It was decided to try to make arrangements with the publishers of Collier's Weekly to obtain, say, six thousand copies of that paper containing the reply of ex-President [Theodore] Roosevelt to the slanderous attacks of one of the magazine writers made on himself and President Smith, with a view of having the same sent as marked copies to prominent people at home and abroad. ... Pres[iden]t. Smith reported attendance at the funeral of Isaac Manning, a negro who was employed as a servant by the Prophet Joseph Smith. President Smith spoke at the services. President Smith said that Brother Manning dug the first grave of the Prophet and Patriarch, and helped remove the bodies, perhaps, twice. The first time they were buried in the northwest room of the Nauvoo House, and were afterwards removed to the private burying ground of the old home, where his uncles, Don Carlos and Samuel were buried. In 1846, just before the departure of the Twelve from Nauvoo [Illinois], his aunt Emma had the bodies removed again, this time to the Hibbard Woods, below the Nauvoo House, near the river. There they were supposed to be when David Smith wrote the poem entitled 'The Unknown Grave.' Later they were removed back to the old place, and although the graves are without headstones, their location is known by his cousin Joseph. ... [Journal History, as quoted in Minutes of the Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1835-1951, Electronic Edition, 2015]
Today In Mormon History-fb
Several curious tidbits that happened on this day in Mormon History
60 years ago today - Apr 20, 1966
Stephen Hays Russell organized a dozen other Birch students in a room of BYU's Wilkinson Center. A non-student chapter leader of the Birch Society acted as guard for this organizing meeting of the BYU spy ring, the only time all would be together at once. These student-spies included the president of BYU's Young Americans For Freedom, three other members of YAF, and also Cleon Skousen's nephew. Academically, their majors included economics, political science, history, Asian studies, math, and zoology. Stephen Hays Russell acknowledged choosing ten students to assist in the "monitoring," yet his reservation for the room was for twenty persons and chairs. Fellow-spy Ronald Ira Hankin consistently claimed that Russell selected fifteen to twenty students to monitor the BYU professors. However, less than fifteen student-spies have been identified. What linked all these student-spies was their participation in the Provo chapter of the John Birch Society. The student-organizer of [the BYU] 1966 surveillance emphasized his association with Ezra Taft Benson. "On one occasion, the head of the John Birch Society in Utah County took me to the Church Office Building at Salt Lake City to meet Apostle Ezra Taft Benson," Stephen Hays Russell later wrote. "I was introduced to Brother Benson as a `key conservative student at Brigham Young University.'" [Interview of Ronald Ira Hankin by Ray C. Hillam and Louis C. Midgley, 17 Sept. 1966, Provo, Utah, transcript, 4-5, signed at the bottom of each page by Ronald I. Hankin, folder 5, Hillam Papers, and box 34, Buerger Papers; "Birchers Spied On Professors, Hialeah Student Said," Miami Herald, 3 Mar. 1967, A-32; Bergera and Priddis, Brigham Young University, 208; Stephen Hays Russell, Personal History of Stephen Hays Russell (N.P., 1983), 99. From D. Michael Quinn, Ezra Taft Benson and Mormon Political Conflicts, Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought 26:2 (Summer 1992), also in Quinn, The Mormon Hierarchy: Extensions of Power Salt Lake City (Signature Books, 1994), Chapter 3.]
