#latterdaysaint

[moodywannabe]

[yatescountyhistorycenter]

Running away to join the circus

By Jonathan Monfiletto

When the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (i.e., the Mormon church – who consider it one of their missions to serve as the keepers of any and all genealogical information and documents from around the United States of America, as complete and thorough as possible) writes to you in a letter stating it they cannot locate specific information about a particular person, that means it will be a challenge to find out anything about the person. Such appears to have been the case for George S. Sheppard, an attorney and amateur historian in Penn Yan.

Apparently Sheppard reached out to the Mormons to learn about Levi Lyman, a fellow Penn Yan attorney from a different time, but the effort seemed to be futile. “We are unable to give you any information concerning Levi Lyman,” read the letter in response to Sheppard, dated January 11, 1935. “Regretting we are unable to furnish you with the information asked for.”

I start my article on Levi Lyman – an interesting yet mysterious character in Yates County history and, to a certain extent, in American history – to convey that he is interesting because he is mysterious and, perhaps, mysterious because he is interesting. Lyman is listed and described as an attorney during the early years of Yates County, though according to an article presumably written by Frank Swann and then copied by Catharine Spencer, “There apparently is no record of Lyman in Yates County histories.” From these humble beginnings of sorts, Lyman went on to work for P.T. Barnum and later possibly for Brigham Young – both interesting and mysterious characters in themselves.

No photographs of Lyman seem to exist either. The closest I could come to an image of Lyman were a couple of drawings – provided to me by researcher and friend of the Yates County History Center Nannette Rod – from Barnum’s autobiography, depicting Lyman and his involvement with Barnum in a couple of escapades (more on those incidents later). And though his Find-A-Grave entry – again, provided to me by Nannette, who has conducted incredibly diligent research into Lyman and his Penn Yan roots over several decades – lists Lyman’s birth date as July 22, 1798 in Salisbury, Connecticut and his death date as August 6, 1848 in the Great Salt Lake City Valley of the Utah Territory, no one seems to know where he is buried. Did I mention he is interesting and mysterious?

It seems Lyman came from his New England birthplace at least by the time Yates County was established in 1823. He started out as a schoolteacher here and then read law probably under William M. Oliver, uncle of Dr. William W. Oliver, the first homeowner of the Oliver House. Whatever official records exist of Lyman in local history, he apparently served as Yates County’s deputy clerk under its first county clerk, Abraham H. Bennett. According to a newspaper letter written by someone identified only as X.Y.Z., Bennett appointed Lyman as deputy clerk on June 21, 1824 – nearly a year and a half after the county was officially formed – and then appointed the next deputy clerk, Asa N. Norton, on February 4, 1829. That means Lyman would have worked as deputy county clerk for nearly five years.

X.Y.Z. states in the letter, dated April 9, 1925, they found a record of the Court of Common Pleas indicating Lyman was admitted as an attorney and “counsellor of the court” in 1827, when he was not quite 30 years old. According to X.Y.Z., there are also several records of law cases in which Lyman appeared as an attorney. In that year, according to the Swann article, Lyman became a law partner with Roderick Morrison. Morrison, who had come to Penn Yan from Virginia (though this may be an error on Swann’s part, as Morrison was born in Westmoreland, studied at Hamilton College, and practiced law in Utica and Rochester before coming to Penn Yan), built a home in the village that still exists on Highland Drive. The two men located their practice in the south wing of the Washington House on Main Street – now the approximate site of the Yates County Public Safety Building – opposite the Yates County Courthouse. Lyman joined the Freemasons and also served as county commissioner of deeds from 1830 to 1833.

By 1840, according to Swann as copied by Spencer, Morrison and Lyman both left Yates County, and Lyman became associated with Barnum around that time. During his connection to Barnum, Lyman was involved in two of the showman’s greatest hoaxes in his days of sideshows long before Barnum founded his famous circus in 1871. According to an undated and unidentified newspaper article purporting to quote an excerpt from M.R. Werner’s biography of Barnum “introducing a former Penn Yan man,” Barnum hired Lyman to help him exhibit Joice Heth, a Black woman whom Barnum claimed to be 161 years old and to have been George Washington’s nurse.

