Elias Higbee
Encyclopedia
Elias Higbee was an associate of Joseph Smith, Jr., a leader of the Danite
s, and an official historian and recorder
in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
, New Jersey
, Higbee joined the Latter Day Saint church in 1832 in Ohio
. He and his family joined the gathering of Latter Day Saints in Kirtland, Ohio
later that year. In 1833 the Higbees and other Latter Day Saints attempted to settle in Jackson County, Missouri
, but were forced to return to Kirtland in 1835. They again tried to settle in Missouri
in 1836, this time in Clay County. While in Missouri, Higbee was a county judge and a leading officer of the church's Missouri militia, commonly known as the Danite
s. Eventually, the events of the 1838 Mormon War again forced the Higbees to leave Missouri and by 1839 they had settled with the majority of Latter Day Saints in Commerce, Illinois, which would later be renamed Nauvoo
.
In 1838, Higbee became the official historian
of the church, and in 1840 he was became the church's recorder
. In 1839 and 1840, Higbee traveled with Joseph Smith to Washington, D.C.
to submit a petition for redress to U.S. President Martin Van Buren
. On October 8, 1840, Higbee was appointed by Smith to the committee charged with organizing the construction of the Nauvoo Temple
.
Higbee unexpectedly died of cholera
in 1843 in Nauvoo. After his death, Smith stated that Higbee "will again come forth and strike hands with the faithful, and share the glory of the kingdom of God for ever and ever." He was married to Sarah Elizabeth Ward and was the father of twelve children.
, a book of scripture in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, answers to several questions about the meaning of the Book of Isaiah
posed by Higbee to Joseph Smith are reproduced and have been canonized:
Danite
The Danites were a fraternal organization founded by Latter Day Saint members in June 1838, in the town of Far West in Caldwell County, Missouri. During their period of organization in Missouri, the Danites operated as a vigilante group and took a central role in the events of the 1838 Mormon War...
s, and an official historian and recorder
Church Historian and Recorder
Church Historian and Recorder is a priesthood calling in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The role of the Church Historian and Recorder is to keep an accurate and comprehensive record of the church and its activities...
in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
Biography
Born in Galloway TownshipGalloway Township, New Jersey
Galloway Township is a township in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 37,349...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, Higbee joined the Latter Day Saint church in 1832 in Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
. He and his family joined the gathering of Latter Day Saints in Kirtland, Ohio
Kirtland, Ohio
Kirtland is a city in Lake County, Ohio, USA. The population was 6,670 at the 2000 census. Kirtland is famous for being the early headquarters of the Latter Day Saint movement.-Origins of Kirtland:...
later that year. In 1833 the Higbees and other Latter Day Saints attempted to settle in Jackson County, Missouri
Jackson County, Missouri
Jackson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Missouri. With a population of 674,158 in the 2010 census, Jackson County is the second most populous of Missouri's counties, after St. Louis County. Kansas City, the state's most populous city and focus city of the Kansas City Metropolitan...
, but were forced to return to Kirtland in 1835. They again tried to settle in Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
in 1836, this time in Clay County. While in Missouri, Higbee was a county judge and a leading officer of the church's Missouri militia, commonly known as the Danite
Danite
The Danites were a fraternal organization founded by Latter Day Saint members in June 1838, in the town of Far West in Caldwell County, Missouri. During their period of organization in Missouri, the Danites operated as a vigilante group and took a central role in the events of the 1838 Mormon War...
s. Eventually, the events of the 1838 Mormon War again forced the Higbees to leave Missouri and by 1839 they had settled with the majority of Latter Day Saints in Commerce, Illinois, which would later be renamed Nauvoo
Nauvoo, Illinois
Nauvoo is a small city in Hancock County, Illinois, United States. Although the population was just 1,063 at the 2000 census, and despite being difficult to reach due to its location in a remote corner of Illinois, Nauvoo attracts large numbers of visitors for its historic importance and its...
.
In 1838, Higbee became the official historian
Church Historian and Recorder
Church Historian and Recorder is a priesthood calling in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The role of the Church Historian and Recorder is to keep an accurate and comprehensive record of the church and its activities...
of the church, and in 1840 he was became the church's recorder
Church Historian and Recorder
Church Historian and Recorder is a priesthood calling in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The role of the Church Historian and Recorder is to keep an accurate and comprehensive record of the church and its activities...
. In 1839 and 1840, Higbee traveled with Joseph Smith to Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
to submit a petition for redress to U.S. President Martin Van Buren
Martin Van Buren
Martin Van Buren was the eighth President of the United States . Before his presidency, he was the eighth Vice President and the tenth Secretary of State, under Andrew Jackson ....
. On October 8, 1840, Higbee was appointed by Smith to the committee charged with organizing the construction of the Nauvoo Temple
Nauvoo Temple
The Nauvoo Temple was the second temple constructed by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, commonly known as the Mormons. The church's first temple was completed in Kirtland, Ohio, United States in 1836. When the main body of the church was forced out of Nauvoo, Illinois in the...
.
Higbee unexpectedly died of cholera
Cholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine that is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The main symptoms are profuse watery diarrhea and vomiting. Transmission occurs primarily by drinking or eating water or food that has been contaminated by the diarrhea of an infected person or the feces...
in 1843 in Nauvoo. After his death, Smith stated that Higbee "will again come forth and strike hands with the faithful, and share the glory of the kingdom of God for ever and ever." He was married to Sarah Elizabeth Ward and was the father of twelve children.
Higbee's questions in the Doctrine and Covenants
In the Doctrine and CovenantsDoctrine and Covenants
The Doctrine and Covenants is a part of the open scriptural canon of several denominations of the Latter Day Saint movement...
, a book of scripture in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, answers to several questions about the meaning of the Book of Isaiah
Book of Isaiah
The Book of Isaiah is the first of the Latter Prophets in the Hebrew Bible, preceding the books of Ezekiel, Jeremiah and the Book of the Twelve...
posed by Higbee to Joseph Smith are reproduced and have been canonized:
Questions by Elias Higbee: What is meant by the command in Isaiah, 52d chapter, 1st verse, which saith: Put on thy strength, O Zion—and what people had Isaiah reference to? [Answer:] He had reference to those whom God should call in the last days, who should hold the power of priesthood to bring again Zion, and the redemption of Israel; and to put on her strength is to put on the authority of the priesthood, which she, Zion, has a right to by lineage; also to return to that power which she had lost. What are we to understand by Zion loosing herself from the bands of her neck; 2d verse? We are to understand that the scattered remnants are exhorted to creturn to the Lord from whence they have fallen; which if they do, the promise of the Lord is that he will speak to them, or give them revelation. See the 6th, 7th, and 8th verses. The bands of her neck are the curses of God upon her, or the remnants of Israel in their scattered condition among the Gentiles.