Lyman Wight and the Mormons on the Texas Frontier
These last few weeks have brought to the nation’s attention the sect of polygamous fundamentalist Mormons in the arid and wide-open spaces of West Texas. Some of course see the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints as something foreign, not of Texas. The group led by the imprisoned Warren Jeffs did in part move to Eldorado, Texas from the Arizona/Utah border, but it is not the first time Texas has had experience with polygamous sects of Mormons within its borders. In the mid-1840s, a band of Mormons ventured to the Republic of Texas in order to fulfill their slain leader’s wishes of establishing a presence in the area.
Why did these Mormons come to Texas? How did they affect the people and the area? The roots of the Mormons history in Texas is found in the Mormons’ search for a home for their people in their early years. The Mormons found themselves on the move every few years throughout their early existence, often the result of persecution and conflict with their neighbors. From New York, to Ohio, then to Missouri, the early Mormons never settled long anywhere and plans to settle somewhere in peace was often in the thoughts of Joseph Smith.
Joseph Smith’s interest in Texas was born of this pattern of frustration. While a man of many plans for his followers, some of his most ambitious plans dealt with the Republic of Texas. First, he planned to run for President of the United States on a platform of Texas annexation. Secondly, Smith wanted to form an army to patrol the Texas and Oregon frontiers. Lastly, a plan was in the works for Smith to move the main body of Mormons to the Texas/Mexico border in order to establish an independent state. But why had Smith so desired to ally his desires for the future of his clan to the fledgling Texas Republic?
For one, the opportunities for the Mormons in Texas were of great interest for Smith. At the time, Texas was looking for emigrants to settle the frontier, largely in part to help populate the more desolate areas of the region and to be more ably to claim the areas from Mexico, with whom the young Republic was still sparring with for control of the lands west and south of San Antonio. Joseph Smith had sent a Mormon ambassador to Texas to meet with Sam Houston over the possibility of a Mormon community south of the Nueces River, in what was then disputed territory between Texas and Mexico. This territory could be a place for Mormons to create their Kingdom of God and be more able to live their lives as they felt best, without persecution.
The Mormons also felt that being in proximity with Native Americans and Mexicans would be less confrontational than their history living among Americans in New York, Ohio, Missouri and Illinois. Their plans to live at the frontier of Anglo settlement in Texas was in part born out of the more friendly relationship Mormons had with Native Americans and Mexicans of the day. Besides feeling a spiritual connection to the Native Americans of Texas, they also felt that the Mexicans played a special part in Mormon spirituality. The Mormons felt that Mexicans were in fact Lamanites, one of the four main tribes presented in the Book of Mormon. The prospect of living in a territory to practice Mormonism freely, being the neighbors of their possibly conversion-friendly Native Americans and Mexicans, and creating the Mormon Kingdom of God resonated mightily with Smith. Now, plans were needed to start the move to Texas from Nauvoo, Illinois.
Joseph Smith’s man for the job of making the initial trek to Texas to settle Mormons was Lyman Wight. Lyman Wight was an early convert to Mormonism. He had been born in Fairfield, Connecticut in 1796, and as a teenager served in the War of 1812. Later he and his wife settled in Cuyahoga County, Ohio and joined the communitarian movement of Sydney Rigdon. Wight formed a communal sect called “the Family” in the pattern of Rigdon in which members shared all possessions based on a common-stock economy. These communal Rigdonites and Wightites converted as a whole once Mormon missionaries brought to them the message of Joseph Smith Jr. Rigdon became one of Joseph Smith’s primary advisors in this early era of Mormon history, and Lyman Wight became a known and trusted friend of Smith. As an indication of Wight’s standing in the early church, Smith (as prophet) ordained Wight as the first high priest, who in turn then ordained Smith to the high priesthood. Joseph Smith would call on Lyman Wight again and again to take care of some of the most important business of the church to come.
Lyman Wight went on to become an effective missionary, and later a respected Mormon militia captain. Wight was ordered to go to Jackson County, Missouri in order to prepare a gathering place for the Mormons, in what eventually was named the Mormon Garden of Eden and place of Christ’s return. This strong millennial spirit followed Mormonism through its various locations, as the members of the sect sought to make a kingdom of God on earth in preparation of Christ’s millennial reign. Wight became a firm believer of the prominence of Jackson County’s role in Mormon spirituality, and organized a Mormon militia to better able defend Mormons in the area. Interestingly though at the same time Wight also became the leader of the Missouri state militia in the region, at conflict with his Mormon calling to military leadership. This eventually led to conflict, with the Mormon militia battling the Missouri militia in what became known as the Mormon War.
