In the midst of sporadic but heavy rain showers, President James E. Faust visited Nauvoo on Aug. 30 to dedicate a monument at the Old Pioneer Cemetery, memoralizing Edward Partridge, first bishop of the Church.

President Faust, second counselor in the First Presidency, is a descendant of Edward Partridge. He was accompanied to Nauvoo by Bishop H. David Burton, Presiding Bishop of the Church, and their wives, Ruth Faust and Barbara Burton.President Faust, together with numerous other family members, has been planning and looking forward to the occasion for many years. Elder Bryce and Sister Edith Finlinson, Nauvoo missionaries and descendants of Bishop Partridge, assisted with arrangements for the dedication, as did Mathew J. Lyman, another descendant, who conducted the services. The marker, designed by Joseph H. Young, was made possible by the contributions of family members who now number in the thousands.

Bishop Partridge, like other former prominent citizens of Nauvoo in the 1840s, has a street named in his honor. He died in Nauvoo in 1840, but no record has been found as to the exact location of his gravesite. However, President Gordon B. Hinckley designated an appropriate location in the Old Cemetery during his visit to the city last April.

As part of the dedicatory prayer, President Faust noted that those in attendance would wish to honor all "who lie in unmarked graves" in the cemetery, but the monument being dedicated memorializes Bishop Edward Partridge. President Faust called to memory Bishop Partridge's wife, Lydia Clisbee Partridge, and their five daughters: Eliza Maria, Harriet Amelia, Emily Dow, Caroline Ely, and Lydia, as well as their two sons, Clisbee, who died in infancy, and Edward Partridge Jr.

In the prayer, President Faust recognized Edward Partridge as "a man of intelligence and character, [who accepted] baptism only after making inquiries as to the doctrine and character of those who had accepted the restored gospel."

President Faust concluded the prayer, saying, " . . . we dedicate this marker as a remembrance of the life, the example, the faith, and the dedication of thy servant Edward Partridge. . . . May it stand as a reminder of the nobility of this great man, his wife and children, as well as all others who are buried here."

In his remarks, Bishop Burton emphasized the words used by the Lord to describe Edward Partridge, such as "a pattern of piety" and "his heart was pure before me like Nathanael of old, in whom there is no guile." He then expressed his confidence that "that great bishop has had his season of rest. I suspect that his presence is not too far away. I suspect he is very proud of that great, faithful posterity that many of you represent."

Edward Partridge joined the Church in 1830 and was designated and ordained as the first bishop of the Church in 1831. He was asked to leave his "merchandise" to spend all of his time in the labors of the Church. As bishop, his primary responsibilities were to operate a storehouse to help the poor and administer property transactions that he fulfilled throughout the Church's experience in Ohio and Missouri. In Nauvoo he was selected to be bishop of one of the wards organized in the city.

Fourteen revelations in the Doctrine and Covenants were either directly addressed to Bishop Partridge or concerned his responsibilities.

During the Missouri period, Bishop Partridge was subject to the violent persecutions endured by the Latter-day Saints, including imprisonment. Early in 1833, he was brutally tarred and feathered, then beaten. It was an experience from which he was never able to recover fully, though he continued to carry out his obligations. He died May 27, 1840, at his home in Nauvoo at age 46.

At the time of his death, the Nauvoo Neighbor of June 1840 recorded: "No man had the confidence of the Church more than he. His station was highly responsible, large quantities of property ever entrusted to his care . . . for all of which the directest account was rendered, to the fullest satisfaction of all concerned."