Elam Ludington

Elam Luddington, Jr. (also spelled Ludington) (November 23, 1806 – March 22, 1893) was a Mormon pioneer and was the first missionary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) to preach in Thailand.

Luddington was born in Harwinton, Connecticut to Elam Luddington, Sr. and Lena Monger. Luddington traveled to Nauvoo and met Joseph Smith, Jr. in the winter of 1840. On May 16 of that year, he was baptized by Smith into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. He was ordained as an Elder that fall, and shortly thereafter Luddington and Eli G. Terrill were assigned as missionaries to the city of New Orleans (making them among the first Mormon missionaries to proselyte in the state of Louisiana). Luddington spent nearly three years in New Orleans. In June 1844, Joseph Smith and his brother, Hyrum Smith, requested that he travel as a missionary to Quincy, Illinois, in order to gather funds for the completion of the Nauvoo Temple.

After Joseph Smith's death, Luddington followed the leadership of Brigham Young and the remaining members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. In September 1844 Luddington returned briefly to New Orleans together with Theodore Turley per Young's request, though this excursion to Louisiana lasted only 29 days. When he returned to Nauvoo, Luddington was ordained as a High Priest. In January 1845 Luddington was sent on his third mission with William Hyde as his companion, to visit the Saints in Mississippi and encourage them to gather at Nauvoo. They fulfilled their objective in less than two months and returned to Nauvoo.

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