Joseph Smith Jessop (January 25, 1869 – September 1, 1953) was an early

patriarch The highest-ranking bishops in Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, the Catholic Church (above major archbishop and primate), the Hussite Church, Church of the East, and some Independent Catholic Churches are termed patriarchs (and in certai ...

in the

Mormon fundamentalist Mormon fundamentalism (also called fundamentalist Mormonism) is a belief in the validity of selected fundamental aspects of Mormonism as taught and practiced in the nineteenth century, particularly during the administrations of Joseph Smith, ...

movement and, with

John Y. Barlow John Yeates Barlow (also known as John Yates Barlow) (March 4, 1874 – December 29, 1949) was a Mormon fundamentalism, Mormon fundamentalist leader in Short Creek, Arizona. Childhood Barlow was born in Panaca, Nevada, Panaca, Lincoln County, Nev ...

, co-founder of Short Creek,

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

(later

Colorado City, Arizona Colorado City is a town in Mohave County, Arizona, United States, and is located in a region known as the Arizona Strip. As of the 2020 census, the population of the town was 2,478, down from 4,821 in 2010. At least three Mormon fundamentali ...

, and

Hildale, Utah Hildale is a city in Washington County, Utah, United States. The population was 1,127 at the 2020 census. Hildale is located on the border of Utah and Arizona. History Hildale, formerly known as Short Creek Community, was founded in 1913 by ...

), home to the polygynous

Short Creek Community The Short Creek Community (now Colorado City, Arizona, and Hildale, Utah), founded in 1913, began as a small ranching town in the Arizona Strip. In the 1930s it was settled by Mormon fundamentalists. History In May 1935, members of the Council of ...

Biography

Background and early life

Joseph Smith Jessop was born in

Millville, Utah Millville is a city in Cache County, Utah, United States. The population was 2,222 at the 2020 census, with an estimated population of 2,300 in 2022. It is included in the Logan, Utah-Idaho Metropolitan Statistical Area. Geography Millville ...

. His parents were Richard Jessop, a native of

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a Counties of England, county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-we ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

(1838–1899) and his wife Mary Ellen Shaffer Jessop (1848–1928). Richard Jessop was jailed in 1889 for "unlawful cohabitation", that is,

plural marriage Polygamy (called plural marriage by Latter-day Saints in the 19th century or the Principle by modern fundamentalist practitioners of polygamy) was practiced by leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) for more tha ...

. When his hometown of Millville was incorporated in 1902, Jessop was made one of the town's four

trustees Trustee (or the holding of a trusteeship) is a legal term which, in its broadest sense, is a synonym for anyone in a position of trust and so can refer to any individual who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility to t ...

. Jessop was an active

socialist Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...

in the early 20th century.

Mormon fundamentalist

Jessop, along with his brother Moroni "Rone" and sister Frances, became interested in the nascent

movement, and in particular the polygamist message of

Lorin C. Woolley Lorin Calvin Woolley (October 23, 1856 – September 19, 1934) was an American proponent of plural marriage and one of the founders of the Mormon fundamentalist movement. As a young man in Utah Territory, Woolley served as a courier and bodyguard ...

, after coming into contact with

and his relative Israel Barlow Jr. Their acceptance of the message led to them becoming local outcasts, despite earlier being "pillars" of the Millville community. On 1 September 1923, Jessop and his family solidified their faith in plural marriage after praying about whether Jessop's daughter Martha "Mattie" should enter into it, to which they felt an affirmative answer from God. After this fact was leaked to the locals, Martha was excommunicated from the LDS Church, causing a "great big splash" in the town. The Jessop family was friendly with

himself, as he spoke at the funerals of a few family members. Jessop was excommunicated from the Millville Ward by the

LDS Church 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 ...

in 1930, and later moved to Short Creek in 1942. Jessop was present during an early dispute over

placement marriage The term placement marriage (also known as the law of placing) refers to arranged marriages between members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS Church). Placement marriage is believed and practiced by members of ...

in 1948, taking an ambivalent neutral position, in between those who objected and those who were supportive of it. Jessop was also among those arrested during the 1953

Short Creek raid The Short Creek raid was an Arizona Department of Public Safety and Arizona National Guard action against Mormon fundamentalists that took place on the morning of July 26, 1953, at Short Creek, Arizona. The Short Creek raid was the largest mass a ...

, and was placed onto a lengthy journey by bus to

Kingman, Arizona Kingman is a city in, and the county seat of, Mohave County, Arizona, United States. It is named after Lewis Kingman, an engineer for the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad. It is located southeast of Las Vegas, Nevada, and northwest of Arizona's ...

in order to be prosecuted. This trip had no bathroom stops, which had exacerbated Jessop's physical and emotional distress following the raid. In light of his old age and infirmity, he was released soon afterwards. He died either from

kidney failure Kidney failure, also known as end-stage kidney disease, is a medical condition in which the kidneys can no longer adequately filter waste products from the blood, functioning at less than 15% of normal levels. Kidney failure is classified as eit ...

or acute

phlebitis Phlebitis (or Venitis) is inflammation of a vein, usually in the legs. It most commonly occurs in superficial veins. Phlebitis often occurs in conjunction with thrombosis and is then called thrombophlebitis or superficial thrombophlebitis. Unlike ...

, a mere few days after being released. A few days before his death, he was reported to have said "the old fire burns in me strong, but it is going out." At the end of his life, he had 28 children, 112 grandchildren and 145 great-grandchildren, and of those who survived him, 110 could not attend his funeral because they were being held in

Phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...

by Arizona authorities. In all, 101 immediate family members attended it.

Family

The Jessop surname has left a prominent legacy, with family historians reporting him to have over 10,000 descendants, as nearly all of his children wound up in plural marriages with large families. Most modern members of the Short Creek community, regardless of their own surnames, can trace at least some of their lineage to Jessop and

. The unusually high prevalence of the extremely rare disease known as

fumarase deficiency Fumarase deficiency (or fumaric aciduria) is an exceedingly rare autosomal recessive metabolic disorder in the Krebs cycle, characterized by a deficiency of the enzyme fumarate hydratase, which causes a buildup of fumaric acid in the urine and a d ...

among FLDS members has been attributed to cousin marriages between the descendants of these two families.

Spouses

Martha Moore Yeates was born on July 8, 1871, married Joseph Smith Jessop (then 20 years old) at age 18, and died on June 27, 1938, at age 66. Gertrude Annie Marriott was born on June 29, 1909, married Joseph Smith Jessop (then 59 years old) at age 19 (Martha was 57), and died on February 16, 1952, at age 42.

Children

Martha had 14 children: Sarah Genevieve (known as Genevieve), Joseph Lyman, Richard Seth, Dowayne Neor, Violet, Ruby, Martha (known as Mattie), Vergel Yeates, Sylmar Greene, Fawnetta (known as Fawn), Millicent (who was a stillborn), Frederick Meade, John (Bill) Millward and Allie. Annie had 8 children: Thomas Smith, Albert Marriott, William Marshall, Ellen, Joseph Charles and John Marion (twins), Hyrum Martin and Mabel Annie.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jessop, Joseph Smith 1869 births 1953 deaths American Latter Day Saint leaders American city founders People from Short Creek Community People from Millville, Utah Mormon fundamentalist leaders