Henry Herriman

Henry Herriman (sometimes spelled Harriman) was an early leader in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was baptized in 1832 by Orson Hyde and ordained an elder in June 1833. In 1834, he moved to Kirtland, Ohio, and joined in Zion's Camp.

In 1835, he was ordained a Seventy by Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon. On February 6, 1838, he was ordained and set apart as one of the First Seven Presidents of the Seventy, which was designated as the First Council of the Seventy at that time. Later it would be called the Presidency of the Seventy.[[1] He filled this position for more than fifty-three years until his death in May 1891. For nine years he was the most senior of the presidency. He is named in Doctrine and Covenants 124:138.

He settled in Adam-ondi-Ahman until he was taken prisoner. He escaped and fled to Nauvoo, Illinois. He was serving a mission to Cape Cod, Massachusetts, when the Prophet and his brother, Hyrum were martyred.

Herriman came to the Salt Lake valley in 1848, crossing the plains in Heber C. Kimball’s company. He settled in what was called Fort Herriman, as he was the first presiding elder there. The fort was established in 1854 by Thomas Butterfield, Herriman, Samuel Egbert, Robert Petty, and John Stocking. The fort was abandoned in 1858 on orders from Brigham Young, due to the approach of Johnston’s Army.

“In 1856 he led the only handcart company of missionaries to cross the plains from Salt Lake City to the East. He then journeyed on to New York and from there to England to share the message of the Restoration.”[2]

He then lived in the St. George area for twenty-five years, having been called by Brigham Young to help settle southern Utah. His few final years were spent in Huntington, Emery County.