John Tanner (Mormon)
early Mormon from Rhode Island (1778–1850)
John Tanner (August 15, 1778 – April 13, 1850) was a leading figure in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and a chief financial backer of the Kirtland Temple.
Tanner was a native of Rhode Island. He moved to New York when fairly young. Of his 21 children from three successive wives (his first two wives died before he married his next wife), 14 lived to adulthood. Tanner was a Baptist until he joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1832. He was baptized by Jared Carter. Ten of his 14 children who lived to adulthood affiliated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and eventually moved to Utah Territory.
In late 1834, Tanner sold his property in and around Lake George, New York which included a hotel. He then moved to Kirtland, Ohio where in early 1835 he lent money and assumed loans to keep the building of the Kirtland Temple moving forward. When Joseph Smith tried to repay him he refused any payment saying they owed him nothing.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “John Tanner (Mormon)” is early Mormon from Rhode Island (1778–1850). The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through John, Tanner and Mormon, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “early Mormon from Rhode Island (1778–1850)” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated Apr 6, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q6260220. VIAF identifies the subject as 63772986. The Library of Congress control number is no2006111955. 3 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1778, 1850, 1832 and 1834.
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How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
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- Jurisdictional context
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Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
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- Expand the search: follow John Tanner (Mormon) primary sources, John Tanner (Mormon) archive and John research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
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This entry incorporates text from “John Tanner (Mormon)” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.