Mormon History
Conversion of Sidney Rigdon - 1879
The Salt Lake Daily Tribune – May 16, 1879
SIDNEY RIGDON'S CONVERSION
TO MORMONISM.
_______
The Deseret News of the
21st ult. bears the following testimony in relation to Rigdon's conversion
to Mormonism:
Brother Call says that at first he (Rigdon)
spurned it (the Book of Mormon) and ridiculed the idea of paying any attention
to a book with such claims. He knew of the controversy between the two men (P.
P. Pratt and Rigdon) and says the only reason why Rigdon consented to examine it
at all was because Parley said, "You brought truth to me: I now ask you as a
friend to read this for my sake." He studied and prayed over the matter for two
weeks, and at length accepted it as true, and soon after he and his wife were
baptized as were a few others of the Campbellites.
The "History of Joseph Smith" contains the following
sketch of Rigdon:
The first house at which they (P. P.
Pratt and company) called, was Elder Rigdon's, and after the usual salutations,
presented him with the Book of Mormon, stating that it was a revelation from
God. This being the first time he had ever heard of or seen the Book of Mormon,
he felt very much prejudiced at the assertion; and replied that he had one
Bible, which he believed was a revelation from God, and with which he pretended
to have some acquaintance; but with respect to the book they had presented him
he must say that he had considerable doubt. Upon which they expressed a desire
to investigate the subject and argue the matter, but he replied, "No, young
gentlemen, you must not argue with me on the subject; but I will read your book,
and see what claim it has upon my faith, and will endeavor to ascertain whether
it be a revelation from God or not."
After some farther conversation on the subject, they expressed a desire to lay
the subject before the people, and requested the privilege of preaching in Elder
Rigdon's church, to which he readily consented. The appointment was accordingly
published, and a large and respectable congregation assemble. Oliver Cowdery and
Parley P. Pratt severally addressed the meeting. At the conclusion, Elder Rigdon
arose and stated to the congregation that the information they had that evening
received was of an extraordinary character, and certainly demanded their most
serious consideration: and as the apostle advised his brethren "to prove all
things and hold fast that which is good," so he would exhort his brethren to do
likewise, and give the matter a careful investigation, and not turn against it,
without being fully convinced of its being an imposition, lest they should,
possibly resist the truth.
This was, indeed, generous on the part of Elder Rigdon. * * * After the
meeting broke up the brethren returned home with Elder Rigdon and conversed upon
the important things which they had proclaimed. He informed them that he should
read the Book of Mormon, give it a full investigation, and then would frankly
tell them his mind and feelings on the subject -- told them they were welcome to
abide at his house until he had opportunity of reading it.
About two miles from elder Rigdon's, at the town of Kirtland, were a number of
the members of his church, who lived together and had all things common -- from
which circumstance has arisen the idea that this was the case with the Church of
Jesus Christ -- to which place they immediately repaired, and proclaimed the
gospel to them, with some considerable success; for their testimony was received
by many of the people, and seventeen came forward in obedience to the gospel.
While thus engaged, they visited elder Rigdon occasionally, and found him very
earnestly engaged in reading the Book of Mormon -- praying to the Lord for
direction, and meditating on the things he heard and read; and after a fortnight
from the time the book was put in his hands, he was fully convinced of the truth
of the work (Mormon Shibboleth, original
with Rigdon) by a revelation from Jesus
Christ, which was made known to him in a remarkable manner, so that he could
exclaim "flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto me, by my father which is in
Heaven."
The above is from the history of Joseph Smith, pages 47 and 48. Sidney Rigdon,
we are further given to understand, was "now fully satisfied in his own mind of
the truth of the work, and necessity of obedience thereto." Then follows a
tedious and fulsome rigmarole (evidently all from Rigdon's own pen) which winds
up with the baptism of himself and wife.
We will now give Parley P. Pratt's account of this theatric and sensational
affair as contained in Pratt's "Reply
to Laroy Sunderland." The writer says:
About the 15th of October, 1830, I took
my journey, in company with Elder O. Cowdery, and Peter Whitmer to Ohio. We
called on Elder S. Ringdon and then for the first time his eyes beheld the Book
of Mormon.
(In dealing with writers whose object is to mislead, and who use words to
conceal thoughts, it is necessary to examine their statements critically. It is
more than suspected that Rigdon procured the Spaulding Manuscript from
Patterson's printing office and recast it into the "Gold Bible." The Apostle
Pratt says this was the first time Rigdon saw the Book of Mormon. From which we
understand it was the first time he had seen it in print. A literary production
is not a book until it is printed and bound up.)