100 years ago today - Apr 20, 1926
[George F. Richards] I met D[avid] O. McKay, Jos[eph] F[ielding] Smith, S[tephen] L. Richards and J[ohn] A. Widtsoe of the Twelve at the Temple as a committee at 8:00 A.M. where we spent about 1 1/2 hours in consideration of the Temple ordinances with the purpose of suggesting certain changes in the reading of the Ritual of End[owment] & the ceremonies of the Temple. [George F. Richards diary, Apr. 20, 1926, quoted in Anderson, Devery; The Development of LDS Temple Worship, 1846-2000: A Documentary History, http://amzn.to/TempleWorship]
140 years ago today - Apr 20, 1886
[St. George Temple President] Advised all to get recommends from their Bishops signed by their President and by Pres[iden]t [John] Taylor and return[ed] to them before they leave home. Said those who marry outside of the church could attend to adoptions if they were recommended but should not [be] give[n] their endowments, because when they get their endowments they enter into covenants to have no sexual intercourse with the sons of Adam, except their lawful husbands, to whom they are given in the authority of the Holy Priesthood. (Pres[iden]t [John D. T.] McAllister Temple Pres[iden]t.) [Temple Minute Book, St. George, Apr. 20, 1886, quoted in Anderson, Devery; The Development of LDS Temple Worship, 1846-2000: A Documentary History, http://amzn.to/TempleWorship]
170 years ago today - Apr 20, 1856
[Wilford Woodruff] "I met with the Presidency & Twelve in the prayer Circle. After prayers President Young asked those who were going away if they were satisfied with him & felt satisfied that He was keeping up with the spirit of the times. They all said they were. They asked if he was satisfied with them. He said he was. He Advised Elder G A. Smith not to indulge in Arguing any point question or principle which he did not believe for the sake of Argument or to draw something out of others as it was dangerous ground. Brother Smith thanked him for his Advise & promised to follow it. Brother G. A. Smith spoke in plainness of his feelings concerning some principles of Elder O. Pratt wherein he differed from President Young concerning the creation of Adam out of the Dust of the Earth & the final consummation of knowledge & many other things. I am afraid when he comes to write he will publish in opposition to President Youngs views but he promised he would not. Many remarks were made which Thomas Bullock took & it is filed in the Historians office." [Wilford Woodruff's Journal: 1833-1898 Typescript, Volumes 1-9, Edited by Scott G. Kenney, Signature Books 1993, http://amzn.to/newmormonstudies]
120 years ago today - Apr 19, 1906
In view of the appalling accounts of distress resulting from the destruction by earthquake and fire of the city of San Francisco and other towns of California, it was decided, on motion of President [John R.] Winder, that the Church donate $10,000. towards the relief of the sufferers, and that Governor George C. Pardee be informed by telegraph that this amount has been placed to his credit for this purpose in the State Bank of Utah. [Journal History, as quoted in Minutes of the Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1835-1951, Electronic Edition, 2015]
130 years ago today - Apr 19, 1896
Joseph F. Smith preaches: "It is an established rule in the Church, and the discipline of the Church requires that a member of the Fourth ward desiring to remove to the First ward shall make application to the Bishop of the Fourth ward and shall say to him in effect: "Bishop, I have determined to move out of this ward, and my purpose is now to settle in the First ward, and I desire from you a letter of recommendation, that I can carry with me, certifying that I am a member of the Church, in good fellowship in the Fourth ward, so that I may be entitled to be received as a member of the Church, in good standing, in the ward to which I shall remove." The Bishop of the Fourth ward, agreeable to his request, issues a letter of standing to him, certifying that he and his family are members of the Church, in good standing, in his ward, and as such he recommends them to the confidence and fellowship of any ward that they may desire to join. Now, no man is exempt from this discipline of the Church. No man can override this rule and still be regarded as a member in good standing. The moment a man undertakes to take the bit in his own mouth and say, "I will not ask my Bishop for a letter of standing; I will move to where I please, and claim standing in the Church wherever I please to locate," that moment he becomes insubordinate and certainly could not be regarded as a member in good standing or as a type of good membership in the Church."
