Heman A. Basset (1814

Mormon History 1830-1844

Joseph

Bios

Heman A. Basset (1814–1876)

Born		1812 in Guildhall, Essex Co., Vermont.		FamilySearch™ International Genealogical Index v5.0. (At the FamilySearch website, the last name is spelled Bassett.)
Died		1876 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Father		Samuel Chipman Bassett
Mother		Anna Harmon
Unusual mission call		[January] 1831 receives an "aerial commission" (letter from heaven written by the finger of God), directing him to commence preaching the gospel with Edson Fuller and Burr Riggs.		Aerial Commissions
Odd behavior		January 1831 Heman, Edson Fuller, and Burr Riggs visit the Baldwin home in Rome, hold meetings, baptize, exhibit unusual manifestations of the spirit—Heman would "behave like a baboon."		¶ False Spirits
Lift's Levi Hancock's watch		February 1831 at Isaac Morley's farm, Heman takes Levi Hancock's watch from his pocket "and walked oph [off] as tho it was his I thought he would soon return it soon but I was disapointed he sold it I asked him what he meant [of] it Oh he thought it was all in the family I told him I did not like such family doings and I would not [have] it[.]"		Levi's journal, 81. This may have been a simple misunderstanding, as Levi had not lived in a common-stock family. I do not know how things operated at Isaac Morley's farm, but at another common stock family of converts in Chardon, "As to matters of apparel, and indeed other things, where any one wants what he has not he takes it any where in the family where he can find it unoccupied. All things are common.” The Golden Bible, or Book of Mormon," Geauga Gazette, February 1, 1831. Link to source at Dale Broadhurst website.
A hoax		[May 1831] One of the Mormon apostles, named Basset, a copy of whose commission we published some weeks since, which he pretended he obtained from the clouds, with the seal of God, has recently abandoned the Bible speculation, and declares it all to be a miserable hoax. Some curious developments may soon be expected.		"Backing out," Painesville Telegraph, May 24, 1831. Link to source at Dale Broadhurst website.
Joseph warns		June 3–6, 1831 the minutes do not list Heman among those present at the first conference in Kirtland, but Levi Hancock's journal reports that at the meeting Joseph warned him, "Heman Basset you sit still the Devil wants to sift you."		Minutes of June 3–6, 1831 ¶ Lyman's Vision and the Man of Sin
Mission call revoked		[June [6], 1831] In consequence of transgression, let that which was bestowed upon Heman Basset be taken from him, and placed upon the head of Symonds Ryder.		¶ D&C 52:37
Strangite		1849–1850 active James J. Strang's church in New York City, where he was a seventy.		Link to source at a Strang website.
		"Aerial" mission call
*Eber D. Howe account (Painesville Telegraph, Mormonism Unvailed)*
		Heman's "mission call" (before Joseph's arrival in Kirtland):		Mormonism unvailed, 105–107. The Painesville Telegraph of April 12, 1831 contains a commission that is, with the exception of a few capitalizations and punctuation marks, is identical to Mormonism unvailed, but it is reported to have been found in the pocket of the deceased Warner Doty. Link to source at Dale Broadhurst website.
Jumping for calls	¶	Three [young men] pretended to have received commissions to preach, from the skies, after having jumped into the air as high as they could. … [106] One of these aerial commissions, which they all supposed was signed and sealed by Christ himself, we here subjoin, verbatim.
Find parchment	¶		Oh my servant, there is a great work for you and the other two of your brethren. I send a messenger to tell you where to go and find a piece of parchment that shall contain these words:—
Teach repentance			You shall teach repentance and remission of sins to all who shall come in the sound of your voice—I command you that you do these things in sincerity and in truth; and if you do, you shall be blessed.—
With Burr Riggs and Edson Fuller			The time is shortly acoming and is not far distant when you shall be bound together for life—the names of your brethren are these: Burr Riggs and Edson Fuller, and if they are not faithful I will choose another in their stead—my work must be done.
Serve me			My servants, you shall go forth from place to place, and if you are true to your trust, they shall hear. Remember that I am the Lord your God—serve me above all others, and I will bless you, in the end, Amen.
Messenger	¶		That you had a messenger tell you to go and get the other night, you must not show to any son of Adam.—Obey this and I will stand by you in all cases: my servants, obey my commandments in all cases, and I will provide.
Be ready	¶		Be ye always ready, Be ye always ready, whenever I shall call. Be ye always ready, My seal [image of a crown]	¶ Levi Hancock
More to come Ruler over many	¶		There shall be something of greater importance revealed when I shall call you to go: my servants, be faithful over a few things, and I will make you a ruler over many. Amen, Amen, Amen.
Find parchments Many converts	¶	[107] These commissions, they said, came on parchment, and they had only time to copy them before they vanished from their sight. With such papers in their pockets they actually went through the country, preaching, and made many converts. Two or three afterward obtained their reason, and left the concern.
100+ converts Joseph denounces		All these things were afterwards pronounced by Smith to be the work of the devil, although more than one hundred had been converted to Mormonism, by merely witnessing the exhibitions. They professed, at all times, their inability to work miracles, but were secretly trying to perform them, and frequently proclaimed their success. At a distance from the scene of action, many notable miracles were circulated.

*William Perkins account (Geauga Gazette)*
Revelation predicted Brethren assemble to watch Letter from heaven		A few days since, a young man gave information to some of his brethren that he was about to receive a message from heaven. They repaired to the spot designated, and there, as they solemnly assert, a letter descended from the skies and fell into the hands of the young man.—		"The Golden Bible, or Book of Mormon," Geauga Gazette, February 15, 1831. Link to source at Dale Broadhurst website.
Soon to be called Written by God		The purport was to strengthen his faith and inform him that he would soon be called to the ministry. They declare their solemn belief that this letter was written by the finger of God. The style of writing was the round Italian, and the letters of gold.
Disappears when he tries to copy		The favored youth immediately attempted to copy the communication, but as fast as he wrote, the letters of the original disappeared until it entirely vanished.
		Aerial Commissions Biographies