Samuel was born in Manchester, Lancashire, England, in 1832 and came with his parents to join the saints in Nauvoo in 1840. Although very young, Samuel worked with his father in the brickyard and helped to clear and fence land.
From his writings comes this delightful memory from his teenage years, during a time when his family was living in Iowa.
In the spring of 1848, sixteen-year-old Samuel was sent by his father on an errand that took him through Missouri.
Samuel had only gone about thirty miles across the state line when it became obvious that his oxen would need to stop and rest. Nevertheless, Samuel was very reluctant to stop on account of the ill feelings toward the Mormons in that part of the country.
During the evening meal, the gentleman began making inquiries regarding Samuel’s point of origin and intended destination.
Samuel recollected that this gentleman became quite astonished upon hearing that he and his parents were Mormons – the stranger checked Samuel’s head several times, saying,
“Boy, you are the first Mormon I have ever seen –
but you haven’t any
horns.”
Although I've often heard jokes about Mormons having horns, I hadn't previously realized that citizens in the 1840's actually believed the silly rumor, but apparently at least one man had latched on to the folklore.
Having determined that no devilish appendages existed, this gentlemen was very impressed with Samuel and treated him with great kindness when he learned the Mormons were good "level-headed" people with hard-working sons.
This experience of Samuel's is a good reminder that our behavior could also serve to dispel inaccurate perceptions of Latter-day Saints.
