Biography
Algernon Sidney Gilbert was born 28 December 1789 in New Haven, New Haven County, Connecticut, United States to Eli Gilbert (1762-1844) and Lydia Hemingway (1759-1840) and died 29 June 1834 Zion's Camp (1834) of cholera. He married Elizabeth Van Benthusen (1800-1891) 23 September 1823 in Geauga County, Ohio.
Algernon Sidney Gilbert was a merchant best known for his involvement with Latter Day Saint history and his partnership with Newel K. Whitney in Kirtland, Ohio. He is mentioned in seven sections of the LDS Doctrine and Covenants. He was ordained as a high priest in the state of Missouri and served as a missionary in the United States.
Journal History June 7, 1831 - Called by revelation to journey with Joseph Smith Jun. and Sidney Rigdon on a mission, D&C 53 Journal History - June 19, 1831 - Joseph Smith started from Kirtland, Ohio for Missouri, in company with many, including Algernon S. Gilbert and his wife.[1]
Ohio Merchant
The N. K. Whitney & Co. store in Kirtland, Ohio.
Gilbert moved to Mentor, Ohio, which was very close to Kirtland, Ohio, around 1819, and took out a large loan, which he struggled to pay off until 1826. He moved to Kirtland, in 1826 and was a partner with Newel K. Whitney in the N. K. Whitney & Co. store by 1827. In 1831 he moved to Independence, Missouri, opened a store there, and was appointed bishop's agent.
Latter Day Saint
Gilbert was baptized into the Church of Christ (Latter-day Saints) in the spring of 1831 and church founder Joseph Smith (1805-1844) ordained him an elder on June 6, 1831. He was ordained a high priest by Smith on April 26, 1832, in Kirtland and appointed one of seven high priests in the presiding high council in Missouri. He served as a missionary in the eastern United States from June to December 1832.
Zion Settlement
LDS Pioneer home in 1831 (1881 engraving, artist unknown)
Zion Settlement was a small, short-lived village of early members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints located near Independence, Missouri in Jackson County, Missouri. The church believes that this spot will be the central spot for building of the kingdom of God ("Zion" or "New Jerusalem") in the latter-days per revelation given to the prophet, Joseph Smith (1805-1844). The settlement collapsed in 1833 when angry anti-Mormon mobs drove the settlers out of the county.
Gilbert was appointed to start a store in Missouri in 1831, where Whitney and Company purchased land at a central intersection. Whitney probably sent money to help support the store. Open conflict with earlier settlers in Jackson County, Missouri ensued after members began moving there, driven by religious and cultural differences, and the perception by pro-slavery Missourians that the "Yankee" "Mormons" were abolitionists. Vigilantes in the public and private sector used force to drive individual Latter Day Saints from Jackson to nearby counties within Missouri; eventually, Latter Day Saints were given until the end of November 6, 1833 to leave the county en masse. Gilbert condemned church leaders in a letter in 1832; the church leaders promised Gilbert that God would bless him with prosperity if he was faithful. A mob came to Independence, Missouri in July 1833 and destroyed many things. Gilbert sold what he could before leaving Missouri. Mormon residents left Jackson County for Clay County, Missouri on November 7, 1833.
Zions Camp Participant
One of the most interesting episodes in the early history of LDS Church was the march of Zion's Camp (1834). The members of the Church in Missouri were being persecuted, and the Prophet Joseph made it a matter of prayer and received a revelation on February 24, 1834. The Lord instructed the Prophet to assemble at least one hundred young and middle-aged men and to go to the land of Zion, or Missouri. (See D&C 130:19–34.)
Zion’s Camp, a group of approximately one hundred and fifty men, gathered at Kirtland, Ohio, in the spring of 1834 and marched to Jackson County, Missouri. By the time they reached Missouri, the camp had increased to approximately two hundred men.
Zions Camp Monument at Mound Grove Cemetery - Independence MO.
On November 4, 1833, Gilbert was arrested and imprisoned for seven days at Independence and was among the Latter Day Saints driven from Jackson into Clay County, Missouri later that month. He waited anxiously for the arrival of Zions Camp to help him get back his store and property. However, when the camp did arrive he died from a cholera epidemic that afflicted the group.
Marriage and Family
Gilbert was born at New Haven, Connecticut to Eli Gilbert and Lydia Hemingway. He married Elizabeth Van Benthusen, September 30, 1823 in Chagrin (later Willoughby), Ohio.
Children
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| Loyal Gilbert (1824-1825) | 1824 Mentor, Lake County, Ohio, United States | 1825 Mentor, Lake County, Ohio, United States | |
Siblings
Residences
LDS Historical References
- D&C 50 - Called to help settle Zion in Missouri.
- D&C 53 - Called to Serve in Missouri
- D&C 90:35 - Called to Repent.
References
- ^ Algernon S Gilbert - Early Missionaries of the LDS Church