190 years ago today - Apr 19, 1836
[Wilford Woodruff] .... Br Smoot related the news to me from Br Patten which was glorious in the first degree. He gave me an account of the endowment at Kirtland Ohio. The heavens Was opened unto them. Angels & Jesus Christ was seen of them sitting at the right hand of the father. He also informed me that ... the second seventy was chosen & that I was one of the number. O God prepare me for the Battle while combating error with everlasting truth. The above are great blessings indeed. ... [Wilford Woodruff's Journal: 1833-1898 Typescript, Volumes 1-9, Edited by Scott G. Kenney, Signature Books 1993, http://amzn.to/newmormonstudies]
85 years ago today - Apr 18, 1941
President Grant at my desk re division of his salary'$35 per month of which was paid to Emeline Wells until her recent death. The last payment of said amount was added to President Grant's monthly allowance check. He explained that the relatives of Emeline Wells have asked that the contribution be continued in favor of her relatives. He will think the matter over and advise us. [Frank Evans, Diary, as quoted in Minutes of the Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1835-1951, Electronic Edition, 2015]
115 years ago today - Apr 18, 1911
Elder [Gustavus A.] Gamble was invited to make a statement in reply to the accusation. ... Since coming to Utah, some six years ago, I have tried to associate with what I regarded as the best members of the Church. I have sought the society of temple-workers and others supposed to be in good standing. I had not been blessed with children, as my domestic affairs were such that this privilege was denied me. I desired to have offspring, and was told that by embracing the principle of plural marriage, I might have posterity. I received encouragement in this from what I thought were responsible brethren, and I made every effort possible to avoid publicity and everything that might bring disgrace upon the Church, but my attempt has been a failure, and I feel that I have greatly sinned against the Church. ... A ceremony was performed, uniting me in plural marriage, but I am not certain as to the identi[t]y of the one who officiated... I understood from conversation on the subject, that it would be best for me not to know that name of the man who officiated in the ceremony. ... [Minutes of the Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1835-1951, Electronic Edition, 2015, Appendix 7: The Salt Lake Stake High Council and Post-1904 Plural Marriage: Minutes of Meetings, 1909-1914]
120 years ago today - Apr 18, 1906
San Francisco earthquake. The room of Matthias F. Cowley, recently dropped from the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, "is the only one in [his hotel that is] undamaged." [In the ensuing fire, the mission home is destroyed. The fire results in the California Mission headquarters being moved to Los Angeles in Southern California.] [The Mormon Hierarchy - Extensions of Power by D. Michael Quinn, [New Mormon History database (http://bit.ly/NMHdatabase)]]
155 years ago today - Apr 18, 1871 (Tuesday)
Ralph Waldo Emerson, the eminent litterateur, arrived in Salt Lake City, on a visit. [Jenson, Andrew, Church Chronology]
160 years ago today - Apr 15, 1866
Of all Western outlaws, none are more fondly remembered in story and folklore than the "Robin Hood of the West," Butch Cassidy--the alias of Robert LeRoy Parker. Parker was born 15 April 1866 in Beaver, Utah, and was raised by Mormon pioneer parents on a ranch near Circleville, Utah. While a teenager, Parker fell under the influence of an old rustler named Mike Cassidy. Parker soon left home to ride the outlaw trail. [Utah History Encyclopedia: Butch Cassidy, http://www.uen.org/utah_history_encyclopedia/]
35 years ago today - Apr 17,1991
Chronicle of Higher Education reports that Utah "ranks last in proportion of students who are female" throughout the United States. This is result of Utah's "traditions that inhibit the educational progress of women." [Quinn, D. Michael, The Mormon Hierarchy: Extensions of Power, Appendix 5, Selected Chronology of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1848-1996, http://amzn.to/extensions-power]
45 years ago today - Apr 17, 1981-Friday
