Description
Persecution in Jackson County
Virtually no one knows that much about Edward Partridge. He was the first bishop of this Restoration, but I’ll tell you why so few people know him outside of his own family. It begins right here:
Joseph received a revelation shortly after Edward Partridge joined the Church and he was called as the first bishop and then asked, or commanded, to accompany Joseph to Independence, Missouri for the establishment of Zion.
When they got there and saw the land, Edward was commanded to stay. He had to leave his children and his wife, Lydia, behind in Kirtland. Only with faith, consecration, and sacrifice do people make these kinds of choices. Edward stayed and if you read the letters between Edward and his wife, you know just how heart-wrenching that decision was.
July 20th, 1833, an angry mob came into Independence. This mob was between four and five hundred men who angrily demanded that every Mormon in Jackson County had to get out of the state or out of the county. They drafted a resolution, and they took that resolution (over the signature of all the leading citizens of Jackson County) to Edward Partridge, William W. Phelps, and others that were considered the leaders of the Latter-day Saints. The demands were completely unreasonable. You have three days, leave the county.
By that time, the Church owned well over a thousand acres of land. They couldn’t just leave it. The men asked for three months to consider the demands and decide a course. That was denied. They asked for ten days to make a decision. That too was denied. They had 15 minutes to decide what they were going do with over 1,200 people and their possessions.
The mob didn’t even like that answer. They went back to the large gathering at the courthouse, then broke into groups. One group went to the printing office and tore it down. William W. Phelps tried to get his family out before the mob got there but the mob came, and they pulled the corner post out of the printing office causing the roof to collapse. They pushed the printer, pied the type, and shoved the printing press out the window. When they collapsed the house, two of William W. Phelps’ youngest children were underneath. Fortunately, they were not injured.
The other group from the courthouse went to Edward Partridge’s home. One of his daughters mentions that “mother saw them coming and got us out of the house. We knew something was wrong, but we didn’t know what.” The mob came and grabbed Edward. This would have been right near the temple block there in Jackson County and Independence. They took Edward and took him over to the public square, which is a considerable distance away.
The mob took Edward Partridge and Charles Allen and gave them an ultimatum that they must renounce the Book of Mormon and renounce their allegiance to Joseph Smith or else leave the county or worse. Bishop Partridge, standing and facing a mob, uncertain of what they were going to do, knowing their hate and their anger, stated he was not conscious of having injured anyone in the county, and “therefore, I could not consent to leave it.” In other words, I will not renounce the Book of Mormon. I will not renounce Joseph Smith. Do with me as you will.
The infuriated mob began to strip his clothes off him and then they tarred and feathered him. Bishop Partridge stood there and let them abuse him with such dignity that the mob became ashamed of their treatment of this great and good man and slunk off like the cowards that they were. That would not be the end of it for Bishop Partridge.
The Saints were driven out of Jackson County into Clay County. Once they were there in the winter of 1833-1834, Bishop Partridge suffered along with all the rest and he traveled up and down the riverbanks where twelve hundred Latter-day Saint refugees spent that winter. Bishop Partridge, bless his soul, was their bishop. He was their ministering angel.
Once again, Bishop Partridge was there when the Saints made their way to northern Missouri and Davis County and violence erupted there. He was driven out of Far West and escaped to Quincy along with all the rest. When the Saints finally made it to Nauvoo, Edward Partridge was still serving.
The Prophet Joseph called him into the office and he began doing the work of writing the history. Then, while in the process of building a home for his family, Bishop Partridge became ill and passed away, dying in 1840.
He died a martyr to the faith, having wasted and worn out his life in the service of the Lord in ministering to the Saints to the very last extremity. He was the first bishop of the church. He was one of the Lord’s (by the Lord’s own words) great men. And yet, so few today know who this great man is. Bishop Edward Partridge.
