Two Early Missionaries in Hawaii: Mercy Partridge Whitney and Edward Partridge Jr.

Authors

Scott H. Partridge

Keywords

Mormon studies, missionary, Hawaii, Mercy Partridge Whitney, Edward Partridge Jr.

Abstract

When Edward Partridge (1793–1840) converted to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1830, it caused a terrible rift in his fam- ily: his sister Emily said that she wanted nothing to do with him as long as he held such ideas, and his parents began to question his sanity. Edward had eleven siblings, including his sister Mercy (1795–1872). Mercy was prominent in the Congregational Church and in 1819 went to Hawaii as a missionary and remained there the rest of her life. Edward was called as the first LDS bishop1 soon after his conversion and was faithful for the rest of his life; he died in Nauvoo in 1840. In 1854, Edward’s son, Edward Partridge Jr. (1833–1900), was sent on an LDS mission to preach the gospel in Hawaii, where he met his aunt and a cousin for the first time. Their meeting is an interesting intersection of two missionaries in one family, divided by their devotion to their respective religions.

Recommended Citation

Partridge, Scott H. (2013) "Two Early Missionaries in Hawaii: Mercy Partridge Whitney and Edward Partridge Jr.," BYU Studies Quarterly: Vol. 52: Iss. 1, Article 5.
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/byusq/vol52/iss1/5