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ORSON HYDE –
The Olive Branch of
Israel
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By Myrtle Stevens Hyde SEE
PHOTOS
List Price - $29.95
Imitation Leather Hard Cover 6.5 x 9.5
640p
16 Photos 12 Maps 20p Index. Notes Section.
Bibliography.
Agreka™ Books ISBN 1-888106-71-9 Library of Congress
99-067645
About
The Author Preface Table
of Contents About Orson Hyde
Excerpts
Journal of Mormon History Review Excerpt (7 page
review). Fall 2001. By Gary James Bergera.
" Myrtle Stevens Hyde's new biography of founding LDS
apostle Orson Hyde. . .is a worthy successor to, and in some ways surpasses,
such predecessors as George Q. Cannon's biography of Joseph Smith, Matthias
Cowley's biography of Wilford Woodruff, and Orson F. Whitney's biography of
Heber C. Kimball. The writing is clear, the organization straightforward, the
scope comprehensive, the tone reverential, the analysis charitable, and the
illustrations helpful. What we are left with at the end of the author's massive
devotional study is a portrait of a strong-willed, deeply spiritual man who
sacrificed greatly for the building of God's new kingdom, yet who remained
haunted throughout his life by his "betrayal" of the Saints during the
darkest days of their sojourn in Missouri in the late 1830s...."
Calvin R. Stephens, faculty member, Jerusalem Center for Near
Eastern Studies– "Myrtle Hyde–after twenty years of research. . .has
produced a comprehensive biography on . . .one of the great men in our time. .
.helping the reader to more fully understand the history of the Mormon Church. .
. .Among many happenings, the book details Orson Hyde’s activities of October
24, 1841, when one of the pivotal events in this dispensation took place on the
Mount of Olivet overlooking the city of Jerusalem. He dedicated the land for the
return of the Jews in preparation for the coming of the Messiah to them. Through
the biography we see Orson as a mortal man who at times struggled, but more
importantly we see him as a mighty apostle helping to move the Kingdom of God
forward."
Using facts, details and personal experiences never before in print, Myrtle
Hyde, the Hyde family genealogist and a Fellow of the American Society of
Genealogists, has used an array of fascinating unpublished diaries, letters,
notes, documents, reports, articles, speeches and letters to present a real-life
depiction of Orson Hyde. The records reveal Orson Hyde to be a remarkable
individual. He received esteem in many roles, among them apostle, teacher,
missionary, orator, scriptorian, journalist, editor, lawyer, judge, statesman,
colonizer, and administrator; also as the husband of eight wives, the father of
thirty-three children, a friend of mankind, and a servant of God.
Orson Hyde, engraving, 1853. Courtesy of Virginia Woolley
Quealy.
(Click photo for full image)
Orson Hyde was chosen as an original member of the
Council of the Twelve in 1835, when the Mormon Church first organized this
governing body. Orson's most well-known accomplishment was as a
Mormon missionary to Jerusalem (1840-1842) to dedicate the land for the return
of the Jews. Because his words have proved prophetic in the many decades since
his entreaty, a peaceful garden on the Mount now honors him and his
supplication. In 1979 civil authorities in Jerusalem invited the development of
a five-acre hillside garden, in honor of Orson Hyde. It contains a harmony of
trees, shrubs, and flowers growing beside meandering paths and a restful rock
grotto. Here people sense a spiritual quietude.
Participating in the Mormon drama of crossing the
plains in the U.S. several times and settling the West, Orson was a colonizing
leader in western Iowa, also in what became western Nevada, and in central Utah.
He was a major figure in Utah's Black Hawk Indian War (1865-1872).
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Myrtle Stevens Hyde is esteemed as a genealogical
scholar and writer, is a Contributing Editor to The American Genealogist, and in
1989 was elected a Fellow of the American Society of Genealogists. She has had
numerous articles published in national genealogical journals. This is her
second published biography. The first, in conjunction with Everett L. Cooley,
The Life of Andrew Wood Cooley, A Story of Convention, received excellent
reviews. She and her physician husband (who is descended from Orson Hyde's
second cousin) are parents of seven children.
