”‘Wait a little while; what is the doctrine of the book, and of the revelations the Lord has given? Let me apply my heart to them;‘ and after I had done this, I considered it to be my right to know for myself, as much as any man on earth” — Brigham Young1
Brigham Young (born on June 1, 1801, in Whitingham, Vermont, to John Young and Abigail [Nabby] Howe), was raised in a Methodist household. In 1804, his family moved to Sherburne, Chenango County, New York. He married Miriam Angeline Works on October 8, 1824. At various points throughout his life, Brigham worked as a carpenter, painter, and glazier.2
Brigham's initial encounter with the Church came through his sister Rhoda and her husband John, who were introduced to the Book of Mormon by Samuel Smith. After a spiritual confirmation of the book's truth, Rhoda shared it with her family, including Brigham and his friend Heber Kimball.3 Brigham was baptized into the Church by Eleazer Miller in Mendon, Monroe County, New York, between April 9 and 15, 1832.2
Following his baptism, Brigham served missions in New York and Upper Canada from 1832 to 1833. In 1833, he migrated to Kirtland, Geauga County, Ohio. About a month after Joseph Smith and Newel K. Whitney returned to Ohio from New York City, Brigham, then thirty-one years old, arrived in Kirtland with his older brother, Joseph, and Heber Kimball. Eager to meet the prophet Joseph Smith, Brigham sought to discern his character firsthand. They found Joseph engaged in chopping firewood in a forest. Brigham was impressed by Joseph's humility, hard work, and friendliness, and felt assured that Joseph was indeed a prophet of God.4
