Mosiah Lyman Hancock (April 9, 1834 – January 14, 1907) was an early member 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 ...

and was son of Levi Ward Hancock and Clarissa Reed Hancock. Mosiah is known for his vision of the pre-earth life and of his firsthand account of a prophecy of

Joseph Smith 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 ...

Personal life

Hancock was born in Kirtland, Ohio. His journal reports living in a house in Kirtland which had two rooms. As one of the early children of Levi W. Hancock, a prominent early member 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 nontrinitarian Christian church that considers itself to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ. The chu ...

, he was baptized on April 10, 1842, by John Taylor. As a young boy, Mosiah had close associations with Joseph Smith and kept accounts of him in his journal. Later, he crossed the plains with the

Mormon pioneers 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 S ...

and became one of the original Mormon settlers of Arizona. Following 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 ...

, Mosiah followed

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

to what is now known as

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 ...

Writings

His first-hand account reports that Smith prophesied the settlements of the Mormon people in

and

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 ...

. His vision of the pre-earth life is recorded in many books and is one of the most complete visions of the pre-earth life in LDS theology. Although not accepted as official LDS Church doctrine, it has been a primary resource for some writers.''Life everlasting: a definitive study of life after death'' by Duane S. Crowther Mosiah's other journal writings also provide insight into early LDS culture and beliefs touching such topics as

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 ...

, Mormon life in Kirtland, early dealings with the Utah natives, and early establishment of Mormon settlements in Arizona.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hancock, Mosiah 1834 births 1907 deaths Latter Day Saints from Ohio Latter Day Saints from Utah Latter Day Saints from Arizona Mormon pioneers

Personal life

Writings

See also

References