Aaron Johnson

(1806–77)

Portrait of Aaron Johnson

Aaron Johnson, ca. 1850, crayon portrait.

Aaron Johnson was born in Haddam, Connecticut, in 1806. He married Polly Zeruah Kelsey in 1827 in New Haven, Connecticut. In April 1836, Johnson was baptized into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The following year, he moved to Kirtland, Ohio, where he was ordained an elder. In 1838 he moved to Far West, Missouri, where he was ordained a seventy. In March 1839, Johnson moved to Commerce, Illinois, which was later renamed Nauvoo, where he was ordained a high priest and appointed to the high council (see Doctrine and Covenants 124:132). He also labored on the Nauvoo Temple. In May 1846, he moved to Garden Grove, Iowa Territory, where he served in the bishopric. During the late 1840s, Johnson served missions to Iowa, Indiana, Illinois, and New England. In September 1850, he migrated to Utah Territory, where he served in a variety of religious and civic capacities, including as the first bishop of Springville.

References in the Doctrine and Covenants

Doctrine and Covenants 124

Additional Information

Biographical facts and sources, The Joseph Smith Papers