| Harvey G. Whitlock (1809–1874) |
| Early convert, missionary, possessed after being ordained to the High Priesthood, Missouri refugee, follows Sidney Rigdon, Salt Lake City doctor, in and out of LDS and RLDS churches. | ||||
| Born | Harvey Gilman Whitlock, 1809 in Massachusetts | Revelations, 81. | ||
| Died | 1874 in Bishop Creek, Inyo county, California | |||
| Mission | Joel H. Johnson reports that some time after April 1, 1831, Harvey Whitlock and Edson Fuller called on him in Amherst, Ohio, and taught him the first principles of the gospel. He was struck favorably but could not accept the Book of Mormon. In a few days, Lyman Wright, Samuel H. Smith, and others arrived. The missionaries held daily meetings "and in a few weeks they baptized about fifty in the vicinity." Joel followed shortly thereafter. | Autobiography of Joe Hills Johnson, 3, in New Mormon Studies. | ||
| High Priesthood | June 3, 1831 attends first Kirtland conference as an elder. Is ordained to the High Priesthood. Joseph performs an exorcism. > | Conference of June 3–6, 1831 | ||
| Visits Jackson county |
June 7, 1831 called to visit Jackson county with David Whitmer, "and preach by the way unto this same land." |
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| Move to Missouri | Moves family to Missouri, Whitmer branch. | Revelations, 81. Whitmer settlement was an early target of mob action in 1833. Incidents at Whitmer Settlement (1) | ||
| Mob target | July 23, 1833 one of nine church leaders required by the mob to leave Jackson county before January 1, 1834. | ¶ Missouri Persecutions (2) | ||
| Excommunicated | 1835 excommunicated | Revelations, 81. | ||
| November 16, 1835 Joseph receives a letter of contrition of Harvey, and in response, receives a revelation directing Harvey to forsake his sins and come to Kirtland. | HC
2:315–316. Revelation of November 16, 1835 |
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| Rebaptized | January 30, 1836 First Presidency resolves: "that Harvey Whitlock be restored to the church in full fellowship on his being rebaptized and after be ordained to the High Priesthood. carried unanimously." | KCMB | ||
| Withdraws | 1838 withdraws from the church | Revelations, 81. | ||
| Iowa | 1840 living in Cedar county, Iowa. | Revelations, 81. | ||
| Joins Sidney Rigdon | 1846 member of Sidney Rigdon's Grand Council | |||
| Salt Lake doctor | 1850 Medical doctor in Salt Lake City, with a household of ten and land worth $100. | Utah federal census cited in Who's Who, 327. | ||
| Thief? | February 1851arrested as an accessory to theft. | Revelations, 81. | ||
| Rebaptized | ca 1858 rebaptized. | Revelations, 81. | ||
| Speaker | June 27, 1858 addresses the Saints in the bowery in Salt Lake (remarks not recorded). Brigham tells Wilford that Harvey, "spoke well but any man that would speak a few words in the power of God would do more good." | JD 7:54, WWJ 5:200, 201. | ||
| Doctor | August 15, 1858 "Harvy Whitlock is a Doctor of the old school." | WWJ 5:208. | ||
| Sprigville | January 28, 1859 in Springville, Ezra T. Benson and Erastus Snow are informed that Harvey has been cut off. | Brigham Young Office Journals qtd. in New Mormon Studies. | ||
| False information about Sidney | April 19, 1859 testifies that after Nauvoo, Sidney was involved in an "arrangement for temporary swapping wives" (not true). | Journal History qtd. in Sidney, 373. | ||
| RLDS | 1864 moves to California and joins RLDS church, serves as president of the Pacific Slope | Revelations, 81. | ||
| Excommunicated | 1868 excommunicated from RLDS church. | |||
| Possession at Conference of June 3, 1831 | ||||
| Three recollections describe Harvey as being possessed during the first conference of the church in Kirtland. | ||||
| John Whitmer account | According to John Whitmer, early in the meeting, the spirit falls on Joseph "in an unusual manner." He prophecies about John the Revelator being with the Ten Tribes and other things. Then he ordains Lyman Wight to the High Priesthood. | The
Book of John Whitmer in From
Historian, 69–70. |
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| Lyman begins to prophesy of the coming of Christ, the martyrdom of Saints, and then describes a vision of the Father and the Son. "The glory of the Lord shone around," John adds. | John has Joseph ordaining Harvey to the High Priesthood but the official minutes and other sources indicate Lyman Wight ordained Harvey and most others ordained that day. | |||
| Others are ordained and the bishop blesses them. Then: | ||||
| While the Lord poured out his spirit upon his servants, the Devil took occation to make known his power. He bound Harvey Whitlock <and John Murdock> so that he could not speak and others were affected, but the Lord showed to Joseph the Seer the design of this thing. He commanded the devil in the name of Christ and he departed to our joy and comfort. | ||||