I, myself had the happiness (the writer
continues) to present it to him in person. He was much surprised, and it was
with much persuasion and argument, that he was prevailed on to read it; and
after he had read it, he had a great struggle of mind, before he fully believed
and embraced it; and when finally convinced of its truth, he called together a
large congregation of his friends, neighbors and brethren, and then addressed
them very affectionately, for nearly an hour, during most of which time both
himself and nearly all the congregation were melted into tears. He asked
forgiveness of every body who might have had occasion to be offended with any
part of his former life; he forgave all who had persecuted or injured him, in
any manner; and the next morning, himself and wife were baptised by Elder O.
Cowdery. I was present; it was a solemn scene, most of the people were greatly
affected; they came out of the water overwhelmed in tears. Many others were
baptised by us in that vicinity, both before and after his baptism. * * *
Early in 1831 (late in 1830) Mr. Rigdon having been ordained under our hands,
visited Elder J. Smith, jun., in the State of New York for the first time,
and from that time forth, rumor began to circulate that he (Rigdon) was the
author of the Book of Mormon.
There is another catch here we would warn the reader against. Joseph Smith was
ordained an elder April 6th, 1830, at the organization of the Church, and the
visit Parley talks of was the first paid to Smith by Rigdon after his ordination
as an elder. But it is not saying that Rigdon then met Joseph Smith for the
first time.
We will give yet another version of Rigdon's conversion to Mormonism from an
eye-witness, who in a private letter describes the scene in detail. It carries
conviction on the face of it:
MENTOR, O., Jan, 28, 1879.
My Dear
Sir: * * * The whole matter of Rigdon's conversion to Mormonism was so
secret, so sudden and so perfectly unexpected, that it was to us like a clap of
thunder out of a clear sky. The four Mormons came to Mr. Rigdon's Wednesday
evening (I think). Then Thursday morning he came to my father's with the
wonderous announcement, as related by Mr. Hayden in his history,
page 210. I was present at the time of the incident, and it will not soon be
effaced from my memory. I do not remember to have ever seen a man so completely
put to route as he was at the comment of my brother, "It's all a lie!" Matthew
was then a very young man, but one of very decided convictions and not afraid to
express them. Mr. Rigdon had entered the home with that perfect self-reliant
confidence so common with him, and, having taken a chair, he at once proceeded
to state the curious errand of some men from the State of New York who had put
up with him the night before, giving a very plain but brief view of the history
and object of the new revelation. He was evidently expecting encouragement, but
the response of my brother so decided and evidently unlooked for, showed him
that he had nothing to hope for from us. His countenance fell and without
another word he returned home, and, though living in a house on my father's farm
but a few rods away, he never set foot in our house again.
Some of the Mormon emissaries went to Kirtland, two or three miles distant that
day (Thursday) and directly baptized the "common stock family" at Morely's who
were members of Rigdon's church. (Rigdon preached alternately at Mentor and
Kirtland.) At this Rigdon professed to be indignant. This we heard on
Saturday, and on Sunday -- it being his regular appointment at Kirtland -- a
number of us went over from Mentor to hear him (not to hear Mormonism). The
house was an ordinary school house, would perhaps accommodate a hundred persons.
It was reasonably filled but not crowded. He then made the most pitiable
effort to which I ever listened to place himself in an honorable position before
the public, but utterly failed. During his short address, (probably not more
than 15 or 20 minutes,) he affected to exhibit great sorrow and contrition for
the inutility of his past preaching, "that he feared it had only tickled their
ears, etc." I cannot speak for all that were there, but I saw no signs of
sympathy with any except those already enlisted in Mormonism. As for myself, the
whole thing was such an evident piece of hypocrisy that I turned away sick and
disgusted. I had heard all I wished and returned home.
The next we heard of him, on Monday, he and his wife had been baptized some time
during that Sunday night and gone over to Mormonism. This was immediately
confirmed by his sending teams for his household goods which were thus removed
to Kirtland, himself never coming near us. There was no attempt to get up a
public meeting for the purpose of examining the claims of the Book of Mormon
before Mr. Rigdon embraced it, either in Mentor or Kirtland, or anywhere in the
vicinity. It is sheer fabrication and gotten up (I presume) for the purpose of
covering over the indecent haste with which he embraced it.
