Brief Life Sketch

Lydia Clisbee Partridge, Willis’ great-grandmother and Angie’s great-great-grandmother, was born September 26, 1793, in Pittsfield, Berkshire County, Massachusetts. Raised among sugar maples and orchards of early New England, she was the daughter of Joseph and Miriam Clisbee and recalled national events like the death of George Washington. Lydia married Edward Partridge and moved to Painesville, Ohio, where they raised several children while Edward worked as a hatmaker. Both were baptized into the Campbellite Church by Sidney Rigdon, building a comfortable life, acquiring property, and expanding their business to nearby Kirtland.

Their lives changed dramatically when missionaries, including Parley P. Pratt and Oliver Cowdery, introduced the Book of Mormon in Kirtland. Deeply moved, Edward traveled to Fayette, New York, to meet Joseph Smith and was baptized in December 1830. Lydia, remaining at home, received a personal spiritual confirmation of her faith through prayer. Edward was ordained an elder that same month and began preaching, while Lydia managed the household. In February 1831, she hosted Joseph Smith, Emma Smith, and Sidney Rigdon in their home and was soon baptized herself.

In June 1831, Edward journeyed to Missouri with Church leaders, including Joseph Smith, to establish Zion in Independence, arriving in July. Lydia soon received word to join him, selling their property and leaving a life of comfort for one of pioneering sacrifice. Despite the challenges ahead, Lydia faithfully followed her husband’s calling and her own convictions, becoming a steadfast figure in the early history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.