Levi Ward Hancock (April 7, 1803 – June 10, 1882) was an early convert to

Mormonism Mormonism is the religious tradition and theology of the Latter Day Saint movement of Restorationist Christianity started by Joseph Smith in Western New York in the 1820s and 1830s. As a label, Mormonism has been applied to various aspects of t ...

and was a general authority of

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 ...

for nearly fifty years. He was also one of the witnesses of the

Book of Commandments The Book of Commandments is the earliest published book to contain the revelations of Joseph Smith Jr. Text published in the Book of Commandments is now considered scripture by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) as part o ...

Biography

Hancock was born in

Springfield, Massachusetts Springfield is a city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States, and the seat of Hampden County. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers: the western Westfield River, the ...

to Thomas Hancock III and Amy Ward. In 1830, while living in

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 ...

, Hancock heard Latter Day Saint

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 ...

Parley P. Pratt Parley Parker Pratt Sr. (April 12, 1807 – May 13, 1857) was an early leader of the Latter Day Saint movement whose writings became a significant early nineteenth-century exposition of the Latter Day Saint faith. Named in 1835 as one of the first ...

Sidney Rigdon Sidney Rigdon (February 19, 1793 – July 14, 1876) was a leader during the early history of the Latter Day Saint movement. Biography Early life Rigdon was born in St. Clair Township, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, on February 19, 1793. He was ...

, and

Oliver Cowdery Oliver H. P. Cowdery (October 3, 1806 – March 3, 1850) was an American Mormon leader who, with Joseph Smith, was an important participant in the formative period of the Latter Day Saint movement between 1829 and 1836. He was the first baptized ...

preaching in Mayfield. Convinced by their words, Hancock was baptized in the Latter Day Saint church on November 16, 1830. He married Clarissa Reed on March 20, 1831. He was then ordained an elder by Cowdery and, in 1831, served a proselyting mission 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 ...

with

Zebedee Coltrin Zebedee Coltrin (September 7, 1804 – July 21, 1887) was a Mormon pioneer and a general authority in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1835 to 1837. He served in later years as a patriarch in the church, from 1873 until his d ...

. He also preached in Indiana and Illinois. Hancock was called on another mission in January 1832, this time to Ohio and

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

. After returning to Kirtland, he was present for the founding of the

School of the Prophets In the early Latter Day Saint movement, the School of the Prophets (School, also called the "school of the elders" or "school for the Prophets") was a select group of early leaders who began meeting on January 23, 1833 in Kirtland, Ohio under th ...

in January 1833. In 1834 Hancock participated in

Zion's Camp Zion's Camp was an expedition of Latter Day Saints led by Joseph Smith, from Kirtland, Ohio, to Clay County, Missouri, during May and June 1834 in an unsuccessful attempt to regain land from which the Saints had been expelled by non-Mormon settle ...

, traveling from Ohio to

in an effort to assist Church members who were experiencing trouble there. On February 28, 1835, Hancock was ordained a

seventy 70 (seventy) is the natural number following 69 and preceding 71. In mathematics 70 is: * a sphenic number because it factors as 3 distinct primes. * a Pell number. * the seventh pentagonal number. * the fourth tridecagonal number. * the fif ...

in the Church and was selected as one of the first seven presidents of the Seventy. On April 6, 1837, Hancock was released from this position because it was mistakenly believed that he, like five of the other presidents of the Seventy, had already been ordained a

high priest The term "high priest" usually refers either to an individual who holds the office of ruler-priest, or to one who is the head of a religious caste. Ancient Egypt In ancient Egypt, a high priest was the chief priest of any of the many gods rever ...

. When it was discovered that this was not the case, Hancock was restored to his position on September 3, 1837. He served as a Seventy for 47 years. Following the death of

Joseph Young __NOTOC__Joseph Young (April 7, 1797 – July 16, 1881) was an early convert to the Latter Day Saint movement and was a missionary and longtime general authority of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). He was an elder br ...

, Hancock was the senior president of the Seventy from July 1881 until his own death in June 1882. Hancock wrote the words to several songs. His "My Peaceful Home, 1837" captures the feelings of Latter-day Saints about their new homes in the communities they had set up. Hancock wrote the words of the twelve verse-song sung at the placing of the Far West

Temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

cornerstone The cornerstone (or foundation stone or setting stone) is the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation. All other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure. Over time ...

s in 1838.Hicks, Michael. ''Mormonism and Music: A History'' (Urbana and Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 1989) pp. 56–57 Hancock followed the Latter Day Saints as they moved to Missouri, and then to

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 ...

