the term jack mormon comes from jackson county, missouri.
the term jack mormon comes from jackson county, missouri.
where does the term jack mormon come from?
jackson county , missouri
several lds historians believe that the term was used prior to sharp's mention, and has ties to sympathetic democrats in jackson county, missouri. their belief is that the term originated in missouri, during the kirtland period of latter day saint history, circa 1834. when church members were expelled from jackson county by a mob, many fled to clay county, where local citizens, mostly democrats, were sympathetic and friendly toward the mormons. these citizens were pejoratively labeled "jack" mormons by the antagonistic citizens of jackson county.
jack mormon
the term "jack mormon" was used by author edward abbey in his novel "the monkey wrench gang" to describe a character, seldom seen smith, who was a mormon and had many wives, but was not active in the lds church nor its belief system: "born by chance into membership in the church of jesus christ of latter-day saints (mormons), smith was on lifetime sabbatical from his religion. he was a jack mormon. a jack mormon is to a decent mormon what a jackrabbit is to a cottontail."
jack mormon