History of John E. Page

Mormon History 1830-1844

History of John E. Page (1799–1867)

Begins missionary work in 1836. Autobiographical section ends with December 1838 called to the Quorum of the Twelve.
This sketch is part of the series, "History of Brigham Young," published in the Millennial Star, 1863–1865. It was originally published in the Deseret News in 1858, of which George Q. Cannon was editor. Editorial addendum continues: In 1839 John proselyted in the East instead of going to England with the rest of the Twelve. Failed to accompany Orson Hyde to Palestine in 1840. 1843 mission to Philadelphia.
		HISTORY OF JOHN E. PAGE.	MS 27, no. 7 (Feb. 18, 1865): 103–104.
	¶	The following is a brief synopsis of the journal of Elder John E. Page, as given by himself:—	MS 27, no. 7 (Feb. 18, 1865): 103–104.
Parents, birth	¶	The subscriber was born of Ebenezer and Rachel Page, their first child, February 25, A.D. 1799. My father was of pure English extraction, my mother of English, Irish and Welsh extraction. My place of birth was Trenton township, Oneida County, state of New York.
Baptized 1833		I embraced the faith of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and was baptized August 18, 1833, by the hands of Elder Emer Harris, (own brother to Martin Harris, one of the three first witnesses to the divinity of the Book of Mormon).
Ordained elder		I was ordained an elder under the hands of Elders Nelson Higgins, Ebenezer Page, Jun., and others. My baptism took place in Brownhelm, Lorain County, Ohio; my ordination in Florence, Huron County, of the same state, on the 12th of September 1833.
Kirtland 1835	¶	I moved to Kirtland, Geauga County, Ohio, in the fall of 1835.
Canada 1836–1837	¶	On the 31st day of May, 1836, I started on a mission to Canada West, Leeds County. I was gone from my family seven months and twenty days.
	¶	On the 16th day of February 1837, I again left Kirtland with my family of wife and two small children, taking with me all the earthly goods I possessed, which consisted of one bed and our wearing apparel of the plainest kind, to continue my mission in the same region of country as before.
Call to the Twelve	¶	In July following, the commandment came forth for me to occupy a place in the Quorum of the Twelve.
Missouri 1838 DeWitt	¶	On the 14th day of May 1838, I started with a company of Saints, made up of men, women and their children, for the state of Missouri, where we landed, in the first week of October, with a company occupying thirty wagons, at a place there called DeWitt, some six miles above the outlet of Grand River, on the north side of the Missouri River, where we were attacked by an armed mob, and by them barbarously treated for near two weeks.	DeWitt "Elder John E. Page, arrived at De Witt with his Canadian Camp some time this week." Saturday, September 28, 1838. MS history 2:745–764.
Far West persecutions Wife dies		We then went to Far West, Caldwell County, where we united with the general body of the Church, and with them participated in all the grievous persecutions practiced on the Church by means of a furious mob, by which means I buried my wife and two children as martyrs to our holy religion, who died through extreme suffering for the want of the common comforts of life, which I was not allowed to provide even with my money.
Ordained apostle Had baptized nearly 600	¶	On the 19th of December 1838, at Far West, Elder John Taylor and myself were ordained as apostles under the hands of Elders B. Young and H. C. Kimball, in the Quorum of the Twelve, to fill some vacancies in the quorum which had happened by apostasies—having baptized, in two years time, upwards of six hundred persons, and travelled more than five thousand miles, principally on foot and under the most extreme poverty, relative to earthly means, being alone sustained by the power of God and not of man, or the wisdom of the world.	Minutes of December 19, 1838 William E. McLellin, Luke S. Johnson, John F. Boynton, and Lyman E. Johnson had left the church, and David W. Patten, had died of gunshot wounds at the battle of Crooked River.
		John E. Page.
Reluctant to go to Canada Joseph gives him a coat	¶	——— At the time Brother Page was called to go on a mission to Canada, he objected, for the reason that he was destitute of clothing. Brother Joseph Smith took off his coat and gave it to him, and told him to go, and the Lord would bless him abundantly on his mission.	The following addendum, though written from Brigham Young's perspective was probably writen by George Q. Cannon.
