Dimick Baker Huntington (May 26, 1808 – February 1, 1879) was a leading Indian

interpreter Interpreting is translation from a spoken or signed language into another language, usually in real time to facilitate live communication. It is distinguished from the translation of a written text, which can be more deliberative and make use o ...

in early

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 st ...

. He commissioned a 22-foot-long missionary panorama of C. C. A. Christensen to use in his presentations of the gospel to the Native Americans in 1871. That missionary panorama is housed in the Church History Museum of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Biography

Huntington was the son of

William William is a masculine given name of Germanic languages, Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman Conquest, Norman conquest in 1066,All Things William"Meaning & Origin of the Name"/ref> and remained so throughout the Middle ...

and Zina Baker Huntington. He was born at Watertown,

Jefferson County, New York Jefferson County is a county on the northern border of the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 116,721. Its county seat is Watertown. The county is named after Thomas Jefferson, third President of the United S ...

. Huntington married Fanny Marie Allen on April 28, 1830, they eventually had seven children. Huntington was baptized into the Church of the Latter Day Saints on August 1, 1835, the same year as his parents. Huntington first enters the annals of Mormon history as the first to see

Joseph Smith Joseph Smith Jr. (December 23, 1805June 27, 1844) was an American religious and political leader and the founder of Mormonism and the Latter Day Saint movement. Publishing the Book of Mormon at the age of 24, Smith attracted tens of thou ...

land in Illinois after his escape from jail in Missouri. Huntington also took Smith the four miles distance to the house where

Emma Smith Emma Hale Smith Bidamon (July 10, 1804 – April 30, 1879) was a leader in the early Latter Day Saint movement and a prominent member of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (RLDS Church) as well as the first wife of Josep ...

was staying. In March 1841, Huntington was appointed one of the constables of

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 United States census, 2020 census. Nauvoo attracts visitors for its h ...

. In October 1841, Huntington brought the testimony that led to the excommunication of John A. Hicks, the elders

quorum A quorum is the minimum number of members of a group necessary to constitute the group at a meeting. In a deliberative assembly (a body that uses parliamentary procedure, such as a legislature), a quorum is necessary to conduct the business of ...

president in Nauvoo, for falsehood and schismatic conversation. In 1842, Huntington was made

coroner A coroner is a government or judicial official who is empowered to conduct or order an inquest into the manner or cause of death. The official may also investigate or confirm the identity of an unknown person who has been found dead within th ...

of Nauvoo. After Joseph Smith's death, Huntington was among those who prepared Joseph and

Hyrum Smith Hyrum Smith (February 9, 1800 – June 27, 1844) was an American religious leader in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, the original church of the Latter Day Saint movement. He was the older brother of the movement's founder, Jos ...

's bodies for burial and buried them in a secret location underneath the Nauvoo House. Huntington was a member of the Mormon Battalion. His family had come with him and they went to

Pueblo, Colorado Pueblo ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Home rule municipality, home rule municipality that is the county seat of and the List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous municipality in Pueblo County, Colorado, United States. The ...

. One of Fanny's children was born there on January 1, 1847. Huntington was one of the members of Parley P. Pratt's company that explored southern Utah in 1849. Huntington was also among the first settlers of

Provo, Utah Provo ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Utah County, Utah, United States. It is south of Salt Lake City along the Wasatch Front, and lies between the cities of Orem, Utah, Orem to the north and Springville, Utah, Springville to the south ...

. Huntington was the first Indian interpreter in Utah Territory. In 1855, he negotiated a peace with the Utes in the vicinity of

Fillmore, Utah Fillmore is a city and the county seat of Millard County, Utah, United States. The population was 2,592 at the 2020 United States Census. It is named for the thirteenth U.S. President Millard Fillmore, who was in office when Millard County wa ...

. In 1857, Huntington was closely associated with teaching the gospel to many Native Americans, and kept a journal of his activities. Among other things he recorded

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 h ...

ordaining Tutsegabit an elder on September 10, 1857. In 1868, Huntington was among those who negotiated the end of Utah's Black Hawk War. Dimick B

He commissioned a 22-foot-long missionary panorama of C. C. A. Christensen, showing Bible and Book of Mormon scenes to the Native Americans in 1871. In 1873, missionaries under the leadership of George Washington Hill baptized about 100 Shoshone. Speaking to the Indians in their own language, Hill showed the missionary panorama and taught about the Bible and Book of Mormon. The Shoshone then settled on farmland north of Tremonton, Utah. The Indians later moved north to southern Idaho and named the new community Washakie, after a Shoshone chief. In 1874, Huntington ordained Kanosh an elder in

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 Restorationism, restorationist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, denomination and the ...

.Jensen. ''Encyclopedic History''. p. 390] Huntington worked as a blacksmith and was also Drum major (military), drum-major of the

Nauvoo Legion The Nauvoo Legion was a state-authorized Latter-day Saints Militias and Military Units, militia of Nauvoo, Illinois, United States from February 4, 1841 until January 29, 1845. Its main function was the defense of Nauvoo and surrounding Latte ...

band. He later held a similar position with a band in

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in the state. The city is the core of the Salt Lake Ci ...

. For the last several years of his life, Huntington served as

patriarch The highest-ranking bishops in Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, the Roman Catholic Church (above major archbishop and primate), the Hussite Church, Church of the East, and some Independent Catholic Churches are termed patriarchs (and ...

of the Salt Lake Stake.

References

Sources

*R. Devan Jensen. ''Philo Dibble's Dream of 'a Gallery in Zion. Journal of Mormon History 44, no. 4 (2018): 19–39

* Orson F. Whitney. ''History of Utah''
p. 209-211
* Andrew Jenson. ''Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia''. Vol. 4
p. 748
* B. H. Roberts. '' Comprehensive History of the Church''. Vol. 3, p. 479. {{DEFAULTSORT:Huntington, Dimick B. 1808 births 1879 deaths 19th-century Mormon missionaries American Mormon missionaries in the United States Converts to Mormonism Members of the Mormon Battalion Mormon pioneers Patriarchs (LDS Church) People from Watertown, New York American leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Nauvoo, Illinois city council members Latter Day Saints from New York (state) Latter Day Saints from Illinois Latter Day Saints from Utah American blacksmiths American coroners

Biography

See also

References

Sources