After the war, Wight and Smith spent time in jail together, yet were allowed to escape. They fled to Nauvoo, Illinois where Smith continued his work on building the Mormon community there. Wight had been ordained as an apostle in the sect in 1841, among other roles of leadership in the community. As the town of Nauvoo grew, naturally more lumber was needed to build houses, buildings and the new temple. Smith sent Wight to the pinewoods of Wisconsin to the north to set up milling operations to send lumber down the river to Nauvoo. During this time, Wight began to be edged out of his internal position among the inner circle mainly due to his being away for months at a time. Also, the twelve Mormon apostles were sent on a mission trip to England, but Wight stayed behind on other business, further excluding him from bonding with the Mormon leadership. It was also during this time spent between Nauvoo and Wisconsin that Smith inducted Wight and the other apostles into the secretive practice of polygamy. Between working the mills on the Black River in Wisconsin, and canvassing the nation in support of Smith’s potential run for President of the United States in 1844, Lyman Wight played a central role in the success and growth of the Mormons.
In 1844, a few months before his death, Joseph Smith shared his plan with Wight to settle in Texas a place for Mormons to eventually form their own independent state. Wight would lead a Mormon expedition of settlement to Texas after the lumber season, and as soon as the Mormon ambassador Woodsworth returned from Texas with a signed treaty. Smith then gave Wight a seer stone and sent him on a mission to the Atlantic seaboard. It was the last time Wight would see Smith alive. In June 1844, Joseph Smith was killed in jail. Wight felt moved to complete his mission in Texas to honor his prophet’s wishes.
With the death of Smith, the Mormon community was without its charismatic leadership it had grown under for the previous 14 years. Wight returned to Wisconsin to wrap up his duties in the milling towns for the season, while a crisis of succession brewed at Nauvoo. Two things here contributed to Wight’s course for Texas in addition to his will of carrying out Smith’s final instructions. The first is that during his numerous months away from Nauvoo, Wight had lost his privileged position as a member of the inner circle. Not was he bonded with the other apostles that undertook the mission trip to England. Secondly, his close band among the lumber mills and towns in Wisconsin had more or less become a Wight settlement in their own right. As Brigham Young rose to prominence in Nauvoo, Wight’s strong opinions clashed with Young’s attempts at consolidating power. Wight supported the cause, which felt that Joseph Smith’s son, Joseph Smith III should become the rightful heir to his father. This conflict over who should lead the church along with Young’s underestimating Wight’s desire to go to Texas was bound to cause a split.
As things continued to deteriorate for Wight at Nauvoo, he decided that his position as one of the premier elders of the church meant that he alone could act independently of the current Mormon leadership. Wight prepared his communities along the rivers and woods of Wisconsin, and set out for Texas in March of 1845. Wight and his followers, about 150 organized into twenty-one households, began the trek down the Mississippi, through Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, and Indian Territory. In the first weeks of November, the Wightites crossed into Texas and wintered in Grayson County. Wight and his band had entered the Republic of Texas, but by the time they struck winter camp, the republic had ceased to be. On January 1st, Texas became the 28th state of the Union.
By the end of April they were on the move again, crossing the Trinity River on April 30th, and fording the Brazos River in Falls County a few days after. On the 6th of June 1846, the settled approximately four miles north of Austin. Within a few weeks they set up a water-powered mill at the foot of Mt. Bonnell. The mill was the first industrial business in the area and soon began grinding corn for the locals. The mill also allowed the manufacture of chairs, tables, wooden dishes and other articles, which surely helped the Austinites’ opinion of this communalistic sect. The Wightites worked in the construction trade as well, building several new homes in the capitol, as well as the new jail. The Mormons largely kept to themselves, though they did preach among the locals. The Austin Texas Democrat reported that Elder Lyman Wight had lectured on the Book of Mormon and the role of the Native Americans in the new land. The polygamy of the Mormons in Austin seemed to have been kept fairly quiet, for Wight and his followers commanded respect and admiration. Wight was described by a local Methodist minister as a dark-bearded and black headed-man, standing well over six feet tall and weighing over 200 pounds. Wight wore polished black boots a black hat and kept two pistols holstered at his sides. Wight was often called to address the state senate when in town and was well received by the governor and senators. Though they were seemingly well liked, Wight soon sent a party to scout for a place to move which was further west, possibly to more ably practice their unique familial system.
After approaching the German immigrants in Gillespie County, Wight set out for their new home in the early part of 1847. The Mormons settled approximately three miles east of Fredericksburg on the Pedernales River, naming the new settlement Zodiac. They again built a mill, serving the local German immigrant community, as well as the soldiers stationed at Fort Martin Scott. The Comanches under chief Buffalo Hump also traded with the Mormons, both benefiting from the peace treated enacted between the German settlers and the Comanche tribe. The Mormons lived well, and began to fill positions in the government, of the population of the county. By 1851 though, the Wightites were on the move yet again.
