William Bickerton

William Bickerton
Photo of William Bickerton sitting in a chair.
Bickerton in 1905, just prior to death.
3rd President of the Church
The Church of Jesus Christ
July 1862 – July 1880
PredecessorSidney Rigdon
SuccessorWilliam Cadman
Personal details
Born(1815-01-15)January 15, 1815
Kyloe, Northumberland, England
DiedFebruary 17, 1905(1905-02-17) (aged 90)
St. John, Kansas, United States
Resting placeFairview Park Cemetery
38°00′28″N 98°44′45″W / 38.0078°N 98.7457°W / 38.0078; -98.7457
Spouse(s)Dorothy Breminger (1843–1863)
Charlotte Rodgers Hibbs (1863–1880)
ChildrenBy Dorothy
 James Bickerton
 Eliza Ann
 Clara Virginia
 Angeline Ann
 Josephine
 Florence
By Charlotte
 William Alma
ParentsThomas Bickerton
Isabella Hope

William Bickerton (January 15, 1815 – February 17, 1905) was a leader in the Latter Day Saint movement after the 1844 succession crisis. In 1862, Bickerton became the founding president of the church now known as The Church of Jesus Christ (Bickertonite), which is one of many churches that claim to be a continuation of the Church of Christ founded by Joseph Smith Jr in 1830.

Early life

Bickerton was born in Kyloe, Northumberland, England, the seventh of twelve children of Thomas Bickerton (1762-1828) and Isabella Hope Bickerton (1781-1857). Bickerton immigrated to the United States on June 20, 1831 and became a coal miner in, first, Virginia and then Pennsylvania.[1]

Follower of Sidney Rigdon

Following Smith's death in 1844, a number of Latter Day Saint leaders, including Brigham Young,[2] Sidney Rigdon,[3] and James Strang,[4] claimed to be Smith's rightful successor to lead the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, which Smith had founded in 1830 as the Church of Christ. The Latter Day Saints who followed Rigdon separated themselves from the followers of Young. While the group led by Young remained in Nauvoo, Illinois, and eventually settled in Utah; Rigdon and his followers settled near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. On April 6, 1845, Rigdon presided over a conference of the Church of Christ (Rigdonite), which he claimed was the rightful continuation of the church founded by Smith.[5]

Bickerton was not a Latter Day Saint during Smith's lifetime. Rather, he was a practicing Methodist who was converted to the Church of Christ (Rigdonite) after he and his wife Dorothy attended a Rigdonite meeting in Limetown, Union Township, Washington County, Pennsylvania in April 1845.[6] Bickerton was baptized a member of Rigdon’s church in Pittsburgh in June 1845.[7] Later that same year, Bickerton was ordained an elder and shortly after an evangelist in the church.[8]

At a general conference of the church held that fall in Philadelphia, Rigdon announced that the church would re-establish a communitarian society on what was named "Adventure Farm" near Greencastle, Pennsylvania. Many of Rigdon's followers, including Bickerton, opposed moving the headquarters of the church. By 1847, disagreement among the Rigdonites had led to the virtual disintegration of Rigdon's church. Several prominent members, including William E. McLellin and Benjamin Winchester, separated from the church and established a rival organization centered on the leadership of David Whitmer. However, some followers of Rigdon, including Bickerton, refused to join the dissenters.

Establishing The Church of Jesus Christ

Bickerton remained in Monongahela, Pennsylvania, and never moved to Greencastle with Rigdon. By April 1847, the Adventure Farm community had collapsed and Rigdon had abandoned his followers. Bickerton described his situation upon the collapse of the Rigdonite church:

The Church [had become] disorganized. Here I was left to myself. I paused to know what course to pursue. I knew my calling was from Heaven, and I also knew that a man cannot build up the Church of Christ without divine commandment from the Lord, for it would only be sectarianism, and man's authority. But the Lord did not leave me; no, he showed me a vision, and in the vision I was on the highest mountain on the earth; and he told me that if I did not preach the gospel I would fall into a dreadful chasm below, the sight thereof was awful. I moved with fear, having the Holy Spirit with me. Here I was, none to assist me, and without learning, popular opinion against me, and the Salt Lake Mormons stood in the way. I could not turn back unto Methodism again. No, I knew they had not the gospel. I stood in contemplation. The chasm was before me, no other alternative but to do my duty to God and man. I went ahead preaching repentance towards God, and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Some believed my testimony and were baptized, and we met together [and] the Lord met with us ....[9]

