Character Relationship Map: September Dawn

Characters

• Jacob Samuelson (played by Jon Voight) — protagonist

  Bishop Jacob Samuelson is the local Mormon leader who initially defuses the confrontation with the migrant party but later supports the massacre. He orders his sons to watch the travelers, conveys the...

• Emily Hudson (played by Tamara Hope) — supporting

  Emily Hudson is the pastor’s daughter and Jonathan Samuelson’s love interest. She forms a relationship with him while the migrant party crosses Utah, but their romance is destroyed when Jacob Samuelso...

• Jonathan Samuelson (played by Trent Ford) — supporting

  Jonathan Samuelson is Jacob Samuelson’s son and Emily Hudson’s lover. He becomes disillusioned with the Mormon faith after witnessing his mother’s execution and learning of the planned massacre, openl...

• Brigham Young (played by Terence Stamp) — supporting

  Brigham Young is the Mormon leader whose deposition opens the film and whose instructions direct local Mormons to massacre the migrant party. He prepares the territory for conflict with the federal go...

• John D. Lee (played by Jon Gries) — minor

  John D. Lee is Brigham Young’s adopted son and the commander of the Mormon militia involved in the massacre. He persuades the allied Indigenous fighters that killing the migrants is divinely required,...

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Jacob Samuelson → Brigham Young (Professional Religious Subordinate) — The plot places Jacob within the local religious structure governed by Brigham's directives.

  Jacob is identified as a local Mormon bishop, while Brigham Young directs local Mormons during the preparations and massacre.

• Brigham Young → Jonathan Samuelson (Power Religious Authority) — Brigham's command creates the ideological pressure Jonathan resists.

  Brigham Young directs local Mormons toward the massacre, and Jonathan rejects the plan after it is conveyed through his father.

• Brigham Young → John D. Lee (Family Adoptive Father) — Their adopted-family connection is intertwined with political and religious obedience.

  The plot identifies John D. Lee as Brigham Young's adopted son.

• Jonathan Samuelson → Emily Hudson (Romantic Lovers) — Their romance provides the film's central emotional counterpoint to the massacre.

  The plot states that Jonathan develops a relationship with Emily, the pastor's daughter. Emily is killed during the massacre before Jonathan can save...

• Jacob Samuelson → Jonathan Samuelson (Family Father) — Their father-son bond is damaged by Jacob's religious allegiance and actions.

  The plot identifies Jonathan as Bishop Jacob Samuelson's son. Jacob conveys the massacre plan to Jonathan and later kills Emily, Jonathan's lover.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• John D. Lee → Jonathan Samuelson (Conflict Opposing Participants) — Their opposing actions represent the massacre's execution and attempted resistance.

  John leads the ambush against the migrant party, while Jonathan escapes imprisonment and arrives too late to save Emily and the others.

• John D. Lee → Emily Hudson (Conflict Massacre Perpetrator) — John's deception places Emily directly in the massacre's path.

  John D. Lee offers to lead the Fancher party to safety but instead leads them into an ambush in which Emily and the other migrants are killed.

• Jacob Samuelson → John D. Lee (Alliance Militia Associate) — Their roles connect local religious authority with the militia operation.

  Jacob is the local bishop who conveys the massacre plan, while John D. Lee commands the Mormon militia carrying out the attack.

• Jacob Samuelson → Emily Hudson (Conflict Killer) — Jacob's action turns a religious conflict into a personal tragedy.

  The plot explicitly states that Emily is killed by her lover's father, Jacob Samuelson, during the massacre.

Story Analysis

A forbidden romance unfolds as religious authority, historical grievance, and obedience culminate in the massacre of a migrant party.

Plot Progression

1. Migrants Under Suspicion — The Baker-Fancher party crosses Utah and encounters Mormon militia hostility. Jacob Samuelson's suspicions grow because of the party's clothing, racehorses, Missouri origins, and religious difference.
2. Love Across The Divide — Mormon leadership prepares for conflict with the federal government while Jonathan Samuelson develops a relationship with Emily Hudson. Their connection contrasts with the increasingly hostile religio...
3. Faith Commands Violence — Brigham Young orders local Mormons to massacre the migrants, and John D. Lee persuades the Paiutes to participate. Jonathan rejects the plan, prompting Jacob to imprison him.
4. The Buried Family Wound — Jonathan's imprisonment is connected to his growing disillusionment with Mormon authority. He remembers his mother's forced removal and execution after she returned for her children.
5. Ambush And Aftermath — The migrants repel the first attack, but John's militia takes over and leads them into a fatal ambush. Jonathan arrives too late, John is later executed, and Brigham denies involvement.