Date of Award:

5-1986

Document Type:

Thesis

Degree Name:

Master of Science (MS)

Department:

History

Committee Chair(s)

F. Ross Peterson

Committee

F. Ross Peterson

Committee

Douglas Alder

Committee

Kenneth Hunsaker

Abstract

The well-known Mormon historical figure, Martin Harris, spent the last five years of his life in Cache Valley, Utah. Most of the research done to this point on this man, who claimed to have seen angels and heard the voice of God, has been on the early years of LDS Church history during which Harris was intimately involved with the coming forth of The Book of Mormon. Little has been done on his years in Cache Valley, except for collections of affidavits concerning his testimony.

This study gives a brief overview of Harris's first eighty-seven years, his journey to Utah, and his six-week stay in Salt Lake City. The seminal writings on Harris's four years in Smithfield, resulting from original research, emphasize his reason for coming to Smithfield, where he lived, what family conditions existed in the home where he resided, his contact with people, and why he left Smithfield for Clarkston. The nine or ten months Harris spent in Clarkston before his death are viewed through the eyes and memories of local townspeople who knew him.

In addition to documenting events in his life in Cache Valley, the influence Martin Harris has exerted over the years is assessed. Through chronicling two grave-removal attempts, four headstones, numerous Church-wide and local graveside services, down to the inception of the Martin Harris amphitheater and pageant, the increasing influence of this man's presence upon the area over the years is metered. A brief and partial explanation of why this increasing influence exists, and the resulting fruitful future areas of research conclude this study.

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