Orson Hyde: Olive Branch of Israel [Hardcover]

Myrtle Stevens Hyde (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1888106719 | ISBN-13: 978-1888106718 | Publication Date: November 6, 2000 | Edition: 1st

Orson Hyde was chosen as an original member of the Council of the Twelve in 1835, when the Mormon Church first organized this governing body. Orson's most well-known accomplishment was as a Mormon missionary to Jerusalem (1840-1842) to dedicate the land for the return of the Jews. In 1979 civil authorities in Jerusalem invited the development of a five-acre hillside garden, in honor of Orson Hyde.

Participating in the Mormon drama of crossing the plains in the U.S. several times and settling the West, Orson was a colonizing leader in western Iowa, also in what became western Nevada, and in central Utah. He was a major figure in Utah's Black Hawk Indian War (1865-1872).

Using facts, details and personal experiences never before in print, Myrtle Hyde, the Hyde family genealogist, has used diaries, letters, notes, documents, reports, articles, speeches and letters to present a real-life depiction of Orson Hyde, apostle, teacher, missionary, orator, scriptorian, journalist, editor, lawyer, judge, statesman, colonizer, and administrator; also the husband of eight wives, the father of thirty-three children. 16 Photos 12 Maps; 25p Index; Notes Section; Bibliography.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Myrtle Hyde has produced a comprehensive biography on one of the great men in the history of the Mormon Church." --Calvin R. Stephens, faculty member, Jerusalem Center for Near Eastern Studies

About the Author

Myrtle Stevens Hyde is a genealogical scholar and writer, a Contributing Editor to The American Genealogist, and in 1989 was elected a Fellow of the American Society of Genealogists. She has had numerous articles published in national genealogical journals.Her physician husband (who is descended from Orson Hyde's second cousin) are parents of seven children.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 640 pages
• Publisher: Agreka Books; 1st edition (November 6, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1888106719
• ISBN-13: 978-1888106718
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.6 x 2.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,146,212 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars History comes alive in true fashion, November 4, 2006

By 

Carl Miner (Utah) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Orson Hyde: Olive Branch of Israel (Hardcover)

Have you read multi-volume histories of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, written around the lives of fictional characters? This book does the same for me, but from the eyes of real people who lived in the early days of the Church. Granted I'm a descendant of Orson, but even though I enjoyed learning of my forebearer, the early history of the Church came alive for me in a real way--and I wasn't required while reading to continually wonder if a character, event, or situation was fabricated or real. True, not being an historian, and knowing that Orson Hyde left relatively little written about himself, I wondered if Myrtle Hyde was required to "fill in the gaps" in some areas. And certainly she did when describing his feelings and thoughts, but I sense she did so thoughtfully and only after careful analysis of the facts, bringing to life this individual and the rich history surrounding his life in the frontiers of this growing country. I highly recommend this well-written and interesting book, which reads like a novel, for not just those interested in Orson Hyde, who himself played some of the most important roles in the establishment of Christ's church in the latter-days, as much as any other figure except Joseph Smith, but for anyone interested in an enjoyable read about the history of this peculiar people, the Latter-day Saints.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing tale, August 14, 2007

By 

Seth J. Frantzman (Jerusalem, Israel) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Orson Hyde: Olive Branch of Israel (Hardcover)

Despite the fact that the Mormons set out to create a new Zion they also sent a delegation to the old Jerusalem, on a mission to represent the church. The man chosen for this endeavor was Orson Hyde (1805-1878), a native of Connecticut who was a convert to Campbellism before becoming a Mormon in 1831. Hyde quickly became a high priest of the Mormons and then an Apostle in 1835. He had a relatively tumultuous relationship with Joseph Smith, being at one time suspended from the church, but he was again in ascendance in April of 1841 when Joseph Smith chose him to travel to Jerusalem.
Originally he was supposed to travel with John Page, another prominent Mormon, but Page never showed up in New York and Hyde left without him. According to the minutes of the meeting on April 6th, 1840, at which Hyde was dispatched he was "to visit the cities of London, Amsterdam, Constantinople, and Jerusalem; and also other places that he may deem expedient; and converse with the priests, rulers, and elders of the Jews, and obtain from them all the information possible, and communicate the same to some principal paper for publication, that it may have a general circulation throughout the United States." His letter of introduction claimed that "The Jewish nations have been scattered abroad among the Gentiles for a long period; and in our estimation, the time of the commencement of their return to the Holy Land has already arrived." Hyde spent from April 1841 to December 1842 in Jerusalem and on October 24 1841 he climbed up the Mount of Olives and looked over the old city and exclaimed:
"Now, O Lord! Thy servant has been obedient to the heavenly vision which Thou gavest him in his native land; and under the shadow of Thine outstretched arm, he has safely arrived in this place to dedicate and consecrate this land unto Thee, for the gathering together of Judah's scattered remnants, according to the predictions of the holy Prophets -- for the building up of Jerusalem again after it has been trodden down by the Gentiles so long, and for rearing a Temple in honor of Thy name. Everlasting thanks be ascribed unto Thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that Thou hast preserved Thy servant from the dangers of the seas, and from the plague and pestilence which have caused the land to mourn. The violence of man has also been restrained, and Thy providential care by night and by day has been exercised over Thine unworthy servant. Accept, therefore, O Lord, the tribute of a grateful heart for all past favors, and be pleased to continue Thy kindness and mercy towards a needy worm of the dust."
Having dedicated Jerusalem and Palestine for the ingathering of the Jews Orson Hyde departed the mountain after building a small alter with stones. Later the site, or one reputed to be it, would be purchased by Brigham Young University, a Mormon college in Utah, and an `Orson Hyde Park' would be established.

Seth J. Frantzman

4.0 out of 5 stars The Only Complete History, May 1, 2011

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Gramma K (Highland, Utah USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Orson Hyde: Olive Branch of Israel (Hardcover)

So far as I can gather this is the only complete history of Orson Hyde--he wrote some about his youth, and more about his mission to Jerusalem, but the rest of his life is usually just summarized quickly. This author had access to family documents and memories, as well as many letters so she was able to present a rounded and interesting biography of a very interesting man.