Journal of Undergraduate Research
Keywords
Delaware Indians, 1831, Mormon missionaries, Mormon studies
College
Religious Education
Department
Church History and Doctrine
Abstract
In 1831, missionaries Oliver Cowdery, Parley P. Pratt, and Frederick G. Williams visited the Delaware Indians on their reservation in Kansas and preached the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Delawares reacted positively to the missionaries’ message. However, before the missionaries could baptize members of the tribe, the U. S. Indian Agency forced them to leave. In my research on the 1831 mission to the Delawares, I intended to answer the question, “Why did Oliver Cowdery and his companions visit the Delawares?” As a result of my research, I found that the mission can be appreciated in terms of its timing. When the missionaries visited the Delawares on their reservation in Kansas in 1831, the latter had just completed an exodus from Missouri, and were temporarily free from sources of liquor, close American government supervision, and non-Mormon Christian missionaries. If Mormon missionaries had gone earlier or later than early 1831 to preach to the Delawares, these elements would have hindered their message.
Recommended Citation
Calabro, David M. and Bennett, Dr. Richard E.
(2014)
"The Delaware Indians Before, During, And After The 1831 Visit of Mormon Missionaries,"
Journal of Undergraduate Research: Vol. 2014:
Iss.
1, Article 1319.
Available at:
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/jur/vol2014/iss1/1319