| Robert B. Thompson (1811–1842) |
| Born | Robert Blashel Thompson, October 1, 1811, in Great Driffield, Yorkshire, England | |||
| Died | August 27, 1841 in Nauvoo, of tuberculosis | Papers 2:334–335. | ||
| Father | Thomas Thompson | Parents' names courtesy of Scott Jacob, a descendant of Robert's sister, Mary Thompson Duff. | ||
| Mother | Mary Barker | |||
| Baptism | May, 1836 by Parley P. Pratt | |||
| Ordination | July 22, 1836 by John Taylor | |||
| Mission | To Upper Canada with Mercy R. Fielding within days of their marriage (June 4, 1837). Lived with friends and fellow converts, William and Jane Law in Churchville. Returned to Kirtland, March 1838. | |||
| Positions | "General Church Clerk," October 3, 1840. Also referred to as Church recorder, and historian, probably because he replaced George W. Robinson, who had been appointed to all three positions on April 6, 1838. | HC
4:204, 3:13–14. Conference of April 6, 1838 |
||
| Colonel, aid-de-camp in the Nauvoo Legion. | HC 4:411. | |||
| Nauvoo city recorder, February 1841. | HC 2:334. | |||
| Associate editor of the Times
and Seasons, May 1, 1841. The unhealthy room in which they worked led
to illness. Don Carlos died on August 7 and Robert on August 27. |
HC 4:351. | |||
| Family | Mercy Rachel Fielding (1807–1893) md. June 4, 1837 in Kirtland, Joseph Smith officiating | |||
| Mary Jane (b. June 14, 1838) | ||||
| England Methodist Canada |
Born in England, Robert joined the Methodists at an early age, "preached what he believed to be the gospel, in connection with that sect for a number of years," and emigrated to the Toronto area in 1834 (the same year as his future wife). According to Scott Jacob, Robert's brother Thomas had emigrated a few years earlier and established the first school in Toronto. | LDSB 1:284. Is this the source of Hoyt Brewster Jr.'s conclusion, "For a number of years he was a Methodist preacher"? Doctrine and Covenants Encyclopedia. Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1988, 593. | |
| Far West | Journey to Far West, Missouri, with Hyrum Smith and Mary Fielding (married December 27,1837), arriving June 3, 1838. | HC 4:411. | |
| Daughter | Robert and Mercy's only child, Mary Jane is born eleven days later, June 14, 1838. | HC 4:411. | |
| Danite | Serves as a Danite in Missouri and was standing near David W. Patten (h) when the apostle was killed at the Battle of Crooked River. | Origins, 484. | |
| Flees Missouri | Joseph, Hyrum, Sidney, and number of other prominent men were taken by the Missouri to stand trial on October 31. In November Robert and other leading figures fled in Far West fled to avoid being massacred by a mob. | ||
| Quincy | Moved to Quincy, Illinois, where Mercy and Mary Jane arrived with Mary and her new son Joseph in February, 1839. | ||
| Conference to find land | That month he served as clerk for a conference that was called to consider land for Mormons to settle on. William Marks, who had been appointed president tempore of the stake of Zion at the Conference of April 6, 1838, presided. | HC 3:260. | |
| Excommunications | Servs as clerk to the March 1839 conference that excommunicates George M. Hinkle, Sampson Avard, John Corrill, Reed Peck, William W. Phelps, Frederick G. Williams, Thomas B. Marsh (h), Burr Riggs, and others. Brigham Young presides. |
HC 3:283–284.
|
|
| Newspaper writer, court clerk | Robert works as writer for the Argus and as a court clerk in Quincy until Joseph and Hyrum "escape" from Liberty Jail and decide the new gathering place will be Commerce, Illinois. | Papers 2:334. | |
| Gather anti-Mormon literature | At a conference in Quincy, Illinois on May 4, 1839, Robert plus Almon W. Babbitt and Erastus Snow are"appointed a traveling committee to gather up and obtain all the libelous reports and publications which had been circulated against the Church." | HC 3:345. | |
| Funeral sermon of Joseph Smith Sr. | Delivers the September 15, 1840 funeral sermon of Joseph Smith Sr. | HC 4:191–197. | |
| Petition to Congress | Writes the "petition to Congress for the redress of the grievances of the Latter-day Saints in Missouri" with Elias Higbee, November 27, 1840. | HC 4:237, 250–251. | |
| Solemn proclamation |
Called to help Joseph write "solemn proclamation" to the president-elect "high-minded governors of the nation" and "to all the nations of the earth," January 19, 1841. (When Robert dies, Willard Richards is given the task, but it is not finished in Joseph's lifetime.) |
D&C 124:2–14. | |
| $14,000 in land sales | In March 1841, Robert sells Joseph 50 Nauvoo lots for $10,000. In July, he sells Emma 123 acres along the south edge of the city for $4,000. | Nauvoo Kingdom, 120. | |
| Joseph's trial | Accompanies Joseph and others to the Prophet's trial in Monmouth, June 7–11, 1841. | HC 4:366–371 | |
|
Robert
B. Thompson: Heber C. Kimball |
|||