In Search of Zion: A Description of Early Mormon Millennial Utopianism as Revealed Through the Life of Edward Partridge

• Main Author: Collette, D. Brent
• Format: Others
• Published: BYU ScholarsArchive 1977
• Subjects: Edward Partridge; 1793-1840; Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; History; Mormon Studies
• Online Access: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/4611; https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=5610&context=etd

This thesis is the biography of Edward Partridge (1793-1840), the first bishop of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. As one of the first members of the Latter-day Saint faith, his life is a representation of the struggles, persecutions and sacrifices of early Mormon history. As a leader, he was the subject of many of the instructions and pronouncements of the Doctrine and Covenants, a volume of "revelations" cannonized by Mormondom. And as the first Bishop of the Church, he was specifically designated to administer the Mormon scheme for utopia, known as the Law of Consecration and Stewardship. He was, therefore, the first administrator of the Zion economic system under the Prophet, Joseph Smith, and as such much of his life is a scenario of the project's development and scope, revealing many definitive insights into this utopian scheme. His biography serves readily as a case study for exploring the compelling influence and transforming nature of the millennial ferver so prevalent during this era of American history.