BYU Studies Quarterly
Keywords
Saints in Delaware, Matriarchs, Centreville, Delaware
Abstract
After Joseph Smith established The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he began sending missionaries to the eastern states. It did not take long before small branches began popping up in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, and Delaware. While many of the new converts joined with the main body of the Saints, first in Missouri and later in Nauvoo, others remained in their communities. With few exceptions, much of the history of the Latter-day Saints focuses on the migrations to Nauvoo and settlements in Utah. Available histories offer few details about community life among Latter-day Saints who remained where they converted. This article is a case study of the Centreville, Delaware, branch and the women who maintained the continuity of the branch from its establishment in 1841 until 1857 when a large contingent of the branch finally headed west. Who were these converts and what might we learn about the early Church by focusing outside an organizational history and away from the work of missionaries and local male leaders?
Recommended Citation
Cornwall, Marie
(2023)
"Being Latter-day Saints (1841–1857): Four Matriarchs in the Centreville, Delaware, Branch,"
BYU Studies Quarterly: Vol. 62:
Iss.
4, Article 2.
Available at:
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/byusq/vol62/iss4/2