est of Painesville at Kirtland was (one?) of the early
settlements made by Joseph Smith and his Mormon followers. They built
here a $40,000 temple (still standing), a teacher's seminary and a bank.
The bank failed and Smith had to leave the state to avoid the sheriff.
Most of his disciples followed him to Missouri. At Mentor (which we now
pass 4 M. west of Painesville) lived Sidney Rigdon, who later became one
of the Mormon leaders.

Rigdon (1793-1876) began his preaching career as a Baptist, then
helped in establishing a society called the "reformers," and
before being converted to Mormonism was pastor of a church in
Mentor. He became a Mormon leader, and published a new
translation of the Bible, with inserted prophecies of the coming
of Joseph Smith. With Hyrum and Joseph Smith and Brigham Young,
he moved westward in 1831 preaching, being "persecuted" and
establishing an occasional temple. At Far West, a town in
Missouri where the Mormons established themselves in 1838, Rigdon
preached his "salt sermon," from the Matt. V. 13, urging his
hearer to wage a "war of extermination" against all who disturbed
them. Following his advice, the Mormons involved themselves in
such broils with the "gentiles" that the state militia was called
out against them. Smith and Rigdon were arrested, but the former
escaped custody and with 15,000 followers, fled to Illinois. When
the latter was freed, he joined the "Saints" in the city of
Nauvoo which they had founded and was made a professor at their
university. After Smith's arrest and murder by a mob in 1849 and
the breaking up of Nauvoo, Rigdon disputed with Young for Smith's
place. Not only failing to secure it, but being in addition tried
for treason in wanting it, the disciple of Mormon returned to the
East and spent his last days at Friendship, N.Y. Howe, in the
book mentioned above, asserted that Sidney Rigdon was the
original "author and proprietor of the Mormon conspiracy."

Near Mentor, also is Lawnfield, the former home of James A. Garfield.

James Abram Garfield (1831-1881), 20th president of the U.S., was
born in a log cabin at Orange, Ohio, and began life as a farm
hand. He attended for a time the Western Reserve Eclectic
Institute, afterwards Hiram College, finally entering Williams
College from which he graduated, becoming a teacher of ancient
languages