Barnum had a bill of sale from Washington’s father to prove Heth’s age and testimonial certificates from doctors agreeing with the assessment of her age. For her part, Heth possessed “a great deal of knowledge of the old days,” likely fed to her to keep up the fraud. Barnum needed a person who could display Heth with an air of scientific authority and wanted a lawyer for the role – someone who could be shrewd and could protect Barnum’s interests. Barnum brought on Lyman – who had moved to New York City in 1835 and lodged at the boarding house owned by Barnum and his wife – for that purpose.

Lyman exhibited Heth in New York, Boston, and almost a dozen other towns for six months and took in more than $60,000 (at least $1.8 million in today’s money) during that time. When Heth died shortly after her 162nd birthday, reputable physicians conducted an examination that showed Heth to be around 80 years old – certainly a ripe old age for that era but not as impressive as 162. Amid the expose Barnum and Lyman had a great deal of fun convincing the New York newspapers that the medical examination was a hoax and Heth was still alive and well. In doing so, they hoped to continue their profitable tour in England with a Heth substitute, before Barnum lost interest after discovering General Tom Thumb.

Initially, Barnum was convinced Heth’s story was genuine when he purchased her remaining exhibition rights. Lyman later discovered an anachronism in the bill of sale that proved it was counterfeit. However, Barnum and Lyman stayed together through this incident and later staged another sideshow together, to publicize Barnum’s newly purchased American Museum.

This time, a few years later in 1842, Lyman grew a beard and posed as Dr. Griffin, a professor and collector of specimens for The London Lyceum of Natural History. He exhibited the Feejee Mermaid, purported to be half fish and half woman but really just a clever taxidermy job. Lyman traveled to several museums, displaying this curiosity and making another fortune.  He quit the job when he learned that his mother lay dying, but he later returned as Barnum’s agent, touring Mrs. Pelby’s life-size waxwork tableau of Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper.” It is thought that Lyman exhibited the mermaid again for Moses Kimball's Boston Museum.

Whether Lyman actually went on to work for Young appears to be a subject of debate. In his 1923 biography of Barnum, Werner mentions Lyman as Young’s “right-hand man,” but in his 1925 biography of Young, Werner does not mention Lyman anywhere. In his 1855 autobiography, Barnum states Lyman became a Mormon, moved to Nauvoo, Illinois, and died there.

However, by the time Lyman died, the Mormons had largely escaped to the Salt Lake Valley. Young became church president in December 1847, so Lyman couldn’t have served him for more than eight months before he died.  Lyman was last mentioned as arriving at a hotel in Staten Island, New York, on December 2, 1847. Assuming he had not yet begun his journey across the mountains to Utah Territory, which he would not attempt in wintertime, he must have died shortly after he arrived there in Utah. When Lyman died, he was well short of 80 years old let alone the age of 162.

[humblymybrain]

"How the Mormons Dance" in 1866

[mormoncoverup]

On this day in 2021 I made a meme. Only #LDS, #latterdaysaints, @byucougars will understand #quad #fourscriptures #testimony #unmute (at Starbucks) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cp3ZIk2PxAo/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[christianandnerdy]

Is that what Saint Paul actually said? #mormon #lds #thechurchofjesuschristoflatterdaysaints #christianity #latterdaysaints #mormonism https://www.instagram.com/p/CnWPq3gu4_2/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[thoughtfulfoxllama]

Hey everyone! I'm so so soooo sorry that I didn't post until Today. I was going to post on Monday, but I needed to completely rewrite my Education Midterm, and that took away all my free time

We have a number of Biblical Texts that were, for one reason or another, not included in our modern Bible. The Books of Enoch, the history of the Maccabees, Tobit. We can guess what to do with them, but we don't have to, because Joseph did:

"Verily, thus saith the Lord unto you concerning the Apocrypha—There are many things contained therein that are true, and it is mostly translated correctly; There are many things contained therein that are not true, which are interpolations by the hands of men. Verily, I say unto you, that it is not needful that the Apocrypha should be translated. Therefore, whoso readeth it, let him understand, for the Spirit manifesteth truth;" (D&C 91:1-4)

So, the Apocrypha is true, but also not. It's more like the Apocrypha is true, but you need to have the Spirit to understand it. It's like the Book of Revelation in that way

I have a lot to say about the Apocrypha. It's a wealth of interesting stories and information. But, I'll just tell you to go study it yourself

Journal of Discourses

I don't know if anyone here has read the JoD, but I have. Since I have a life outside of Mormon Scholarship (for now) I haven't read all 26 Multi-Hundred page Volumes. But there's some interesting stuff in there. From Brigham alone, we get the Garden Cosmology, Instructions for a Zion Community, the Cumorah Cave, and the idea that keeping Kosher is more important than the Word of Wisdom (and that's just the beginning). Now, we don't believe in any of that stuff (his view of Zion has more communalism than most Mormons would be comfortable with), but there's plenty of stuff we do believe. This is why I see the JoD as Mormon Apocrypha.

