20 years ago today - 2006 June 29

The LDS Church announces that the Church College of New Zealand will not admit more students and eventually close.

[Wikipedia, 21st Century (Mormonism), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/21st_century_(Mormonism)]

180 years ago today - Jun 29, 1846

[Willard Richards]

council together'O. Hyde nominated E.T. Benson to take the crown of John E. Page, & council wrote him accordingly.

[Willard Richards 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]

190 years ago today - Jun 29, 1836

A public meeting is held in Liberty, Clay County, Missouri, in which the local citizens decide that to avoid a civil war the Saints must leave Clay County. They accuse the Saints of coming into the county friendless and penniless, of arriving in large numbers, of being nonslave holders, and of communicating with the Indian tribes.

[Conkling, Christopher J., Joseph Smith Chronology]

80 years ago today - Jun 28, 1946

A First Presidency statement against compulsory military service ("conscription" or "the draft") during peace time. This is an extensive version of the Presidency's earlier views and of its efforts to persuade LDS congressmen to vote against the peacetime draft.

[The Mormon Hierarchy - Extensions of Power by D. Michael Quinn, [New Mormon History database (http://bit.ly/NMHdatabase)]]

180 years ago today - Jun 28, 1846

[Hosea Stout]

I awoke very early this morning and immediately discovered my child to be dying. He seemed perfectly easy and now had given up to the struggle of death and lay breathing out his life sweetly. The evil spirits had entirely left him and he now had his natural, easy, pleasant, calm and usual appearance but death was in his countenance and his little spirit now in the enjoyment of its own body only seemed loth to give it up as almost every one seemed involuntary to observe who was present. He gradually and slowly declined untill forty minutes after seven when its spirit took its leave of its body without any appearant pain but seemed to go to sleep.

[Diaries of Hosea Stout]

185 years ago today - Jun 28, 1841

Assistant President of the Church John C. Bennett writes to Bodley Lodge No. 1, Quincy, Illinois, asking that it recommend that a Masonic lodge be established in Nauvoo. His request is denied because Mormons were "unknown to this lodge as Masons."

[On This Day in Mormon History, http://onthisdayinmormonhistory.blogspot.com]

65 years ago today - Jun 27, 1961

Musa Bey Alami in company with the daughter of Jordanian ambassador to the United States expresses gratitude to President David O. McKay and to BYU for their joint donation of a large herd of milk cows for the Jericho Dairy Project in Jordan. By this time 400 Jordanian boys have graduated from the project's dairy school, and 160 are currently enrolled in the project which is providing milk to 111 Palestinian and Jordanian villages. Alami says that "there has not been anything done in Jordan, in spite of the millions of dollars spent there that has met the success of this gift." The church called L. Burt Bigler, LDS bishop and dairyman from Jordan, Utah, to select cattle, transport them to Jericho, and supervise the dairy in the Kingdom of Jordan.

[The Mormon Hierarchy - Extensions of Power by D. Michael Quinn, [New Mormon History database (http://bit.ly/NMHdatabase)]]

85 years ago today - Jun 27, 1941

[Heber J. Grant]

"It is truly refreshing to find men with the courage to stand out for what is right instead of allowing politics to warp their judgment."

[The Diaries of Heber J. Grant, 1880-1945, Abridged, Digital Edition Salt Lake City, Utah, 2015]

125 years ago today - Thursday, Jun 27, 1901

Pres. L. Snow remarked that 57 years ago today Joseph Smith, the prophet, was martyred for the truth and suggested that "A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief" be sung, which was done.

... [Closing] Hymn, "Give Me Back My Prophet Dear." Benediction by Apostle Reed Smoot.

[Stan Larson (editor), A Ministry of Meetings: The Apostolic diaries of Rudger Clawson, Signature Books in association with Smith Research Associates, Salt Lake City, 1993, http://bit.ly/rudgerclawson]

165 years ago today - Jun 26, 1861

Brigham Young's office journal records: "Br. [Samuel] Murphy called upon the President and mentioned to him that his eyes were bad and his stomach out of order. The President told him to take care of himself, and to wear a good shade to his eyes, and take some medicine to cleanse his stomach. The President noticed the effects of the first dose of lobelia he took, the lobelia poked the phlegm, but not his food. he observed persons have formed a prejudice against lobelia, because their stomachs were not properly prepared with warm drinks until they ware in a perspiration before they took the lobelia, if there is no disease the lobelia will not cause a vomit but will pass off the same as any thing else taken into the stomach, but if there is disaese then the lobelia will cause a puke."

