Today In Mormon History

30 years ago today - Sep 2, 1996

Gordon B. Hinckley receives the American Legion's "Good Guy Award."

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

185 years ago today - September 2, 1841

[Joseph Fielding]

2nd I came to Preston [England]. […]

…there has been a certain Principle manifested here which I shall mention. there has been a select little Company who have looked upon themselves as better than the rest, they met together as a choice Band, where they obtained Manifestations which it was not lawful to tell to the common Saints, nor even to me, though at that time presiding, it was shewn them who should be Companions in another World, that they would not be united as they are now, (these were mostly Females). they had many strange Visions, of these things I got to hear by degrees, and one/ of their Company came to a short time ago to ask my forgiveness, as she had once pronounced a Curse [p. 74] or Woe upon me. I told her I freely forgave her, the san the Mo had not come upon me, I did not care what it was nor who were concerned in it, I did not get to know of the new Companion Revelation till a short time ago. I then said it was not of God, and if one of the Twelve should sanction it, I should still reject it, soon after I was with Elder P. P. Pratt, and asked him if it were of God, he said "no", it had been the same in Manchester while a certain Female from Preston was living there, some one had been marked out for him, and some were still believing that they should have such & such an one In Preston, they were much affraid of me knowing of these things— Others have prophesied (Females) of things pertaining to the Elders, one, that an Elder's Wife would die and he should be married to another certain Person, and the Elder for want of Experience more I think, than the Want of honesty, [p. 75] really thought it was true or from the Lord, I often cautioned this Sister to be careful about her Dreams and told her if her Eye were not single, her Dreams would be mixed with Error, I also endeavoured to show the Elders that the Priesthood was to govern and, not be led by Females Dreams or Propheizings or by anyone else, I felt much grieved for the Sis, who was to die, a faithful Sister, there kind of Prophetesses, whould also say they would see who would stand and who would not, I told them there was no defense against anyone, all might stand, and it was the Will of God that all should overcome, for it was calculated to discourage some who felt weak, and I have told the Saints that some of those who seemed to be first on the Way to the Kingdom, would find it hard work to get through, which the humble, and those who were overlooked, would be first, these things have learned me more and more the use and [p. 76] Value of the Priesthood, and the Folly of thinking to do without it, or for any one exalt himself above it, for the Lord will not authorize Men to do his Work and then direct another to go and do that which pertains to the Priesthood nor reveal things to Women to teach his Will to Men

Another thing I will mention here there had been/ too great Familiarity between the Brethren and Sisters in this Land, this I saw, but had not so much Firmness as I should have had, but rather partook in it, and when the 12 returned last year, to this Land they checked this Evil, yet some who came from America, went far beyond any thing we had ever done or sanctioned, so much so that E[lder] C— went into Bed with different Women and endeavored to persuade them it was no harm and while I was in Manchester last Week, I was informed that a Sister was in a tate of Pregnancy by an E[ld]er who persuaded her [p. 77] it mattered not how familiar they were with one another so [long as] they did not actually commit Adultery or Fornication, till they got to Bed together and were overcome, and he thus received the young Sis, and the inducement he held out to her, was that E[lder] C— had often slept with Sis P— and there was no harm in it, It seems also that E[lder] T— [Theodore Turley] has been cut off from the Church since he returned to America for the like Sin. what do their Wives think of such things, I feel myself to be weak, but the Lord has preserved me at least from outward Sin, to God be all the Praise. Yes, I am very thankful that I have been thus preserved O Lord, my God, do thou keep me unspotted to the End for Jesus Christs sake Amen.

[Joseph Fielding, Journals, 1837-1859, Church Archives, MS 1567]

185 years ago today - Sep 2, 1841

[Brigham Young]

"On my return from England I found my family living in a small unfinished log cabin, situated on a low, wet lot, so swampy that when the first attempt was made to plow it the oxen mired; but after the city was drained it became a very valuable garden spot."