Actually, I would compare it to the Jewish Talmud. The Jerusalem & Babylonian Talmuds were written in an age of chaos for the Jewish Community, and it was written to build regulations based on the Oral Law. The JoD were written in Polygamy-era Utah, after the Church shattered, with many questions left after Nauvoo (with the Endowment, the King Follet & Grove Sermons, and others left unexplained to the vast majority of the Church). This caused much debate, like Orson vs Brigham on who Heavenly Father is. We accept much of what is in there, but not everything (just like how a Jewish person can accept Hillel's ruling on one issue, and Shammai's on another).

I'm not going to recommend everyone read the JoD though. There's a lack of Scholarship about it, it can lead to weird places (Adam did it with Mary, Sun People & Moon Quakers, ect), and it's kind of a slog between the insanity. It's a Milk/Meat situation, but if you're ready for the Meat, and have the Spirit, then go ahead

Interesting Reads

"Strange Thing in the Land"- https://www.reddit.com/r/latterdaysaints/s/IusTpLg48v

Journal of Discourses- https://journalofdiscourses.com/

https://rsc.byu.edu/apocryphal-writings-latter-day-saints/whose-apocrypha

https://www.ldsliving.com/5-teachings-from-the-apocrypha-latter-day-saints-can-learn-from/s/89576

I can't think of any questions to ask. If you have any, add to the Comments

[paula-of-christ]

Hi, random PIMO here

in the post you wrote about mormon beliefs on not having babies being murder i vaguely remember you mentioned that God was a man before? I remember hearing in primary once that if you got celestial glory you became a god but idk where the bit about God being a man was from?

this is a genuine question i just wanted to find this info in the bible or bom or conference talks just to understand it better since i'm in the sort of trying-to-understand-everything-from-a-non-mormon-pov-through-mormon-sources phase yk

thank you

As a NeverMo I am struggling to find the specific types of stuff you're looking at, I'm sure you can look up the subject on the Mormon Stories podcast, as they always provide LDS sources for the theology they talk about. From what I could find on a quick Google search, it's called "eternal progression". You may be able to look that up either in an LDS theology book or Doctrines and Covenants.

According to this reddit post I found on r/latterdaysaints, it sounds like Joseph Smith talked about (or mentioned it) in his King Follet discourse. I have no idea what that is or what that means.

The "Mormonwiki" though I don't know if it's a faithful website since it calls itself Mormon, talks about it here, with links and references.

The official LDS website says this about the creation of man, and therefore Heavenly Father's origins.

If any exmo's have relevant information on this, or more direct things to link, I'd really appreciate it!

[dstatusofficial]

[ Tag Your Busy Friends 💞 ]

#dstatus #dstatusofficial

[ Tags 💛 ]

#reelkarofeelkaro #reelquotesays #lovesayari #sayaristatus #statuswhatsapp #statusupdate #pyaarkiyehekkahani #pyaarkesadqay #pyaarekdhokahai #pyaarkartehona #letter #latterdaysaints #vabe #vibepositiva #whatsappstatus #viralvideos #viralpage #experience #explorepage #exploration #motivationalspeaker #motivacionpersonal

[brothermouse]

I got “Jesus would beat Goku in a fight”

[aj-mahonri]

Who does God love? You! And you, and you!

He loves all of us.

And because He loves us, His work is not over.

He continues to send His words throughout the world.

Jesus remembers you. He remembers all of us.

#ChurchofJesusChrist #LatterDaySaint #JesusChrist #Christian #GeneralConference #‎inspiredby #StriveToBe #LightTheWorld

[delicatelysuperhottub-blog]

Church

https://vt.tiktok.com/ZSjAJBJ5j/

#victorviroovallen #victorviroovallen23 #toronto #ontario #canada #latterdaysaints

[moodywannabe]

Pineappleogical Language

Penny means hint

Pineapple means I love you

Pinecones means crazy

Skotally means totally

To “Porch” means fly on a spaceship through Mars.