[On This Day in Mormon History, http://onthisdayinmormonhistory.blogspot.com]

180 years ago today - Friday, Jun 26, 1846.

[Willard Richards]

Conversed about Mitchell’s writing to Fort Kearney for troops to take the Mormon leaders and drive off the leaders, as related by Sarpee to President Young yesterday. Voted that O. Hyde and N. K. Whitney go to Major Mitchell and inquire if he has written to Fort Kearney for troops, and if so, learn the cause and get him to write a letter to counteract his former letter. ... Elders Hyde and Whitney came to them and informed them that Major Mitchell said he had written no letter to Fort Kearney except one he wrote some two months ago about Emmett's company; that since his acquaintance with the Mormons his feelings had materially changed, that he had found them gentlemen, and wished them well and would do all in his power to do them good;

[Apostle Willard Richards Journal]

180 years ago today - Jun 26, 1846

[Wilford Woodruff]

The Camp was flung into some excitement this morning by the appearance of capt J. Allen with 3 draggoons of the U S Armey. ... He informed us He was sent by order of Capt Carney who had recieved word so He said By President Polk to give the Mormons an invitation to raise 500 volunteers to Assist the USA in the Mexican war. This was his pretentions. I Had some reasons to believe them to be spies & that the president Had no Hand in it. We however treated them with civility & directed them on to Council Bluffs to lay the case before the President.

[Wilford Woodruff's Journal: 1833-1898 Typescript, Volumes 1-9, Edited by Scott G. Kenney, Signature Books 1993, http://amzn.to/newmormonstudies]

125 years ago today - Jun 25, 1901

At Koosharem, Utah, Apostle Owen Woodruff writes: "We then held a council of the Indians [-] they chose Mocha Nogitz for their Chief. I ordained him an Elder and set him apart as Chief of the little band of Utes."

[The Mormon Hierarchy - Extensions of Power by D. Michael Quinn, [New Mormon History database (http://bit.ly/NMHdatabase)]]

130 years ago today - Thursday, Jun 25, 1896

[John Henry Smith]

[Apostle] Moses Thatcher's condition was talked over. I held he was not responsible from his use of narcotics. Prest. W. Woodruff & G. Q. Cannon rather held that he was.

[Jean Bickmore White (editor), Church, State, and Politics: The Diaries of John Henry Smith, Signature Books in association with Smith Research Associates, Salt Lake City, 1990, http://bit.ly/johnhenrysmith]

130 years ago today - Jun 25, 1896

Brigham recorded his dream in which he, his legal wife, and the Prophet were traveling in a covered carriage: "Br Joseph Smith sat on the Back Seat with my wife [--] he whispered to hir [her--] Sead [said] it was wright [right] if she was a mind to [--] nothing more past [passed] betwen [sic] them." Then, in the dream, she disappears and is next seen as a corpse in a hearse.

During a meeting of Church President Wilford Woodruff with the apostles in the Salt Lake Temple on 25 June 1896, there was a discussion about "certain trials or tests to which Prests. B. Young and Jno. Taylor were put by Prest. Joseph the Prophet in Nauvoo, as the plurality & Eternity of the M. [Marriage] covenant was being revealed. Also what Emma was commanded to abstain from, and O. Hyde's trial also." Young's dream in December 1843 apparently referred to the Prophet's "test" of asking for Brigham's wife to become Joseph's.

[Brigham Young 1840-44 journal,Franklin D. Richards journal, 25 June 1896, LDS Church History Library, in "Evidence For The Sexual Side of Joseph Smith's Polygamy," Comments by D. Michael Quinn on Session #2A "Reconsidering Joseph Smith's Marital Practices," Mormon History Association's Annual Conference, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, 29 June 2012 (unabbreviated version, revised during July)]

35 years ago today - Jun 24, 1991

The Russian Republic in the Soviet Union announces its formal recognition of the Church after the Mormon Tabernacle Choir's concert in Moscow's Bolshoi Theater.

170 years ago today - Jun 24, 1856

[Wilford Woodruff]

We find a great Difficulty in writing the History of Joseph esspecially During the last few days of his life as no one kept a Journal of the same except Dr Richards wrote some but Died before the History was written out. I have a great Desire to have President Youngs Daily History written so that all things may be plain to the future Historian.