"Although I had to spend the principal part of my time, at the call of Brother Joseph, in the service of the Church, the portion of time left me I spent in draining, fencing and cultivating my lot, building a temporary shed for my cow, chinking and otherwise finishing my house; and as the ground was too damp to admit of a cellar underground, I built one with two brick walls about four or six inches apart, arched over with brick. Frost never penetrated it, although in summer articles would mildew in it."

[Manuscript History of Brigham Young, 1801-1844, ed. Elden Jay Watson (Salt Lake City: Smith Secretarial Service, 1968).]

50 years ago today - Sep 1, 1976

In response to the increasing "personal problems of church members . . . in number and seriousness," together with the absence of "revealed truth about human behavior" among professionals "to combat these problems," BYU President Dallin Oaks proposes to the Board of Trustees that "an Institute for Studies in Values and Human Behavior be established at BYU to sponsor and conduct research that would assist in preventing and changing [deviant] behaviors which lead people away from eternal life." The trustees approve Oaks's proposal and back the appointment of BYU psychologist Allen Bergin as its director. Noting that "too many LDS behavioral scientists do not harmonize their professional concepts with their religious stands," Bergin explained that his "first project [would] be to state as clearly as possible to the behavioral scientists . . . that Jesus Christ teaches in principles of behavior. He later adds, "What we can do is receive inspiration in our research and then seek reviews by the authorities [of the church] for their interpretations, disapproval, or whatever, if doctrinal questions are raised by it." Institute member Victor Brown, Jr. writes to BYU officials, "Our basic theme is that truth lies with the scriptures and prophets, not with secular data or debate."

90 years ago today - Sep 1, 1936

German mazazine DER STERN reports on a lecture by Dr. Max Haenle from Tubingen, a non-Mormon who visited Utah in the late twenties and became a friend of Anthony W. Ivins, First Counselor to Heber J. Grant. The article says that Haenle made "comparisons ... throughout the whole lecture between the Mormon state founded 86 years ago by Brigham Young in Utah and Adolf Hitler's Third Reich. . . . In its political productivity, its organization forms, and its unswerving successes in the various areas of governmental, social, and communal life," he proclaimed, "Utah bears a really striking similarity to our Germany of today. Here as well as there, the unshakable faith in and willingness to die for their Fuhrer [respective leaders] is the foundation and prerequisite for all further development."

120 years ago today - Sep 1, 1906

[Heber J. Grant to Anthony W. Ivins]

"Bro[ther]s. [John W.] Taylor and [Matthias F.] Cowley have got just what they were entitled to [diciplined, including being dropped from the quorum of twelve for promoting polygamy], and did not get it as soon as they should. They presumed to be a law unto themselves. There are many things that I can tell you that will throw light on the situation. The young man [i.e., Henry S. Tanner] in the Y.M.M.I.A. will go to hell all right if he does not repent of the position he now occupies. Bro[ther]. [Francis M.] Lyman or no man that has ever lived will be able to influence Pres[ident]. [Joseph F.] Smith to accept his'the man's policy. Jos[eph]. F. Smith is the strongest man that has stood at the head of the Church since the Prophet Joseph Smith. Bro[ther]. Lyman is not in the same class when it comes to real force of character. You or no man that lives need have the least anxiety of Pres[ident]. Smith allowing Bro[ther] Lyman to dominate the President. I see from your letter that you are not at all worried in that direction. Your position is the only correct one and that is to see that every presiding man in your Stake sustains the present policy of the Church or gets out of office. There is not the least safety in any other position. I supposed the bone that you were going to pick with me was what some good friend said to you as to what I had told him, but you dropped the picking, and so did I and am now more than willing to let it wait until we meet."

[Heber J. Grant, Letter to Anthony W. Ivins, as quoted in Minutes of the Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1835-1951, Electronic Edition, 2015]

180 years ago today - Aug 31, 1846

Young warns non-Mormon Thomas L. Kane (whom Young had just met) "that we had more influence with the indians than all other nations on the earth, & if we were compelled we would use it."