Bickerton maintained his faith in the Restoration and led a small congregation of 9 in West Elizabeth, Pennsylvania. After writing to the LDS church, Bickerton and his congregation were visited by two LDS missionaries who baptized them all and, on 25 May 1851, established them as a branch of the LDS church. They also ordained Bickerton an elder and presiding minister in the new West Elizabeth congregation of the LDS Church.[10][11] In early 1852 Bickerton attended a church leadership conference where he was made aware of the church's beliefs about plural marriage. Bickerton remarked, "If the approval of God were to come to me by accepting the doctrine of polygamy, I prefer the displeasure of God."[11][12] On 10 March 1852 Bickerton announced to his congregation that he was disassociating himself from the LDS church because of its adherence to doctrines that he felt could not be substantiated in the Bible or the Book of Mormon, particularly plural marriage. An unknown number of people chose to follow him.[13][11]

Bickerton engaged in public preaching and met with his growing congregation in houses and, by the end of 1854, his church had around 60 members.[13][14]

On 5 July 1859, Bickerton was ordained as head of the church by his followers and called a Prophet and Seer.[15] At a conference of believers in Green Oak (also known as Greenock), Pennsylvania, in July 1862, leaders of several branches of the faith in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Virginia came together and formally organized what they called The Church of Jesus Christ. Bickerton presided over the conference and reorganized the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve.[16] Because of Bickerton's leadership, past and present members of this church are sometimes referred to by historians as "Bickertonites", and The Church of Jesus Christ has been nicknamed the "Bickertonite church" or the "Bickerton organization".

Life in Kansas and a schism in the church

At a conference in 1872 in West Elizabeth, Bickerton was chosen to spend the remainder of his days on missionary work. His missionary endeavors culminated in 1875: Bickerton, accompanied by approximately 35 to 40 families of the church, moved to Kansas to found the Zion Valley Colony, which later became the town of St. John, Kansas.[17] The distance between Bickerton's Kansas colony and the remainder of his church in Pittsburgh, eventually led by William Cadman, as well as other disagreements over property, led to growing division within the church.[18][19]

In June 1879, charges of adultery were brought against Bickerton by a member of the church in Kansas and the accuser pressed the issue at a church meeting in 1880[10][20] A local church council decision on 7 July 1880 went against Bickerton and his membership of the church was revoked along with all his callings whilst at the same time anyone who spoke in his defence was excommunicated.[10][21] Bickerton maintained his innocence but Cadman believed the accusations leading to the two of them holding rival church conferences in St. John in July 1880.[22] On 15 July 1880 Cadman began a public inquiry into the accusations but left for Pennsylvania when it ruled Bickerton innocent of adultery.[23] Following this Bickerton continued leading his followers, a majority of whom were in Kansas, in opposition to Cadman, whose followers were mainly in Pennsylvania.[24][25]

In the 1890s Bickerton and his followers made repeated missionary trips to Oklahoma to attempt to convert Native Americans into his church[26] which was referred to colloquially as the "Stafford County Saints".[27]

In 1902, he reconciled with Cadman and was reinstated in the church with Cadman now the undisputed leader (though Bickerton considered his own leadership to have ended in 1902 not 1880) and Bickerton remained a faithful church member until he died on February 17, 1905, a week after suffering injuries in a fire.[28]

Marriage and family

Bickerton married Dorothy Breminger (1826-1863) in 1843 in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania; the couple had one son, James, and five daughters: Eliza Ann, Clara Virginia, Angeline Ann, Josephine, and Florence. After the death of Dorothy, Bickerton married his second wife, Charlotte Rodgers Morgan Hibbs (1819-1895), on July 8, 1863. Charlotte bore him one child, William Alma. Charlotte briefly moved to Kansas to join her husband when he founded Zion Valley but moved back to Pennsylvania in 1877. Bickerton sued for divorce from her in 1880 and this was granted on 27 August 1880.[29]