Ogres means hungry

Sandals means poor

Salads means creepy

Galaxies means perfect

Shantcoashic means the holy, gorgeous, compassionate, and beyond perfection of Jesus Christ.

Saintcoshic is the female version of Shantcoshic

Rosie means sweet

Bluerose means praying for everyone

Redrose means let’s go.

Bagels means happy.

Melons means sad.

Pickles means positive.

Put a word before bees and it means how are you.

pianobees

goddo = a really cool guy

goddi = a really cool girl

Whyse means comprehensive

A parable is a story that Jesus tells to help all to be better people and live better lives.

Cliquein’ around means talking to more than one person at the same time while one of them are angry or sad.

Schkillin’ = taking yourself out of the attention and silencing yourself charityously and keeping yourself still and prayerful

Killin’ it = Having a ton of fun in a gorgeously mellow, joyful, and exciting way

Circus is a derogatory term for people who swane too much.

A swan is pineappleogical for any who play perfectly with love, intelligence, and compassion, and only would swane if benefitial .

Hustle in pineappleogical means to move foreward as fast with your butt as close to the ground as you can at the same time.

Artistraiting means doing exactly what you feel

Click-Chick-POW means making a choice rather than following our feelings .

To “kick it quick”.. Is a masculine way of saying Click-chick-pow.

Dusty means real

Peppermint means chastity and wisdom.

Bricktacos means prudeish .

Focausheous means to constantly focus.

ClickChickPOW means “I will do that, say no more.”

Emmin’ means pretending to be The Emily Brown of Boise.

Werf Nor to have a banterbattle

Nerf bullet is a banterous statement

Crambling means rambling when you’re falling apart

Eating Spaghetti means pretending to be sarcastic

Spittin’ Spaghetti means actually being sarcastic

Wittin Pasghetti is when you are having a spaghetti spitting contest with your friend.

A spaghetti war is genuinely terrifying.

Greenvan means courageously and tenaciously making the best experiences happen for everyone now and forever

PurpleVan means cuddling with your family, friends, and everyone.

Vannic words

Van means everyone

Greenvan means to make everyone’s favorite experiences happen

Bluevan means serving God with everyone

OrangeVan means doing creative works

Yellowvan means party here, there, and everywhere with everyone

Redvan means intentionally doing what you feel

Whitevan means taking matters into your own hands with your fam.

Blackvan means family secrets

Greyvan means adventure with ya crew.

Goldvan means glorify God together.

Silvervan means sing and dance together.

Bronzevan means have fun together.

Dragon means self

Greendragon means don’t give up on anyone for any reason.

Purpledragon means cuddle regardless

Bluedragon means think of others

Orangedragon means imagine

Yellowdragon means be happy

Reddragon means be yourself

Whitedragon means holify yoself and be a saint.

Blackdragon means be smart.

Greydragon means we gotta go.

Golddragon means be calm.

Silverdragon means sing and dance

Bronzedragon means enjoy yourself

Bluerose means pray for everyone

Orangerose means to imagine godly things

Purplerose means to Love God and place your thoughts and affections upon Him forever.

Rose means love

Greenrose means to truly try with all your faculty to obey every commandment and guideline of the Lord our God.

Pinkrose means to be grateful unto God.

Redrose means affectionately

Yellowrose means friendship

Whiterose means forever

Purplerose means deeply

Orangerose means flirticfriendship

Rainbowvan means care about everyone and do what we all love forever.

Midgets means I have told you so many times!!!

Faggot means Trustworthy gaybee.

Faggy means loveable gaybug.

Nigger means Trustworthy black person

Nigga means Loveable black friend

Walgreen Flipflops means “I don’t know.”

Soggy means jokingly sorry

Soxx means sorry for a sec.

Kamaaron

A Yellow Kamaaron is someone who gives friendly loveshoves, hugs, wordmassages and wholesome dancemassages in plutonic ways.

A OrangeKamaaron is anyone who touches someone that seems to like them in wholesome yet deeply comforting ways and to buy them stuff and take them on adventures with the intent of giving them fond memories and purefect experiences.

A BlueKamaaron is anyone who listens deeply and offers purefect emotional support by honest word, energy, prayer, service, and charityous love.

A GreenKamaaron is anyone that spends lots of time with God, asking him questions, listening, repenting, thanking, praising, blueroseing(which means praying for everyone) reading books with God, and sharing affection with him.

