John Van Cott
| John Van Cott | |
|---|---|
John Van Cott in 1846
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| First Seven Presidents of the Seventy | |
| October 8, 1862 – February 18, 1883 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
September 7, 1814 Canaan, New York, United States |
| Died | February 18, 1883 (aged 68) Salt Lake City, Utah Territory, United States |
| Resting place |
Salt Lake City Cemetery 40°46′37″N 111°51′29″W / 40.777°N 111.858°W |
| Spouse(s) | Lucy Lavinia Sackett Jemima Morris Laura Petra Lund Caroline Pratt Caroline Caisa |
| Children | 25 to 28 |
| Parents | Losee Van Cott Lovinia Jemima Pratt |
John Van Cott (September 7, 1814 – February 18, 1883) was a prominent member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints serving as a member of the Quorum of the Seventy, as one of the Seven Presidents of the Seventy, and also as president of the Scandinavian Mission.
John Van Cott was descended from a Dutch settler named Claes Cornelissen Van Cott who came from Holland to what is now New York [Nieuw Amsterdam] in 1662. His father died of consumption when John was 10 years old. He first heard of The Book of Mormon and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints from his cousin LDS Apostle Parley P. Pratt who was seven years his senior. (John's mother, Lovina Pratt and Parley's father, Jared, were siblings.) Some accounts put this first introduction as early as 1833 but, unlike his cousin, he did not join for some time. In 1835 he married Lucy Sackett and they had four children in Canaan, New York. There is some disagreement regarding whether their family name links to a famous old Van Cats family of Holland. While some claim no official proof of the connection, and assert there has been no acceptance of any claims of the connection between these two different family names made by any Dutch officials, there is ample genealogical work to demonstrate a reasonable connection through Claes Van Cats, who emigrated to America in 1652 as a boy. Claes Van Cats subsequently married Catalyn Jans in 1670. Their line continued through Johannes Van Cats (1674) to Nicolaes Van Cats (1715) and on to Johannes (John) Van Cott (baptized 1747), finally arriving at Losee Van Cott, John Van Cott's father. The Van Cott line can be traced back from Claes to the first Lord Giselbert Van Welle, Lord Van Cats, who was born about the year 1060. In 1843, Lucy joined the Latter Day Saint church. Historical material is somewhat sketchy here as most sources say that Van Cott himself was baptized by Pratt in Nauvoo in 1844 or 45, but others imply that the family moved to Nauvoo after he was baptized. Records are consistent in saying that the family was in Nauvoo in 1846 and stayed for a time at Pratt's home and that Van Cott donated about $400 towards the completion of the Nauvoo Temple.
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