Jesse Gause (1784?-1836?)

Mormon History 1830-1844

Jesse Gause ([1784]–[1836])

Counselor to Joseph Smith in the presidency of the High Priesthood (1832).
Born	[1784] in East Marlborough, Chester county, Pennsylvania	Unless otherwise noted, information is from Jesse Gause, 487–493.
Died	[1836]
Father	William Goss
Mother	Mary Beverly
Ordinations	Counselor to Joseph Smith in the presidency of the High Priesthood. (Sidney Rigdon was chosen and ordained at the same time.)	KRB, 10–11, qtd. in JS revelations, 111n40.
Events: Quaker	1806 joins the Society of Friends (Quakers).
Moves	1811 moves to Fayette county, Pennsylvania in 1808, then back to Chester county.
	1812 moves to Wilmington, Delaware to at the Friends' school.
War of 1812	1814 military service (War of 1812).
Moves	1815 moves to Philadelphia, marries.
	1816 moves to Belmont county, Ohio.
	1821 moves to Jefferson county, Ohio (3 months), back to Chester county, Pennsylvania (a few weeks), then Wilmington.
Wife dies, remarries	1828 Martha dies following the birth of their fourth child. Jesse marries Minerva almost immediately after Martha's death.
Resigns from Quakers	January 30, 1829 resigns from Society of Friends.
Moves	Moves to Shaker village in Hancock, Berkshire county, Massachusetts.
Child	New wife gives birth to their first child.
Shaker	August 1829 family joins the Shakers.	Shakers observe celibacy. For Shakers see note in D&C 49.
Ohio	October 22, 1831 arrives at the Shaker village at North Union, Cuyahoga County, Ohio (19 miles southwest of Kirtland) with Minerva and child, leaving Martha's children with his sister.	Records of the Church at North Union, 177:12, series V–B, Shaker Manuscripts, Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio cited by Jesse Gause, 489.
Conversion	How, when, and by whom Jesse was converted is not known, although in March (seven months earlier), Sidney Rigdon, Parley P. Pratt (h), and former Shaker Leman Copley made an apparently unsuccessful proselyting effort among the Shakers in North Union where, we later learn, Jesse's wife was living. It would not be unreasonable to assume he also had been a member of the North Union community.
High Priesthood presidency	March 15, 1832 Joseph ordains Jesse and Sidney Rigdon to be his counselors in the presidency of the High Priesthood.	¶ Presidents of the High Priesthood D&C 81
United Order	April 1832 accompanies Joseph Smith to Zion to establish the United Order there.	Minutes of April 26–27, 1832 Minutes of April 30, 1832 Minutes of April 30, 1832b
Preach to Shakers	August 1, 1832 starts on a mission with Zebedee Coltrin. They stop the first night at Brother Kingsbury's in Painesville. In the morning they proceed 11 miles east to Madison, where they preach at Brother "chancy Lovlins" The next day they turn south 6 miles to Thompson, staying with Leman Copley, also a former Shaker. On the 4th, they travel southeast to Rome, puting up for the night with John Reed. Their route continues south to Salem, New Garden, Fairfield, Lisbon, then east to Big Beaver Falls in Pennsylvania, south to the Rappite community in Economy, Pittsburgh. On the 18th they reach Brownsville, visit Carvel Rigdon 4 miles away, then continue 5 or 6 more miles to Morris' tavern. Here, the next morning, Zebedee	The daily log in ZC does not allow for a 19 mile trip west of Kirtland to North Union, though an August 10 letter from Matthew Houston, in North Union, to Seth Y. Wells reports that Gause visited the Shaker community there "of late," (See below) Brownsville is 25 miles south of Library, where Sidney and Carvel grew up.
	came to the conclusion that it was not my duty to preced any further to the East. I have been afficted with a pain in my head every day Sinse we Started. We endeavoured to be faithful in embracing every oportunity of declaring our testimony for the Gospel in its fullness in the last days. & for the book of Mormon, & the Judgments that God was about to pour out upon the impenitent	ZC, 31.
	On the same day Zebedee writes, "Brother Jesse and I After praying with & for each other parted in the fellowship of the Gospel of our Lord & saviour Jesus Christ."	ZC, 35.
North Union	[August 10, 1832] Jess Gaines [Jesse Gause] of Hancock was also here of late; he is a Mormon, second to the Prophet, Joseph Smith. We hope he will not return and bother us further.	Matthew Houston (North Union) to Seth Y. Wells (Mt. Lebanon, New York) in Valley of pleasure, 94. Hancock, Berkshire county, Massachusetts included a Shaker village from 1790 to 1960.
Visits North Union?	Citing the original letter at the Western Reserve Historical Society, Quinn states that Gause visited his wife at North Union "and tried to persuade her to leave the celibate Shakers," but she "refused to listen to him and even offered to give him their child rather than go with him herself."
Never heard from again	After parting with Zebedee, Jesse is never heard from again. Quinn speculates that Gause may have learned from Coltrin that Joseph was secretly teaching polygamy, which caused him to leave the church..	Jesse Gause, 489.
Excommunicated	December 3, 1832 excommunicated in absentia.	Minutes of December 3, 1832
Families	Martha Johnson (d. 1828), md. 1815.
	4 children
	Minerva, md. immediately after Martha's death in 1828.
	1 child, born before Jesse and Minerva join the Shakers in 1829.
		Biographies