Newel Knight (September 13, 1800 – January 11, 1847) was a close friend 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, h ...

and one of the first

branch president A branch president is a leader of a "branch" congregation of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). The calling of branch president is very similar to the calling of bishop, except that instead of presiding over a ward, th ...

s 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 at Marlboro, Vermont, Knight was the son of

Joseph Knight, Sr. Joseph Knight Sr. (November 26, 1772 – February 2, 1847) was a close associate of Joseph Smith, founder of the Latter Day Saint movement. Knight provided significant material support to Smith's translation and publication of the Book of Mormon. ...

and Polly Peck. When Newel was about eight years old his family moved to

Colesville, New York Colesville is a town in Broome County, New York, United States. The population was 4,877 at the 2020 census. The town is in the northeastern part of the county and is northeast of Binghamton. History The area was first settled ''circa'' 178 ...

. He married Sally Colburn on the June 7, 1825. The couple had three children. Knight was

baptized Baptism (from grc-x-koine, βάπτισμα, váptisma) is a form of ritual purification—a characteristic of many religions throughout time and geography. In Christianity, it is a Christian sacrament of initiation and adoption, almost i ...

into the

Church of Christ Church of Christ may refer to: Church groups * When used in the plural, a New Testament designation for local groups of people following the teachings of Jesus Christ: "...all the churches of Christ greet you", Romans 16:16. * The entire body of Ch ...

(the original name of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints), in May 1830 by

David Whitmer David Whitmer (January 7, 1805 – January 25, 1888) was an American Mormon leader who eventually became the most interviewed of the Three Witnesses to the Book of Mormon's golden plates. Early life Whitmer was born near Harrisburg, Pennsylva ...

. Prior to this,

, the founder 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 ...

, had cast an evil spirit out of Knight. This event is considered by some to be the first miracle performed in the history of the Latter-day Saint movement. Shortly after this, Knight had a vision of heaven. With the baptism of Knight's parents, siblings, and aunts and uncles in July 1830, the Colesville Branch of the church was organized with Knight as its presiding authority. He continued to preside over this branch through its relocation to

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 ...

and then to Jackson County, Missouri. When the second high council of the church was organized in Missouri in 1834, Knight was appointed a member of it. He would serve on three more high councils. In September 1834, Knight's wife Sally died in Missouri during the persecution of the Latter Day Saints. On November 24, 1835, Knight married Lydia Goldthwaite Bailey at

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 ...

. This was the first marriage performed by Joseph Smith. In both Missouri and later at Nauvoo, Illinois, Knight constructed mills. In 1846–1847, Knight was part of the Ponca Encampment, led by George Miller. While in Nebraska preparing to travel west, Knight grew sick and received a blessing at the hands of his wife Lydia. It was then reported that "all pain left him and in a short time he sweetly fell asleep in death without a struggle or a groan." Knight died at Ponca (in what is today

Knox County, Nebraska Knox County is a county in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 8,391. Its county seat is Center. Knox County was named for Continental and U.S. Army Major General Henry Knox. In the Nebraska licen ...

) from lung inflammation, probably pneumonia. His widow Lydia gave birth to Newel's ninth child, Hyrum Knight, seven months after Newel died. She brought the family to Utah in 1850. Newel's eighth child, Jesse Knight, was later prominent as a successful mining magnate and philanthropist.

References

*''Encyclopedia of Latter-day Saint History'', p. 628. * Black, Susan Easton. ''Who's Who in the Doctrine and Covenants''. (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1997) p. 168-171. *William G. Hartley, ''“They Are My Friends”: A History of the Joseph Knight Family, 1825–1850'', pp. 169–180.

External links

Newel Knight autobiography
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-d ...

Lydia G. Knight genealogical records and correspondence
L. Tom Perry Special Collections, Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University {{DEFAULTSORT:Knight, Newel 1800 births 1847 deaths American leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Converts to Mormonism Doctrine and Covenants people Exorcised people Knight family (Latter Day Saints) Mormon mystics People from Colesville, New York People from Marlboro, Vermont Harold B. Lee Library-related 19th century articles