Martin Harris Comes to Utah, 1870

Martin Harris, as an old and destitute man, was found in Kirtland, Ohio, by Latter-day Saint missionaries traveling to and from their missions in the eastern United States and Europe. He eventually returned to Utah and was reunited with his family, who had crossed the plains in the 1850s. Instrumental in bringing Martin back to the Church was Edward Stevenson of Ogden, Utah. Martin arrived in Utah in 1870 and resided in Cache Valley with his son Martin Harris Jr. and family until Martin Sr.’s death in 1875 at age ninety-two.

 

This is an excerpt from the biography Martin Harris: Uncompromising Witness of the Book of Mormon by Susan Easton Black and Larry C. Porter, published in 2018 by BYU Studies. Martin Harris is an important figure in Mormon history because of his supporting role in the translation and publication of the Book of Mormon.