Monona County
Preparation, Monona County, Iowa
Location
The settlement of Preparation is located along the Soldier River in Monona County, Iowa (1).
History
The Preparation settlement was founded by Charles Blancher Thompson on September 11, 1853. Charles was born on January 27, 1814, in Niscayuna, New York. At age 18, he was baptized Methodist-Episcopal. On February 17, 1835, he was baptized and confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by the Prophet Joseph Smith. In that same year, he was ordained to preach. In 1837, he organized a congregation at Sandusky, Ohio. In 1844, Charles was appointed President of the Macedonia Stake in Hancock County, Illinois.Charles married Elizabeth Jenks. Their first child, Lucinda was born in 1837 and Amelia was born in 1839 and Elizabeth died in August of that year when Amelia was just 3 months old. On December 24, 1845, Charles married Catherine Ann Houck in Nauvoo. Together they had 10 children.
In 1846, Charles became a follower of James Strang. After he broke with the Strangites, he was opposed to polygamy and could not follow Brigham Young. His family moved to St. Louis where he started the church known as "Jehovah's Presbytery of Zion." In April 1853, he started his search for his "School of Preparation" for his church. With about 150 men, women, and children, he founded the town of Preparation.
In 1854, Charles was appointed the chief officer of Monona County, first U. S. postmaster of Preparation and printed the first newspaper, The Preparation News. He also owned a mercantile and hotel.
Charles was able to convince his followers that he had been appointed by the spirit that he was the chief steward of their natural goods. Those who were faithful gave all their land deeds and worldly possessions to Thompson. The settlement thrived until 1858 when several began to doubt his credibility and demanded he render an account of his stewardship. He left the settlement for a few days and when his account failed to satisfy those who had accused him. He left the settlement before he was hanged. He went to St. Louis and finally settled in Philadelphia. He died on February 27, 1895.
In 1867, the Iowa Supreme Court divided the remaining land equally among the remaining families, but the town faded and eventually disappeared.
Cemetery
In 1868, the Preparation Cemetery was fenced for burial. It is currently known as the Preparation Canyon Cemetery located in Moorhead, Monona County, Iowa. FindAGrave.com lists 187 burials (2).
Possible Burials
| Name | Birth Date | Death Date |
| Eunice Wilcox | 1856 | 1859 |
| Child Wilcox | 1858 | 1859 |
| Belinda | 1859 | 1859 |
| Silas Wilcox | 23 Aug 1795 | 5 Oct 1865 |
| Edward Johnson | 17 Aug 1785 | 18 Apr 1872 |
| Persis Baldwin Curtis Johnson | 1 Sep 1802 | 12 Apr 1874 |
| Orson Edward Johnson | 3 Mar 1844 | 28 Jun 1913 |
| Bryon Durfee | 5 Apr 1864 | 22 Apr 1864 |
Bibliography
- https://mormonplaces.byu.edu/map.html?db=mp2&id=481287 (accessed June 24, 2024).
- https://www.findagrave.com/cemetery/95895/memorial-search?firstname=&middlename=&lastname=&cemeteryName=Preparation+Canyon+Cemetery&birthyear=&birthyearfilter=&deathyear=&deathyearfilter=&memorialid=&mcid=&linkedToName=&datefilter=&orderby=r&plot= (accessed July 4, 2024).
View list of Community Residents