[David O. McKay] Attended to current duties including writing a reply to a committee of the Church of Christ, Independence, Missouri, inviting our church to join in building a temple in Jackson County. We courteously refused, unless all could unite in recognition of the proper authority. [David O. McKay Diary, as quoted in Minutes of the Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1910-1951, Privately Published, Salt Lake City, Utah 2010]
Today In Mormon History-fb
Several curious tidbits that happened on this day in Mormon History
165 years ago today - May 8, 1861
The President [Brigham Young] observed their [U.S] feelings are increasing in violence, and shortly it will be a scene of mobbing. Br[other] Geo. A. Smith mentioned that the firing of some of the Oil wells that had been recently discovered, was a remarkable fulfillment of a remark of Pres. B. Young's made by him a few evenings ago namely that these oil wells might form a volcano for the people to stand upon'- -- Salt Lake City [Brigham Young Office Journals, in The Complete Discourses of Brigham Young, Ed. Richard S. Van Wagoner, Smith-Pettit Foundation, Salt Lake City (2009), http://bit.ly/BY-discourses]
180 years ago today - May 8, 1846
The mail came in to day from Nauvoo bringing news that Br O. P. Rockwell had been taken prisoner in Nauvoo and taken to Carthage but have not learned the particulars[.] I suspect that there has been some treachery used by some or he could not have been taken as it seems to me. [Diaries of Hosea Stout]
130 years ago today - May 8, 1896
The following letter prepared by President Geo[rge]. Q. Cannon to carry into effect the action of the Council of the First Presidency and Apostles... We do not know upon what authority this form of administering baptism has been adopted but we think it improper. There have been times in the Church when the First Presidency have felt it necessary to call upon all the members of the Church to renew their covenants, and at such times it was suggested that the words 'for the renewal of your covenant' be used in the ceremony; but it does not follow that at other times, and in individual cases, that form should be used. We think it improper, speaking generally, for the words 'for the remission of sins' or 'for the renewal of your covenant,' to be used in administering the ordinance of baptism. Where it may be necessary to baptize a person who is already a member of the Church, the form of ceremony which the Lord revealed to the Nephites, and which has also been revealed to us in our day, is sufficient. ... In cases where people are baptized for their health, we see no impropriety in using the words 'for the restoration of your health' in the ceremony. ... If they have faith and believe, when they have some ailment, that the administration of baptism in that form will be beneficial to them, the privilege is granted to them. ... Signed by the First Presidency. [Journal History, as quoted in Minutes of the Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1910-1951, Privately Published, Salt Lake City, Utah 2010]
125 years ago today - May 8th, 1901
[Brigham Young Jr.] Salt Lake City, Wed. May 8th, 1901. Met at Temple. Pres. Snow said that every man who had wives ought to have a thousand dollars of income for each of them. On motion of H. J. Grant, Pres. Jos. F. S. was allowed that amount, and so was I, but when shall we get it. Pres. to be allowed from first of year. God is very good to me and now I can turn myself around and am well content. [Diary of Apostle Brigham Young Jr., http://amzn.to/newmormonstudies]
145 years ago today - May 8, 1881
Patriarchal Blessing of George W. Johnson given by William McBride ... I say unto thee be then faithful to thy desires and the Lord will not leave thee comfortless He will give thee wives and children to suit thy circumstances ... [Patriarchal Blessings]
165 years ago today - May 8, 1861
Brigham Young's office journal notes: "Pres[ident Daniel H.] Wells in a conversation he had with Pres. Joseph Young noticed that Jefferson Davis & Secretary Floyd, were traitors to the general government, as they had been acting treacherously to the Government for the last four years, and favoring the Southern Confederacy. Pres[ident] Joseph Young remarked that if such treacherous men should have their blood shed it might lighten the penalty of their crimes when they were brought to judgment." [On This Day in Mormon History, http://onthisdayinmormonhistory.blogspot.com]
180 years ago today - May 8, 1846
