Daniel Stanton was a member of the Morley Family in Kirtland Township, Geauga County, Ohio when most of the Family, including Stanton, joined Mormonism. I argued in Hearken O Ye People that Stanton was an ordained Teacher when he baptized Joseph Hancock into Mormonism. I based this argument on the following details. In Joseph Hancock’s brief biography (Andrew Jenson, ed., Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia vol. IV, SLC, UT: Deseret News Press, 1936, 705-706) published shortly after his death, it notes he “was baptized by Daniel Stanton at Mayfield, Ohio, in 1830.” A number of members of the Hancock family joined the Church in the last months of 1830 or first few months of 1831 and there is nothing to suggest Joseph Hancock or his family was inaccurate in this claim of an 1830 baptism. In fact, a number of baptisms took place in Mayfield during November 1830 and the 1830 date is entirely consistent with other sources. In Cannon and Cook's Far West Record ( SLC, UT: Deseret Book Company, 1983, 7) they list Stanton as an ordained Teacher at the June 3, 1831 conference and indicate he was ordained an Elder three days later (p.9). Thus, I concluded Stanton was a Teacher when performing an 1830 baptism.
I have since had occasion to check the original minutes that are transcribed and published in Cannon and Cook's Far West Record and have learned that the ordering of names in the published version is incorrect.
They should read beginning on the bottom of page 6:
Priests
Martin Harris,
Daniel Stanton,
Solomon Chamberlain,
on down to Benjamin Bragg
and then Caleb Balwin down to Major N[oble] Ashley.
The teachers should read:
Teachers
Hezekiah Peck
Hiram Page
Christian Whitmer
Then it continues on with William Smith
Down to Jacob Chamberlain on the right column of the published material.
This means that Daniel Stanton was most likely a Priest when he baptized Joseph Hancock rather than a Teacher.
In addition, I note in the book that Joseph Hancock was ten years old when he was baptized. I based this on the date of his birth as provided in Susan Easton Black, Membership of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: 1830-1848, Provo, UT: BYU Religious Studies Center, entry for Solomon Hancock. However, Hancock's biography as published by Andrew Jenson, as cited above, indicates he was thirty years old in 1830.