I think you do the Disciples injustice by your surmise. While they did not
cherish vindictive feelings toward Mr. R., they were greatly grieved that one in
whom they had placed confidence should prove so unworthy of it. And I think very
few now doubt his connection with the origin of the Book of Mormon. It hardly
seemed possible that a man of as good education as Mr. Rigdon was supposed to be
could be guilty of so many and such gross outrages upon the English language in
one book as were apparent in the Book of Mormon. On this account it seemed as
though it must be the work of some ignoramus. Then, too, the awkward attempt to
imitate the Scripture style which runs through the whole book -- barely
resemblance enough to stamp it as one of the basest of counterfeits. Could this
be the work of a man familiar with the chaste and grandly beautiful language of
Holy Writ? Again, the irreconcilable contradictions betwixt it and the law of
Moses in relation to the priesthood. In
Mr. Campbell's analysis he makes a very strong point here. The law
emphatically declared that the stranger (the man of another family than that of
Aaron) who came nigh (to offer incense) should surely be put to death. Yet the
Book of Mormon establishes an order of priests, by divine appointment, not even
of the tribe of Levi, and makes them perform acceptable worship under the law!
Could this be the work of an intelligent student of the Bible? It was not until
accumulated evidence forced the conviction upon us that we could believe it.
You ask me for particulars in relation to the letter of Thomas Campbell to
Rigdon accepting his challenge to the world to debate the question of the divine
authenticity of the Book of Mormon. Although I was not present when the
challenge was given or accepted, yet as I had the narrative from Mr. Campbell
himself, I suppose that I have a correct understanding of it. The challenge was
given at one of his harangues immediately after his return from his pilgrimage
to visit the prophet. Many of the Mormons had assembled [to] greet him and to
welcome him back. He had by this time got over his crying and sniveling; he had
laid aside his meekness and humility, and now appeared in his former character,
arrogant and boastful. In the course of his remarks he told them that religion
was a thing not to be reasoned upon, that they had no use for reason, but that
they could know for a certainty the truth of that which they had received.(So
Rigdon is the fons et principium of all this disastrous "certainty!" in
Mormonism!)
Waxing warm with his subject, he declared that the evidence of the divine
authenticity of the Book of Mormon was far greater than that of the Bible, and
upon this he challenged any man, or the world, to meet him in public debate.
Mr. Campbell, who was spending the winter in Mentor and vicinity, was
immediately notified of the challenge, and very promptly accepted in
the letter to which you refer, and in arranging the preliminaries, he makes
use of this language: "You, as the professed disciple and public teacher of the
infernal Book of Mormon, and I as the professed disciple and public teacher of
the supernal books of the old and new testaments." He proceeded to explain that
he uses the terms in no offensive sense, but strictly according to their literal
and primitive meaning -- the one, coming from above, as supernal; the other dup
up from the earth, (coming from beneath) therefore is infernal. Mr. [R.] waited
for no explanation, but dashed the letter into the fire, professing to feel very
much insulted, but no doubt feeling very glad of an excuse for refusing to
debate the question as he had proposed.
Make what use you please of anything I have written. I have said nothing I am
unwilling to meet at any time or place. Yours, truly,
H. H. CLAPP.
The writer of the above is a thoroughly reliable man. He is a son of Hon. Orris
Platt [sic, Clapp], who held a judicial office for years, and Rigdon was a
partaker of his bounty. The Platt [sic, Clapp] family were members of Rigdon's
flock when he preached Discipleism, and they received their baptism into that
faith at his hands.
Note 1: The writer of the
letter dated Jan. 29, 1879 was Mr. Henry Harrison Clapp (1812-1897) of Mentor,
Lake co., Ohio. He sent the letter to James Thornton Cobb, who was then working
on an occasional basis as a journalist for the Salt Lake Tribune. Cobb
submitted a lengthy series of articles on Mormonism for publication in the
Tribune during 1878-79; Cobb's first contribution in this series was
probably "Early Mormonism" published on
Dec. 8, 1878.
Note 2: Henry H. Clapp was well acquainted with Sidney Rigdon, both during his
career as a "Reformed Baptist" (Campbellite) minister, and after 1830 when
Rigdon was the second-ranking leader in the Mormon leadership at Kirtland.