[Nauvoo Temple] During a Sabbath service, Orson Hyde explained why the Saints were compelled to finish the Temple, "It we move forward and finished this house we should be received and accepted as a church with our dead, but if not we should be rejected with our dead. These things have inspired and stimulated us to action in the finishing of it which through the blessing of god we have been enabled to accomplish and prepare it for dedication." Wilford Woodruff concluded the meeting, "The Saints had labored faithfully and finished the temple and were now received as a Church with our dead. This is glory enough for building the temple and thousands of the Saints have received their endowment in it. And the light will not go out." [Brown, Lisle (compiler), Chronology of the Construction, Destruction and Reconstruction of the Nauvoo Temple]
195 years ago today - May 7, 1831
D&C 49 (Kirtland): Sidney, Parley, Leman Copley mission to Shakers; marriage ordained of God (one wife); abstinence from meat not required; temporal inequality a sin; Jesus will not come as a woman; disasters precede his coming; first Indians will blossom as a rose, Zion upon the mountains. [The text of the revelation seems to assume a trinitarian godhead: "Thus saith the Lord [Jesus Christ]; for I am God, and have sent mine Only Begotten Son into the world ..."] [Kenney, Scott, Saints Without Halos, "Mormon History 1830-1844," http://web.archive.org/web/20120805163534/saintswithouthalos.com/dirs/d_c.phtml]
45 years ago today - May 7, 1981
LDS spokesman Don LeFevre states (in response to charges that the First Presidency statement against basing the MX missile system in Utah ignores national defense needs): "I don't think you can read a lack of patriotism into the Church's MX statement. . . .There is no place in Mormon philosophy for the conscientious objector" [On This Day in Mormon History, http://onthisdayinmormonhistory.blogspot.com]
130 years ago today - May 7, 1896
At a Relief Society meeting in Woodruff, Arizona, Hannah Savage "received the gift of tongues and the interpretation. . . . Medora Gardner testifyed that it was the tongue of Adam that had been given." [Hannah Adeline [Hatch] Savage, Journal, May 1896; Dan Vogel and Scott C. Dunn, '"The Tongue of Angels": Glossolalia among Mormonism's Founders,' Journal of Mormon History Vol. 19, No. 2, 1993]
130 years ago today - May 7, 1896
First Presidency and apostles decide that baptisms for dead and all other baptism ordinances eliminate words "for remission of sins" or "renewal of covenants," and use only words in DOCTRINE AND COVENANTS.
165 years ago today - May 7, 1861
Brigham Young preaches and publishes: "Three High Priests form a Quorum... Let a Quorum of High Priests go into an upper room, and there appear before the Lord in the garments of the holy Priesthood, and offer up before the Father, in the name of Jesus, the signs of the holy Priesthood, and then ask God to give a revelation." [The Mormon Hierarchy - Extensions of Power by D. Michael Quinn, [New Mormon History database (http://bit.ly/NMHdatabase)]]
140 years ago today - May 6th, 1886
[Abraham H. Cannon] [From the Penitentiary serving time for polygamy] "Last night proved to be a very unpleasant one for several of the brethren, the bed bugs being as ravenous as to prevent their sleeping more than a very little but it seems as though all efforts to over come the bugs are futile. They get in between the planks of which the sides of the building are formed and there remain until night induces them to commence their depradations. I, for one, have thus far escaped annoyance by them." [Abraham H. Cannon Journal Excerpts, http://www.amazon.com/Apostles-Record-Journals-Abraham-1889-1896/dp/B000MFD1K4]
180 years ago today - May 6, 1846
[Nauvoo Temple] The Quincy Whig reported on [self-proclaimed successor to Joseph Smith] Strang's resolutions, which claimed that the Trustees had "no right to convey title to any property of the Church and caution[ed] all against buying of them." Strang's assertions made the Trustees' work much more difficult, especially when Strang published information from the Hancock County Book of Mortgages and Deeds, attempting to show that Joseph Smith's successor was the President of the Church, who was the Trustee-in-Trust, and only he had the right to convey title to Church property. Apparently when Strang raised the question of who held legitimate title to the temple, it clouded the issue and often prevented the temple's sale. [Brown, Lisle (compiler), Chronology of the Construction, Destruction and Reconstruction of the Nauvoo Temple]
150 years ago today - May 6, 1876
