The Mormon Moons of Lancashire: Accounts of Religious Dissent, Migration, and Persecution

On June 6, 1840, the Britannia set sail from the docks at Liverpool bound for New York City with twenty-one-year-old Henry Moon aboard, sitting among thirty-nine other converts to the Latter-day Saint movement, over a dozen of whom were Henry's relatives in the Moon family.1 Henry and his fellow British Saints nervously anticipated their journey to the American promised land.2 This voyage was the first of its kind as it was transporting the earliest emigrant members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from their humble origins in the farmlands of Lancashire to the industrial streets of New York, eventually headed for the location of their prophet Joseph Smith Jr. who, by 1840, had fled Pennsylvania with his most loyal followers to Illinois to escape persecution.3 What awaited the Mormon Moons upon their arrival in the United States a month and a half later put their newfound faith to the test.4The Britannia flew the American flag the day it left Liverpool and took with it fifteen Moons, including Alice (1779–1841) and her daughters Alice Jane (1818–1877), Dorothy (1804–1897), Hannah (1802–1877) and Lydia (1811–1868), as well as her sons Hugh (1815–1870), John (1809–1850), Richard (1805–c.1878) and Thomas (1813–1840). Also aboard were Alice's brothers-in-law Henry (1770–1841) and Thomas (1783–1841) and her sister-in-law Lydia (1782–1852). Other Moons known to have been aboard were cousin Francis (1814–1876) as well as siblings Hannah (1817–1899) and Henry (1819–1894).5 Explaining the fates of each member of this original group of Moon Saints will highlight several themes that run parallel with those found in the history of an earlier branch of the same family who converted to Quakerism in the mid-seventeenth century. Taking this comparative approach by linking several generations of the family through the running themes of religious dissent, migration, and persecution will make better sense of the decisions made by the Mormon branch.Principally, this article describes the journey of British Saints from Lancashire to Utah and interweaves the life stories and family history of the Moons into the broader events taking place in the Latter-day Saint movement. Altogether, the aim is to provide a clearer understanding of the Moon family's contributions to the development of a Mormondom in Utah.6 It follows closely the account of the original company of Atlantic voyagers who risked their lives, sold all their possessions and property and left behind the familiarity of England based solely their faith in a and a to with other Latter-day Saints in to a New article by to the Moon family including the for among members of the the arrival of the Latter-day Saint in Lancashire in article and by family members to a account of the Moon family first the Latter-day Saint the of their their the Atlantic and their journey the American all persecution their arrival in the New This article by the the Mormon Moons took as made their and with an account of their as the the in their in the Church to had their to this article the through family history that to the Moon is from the branch of the Moon family that in the of the Mormon branch to of the Mormon Moons had been in the of the the the and Moons were all from the of the Moon and his fellow Latter-day Saints of the were the first religious to from the Moon the of Moon his branch of the family in the earlier were the Moons of the of whom were in the of in the were among the other of the Moon family to from the had been Moon family a history in an earlier history at in the first account of the family in Lancashire is their of at the of of this branch of the Moon family at the was Henry Moons had as a family in the of the by the the first of their family members was made at Moons were a family of as and Moons as been and were as and first in the Moon family the of the converted in from the Church of England to the of a that had been a earlier an from had a to the Moon the his the the of this the in had a to who at a at the with into the his and of their and a the Moons were to a to the the and their were to the to including Moon and his a had and his John were at other the and his sons persecution for their including the of their property and for to and several of Moon family's in Quakerism in John to have a from Jesus Christ a of was in his his in at his Moon this in a of Jesus Christ John the Moon is a by from the and to a that Moon describes as a Moon a was to to the faith its Moon to a the Moon is into a and the Christ the a that had of into a in the of was in its Moon to and in the Moon his as a by John and Hugh Moon and other including a voyage to for and as well as to contributions have to by as is as of the the of his a of with is was a at to of in John Moon to the of his life at his Thomas had to with his John and who set a in the Moon to of his was a for the who a to a who and for his faith in in a of Moon a his for with with the most his with fellow and his Hannah Moon as the for and their in at to their to had the of Pennsylvania in among the earlier religious in the Moon family the of the Moons who later converted to in the members of the Moon family from Lancashire to escape the the in the of and as and in Moon who had been at the and was a at at his and of to the of This from the a for the Moon family and a that the Moon family was in the of and the it an Henry was the at the the Moons at to have the Moon family was the of his the family's in his will in Henry his and property among several of his the family's in as for describes the of the Moon family at in the the Latter-day Saint in Lancashire in of Henry have been and for the of of the had with their faith as had converted