PREFACE
Great Salt Lake City, Utah Territory, 1855. (A sketch by Frederick Piercy
in his Route from Liverpool to Great Salt Lake Valley.)
(click photo for full image)
An event in 1841 inspired the creation of this book.
That year, red-haired Orson Hyde, from America, trod a pebbled path up the Mount
of Olives, gazed upon the golden city of Jerusalem, and prayed. He offered his
prayer by mandate, authority, and guidance from the Almighty, beseeching that
divine powers would operate to again make the "Promised Land" fruitful
and to bring her children home. Because his words have proved prophetic in the
many decades since his entreaty, a peaceful garden on the Mount now honors him
and his supplication.
Civil authorities in Jerusalem invited the development
of this five-acre hillside garden. During the planning I was asked, as the Hyde
family genealogist, to assist in gathering contributions. The generosity of
thousands of donors assured the completion of the park in 1979. It contains a
harmony of trees, shrubs, and flowers growing beside meandering paths and a
restful rock grotto. Here people sense a spiritual quietude.
After I learned of the plan for the garden, the idea
developed regarding a book about Orson Hyde. The purpose of the book should be
to acquaint the Jews with him and his beliefs, that they might understand the
devout faith that gave him the courage to leave his home and family in the
United States and travel for a year and a half, with limited means, to far-away
Jerusalem.
Before starting the project, however, for the next two
years I enjoyed the privilege of assisting the Orson Hyde Foundation raise a
million dollars for the garden. I devoted forty to fifty hours each week helping
organize and carry out the campaign. As this venture neared achievement, I began
earnest research for the book.
While seeking the pieces of Orson Hyde's story,
insightful and fascinating information emerged in extraordinary scope. The
scattered notes, documents, reports, articles, speeches, letters, and books, by
and about this man, are from a unique missionary and pioneering time. Retrieving
them from their resting places has brought soul-stirring rewards.
The records reveal Orson Hyde to be a remarkable
individual. He received esteem in many roles, among them apostle, teacher,
missionary, orator, scriptorian, journalist, editor, lawyer, judge, statesman,
colonizer, and administrator; also as the husband of eight wives, the father of
thirty-three children, a friend of mankind, and a servant of God.
The contrasts in Orson Hyde's life were more broad than
most mortals experience, from the devastating to the sublime. Faltering at
times, he rallied, stronger for the ordeals. Other obstacles that he overcame,
put by life in his path, increased his already great courage. Shafts of distress
occasionally brought chasms of anguish. Exquisite pinnacles of communication
with heavenly realms, on the other hand, brought supreme elation. Wrapped
together in cadence, the blows and the spiritual sustenance polished him into
one of the solid foundation stones of the Lord's work on earth. Unconcerned for
wealth or for praise to himself, he gave his all for the benefit of Israel—in
his own time—and in time to come.
In striving to depict on the printed page the essence
of his life, I have been absorbed for countless willing hours studying and
learning and writing and re-writing. Family and friends have encouraged.
Librarians, archivists, and historians have been courteous and helpful.
Teacher-writer Charles W. (Bill) Stuart, was abundantly generous with his time,
knowledge, and patience during three years of consultation before his death in
1985. All along, with Orson I have laughed, and I have wept. I love him.
In the interest of historical accuracy when quoting
original material, any modifications are mentioned in the Notes. Orson
occasionally used underlining to make a point, and I have preserved that in
quotations. Here is Orson Hyde's story. —Myrtle Stevens Hyde
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Preface
PART ONE
1. . . a marvellous work and a wonder. . . .
2. . . saints [and] walk. . . .
3. . . prepare. . . .
4. . . to Zion . . . a wife . . . witnesses. . . .
5. . . Elijah. . . .
6. . . nations, and isles afar off. . . .
7. . . sorrow. . . .
8. . . toward Jerusalem. . . .
9. . . he shall come and pray. . . .
PART TWO
10. . . Martha and Mary. . . .
11. . . many things. . . .
12. . . foundation of apostles. . . .
13. . . labours, journeyings. . . .
14. . . gold. . . .
15. . . deserts and mountains. . . .