General Aaronic Priesthood minutes note that it has "been the custom to ordain boys to the office of deacon and allow them to retain this office till they get their endowments when they [are] ordained Elders." [The Mormon Hierarchy - Extensions of Power by D. Michael Quinn, [New Mormon History database (http://bit.ly/NMHdatabase)]]
110 years ago today - May 6, 1916
[First Presidency letter] "The rumor referred to in yours of the 3rd inst., that the Church sanctions the taking off of the sleeves and collar of the temple garment and replacing them with thin, gauzy material, in order to meet the re- cent style of dress worn by ladies, is not true, and anyone resorting to such proceeding mutilates the garment, and is guilty of wrongdoing." [Joseph F. Smith, Anthon H. Lund, and Charles W. Penrose to Stephen L. Chipman, May 6, 1916, quoted in Anderson, Devery; The Development of LDS Temple Worship, 1846-2000: A Documentary History, http://amzn.to/TempleWorship]
145 years ago today - May 3, 1881
May 3 We drove to Franklin. ... W Woodruff spoke 25. ... Also thought that in 1881 there would be an Emigration to Zion from the spirit world of about 10,000 souls, as the Poland Bill of 1862 was not in force in the spirit world these spirits would Come to Zion and take up their abode in the Tabernacles of the Mothers in Zion and in spite of the Poland Bill or the Devil they would be born and some of them would be born in Franklin in Idaho notwithstanding the opposition of Gov M.C. /(How many born in 1881?) ... [Wilford Woodruff's Journal: 1833-1898 Typescript, Volumes 1-9, Edited by Scott G. Kenney, Signature Books 1993, http://amzn.to/newmormonstudies]
190 years ago today - May 2, 1836
Patriarchal Blessing of Lyman Leonard given by Joseph Smith, Sr. ... riches shall flow unto thee. The great men of the earth shall bring thee treasures untill thou shalt say tis enough. ... Thou shalt speak and prison walls shall fall; rivers be turned out of their course and all things subject unto thee.... Thou shalt have power to translate thyself away from thine enemies. so that they cannot find thee. and nothing shall be too great for thee. ... Thou must keep the word of wisdom and all the commandments and pray much and nothing shall be impossible unto thee. Winds, waves, and sea shall obey thee, and thou shalt baptize some in the briny deep. ... [Patriarchal Blessing Book 1:38, quoted in Early Patriarchal Blessings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Joseph Smith Sr. (Author), H. Michael Marquardt (Editor), http://amzn.to/rCBHVe]
135 years ago today - May 05, 1891
The [Whitmerite Mormon] Rev., W. P. Brown, now of Richmond, Mo., but formerly of Independence, was in the latter town yesterday, he has of late attracted much attention because of his belief that the second coming of Christ is soon to occur, he has openly announced his belief to this effect and is making his arrangements accordingly. He expects to be present at the arrival of Christ, and to be a participant in the attendant ceremonies. ... The event is, in his opinion, to occur in Jerusalem. He expresses his surprise that people generally do not realize this. ... Rev, Mr. Brown is quite wealthy. He owns considerable property at Independence and at different points in Kansas. He is endeavoring to dispose of his entire interest and turn it into cash. He was at Independence for this purpose. He expects to be able to sell out in time to sail for Jerusalem within two months. [Revd. W. P. Brown, The Sedalia Weekly Bazoo., (Sedalia, Mo.) May 05, 1891, Page 6, Image 6) Rev. W.P. Brown, Second Coming of Jesus Christ, The Austin Weekly Statesman. (Austin, Tex.), June 18, 1891, Image 7.) http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn86088296/1891-06-18/ed-1/seq-7/#date1=1890&index=3&rows=20&words=Brown+P+Rev+W&searchType=basic&sequence=0&state=&date2=1891&proxtext=Rev.+W.+P.+Brown+&y=11&x=13&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1, quoted in The Last Days and December 1890 2nd Coming of Jesus Christ, y George D. Speer Sr., privately circulated]
45 years ago today - May 5, 1981
First Presidency statement against deployment of MX missile-system in Utah-Nevada desert, including criticism of developing weapons of war. LDS U.S. Senators Orrin Hatch and Jake Garn immediately reverse their positions from ardent proponents of MX missile-system and of its deployment in Utah to "leading the fight to keep MX out of Utah." The NEW YORK TIMES editorializes, "The Mormon Church's opposition to the MX missile, [is] an oddly selective summons to national morality in the service of an obviously parochial interest." The First Presidency's statement cited the large influx of non-Mormons into Utah for MX construction as a reason to oppose the deployment.