In almost every group to which I am invited to speak, the speaker introduces me as the Church Historian. When they ask me my position, I tell them of my BYU professorship and the Joseph Fielding Smith Institute directorship. And when they ask my secretary for a sheet to use in introducing me, I very clearly indicate the professorship and directorship. Yet they continually say Church Historian. I have finally developed a rationale for this. For me personally it is significant that I was sustained as Church Historian by the general conference in April 1972 and have never been released by the general conference. Elder [G. Homer] Durham says that I was released in 1978, and he and Earl Olson say that publicly, yet there has been no public statement from the First Presidency saying this, nor any letter to me saying so. My assumption is that Elder Durham wrote a letter for the First Presidency to himself, had them sign it, and this suggests in ambiguous terms that I was released in favor of the bureaucratic title Director, History Division. But in the minds of the Saints I am still the Church Historian. It now occurs to me that this is part of a general church practice of continuing to refer to people by titles they have held for a considerable period of time, and which it is tradition to continue to call them by. Thus, once a bishop always a bishop, and people continue to call him Bishop Jones long after he is released. Or President Smith long after his release from a stake presidency. Students of USU who used to know me as counselor to [stake] President Reed Bullen continue to call me President Arrington. In that same sense, then, people continue to call me Church Historian Leonard Arrington. From that point of view it is still true even if Elders Durham and Olson say it isn't. And who is the Church Historian? Elder Durham? People would never do it-he was never sustained as such, never called that, never will be unless formally sustained as such. Without a replacement, it is natural for them to assume that I must still be Church Historian. [Confessions of a Mormon historian : the diaries of Leonard J. Arrington, 1971-1997, Gary James Bergera, editor, Signature Books, 2018]
60 years ago today - April 16, 18, 1966
McKay reversed his previous position: "I told Clare that I did not wish these paragraphs deleted; that I gave them and the statement should stand as given; that many people have recordings of the full statement…. These things are very upsetting to me, and the deletion of what I said at Priesthood Meeting is causing a lot of people to question and to wonder what is going on." The deleted paragraphs were restored in the official Conference Report and Improvement Era. His Secretary Clare Middlemiss tried to get the full version published in the next issue of the Church News, but was thwarted by Lawrence McKay. [David O. McKay diary; Gregory A. Prince and Wm. Robert Write, David O. McKay and the Rise of Modern Mormonism. Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press (2005)]
190 years ago today - Apr 16, 1836
Future-apostle Charles C. Rich describes his endowment ceremony-experience in the Kirtland Temple: "We then continued to fast and pray until the setting of the sun when we Broke Bread and Drank wine[.] we prophesied all night pronouncing blessings and cursings until the morning light[.] there was Great manifestations of the power of God . . . and I was filled with the spirit of prophesy and I was endued with power from on high."
130 years ago today - Apr 16, 1896; Thursday
I had a long conversation with one of his [Scott Anderson's] sons in reference to the Holy Ghost on which there had been some dispute in Sunday Schools. [Charles W. Penrose, Diary]
135 years ago today - Apr 16, 1891
The First Presidency learns that the U.S. solicitor general and Utah's district attorney have formally agreed "to let loose of our Temple." [The Mormon Hierarchy - Extensions of Power by D. Michael Quinn, [New Mormon History database (http://bit.ly/NMHdatabase)]]
185 years ago today - Apr 16, 1841
[Wilford Woodruff] [Upon preparing to leave England] "It hath truly been a miricle what God hath wrought by our hands in this land since we have been here & I am asstonished when I look at it for during our Stay here we have esstablished churches in all the most noted cities & towns in this Kingdom have Baptized more than 5,000 souls Printed 5,000 Books of mormon 3000 Hymn Books 2,500 Volumes of the Millennial Star & about 50,000 tracts, & gatherd to the land of Joseph 1,000 Souls & esstablished a great influence among those that trade in ships at sea & lacked for nothing to eat drink or ware. Truly the Lord hath been good." [Wilford Woodruff's Journal: 1833-1898 Typescript, Volumes 1-9, Edited by Scott G. Kenney, Signature Books 1993, http://amzn.to/newmormonstudies]
115 years ago today - Apr 15, 1911
