John E. Page
Encyclopedia
John Edward Page was an early leader in the Latter Day Saint movement
.
Born in 1799 in Trenton, New York
, Page was the son of Ebenezer and Rachael Page. He was baptized into the Church of Christ, established by Joseph Smith, Jr., in Brownhelm
, Ohio
in August 1833 by missionary Emer Harris, brother of Martin Harris, a witness
to the Book of Mormon
. After his conversion, he was ordained an Elder. He relocated to Kirtland, Ohio
in 1835, and joined the growing body of church members in that region. Page served two missions in Canada, the first beginning in May 1836 and the second in February 1837. By his count, he baptized some 600 persons.
Page was called as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
in July 1838. Shortly thereafter, he moved his family to Missouri
, settling in Far West
in Caldwell County in October 1838. Life was difficult for the new Missouri settlers. Page left personal accounts of attacks by mobs of Missouri residents, both while with the wagon train and while residing in Far West. He noted that he ...buried one wife and two children's as martyrs to our holy religion, since they died through extreme suffering for the want of the common comforts of life.(Roberts, History of the Church 3:241) Page received his ordination to the office of apostle in Far West, Missouri on December 19, 1838 from Brigham Young
and Heber C. Kimball
.
Page and fellow apostle Orson Hyde
were called to travel and preach in the Holy Land
and dedicate the land for the return of the Jews. He and Hyde started on their mission, but Page had a change of heart and never left the United States. In June, 1841 in Philadelphia
, apostle George A. Smith
sought him out and encouraged him to complete his preparations and sail with Hyde in two days time. Page refused to go. While in Philadelphia, Page became involved in a controversy with some of the Pennsylvanian saints which led to a directive from Hyrum Smith
instructing him to return to Nauvoo, Illinois
.
After the death of Joseph Smith, Jr., Page made a claim to the leadership of the Church. The Church under the direction of Brigham Young rejected his claim, but retained him in his position with the Twelve. Page was then called to serve in the Council of Fifty
to help plan and facilitate the Church's move to the Rocky Mountains. After urging the saints to follow James J. Strang as leader of the Church, Page was excommunicated on June 27, 1846 from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Ezra T. Benson
was called by Young to replace him.
Although Page was an Apostle under Joseph Smith, Jr. and President of the Quorum of the Twelve under James J. Strang, he came to reject both leaders as "fallen prophets". He later became affiliated with both the organization of James C. Brewster
and Hazen Aldrich
and finally that of Granville Hedrick
. He was instrumental in helping the Church of Christ (Temple Lot)
(Hedrikites) obtain possession of the Independence Missouri Temple lot.
Page died in 1867 in DeKalb County, Illinois
.
Latter Day Saint movement
The Latter Day Saint movement is a group of independent churches tracing their origin to a Christian primitivist movement founded by Joseph Smith, Jr. in the late 1820s. Collectively, these churches have over 14 million members...
.
Born in 1799 in Trenton, New York
Trenton, New York
----Trenton is a town in Oneida County, New York, United States. The population was 4,670 at the 2000 census. The town is reportedly named after Trenton, New Jersey.- History :...
, Page was the son of Ebenezer and Rachael Page. He was baptized into the Church of Christ, established by Joseph Smith, Jr., in Brownhelm
Brownhelm Township, Lorain County, Ohio
Brownhelm Township is one of the eighteen townships of Lorain County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 7,782 people in the township, 1,792 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township...
, 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...
in August 1833 by missionary Emer Harris, brother of Martin Harris, a witness
Three Witnesses
The Three Witnesses were a group of three early leaders of the Latter Day Saint movement who signed a statement in 1830 saying that an angel had shown them the golden plates from which Joseph Smith, Jr. translated the Book of Mormon and that they had heard God's voice testifying that the book had...
to the Book of Mormon
Book of Mormon
The Book of Mormon is a sacred text of the Latter Day Saint movement that adherents believe contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the American continent from approximately 2600 BC to AD 421. It was first published in March 1830 by Joseph Smith, Jr...
. After his conversion, he was ordained an Elder. He relocated to 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:...
in 1835, and joined the growing body of church members in that region. Page served two missions in Canada, the first beginning in May 1836 and the second in February 1837. By his count, he baptized some 600 persons.
Page was called as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles is one of the governing bodies in the church hierarchy...
in July 1838. Shortly thereafter, he moved his family to 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...
