Thomas Baldwin Marsh
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Thomas Baldwin Marsh (November 1, 1800 – January 1866) was an early leader 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 ...
and an original member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, who served as the quorum's first
president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...
in the Church of the Latter Day Saints from 1835 to 1838. He withdrew from the church in 1838, was
excommunicated Excommunication is an institutional act of religious censure used to end or at least regulate the communion of a member of a congregation with other members of the religious institution who are in normal communion with each other. The purpose ...
from it in 1839, and remained disaffected for almost 19 years. Marsh was
rebaptized Rebaptism in Christianity is the baptism of a person who has previously been baptized, usually in association with a denomination that does not recognize the validity of the previous baptism. When a denomination rebaptizes members of another denomi ...
into
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 ch ...
(LDS Church) in July 1857, but never again served in church leadership positions.


Early life

Marsh was born in the town of
Acton, Massachusetts Acton is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, approximately west-northwest of Boston along Massachusetts Route 2 west of Concord and about southwest of Lowell. The population was 24,021 in April 2020, according to the Unit ...
, to James Marsh and Molly Law.McCune, p. 75 He spent his early life farming in Westmoreland, New Hampshire. As a young man, Marsh developed a pattern of traveling and working for various employers. Marsh ran away at age 14 to
Chester, Vermont Chester is a town in Windsor County, Vermont, United States. The population was 3,005 at the 2020 census. History The town was originally chartered by New Hampshire Governor Benning Wentworth as Flamstead in 1754. The terms of the charter were n ...
, and worked as a farmer for three months. Then he left for
Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of New York, also the seat and largest city of Albany County. Albany is on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River, and about north of New York C ...
, working as a waiter for 18 months. He spent two years working at the New York City Hotel, then returned to Albany for a year, and then back at the New York hotel for two more years. He also spent 18 months working as a groom for Edward Griswold on Long Island, New York. During the time Marsh was employed by Griswold, he married Elizabeth Godkin in
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
on his 21st birthday in 1820. After his marriage, he attempted unsuccessfully to run a grocery business for 18 months. He subsequently spent seven years working at a
type foundry A type foundry is a company that designs or distributes typefaces. Before digital typography, type foundries manufactured and sold metal and wood typefaces for hand typesetting, and matrices for line-casting machines like the Linotype and M ...
in Boston, Massachusetts. During his time in Boston, Marsh became a member of the Methodist Church. However, Marsh became dissatisfied because he came to believe that Methodism did not correspond to the
Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts ...
. Marsh left the Methodist Church and joined a group of friends in what others called a Quietist sect.


Conversion and baptism

In 1829, Marsh unexpectedly left his home in Boston and journeyed west, traveling with Benjamin Hall, one of his friends from the Quietist sect. In his words, "I believed the Spirit of God dictated me to make a journey west." He stayed at
Lima, New York Lima (, the name is a shibboleth) is a town in Livingston County, New York, United States. The population was 4,305 at the 2010 census. The town is in the northeast part of the county, south of Rochester. The village of Lima is located within ...
in Livingston County for three months before returning home. On the way home, he stopped at Lyonstown, where a woman informed him of the
golden plates According to Latter Day Saint belief, the golden plates (also called the gold plates or in some 19th-century literature, the golden bible) are the source from which Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon, a sacred text of the faith. Some acco ...
that
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, ...
was said to have obtained. She directed him to Palmyra, New York, and told him to seek out Martin Harris for more information. Marsh traveled to Palmyra in 1830 and discovered Harris at a printing office, working on the printing of the
Book of Mormon The Book of Mormon is a religious text of the Latter Day Saint movement, which, according to Latter Day Saint theology, contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the American continent from 600 BC to AD 421 and during an interlude d ...
. Marsh obtained the first sixteen pages of the book as a printer's proof and also met
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 ...
at the printing office. Returning to his home, Marsh showed the sixteen pages to his wife. They both were pleased and began to correspond with Cowdery and Smith. After the Church of Christ was formed on April 6, 1830, Marsh moved with his family to Palmyra to join them that September. Shortly after his arrival, Marsh was baptized 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, Pennsylvani ...
in
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on September 3, 1830, and soon after was ordained an elder by Cowdery. From September 26 to 28, 1830, Smith said he received Doctrine and Covenants section 31, a
revelation In religion and theology, revelation is the revealing or disclosing of some form of truth or knowledge through communication with a deity or other supernatural entity or entities. Background Inspiration – such as that bestowed by God on the ...
directed at Marsh. In this section, he was told that he would be as "a physician to the church" Marsh moved with the church to
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 ...
in the spring of 1831. He was ordained a high priest and received a call to proselytize in
Missouri Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...
with Ezra Thayre. Thayre delayed for a long time, and so Selah J. Griffin was appointed to take Thayre's place.


