Acknowledgments

Sincere appreciation is expressed to all individuals whose invaluable assistance has enabled the writer to bring this treatise to its present form.

Gratitude is extended to the Advisory Committee, Dr. Hyrum L. Andrus, Dr. Richard L. Anderson and Dr. Russell R. Rich, whose special qualifications in the area examined provided solutions to many technical problems associated with the study.

The writer would like to acknowledge the willing assistance of Drs. LaMar C. Berrett and Milton V Backman, Jr., who materially aided in the arrangement of this dissertation through their organizational abilities and knowledge of the subject treated.

A special thanks is expressed to Dr. Truman G Madsen, Chairman, Institute of Mormon Studies, Donald K. Nelson, Library Director, Brigham Young University, and A. Dean Larsen, Assistant Director for Collection Development, for arranging the special grants which enabled the writer to engage in a program of research and microfilming in New York and Pennsylvania, 1968–1970.

Appreciation is also given to Dr. Richard L. Anderson, Library Representative for the College of Religious Instruction, who was instrumental in laying much of the groundwork necessary to the project, and who maintained a valuable correspondence with the writer during the research period in New York and Pennsylvania.

The writer is very grateful to Elder Theodore M. Burton and the ^[iii] staff at The Genealogical Society, Salt Lake City, who graciously made arrangements for the writer to be trained as a microfilm photographer and whose complete cooperation with the Brigham Young University Library enabled the processing of the film in The Genealogical Society’s Microfilm Laboratory at the Granite Mountain Vault. Elder Burton and his staff also arranged the microfilming of special materials by Phillip Adair in the Broome and Chenango County Courthouses as an extension of this project.

Special acknowledgment is extended to Elder Marion D. Hanks, Assistant to the Twelve, President Robert L. Stephenson, Cumorah Mission President, and President Bryant W. Rossiter, Cumorah Stake President, for allowing the writer the privilege of residing at the Martin Harris Farm during the project year, 1969–1970. Much additional information was made available as a direct result of the association with that historic site.

Thanks is also given to Elder Edward Angle, Director of the LDS Bureau of Information, Hill Cumorah, and the other missionaries at the respective historic sites who gave so freely of their time and information. The writer and his family had a most enjoyable association with these people.

Appreciation is expressed to President Horace H. Christensen, second counselor in the Susquehanna Stake Presidency, who personally introduced the writer to the LDS historic sites in the counties of Broome, Chenango and Susquehanna. His excellent knowledge of the area was a distinct asset in determining the locations of physical features important to this study.

The writer takes this opportunity to thank the county clerks in ^[iv] Ontario, Wayne, Seneca, Chenango Broome and Susquehanna counties who did everything they could to facilitate the location of documents relating to or contemporary with the rise of Mormonism. They allowed unlimited access to the materials under their jurisdiction. In Wayne, Ontario, Chenango and Broome counties, microfilming of items pertaining to the period was accomplished under their direction.

The writer was privileged to do research in numerous libraries and historical societies in New York, Pennsylvania and New England. At each of these institutions there was a gracious reception. To the boards and staffs of these societies, a particular note of appreciation is extended. These people took an unusual interest in finding related materials and often made special arrangements for their reproduction.

The writer is especially indebted to Mr. John S. Genung, Trustee and Historian of the Waterloo Library and Historical Society. Mr. Genung was instrumental in making many contacts which resulted in acquiring materials that would not have been accessible otherwise. He devoted many hours of his personal time in acquainting the writer with Seneca County and those sites significant to LDS Church history.

New York has an excellent system of county and town historians. Representative of this group is Mrs. Dorothy Facer, Wayne County Historian, Lyons, New York. Mrs. Facer helpfully arranged for the writer to microfilm many of the excellent books and records which she and her predecessors had acquired through the years.

Richard P. Howard, Church Historian for the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Independence, Missouri, was more than cordial in supplying materials during a weeks stay at The Auditorium in 1969. The writer was highly pleased with the reception accorded the ^[v] visiting researcher.

The LDS Church Historian’s Office, The Genealogical Society, the Utah State Historical Society, and the Brigham Young University Library are primary institutions in the study of LDS Church history. The writer is sincerely grateful for the generous assistance of the staff members of these libraries during the research process.

Mrs. David L. Stott has been of valuable assistance in preparing the materials utilized in this dissertation.

Finally, the writer expresses grateful appreciation to his wonderful wife, LaDawn, who has spent many hours in preparing manuscripts for this dissertation, in addition to maintaining the household duties required of a mother. A particular thanks is extended for her dual devotion during this project. ^[vi]

Provo, Utah
August 1971