[Wilford Woodruff's Journal: 1833-1898 Typescript, Volumes 1-9, Edited by Scott G. Kenney, Signature Books 1993, http://amzn.to/newmormonstudies]

195 years ago today - Jun 24, 1831

An editorial in The Vermont Chronicler discussing Mormon revelation noted: "Our readers will recollect a similar delusion which raged soms [sic] ten years ago in the case of the 'Pilgrims.' Their Prophet - Old Isaac, as he was called - came from Canada with a few, and encamped in Woodstock. Here outraging not Christianity only but humanity, by their absurd opinions and absurder practice - by taking the assertions of their infatuated leader for divine revelation, ... they induced many decent people who should have known better to join them, under the empty promise of being led to the holy land..."

"From the resemblances between the Pilgrims and Mormonites in manners and pretensions, we should think Old Isaac had re-appeared in the person of Joe Smith, and was intending to make another speculation...."

"They are daily receiving new revelations - sometimes by letters dropped from the skies, written in a round Italian hand, and in letters of gold; which, if it is attempted to transcribe them, vanish."

[Grunder, Rick, Mormon Parallels: A Bibliographic Source]

45 years ago today - Jun 23, 1981-Tuesday

[Leonard Arrington]

A little more information on the Lavina [Fielding Anderson] firing episode. After the appearance of the "leak" in Sunstone in regard to the succession of Joseph [Smith] III document, they suspected Lavina of being the source. Somebody called that suspicion to the attention of Elder [M. Russell] Ballard who called in Church security. Church security began opening her mail and, Lavina thinks, they tapped her phone. That is how they found the material in the letter addressed to Randy Dixon.

Peggy Fletcher of Sunstone had noted that there was a difference between Elder Rector's talk in April [1981 general] conference and the version of his talk that was published in the Ensign. She asked if she could see a copy of his talk to compare it with the published version. This would save her copying from a tape of the conference proceedings. In all innocence (!) Lavina sent to Randy the wrong draft of Elder Rector's talk. It appears that Elder Rector, well in advance of the conference, had prepared a talk which had gone to Correlation and which had not been cleared by them, so the talk was considerably altered by the time he gave it in conference. Then there was a further alteration of the revised conference talk after it was delivered. Instead of sending the revised draft given in conference Lavina sent the very first draft which was of course an improper thing for her to do. Randy Dixon was involved in all this quite innocently. He did not know a letter was coming from Lavina when Lavina phoned him a day or two later and asked him "did you get my letter?" He replied, "what letter?" I suppose Lavina sent it to him in order not to be sending anything directly to Sunstone. After Lavina was "caught" and fired Church security called in Randy Dixon and grilled him for some time but of course he didn't know anything about it. Randy was almost fired from Church employment but I suppose they did not do so because they were persuaded he was indeed quite innocent. Elder [G. Homer] Durham then called Randy in and told him that he would have to cease his connection with Sunstone. He has now resigned from the [Sunstone] staff. Bill Slaughter was called in and told the same. He has also resigned. Peggy Fletcher had to run down to the [printing] press to take both their names off the masthead before the issue came out. Richard Oman was called in by Elder Durham and strong hints were made to him that his wife Susan [Staker Oman] ought to resign from Sunstone, but of course they could not order this and she does not expect to do so. Richard assured Elder Durham that his wife was not subversive. Elder Hugh Pinnock, President of the Sunday School, called on Peggy and asked her to eliminate the section on Sunday School lessons ["Sunday School Supplement"] in Sunstone. This was giving the impression that the Sunday School somehow was sponsoring or welcoming this section. Peggy did agree to change the title so as to avoid giving that impression. It is very clear that the Brethren are suddenly down on Sunstone and somehow view it as an insidious threat. Peggy has already determined: A. That she will not frequent the Church Office Building. B. That she will not run as many Church history articles. C. That she will make fewer requests [of the church] for photographs.

Elder Durham has threatened to make the photographs unavailable to Sunstone, but as of this minute has stopped short of that decision (it would be ineffective anyhow as so many of the photographs are already out.)

[Confessions of a Mormon historian : the diaries of Leonard J. Arrington, 1971-1997, Gary James Bergera, editor, Signature Books, 2018]

70 years ago today - Jun 23, 1956

Missionary work recommences in Chile, some 104 years after Elder Parley P. Pratt had left the country following an unsuccessful attempt to establish a permanent mission.

105 years ago today - Jun 23, 1921

Heber J. Grant writes to a stake president with instructions: "Send each and every recommend direct to the President, not by the hand of anybody, the person recommended included. After the President returns the recommend to you bearing his signature of approval, it will then be in order for you to deliver it in person to the head of the family thus recommended, explaining to him in a private confidential way the sacredness of the ordinance, cautioning him at the same time not to speak of it to anybody outside the temple: and in the interest of privacy you are requested not to send more than one family to the temple the same week bearing a recommend of this character."