Apostleship

Smith organized the first Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on February 14–15, 1835. Smith arranged the members of the quorum by age. As there was confusion over David W. Patten's birth date, Marsh was identified as the eldest of the apostles and was therefore designated quorum president. According to Marsh's autobiographical sketch, published in 1864: "In January, 1835, in company with Bishop Partridge and agreeable to revelation, I proceeded to Kirtland, where we arrived early in the spring, when I learned I had been chosen one of the Twelve Apostles. ... May 4, 1835, in company with the Twelve I left Kirtland and preached through the eastern states, holding conferences, regulating and organizing the churches, and returned September 25. ... In the winter of 1835–36, I attended school, studied the first English grammar under Sidney Rigdon, and Hebrew under Professor Seixas (a Hebrew by birth)". He traveled east with the Twelve Apostles on a mission later in 1835. After these activities with the Twelve Apostles, Marsh returned to Fishing River,
Clay County, Missouri Clay County is located in the U.S. state of Missouri and is part of the Kansas City metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 253,335, making it the fifth-most populous county in Missouri. Its county seat is Libe ...
, in April 1836. Severe difficulties between members of the church and the larger community continued to plague the Saints in Missouri. Animosity had been building for years over what one county judge, Samuel Lucas, and other town leaders saw, feeling the Saints and their revelations were threats to their property and political power. Marsh was chosen as a delegate from his community to try to resolve these issues. Despite the efforts of church members, their Missouri neighbors decided that church members must leave Clay County. Marsh traveled to Latter Day Saint congregations in other states, including
Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...
, gathering loans at an interest of ten percent to help the Clay County Saints obtain new property. The diary of apostle
Wilford Woodruff Wilford Woodruff Sr. (March 1, 1807September 2, 1898) was an American religious leader who served as the fourth president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1889 until his death. He ended the public practice of ...
contains an account of part of that journey:
Aug. 20th - Elder avidPatten preached at the house of Randolph Alexander, and after meeting baptized him and his wife. Brother T. B. Marsh arrived in Tennessee on his mission to collect means, and attend a Conference with the brethren laboring in Tennessee and Kentucky, which was held on Damon's Creek, Callaway County, Kentucky, Sept. 2nd 1836. T. B. Marsh presided. Seven Branches were represented containing 133 members. Sept. 19th. - Elders T. B. Marsh, D. W. Patten, E. H. Groves and Sister Patten left the Saints in Kentucky and Tennessee and started for Far West, Missouri, where they arrived in peace and safety.
In September 1836, Marsh returned to Missouri and joined the Latter Day Saints in their new location, a city called Far West in Caldwell County, Missouri. The town had been founded by the presidency of the Missouri Stake, consisting of David Whitmer, W. W. Phelps and
John Whitmer John Whitmer (August 27, 1802 – July 11, 1878) was an early leader in the Latter Day Saint movement. He was one of the Eight Witnesses of the Book of Mormon's golden plates. Whitmer was also the first official Church Historian and a member of t ...
. Around this time, Marsh traveled to Canada on a mission with Joseph Smith and
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 ...
. Meanwhile, in Kirtland, the financial situation of many of the church members unraveled with the failure of the
Kirtland Safety Society The Kirtland Safety Society (KSS) was first proposed as a bank in 1836, and eventually organized on January 2, 1837, as a joint stock company, by leaders and followers of the Church of the Latter Day Saints. According to KSS's 1837 "Articles of ...
bank. A dispute arose between the presidency in Missouri and the church's
First Presidency Among many churches in the Latter Day Saint movement, the First Presidency (also known as the Quorum of the Presidency of the Church) is the highest presiding or governing body. Present-day denominations of the movement led by a First Presidency ...
in Kirtland over the land funds, with both sides accusing the other of financial improprieties. Marsh sided with the First Presidency and convened a series of church courts in the spring of 1838. He charged the Whitmers, Phelpses, and Cowdery of financial impropriety and other failings. The court released these men from their positions and disfellowshipped them. On February 10, 1838, Marsh was put in charge of supervising the church in Missouri, with David W. Patten and
Brigham Young Brigham Young (; June 1, 1801August 29, 1877) was an American religious leader and politician. He was the second president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), from 1847 until his death in 1877. During his time as ch ...
as his assistants. In April 1838, Joseph Smith and his first counselor, Sidney Rigdon, moved to Far West, which became the new church headquarters.