16. . . gain and loss. . . .
17. . . went our way. . . .
PART THREE
18. . . build. . . .
19. . . westward. . . .
20. . . Israel among the Gentiles. . . .
21. . . edifying and chastisement. . . .
22. . . increase. . . .
23. . . afflictions. . . .
24. . . no more thine enemy. . . .
25. . . daily walk. . . .
26. . . unto the end. . . .
Appendix One: Was Orson Hyde a Jew?
Appendix Two: Location of Hyde Park in Iowa
Appendix Three: Orson Hyde's Estate
Appendix Four: Wives
Acknowledgments
Bibliographical Essay
Abbreviations
Notes
Selected Bibliography
Index
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MAPS & ILLUSTRATIONS
MAPS
United States.
Orson Hyde signature.
Places of consequence to Orson Hyde 1819–1831.
Part of the north area of Kirtland, Ohio.
Orson’s 1832 mission with Samuel H. Smith.
Zion’s Camp.
Missouri and Illinois places significant to Orson 1838–1839.
Jerusalem and environs.
Nauvoo and environs.
The Council Bluffs area.
Kanesville.
PHOTOS
Marinda Nancy Johnson Hyde.
Newell K. Whitney Store.
Jerusalem.
Orson’s portable desk.
Mary Ann Price Hyde.
Hyde home in Nauvoo.
Joseph Smith with Church Leaders in Nauvoo.
Hyde home in Kanesville.
Kanesville.
Orson Hyde’s newspaper.
Orson Hyde, probably 1851 or 1852.
Orson Hyde, 1853.
Hyde home in Great Salt Lake City.
Great Salt Lake City, 1855.
Plot of Genoa.
Orson Hyde letter, 1856.
Ann Eliza Vickers Hyde.
Julia Thomene Reinert Hyde.
Elisabeth Josephine Gallier Hyde.
Hyde log home in Spring City.
Sophia Margaret Lyon Hyde.
Hyde rock home in Spring City.
Orson Hyde, older.
Salt Lake City.
Genoa and Wassau (Washoe) Valley area.
Sanpete Valley and area.
Black Hawk War area south of Sanpete Valley.
Spring City.
England, Europe, the Holy Land, and Egypt
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ABOUT ORSON HYDE
Orson Hyde lived in a unique missionary and pioneering
time. Born in Connecticut in 1805, he was orphaned at age seven, traveled to
Ohio on foot at age fourteen, eventually earned his own education, and became an
eloquent preacher for the Campbellites. After a period he found Mormonism and
remained, except for a few episodes, a faithful member.
A many-faceted life became his. He served missions in
Ohio, the eastern states, Missouri, New England, England twice, and Jerusalem.
He recorded the drama of his year and a half journey to Jerusalem and his
actions there. He did praiseworthy work as an editor in both England and Iowa.
His legal work in 1850 brought him admittance, "as an Attorney and
Counsellor at law, to practice in the several Courts of Iowa." A President
of the United States nominated him as a Supreme Court Judge for Utah Territory.
During gold-rush excitement his colonizing leadership met success in what became
Council Bluffs, Iowa. He encountered high adventure while crossing the plains
five times, by horse and by wagon. He also colonized in Carson County (Utah,
later Nevada), and became famous for a curse he afterward pronounced upon a
valley. As a leader and colonizer in Sanpete County (Utah), he was a major
figure in Utah's Black Hawk Indian War. Though deeply devoted to his wives and
children, he was required to leave them numerous times, often in difficult
circumstances.
The contrasts in Orson Hyde's life were more broad than
most mortals experience, from the devastating to the sublime. Faltering at
times, he rallied, stronger for the ordeals. Other obstacles that he overcame,
put by life in his path, increased his already great courage. Shafts of distress
occasionally brought chasms of anguish. Exquisite pinnacles of communication
with heavenly realms, on the other hand, brought supreme elation. Wrapped
together in cadence, the blows and the spiritual sustenance polished him into
one of the solid foundation stones of the Lord's work on earth. Unconcerned for
wealth or for praise to himself, he gave his all for the benefit of Israel—in
his own time—and in time to come.
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