| General church clerk (1841–1842), Joseph
Smith's scribe. |
|
| Born |
|
Robert Blashel Thompson, October 1, 1811, in
Great Driffield, Yorkshire, England |
|
|
| Born |
|
Robert Blashel Thompson, October 1, 1811, in
Honeydon, Bedford, England |
|
¶ Ancestry.com |
| Died |
|
August 27, 1841 in Nauvoo, Hancock,
Illinois, of tuberculosis |
|
Papers
2:334–335. |
| Father |
|
Thomas Thompson |
|
Parents'
names courtesy of Scott Jacob, a descendant of Robert's sister, Mary Thompson
Duff. |
| Mother |
|
Mary Barker |
|
England
Methodist
Canada |
|
Born in England, Robert joined the Methodists at an early
age, "preached what he believed to be the gospel, in connection with
that sect for a number of years," and emigrated to the Toronto area
in 1834 (the same year as his future wife). According to Scott Jacob, Robert's
brother Thomas had emigrated a few years earlier and established the first
school in Toronto. |
|
Biographical Encyclopedia 1:284. |
| Baptism |
|
May, 1836 by Parley P. Pratt |
|
|
| Elder |
|
July 22, 1836 by John Taylor |
|
|
| Mission
to Canada |
|
June 4, 1837 Joseph Smith marries
Mercy R. Fielding in Kirtland. They immediately leave on a mission to Upper
Canada, where they live with friends
and fellow
converts, William and Jane Law in Churchville. |
|
|
| Kirtland |
|
March 1838 returns to Kirtland. |
|
|
| Far
West |
|
April 1838 moves to Far West, Missouri, with Hyrum
and Mary Fielding Smith, arriving June 3, 1838. |
|
HC
4:411. |
| Daughter |
|
June 14, 1838 Robert and Mercy's only child, Mary Jane, is born. |
|
HC
4:411. |
| Danite |
|
1838 as a Missouri Danite, Robert was standing near David
W. Patten (h) when he was killed
at the Battle of Crooked River. |
|
Origins
484. |
| Flees Missouri |
|
October 31, 1838 Joseph, Hyrum, Sidney, and other are
arrested. In the next few days, Robert and
other leading figures flee in Far West. |
|
|
| Quincy |
|
February, 1839 Mercy and Mary and their babies join Robert in Quincy, Illinois. |
|
|
| Conference
to find land |
|
February, 1839 serves as clerk for a conference
convened to consider land for Mormons to settle in Illinois. William Marks,
who had been appointed president tempore of the stake of Zion, presided. |
|
HC 3:260.
Minutes of April 6, 1838 |
| Excommunications |
|
March 1839 serves as clerk for conference that
excommunicates George M. Hinkle, Sampson Avard, John
Corrill, Reed Peck, William W. Phelps,
Frederick G. Williams, Thomas B. Marsh (h),
Burr Riggs, and others. Brigham Young presides. |
|
HC 3:283–284. |
| Newspaper
writer, court clerk |
|
Robert works as writer for the Argus and
as a court clerk in Quincy until Joseph and Hyrum "escape" from
Liberty Jail and decide the new gathering place will be Commerce, Illinois. |
|
Papers
2:334. |
| Gather
anti-Mormon literature |
|
May 4, 1839 "appointed a traveling
committee to gather up and obtain all the libelous reports and publications
which had been circulated against the Church" with Almon W. Babbitt,
and Erastus Snow |
|
HC
3:345. |
| Joseph
Smith Sr. funeral |
|
September 15, 1840 delivers the funeral sermon
of Joseph Smith Sr. |
|
HC
4:191–197. |
| Church clerk, historian |
|
October 3, 1840 "General Church
Clerk." Also referred to as Church recorder, and historian, probably
because he replaced George W. Robinson, who is said to have been appointed
to all three positions on April 6, 1838. |
|
HC 4:204,
3:13–14.
Minutes of April 6, 1838 |
| Petition
to Congress |
|
November 27, 1840 writes the "petition to Congress
for the redress of the grievances of the Latter-day Saints in Missouri" with
Elias Higbee. |
|
HC
4:237, 250–251. |
| Solemn
proclamation |
|
January 19, 1841 called to help Joseph write "solemn proclamation" to
the president-elect,
"high-minded governors of the nation," and "to all the
nations of the earth." (When Robert dies, Willard Richards
(h) is given the task, but it is not
finished in Joseph's lifetime.)
|
|
D&C
124:2–14. |
| |
|
February 1841 Nauvoo city recorder. |
|
Papers
2:334. |
| $14,000
in land sales |
|
March 1841 sells Joseph 50 Nauvoo lots for $10,000.
In July, he sells Emma 123 acres along the south edge of the city for $4,000. |
|
Nauvoo kingdom,
120. |
| Joseph's
trial |
|
June 7–11, 1841 accompanies Joseph and others to the
Prophet's trial in Monmouth. |
|
HC
4:366–371 |
| |
|
Colonel, aid-de-camp in the Nauvoo
Legion. |
|
HC
4:411. |
| |
|
May 1, 1841 named associate editor
of the Times
and Seasons. The unhealthy room in which he and Don Carlos Smith work
lead to Don Carlos's death on August 7 and Robert's on August 27.
|
|
HC
4:351. |
|
|
¶ |
Robert Thompson. |
|
O Huntington 2:166. |
| Joseph: have a spree or die |
¶ |
Robert Thompson was a f<a>ithful just clerk
for Joseph Smith the Prophet in Nauvoo and had been in his office steady
near or quite 2 years. Joseph said to brother Thompson one day. “Robert
I want you to go and get on a buss [sic], go and get drunk and have a
good spree, for you don’t you will die.” |
|
|
| Dies |
¶ |
Robert did not do it. He was very pious exemplary
man and never guilty of such an impropriety as he thought that to be.
In less than 2 weeks he was dead and buried. |
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Family |
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| Wife |
|
Mercy Rachel Fielding (1807–1893)
md. June 4, 1837 in Kirtland by Joseph Smith |
|
Mercy R. Fielding Thompson |
| Child |
|
Mary Jane, b. June 14, 1838
|
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Robert B. Thompson: Heber C.
Kimball
Church Historians
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