1838 split with Smith

In Missouri, some of the Latter Day Saints, led by
Sampson Avard Sampson Avard (October 23, 1800 – April 15, 1869) was one of the founders and leaders of the Mormon vigilantes known as the Danites, which existed in Missouri during the Missouri Mormon War in 1838. Early life Sampson Avard was born at St. Pe ...
, formed a society which came to be known as the " Danites." According to Marsh, these men swore oaths to "support the heads of the church in all things that they say or do, whether right or wrong".''Document'', p. 57. Although disfellowshipped, David Whitmer,
John Whitmer John Whitmer (August 27, 1802 – July 11, 1878) was an early leader in the Latter Day Saint movement. He was one of the Eight Witnesses of the Book of Mormon's golden plates. Whitmer was also the first official Church Historian and a member of t ...
, Oliver Cowdery, W.W. Phelps, and other former leaders (who were known as the "dissenters") continued to live in the county. According to Reed Peck, two of these Danites, Jared Carter and Dimick B. Huntington, proposed at a meeting that the society should kill the dissenters. Marsh and fellow moderate, John Corrill, spoke vigorously against the motion. However, on the following Sunday, Rigdon issued his " Salt Sermon," in which he likened the dissenters to salt that had lost its savor and was "good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men". Within a week the dissenters had fled the county. On October 18, a group of Mormons entered Daviess County and engaged in the looting and burning of non-Mormon settlements, including Gallatin. Marsh stated:
A company of about eighty of the Mormons, commanded by a man fictitiously named Captain Fearnot avid W. Patten marched to Gallatin. They returned and said they had run off from Gallatin twenty or thirty men and had taken Gallatin, had taken one prisoner and another had joined the company. I afterwards learned from the Mormons that they had burned Gallatin, and that it was done by the aforesaid company that marched there. The Mormons informed me that they had hauled away all the goods from the store in Gallatin, and deposited them at the Bishop's storehouses at Adam-ondi-Ahmon.
On October 19, 1838, the day after Gallatin was burned, Marsh and fellow apostle,
Orson Hyde Orson Hyde (January 8, 1805 – November 28, 1878) was a leader in the early Latter Day Saint movement and a member of the first Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. He was the President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus ...
, left the association of the church. Marsh drafted and signed a legal affidavit against Smith on October 24, 1838, which Hyde also signed. In addition to reporting on the organization of the Danites and on the events in Daviess County, Marsh reported rumors that the Danites had set up a "destroying company" and that "if the people of Clay & Ray made any movement against them, this destroying company was to burn Liberty & Richmond." He further stated his belief that Smith planned "to take the State, & he professes to his people to intend taking the U.S. & ultimately the whole world". The committee that received Marsh's and Hyde's affidavit noted that Marsh and Hyde left the church due to their "conviction of he Mormons'immorality and impiety." Marsh's testimony added to the panic in northwestern Missouri and contributed to subsequent events in the Mormon War. Marsh was excommunicated from the church on March 17, 1839.


Rebaptism in Utah

In July 16, 1857, Marsh was
rebaptized Rebaptism in Christianity is the baptism of a person who has previously been baptized, usually in association with a denomination that does not recognize the validity of the previous baptism. When a denomination rebaptizes members of another denomi ...
into the LDS Church in
Florence, Nebraska Florence is a neighborhood in Omaha, Nebraska, United States on the city's north end and originally one of the oldest cities in Nebraska. It was incorporated by the Nebraska Territorial Legislature on March 10, 1857. The site of Winter Quarters ...
. Marsh wrote an autobiography in 1864, recounting his church service and rebellion. It was published in the '' Millennial Star'' of that year. However, his religious affiliation still may not have been fixed. According to Thomas Job, a missionary of 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 ...
serving in Utah, shortly before his death Marsh:
had been in the Josephite conference in Salt Lake City, and bore a strong testimony to the truth, and necessity of the reorganization; and when a revelation through young Joseph was read to him he said that it was the voice of God, and again testified that he knew it, and desired us to write to the young prophet to send for him back from here, that he had faith that he would bear the journey, and join the young prophet, if he could go that astspring.
After Marsh moved to Utah and joined the LDS Church, he spoke of his split with Smith:
About this time I got a beam in my eye and thought I could discover a mote in Joseph's eye, though it was nothing but a beam in my eye; I was so completely darkened that I did not think on the Savior's injunction: "Thou hypocrite, why beholdest thou the mote which is in thy brother's eye, when a beam is in thine own eye; first cast out the beam out of thine own eye, then thou shalt see clearly to get the mote out of thy brother's eye".
While not a reason for his withdrawal from the church, Marsh also admitted that polygamy had been a "great bugbear" prior to his rebaptism, his concern about the practice being resolved when he read writings of Orson Pratt on the subject and understanding it to be "heaven's own doctrine" Marsh moved west 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 ...
in 1857 and settled in Spanish Fork and later Ogden. He died in Ogden in January 1866. He is buried at the Ogden Cemetery.