Bickerton died at St. John, Stafford County, Kansas, at the age of 90 as a member and leader of the church he organized in 1862. He is buried in the Fairview Cemetery in St. John.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Stone (2018, pp. 10–12)
  2. ^ McKiernan, F. Mark (1979) [1971]. The Voice of One Crying in the Wilderness: Sidney Rigdon, Religious Reformer. Independence, Missouri: Herald House. p. 56. ISBN 9780830902415. OCLC 5436337.
  3. ^ B. H. Roberts (ed, 1902) History of the Church, vol. 7, ch. 18.
  4. ^ "History and Succession Archived 2013-10-21 at Archive-It". Strangite.org. Retrieved on 2007-10-28.
  5. ^ Stone (2018, p. 26)
  6. ^ Entz (2006, p. 2)
  7. ^ Stone (2018, pp. 29–31)
  8. ^ Bickerton, William (1975). William Bickerton's Testimony. Monongahela, Pennsylvania: The Church of Jesus Christ.
  9. ^ Bickerton, William, The Ensign, Pittsburgh: W. Bickerton, 1863, p. 10, quoted in History of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, 1890, 3:74.
  10. ^ a b c J. Gordon Melton (1996, 5th ed.). Encyclopedia of American Religions (Detroit, Michigan: Gale) ISBN 0-8103-7714-4 pp. 580–581.
  11. ^ a b c Stone (2018, pp. 50–51)
  12. ^ A History of The Church of Jesus Christ: Volume 2. Monongahela, Pennsylvania: The Church of Jesus Christ. 2002.
  13. ^ a b Lovalvo, V James (1986). Dissertation on the Faith and Doctrine of The Church of Jesus Christ. (Bridgewater, Michigan: The Church of Jesus Christ), pp. 115–116.
  14. ^ Stone (2018, pp. 67–69)
  15. ^ Stone (2018, pp. 88–89)
  16. ^ Stone (2018, p. 127)
  17. ^ Entz (2006, p. 6)
  18. ^ Entz (2006, pp. 6–8)
  19. ^ Stone (2018, p. 198)
  20. ^ Stone (2018, pp. 217–219)
  21. ^ Stone (2018, pp. 223–224)
  22. ^ Entz (2006, p. 11)
  23. ^ Entz (2006, p. 13)
  24. ^ Entz (2006, p. 15)
  25. ^ Stone (2018, p. 227)
  26. ^ Entz (2006, p. 38)
  27. ^ Entz (2006, p. 39)
  28. ^ Entz (2006, pp. 41–43)
  29. ^ Stone (2018, pp. 230–231)

References

Religious titles
Preceded by President of the Church
The Church of Jesus Christ (Bickertonite)
July 1862 – July 1880 		Succeeded by

Read other articles:

Contea di Harrison (Ohio)

Questa voce sull'argomento contee dell'Ohio è solo un abbozzo. Contribuisci a migliorarla secondo le convenzioni di Wikipedia. Contea di Harrisoncontea LocalizzazioneStato Stati Uniti Stato federato Ohio AmministrazioneCapoluogoCadiz Data di istituzione1813 TerritorioCoordinatedel capoluogo40°16′15″N 80°59′45″W / 40.270833°N 80.995833°W40.270833; -80.995833 (Contea di Harrison)Coordinate: 40°16′15″N 80°59′45″W / 40.27083...

 

Pohaci

Konsepsi Pohaci dan Susunan Hierarki di tatar Sawarga Loka Manggung atau Langit. Pohaci merujuk kepada sebutan lain untuk dewa atau dewi mitologi Hindu dalam tradisi dan budaya Sunda. [1] Dalam konteks spiritualitas Sunda, Pohaci merupakan proyeksi dari dewa atau dewi pelindung dalam kehidupan masyarakat Sunda di masa lalu.[1] Deskripsi Kehidupan masyarakat Sunda di masa lalu sangat terkait erat dengan berbagai nama Pohaci. Pohaci dikenal sebagai dewa atau dewi pelindung yang ...

 

John Stagliano

John Allen StaglianoDati biograficiNazionalità Stati Uniti Dati fisiciOcchiblu Capellineri Dati professionaliAltri pseudonimiButtman, John Stag, John Stagg, John Staglano, John Stallion, Jon Stagliano, Jon Stallion, Romeo Verdi, John the Butt Film girati 318 come attore 283come regista Sito ufficiale Modifica dati su Wikidata · Manuale John Allen Stagliano (Chicago, 29 novembre 1951) è un attore pornografico, produttore cinematografico e regista statunitense. Indice 1 Biografia 2...

