BRIGHAM YOUNG 1801 1877 MORMON LEADER AND COLONIZER YOUNG BRIGHAM 1801 1877 RELIGION WEST AMERICAN CULTURE BORN IN WHITINGHAM VERMONT BRIGHAM YOUNG GREW UP IN NEW YORK STATE AFTER WORKING AS A CARPENTER AND PAINTER HE SETTLED ON A FARM IN MENDON NEW YORK NEAR WHERE THE BOOK OF MORMON WAS PUBLISHED IN 1830 YOUNG READ THE BOOK AND JOINED THE MORMON CHURCH IN 1832 THEN DEVOTED THE REST OF HIS LIFE TO SERVING THE CHURCH YOUNG FIRST MOVED TO KIRTLAND OHIO WHERE JOSEPH SMITH FOUNDER OF THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER DAY SAINTS OR MORMON CHURCH LIVED IN 1835 SMITH NAMED YOUNG ONE OF THE 12 APOSTLES OR LEADERS OF THE MORMON CHURCH AFTER SMITH WAS KILLED IN 1844 YOUNG BECAME SENIOR MEMBER OF THE CHURCH IN 1847 YOUNG LED HIS FOLLOWERS ON A TREK WEST TO THE VALLEY OF THE GREAT SALT LAKE IN 1850 CONGRESS NAMED THE AREA THE UTAH TERRITORY AND YOUNG BECAME TERRITORIAL GOVERNOR ALTHOUGH YOUNG WAS REPLACED AS GOVERNOR IN 1857 HE REMAINED LEADER OF THE COMMUNITY HE ENCOURAGED THE SETTLEMENT OF COLONIES AND SHAPED THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE MORMON CHURCH HE ALSO ADOPTED THE PRACTICE OF POLYGAMY OR PLURAL MARRIAGE DURING HIS LIFETIME YOUNG TOOK MORE THAN 20 WIVES AND HAD MORE THAN 40 CHILDREN