"Milk and strippings" story

On April 6, 1856, George A. Smith stated that Marsh had left the church because of a dispute between his wife and another female church member over a milk cow, which had escalated all the way up to the First Presidency. LDS Church president Gordon B. Hinckley has repeated the story, as have official church publications.


Modern opinion in the LDS Church

Marsh's conversion story is occasionally cited as an example of how powerful the Book of Mormon can be in convincing people of the truthfulness of the church. William G. Hartley
"Every Member WAS a Missionary"
''
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 ...
'', September 1978.
When his apostasy is mentioned, he is often referred to either as an example of pride or as an example of one who failed to fulfill his calling to serve the church.See, e.g., Gordon B. Hinckley
"Small Acts Lead to Great Consequences"
''
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 ...
'', May 1984.
For example, in 2006, David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, repeated the "milk and strippings story". David A. Bednar
"And Nothing Shall Offend Them"
''
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 ...
'', November 2006.
He contrasted Marsh's faithlessness with the devotion of Brigham Young. Bednar states: "In many instances, choosing to be offended is a symptom of a much deeper and more serious spiritual malady. Thomas B. Marsh allowed himself to be acted upon, and the eventual results were apostasy and misery. Brigham Young was an agent who exercised his agency and acted in accordance with correct principles, and he became a mighty instrument in the hands of the Lord."


Notes


References

* Allen, James B. and Leonard, Glen M. '' The Story of the Latter-day Saints.'' Deseret Book Co., Salt Lake City, UT, 1976. . * Baugh, Alexander L., ''A Call to Arms: The 1838 Mormon Defense of Northern Missouri,''
BYU Studies ''BYU Studies Quarterly'' is an academic journal covering a broad array of topics related to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ( Mormon studies). It is published by the church-owned Brigham Young University. The journal is abstracted ...
, 2000. *''Document Containing the Correspondence, Orders &c. in Relation to the Disturbances with the Mormons; And the Evidence Given Before the Hon. Austin A. King, Judge of the Fifth Judicial Circuit of the State of Missouri, at the Court-House in Richmond, in a Criminal Court of Inquiry, Begun November 12, 1838, on the Trial of Joseph Smith, Jr., and Others, for High Treason and Other Crimes Against the State.'' Fayette, Missouri, 1841
complete text.
*''
Journal of Discourses The ''Journal of Discourses'' (often abbreviated ''J.D.'') is a 26-volume collection of public sermons by early leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). The first editions of the ''Journal'' were published in England ...
'', Liverpool, England, 1854–1886. * Ludlow, Daniel H., ''A Companion to Your Study of the Doctrine and Covenants'', Deseret Book Co., Salt Lake City, UT, 1978. . * Ludlow, Daniel H., Editor. ''Church History, Selections From the Encyclopedia of Mormonism. '' Deseret Book Co., Salt Lake City, UT, 1992. . * *Peck, Reed, ''The Reed Peck Manuscript,'

*. *. * Richard S. Van Wagoner, Van Wagoner, Richard S., '' Sidney Rigdon: A Portrait of Religious Excess'', Salt Lake City, 1994.


External links


"History of Thomas B. Marsh"
''Millennial Star'' 26 (1864):359-60, 375–76, 390–92, 406.
Hancock County (Ill.) legal instruments
MSS SC 1274, L. Tom Perry Special Collections, Harold B. Lee Library,
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 ...

Grampa Bill's G.A. Pages: Thomas B. MarshThomas Baldwin Marsh: Find A Grave Memorial
, - ! colspan="3" style="solid #FABE60;" , (Renamed Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in 1838) , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Marsh, Thomas B. 1800 births 1838 Mormon War 1866 deaths American Latter Day Saint missionaries American general authorities (LDS Church) Apostles of the Church of Christ (Latter Day Saints) Converts to Mormonism Doctrine and Covenants people Latter Day Saint missionaries in the United States Latter Day Saints from Missouri Latter Day Saints from New York (state) Latter Day Saints from Utah People excommunicated by the Church of Christ (Latter Day Saints) People from Acton, Massachusetts People from Palmyra, New York People from Westmoreland, New Hampshire Presidents of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (LDS Church) Religious leaders from Massachusetts Religious leaders from New York (state)