Campo Testaccio

Campo TestaccioVista aerea del Testaccio negli anni trenta Informazioni generaliStato Italia UbicazioneVia N. Zabaglia 3, Roma Inizio lavori1928 Inaugurazione3 novembre 1929 Chiusura30 giugno 1940 Demolizione21 ottobre 1940 Costo1530000 L. ProprietarioAS Roma ProgettoSilvio Sensi Informazioni tecnichePosti a sedere20 000 Mat. del terrenotappeto erboso Uso e beneficiariCalcioRoma (1929-40) Rugby a 15A.S. Roma (1937-39)Italia (1 incontro) Mappa di localizzazione Modifica dati su ...

 

Grup F Piala Dunia FIFA 2010

Artikel utama: Piala Dunia FIFA 2010 dan Babak penyisihan grup Piala Dunia FIFA 2010 Pertandingan di Grup F Piala Dunia FIFA 2010 akan diadakan dari tanggal 14 Juni sampai dengan 24 Juni 2010.[1] Grup ini terdiri dari Italia, Paraguay, Selandia Baru, dan Slowakia. Pada Piala Dunia FIFA 1950 Italia dan Paraguay pernah bertanding dengan Italia menang dengan skor 2–0. Pemenang grup ini, Paraguay, melaju melawan Jepang, runner-up Grup E di babak gugur. Runner-up grup ini, Slowakia, mela...

 

Telephone numbers in Oceania

Telephone numbers in Oceania use a variety of area codes to denote their location along with their own area code depending on the country's geographic makeup. They also have other prefixes to denote different types of mobile services and international calls. There are exceptions because of regional variations and time zones.   Australia Main article: Telephone numbers in Australia Country Code: +61 International Call Prefix: 0011 Trunk Prefix: 0 Telephone numbers in Australia consist of ...

Bortolo Cunico

Questa voce o sezione sull'argomento patrioti italiani non cita le fonti necessarie o quelle presenti sono insufficienti. Puoi migliorare questa voce aggiungendo citazioni da fonti attendibili secondo le linee guida sull'uso delle fonti. A questa voce o sezione va aggiunto il template sinottico {{Militare}} Puoi aggiungere e riempire il template secondo le istruzioni e poi rimuovere questo avviso. Se non sei in grado di riempirlo in buona parte, non fare nulla; non i...

 

Marijan Vlak

Croatian footballer and manager Marijan Vlak Personal informationFull name Marijan VlakDate of birth (1955-10-23) 23 October 1955 (age 68)Place of birth Petrinja, PR Croatia,FPR YugoslaviaPosition(s) GoalkeeperYouth career MaksimirSenior career*Years Team Apps (Gls)1974-1988 Dinamo Zagreb 1988 Segesta Sisak Managerial career1997–1998 Dinamo Zagreb1998 Slaven Belupo1999 Ferencváros1999–2000 Dinamo Zagreb2002 Dinamo Zagreb2006 Žilina2006–2007 Fehérvár2008–2009 Dinamo Zagreb2011...

 

Fecal microbiota transplant

Process of transplantation of fecal bacteria from a healthy individual into a recipient Fecal microbiota transplantEscherichia coli at 10,000× magnificationOther namesFecal bacteriotherapy, fecal transfusion, fecal transplant, stool transplantSpecialtyGastroenterology[edit on Wikidata] Fecal microbiota transplantClinical dataATC codeNoneLegal statusLegal status AU: C2[1] Fecal microbiota transplant (FMT), also known as a stool transplant,[2] is the process of t...

Tchaikovsky (film)

Tchaikovsky(Чайковский)SutradaraIgor TalankinPerusahaanproduksiMosfilmTanggal rilis 1969 (1969) Durasi157 menitNegaraUni SovietBahasaRusia Tchaikovsky (bahasa Rusia: Чайковский) adalah sebuah film Soviet 1969 yang disutradarai oleh Igor Talankin. Film tersebut menampilkan Innokenty Smoktunovsky dalam peran komposer Rusia terkenal Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Film tersebut dinominasikan pada Penghargaan Akademi untuk Film Berbahasa Asing Terbaik serta Penghargaan Akad...

 

H. R. Haldeman

Pour les articles homonymes, voir Haldeman. H. R. Haldeman Photographie de Bob Haldeman en 1971. Fonctions Chef de cabinet de la Maison-Blanche 20 janvier 1969 – 30 avril 1973(4 ans, 3 mois et 10 jours) Président Richard Nixon Prédécesseur Wilton Persons (en) Successeur Alexander Haig Biographie Nom de naissance Harry Robbins Haldeman Date de naissance 27 octobre 1926 Lieu de naissance Los Angeles (Californie) États-Unis Date de décès 12 novembre 1993 (à 67 ...

