Home -> Surnames -> William Huntington, Jr. -> Notes -> Biography
HUNTINGTON, William, presiding Elder at Mount Pisgah, Iowa, in 1846, was the son of William Huntington and Prescindia Lathrop, and was born March 28, 1784, in Grantham, Cheshire county, New Hampshire. In 1804 he moved with his parents to Watertown, Jefferson county, New York, being among the first settlers of that county. In 1806, he returned to New Hampshire and married Zina Baker, daughter of Dr. Oliver Baker, Dec. 28, 1806.
Soon after his marriage he moved to Watertown, N.Y., where he lived and prospered in temporal blessings until 1811, when he sold out, and the following year war was declared with Great Britain, which proved fatal to his prospects, and coupled with much sickness in the family reduced them very low in pecuniary circumstances. His services in the army were done with the fife. He was in one battle, that of Sacketts' Harbour.
In 1816, Providence smiled on him again, and about the same time he experienced religion, having an honest heart before God and earnestly enquiring of the Lord as to the truth and reality of the history and doctrine of the Bible. And from that time the spirit of the Lord began to show him the right way to live and what was coming upon the earth. First, he was shown that intoxicating drinks were not pleasing to God and were conducive of evil, temporally and spiritually. He left them off and joined the Presbyterian church. God next showed him that tobacco was not good for him and he left off its use. Then his mind began to be clear and his views of the world were changed by faithful and sincere prayer to know who and what was right. He received an answer that none were right but that he would live to see the true Church of Christ, having the gifts and graces as did the Church in the Savior's day. He left the Presbyterians and proclaimed boldly what God had shown him, namely, that all had gone astray, that darkness covered the people, and that whenever the true Church of Christ came, it would be adorned with the gifts of healing, prophecy, etc.
From this time he became an outcast in society. In all these prayers, principles and faith, his wife was one with him. In the winter of 1832-33 he first heard of "Mormonism," read the Book of Mormon, believed it with all his heart and preached it almost every day, to his neighbors and everybody he could see, or had the privilege to chat with, until 1835, when he and wife with two of their children were baptized by Elder_________Dutcher.
After that his house was a meeting house and a home for all Saints. May 18, 1836, he sent two of his children and their families, Dimick and Prescindia, to Kirtland, waiting himself only to sell out. Oct. 1, 1836, he started and moved to Kirtland with quite a number of Saints under the direction of Apostles Orson Pratt and Luke S. Johnson, being ordained an Elder previous to starting. He arrived in Kirtland on the 11th, bought a farm from Jacob Bump and paid him three thousand dollars.
Of this amount he was defrauded, so that in a little over one year he was compelled to labor by the day for a living. In the breaking up of Kirtland the apostates harrassed him with law suits until he saw his children often go to bed crying for bread. For nearly two weeks he lived on greens. His house was a hiding place for Father Joseph Smith, Hyrum, Samuel and Don Carlos, while they were trying to escape from the persecutions in Kirtland. The Egyptian mummies were also hid in his house for a long time, and many of the pursued and persecuted Saints found a retreat there and a hiding place from apostates' persecution.
In Kirtland he received his washings and anointings in the Temple, and was ordained a High Priest and High Counselor, in which office he acted until the Church left Kirtland. He lost five hundred dollars in the Kirtland bank.
May 21, 1838, he started for Far West, Mo., where he arrived about two months later, and, by counsel, moved to Adam-ondi-Ahman, where he was chosen commissary for the brethren who armed for defence; and after the mob had driven and hemmed in the scattering brethren, he was commissary for all the people of that place and had charge of all the provisions of the town.
After the surrender of the Church in Far West, Missouri, he was foreman of the committee chosen to confer with the committee chosen by the mob. These two committees were representatives of and authorized to transact all business for their respective committees. He was also one of a committee chosen to see to the poor and get them moved out of the State of Missouri, which they did to the complete satisfaction of the whole Church, though with no ordinary exertion, and remained himself until about the last man and family.
His was one of the first families that moved to Commerce (afterwards Nauvoo) where he arrived May 14, 1839. About the 1st of July his whole family was taken sick, and on the 8th his wife died of sickness, caused by hardships and exposure. At this time he suffered for the comforts of life. At a conference held in October, 1839, he was again chosen to the office of High Counselor.
Aug. 28, 1840, he married Lydia Partridge, whose maiden name was Lydia Clisbee.
As a member of the High Council he helped to lay one of the corner stones of the Nauvoo Temple April 6, 1841. He commenced immediately upon the walls of the Temple and worked until the basement was done; then he cut stone until the top stone was laid; and by particular request the stones which he cut were laid in a column from the basement to the top of the chimney of the southwest corner. As soon as the Temple was ready for giving endowments he administered therein until the building was closed.
He continued a member of the High Council until the expulsion from Nauvoo. In the move from Nauvoo he was appointed captain of a company of fifty wagons which he helped to make, and to fit up for the company, but which was subsequently disorganized. He was then appointed a captain of ten in Amasa M. Lyman's company, until the settlement of Mt. Pisgah was located, where he was left to preside over that Stake of Zion, or branch, with Charles C. Rich and Ezra T. Benson for his counselors.
In this place his labors were extreme and unremitting for the good and welfare of the people, and the comfort of the sick of which there were a great many. Aug. 9, 1846, he was taken sick with the chills and fever, of which he died Aug. 19, 1846. he died without a struggle or a groan. Wm. Huntington was the father of six sons and four daughters, and at the time of his death two daughters and four sons were in the Church. In life he was beloved by all the Saints. His love and zeal for the cause of God were unsurpassed by any. His judgment was respected and his conduct never questioned; he never had a trial or difficulty with any person in the Church.