Mark Hill Forscutt (19 June 1834 – 18 October 1903) was an English

hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' ...

writer and a leader in several denominations of 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 ...

. A convert to

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), Forscutt broke with that denomination for a number of reasons, not the least of which was the practice of

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 ...

. Forscutt went on to serve in leadership positions in the Morrisite sect and later in the

Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints The Community of Christ, known from 1872 to 2001 as the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (RLDS), is an American-based international church, and is the second-largest denomination in the Latter Day Saint movement. The churc ...

(RLDS Church). Forscutt was born in

Godmanchester Godmanchester ( ) is a town and civil parish in the Huntingdonshire district of Cambridgeshire, England. It is separated from Huntingdon, to the north, by the valley of the River Great Ouse. Being on the Roman road network, the town has a lo ...

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 ...

.Some early sources state that he was born in

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

. When Forscutt joined the LDS Church as a 19-year-old in 1853, his father disowned him and insisted that he move out of his childhood home. From 1855 to 1860, Forscutt was a

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, 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.Tho ...

for the LDS Church in England. Forscutt was married in March 1860 to fellow Latter-day Saint Elizabeth Unsworth. On their marriage day, Forscutt and his wife began their emigration to

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. ...

with the intention of joining the gathering of Latter-day Saints in

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...

. Upon arriving in Utah, he became a secretary to

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 ...

, the president of the LDS Church. Shortly after his arrival, Forscutt began to learn about the Mormon practice of

, which he had not been aware of previously. This discovery, combined with other disagreements with Brigham Young, led Forscutt to disassociate himself from the LDS Church. Forscutt became affiliated with a group led by Joseph Morris; he was an

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 the Morrisite organization and was involved in the 1861

Morrisite War The Morrisite War was a skirmish between a Latter Day Saint sect known as the " Morrisites" and the Utah territorial government. Morrisites In 1857 Joseph Morris, an English convert to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Utah, r ...

. After these incidents, Forscutt joined the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

unit at Fort Douglas in Salt Lake City and was stationed in Ruby Valley (now Nevada) before returning to Salt Lake City. In 1865, Forscutt joined the RLDS Church in Salt Lake City. He soon left the territory. Forscutt became a close personal friend of

Joseph Smith III Joseph Smith III (November 6, 1832 – December 10, 1914) was the eldest surviving son of Joseph Smith (founder of the Latter Day Saint movement) and Emma Hale Smith. Joseph Smith III was the Prophet-President of what became the Reorganized Chu ...

. Forscutt later served as a full-time missionary for the RLDS Church in

and the

Society Islands The Society Islands (french: Îles de la Société, officially ''Archipel de la Société;'' ty, Tōtaiete mā) are an archipelago located in the South Pacific Ocean. Politically, they are part of French Polynesia, an overseas country of the F ...

. He was a copyist in the process that led to the publication of the

Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible The Joseph Smith Translation (JST), also called the Inspired Version of the Holy Scriptures (IV), is a revision of the Bible by Joseph Smith, the founder of the Latter Day Saint movement, who said that the JST/IV was intended to restore what ...

in 1866. Forscutt composed a number of hymns and was the editor of ''Saints' Harmony'', an RLDS Church

hymnal A hymnal or hymnary is a collection of hymns, usually in the form of a book, called a hymnbook (or hymn book). Hymnals are used in congregational singing. A hymnal may contain only hymn texts (normal for most hymnals for most centuries of Chri ...

published in 1889. Forscutt was a preacher in the RLDS Church until his death. On 2 May 1879, Forscutt preached the sermon at the funeral of Emma Smith Bidamon, the widow of

Joseph Smith Jr. Joseph Smith Jr. (December 23, 1805June 27, 1844) was an American religious leader and founder of Mormonism and the Latter Day Saint movement. When he was 24, Smith published the Book of Mormon. By the time of his death, 14 years later, he ...

and mother of Joseph Smith III. Mark and Elizabeth Forscutt were the parents of three children Amy Forscutt Parr, Ruby Forscutt Faunce, and Mark Zenas Forscutt. They divorced in 1867.

Notes

References

*Eric Paul Rogers, "Mark Hill Forscutt: Mormon Missionary, Morrisite Apostle, RLDS Minister." ''John Whitmer Historical Association Journal'' 21 (2001): 61–90. *Wayne Ham, "The Musical Legacy of Mark Hill Forscutt", ''Restoration Studies'' 4:156–161. {{DEFAULTSORT:Forscutt, Mark Hill 1834 births 1903 deaths 19th-century English musicians 19th-century Mormon missionaries American Latter Day Saints British Latter Day Saints Community of Christ leaders Community of Christ missionaries English Latter Day Saint hymnwriters English Latter Day Saint missionaries English Latter Day Saints English Mormon missionaries English emigrants to the United States English hymnwriters English members of the Community of Christ Latter Day Saint leaders Latter Day Saint missionaries in England Latter Day Saint missionaries in the United States Members of the Church of the Firstborn (Morrisite) Mormon missionaries in England Mormon missionaries in French Polynesia Mormonism-related controversies Musicians from Cambridgeshire People from Godmanchester

See also

Notes

References