| Levi Hancock recollection | Levi Hancock's recollection, written decades later, differs on some points: Joseph says the kingdom that Jesus compared to a grain of mustard seed is here. It will spread its branches and angels will come to it like birds, | Levi Hancock journal | ||
| and Some of you shall live to see it come with great glory some of you must die for the testimony of this work | ||||
| and looked at Lyman Wight and said you shall see the Lord and met him nere the Corner of the house and laid his hands upon him and blessed him with the visions of heaven | ||||
| Lyman steps forward and declares he seed God the Father and Jesus on his right hand. | ||||
| Joseph ordains Harvey to the High Priesthood. | ||||
| he turned as black as Lyman was white his fingers was set like Claws he went round the Room and showed his hands and tried to speak his eyes was in the shape of Ovil Oes. | ||||
| Hyrum exclaims, "Joseph that is not of God," but Joseph tells his brother not to speak against this. "I will not believe," Hyrum responds, "unless you inquire if God owns it." | ||||
| Joseph bows his head a short time, then lays his hands on Harvey's head and command Satan to depart. | ||||
| At that very instant an Old man said to way two hundread and fourteen pounds sitting in the window turned a complete summersett in the house and came his back across a bench and lay helpless | ||||
| Joseph tells Lyman to cast the devil out of the "old man," Leman Copley. | ||||
| The evil spirit left him and as quick as lightning Harvey Green fell bound and screamed like a Panther. Satan was cast out of him but imediately entered so I heared it continued all day and the greater part of the knight | ||||
| Philo Dibble recollection | In 1892 elderly Philo Dibble recalled that when Joseph rose to address the conference, "he said that before the conference closed there were those present who should see the heavens open and bear record of the coming of the Son of Man, and that the man of sin should be revealed." | Juvenile Instructor, vol. 27 no. 10 (May 15, 1892) 303–304. | ||
| ¶ | While he talked he laid his hand upon the head of Lyman Wight. He then laid his left hand upon the head of Harvey Whitlock. | |||
| Lyman Wight stepped into the middle of the room and bore record of the coming of the Son of Man. | ||||
| Then Harvey Whitlock stepped into the middle of the room with his arms crossed, bound by the power of Satan, and his mouth twisted unshapely. | ||||
| Hyrum stands and declares there is evil spirit in the room. Joseph tells him not to be so hasty and Hyrum sits down. But then he gets up again, | ||||
| "I know my duty and will do it," and stepping to Harvey, commanded the evil spirits to leave him, but the spirits did not obey. | ||||
| Joseph approaches Harvey and asks if he believes in God. | ||||
| Then we saw a change in Harvey. He also bore record of the opening of the heavens and of the coming of the Son of Man, precisely as Lyman Wight had done. | ||||
| An unseen power throws Harvey Green to the floor, groaning and frothing at the mouth. Joseph directs the elders not to administer to him. "Finally he got upon his knees and came out of it." | ||||
| Next thing I saw a man came flying through the window from outside. He was straight as a man's arm as he sailed into the room over two rows of seats filled with men, and fell on the floor between the seats and was pulled out by the brethren. He trembled all over like a leaf in the wind. He was soon apparently calm and natural. His name was Leman Copley. He weighed over two hundred pounds. | ||||
| Zebedee Coltrin recollection | Harvey Whitlock was ordained next with the same promise but after his ordination, when standing on his feet, he seemed paralyzed. His mouth was drawn into the shape of an italic O, and his arm was stretched out as if nailed to a cross. Joseph rebuked the power that had seized him, and it left him, when the heavens opened to him and he testified as Lyman had done, that he saw the heavens open and Jesus standing at the right hand of God the Father. This was the beginning in our day of ordinations to the office of a High Priest. | Zebedee Coltrin diary | ||
| Amid all the diversity of reports, one thing all agree on is that Harvey Whitlock was the first to be possessed in this historic meeting. < | ||||
| Spouse | Minerva Abbot, b. 1810 in Connecticut, md. by 1830 | Joseph Smith Revelations, 81. | ||
| Known children: Almon, Sally Sclota, Herman, Hamer, Oscar, Maloni, Parintha. | ||||
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