During the first part of 1851, Wight and most of the colony had moved fifty miles north of Zodiac, to Burnet County. One major reason was the jealousy of the non-Mormons of the success and influence the Wightites began to wield throughout Gillespie County. Mormons had held the positions of county clerk, justice of the peace, county commissioner, and precinct constable. Wight himself was elected to the office of chief justice of the county, upsetting the majority of Germans in the community because he had challenged that his opponent was running as an alien, not a citizen. Besides inspiring animosity among the Germans, Fort Martin Scott stopped contracting locally, hurting both the German and Mormons. On top of this all, powerful storms had wrecked the mill, destroyed homes and damaged their farmland. All in all, the colony decided to try their hand in Burnet County and leave Zodiac behind.
The move from Zodiac was possibly softened by the knowledge that in 1849 they had voted to eventually return to Jackson County, Missouri. Continued hardships in Burnet County forced them to yet again move, this time to Bandera County. Increasing raids by Indians, mounting debts, and increased anti-Mormonism forced their hand in Burnet County. Declining numbers of followers, continued harassment at the hands of marauding Indians, and continued economic hardships caused Lyman Wight to finally decide to return to Jackson County in 1858. The day after Wight and his small band left, Wight died on March 31, 1858 a few miles west of San Antonio. With his burial in Zodiac the next day, Wightism died out forever.
The Wightites contributed significantly to early Texas history, and helped make life among the frontier settlers all that more palatable. Their milling prowess was without challenge throughout the area, and their contributions to the economy of fledgling towns such as Austin and Fredericksburg quite possible helped them become stable centers of population, while other towns along the frontier died and were swept away by the passage of time.
Your article suggests that this group is somehow related to the mormons, which they are not. They are a completly seperate group. They do not consider themselves a part of the mormon church, nor do mormons consider them apart of the mormon church.
To which group do you refer? The FLDS or the Wight colony?
I agree with Hiram’s statement above. The FLDS are not “Mormons.” To refer to them as such is inaccurate.
To what should they be referred?
Thank you for this excellent summary of the Wightites in Texas.
Tracy, Hiram and Adam are referring to instructions made by the LDS church to the media (and the general public) to clearly differentiate between the Mormon Church headquartered in SLC and the FLDS. Institutionally, the two are separate and have been since the 1930s. But, the FLDS do share with the mainstream church a belief in the Book of Mormon, the divine calling of Joseph Smith, Jr., and his successors up until Heber J. Grant, who assumed leadership of the LDS church in 1918. The FLDS self-identify as Mormons for the above reasons, so I think you’re just fine referring to them as such, as long as it is clear that the LDS and the FLDS are institutionally different.
Thanks again for this.
I agree with what David G. has said very well. I think it’s disingenuous to say that the FLDS have “nothing” to do with the LDS church. Even if you hold such a view, rather than spouting some disclaimer, perhaps you could offer a more polite and substantive explanation rather than put on the cap of self-appointed media watchdog and send out curt little policy statements that’ll give you a nice sense of self accomplishment, but will do little to actually educate anyone.
Tracy, good write up. For your reference, media instructions from the LDS church can be found here: http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/style-guide
Thank you David and Jared for your response. My intent was to connect basically with non-Mormons or those not knowing about interesting Mormon history. The FLDS is barely mentioned in the introduction, and just as a means to introduce a long standing history of those who hold sacred the Book of Mormon in the state. I’m not Mormon, and hope to not offend anyone by this writing, and as a Catholic, just found this all interesting to see these early Mormon pioneers’ influence upon my part of the world (particularly in contrast with the FLDS).
I do clearly understand that the FLDS and the LDS are two seperate entities, and not sharing any sort of common leadership or policies.
Tracy, thanks for the explanation about the background for your research project. You really did an excellent job presenting the narrative. It’s too bad that my co-religionists jumped all over you on the FLDS/LDS thing (which as you explain is just a minor part of your intro), becase that destracts from a fantastic writeup. I agree that the Wightites are an important, if overlooked part of Texas’ history.
Two recent books covering this issue in greater detail are: Melvin Johnson’s “Polygamy on the Pedernales” and Michael Scott Van Wagenen’s “The Texas Republic and the Mormon Kingdom of God.”
And Tracy, you are accurate in calling the FLDS “Mormons” since they are believers in the Book of Mormon and followers of the teachings of Joseph Smith. For over 20 years the LDS Church has tried to rid itself of the name “Mormon” and now it is trying to monopolize its use – go figure. Nice write up.
Thanks A. I did in fact consult both those works when writing this! Good timing I guess?
They themselves do not consider themselves to be Mormon. They prefer to be called by a different name.
