Early Boston Mormons, 1832-1860

“Boston contains a noble, and a beautiful branch of the church.”
- Apostle William Smith to Elder William H. Miles, October 7, 1844

Welcome!

This site has biographical and genealogical data collected over the past seven years on all the citizens of Boston, Massachusetts and environs who participated in the Boston Branch of the Church of Jesus Chirst of Latter-day Saints (Mormon), formally organized in that city on March 9, 1842, or in one of its several early schisms.

The information was compiled by Connell O'Donovan, an independent researcher, genealogist, and historian of early Mormonism. Although others have greatly assisted me in this project, I alone am responsible for the content of this website.

If you are aware of other Boston Mormons who should be included here, please contact me!

Contact Connell O'Donovan by Email

Updates

September 2014 - Below are links to PDFs containing brief biographies and my research notes of some 500 early Mormon Bostonians, now including Strangite, Ridgonite, Williamite, and Brighamite Mormons in Boston. The biographies are in alphabetical order; women are found by maiden names, with their married names included in parentheses. CAVEAT: These biographies are a work in progress and mostly contain working notes of my research. I alone am responsible for any errors found therein. Each of the Boston PDFs is about 250 pages long.

Please do not copy or in any way reproduce this information without my written consent.

BOSTON MORMONS (SURNAMES A-C) PDF

BOSTON MORMONS (SURNAMES D-M) PDF

BOSTON MORMONS (SURNAMES N-Z) PDF

I have now done something similar for the early Mormons in nearby Essex County MA (i.e. the much smaller LDS branches in Salem, Lynn, Newbury, Gloucester, etc.)

ESSEX COUNTY MORMONS PDF

Early Boston Converts, 1831-1833

1. Vienna Jacques (married Joseph Smith?)	1831 during trip to Kirtland
2. Alexander Badlam Sr.	June 26, 1832 in Boston
3. Mary Ann Brannan Badlam	June 26, 1832
4. Sabre Granger	June 26, 1832
5. Mary Bailey (married Samuel H. Smith)	June 26, 1832
6. Augusta Adams Cobb (married Brigham Young)	June 29, 1832
7. Elizabeth Cobb	June 29, 1832
8. Mrs. Ann Porter (widow)	June 29, 1832
9. (?) _____ Porter	June, 29, 1832
10. Nancy Richardson	July 5, 1832
11. Mary Ann Symonds Chase (widow)	July 5, 1832
12. Fanny Brewer	July 29, 1832
13. Mary “Polly” Vose	July 29, 1832
14. Clarissa Bachelor	July 30, 1832
15. Agnes Moulton Coolbrith	July 30, 1832
16. Lucy Granger	July 30, 1832
17. Mercy Buffum Alley	August 3, 1832 in Lynn
18. Nancy Ingersoll	August 3, 1832 in Lynn
19. Elisabeth A. Eaton Chase (widow)	December 5, 1832
20.Joseph T. Ball	circa 1832-1833
21. Sister Brown	no date
22. William Goodridge	no date
23. (?) John Merriss	(had meetings held at his home in 1832)

Boston Branch Meeting Places:

John Merriss home (195 Ann Street)	June 1832
Fanny Brewer home (Corner of Belknap & Myrtle Sts.)	June - August 1832
Julian Hall	August 1832
Winchester Hall	May 30, 1841 until “several weeks” later
Private houses	about July 1841 to January 1842
Abijah Tewksbury's offices (82 Commercial Street)	January 9, 1842 to abt January 1844
Boylston Hall	regional conferences held here from 1843-1848
Marlboro & Franklin Halls	about May 1844 to October 1844
Suffolk Hall	October 5, 1844 to at least February 1845

At least 32 books or pamphlets on Mormonism (pro- or anti-) were published in Boston from 1831-1882

Boston Branch Presidents and dates of service:

Freeman S. Nickerson	March 9, 1842 to late 1842?
Andrew S. Baston	Late 1842 to March 1843?
George B. Wallace	March 1843 to February 1844
John Hardy Jr.	February 1844 to October 7, 1844
Joseph T. Ball**	October 7, 1844 to about March 1, 1845**
Ezra T. Benson	About March 1, 1845 to May 24, 1845
Willard Snow	mid-June 1845 to mid-November 1845
Alexander Badlam Sr.	1846 to February 1, 1849

**This was the first time that an African American man formally presided over a Mormon congregation. See PDF above for his fascinating biography.

African American Mormons in Boston:

Elder Joseph T. Ball	1832-1845; then Strangite, 1845-?
Evelyn Wilbur Teague	ca. 1842-1845; then Strangite, 1845-1849
Elder Walker Lewis	ca. 1842 - ca. 1851
Elder (?) Enoch Lovejoy Lewis	ca. 1842 - ca. 1847
Warner "William" McCary	1846; then formed own polygamous church at Winter Quarters

Boston Branch Membership Statistics:

Summer 1832	About 25 baptized, mainly women (but no “branch”)
August 1836	17 people baptized by brothers Joseph and Brigham Young (but no “branch”)
January 9, 1842	3 people baptized by Nickerson
March 9, 1842	30 members when branch organized; 1 elder; 3 priests
March 22, 1842	“Near forty” members
August 29, 1842	About 80 members
Sept. 11, 1842	77 members; 3 elders; 3 priests
February 9, 1843	114 members; 3 elders, 4 priests
Sept. 9, 1843	182 members
August 31, 1844	“About 30” new converts baptized during August
October 15, 1844	200-300
October 22, 1844	119 members voted in the John Hardy trial
July 12, 1845	“between 3 and 4 hundred members”

Web site by Connell O'Donovan
Salt Lake City, Utah

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"Boston Mormons" has no official connection to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
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Do not use without written permission from Connell O'Donovan