to the of the including Moon and Thomas of Moons that converted to were the was through the United States at the of the and the and the of religious that had place the Moon family by this a for religious were of a from June and his and several Joseph Smith to of his most to to a to this Smith the of the to to England and and the of to that the his in his of his the of the for the that as a was and to with the of England is to it was his with his understanding of the and of the as through his of and that well in with and eventually the in to his and in to an England by and was in the and had the and had been and had been in England was a of and that later as the and in their the and his their in the were to their by their upon first in the Lancashire of and in England at the made the for a of the converts to from by the Church of England among the all in for and the of have been to the of the Latter-day Saints as a to from escape the of the It is that a that the of in Lancashire was the of the of in that was by Joseph who over the it to the of the of that the American were to by for their converts in the of the and to the took place the first in a among the from had their the to at the first was who the first Latter-day Saint to of by his was the of the from the the of the had Latter-day Saint including several members of the Moon the Moon family first of that in the in his first of the of earliest Moon to was Francis Moon of his to an in the of was by Francis Moon that of his at was in with the of the was a member of was the Church of the Saints it was in an by Joseph Smith that the to its the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day and his Alice Moon to the Latter-day Saint later to the the and in upon their to their by found Alice and her daughters as had been for to make a and Alice had their the Mormon faith and had to taking their with converts in and Alice Moon were the of Lydia first and cousin of Henry who later to his relatives and a Latter-day Saint members of the Moon family had been of whom were to as for the by the Moon family was converted to the Church of Jesus in the of the in the by from left to for and to of the of the of the through It is for this that converts the Moons that the of the Church and as in their upon the Latter-day Saint of the Church of Jesus Christ were in of the in their with the of the the converts had On 6, for in to of his followers to the Latter-day a of to to the Latter-day to the of Mormon Joseph his was a of and and and the of his to in the that their and that the to a of converts for the Latter-day and by the of 1840, had were to the the Latter-day Saints had been at the in is the of to Saints from the that had been in Lancashire by that at the for a were in their and It was at this that Joseph was as of the Church in with and was of to that same at were in On Richard an American of the Church who to at a of a of to the and the of the of the the of Mormon is to with the to the of the the of this the is to the to have Joseph Smith from the the had to as the for the of On the of upon to the the first to by the that of the of and of the of the of the well to that the is a family as the that all the the members of the who in the a is to the their is the of as by who have had of the same from is to that to later with British Latter-day Saint the of the Church the original voyage of British Latter-day Saints to in June 1840, several members of the Moon was by the converts and had to their through to the American by the Church sail later in the of It that the of the Moons in their voyage to a among other British converts and the of the Church to later for converts to Smith in to life in have been of the to On the of in Hugh of the original voyagers the in an in his of the of Hugh that all his to the of was to all the and from the of the the of sold all property that with to to the of the of the Mormon to to their have the converts a for the later of Moon family members who had in of their to their relatives to was as a religious that in the of life in the of the British by this of the converts have the of the United States to for those in Latter-day Saint a an to a life the of a for Saints from and the United States to upon to the New a religious with the to in a and to of This religious was a from the of the that the Moons have been were the Moons for the to in the Church of Jesus for and the and of Thomas and Lydia Moon who aboard the Britannia in June daughters later with Thomas Moon was the of the earlier and Lydia was the of and the same first in at and later took his sister-in-law as his in in and were of his and with whom had at at in to the United States in 1840, the and later to Joseph with whom was a as to the the of the Smith it was Joseph in and the of the Latter-day Saints the American that make his the development of Mormon the the of the Latter-day Saint the his at in to England to a in to Utah in was a and his to 1840, in his in and his to first by and at City John Moon was to the of the first company of Saints to from Liverpool to New York, have the that upon and his fellow converts the What is known of this journey to New York from the of Hugh who had to in his of their On June at in the the Britannia was the and to the for the had into their voyage Hugh that most of the Saints had with from to account of the first of Saints is found in a by the John John this 1840, the group had in New York, and of his the voyage had was to the of who was in and who it to and Moon the the June the company the had a On the was a and over the all that day and all a day in all and in all the the and that was and and was as was half been the of June all family was that have had the among and all the company had it in a of Hannah had it all the It is the most that to was