Brigham Young was a religious leader in the United States who served as the second president of the Mormon Church, also known as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. As a popular leader of the Latter Day Saint movement, he was dubbed “American Moses,” “Modern Moses,” and “Mormon Moses” by his supporters, who compared him favorably to the historical figure. He was also a colonizer, and his contributions to the creation of the Western United States were considerable. He wore several hats as a young man, having been born into a rural community. He learned a variety of abilities while traveling and working as a carpenter, joiner, painter, and blacksmith, among other crafts. He was drawn to the movement after reading the Book of Mormon shortly after its publication in 1830. He became involved in the movement and quickly rose through the ranks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Young took over as head of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints after Joseph Smith was slain. He then went on to stabilize Mormon civilization while also colonizing parts of the American West. He married more than 50 times as a polygamist who accepted the philosophy of plural marriage.
Childhood and Adolescence
On June 1, 1801, Brigham Young was born into a farmer family in Whitingham, Vermont. John Young and Abigail “Nabby” Howe were his parents. He had a simple background and only attended school for 11 days.
He was a talented and hardworking young man who studied a variety of talents and worked as a carpenter and blacksmith. He may also work as a joiner, painter, or glazier.
Later the Year
He had been interested in religion since he was a child and came to the Methodist faith in 1823. However, immediately after its publication in 1830, Joseph discovered the ‘Book of Mormon,’ which gave him a new theological direction.
He was immediately captivated to the Mormon movement, and in 1832 he became an official member of the new church and moved to Upper Canada as a missionary. During this time, he and fellow Mormons formed a settlement in Kirtland, Ohio.
In 1835, he was ordained a member of the initial Quorum of the Twelve Apostles after being very active in the nascent church. He quickly rose through the ranks of the organization and began expanding the movement across the United Kingdom with zeal.
In 1838, the Mormons were pushed out of Missouri, and Young, as a senior member of the Quorum, oversaw the relocation to Nauvoo, Illinois. In 1839, he returned to England on a mission and was instrumental in bringing many British converts to the Mormon Church in America. The Mormons were able to get a foothold on the European continent as a result of this.
In 1844, a noteworthy event occurred. In June, the Mormon Church’s president, Joseph Smith, was assassinated. There were several candidates to succeed the deceased president, but no new president was chosen for the next few years. Young was finally ordained as President of the Church in 1847.
His election as president caused him to clash with the other claims, so he moved his Latter-day Saints to the Salt Lake Valley, which was then part of Mexico. As a result, he arranged an expedition to transport the Mormon pioneers to the specified location.
He personally led a group of 60,000 to 70,000 followers from Illinois, Iowa, and Missouri to the Salt Lake Valley. He subsequently went on to found hundreds more towns across the United States, including in Utah, Arizona, California, Idaho, Nevada, and Wyoming.
Brigham Young was named the territory’s first governor since he was the colonizer and founder of Salt Lake City. He aided the Mormons in the expansion of their communities and oversaw the construction of roads, bridges, forts, and irrigation projects.
He recognized the value of a solid education for the younger generation. He established a Board of Regents to build a university in the Salt Lake Valley to accomplish this. The University of Utah was founded in 1850 as the University of Deseret and later renamed University of Utah.
Young bought land in Provo, Utah, in 1875 to expand the University of Deseret. The area had previously been home to a school that would later become Brigham Young Academy, the forerunner to Brigham Young University. He established organizations for young ladies and young men within the church.
He was also involved in a lot of temple construction. He chose the site for the Salt Lake Temple and presided over its dedication. He also oversaw the building of the Salt Lake Tabernacle.
Despite his popularity as a religious leader, Brigham Young was embroiled in a number of issues, including those involving black people and the Priesthood, the Utah War, and the Mountain Meadows Massacre.
Major Projects of Brigham Young
In 1847, Brigham Young and fellow Mormons such as Isaac Morley and George Washington Bradley founded Salt Lake City. He led the Mormon group in irrigating and farming the dry region in order to make it habitable for humans. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has its headquarters in the city.
Personal History and Legacy
Brigham Young was the most well-known polygamist of the early Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He married 55 women in total. His first marriage to Miriam Angeline took place before he became a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. From 16 of his spouses, he produced 56 offspring.
During his final days, he was afflicted with a variety of diseases. He died of peritonitis from a burst appendix on August 29, 1877, after suffering from cholera morbus and bowel inflammation. He was 76 years old at the time.
On September 2, 1877, an estimated 12,000 to 15,000 people attended his funeral. In the heart of Salt Lake City, he was buried on the grounds of the Mormon Pioneer Memorial Monument.
Brigham Young Net Worth
Brigham is one of the wealthiest religious leaders and one of the most well-known. Brigham Young’s net worth is estimated to be $1.5 million, according to Wikipedia, Forbes, and Business Insider.