Far West conference of apostles	¶	He started with his family for Quincy, Illinois; and while on his way, I and several of the Twelve who were going up to Zion to fulfill the revelation which said the Twelve should "take leave of my Saints in the city of Far West, on the 26th day of April next, on the building spot of my house, saith the Lord," met him, [104] he had just upset his wagon on a sideling hill, and among other things had spilt a barrel of soft soap, which he was scooping up with his hands. I counselled him to return with us; he at first objected, but I insisted he should get ready, to which he consented, and accompanied us to Far West, and attended the conference there on the 26th of April.
Illinois	¶	He went to Illinois and located with Father Judd's family for a season, on the Mississippi flats, below Warsaw, Hancock County.
		While located at Father Judd's, he preached in Adams and Hancock Counties.
Did not go to England	¶	In 1839, he neglected to go to England with his brethren of the Twelve, according to the word of the Lord to that quorum.
Palestine with Orson Hyde Did not go	¶	April 8, 1840, Elder Page was appointed by a general conference at Nauvoo, to accompany Elder Orson Hyde (h) on a mission to Jerusalem; and although he started on this mission, he never left the shores of America.	¶ John E. Page
Cincinnati 1840–1841	¶	He travelled through Indiana and Ohio, and spent the winter of 1840–1 preaching occasionally in Cincinnati and vicinity. He arrived in Philadelphia in June 1841, where Elder George A. Smith, on his return from England, met him; and knowing the Saints were willing to raise ample means to carry Elder Page on his journey, Elder Smith urged him to proceed on his mission to Jerusalem.
Philadelphia branch problems	¶	Soon after, Elder Page became involved in difficulty with the branch in Philadelphia, and in the fall President Hyrum Smith wrote to him to come home.
Nauvoo 1842	¶	He did not return to Nauvoo until the spring of 1842. On his way he delivered several discourses at Pittsburgh, and got up a petition, which was signed by the Saints and others, to President Joseph Smith, praying that he might be sent to Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh 1843	¶	At the conference held April 6, 1843, he was sent to Pittsburgh, where he organized a branch of the Church from those baptized by himself and other elders, and some who emigrated thither.
Pittsburgh branch constitution Presidential term 4 months		In organizing this branch he drew up a constitution, requiring their president to be elected every four months. At the first election he was chosen president, at the second election Elder Small was chosen president, having received the most votes. He moved his family to Pittsburgh, where he continued to preach.	Wilford Woodruff, July 28, 1843, Pittsburgh: "Elder B Young enquired concerning the procedings of the Twelve at cincinnnati. Found that Elders H. C. Kimball, O Pratt & J. E Page Held a Conference organized the Church & left for Pittsburgh. Elder Page stayed & in few days disunnoled what had been done & reorganized the Church but it left the church in no better situation. Elder Young reproved Elder Page some for undoing alone what three of the quorum had done together." WWJ 2:265. Wilford Woodruff and Brigham Young arrived in Cincinnati on July 27 and found Elders Kimball, O. Pratt, and Page speaking in Temperance Hall. On the 30th George A. Smith is mentioned as one of the six apostles addressing the Saints in Temperance Hall that day.
Cincinnati branch 1843 Page reverses decision	¶	During the summer of 1843, the Quorum of the Twelve went eastward from Nauvoo on a mission. Elders H. C. Kimball, O. Pratt (h1) and John E. Page, met at Cincinnati, and organized that branch. Elders Kimball and Pratt proceeded on their mission, and as soon as they were gone, Elder Page called the branch together, and annulled the organization, and reestablished the old one.
		In a few days after Brothers W. Woodruff (h), Geo. A. Smith and myself visited Cincinnati, and we disapproved of Elder Page's proceedings for the reason, that it was not right for one of the Twelve to undo what three had done.
Tour of eastern cities	¶	Elder Page, in company with his brethren of the Twelve, went to Philadelphia, New Jersey, New York and Boston. He remained in Boston some time.
Washington DC		President Joseph Smith, disapproving of his course in Boston, directed him to proceed to Washington, and build up a church there. He went to Washington, remained a short time, and baptized several, then returned to Pittsburg.
	¶	Soon after President Smith's death, an advertisement appeared in the Beaver, Pennsylvania, Argus, that Elder John E. Page was out of employment, and would preach for anybody that would sustain his family.
John E. Page Biographies