[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]

185 years ago today - Aug 31, 1841

[Minutes of the Apostles]

Resolved unanimously, that we deeply feel for our beloved President Joseph Smith & his fathers family on account of the great losses they have sustained in their properties on account of /by/ the unparalleled persecutions in Missouri, as well as the other many persecutions they have sustained since the Rise of the church, which has brought them to their present destitute situation; 'Therefore, Voted unanimously, /for ourselves & the church we represent/ that we approve of whel of the proceedings of president Smith so far as he has gone, in making over certain properties to his wife & children /& friends/ for their Support. & that He continue to deed & make over certain portions of church property /which now exist, or which may be obtained by exchange/ as in his wisdom he shall judge expedient, till his own & his fathers household shall have an inheritance secured to them ...

Resolved, that on account of the peculiar situation of the Church hitherto, it has been expedient & necessary that that the deeds. Bonds. & properties of the Church should be & have been taken & holden by committees of the church'& private individuals.'but that we now have a Trustte in Trust.' viz. President Joseph Smith appointed according to the laws of the Land....

... it was, voted unanimously that President Smith., as Trustee in Trust, be requested, & instructed /by the Conference on behalf of the Church/ to extend relief to such indigent suffering brethren., either by land or goods, as the properties of the Church would admit.

[Minutes, as quoted in Minutes of the Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1835-1951, Electronic Edition, 2015]

195 years ago today - Aug 31, 1831

Joseph Smith receives a revelation (unpublished) directing that Kirtland's sawmill operator, John Burk, and others immigrate to Missouri. The family of later sawmill owners Azariah Lyman and Austin Loud believe that this act disrupts Kirtland's sawmill operation.

[Mark Lyman Staker, Hearken, O Ye People: The Historical Setting of Joseph Smith's Ohio Revelations: A Selective Chronology of Significant Events in Ohio's LDS History]

60 years ago today - Aug 30, 1966

... Where persons who are involved in pending divorce or annulment proceedings make application for permission to go to the temple, brethren authorized to issue temple recommends should carefully and search ingly interview the applicant, and if it is found that he or she is in no cent of any serious wrongdoing in connection with the divorce or annulment and is otherwise worthy, a temple recommend may be issued. When the final decree of divorce or annulment has been entered, a divorce clearance must be obtained from the First Presidency by the parties involved, if they were previously sealed to each other in the temple, before they may be permitted to continue temple attendance or receive a temple recommend.... Divorces or annulments of marriage need not be cleared by the First Presidency for persons who were not sealed to each other in the temple....

[David O. McKay, Hugh B. Brown, N. Eldon Tanner, and Joseph Fielding Smith, circular letter, Aug. 30, 1966, in Anderson, Devery; The Development of LDS Temple Worship, 1846-2000: A Documentary History, http://amzn.to/TempleWorship]

120 years ago today - Aug 30, 1906

At a testimony meeting of the general board of the Young Ladies Mutual Improvement Association invited guests Lillie T. Freeze and Maria Young Dougall speak in tongues and interpret. Sisters Freeze and Dougall are general board members in other auxiliaries and speak in tongues and interpret at such meetings until they die in 1937. By then glossolalia no longer occurs in LDS meetings, since all Mormons with this gift have died without successors. After 1930s LDS leaders redefine the "gift of tongues" to be xenoglossia, the ability to learn unfamiliar language (such as Japanese), rather than spontaneous speaking of "unknown tongues" which correspond to no recognized language.

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

120 years ago today - Thursday, Aug 30, 1906

Bro. Reed Smoot was all broken up over some of Bro. Roberts talk on Polatics.

[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]

135 years ago today - Aug 29, 1891

[Abraham H. Cannon]

"There seems to be a regular mania to commit suicide sweeping over this city. Scarcely a day passes but what one or more cases occur."

