”As an honest man, conscientiously bound to walk in the best and clearest light I saw, I resolved to be baptized into the new religion. Hence, I attended the Saints' meeting in Kirtland, Sunday, October 30, 1831, and offered myself a candidate for baptism, which was administered to me by the hands of Elder Sidney Rigdon.” — Orson Hyde1
Orson Hyde, born in Oxford, Connecticut, moved to Kirtland, Ohio, in 1819.2 Initially joining the Methodist church, he later affiliated with the reformed Baptists before being baptized into the Church by Sidney Rigdon in October 1831.2 Hyde was ordained a high priest by Oliver Cowdery and served multiple missions,2 and in 1832, Orson Hyde was also given a blessing by Joseph Smith where he was told he would travel to Jerusalem.3
He attended the organizational meeting of the School of the Prophets in January 1833, where he was appointed to teach. Despite limited formal education, Hyde was a quick learner with a good memory. He taught spiritual lessons, history, grammar, and arithmetic at the School of the Prophets.4
By 1835, Hyde was also called called as an apostle.2
