Edward Partridge Missouri Attacks

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One of the most troubling times in the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was in Missouri in the 1830's. Missouri was on the edge of the United States and the Latter-day Saints and the people of Missouri struggled to get along. Some people living in Jackson County had been living in the area for ten years, before the Latter-day Saints began to move to Missouri. The original Missourians were not happy about the Saints gathering in the area. Many of the problems between the two groups was blamed on different political beliefs, with the Latter-day Saints being anti-Slavery and the majority of Missouri having been pro-slavery.

The Latter-day Saints newspaper published a post in July 1833 called "Free People of Color". Many assumed this was an open invitation for people of color to come and settle in western Missouri. Though this invitation was not made, it did ignite a fire of anger that would not be extinguished. The Missourians believed the Latter-day Saints were trying to bring free people of color to fight in the Latter-day Saints rebellion. The Missourians were furious.

July 18, 1833 some Jackson County citizens gathered together to terrorize the Latter-day Saints. The Missourians had been vandalizing property of Latter-day Saints, in hopes to drive them from the area. This group of Missourians had gathered 300 signatures on a manifesto, outlining how their way of life has been effected by the Latter-day Saints moving to the area. The Missourians desired to drive the Latter-day Saints out of the area, to protect "their way of life."

On July 20, 1833 some 500 Missourians met at the courthouse with the intention to prevent more Latter-day Saints from coming to Missouri. Those 500 Missourians sought for a agreement of the Latter-day Saints would leave the area, and if the agreement to leave was honored the Missourians would not harm the Latter-day Saints, they would "remain unmolested".

The Missourians presented the plan to a committee of Latter-day Saint leaders, led by Bishop Edward Partridge. Bishop Partridge was not given the time to talk to the Prophet Joseph Smith and was worried about what this would mean for the gathering of Zion, so the Latter-day Saints did not agree to the terms set forth by the Missourians. Then, chaos erupted.

The enraged Missouri men desired to destroy the Latter-day Saints. The perpetrators stormed into the printing office/home of William W. Phelps. Williams wife Sally, was inside with their children and young infant, James. They were all sent running for their lives. The mob men ran upstairs to printing office throwing out the type and threw the printing equipment out the window. Book of Commandments, the earliest records of the revelations given to the the Prophet Joseph Smith, were being printed in this office. These pages were unbound, in stacks of pages. The Missourians took the pages and threw them out the window onto the dusty road below. These disgusting mob men did not stop there, but started pulling apart the roof of the building, and pulled down the walls, attempting to destroy it all.

While the horrendous scene was occurring at the Phelps home, other ruthless mob men made their was to the home of Bishop Partridge. The disgusting Missouri men broke into Bishop Partridge's home, forcibly removing the Bishop. The Missouri men drug the innocent Bishop a half a mile to the northwest corner of courthouse square.

Hundreds of people were gathered to watch the chaos of the Missouri mob, against the Latter-day saints. It was at courthouse square where Bishop Partridge, along with another Latter-day, Saint Charles Allen were stripped of their clothing and tarred and fathered from head to toe. Bishop Partridge said to his attackers "I told them that the Saints had had to suffer persecutions in all ages of the world; that I had done nothing which ought to offend anyone; that if they abused me, they would abuse an innocent person; that I was willing to suffer for the sake of Christ."

After the horrendous ordeal Bishop Edward Partridge got up to walk away from his attackers after being mocked and abused. As the dear bishop was walking away a Latter-day Saint women, Vienna Jaques witnessed a Missouri man mocking Edward Partridge, Vienna looked up and saw Edward covered in tar and feathers, as she looked at the bishop she saw her bishop "encircled in a bright light, surpassing the brightness of the sun." Vienna was uplifted in that moment exclaiming to herself "Glory be to God! For he will receive a crown of glory for tar and feathers."

Bishop Partridge later said "I bore my abuse with so much resignation and meekness. . . I was so filled with the Spirit and love of God, that I had no hatred towards my persecutors or anyone else."

Elder Henry B. Eyring Quote:

I bear witness that these moments are not evidence that the Lord has abandoned you. Rather, they are evidence that He loves you enough to refine and strengthen you. He is making you strong enough to carry the weight of eternal life.

If we remain faithful in our service, the Lord will refine us. He will strengthen us. And one day we will look back and see that those very trials were evidence of His love. We will see that He was shaping us to be able to stand with Him in glory. As the Lord’s Apostle Paul stated at the end of his own life, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.”

I testify that God knows you. He knows the trials you face. He is with you. He will not forsake you. I testify that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He is our strength, our Redeemer, our hope. If we trust Him, He will make our spiritual power equal to every trial we are called to bear. I so testify in the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen."

References:

"The Lord Spoke Her Name, the Remarkable Story of Vienna Jacks in the Restoration" by Brent M. Rogers P. 32-36

"Proved and Strengthened in Christ" by Henry B. Eyring October 2025 general conference