, settling in Far West
Far West, Missouri
Far West, Missouri, was a Latter Day Saint settlement in Caldwell County, Missouri.-Foundation and early history:The town was founded by Missouri Mormon leaders, W. W. Phelps and John Whitmer in August 1836 shortly before the county's creation. The town was platted originally as a square area,...
in Caldwell County in October 1838. Life was difficult for the new Missouri settlers. Page left personal accounts of attacks by mobs of Missouri residents, both while with the wagon train and while residing in Far West. He noted that he ...buried one wife and two children's as martyrs to our holy religion, since they died through extreme suffering for the want of the common comforts of life.(Roberts, History of the Church 3:241) Page received his ordination to the office of apostle in Far West, Missouri on December 19, 1838 from Brigham Young
Brigham Young
Brigham Young was an American leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and a settler of the Western United States. He was the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1847 until his death in 1877, he founded Salt Lake City, and he served as the first governor of the Utah...
and Heber C. Kimball
Heber C. Kimball
Heber Chase Kimball was a leader in the early Latter Day Saint movement. He served as one of the original twelve apostles in the early Latter Day Saint church, and as first counselor to Brigham Young in the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1847 until his...
.
Page and fellow apostle Orson Hyde
Orson Hyde
Orson Hyde was a leader in the early Latter Day Saint movement and an original member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles...
were called to travel and preach in the Holy Land
Holy Land
The Holy Land is a term which in Judaism refers to the Kingdom of Israel as defined in the Tanakh. For Jews, the Land's identifiction of being Holy is defined in Judaism by its differentiation from other lands by virtue of the practice of Judaism often possible only in the Land of Israel...
and dedicate the land for the return of the Jews. He and Hyde started on their mission, but Page had a change of heart and never left the United States. In June, 1841 in Philadelphia
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
, apostle George A. Smith
George A. Smith
George Albert Smith was an early leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and served in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and as a member of the church's First Presidency.-Childhood:Smith was born in Potsdam, St...
sought him out and encouraged him to complete his preparations and sail with Hyde in two days time. Page refused to go. While in Philadelphia, Page became involved in a controversy with some of the Pennsylvanian saints which led to a directive from Hyrum Smith
Hyrum Smith
Hyrum Smith was an American religious leader in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, the original church of the Latter Day Saint movement. He was the older brother of the movement's founder, Joseph Smith, Jr....
instructing him to return to Nauvoo, Illinois
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...
.
After the death of Joseph Smith, Jr., Page made a claim to the leadership of the Church. The Church under the direction of Brigham Young rejected his claim, but retained him in his position with the Twelve. Page was then called to serve in the Council of Fifty
Council of Fifty
The Council of Fifty was a Latter Day Saint organization established by Joseph Smith, Jr...
to help plan and facilitate the Church's move to the Rocky Mountains. After urging the saints to follow James J. Strang as leader of the Church, Page was excommunicated on June 27, 1846 from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Ezra T. Benson
Ezra T. Benson
Ezra Taft Benson was as an apostle and a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints .-Early life:Benson was born in Mendon, Massachusetts, the son of John Benson and...
was called by Young to replace him.
Although Page was an Apostle under Joseph Smith, Jr. and President of the Quorum of the Twelve under James J. Strang, he came to reject both leaders as "fallen prophets". He later became affiliated with both the organization of James C. Brewster
James C. Brewster
James Colin Brewster was the cofounder of the Church of Christ , a schismatic sect in the Latter Day Saint movement.Brewster was born in New York...
and Hazen Aldrich
Hazen Aldrich
Hazen Aldrich was an early leader in the Latter Day Saint movement. After the death of Joseph Smith, Jr., Aldrich went on to lead a small denomination of Latter Day Saints known as the Brewsterites....
and finally that of Granville Hedrick
Granville Hedrick
Granville Hedrick was a leader in the Latter Day Saint movement after the 1844 succession crisis. In 1863, Hedrick became the founding leader of the Church of Christ , which is one of many churches that claim to be a continuation of the Church of Christ founded by Joseph Smith, Jr...
. He was instrumental in helping the Church of Christ (Temple Lot)
Church of Christ (Temple Lot)
The Church of Christ is a denomination of the Latter Day Saint movement headquartered in Independence, Missouri on what is known as the Temple Lot. Members of the church have been known colloquially as "Hedrickites", after Granville Hedrick, who was ordained as the church's first leader in July 1863...
(Hedrikites) obtain possession of the Independence Missouri Temple lot.
Page died in 1867 in DeKalb County, Illinois
DeKalb County, Illinois
DeKalb County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 105,160, which is an increase of 18.2% from 88,969 in 2000. Its county seat is Sycamore. DeKalb County is part of the Chicago metropolitan statistical area.-History:DeKalb County...
.