Phineas Young

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Phineas Howe Young (also found as Phinehas) (16 February 1799–10 October 1879) was a prominent early convert in the Latter Day Saint movement and was later a Mormon pioneer and a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Phineas Young is an older brother of Brigham Young, who was the president of the LDS Church and the first governor of the Territory of Utah.

Young was born in Hopkinton, Massachusetts, the seventh child of Joseph Young and Abigail Howe. In 1830, Young was contacted by Samuel H. Smith, a missionary in the recently-established Latter Day Saint movement. Smith gave Young a copy of the Book of Mormon and told him that it had been translated from ancient records by his brother Joseph Smith, Jr. Young undertook a careful study of the book and eventually passed it on to others in his family, including his brothers Brigham, Joseph and John.

On April 5, 1832, Young and his brother John were baptized into the Latter Day Saint Church of Christ. His brother Joseph was baptized the next day and Brigham Young was baptized approximately one week later. Shortly after their baptisms, Phineas Young and Joseph Young became ordained elders in the church began preaching as missionaries in New York and Upper Canada.

After Joseph Smith was killed in 1844, Young joined the majority of Latter Day Saints in accepting the leadership of Brigham Young and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Young travelled to Utah Territory as a Mormon pioneer and settled in Salt Lake City. After emigrating to Utah, he served as a church missionary in England. In 1853, he became the second counselor to David Fullmer in the stake presidency of the Salt Lake Stake of the church.

Young died in Salt Lake City at the age of 80.

[edit] References

• Arnold K. Garr, Donald Q. Cannon & Richard O. Cowan (eds.) (2000). Encyclopedia of Latter-day Saint History (Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret Book)