A PurpleKamaaron is someone who loves in the spirit realm and keeps their holiness pure and available to be pulled from, they might even dance with spirits and not be afraid to stop in the middle of a walk to talk to a spirit.

A RedKamaaron is someone who takes care of every part of others in creative ways, and asks for the same treatment back.

Curgent means worded wrong

Spiritic means worded correctly <3

Hate means am having a hard time with

Volcano means sister

Ocean means brother

Snail means stranger

Snowshoes means son

Winter means daughter

Breeze means wife

Rock means husband

If two people spend a total of 5 years or more together, in more than 3 cities, they are legally and lawfully married in pineappleogical. This is the Climb-tree Law of Cameron Richard Emery.

Renjickulous means pretending to be a narcissist 7 seconds.

Rejeunctive means pretending to be evil for less that’s 4 seconds.

Impepperizing means pretending to be someone else for ten seconds and then announcing thy truest name immediately after.

Fankasizing means imagining things that we know are not real or possible but that make us exceedingly happy.

Fantasizing means imagining things that make us exceedingly happy that might and/or probably won’t happen.

Playing Animal Crossing is pineappleogical for cuddling with your parents and siblings.

Icyfire means sexual and romantic love.

Orange Lie means A Joke

Purple Lie means A cuddle

Red Lie means Sex

Black Lie means Prank

White Lie means Surprise

Grey Lie means a really good prank

Justin’ around means acting like a monkeygod

Mercer is someone who always happens to have exactly what you need in their backpack or purse.

Cross means Noun

Stones means Adjectives

Doodles means Verbs

Snail means Pronoun

Magic means Adjectnouns

Animagic means Nounverbs

NUT means a Negative Untrue Thought

Misty means without money.

Lesbo is a woman that likes to get super cuddly with other women without doing anything sexual.

King of the hill means chill.

Going to Aaron’s House means Friends

Bad Minton means don’t trust your feelings

Good Minton means trust your feelings

Miracle Creeks means normal and purefect.

[jerichoyork]

We are in the time of change. We will see many things happen. Truths will be revealed, those who are lost will begin to be found, the fallen will continue to be seen and many more will feel the need to find God. #lds #christ #love #theson #unconditional #father #god #latterdaysaints #son #celestialkingdom #terrestrialkingdom #telestialkingdom #jesuscrist #morman #thechurchofjesuschristoflatterdaysaints #eternalfather #thefather #ward #planofsalvation #planofsalvationisreal #christus

[intriguingpeoplebyangelafloyd]

JOSEPH SMITH

JOSEPH SMITH

1805-1844

Invented the Mormon (Latter Day Saints) religion, was murdered aged 38

            Joseph Smith was born in Sharon, Vermont, United States and moved to West New York with his family. Smith founded the Mormon Church in 1820, after he alleged he received his first ‘call’ to be a prophet. Three years later he (supposedly) was visited by an angel who told him of sacred writings on gold plates. In 1827 he received the scriptures which were published as The Book of Mormon (1830). He founded the ‘Church of the Latter-day Saints’ (LDS) at Fayette, New York and later sent missionaries to Europe.

            In 1831, he planned to build a Zion in Kirtland, Ohio and Independence, Missouri and constructed the Kirtland Temple. He then founded a new settlement at Nauvoo, Illinois.

            In 1844, he was criticized for numerous reasons including polygamy. Despite gaining thousands of followers, the Mormons were persecuted and ridiculed and Smith was arrested. There was a conflict between Smith and his closest associates. Two men accused Smith of proposing marriage to their wives. Smith was concerned that these men may end up harming him, so he excommunicated them. They accused Smith of using religion to lure women to Nauvoo to seduce and marry them.

            Smith was murdered by a bunch of masked men whilst imprisoned on 27 June 1844. The mob stormed into Carthage Jail, and he was shot multiple times and died not long after.

#josephsmith #mormonchurch #latterdaysaints #religions

[mahdidarkdrop]

Gospel Stream app Sabbath Lesson - Latter-Day Saints

#gospelstream #sabbathlesson #latterdaysaints #thechurchofjesuschristoflatterdaysaints #mahditamashii #mahdikhalwachi

[rogerhernandezferri]

Watch "Survive bushcraft - make a tea from Tuna" on YouTube

Camping day strategy! Agradable meu amor!!! @cecibelvogellove-blog @latterdaysaint-mormon-blog