Several curious tidbits that happened on this day in Mormon History
Section 66. A ... note in the "Kirtland Revelation Book" states that section 66 is, "a Revelation given to William E. McLelin a true decendent from Joseph that was sold in Egypt down through the loins of Ephraim his son.".
[Cook, Lyndon, Revelations of the Prophet Joseph Smith: A Historical and Biographical Commentary of the Doctrine and Covenants, http://amzn.to/RevelationsofJosephSmith]
The office of deacon is first introduced. Although deacon is referred to in a published revelation of 6 Apr. 1830, the earliest manuscript does not seem to date before 1831.
[Quinn, D. Michael, The Mormon Hierarchy: Origins of Power, Appendix 7: Selected Chronology of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1830-47, http://amzn.to/origins-power]
... Br. Joseph Smith jr. said that the order of the Highpriesthood [sic] is that they have power given them to seal up the Saints to eternal life. And said it was the privilege of every Elder present to be ordained to the Highpriesthood [i.e., a high priest].
Brother Hyrum Smith said that he thought best that the information of the coming forth of the book of Mormon be related by Joseph himself to the Elders present that all might know for themselves.
Br. Joseph Smith jr. said that it was not intended to tell the world all the particulars of the coming forth of the book of Mormon, & also said that it was not expedient for him to relate these things &c.
Br. Joseph Smith Jr said ... that the promises of God was that the greatest blessings which God had to bestow should be given to those who contributed to the support of his family while translating the fulness of the Scriptures, ...
[Oliver Cowdery Record Copied into the Far West Record -Far West Record, 20-21, 23]
In fulfillment of a prophecy by Joseph Smith and of his own 1840 vision, Hyde ascended the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem and dedicated Palestine for the future return of the Jews:
[Van Wagoner, Richard and Walker, Steven C., A Book of Mormons, http://amzn.to/newmormonstudies]
[Joseph] Smith is the only person at present, to my knowledge, who pretends to hold converse with the inhabitants of the celestial world. It seems from his statements, that he can have access to them, when and where he pleases. He does not pretend that he sees them with his natural, but with his spiritual eyes; and he says he can see them as well with his eyes shut, as with them open. So also in translating.-The subject stands before his eyes in print, but it matters not whether his eyes are open or shut; he can see as well one way as the other.
...Smith describes an angel, as having the appearance of a "tall, slim, well built, handsome man, with a bright pillar upon his head." The Devil once, he says, appeared to him in the same form, excepting upon his head he had a "black pillar," and by this mark, he was able to distinguish him from the former.
It passes for a current fact in the Mormonite church, that there are immense treasures in the earth, especially in those places in the State of N.Y. from whence many of the Mormonites emigrated last spring: and when they become sufficiently purified, these treasures are to be poured into the lap of their church; and then, to use their own language, they are to be the richest people in the world. These treasures were discovered several years since, by means of the dark glass, the same with which Smith says he translated most of the Book of Mormon-Several of those persons, together with Smith, who were formerly unsuccessfully engaged in digging and searching for these treasures, now reside in this county, and from themselves I received this information.
[Ezra Booth to Ira Eddy, 24 October 1831, in Larry E. Morris, I Should Have an Eye Single to the Glory of God: Joseph Smith's Account of the Angel and the Plates]
[Ezra Booth]
... "Being carried away in the spirit" and "I know it to be so by the spirit," are well known phrases, and in common use in the Mormonite church. We will first notice the gift of tongues, exercised by some when carried away in the spirit. These persons were apparently lost to all surrounding circumstances, and wrapt up in the contemplation of things, and in communicating with persons not present. -- They articulated sounds, which but few present professed to understand; and those few, declared them to be the Indian language. A merchant, who had formerly been a member of the Methodist society, observed, he had formerly traded with the Indians, and he knew it to be their dialect. Being myself present on some of these occasions, a person proffered his services as my interpreter, and translated these sounds, which to me were unintelligible, into English language. One individual could read any chapter of the Old or New-Testament, in several different languages. This was known to be the case by a person who professed to understand those languages. In the midst of this delirium, they would, at times, fancy themselves addressing a congregation of their red brethren; and mounted upon a stump, or the fence, or from some elevated situation, would harangue their assembly, until they had convinced and converted them. They would then lead them into the water, and baptize them, and pronounce their sins forgiven. In this exercise, some of them actually went into the water; and in the water, performed the ceremony used in baptizing. These actors assumed the visage of the savage, and so nearly imitated him, not only in language, but in gestures and actions, that it seemed the soul and body were completely metamorphosed into the Indian. ...