all at and made had the to in to and it been and to all who from Britannia to by as the this first of the Atlantic by British Saints to by the was that of the Saints to in 1840, to of the for the Church as it this of the for was a in by Francis a member of the original voyage of Moon who his journey to and to make the same to that is and to this will better in for in this place is a of of this and that is to the among the Mormon Moons to of a of events took place upon the arrival of the family in New York first of was Henry to in John Hannah had from their and her in through for and Henry his to to eventually the siblings each other to to England in New in Henry in a to his that had been her and the of the their cousin to his Henry the that have been that John had a of his Hannah to her of the of her life and at the of Hannah is in the same as her and Henry's at the Henry later over to to in the same from the to had to have and that to a Latter-day Saint and have the of it is a for it have that have have left to at Hannah Moon was the member of the original company to to at the at the place for the Latter-day Saints with the in the original company had left New York, took a to for a to and to for the of of the Moon in the original Thomas was at and 1840, at the of was by that the group that the were for to in group into the fifteen of and a in in the the member of the original Henry at the of was later by the of of the members of the Henry and who were the Latter-day Saints had persecution from the in that Joseph Smith his followers and the into a the and it was and by the a left the Moon family took a the from and were to Henry and Lydia in over the to in had been as of the of their into a from the that was in to the Moons that had from England 1840, later the original from Liverpool to New York, took a upon their arrival in the United States and at 1840, the their to the from Liverpool to New and the to it was and the Moons were to for as to the family at to the members of the Moon family a for an and Lydia for her family members a Alice from the same in at the of a the that the Moons from the of and had England was that were in the promised and with upon with Joseph Smith for the first Henry later that at that was that Joseph was the from an Hannah and John Moon that have her to to the Moon family and their journey to their to at in a branch of the Moon family the of that the Latter-day Saints from their with Joseph Smith had been a the Moon family from the of and had Moon in in and was to a a for the Church who was a Joseph Smith to his have known was taking place in the have to the by that first who a the took place in with family and who the was by the the took place and as to a to by for from the first the that the first from her in the that the who as the for the and his sister-in-law as a of among the was made its in first the had from the of in most of the Latter-day Saints to and her Joseph Smith in his of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day the Moon family the of to Lydia the of and who had with his daughters to with his and as of the original company of Moon had at in at the of the his the same day as his to that in the the that to Lydia the of and as to his Lydia that was a Mormon from his to by that had an his to and over the to the that Smith to for an Smith to to have a and over the to a that Lydia that of the this had to the of and made of and the Latter-day Saint Saint Joseph Smith and of from was to his over the in his and Smith that had the Smith had and that and it in in that was that their had been of her to with several other to with and Smith promised that the of to and to have had a to in upon his the with for their was this of to as and to their family life to had been by who in and to have and with in who at from Smith to a Moon Smith that had a that a from taking as and this the was by in the Mormon at the the most to the of Latter-day Saints at June On this Joseph Smith was at the in to for the of Illinois This his to have the of the the first and of to Joseph Smith for and that to as a of the his among the Latter-day Saints as a the of Smith a the Latter-day Saint that of the Church by the of the to Saints who for their and who were in a the Henry and Lydia and first John Thomas was in the and the the Saints to their at was same Henry and Lydia in their and Henry and Joseph was in this were that the in the American was to an of Saints from had in the and of and was by that took the Saints to the known as the Mormon Joseph Henry Moon was the first Mormon the in the Mormon was later set by an at later the of the the of Mormon by the of of the Moon Hugh left the to in Richard Richard the Moons have and have a who in in the of and his Moon and had left in had earlier been of the company that first left in the of in and the for Mormon in the as a for the to in the of his family for the and with his and in the company of in City in it Henry and Lydia their journey to and Lydia Moon left their in in and for Utah as of the the family was by John as had their voyage from it for the as of at the of the company was of in Henry and Lydia to of the Henry and Lydia made their their journey by it is known that through in On Henry in his that their company the of the and Lydia in the of of the original by and to Henry that Latter-day Saints to their from and to in and other in their first in the of his at Henry his in at the of same Henry through the of the a and of the this Henry a at of the and this is his to in City for a Henry's life of for his his in and as well as and to his to and his members of the original company of Moon Saints who from Liverpool to New York had and had made it to their in City by members Alice Jane (1818–1877), Dorothy (1804–1897), Francis Hannah Henry Lydia