Zera pulsipher autobiography in five short

In the movie version of the popular Harry Potter series, a father-figure to the titular character tells Harry that: “The world isn’t split into good people and Death Eaters [henchmen of the main villain].  We’ve all got both light and dark inside of us.”  While a fantasy film, there is a kernel of truth in the statement—we are all complex people, with goodness and evil in each of us.  Whether intentional or not, we have failings and blind spots and we fall short being the best person we could be.  Sometimes it is difficult to realize that to be true within ourselves, but it is also sometimes just as difficult to realize that the same holds true for our heroes and ancestors.  With Pioneer Day this week, I’ve been thinking about this in relation to my own pioneer heritage and wanted to share my journey in coming to understand one of my ancestors in particular—a man named Zerah Pulsipher.

Growing up in the Church, I saw the pioneers as spiritual heroes—unblemished saints who did brave and amazing things in the name of serving God and the Church.  Among my own ancestors, Zerah Pulsipher was pointed out because, as one of the First Seven Presidents of the Seventy, his name made it into the Doctrine and Covenants (D&C 124:138) and because some of his early missionary efforts contributed to Wilford Woodruff’s conversion (a story which was featured in Our Heritage: A Brief History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints).[1]  He converted early in Church history, and was there for many of the major events of our history in Kirtland, Illinois, the trek west, and settlement in Utah.  This put him in a position of great respect in our family and led me to regard him very highly.

About eight years ago, I decided to work on researching and writing a biography about Zerah (an off-and-on project that I still dabble in), which led me to learn much more about the man.  In reading his autobiographical sketches, I lear

“I married a very agreeable companion,” wrote Zera of his first wife—

Lived with her about one year when she died leaving one child which we named Harriet. Weeks after her death, she came to me in vision and appearing natural looked pleasant as she ever did and sat by my side and assisted me in singing a hymn—beginning thus: “That glorious day dawning nigh when Zions Light Shall Shine.”

In the summer of 1831, Zera “heard a minister [speak of] an ancient record or Golden Bible in Manchester near Palmyra which remark struck me like a shock of electricity. The same time I thought it might be something that would give light to my mind upon principles that I had been thinking of for years.” A few months later, Elder Jared Carter preached before a large congregation and shared the message of the Restoration. Zera, a Baptist minister, who sat in that congregation, stood and said to the assembly, “We had been hearing strange things [which] were of the utmost importance to us.”Zera received a vision of the truth of Elder Carter’s message:

All at once there seemed to be a ray of light from heaven which caused me to stop work for a short time, but soon began again. Then in a few minutes another light came over my head which caused me to look up. I thought I saw the Angels with the Book Mormon in their hands in the attitude of showing it to me and saying “This the great revelation of the last days in which all things spoken by the prophets must be fulfilled.”

After entering baptismal waters in January 1832, Zera had a great desire to share the message of the Restoration with others—

“Where on earth are you going?” his wife asked.

“I don’t know, only that I’m going preach the gospel. The Lord will show me where to go. I am going where He guides me.”

“How long will you be gone?” she inquired.

“I don’t know. Just long enough do the work the Lord has for me to do.”

Wilford Woodruff listened to the preaching of Zera: “He preach

The other day, I came across an interesting talk from Glen L. Rudd about Moroni and his postmortal adventures. While interesting, however, it is unfortunately inaccurate on a few points. In particular, listing Zerah Pulsipher as someone who saw the Angel Moroni is inaccurate to the statements that Pulsipher recorded about his conversion.

The relevant section of Glen Rudd’s discussion are as follows:

Most people never think much about him; but Moroni is still active and busy and doing all those necessary things to help bring about the full restoration of the gospel. …

Moroni had the great privilege, as he walked across this American Continent, of finding a place and designating the place where the St. George temple was to be built. He also designated where the Manti Temple was to be. And it’s been written that he designated Kirtland and Nauvoo and probably others. Moroni appeared to the Prophet Joseph Smith 22 different times during the life of the Prophet Joseph that we know of.

Now, I want to tell you the names of some of the people that saw Moroni. …

The ninth man to see Moroni was a man named Zera Pulsipher. He was a minister of another church. He had a vision in his barn. While he was out in the barn one day, a light descended upon him in the middle of this barn, and he looked up and saw Moroni. And Moroni blessed his life and showed him the plates. He became a Seventy in the Church. He became a high priest and became a patriarch. He’s the man who converted and baptized Wilford Woodruff into the Church in 1833.

It’s an interesting story (and some other parts probably bear some discussion, as indicated by a post by Ardis Parshall at her blog Keepatitchinin and another about the Angel Moroni over at the Latter-day Saint blog From the Desk), but what about Zerah Pulsipher?

The story that Rudd references comes from Zerah Pulsipher’s autobiographical sketches. Zerah made three attempts at writing about his life la

This autobiographical sketch is the latest of the three extant versions written by Zerah. It seems to have been written sometime after 1862, since it concludes with Zerah’s time in Hebron.

Typescript prepared by Chad L. Nielsen, October 2019. Spelling, punctuation and paragraphs retained as presented in the original. See Church History Library in Salt Lake City, MS_753_f0001_item_1-Record_book_circa_1858-1878.

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I was Born June 24 aD 1789 the names of my Parents were John & Elizabeth Pulsipher my Grand Father whose Name was David Pulsiph<er> was suppos to be a Decendant from Ireland Broug<ht> up a family in Conneticut New England in year 1769 went up Conneticut River to Bellows Falls went five miles Back to a place afterwards Call Rocking<ham> an entire wilderness country where seldom a blow had been struck By a white man there he selected a place and obtain five hundred acres o Land and Profecid [prophesied] things that would take place in years to come which was a site for a Meting house and Burying ground Back of it and a Town site near it where water ♢o♢er was Erected he there cleared Land Built a publick house and converted the wilderness in to a fruitful field I Left that Country Forty six years after that and when I Left there was a large Meting House Burying ground and a rich Popular Town Exact where Predictd. My father Lived in that Vicinity till he died[.] But to return after a Long Series of Trouble which this Country had with England the revolution war commenc and the <1776> Britsh army went to destroying Publick Property my Father Being about 19 years old was gone from home one day heard the News found a recruiting officer and inlisted he Come home inform his father of what he had done the man Thought on it a few moments and s [said] John you are too young I will go with you and accordingly Enlisted and went [He] was in the Memmo[r]able Battle of Bunkers hill there the enemy N