Collier's magazine published a letter from Theodore Roosevelt refuting many charges made against Utah Sen. Reed Smoot and the Church. This action helped defuse an anti-Mormon propaganda surge of 1910-11. [Church News: Historical Chronology of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, http://www.ldschurchnewsarchive.com/articles/58765/Historical-chronology-of-The-Church-of-Jesus-Christ-of-Latter-day-Saints.html]
180 years ago today - April 15 or Aug 2, 1846
[Wilford Woodruff marriage] Mary Ann Jackson (married at the Nauvoo Temple or at Winter Quarters) Mary Ann was twenty-eight, Wilford was thirty-nine. They had one child, James Jackson, but divorced in 1848. ... Wilford Woodruff met her on his English mission. In his journal, on August 8, 1845, he wrote: I recieved 2 letters & wrote 2. 4 m. Sister Mary Jackson commenced labour with us this day." On August 2, 1846, Woodruff wrote: During the evening President Young And Dr Richards Called at my tent. President Young deliverd an interesting lecture upon the priesthood And the principal of sealing there being present: Phebe W. Woodruff / [Mary] Caroline Barton / Caroline [mistake for Sarah] Brown / Mary Jackson." There is a picture of a large heart with four keys. This is a typical pre-1852 cryptic reference to plural marriages. On August 8, at a time of rebaptisms, Woodruff baptized the trio, and got the names right: Caroline, Sarah, Mary." He also has the names correct on August 26: Caroline Barton and Sarah Brown." He describes them there as members of my family." ... Working for the Woodruffs as housekeeper [in Liverpool], she returned with Phebe and a party of emigrants via New Orleans in January 1846. On April 15, two days after his return to Nauvoo for a reunion with his wife and children, Wilford and his family and friends visited the temple. The records are contradictory, but he married Mary Ann on that occasion or on August 2, at Winter Quarters. ... [Compton, Todd, 'The Wives of Wilford Woodruff', http://toddmcompton.com/WWfamilies.htm]
170 years ago today - Apr 15, 1856
While reading the revelation upon the patriarchal marriage & While reading that paragraph relating to the sheding of innocent Blood President Young remarked that that was a vary nice point to distinguish between innocent Blood & that which is not innocent. Were we now Commanded to go & avenge the Blood of the prophets whare it wood reach infants from the Cradle to the third & forth generation would they know what to do in such a case? They would not. But there is one thing that is a consolation to me And that is I am satisfied that the Lord will not require it of this people untill they become sanctifyed & are led by the spirit of God so as not to shed inocent Blood. Again what does the saying mean that sayes all shall be damned that does not keep this Law unto whom it is revealed? Does it mean that they shall take more wives than one? I think it includes the whole law with its covenants. ... President B. Young then wrote the following words to be put upon one of the Stones of the Temple: Holiness to the Lord The Temple of our God Built by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints Commenced on the 6th day of April A.D. 1853. [Wilford Woodruff's Journal: 1833-1898 Typescript, Volumes 1-9, Edited by Scott G. Kenney, Signature Books 1993, http://amzn.to/newmormonstudies]
175 years ago today - Apr 15, 1851
24 free Blacks living in Utah in 1851 [http://www.xtimeline.com/timeline/Chronology-Pertaining-to-Blacks-and-the-LDS-Church]
180 years ago today - Apr 15, 1846
[Hosea Stout] [A description of shuffling of assignments of individuals involved in Nauvoo church security is given -- a group with ties to the earlier Danites.] Thus the distinction of the old Police was entirely done away & we could say according to the prophecy of Joseph "Where is the old Police" &c [Diaries of Hosea Stout]
180 years ago today - 1846 Apr 15
Warsaw Signal: Endowment exposé [https://docs.google.com/document/d/10ttN3vOzf2UcVhruCrvDf9pF27T0o0PP0Xj1X98tKBc/edit?fbclid=IwAR3HXLgL-X-M_c5LT2W-_F7AYqsqqaQ0yIhfNuyeFsX85irSPuEO6_Q993A]
150 years ago today - Apr 11, 1876
Stake president and future apostle Francis M. Lyman spends the day studying Buddhism and Confucianism. Four days later he studies Hindu philosophy for half-day. [The Mormon Hierarchy - Extensions of Power by D. Michael Quinn, [New Mormon History database (http://bit.ly/NMHdatabase)]]
170 years ago today - Apr 14, 1856
I hear that Jacob Lance who was under arrest in Lehi Utah County for an assault with an intent to commit a Rape? on a Danish woman, this morning while his guards were snoozing and he either asleep or nodding had his head split asunder by a woman supposed to be the injured one, who came in and split his head with an axe then gently retiring with out saying a word [Diaries of Hosea Stout]