The Buells &
The Mormons
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Norman and Presendia Huntington Buell joined the early Mormon church in Kirtland, Ohio in 1836.
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Following Joseph Smith, they moved with their son George to Far West, Missouri in 1838.
Presendia Huntington Buell Smith Kimball
Joseph Smith
Founded Mormon Church 1830
The Tie to Joseph Smith
Presendia Huntington Buell Smith Kimball
Joseph Smith
Founded Mormon Church 1830
Zina Huntington
Jacobs Smith Young
Heber Kimball - 1844
Brigham Young - 1844
After joining the early Mormon church in Kirtland, OH in 1836, Norman and Presindia Huntington Buell followed Joseph Smith. They moved with their son George to Far West, MO in 1838. Persecuted in Missouri, the Mormons moved to Nauvoo, IL.
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After Norman became disenfranchised with the church in 184, Presindia entered into a celestial marriage with Joseph Smith (but she still resided with Buell). Her sister Zina had become a wife of Smith earlier that year.
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After Joseph Smith was murdered in 1844, Zina married Brigham Young and Presendia married Herber Kimball. The Mormon migration continued first to the Winter's Quarters, NE then on to Salt Lake City, UT. Norman Buell attempted to travel with Presendia to the valley, but she refused his offer. Norman and George Buell settled in St. Joseph, MO in 1848 and started a mill at Black Snake Creek.
Do We Underestimate Mormon Migration Through St. Joseph?
1847 letter from John Corby to Brigham Young about outfitting Mormon settlers in St. Joseph.
1848 Journal of O.B. Huntington
Norman Buell passed away in 1872. He is interred in St. Joseph at Mount Mora Cemetery.
In 1894, George’s daughter Juliette Buell marries Frank McCord in a large social wedding attended by the very wealthy in St. Joseph. George Buell was a Mason and City Councilman in St. Joseph, and was a member of the First Baptist Church. He passes away in 1900 unexpectedly due to heart problems.
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The Buell Catalogs used to identify Buell Blankets come from the period after George Buell’s death. The Buell blankets in our collection are from this time and are extremely rare and difficult to find.