Henry's wife was Statira Newcomb, the daughter of the Rev. Obadiah Newcomb who
served as the Baptist pastor in Pittsburgh when Sidney Rigdon converted to that
denomination at the nearby Peters Creek Baptist congregation in 1818. Henry's
father was the Hon. Orris Clapp, who provided the Rigdon family free housing
during their residence at Mentor. Henry H. Clapp was baptized into the Mentor
Campbellite congragation in June of 1828 by S. Rigdon. His brother, Thomas
Jefferson Clapp was baptized by Rigdon on June 15 1827 at Mentor. On Nov. 12,
1831 Thomas married Lorinda Bentley, the daughter of Mary Brooks Bentley,
Rigdon's sister-in-law; thus Thomas was Rigdon's nephew by marriage. Also, on
Sept. 14, 1829, a year before his own conversion to Mormonism, Rigdon married
Henry H. Clapp's sister Harriet to
Darwin Atwater at Mentor. Henry H. Clapp was obviously very well acquainted
with Rigdon.
Note 3: James T. Cobb probably first wrote to the Clapp family of Mentor near
the end of 1878. On Nov. 3, 1878 Cobb had contacted an old friend of the family,
Mr. J. J. Moss, asking about his knowledge of early Mormonism in Ohio. Moss
wrote to Cobb on Jan. 23, 1879: "Thomas Clapp of Mentor, Lake Co., O, can come
nearer answering some of your questions than any man living now." It seems that
Cobb was ahead of Moss' suggestion, in his correspondence, and had already
written to the Clapps. It is not known whether Cobb exchanged letters with
Thomas J. Clapp. Another brother, who also known Rigdon well, was
Matthew Smith Clapp, who had died in 1872. Matthew contributed an article on
Rigdon to the Painesville Telegraph of
Feb. 15, 1831 that agrees with his brother Henry's recollections in nearly
every respect.
Note 4: Henry H. Clapp's recollection of the unexpected swiftness with which
Rigdon converted to Mormonism is probably essentially correct. Henry says that
the four Mormon missionaries to the Lamanites "came to Mr. Rigdon's Wednesday
evening," but then qualifies his story by adding "I think." Rigdon's historian,
Richard S. Van Wagoner has the four missionaries (Oliver Cowdery, Parley P.
Pratt, Peter Whitmer, and Ziba Peterson) arriving "near Rigdon's Mentor
home on Thursday, 28 October." Van Wagoner's reconstruction of events does not
take all four Mormons immediately to Rigdon's doorstep on the Clapp farm in
Mentor -- rather, he says: "After dividing into pairs, the young elders began to
proselyte. Cowdery and Pratt... called on the Rigdon household..." In this
scenerio "Some of the Mormon emissaries" (Peter Whitmer and Ziba Peterson) go
directly to the Morely commune in Kirtland on Thursday, Oct. 28, and there
convert many of these detached Rigdonite parishioners for a speedy Mormon
baptism, while Cowdery and Pratt are still introducing the principles of
Mormonism to Rigdon and his associates in Mentor. Rigdon then goes to Kirtland
on Oct. 31, for his Sunday preaching engagement, and there finds some of his
congregation (17 members from the Morely farm) already baptized into the new
Mormon dispensation. According to Clapp, Rigdon had already heard of this mass
baptism of his members at Kirtland on or before Saturday, Oct. 30. Clapp also
says that when next he heard of Rigdon, "on Monday" (Nov. 1?) "he and his wife
had been baptized some time during that Sunday night and gone over to
Mormonism." Here Clapp may have compressed a week's worth of time in his memory,
as Richard S. Van Wagoner has the Rigdons being baptized the following Sunday,
on Nov. 8, 1830. Whether his formal entry into Mormonism was on Nov. 1 or Nov.
8, it seems that Sidney Rigdon was indeed converted with unexpected swiftness --
what Clapp calls "perfectly unexpected... like a clap of thunder out of a clear
sky." The sequence of events put forward by Clapp and Van Wagoner raises the
vexatious question: why did the junior missionaries -- Elders Whitmer and
Peterson -- take it upon themselves to baptize practically the entire Morely
commune without first gaining the concurrence of those members' pastor (or, at
least, of their two senior companions, then staying with that pastor)? One
tenable answer is that they did have Rigdon's permission, albeit a secret
one, to carry out this fait accompli, prior to his coming to Kirtland for
the scheduled preaching service of Oct 31, 1830.