. He was a member of the

Nauvoo Legion The Nauvoo Legion was a state-authorized militia of the city of Nauvoo, Illinois, United States. With growing antagonism from surrounding settlements it came to have as its main function the defense of Nauvoo, and surrounding Latter Day Saint ...

and the Nauvoo police force. In 1843 Hancock was made the chief musician in the Nauvoo Legion. Levi Hancock and Sons

Hancock was one of the Church members in

that sustained the truth of the

. He signed the testimony with a

pencil A pencil () is a writing or drawing implement with a solid pigment core in a protective casing that reduces the risk of core breakage, and keeps it from marking the user's hand. Pencils create marks by physical abrasion, leaving a trail ...

and he also added the text "never to be erased", when "he saw that the others had signed with a pen." Because of the circumstances when the book was printed, the document was not included in the printing. In 1844 Hancock became a member of 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 Lat ...

, and in 1846 joined the

Mormon Battalion The Mormon Battalion was the only religious unit in United States military history in federal service, recruited solely from one religious body and having a religious title as the unit designation. The volunteers served from July 1846 to July ...

. On 16 July 1847, he was mustered out of the Army at Pueblo Los Angeles with the majority of the Battalion. Traveling east along the California Trail, Hancock led about 100 men to Utah where they joined the

Mormon pioneer The Mormon pioneers were members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), also known as Latter Day Saints, who migrated beginning in the mid-1840s until the late-1860s across the United States from the Midwest to the Sa ...

s in the

Salt Lake Valley Salt Lake Valley is a valley in Salt Lake County in the north-central portion of the U.S. state of Utah. It contains Salt Lake City and many of its suburbs, notably Murray, Sandy, South Jordan, West Jordan, and West Valley City; its total po ...

on 18 October.Norma Ricketts, "The Mormon Battalion U.S. Army of the West, 1846-1848" In

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. ...

, he became a member of the

Utah Territorial Legislature The Utah State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Utah. It is a bicameral body, comprising the Utah House of Representatives, with 75 state representatives, and the Utah Senate, with 29 state senators. There are no term ...

. He served a full-time mission for the Church attempting to grow cotton in southern

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 ...

. Hancock helped settle

Manti, Utah Manti ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Sanpete County, Utah, Sanpete County, Utah, United States. The population was 3,276 at the 2010 United States Census. Description Manti was the first community in Utah to be settled outside the Wasat ...

;

Payson, Utah Payson is a city in Utah County, Utah, United States. It is part of the Provo–Orem Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 21,101 at the 2020 census. History Pioneers from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints led by Jam ...

;

Harrisburg, Utah Harrisburg is a ghost town in Washington County, Utah, United States. Established as Harrisville in 1859, the town was flooded by the Virgin River in 1862, causing the residents to move farther up Quail Creek. Soon after, the town's name was chan ...

;

Leeds, Utah Leeds is a town in Washington County, Utah, United States. The population was 820 at the 2010 census. History Formerly known as Bennington, Leeds was formed due to flooding in the neighboring town of Harrisburg. The residents in the flood-affe ...

; and

Washington, Utah Washington is a city in south central Washington County, Utah, Washington County, Utah, United States and is a part of the St. George, Utah, St. George Metropolitan Area. The area is also known as Utah's Dixie because the Mormon pioneers who se ...

. He was ordained a church

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 1872. He died in Washington, Utah on June 10, 1882, at the age of 79. Like many early Latter Day Saints, Hancock practiced

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 ...

. Hancock was married to five wives, three of whom eventually divorced him; he was the father of 18 children.

Notes

References

*Don L. Searle
“‘It Is the Truth, I Can Feel It’”
''

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 1999, p. 47

External links

*
Levi W. Hancock journal
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. Gran ...

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 ...

Levi Ward Hancock one of the First Council of Seventy
L. Tom Perry Special Collections, Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University
Saints without Halos: Levi W. Hancock
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hancock, Levi W. 1803 births 1882 deaths 19th-century American politicians 19th-century Mormon missionaries American Mormon missionaries in the United States American general authorities (LDS Church) Converts to Mormonism Doctrine and Covenants people Latter Day Saints from Illinois Latter Day Saints from Ohio Latter Day Saints from Utah Leaders in the Church of Christ (Latter Day Saints) Members of the Mormon Battalion Members of the Utah Territorial Legislature Mormon pioneers Nauvoo Legion Patriarchs (LDS Church) Politicians from Springfield, Massachusetts Presidents of the Seventy (LDS Church) Religious leaders from Massachusetts

Biography

See also

Notes

References

External links