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Show The Tanners Embrace Mormonism 49 The following is the portion in the Biographical Encyclopedia dealing with John Tanner's conversion. Like Scraps of Biography, this is also an approved church publication and was printed in the early 1900s. Father Tanner, as he was reverentially called, was a member of the Baptist church, and the leading spirit among the members in his neighborhood. About a year and one-half after the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was organized, two Elders, Jared and Simeon Carter came that his church was and preached in his neighborhood. Believing the only true church, he naturally thought these imposters, when he heard of their appointment, and he at meeting for the purpose of exposing their error to the Baptist brethren. But on seeing the Elders and hearing them preach and expound the gospel and bear their testimonies to the divinity of- the mission of Joseph Smith, he was too good a judge of men and too well versed in the scriptures not to be profoundly impressed, men were tended their and was too honest to breathe a breath of discredit upon them or But he doctrine, when they did not appear clear to him was too profoundly impressed to let them pass without a thorough investigation, and therefore invited the Elders to accept of the hospi tality of his home for the night. He borrowed and read the Book of Mormon while they went on their way, and upon reading it was their converted to the . divinity . . . of the work. After an absence of two weeks the Elders returned and brother Tanner was baptized. [Penciled in on the margin is the date Sep tember 10, 1831, which is in error. The correct date is September 17, 1832.] The Encyclopedia says nothing about John Tanner's sore leg healing, and differs in some other respects with account in Scraps of Biography. The third church account concerning the conversion of John and the miraculous the Tanner and family is found in the "Journal History," in the Depart ment of History in the church archives. This is a day-by-day account from various records and shows a strong resemblance to According to this account the missionaries had been in the Bolton country for some time before making contact with the John Tanner family, and by September 1, 1832, had bap tized eighteen converts. The account then goes on to say: compiled Scraps of Biography. those baptized by Elders Simeon and Jared Carter in Bolton this time was John Tanner, the head of a family who subsequently Among |
