Joseph Toronto
Joseph Toronto (born Giuseppe Taranto) (June 25, 1818 – July 6, 1883)[1] was the first Italian convert to the Latter Day Saint movement and was one of the first missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) in Italy.
Biography
Taranto was born in
by George B. Wallace.Shortly after joining the Latter Day Saint church, Toronto's ship collided with another, which almost resulted in Toronto's drowning. Toronto abandoned sailing and moved to Nauvoo, Illinois in 1845 to join the main gathering of Latter Day Saints. He donated his life's savings — nearly $2600 in gold coins — to the building of the Nauvoo Temple; Toronto's donation enabled work to continue after it had stalled due to lack of funds.[2]
In 1848, Toronto emigrated as a
In 1849, Toronto was ordained a
Toronto died in Salt Lake City, Utah Territory.
Descendants
One of Toronto's sons, Joseph B. Toronto, served as a professor and vice president of the University of Utah.[4]
Toronto's grandson
Joseph's grandson (Wallace F. Toronto's younger brother) the late Joseph Young Toronto served in the first presidency of the Provo Temple (1971).
Notes
- ^ "Giuseppe Taranto – Italian Pioneer". The Joe Toronto Family Blog. June 10, 2009. Archived from the original on March 1, 2012. Retrieved 2009-12-10.
- Comprehensive History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints(Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret News) 2:472.
- ^ James R. Christianson, "Early Missionary Work in Italy and Switzerland," Ensign, Aug. 1982, 35.
- ^ "Joseph B. Toronto papers :: Univ of Utah - Encoded Archival Description (EAD) Finding Aids". Archived from the original on 2013-10-21. Retrieved 2020-08-10.
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References
- 2007 Deseret Morning News Church Almanac (Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret Morning News, 2006)
- Will Bagley, "From the Earliest Days, Italian Immigrants Have Left a Lasting Mark on Utah" Archived 2009-09-10 at the Salt Lake Tribune, 2002-10-20, p. B2
- Church News, 1981-06-20, p. 16[full citation needed]
- Mathew S. McBride, "Heroes of the Nauvoo Temple Story: Joseph Toronto", LDS Living, 2002-06-26
- Eliza Moody, "Conversion of an Italian member of the LDS Church", BYU NewsNet, 2000-07-19
- "Sketch of the Life of Joseph Toronto" (typescript, n.d.), Mormon Biographies Collection (Salt Lake City, Utah: LDS Church Historical Department)