It is odd to call a group ‘Mormon’ when they do not consider themselves mormon, and when mormons do not consider them mormon. Just because they are a break away does not mean they are still affiliated with the group they broke away from.
The same logic would imply that Christians should be called Jews, since Christianity is a break off of Judaism.
The FLDS call themselves “Fundamentalist Mormons” or “original Mormons.” I’ve heard them use the term to describe themselves in interviews. See also: http://www.religioustolerance.org/fldsintro.htm I understand the break off idea works for some, i.e. the RLDS do not use “Mormon” to self identify, but the FLDS do. The LDS get angry when mainstream Christians deny their claims to the title Christian, but the LDS do the same to other Joseph Smith & Book of Mormon following groups who want to use the title “Mormon.” I think it’s ridiculous that many Protestants deny the LDS the title Christian, but I think it equally troubling to see the LDS turn around and do the same thing with the title Mormon. We “gentiles” get it already – FLDS are not LDS, but you can no more deny them the title Mormon than we can deny you the title Christians (in spite of the Nicene Creed the majority of us believe). Besides, what happened to the “we are not Mormon” media campaigns of the LDS Church? To be respectful I quit using the term and switched to using “LDS” several years ago. Did they change their minds? I’m not being a smartass – I honestly want to know when and why they became so proprietary with a term they had tried to abandon?
Tracy: Thanks for taking the time to note the historical ties between the Mormons and early Texas History. This overlooked story does indeed give historical context for some of the events occurring today. Austinites in the 1840s almost ran the Mormons out of town for polygamy. While not agreeing with their theology, Sam Houston remained a friend and ally of the Mormons his entire life. Most significantly, he helped undermine the federal campaign against the Utah LDS in 1857-58.
Utah Gentile in response to your comments…
You are comparing apples and oranges. Mormons are bothered when other Christians say they are not christian, this is true. And yes, it is also true that Mormons get irritated when break aways call themselves Mormons. But the two are not the same thing. Let me give you some examples that can perhaps clarify it for you.
Christianity is a religion, while catholics, Mormons, Baptists, etc are all sects within that religion. Each of these sects has a hierarchy, leadership, and more importantly membership.
I can call myself a Christian, and no one else can say otherwise. However, if I call myself Catholic, it does not make it so. I have to first join their church. I have to obtain membership via whatever methods they as an organization have laid out.
I can call myself Baptist, but, it does not make it so, unless I actually join their church, and get my names included on their membership records.
I can call myself Mormon, but it does not make it so. I first have to join their church.
As a Mormon, Texan, and History lover/teacher, I thought this was a fantastic write-up and more than I could hope to find on an initial google search to learn more about Lyman Wight. I really appreciate the extra info. My family and I recently passed through Bandera, Tx and happened to stop at a historical marker there. I was surprised to see the name of Lyman Wight, since I had only been somewhat familiar with him and didn’t know any of his exact whereabouts in Texas. It sent me on a quest to learn a little bit more about his role, and Mormon influence, in my new home state. I appreciate the time and thought you put into this. Very impressive. I’m curious about what caused your deep interest in the subject and where did you get all of your information?
I very much enjoyed this article and appreciate the tone in which it was written. (And I recognize the signers of some of the most complimentary comments as being grad students in Mormon history, a tough bunch of critics to satisfy. You satisfied this Mormon historian, too.)
Again, thank you to all who have commented. I enjoyed learning about the Wighttites and their role in Texas history, and I am doubly pleased that those of you involved in Mormon history and are members of the Church of LDS enjoyed it. This has gotten lots of comments, and I know it’s not perfect and maybe someday I’ll redo it a bit to fix it up.
A quick observation of the fallacy of denying that the FLDS are a branch of Mormonism, as are the LDS. Anyone who follows Christ is a Christian. Anyone who subscribes to the Restoration Gospel with Joseph Smith as its founding prophet is a Mormon. The FLDS and LDS are mere branches of the tree.
I sincerely thank you for this write-up. Lyman Wight is my great great great great grandfather.
I first became interested in the Wight group when I discovered that my greatgrandmother was born in Bandera County, Texas. As I researched my family history, I found that she was born into one of the original Mormon families that camr to Texas with Lyman Wight. Clearly, the LDS and RLDS churches have a common starting point in church history. Wight believed in all things communal as he had done from Kirtland, Ohio to the Pineries of Wisconsin, to Zodiac, Texas. While most members of this group split from the main “Mormon” group because of their polygamous practices, some of the Wight group including Lyman Wight and some of his son’s still practiced polygamy. This is why many of Wight’s followers joined the RLDS church. The FLDS group probably moved to Texas simply hoping to avoid detection for their radical lifestyle.