Zerah Pulsipher

 

 

 

Born: 24 January 1788 in Rockingham, Vermont, USA

Died: 9 January 1872 in Hebron, Utah, USA

 

 

 

Descendants of Zerah that are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are excited when they read Doctrine and Covenants 124:138, which says:

“And again, I give unto you Joseph Young, Josiah Butterfield, Daniel Miles, Henry Herriman, Zera Pulsipher, Levi Hancock, James Foster, to preside over the quorum of seventies.”

Despite the slight difference in the spelling of the name, Zerah Pulsipher is mentioned in this verse as one of the presidents of the quorum of the seventy. Other life accomplishments include serving a mission, on which he baptized Wilford Woodruff, who later went on to become the fourth president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, becoming a patriarch, raising a large family, and co-founding the town of Hebron, Utah with his sons. At one point, he was excommunicated from the Church, but after only a very short time, he was re-baptized and gained full fellowship.

Zerah left his descendants with a detailed account of his life that can easily be found online. His writings are often used in histories of the Church, both religious and secular in nature. One copy of his journal can be found here:

http://www.johnpratt.com/gen/7/z_pulsipher.html

Zerah had a large family. The following is a list of his wives and children.

Mary Randall (1794-1811) was his first wife. They had one child, a daughter, named Harriett (born in 1811).

On 18 August 1815, he married Mary Ann Brown (2 March 1798 or 1799-7 May 1886). Together, they had eleven children: Mary Ann (died as an infant), Iona Almira, Nelson, Mariah, Sarah Ann, John, Charles, Mary Ann, William, Eliza Jane and Fidelia.

On 8 July 1954 he married Prudence McNamara with whom he had no known children.

Finally, he married Martha Ann Hughes (1 July 1843-17 June 1909) on 18 March 1857. They had five children: Mary Elizabeth, Zera James, Sarah Jane and Andrew Milton.

Zerah Pulsipher was buried in Hebron, Utah with members of his family, including his second wife, Mary Ann Brown and his sons John and William.

Because of their prominent roll in the history of Hebron, a special plaque has been posted listing their names (see the second photo).

 

For more information about Hebron, including photos, ward information and history, visit this website:

http://wchsutah.org/towns/hebron.htm