A new method for obtaining authority to preach the Gospel was introduced into the church. One declared he had received a commission, directly from Heeven [sic], written upon parchment. Another, that it was written upon the palm of his hand, and upon the lid of his Bible, &c. Three witnesses, and they were formerly considered persons of veracity, testified, that they saw the parchment, or something like it, when put into the hands of the candidate. These commissions, when transcribed upon a piece of paper, were read to the church, and the persons who had received them, were ordained to the Elder's office, and sent out into the world to preach. ...
... The visionary, at times, imagined he saw the City of New-Jerusalem; unlocked its gate, and entered within the walls; passed through its various apartments, and then returned, locked the gate, and put the key into his pocket. When this tour was finished, he would entertain his admiring friends, with a detailed description of the Heavenly City.
The condition of the ten tribes of Israel since their captivity, unto the present time, has excited considerable anxiety, and given rise to much speculation among the learned. But after all the researches which have been made, the place of their residence has never been satisfactorily ascertained. But these visionaries have discovered their place of residence to be contiguous to the north pole; separated from the rest of the world by impassable mountains of ice and snow. In this sequestered residence, they enjoy the society of Elijah the Prophet, and John the Revelator, and perhaps the three immortalized Nephites. -- By and by, the mountains of ice and snow are to give way, and open a passage for the return of these tribes, to the land of Palestine....
Smith is the only one at present, to my knowledge, who pretends to hold converse with the inhabitants of the celestial world. It seems from his statements, that he can have access to them, when and where he pleases. He does not pretend that he sees them with his natural, but with his spiritual, eyes; and he says he can see them as well with his eyes shut, as with them open. So also in translating. -- The subject stands before his eyes in print, but it matters not whether his eyes are open or shut; he can see as well one way as the other....
Smith describes an angel, as having the appearance of "a tall, slim, well built, handsome man, with a bright pillar upon his head." The Devil once, he says, appeared to him in the same form, excepting upon his head he had a "black pillar," and by this mark, he was able to distinguish him from the former.
It passes for a current fact in the Mormonite church, that there are immense treasures in the earth, especially in those places in the State of N. Y. from whence many of the Mormonites emigrated last spring: and when they become sufficiently purified, these treasures are to be poured into the lap of their church; and then, to use their own language, they are to be the richest people in the world. These treasures were discovered several years since, by means of the dark glass, the same with which Smith says he translated most of the Book of Mormon. -- Several of those persons, together with Smith, who were formerly unsuccessfully engaged in digging and searching for these treasures, now reside in this county, and from themselves I received this information. Yours, affectionately,
EZRA BOOTH.
[Ohio Star]
Paul H. Dunn sends an "open letter to the members of the Church." It states: "I confess that I have not always been accurate in my public talks and writings. Furthermore, I have indulged in other activities inconsistent with the high and sacred office which I have held. For all of these I feel a deep sense of remorse, and ask forgiveness of any whom I may have offended. My brethren of the General Authorities, over a long period of time, have conducted in-depth investigations of the charges made against me. They have weighed the evidence. They have censured me and placed a heavy penalty upon me. I accept their censure and the imposed penalty, and pledge to conduct my life in such a way as to merit their confidence and full fellowship. In making these acknowledgements, I plead for the understanding of my brethren and sisters throughout the Church and give assurance of my determination so to live as to bring added respect to the cause I deeply love, and honor to the Lord who is my Redeemer. Sincerely, Paul H. Dunn." The letter is the lead news story on all three Salt Lake City TV News programs and was reported in the SALT LAKE TRIBUNE and the DESERET NEWS. Elder Dunn's statement that for a "long period of time" Church leaders "conducted in-depth investigations" of his actions appears to contradict a previous First Presidency statement responding to the Arizona Republic story that it had "no way of fully or finally verifying the accuracy or inaccuracy" of the allegations. Church spokesperson Don LeFevre tells the DESERET NEWS that the nature of Elder Dunn's penalty is "an internal matter, and we don't discuss such matters" publicly.
The Nauvoo City Council votes to remove the "house on the hill, a brothel with connections to John C. Bennett.
[Hales, Brian C., Joseph Smith's Polygamy: History and Theology, 3 vols., Salt Lake City: Greg Kofford Books, 2013 (www.JosephSmithsPolygamy.com)]
[Brigham Young]
We taught the brethren on the necessity of finishing and completing the House of the Lord in preference to anything else. The brethren unanimously voted to devote one-tenth of their time and property to the building of the Temple at Nauvoo, under the superintendence of President Isaac Morley and his counsellors.
[Manuscript History of Brigham Young, 1801-1844, ed. Elden Jay Watson (Salt Lake City: Smith Secretarial Service, 1968).]
