Western Maine saints: The first Mormons of western Maine 1830--1890

This thesis is about the forty-nine individuals and ten families who converted to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) in Bethel and Newry, Maine and the missionaries who brought them into the church. The account includes a brief history of these small back country towns, providing the historical context for the early church in Maine, and continues with the experiences of these Saints as they fled from persecution in Ohio, Missouri, and Illinois. In February, 1846, the Mormons began the arduous trek to the Great Salt Lake Basin. This thesis shows that these converts, typical of other for their time and place, were remarkable, not only for their sacrifice and determination, but for their leadership in the early years of the LDS Church