 

アプリケーションソフトウェア

「アプリケーション」はこの項目へ転送されています。英語の意味については「wikt:応用」、「wikt:application」をご覧ください。 この記事には複数の問題があります。改善やノートページでの議論にご協力ください。 出典がまったく示されていないか不十分です。内容に関する文献や情報源が必要です。（2018年4月） 古い情報を更新する必要があります。（2021年3月）出...

منتج أفلام

منتج أفلام منتج أفلام سيدني سكوت تسمية الإناث منتجة أفلام  فرع من منتج  [لغات أخرى]‏  المجال إنتاج إعلامي  معدل الراتب   تعديل مصدري - تعديل   منتج الفيلم (بالإنجليزية: film producer)‏ هو الشخص الذي يشرف على إنتاج الفيلم.[1] سواء تم توظيفهم من قبل شركة إنتاج أ...

 

Birmingham Motors

American automobile company Margaret Gorman driving a Birmingham in 1921 Birmingham Motors was a United States based automobile company. Organized in 1920, it was tentatively in business only from 1921 through 1923. The Birmingham offered a number of unusual features, including a type of swing axle suspension and exterior finishes of DuPont Fabrikoid instead of paint. Failure to generate capital for factory investment hobbled Birmingham. A political scandal involving the mayor of Jamestown, N...

 

Roelof de Man

Dutch colonial governor Roelof de Man (1634–1663) was a Dutch colonial administrator in South Africa. He was born in Culemborg (formerly also spelled Culenborg or Kuilenburg or Kuylenburgh), Netherlands in 1634 and grew up in the same walled village and era as Dutch Explorers/Founders Jan van Riebeek (1619-1677) and Anthony van Diemen (1593-1645). Jan van Riebeek commanded the initial Dutch settlement fleet of 3 ships (Dromedaris, Reijger and Goede Hoop) which in 1651 travelled to the great...

Guilder

Western European currency from the 13th-20th centuries This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.Find sources: Guilder – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (December 2009) (Learn how and when to remove this message) Florence gulden (1341) Guilder is the English translation of the Dutch and German gulden, or...

 

Шез

КоммунаШезChèze Герб 42°54′26″ с. ш. 0°01′43″ з. д.HGЯO Страна  Франция Регион Юг — Пиренеи Департамент Верхние Пиренеи Кантон Люс-Сен-Совёр Мэр Себастьян Верже(2014—2020) История и география Площадь 10,07 км² Высота центра 520–2309 м Часовой пояс UTC+1:00, летом UTC+2:00 Население �...

 

العلاقات الرواندية الناميبية

العلاقات الرواندية الناميبية رواندا ناميبيا   رواندا   ناميبيا تعديل مصدري - تعديل   العلاقات الرواندية الناميبية هي العلاقات الثنائية التي تجمع بين رواندا وناميبيا.[1][2][3][4][5] مقارنة بين البلدين هذه مقارنة عامة ومرجعية للدولتين: وجه المقا...

Bauer Cup 2008

Bauer Cup 2008Sport Tennis Data3 novembre - 9 novembre CampioniSingolare Denis Gremelmayr Doppio Yves Allegro / Horia Tecău 2007 Il Bauer Cup 2008 è stato un torneo di tennis facente parte della categoria ATP Challenger Series nell'ambito dell'ATP Challenger Series 2008. Il torneo si è giocato a Eckental in Germania dal 3 al 9 novembre 2008 su campi in sintetico indoor e aveva un montepremi di €35 000+H. Indice 1 Vincitori 1.1 Singolare 1.2 Doppio 2 Collegamenti esterni Vincitori Singola...

 

Hypsos

Greek concept similar to the sublime Part of a series onRhetoric History Ancient Greece Asianism Atticism Attic orators Calliope Sophists Ancient India Ancient Rome The age of Cicero Second Sophistic Middle Ages Byzantine rhetoric Trivium Renaissance Studia humanitatis Modern period Concepts Captatio benevolentiae Chironomia Decorum Delectare Docere Device Eloquence Eloquentia perfecta Eunoia Enthymeme Facilitas Fallacy Informal Figure of speech Scheme Trope Five canons Inventio Dispositio El...