Burr Riggs (1811

Mormon History: 1830 to 1839

Burr Riggs (1811–1860)

Born	April 17, 1811 in Oxford, New Haven, Connecticut, the third of seven children	FamilySearch™ Ancestral File v4.19
Died	June 8, 1860 in Mt. Pleasant, Henry county, Iowa	Who's who Who's Who in the Doctrine and Covenants, Susan Easton Black. (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, Inc., 1997). , 248. FamilySearch™ Ancestral File v4.19 gives no location for Burr, but does have his older brother, Harpin, dying in Mt. Pleasant (1865). The same source has their younger brother, John, dying in Provo, Utah (1892). A physician, John moved west with the Mormons. "As I remember it, in the days of President Young, he said that they had only one honest doctor in the Church, and that was Dr. Riggs, of Provo, and he did not know enough to kill a man." Alfred L. Booth, October 1920 general conference, fourth overflow meeting held in Provo. Conference reports Conference Reports of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on the New Mormon Studies CD-ROM. , Oct. 1920, 152.
Father	Gideon Riggs (b. 1782 in Oxford, Connecticut, d. 1860 in Franklin, Iowa)
Mother	Susan Pitcher (b. 1780 in Oxford, d. July 1860)
1816 to Ohio	1816 family moves to the Western Reserve (New Connecticut), Gideon buys land in Kirtland.	Ancestry.com link (subscribers)
Mission call	[December 1830] named in an "aerial commission" to be companion of Heman Basset and Edson Fuller preaching the gospel.	Arial Commissions
Enthusiastic spirit	[December 1830–February 1831] mentioned as one who went "rushing to the river prancing through the form of baptism in the flowing ice until they had to be taken out."	James Rollins James Henry Rollins Reminisences, dictated by James Henry Rollins, written by daughter Mary Osborn, rewritten by his youngest daughter, Ida Manerva Hamblin, assisted by his daughter Melissa Kaziah Rollins Lee Heyborne, Sept. 7, 1924, Cedar City, Utah. Typescript. Church Archives, MS 12554. , 2.
	January 1831 as a missionary near Rome, Ashtabula county, Ohio, Burr would "fall like he was dead after an hour or two he would come to then prophesy and tell what he had seen."	¶ Levi Hancock
High Priesthood	October 25, 1831 ordained to the High Priesthood by Oliver Cowdery.	¶ Minutes of October 25–26, 1831
Contemptuous	February 13, 1833 charged with not honoring his calling and treating counsel with contempt.	Minutes of February 13, 1833
Excommunicated	February 26, 1833 excommunicated for neglecting his duty, not caring how soon he is cut off.	Minutes of February 26, 1833
Testifies in Hurlbut case	January 13, 1834 testifies before the Court of Common Pleas at Chardon. Court decides Joseph Smith does have "reason to fear that Doctor P. Hurlbut would beat wound or kill him or injur his property," and directs Hurlbut to keep the peace and post a $200 bond plus court costs of $112.59.	Court record transcript in RLDS history History of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, 8 vols. Compiled and edited by Heman C. Smith, et al. (Independence: Herald Publishing House, 1967-1976). 1:444–446.
Zion's Camp	May–June 1834 participates in Zion's Camp. Retains the Zelph arrow.	Minutes of February 14, 1835 Zion's Camp HC History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, edited by B. H. Roberts, 7 vols. (Salt Lake City: Deseret News, 1902-1912, 1932). 2:79
Cholera victim	The last night, about twelve o'clock, in going the third round, Burr Riggs was missing from his post. I found his body behind a log that lay about a rod away, as stiff as the log itself. Calling to Alexander Whiteside, I asked him to carry the body to his tent while I went for Joseph. We lifted the body to his shoulder and it still remained perfectly straight.
Marries	November 19, 1834 marries Lovina Susan Williams, daughter of Frederick G. Williams and Rebecca Swain (b. Sept. 20, 1816 in Warrensville, Cuyahoga county, OH; d. Nov. 29, 1847, location unknown).	FamilySearch™ Ancestral File v4.19
Elder, missionary	[March 1, 1835 blessing:] We ordain you to be an Elder in the Church of God to go forth and preach the Gospel. May the past history of your life serve as an everlasting lesson to you. For you must go to distant nations and from this your you must begin to prepare your business for in temporal labors you shall not be prospered. Therefore, go forth and preach the gospel and you shall live of the gospel. You shall be among the nations that are afar off and you shall speak unto them in their own tongues and stand before the great ones of the earth and cause them to tremble …	Kirtland council Kirtland High Council Minutes. Manuscript , LDS Church Archives, MS 3432. Typescript, Special Collections, Marriott Library, University of Utah. Typescript on New Mormon Studies CD-ROM cited.
Patriarchal blessings	June 7, 1835 Burr and his brother, Harpin (b. 1809), and their wives receive patriarchal blessings in Kirtland.	Kirtland profile A Profile of Latter-day Saints of Kirtland, Ohio and Members of Zion's Camp, 1830-1839, compiled by Milton V. Backman Jr. with Keith Perkins and Susan Easton (Black) (Provo: Department of Church History and Doctrine, Brigham Young University, 1982). , 111.
Mission with Joseph Young	In 1835 he [Joseph Young] went to the States of New York and Massachusetts in company with Burr Riggs; they travelled and preached in many places, sowing the seed as they journeyed along.	BY history "History of Brigham Young," Millennial Star 25-27 intermittently. Includes "History of �" biographies and autobiographies of the original Quorum of the Twelve. Brigham's, first in the series, begins at vol. 25 no. 19 (May 9, 1863): 295 and concludes with vol. 26 (June 4, 1864): 359. 25, no. 20 (May 16, 1863): 311.
Testifies against Phineas H. Young	August 18, 1835 testifies against Phineas H. Young regarding Books of Mormon.	Minutes of August 18, 1835
	1836 while moving his family and others to Missouri, Burr is confronted by "a Mob of 114 armed men" who order them to return or be killed. The mob follows them about six miles. Burr settles in Caldwell county, purchasing about 200 acres.	Redress petitions Mormon Redress Petitions: Documents of the 1833-1838 Missouri Conflict, edited by Clark V. Johnson (Provo: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 1992). , 330.
Danite	1838 Danite.	Origins Mormon Hierarchy: Origins of Power, D. Michael Quinn (Salt Lake City: Signature Books in association with Smith Research Associates, 1994). , 483.
Expulsion	November 1838 at the time of expulsion, Burr had about 40 acres of corn and other vegetables.	Redress petitions Mormon Redress Petitions: Documents of the 1833-1838 Missouri Conflict, edited by Clark V. Johnson (Provo: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 1992). , 330.
Excommunicated	March 17, 1839 excommunicated in absentia.	Minutes of March 17, 1839
Home looted	[November [30], 1839:] During our trial William E. McLellin (h), accompanied by Burr Riggs and others, at times were busy in plundering and robbing the houses of Sidney Rigdon, George Morey, the widow Phebe Ann Patten, and others, under pretense or color of law, on an order from General Clark, as testified to by the members of the different families robbed.	HC History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, edited by B. H. Roberts, 7 vols. (Salt Lake City: Deseret News, 1902-1912, 1932). 3:215.
Families	Lovina Susan Williams (b. Sept. 16, 1816 in Warrensville, Cuyahoga, OH; md. Apr. 1835 in Kirtland)	Ancestry.com link (subscribers)
	George (no other information) Adeline (b. Sept. 9, 1842 in Quincy, Adams Co., IL; d. Feb. 14, 1937 in Waynoka, Woods Co., OK) Lucy (b. Aug. 7, 1845 in Quincy, IL)
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