David Dort (1793-1841)

Zions Camp Participant
One of the most interesting episodes in the early history of LDS Church was the march of Zion's Camp (1834). The members of the Church in Missouri were being persecuted, and the Prophet Joseph made it a matter of prayer and received a revelation on February 24, 1834. The Lord instructed the Prophet to assemble at least one hundred young and middle-aged men and to go to the land of Zion, or Missouri. (See D&C 130:19–34.)

Zion’s Camp, a group of approximately one hundred and fifty men, gathered at Kirtland, Ohio, in the spring of 1834 and marched to Jackson County, Missouri. By the time they reached Missouri, the camp had increased to approximately two hundred men.

Several of the brethren in the Michigan contingent of Zions Camp, originated where relatives by blood or marriage to Lucy Mack (1775-1856), the mother of the Prophet Joseph. Her brother Stephen Mack (1766-1826) was a founder of the city Pontiac, Michigan and many were converted by Lucy to the Church.