An Unsung Non-Member Martyr of Nauvoo: Ezekiel Johnson Jr. Jr.
When you think of the Latter-Day Saint Nauvoo era, you probably think of a few people. Joseph and Emma, obviously. Porter Rockwell may come to mind. Brigham Young probably isn’t far behind. There were quite a few people crammed into that city – about 12,000 by some estimates. It makes sense that there were an awful lot that don’t get a lot of mention. Ezekiel Johnson Jr. Jr. for example, deserves a few more paragraphs in the history books. Here is a tiny bit about him. It is short, sweet and should leave you with a wide-eyed touch of gratitude. He was not a perfect man, but he met a selfless death: “He was considering baptism into the Mormon Church, when he found out his wife had secretly been baptized in the night. He was very distressed and said he would never have anything to do with the Church. “In 1835, he left the family home for good. He lived with his daughter Esther and her family in Nauvoo. He eventually gave up drinking and ha...