since they died through extreme suffering for the want of the common comforts of life."

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 ...

(ed.), '' History of the Church'' 3:241. Page received his ordination to the office of

apostle An apostle (), in its literal sense, is an emissary, from Ancient Greek ἀπόστολος (''apóstolos''), literally "one who is sent off", from the verb ἀποστέλλειν (''apostéllein''), "to send off". The purpose of such sending ...

in Far West on December 19, 1838, from

Brigham Young Brigham Young (; June 1, 1801August 29, 1877) was an American religious leader and politician. He was the second President of the Church (LDS Church), president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), from 1847 until his ...

and

Heber C. Kimball Heber Chase Kimball (June 14, 1801 – June 22, 1868) was a leader in the early Latter Day Saint movement. He served as one of the original twelve apostles in the early Church of the Latter Day Saints, and as first counselor to Brigham Young ...

. He was also a member of the Nauvoo

Masonic Lodge A Masonic lodge, often termed a private lodge or constituent lodge, is the basic organisational unit of Freemasonry. It is also commonly used as a term for a building in which such a unit meets. Every new lodge must be warranted or chartered ...

. Page and fellow apostle

Orson Hyde Orson Hyde (January 8, 1805 – November 28, 1878) was a leader in the early Latter Day Saint movement and a member of the first Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. He was the President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus ...

were called to travel and preach in the

Holy Land The Holy Land; Arabic: or is an area roughly located between the Mediterranean Sea and the Eastern Bank of the Jordan River, traditionally synonymous both with the biblical Land of Israel and with the region of Palestine. The term "Holy ...

and dedicate the land for the return of the Jews. He and Hyde started on their mission, but Page had a change of heart and never left the United States. In June 1841, in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, apostle George A. Smith sought him out and encouraged him to complete his preparations and sail with Hyde in two days time. Page refused to go. While in Philadelphia, Page became involved in a controversy with some of the Latter Day Saints there, which led to a directive from

Assistant President of the Church Assistant President of the Church (also referred to as Associate President of the Church) was a position in the leadership hierarchy in the early days of the Latter Day Saint church founded by Joseph Smith. The Assistant President was the second-hi ...

Hyrum Smith Hyrum Smith (February 9, 1800 – June 27, 1844) was an American religious leader in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, the original church of the Latter Day Saint movement. He was the older brother of the movement's founder, J ...

instructing Page to return to church headquarters at

Nauvoo, Illinois Nauvoo ( ; from the ) is a small city in Hancock County, Illinois, United States, on the Mississippi River near Fort Madison, Iowa. The population of Nauvoo was 950 at the 2020 census. Nauvoo attracts visitors for its historic importance and its ...

. After the

death of Joseph Smith Joseph Smith, the founder and leader of the Latter Day Saint movement, and his brother, Hyrum Smith, were killed by a mob in Carthage, Illinois, United States, on June 27, 1844, while awaiting trial in the town jail. As mayor of the city of N ...

in 1844, Page made a brief claim to the leadership of the church. The majority of the Latter Day Saints, under the direction of Brigham Young, rejected Page's claim, but retained him in his position with the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Page was then called to serve in the

Council of Fifty "The Council of Fifty" (also known as "the Living Constitution", "the Kingdom of God", or its name by revelation, "The Kingdom of God and His Laws with the Keys and Power thereof, and Judgment in the Hands of His Servants, Ahman Christ") was a La ...

in 1845 to help plan and facilitate the church's move to the Rocky Mountains. However, he was then removed from the Quorum of the Twelve on February 9, 1846. After urging the Latter Day Saints to follow James J. Strang as leader of the church, Page was excommunicated on June 26, 1846. Ezra T. Benson was called by Young to replace Page in the Quorum. After leaving the church, Page worked on the Strangite periodical ''Zion's Reville'' as editor in 1847. Although Page was an apostle under Joseph Smith and President of the Quorum of the Twelve under Strang, he eventually came to reject both leaders as "fallen prophets". He later became affiliated with the organization of James C. Brewster and

Hazen Aldrich Hazen Aldrich (January 10, 1797 – 1873) was an early leader in the Latter Day Saint movement. After the death of Joseph Smith, Aldrich went on to lead a small denomination of Latter Day Saints known as the '' Brewsterites''. Biography Aldric ...

, and later that of Granville Hedrick. By 1855, he, William Marks, and others were holding their own worship services. He joined the Church of Christ (Hedrickites) in 1862 and was instrumental in helping the church obtain possession of the

Temple Lot The Temple Lot, located in Independence, Missouri, is the first site to be dedicated for the construction of a temple in the Latter Day Saint movement. The area was dedicated on August 3, 1831, by the movement's founder, Joseph Smith Jr., and p ...

Independence, Missouri Independence is the fifth-largest city in Missouri and the county seat of Jackson County, Missouri, Jackson County. Independence is a satellite city of Kansas City, Missouri, and is the largest suburb on the Missouri side of the Kansas City metro ...

. Page died in on October 14, 1867 in Sycamore, Illinois at the age of 68.

Notes

References

* Quist, John. "John E. Page: Apostle of Uncertainty," in ''Mormon Mavericks'', John Sillito and Susan Staker (eds.), Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 2002.

External links

John E. Page letter
L. Tom Perry Special Collections,

Harold B. Lee Library The Harold B. Lee Library (HBLL) is the main academic library of Brigham Young University (BYU) located in Provo, Utah. The library started as a small collection of books in the president's office in 1876 before moving in 1891. The Heber J. Gr ...

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 ...

Maureen Ursenbach Beecher research materials on women in Upper Canada, approximately 1986-1994
L. Tom Perry Special Collections, Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University
George Ranney Justice of the Peace docket book
L. Tom Perry Special Collections, Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University

Biography
of John E. Page, The Joseph Smith Papers (accessed May 1, 2012) {{DEFAULTSORT:Page, John E. 1799 births 1867 deaths American Latter Day Saint leaders American Latter Day Saints Apostles of the Church of Christ (Latter Day Saints) Church of Christ (Temple Lot) members Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Strangite) members Converts to Mormonism Doctrine and Covenants people Latter Day Saint leaders People excommunicated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints People from Far West, Missouri People from Trenton, New York Religious leaders from Missouri Religious leaders from New York (state) Excommunicated general authorities (LDS Church) Harold B. Lee Library-related 19th century articles