Married couples who share religious beliefs and practices are better able to prevent, resolve and reconcile marital conflict, according to a new BYU study.
[Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, United Kingdom, "On This Day," https://www.lds.org.uk/show_oda.php]
The Deseret News publishes first regular News with telegraph accounts from the East, containing a message from President Lincoln.
[Sherry Baker: Mormon Media History Timeline: 1827-2007, http://byustudies.byu.edu/showTitle.aspx?title=7984]
The President [Brigham Young] mentioned the Telegram had brought news of a fight in Missouri and the prospect of a big fight tomorrow, the President further remarked that now the contending parties in the States were using Guns and Cannons, but in time they would become so bloodthirsty that they would be ready to tie their left hands behind and fight with Knives until they Killed each other. -- 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]
First Presidency secretary Joseph Anderson writes that conscientious objectors can teach, partake of the sacrament, hold church offices, and receive temple recommends.
[The Mormon Hierarchy - Extensions of Power by D. Michael Quinn, [New Mormon History database (http://bit.ly/NMHdatabase)]]
"The Lecture," which is given in the Temple from time to time, as circumstances require, was first delivered by President [Brigham] Young in this [St. George] Temple. It was written down as he spoke it, and was subsequently revised by him. The ordinances were written [down] by Presidents Wilford Woodruff and George Q. Cannon, under the direction of President Young[,] and, when completed, he said "Now you have before you an ensample to carry on the endowments in all the Temples, until the coming of the Son of Man."
[David H. Cannon to Joseph F. Smith, Anthon H. Lund, and Charles W. Penrose, Oct. 21, 1916, in Anderson, Devery; The Development of LDS Temple Worship, 1846-2000: A Documentary History, http://amzn.to/TempleWorship]
President [George Q.] Cannon had a conversation with President [Wilford] Woodruff on the meaning and scope of the manifesto. Certain answers of Pres[iden]ts. J[oseph]. F. Smith and L[orenzo]. Snow made before the 'Master [in Chancery]' on this subject, prompted this conversation. President Cannon remarked to President Woodruff that his mind was perfectly clear that anything that needed to favor temporizing with the state of things which now confronted us, only tended to delay the deliverance we longed for. He believed that just as soon as the nation through its leading men believed that we had met the issue and succumbed to the nation's will in good faith, that just as soon a reaction would set it in our favor; that the nation required convincing proof on our part, and that wisdom suggested that it was to our own interest to satisfy the nation in this respect, and he believed it to be our duty to do this.... President Smith came in towards the close of this conversation, and remarked that Brother George Reynolds was feeling badly on account of certain answers made by President Woodruff before the 'master' regarding unlawful cohabitation, President Woodruff having stated that the manifesto covered such cases as well as polygamous marriages. Presidents Cannon and Woodruff had a conversation with Brother [George] Reynolds with regard to this matter, in which the President told him that the manifesto was just as authoritative and binding as though it had been given in the form of 'Thus saith the Lord,' and that its affecting unlawful cohabitation cases was but the logical sequence of its scope and intent regarding polygamous marriages, as the laws of the land forbid both, and that therefore, although he himself at the time did not perceive the far-reaching effect it would have, no other ground could be taken than that which he had taken and be consistent with the position the manifesto had place us in.
[First Presidency Office Journal, as quoted in Minutes of the Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1835-1951, Electronic Edition, 2015]
LDS Lt-Gen. Robert C. Oaks is the commander of the Allied air forces in southern Europe. He is the uncle of the recently sustained apostle Dallin H. Oaks.
[The Mormon Hierarchy - Extensions of Power by D. Michael Quinn, [New Mormon History database (http://bit.ly/NMHdatabase)]]
The Genesis Group is organized for the Salt Lake Valley's 200 LDS African-Americans to meet for auxiliary organizations, while attending sacrament meetings in their respective wards. Apostle Gordon B. Hinckley sets apart Ruffin Bridgeforth Jr. as president, with Darius Gray and Eugene Orr as counselors.
[The Mormon Hierarchy - Extensions of Power by D. Michael Quinn, [New Mormon History database (http://bit.ly/NMHdatabase)]]
Blizzard strikes Willie Company near Seventh Crossing of the Sweetwater and the Martin Company at the Upper Crossing of the Platte.
[Handcart Timeline, Will Bagley]
[Wilford Woodruff]
I felt to rejoice to spend a night with my family under a roof of my own it being the first time that I have ever injoyed such a privilege since we were married. +
[Wilford Woodruff's Journal: 1833-1898 Typescript, Volumes 1-9, Edited by Scott G. Kenney, Signature Books 1993, http://amzn.to/newmormonstudies]