Welcome Chapman
| Welcome Chapman | |
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| Born |
July 24, 1805 Readsboro, Vermont |
| Died | December 9, 1893 (aged 88) Fountain Green, Utah |
| Known for | Leader of Sanpete Mormon Colony 1854–1862 |
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Welcome Chapman (July 24, 1805 – December 9, 1893) was an early Mormon leader born in Readsboro, Vermont. Chapman was the leader of the Mormon settlers in Manti, Utah, from 1854 to 1862, and helped broker peace between the settlers and Chief Wakara's tribe.
Chapman was born in 1805 in Readsboro, Vermont, four miles down the river from fellow Mormon leader Brigham Young. He apprenticed as a stonemason in his early teens, but because his parents deemed him "sickly," they leveraged a relative's connections to secure him a position as cook on a fishing boat. He worked both in the North Atlantic and on Lake Champlain. The time at sea reportedly improved his health.
In between fishing expeditions he met Susan Amelia Risley (1807–1888), daughter of a prominent Madison County (New York) couple. They disapproved of the relationship because they believed his occupation was too unstable to support a family. In response, Chapman abandoned fishing and took steps toward returning to stone cutting. The Risleys relented, and Chapman married "Amelia" in about 1831.
The Chapmans made their home in a hamlet known as Hubbardsville in Madison County, where they had four children, all daughters. The first two were twins who died in infancy.
While in Hubbardsville, they joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. First Welcome joined, to which Amelia reacted harshly, declaring "You have went and joined those awful Mormons." However, she joined the church about six months later.
Because they joined the Mormons, an unpopular religion, their friends and neighbors shunned them and appeared to look down on them, the prominence of Amelia's parents notwithstanding.
The Risleys were broken-hearted over their daughter joining the Mormons, but they did not turn bitter. However, Welcome's parents disowned him. The Chapmans soon moved to a Latter Day Saint community, possibly Kirtland, Ohio, but more likely Jackson County and then Far West, Missouri.
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