[Abraham H. Cannon Journal Excerpts, http://www.amazon.com/Apostles-Record-Journals-Abraham-1889-1896/dp/B000MFD1K4]

180 years ago today - Aug 29, 1846

[Wilford Woodruff]

"Presidents Young & Richards Met at my tent And I Called my family together & I lade before them the Conduct of Caroline Barton & Sarah Brown [teen age wives added to Woodruff's family on the 2nd] in there night Ramblings with unprincipled young men. Many things were said upon the subject. They manifested a disposition to live els whare and I wished them to do so if they would not conduct better. Elder Richards prophesyed to them in the name of the Lord that they would see the day that they would be willing to have there right arm severd from there body if that would restore them to the place & station they were now loosing. But in consequence of there bad conduct I sent Caroline to her Father & Mother & Sarah left my tent to seek some place to stay. She went to Br Bakers untill she could get one."

[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 - Aug 29, 1831

Kirtland, Ohio. While traveling to Colesville, New York, from Harmony, Pennsylvania, Joseph Smith and his company were miraculously delivered from their enemies, who were blinded and unable to identify them.

[BYU Studies Journal, volume 46, no. 4: A Chronology of the Life of Joseph Smith, http://byustudies.byu.edu]

125 years ago today - 1901. August 28

Zina D. H. Young: Died of old age—sexton's records list "senility"—at her home at 146 Fourth Street in Salt Lake City at the age of eighty. Buried in the Salt Lake City Cemetery family plot of her first husband, Henry B. Jacobs, who had died of Bright's disease in 1886. Her epitaph is the motto of the Relief Society: "Charity never faileth."

[Van Wagoner, Richard and Walker, Steven C., A Book of Mormons, http://amzn.to/newmormonstudies]

180 years ago today - Aug 28, 1846

28th Met in Council this morning with the Omaho's Chiefs & braves. We smoked the pipe of peace And then President Young spoke to them through there interpeter whose name was [ ] Informing them It was our desire to winter here And if they wished we would do some work for them make them a field & fix there guns &c. And many things were said which I Cannot now name.

And the big Elk replyed My Son thou hast spoken well. I have all thou hast Said in my heart. I have much I want to say. We are poor. When we go to hunt game in one place we meet an enemy & so in another place. Our enemies kill us. We do not kill them. I hope we will be friends. You may stay on these lands two years or more. Our young men may watch your cattle. We would be glad to have you trade with us. We will warn you of danger from other Indians &c. Many other things were said. The Council closed. The Indians were fed & returned home.

[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 - late Aug 1836

In Joseph Smith's absence some members call for David Whitmer to assume leadership of the Church. A similar situation happened during Smith's trip to Canada in July of 1837. Accounts of these two events are difficult to sort one from another. The earlier attempt to unseat Smith may possibly have been related to his affair with Miss Fanny Alger.

[Broadhurst, Dale R., Mormon Chronology, http://olivercowdery.com/history/morchrn2.htm]

140 years ago today - Friday, Aug 27, 1886

[John Henry Smith]

It was agreed that the bond of George Q. Cannon should be paid. The Beck and Bullion Mine business was taken up and after a free discussion of the matter the brethren consented for President Taylor to guarantee the parties to the tune of one hundred thousand dollars. Who should become bondsmen. All of the Brethren expressed themselves as opposed to mining but the President. I gave some little offense to my brethren by my to candid expression of my feelings about the bond business.

155 years ago today - Aug 27, 1871

[Brigham Young]

"Now, I wish to make this request: that the Elders who return from missions consider themselves just as much on a mission here as in England or in any other part of the world. There is no people need preaching to more than those who live in this Territory and in these mountains. The Latter-day Saints, or those who profess to be, need talking to just as much as a child who begins to prattle and run around the house. It gets into mischief continually and its mother has to keep talking to it to keep it from meddling with things that it should not. It does not know how to guide itself, and wants guiding and correcting all the time; but not more than the Latter-day Saints who gather together."

155 years ago today - Aug 27, 1871

"I will turn again to the Latter-day Saints and to the world, and will say I would to God that the Latter-day Saints would take the word of Brigham Young to be law! I will defy the inhabitants of the whole earth to tell one word that he ever counseled that was wrong; or to point out a path that he ever advised man or woman to walk in but would lead to light, life, glory, immortality, and to all that is good or desirable by the intelligence that dwells upon the earth. What do you say, is that boasting? If any person has a mind to call it boasting, do so."