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Saint
and a
dedicated member
He was
from
the
moment
of
his
conversion.
Church administrator.
Christ of
Latter-day Saints.
His near
the Church.
Sheets' involvement in the temporal affairs of the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints revolved around
his activities on a general level as traveling bishop, church stock agent, and an assistant trustee-in-trust.
life was
His
of
the
finances,
In brief
Temple.
In 1842 he was
native Pennsylvania.
After
he was
in
that city.
few months after the death of his first wife Sheets married
Pennsylvania
.
They
began
1851.
After
in England.
the same time he was ordained Bishop of the Salt Lake Ward
Eighth
by
his
old
friend
from
Chester
1
County
1st Counselor: From 1855-1860 From 1860-1864 From 1864-1866 From 1866-1876 From 1876-1896 From 1896-1904
2nd Counselor: From 1855-1861 From 1861-1864 From 1864-1866 From 1866-1869 From 1869-1890 From 1890-1896 From 1896-1904
George Woodwrd Alex C. Pyper Robert Daft John T. D. McAllister Joseph McMurrin .....John D. H. McAllister
John Cartwright
Ward~\ras
into
divided/
nineteen/ ecclesiastiic/kl
I
units.
It included as part of
an\d
v7
pljock
Duties of a Bi shop
were/placed on
bishop in the
Priesthood,
LDS
Church;
1)
President of
the Aaronic
the
responsibilities of
thier
particular
In 1862 he
"the
the Church to see that the poor are taken care of to see that the brethren judiciously and wisely conduct themselves
As to specific activities
knowledge."
informe'd the Salt Lake Bishops, "'Nobody can point out the
detailed
duties
of
a
Bishop,
for
circumstances
are
of
the
specific
the
take the lead 'in every domestic improvement',; establish and supervise schools; assist the farmers; supervise the cultivation of public property and the repair of ward fences; assign to new arrivals their farm and town lots; see personally to the distribution of irrigation water and the maintenance and construction of ditches; keep cattle out of the fields, imposing sanctions on uncooperative owners; assign men to work on community road crews; and direct construction of schools, meetinghouses ,and other public buildings. The pioneer bishop's concerns were overwhelmingly temporal. For the Sunday sermon he or a designated person might speak on week 'upon the Ditch to convey Water to the 18th Ward' and the next week on why the Lord's people were subject to persecution. Whatever the theme, it was
. . .
Ibid. Quoted from the Salt Lake Bishops, Minutes of Meetings, 1849-1884, 7 April 1855, LDS Church Archives. Remarks by Brigham Young, 7 May 1861, Journal of Discourses , 9:90.
Beecher,
regarded as an aspect of 'the restored gospel.' Occupationally the bishops during the nineteenth century were with few excpetions farmers and businessmen, practical-minded, effective motivators of men and women
as
counselling
on
spiritual
matters,
that
Sheets
was
"He
Caretaker
offerings,
of
4)
the
poor,
3)
Collector
of
tithes
and
temporal matters,
and doctrine.
had endured, through the travels from Europe and the East,
most
remained strongly
committed to
teachings
such
as
In
1856, the
officially instigated
Acceptance of a renewed
Under the leadership of Bishop Sheets, the Eighth Ward also participated in this movement.
was a
effort
renewal of
to
spiritual commitments,
the saints
it was
many
also an
have
recommit
debts
and
to
temporal
activities
helping
the
such as payment of
poor
and
and
contibutions ,
from
afflicted,
refraining
obeying
states :
Wherefore, verily I say unto you that all things unto me are spiritual, and not at any time have I given unto you a law which was temporal; neither any man, nor the children of men; neither Adam your father, whom I created
The
in the worship
the teachers of
they were
had not
committed any
great
sins,
neglected their
were
Ward was able to come in line with the teachings of the church and reform their lives.
2
individual
members of their wards, and to aid them, instructions were received from their superiors counselling them on ways to
handle the
affairs of
the
poor.
In 1887
the First
it is proper that each Bishop and his Counsellors should take the necessary steps to properly care for the poor who live in their Wards. They should call the Relief Societies to their aid in this labor. The reasonable wants of the poor should be supplied and the pangs of poverty and destitution should be a[voided]. God has greatly blessed us in the fruits of our fields and gardens, in our flocks and herds, and in giving us habitations, and means to sustain ourselves.
. . .
comfortable
Council of the Twelve Apostles, General epistle, 1887, Manuscript, Historical Department, LDS Church Archives
While aid was given freely to the elderly and those who were
the same
i I
concern was expressed for those who had little if any means
to support themselves.
himself.
On
19
September
for
1861 it was
for
recorded that
donations
were
made
wood
the
poor.
Fifteen
food,
in
Being the
10
new arrivals
food or
shelter.
their
self
sufficiency.
At
Teacher's
subject
of
bringing poor
people
into
the ward.
