“As [the mob] passed through the branch at the Blue, they swore that if the people were not off by the time they returned at night, they would massacre the whole of them.” — John Corrill¹

In the summer of 1833, the Saints in Missouri faced increasing hostility from local mobs. Emily Partridge witnessed one of her family's haystacks set on fire, marking the escalating violence against the Saints. The Saints taught Native Americans, baptized Black people, and were generally opposed to slavery. They were also buying land in Jackson County, which the Lord had declared to be the location of Zion. These actions, as well as their increasing numbers, led to heightened tensions with the residents of Jackson County.² Samuel Lucas (a county judge and colonel in the militia) and other town leaders, fearing the Saints' influence, organized efforts to expel them. Mobs attacked homes, destroyed property, and threatened lives. Church leaders, including Edward Partridge, signed a pledge to leave Jackson County by spring to avoid further violence. Despite these efforts, mobs continued to terrorize the Saints, ultimately driving them from the county. After fleeing from Jackson County, many of the Saints found refuge in neighboring Clay County.³

1. The Evening and Morning Star, January 1834

2. Saints, Volume 1, Chapter 16, 171-179; Bruce A. Van Orden, “Terror In Jackson County,” We'll Sing and We'll Shout: The Life and Times of W. W. Phelps, 99, rsc.byu.edu

3. Saints, Volume 1, Chapter 17, 182-193