Erastus Snow was born on November 19, 1818 in St. Johnsbury, Vermont. Snow joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1833 when he was 15 years old. He served several missions for the Church, including one to Denmark. Because of his time in Europe, he was responsible for the translation of the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and other Church publications into Danish. He, with Orson Pratt, was one of the first Mormon pioneers to enter the Salt Lake Valley. He was later called to be an Apostle in 1849. In 1855 he served as director of the LDS Emigration Office in St. Louis. In 1861 he was asked to settle southern Utah and played a crucial role in the settlement of St. George. He married Artimesia Beman on December 3, 1838, and they had eleven children together. He is known to have had multiple wives. Erastus Snow died on May 27, 1888 in Salt Lake City, Utah.