He
11
poor did not stem from shelfish means, but rather from a
To
better to the poor than others; hence the reason why they 13 flock in." But in all reality he knew that redistribution
was the only way to not only help the new arrivals, but to
Eighth Ward, General Minutes, 29 September 1856, Manuscript, LDS Church Archives.
11
"Ibid., "Ibid.,
11
tithes
Members who
the bishop.
This food was then used to help sustain the The leadership of the Church admonished
12
concern
.15 .
An important contribution for members of the
Tithing
pay
The
Labor tithing.
3)
4)
Cash
14
"Ibid,
1 February 1857.
13
Bishop's
storehouse,
then distribute
it to
the
General
Church.
the membership of the Church to Utah, to build buildings, and to help in the administrative cost of the organization.
In the general meetings of
Sheets'
concern for
commitments
from the
teachers to,
"square up their
On 7 January 1857 he
the
members
to
bless
their
17
lives
by
following
the
. Counselor
nineteenth
daily activities.
Some of
the building of
the Eighth Ward was involved in was to help haul stone for
the Salt Lake Temple, build a new meeting house, and repair
the school house. Each brethren in the ward was asked to
"Ibid,
7 January 1857.
14
donate means to help build, wagons to help haul, and time to do much of the work.
It was the teachers, not the Sheets
But as
in the
donations
and
contributions,
Sheets was
in the
Saints
strong
...
be
for
1 ft
15
19 had not walked in the line of their duty for a long time."
Most the Eighth Ward teachers' meeting would begin with
a report of
He was
to burn for the winter and enough food to help them survive.
At
to
the
people because
that
"he
After
winter
the
teachers
reported that
the ward
Sheets was pleased with the reports but did not let the
moment pass without counselling them to get their grain in
teachers meeting in 1861 it was reported that two members had had a difficulty between themselves and to solve the
matter
had gone
to
the
civil courts.
Sheets
strongly
19
"Ibid.,
31 October 1858.
16
take a course to make peace for gentile courts did not make
peace.
5
.....21
lives.
And whoso standeth in this mission [the office of bishop] is appointed to be a judge in Israel. And to 2udge his people by the testimony of the just.
...
. . .
matters of
Classic
life, when
Church
members were
not
living up to
the
standards of
Rxjirerir~BT"own
full fellowship.
B-e-ewn
was not doing his duties, that he did not pray or pay his
21Ibid.
22
27 February 1861.
17
tithing.
He
wished
the
teachers
to
"wake him up if
Sheets
relied
Teachers
their
advise.
23
B-e-ai-he-r
not
the
Vw*-\
to the
March twenty-first
Ro-fe-e-irtBro-wn arrived at
the
to discuss the
He
commented that he had some previous difficulties and that he had some bitter feelings towards the bishop, thus the reason
for staying away from church activity.
They advised
full
straighten out
return to
fellowship.
23
Ibid,
7 March 1861.
18
B-rmffi-
vH
Sheets then commented that he was thankful for the work the
. Organizer
In the
early
1870s
cooperative
the
stores
ZCMI
were
being
instituted under
the auspices of
as a way of
Many Salt
Lake Wards organized in the effort and created goods for the
public
.
19 May 1874 a branch of
On
wanted to join to vote for the organization and those who could not, for business reasons, would not need to.
It was
as
as
1st vice
president,
Brockbank, 2nd Vice President, John N. 25 Pike, secretary, and John Cartwright, treasurer.
The Eighth Ward United Order was organized as a Hat
factory.
even though the hat factory only ran for a few years it did
and quality.
News
23:268.
19
To many members of
Sheets was the only bishop they ever knew. For forty-eight
years he presided over the ward, working directly with the
numerous
opportunities
to
cause
offense,
as
bishops
But
lasting friendships.
One occasion in particular
ward choir
sang his
favorite
him.
On
the handle of
Bishop.
26News
24:591.
History, vol. 323, 11 May 1896.
"Journal
20
full
for
utterance."
He
spoke
for
awhile
Q>y
His
History.
29
shoulders.
my
laboures
the
Lord and my
Brethern
."
diary, vol 5 ( f d ?) for a list of the longest serving [Get info from the list by bishops in the Salt Lake Stake. Ron Watt on the whole church. ]
2gSheets,
See appendix
21
In the
reported that
right
11
closest to him, next to his family, but he felt that his release was "all right."
In expressing a
reserved, "all
was.
"This day I was honorbly released from being bishop of the Eight Ward of the Liberty Stak of Zion which I had bin Bishop over for over 48 years. This was don upon the acont of my age as I am now over 83 years old And I feel that there is quite a burdon token off my solders And may God bles the new Bishop and council. And the Ward wich I love." While the release of Bishop Sheets may not have been a
Sheets,
Eighth
32
22
33
left the Salt Lake Temple, where he had been laboring since
President Joseph F.
and
At
his
Ibid.,
34
12 June 1904.