A. Milton Musser

Amos Milton Musser (May 20, 1830 – September 24, 1909) was a Latter-day Saint pioneer who served in many church and community roles, including as an Assistant Church Historian of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1902 until his death.

Early life Musser was born at Donegal, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Musser's father Samuel Musser died when he was two years old. The family moved to the vicinity of Quincy, Illinois in 1837. By this time his mother had remarried to Abraham Bitner. When Musser was about 16 he was in the Battle of Nauvoo and then was driven with his mother and siblings into Iowa. After he left Nauvoo Musser worked as a store clerk in Eddyville, Iowa. Musser became a clerk in the tithing office. The following year Musser was among the early Latter-day Saint missionaries to travel to India. R. Lanier Britsch's book Nothing More Heroic on this early LDS Church mission in India was written as if narrated by Musser. After this mission he returned to Utah in the William G. Young Company of 1857.

From 1860 to 1876 Musser served as a traveling bishop in Utah. He was one of the most active traveling bishops and would visit all the major settlements in Utah at least twice a year.

In 1876, he was appointed assistant trustee-in-trust of the Church, a top ranking position in overseeing the assets and properties of the Church. Shortly after this he was sent on a mission to the eastern United States.

He wrote several pamphlets in defense of the faith of the Latter-day Saints.

Polygamous marriages

Musser was a strong advocate of polygamy. He married his first wife Ann Leaver on January 31, 1858, then married Mary Elizabeth White in 1864, Belinda Marden Pratt (a daughter of Parley P. Pratt) in 1872, and Anna Seegmiller in 1874. Musser is the father of Joseph White Musser, who became a leader in the Mormon fundamentalist movement.

After a US law banning polygamy was passed in 1862, Musser was charged in 1885 with unlawful cohabitation (living with his plural wives), and he was sentenced to pay a fine of US$300 and to six months' imprisonment. Musser maintained that the anti-polygamy prosecutions "were instituted in malice and hypocrisy, or were based upon a gross misconception of the facts".

Death and legacy

Musser died of "surgical shock" in Salt Lake City, Utah at age 79.

The community of Milton in Morgan County, Utah was named for A. Milton Musser.