William and Lydia Lathrop Draper

William Draper Sr. and Lydia Lathrop

Pioneers from Canada

William Draper Sr. was born Sept. 6, 1774, the son of Thomas and Lydia Rogers Draper in Wyoming, Susquannah Co., Pennsylvania. He was fond of reading the scriptures and was early convinced of the necessity of baptism for the remission of sins. He desired to join a church that believed in such baptism, so he was baptized into the Baptist Church, which he considered as the best one according to his convictions at the time.
In 1796, he married Lydia Lathrop, daughter of Isaac and Lucy Pike Lathrop. She was the third great-granddaughter of Reverend John Lathrop, who was exiled from England and came to America because of his break from the Church of England, for religious freedom, in 1923. (He was the common ancestor of such prominent men as Prophet Joseph Smith, Wilford Woodruff, Orson and Parley P. Pratt, Oliver Cowdery, Peter Newton, William Draper, Stillan Pond, and many others, even Franklin D. Roosevelt traces his ancestry back to this Lathrop.) She (Lydia) was born Nov. 5, 1775 in Norwich, New Haven, Conn.
A poem was written by a daughter of their his son, Artemesia Anderson, about the trip when William and Lydia moved to Canada.
There was a child born. His name was William Draper Jr. He was the 5th fifth child (although the poem mentions three earlier children.) My grandfather, Zemira, was born Feb. 27, 1812.
After being in full membership for 15 years, he began to be criticized for believing and teaching that the scriptures were to be understood in accordance to their previous purport, that the prophesies were going to be fulfilled, and that the Israelites would be gathered. He continued to believe as his conscience dictated, however.
Then in 1833 he heard Brigham Young preach Mormonism when he was on his Canadian mission. As soon as he heard it he recognized the truths that he had been searching for all his life, and asked for baptism. He was baptized and confirmed on the 25th of March, 1833

By Brigham Young (and Joseph Young assisted in the confirmation.) This was in the Township of Laborough, Canada. He was ordained to the Priesthood in June 1833, and later in the same month he was ordained an Elder by the same Brigham Young.

In 1835 he immigrated to Kirtland, Ohio, and in 1836 he went back to Canada on a mission in company with John E. Page where they baptized many persons and organized a large branch of the church. and in 1837 was ordained a High Priest under the hands of Don Carlos Smith and his councilors.
On January 2nd 1837 he joined with the other two thirds of the Saints forming the Kirtland Safety Society Anti-Banking Company.
On March 13, 1838 because according to the Church Journal History he was one of the Seventies that met to form the governing resolutions to rule them on the proposed move to Missouri. Each seventy listed the members of his respective family that would be going on the move. William Sr. listed two members, which would have been himself and his wife. (His son Thomas listed one and Zemira listed six.
This exodus was called the Kirtland Camp, and left Kirtland for Missouri, but the Drapers did not go all the way to Missouri at this time. They stopped in Sangamon Co., Ill. Until the fall of 1839 when he moved to Pleasant Vale, Pikes Co., Ill. where he helped build up a large branch of the church.
In 1841 he moved to Green Plaines, Hancock Co. Ill. He was from there in 1845 and he then sought safety in Nauvoo. All this time his wife Lydia had traveled along accepting his hardships but not accepting his church, but after moving to Nauvoo she asked for baptism. She was baptized and confirmed the same day, Dec 25, 1845. She was also endowed in the temple on this date.
In 1846 the persecutions became so severe that most of the Latter-Day-Saints left their homes in the winter or early spring, but William had hopes of being able to stay until later. Again we find in the records; “In the summer of 1846 hostilities were renewed against the members of the Church who still remained in Nauvoo. The great body of the Saints had left and only a remnant had remained, composed of the poor, the weak, the aged and afflicted who had been unable to get away. They were all anxious to depart, and were exerting all their energies to obtain means for that purpose. Pres. Young and the Apostles were doing all in their power to aid them to depart.
The Draper’s left Nauvoo on Sept. 17, 1846 and crossed the Mississippi River when the mob forced them to leave. They were forced to stop as soon as they had crossed to the safety of the river, because of the frailties of his wife who was nearly 71. The exposure and difficulty were more than she could endure and she died. She was buried on the bank of the Mississippi River in a brown dress and a calico apron.
In 1847 William continued his westward journey and went as far a Council Bluffs, where he married his brother’s widow, Mary Mosier,  in 1847.
In 1848 he was ordained as the Patriarch of the Branches of the church in Pottawatattamie Lands in Iowa, under the hands of Elder George A. Smith by orders of the First Presidency.
From then until 1852 at each conference of the Church in Iowa when they were sustaining the General Authorities, William Draper was sustained as Patriarch of the Church of the Pottawattamie Lands in Iowa. At this time there were only two Patriarchs mentioned in conference; John Smith as Patriarch of the entire Church and William Draper in Iowa.
As he got older he desired to come to Utah to be with his sons and their families so in April 1851 he wrote a letter to the authorities that was read in Conference; “Elder William Draper Sr., Patriarch of the Pottawattamie Branch desires to go to the Valley, and he wishes those who are indebted to him to pay him, with as little delay as possible. He is ever ready to attend to his duties of his calling, and those who may wish his services had better secure them while he is still in their midst, and by so doing may secure virtues and benefits of his office, while he may gain favor from you to an extent that he will be able to provide himself with means and comforts necessary for his long journey.”
He left Iowa in July 1852 in the Robert Weimer Co. Arrived in Salt Lake Sept. 15, 1852. He moved to Draper, where his sons were established and made his home there. He united with the High Priests in Great Salt Lake City. After arriving in Utah he continued his calling as Patriarch and gave about 250 blessings in the valley.
Not withstanding his age and the many severe scenes he had been called to pass through, he continued his to work with his hands, to within a short time of his death. He died December 24th, 1854, at the advanced age of 80 years, 3 months, and 18 days. He left an enormous posterity as his children, grand children, and great grand children numbered about 150 at the time of his death. His obituary closed with these words: “He went calmly to his rest as only the faithful can, and his words will follow him, and his spirit is rejoicing and operating in a wider sphere of intelligence preparatory to receiving a glorious body in the morning of the resurrection.”

Written by Estella Draper Magnus…. ninth child of Zemira Terry Draper who was the 7th child of Zemira Draper, who was the eighth child of William Draper, who was the 3rd child of Thomas Draper.