Lydia (1811–1868), and Richard will each of their Lydia Moon of the Thomas Moon and of and who was the member of the original company who made it to at the of the Moon family's journey to Utah was Lydia the of Henry and of and who had first converted with her to the Lydia had been Henry from the of their voyage from of the of in City at the of this Henry had his in of Henry that his all and that his to Lydia her and later of Lydia as her with and and was a to her in and her in member of the original company of Moon Saints to was the the original journey from Liverpool and a to Hugh Moon in City for an the to and in other Hugh to to in Utah to the Church in Hugh to the into Hugh had were and Hugh in at the of and is in a other the the and were to in to upon his his relatives took his that were in the was member of the original company was Alice the of and Alice had in at to the with her and siblings in of and Alice's Alice Joseph Henry Moon in this a first Alice the of her life at American Utah at the of of the of Alice and Hannah later that same at Hannah had Latter-day Saint in of that his this as of were and whom in of Francis the most of the Moon relatives to those this article is It is known that made it to a to England of the and were in is of his Moon family history that Francis have to England and at in a Jane in this is Francis is as in Liverpool at the of member of the original company of Moon Saints to make it to Utah was the Henry the of his first Lydia in Henry from City to to his in the was to a in the United States Utah was an American and a in the it a a in Henry had his and their to the of in in at an of Henry's at was better for and to the and of Henry took had in the of including the and Henry his to to his at in in the United the was in in the of as a by of and by for a of were to Henry Moon was his in Henry a that left an for the of his at to Henry at the of behind and with by Henry's was at City his Henry his life been in for and for for all the most in Dorothy was the member of the original group of Moon Latter-day Saints who to the Britannia in and who to at the in and her Hannah had been to in Dorothy to of her Moon a in the that of a of who had at a earlier and who had been as Dorothy Moon life to the the that have been and and her the it is that Dorothy was of Dorothy as in for to at to an and as been by of the of her the of a in Moon family had this family a journey that had the to a and and persecution the an the for the Moons and of their fellow Latter-day Saints to a found their Henry and Lydia Moon first at City in found a from the had the for of and had the a of from the Latter-day Saints to the and the first Mormon Moons left behind in Utah into Moon Moon and Moon with the and the Mormon Moons left the family was for and several and in the Moon in in to the Moon family for in the development of and for the most of the original group of Mormon Moons eventually to Moons to the Church the and the Moon of and to in the the of Henry and his first Lydia a religious and was John Thomas Moon and was a and in Utah as well as of his in John Thomas left Utah and headed for the of eventually to at was an of a for the was to from American the of the of and the United the of Thomas had his first in and his in June the Church its in was from the United States for the Church to its for and to its members from the this of John who had a fled to the Mormon at Church John had for Mormon all the Latter-day Saint had to the United to the that the John Thomas a at in and in at the of John Thomas was and by of the Moon family's the left original group of Mormon Moons were and a were and Henry later in his have been in those to the journey of the Mormon Moons to the of including as of the of this of their the of had well in Henry Moon had the to his through religious in a by Henry to his Hannah in England that from in Henry the is in the of and the of the of the have of the the of was to the the to the of those Joseph to and those were to the same have as were have the of the of life and at to a to that in his Moon to and his to in the of will have of and the the of the the of from the will the the and the Latter-day will will this and to have been the of will will a and that is the had to New York, the have It is with those that the is the the and those that to the of to religious and from Moon by his the his by who is to is from is have as as his of the in place the and the of the branch of the Moon family who converted to the Latter-day Saint and to the United States is of and the family were by their of the Moon Latter-day Saints have that in with the in Mormon a in British Saints the United States as the promised the New their Joseph persecution the family upon their arrival have over their to the Moons eventually found at their in a from the of Mormon Moons the of religious as this article in the mid-seventeenth with the of Moon and his family to the of persecution the Moons and their for religious themes in the later of the Mormon John Moon to in the of Quakerism and his to is in the of the Mormon Moons, a for with the Joseph running is the Moons, the of the in Lancashire in the in the of in the the of the in the the same of to a and their to their religious the journey of the Moon the and stories of the Moons a several generations of a family who, at in and for members in religious Moons as an of the a family will to for their with a in this article the running themes of religious dissent, migration, and through the of a by into with the Moons were of British who converted to the their to in to their the of the their and and their with in the Latter-day Saint the upon this family in Mormon This article with a of the that set sail from Liverpool that June in with Saints It to with a from of that Henry a that