190 years ago today - May 5, 1836
Patriarchal Blessing of Mary Elliot given by Joseph Smith, Sr. ... Thy mind will be cast down and thou wilt remember thy blessing and call upon thy God, and he will send an holy angel to tell the[e] of the affairs of thy husband: thou shalt be comforted and feel a joy spring up, and thy soul shall be filled, for thou shalt desire the salvation of souls. and shalt be willing he should tarry. Thou shalt hear the voice of God and be told of his situation. This is thy blessing, treasure it up and God shall give thee many more. If thou shalt desire life, thou shalt live, but if thou shalt desire to lay it down, thou mayest depart in peace, and rest till the Lord shall bring thee with him in the clouds and thy body rise in the first resurrection, and meet him and even be with him. This is thy blessing: and I seal thee up unto eternal life in the name of Jesus... [Patriarchal Blessing Book 1:60-61, in Early Patriarchal Blessings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Joseph Smith Sr. (Author), H. Michael Marquardt (Editor), http://amzn.to/rCBHVe]
125 years ago today - May 2, 1901; Thursday
Pres[iden]t. [Lorenzo] Snow remarked that he wishes he were a millionaire and if so he would be pleased to hire me to make suggestions for him. I felt somewhat humiliated at his remark at the same time I took it in good part ... [Heber J. Grant, Diary]
135 years ago today - May 4, 1891
[Heber J. Grant] "... (GQ) Cannon said that he was willing that we should sell one half of the Herald to the gentile Democrats and allow them a majority of the Directors. I think the chances are that it will finally be approved to sell a majority of the stock." [The Diaries of Heber J. Grant, 1880-1945, Abridged, Digital Edition Salt Lake City, Utah, 2015]
140 years ago today - May 4, 1886
Apostle John Henry Smith writes that Presiding Bishopric counselor John Q. Cannon is "getting quite reckless" with the church's tithing funds. Cannon is excommunicated four months later, but for adultery not embezzlement. His father, first counselor George Q. Cannon, tells the apostles on 3 Aug. 1887 that "he admitted trying to cover up John Q. Cannon's stealings fromt he Church and that he & his son Abraham had made good John Q's defalcations to the amount of nearly Ten thousand dollars." [The Mormon Hierarchy - Extensions of Power by D. Michael Quinn, [New Mormon History database (http://bit.ly/NMHdatabase)]]
170 years ago today - May 4, 1856
President B. Young preached in the tabernacle to the few who were gathered. said he should urge it upon the people for every family of the saints to lay up 7 years of provisions as soon as possible. -- SLC Tabernacle [Sermons and Writings of the Restoration. 4 Vols. Ogden Kraut, ed. Pioneer Press, 1994, in The Complete Discourses of Brigham Young, Ed. Richard S. Van Wagoner, Smith-Pettit Foundation, Salt Lake City (2009), http://bit.ly/BY-discourses]
190 years ago today - 1836: 2 May
[Patriarchal Blessing] William Harris. (Given by Joseph Smith, Sen.) ... The riches of the earth shall flow unto thee in time, and thou shalt receive the blessings of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and they shall reach thy posterity also; and thy father's house shall follow on, and be gathered with thee unto the mountain of Israel. ... Angels shall be thy guard upon thy right hand and thy left; even the twelve legions shall watch over thee: thou mayest see them, if thou wilt believe; and if any arm is raised against thee, it shall fall, and all weapons wielded to thy hurt shall perish. If any dig pits for thee, they shall fall therein; if they seek to confound thee with subtle questions, they shall be confounded; [Selected LDS Patriarchal Blessings, New Mormon Studies CD ROM, Signature Book, 2009, http://amzn.to/newmormonstudies]
80 years ago today - May 2, 1946
To Presidents of Stakes and Bishops of Wards ... Inquiries received at the office of the First Presidency disclose the fact that there is a divergence of opinion and varied practices among ward officers with respect to the kind of music, if any, that should be rendered during the administration of the sacrament. Recently, this question came before the First Presidency and the Twelve who unanimously approved the recommendation that the ideal condition is to have absolute quiet during the passing of the sacrament, and that we look with disfavor upon vocal solos, duets, group singing, or instrumental music during the administration of this sacred ordinance. There is no objection to having appropriate music during the preparation of the emblems, but after the prayer is offered, perfect silence should prevail until the bread and the water have been partaken of by the full congregation. It was further suggested, and unitedly agreed upon, that the sacrament should be first given to the presiding authority in the meeting. This may be the bishop, perhaps one of the stake presidency, or one of the visiting General Authorities. It is the duty of the priest officiating to determine who is the presiding authority present; thus, whenever the sacrament is administered, members of the Aaronic Priesthood officiating will have a lesson in Church government. ... Sincerely yours, GEO. ALBERT SMITH, J. REUBEN CLARK, JR., DAVID O. MCKAY, First Presidency. [1946-May 2-Original circular letter, L.D.S., in Clark, James R., Messages of the First Presidency (6 volumes)]
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