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Early History Articles
It is somewhat well known that in 1863 when Charles Dickens traveled from England to New York with eight hundred Mormons aboard the ship Amazon with the intent to “bear testimony against them if they deserved it, as I fully believed they would.” But he was surprised to find them “strikingly different” from other emigrants and described them as “the pick and flower of England.”1
Less well known is Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s visit to Utah more than thirty years after writing a book set among “sinister” and “nefarious” Mormons in Salt Lake City. He admitted that he had been misled before his visit by the writings of the time, and he apologized for his inaccurate portrayal. He wrote that he had “great respect for the Mormons.”2
But a visit to the Mormons by prominent educator, author, orator, and presidential advisor, Booker T. Washington and what he thought about them is almost completely forgotten. This year marks the 100th anniversary... Read the rest of this article »
Joseph Smith came from a devout Christian family. They did, however, call upon doctors in medical emergencies, even as they turned to prayer in times of dire need. Three emergency events became milestones in the family’s history — a typhus fever epidemic which nearly killed Joseph Smith’s sister and settled in his leg, cured through painful surgery; the death of Joseph’s oldest brother Alvin due to “bad doctoring;” and Joseph’s mother’s close call, wherein her illness was banished because of the power of prayer. Believing both in science and in the gospel of Jesus Christ, Joseph was always on the alert for ways to protect the health of his loved ones and members of the Church.
Folk medicine was popular and oft-relied-upon in the northeastern United States, where the restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ took root. When Joseph Smith was translating the Book of Mormon, then, it must have piqued his interest when he came to... Read the rest of this article »
After polygamy was outlawed many Mormon men, unwilling to abandon their wives and children as ordered, fled to Mexico. Nine colonies were eventually settled. (Two remain today.) When the Mexican Revolution began, their peaceful lives were disrupted. Officially, they did not take sides, but they soon found both sides expected them to provide aid. The demands from the warring factions increased, placing extreme hardship on the Mormons. Violence, and even murders occurred. The violence was the result of their nationality, not their religion. The Mormons held a joyful celebration on the 24th of July, celebrating the Mormon arrival in Utah in pioneer days, but four days later, it was decided the women and children needed to return to the United States. Boys sixteen and older stayed with the men, who eventually followed by horseback. They were given less than an hour to pack one trunk and a roll of bedding for each family and to leave for the train station.... Read the rest of this article »
Sam Brannon was, for a time, a Mormon best known for causing a great deal of trouble within the Mormon community. He joined the church at age fourteen when his sister, with whom he lived joined the church and moved to Kirtland, Ohio where the Mormons were gathered. He learned the printing trade in the Church’s printing company, but soon left the community and wandered the country as a sort of freelance printer. In 1843, he served a mission and the next year was the editor of a Mormon paper called, “The Prophet.”
In 1845, he began preaching odd doctrine of his own invention. Since this doctrine promoted extreme immorality for women, he was excommunicated. However, he pleaded for reinstatement, which was given.
In 1846, Brannon organized a group of Mormons in the east for a five-month journey by ship. The Mormons were preparing to go west, most by foot to Utah. Brannon’s group would head for California. There were 238 Mormons on the ship.
According... Read the rest of this article »
Newel K. Whitney was a member of the Church in its early days. He is mentioned by name in eight revelations. Born 5 February, 1795, in Vermont, just a few miles from where Joseph Smith himself was born ten years later. Despite both having been born in Vermont, it was in Kirtland, Ohio that the men met in a most unusual way. Joseph Smith arrived at Whitney’s general store and said, “Thou art the man!” Since Newel K. Whitney had never seen Joseph Smith before, he was startled and asked who the man was. Joseph responded that he was Joseph Smith, the prophet, and that Whitney had prayed him there. He wanted to know what he could do for the shop owner.
Newel K. Whitney understood then that this was in response to a prayer he and his wife, Elizabeth Ann Smith, had offered three months ago. They had been searching for a church to join. They studied the Bible, prayed, and tried to live a good life, but they did not belong to a church. In 1830, they joined... Read the rest of this article »
After the martyrdom of Joseph Smith in 1844, enemies of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (commonly called the Mormon Church) hoped and really thought the Church would dissolve with the death of the Mormon prophet. However, the faithful Saints persevered and followed God’s plan for them. There were a few, though, who were led astray by a man who claimed to have been appointed as successor to the prophet by the man himself.
James Jesse Strang claimed he had a secret letter which Joseph Smith had written, designating Strang as his successor. Though the vast majority of the Saints remained with the full body of the Church and followed Brigham Young as God’s new chosen prophet, a few believed Strang, at least initially, and chose to follow him.
There were many similarities between Strang’s claims and those of Joseph Smith. These similarities are undoubtedly what caused people to follow him. Strang declared he had ancient plates... Read the rest of this article »
Sustained as president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on October 17, 1901, Joseph F. Smith began the transition into the twentieth century. Progress was continuing for Utah and for the Church, and the Church made a huge step in missionary work when it built the Bureau of Information on the same block as the Salt Lake Temple.
Joseph Fielding Smith Mormon Prophet
The Bureau of Information served as a visitors’ center for strangers to the Mormon faith. About seventy-five people were called to serve as guides to the visitors. These guides distributed free literature about the Church to the visitors. Their friendly service and willingness to share the gospel and answer strangers’ questions did much to alleviate some of the prejudice which still weighed down on the Saints.
However, there certainly were strong memories of the issues of polygamy. In 1903, an apostle named Reed Smoot was elected to the United States Senate by the... Read the rest of this article »
Lorenzo Snow became president of the Church in 1898. Before his death, President Wilford Woodruff made it known to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles that in the future, the Lord wanted the new prophet to be sustained quickly, rather than waiting several years, which had been the practice. Once a prophet dies, the First Presidency is dissolved and the senior-most apostle stands next in line for the presidency. Upon the sustaining of the Twelve, the new prophet is set apart and calls his counselors. With the rapid sustaining of Lorenzo Snow beginning the precedent, this process happens almost immediately now, and there is no confusion about the process or about who will become the next prophet called to lead the Church.
Lorenzo Snow Mormon Prophet
During Lorenzo Snow’s presidency, a Mormon named B.H. Roberts was elected by popular vote as Utah’s representative to Congress. Roberts had given much political service, but many felt because he... Read the rest of this article »
Another temple was completed during Wilford Woodruff’s years as the prophet. The Manti Temple was dedicated in 1888 and brought even more of the Saints the blessings that can only be obtained in a temple of the Lord. However, the completion of the Salt Lake Temple on April 6, 1893, was perhaps the most significant accomplishment for the Saints in Utah. Construction had begun on the Salt Lake Temple almost immediately after their arrival in the valley, but several factors—not the least of which was the building’s sheer size—resulted in the building not being finished for forty years. The joy with which this event was celebrated can hardly be exaggerated. The Salt Lake Temple continues to be a symbol of the LDS faith and of the sacrifices of the Mormon pioneers who sacrificed so much and who endured so much persecution, all for the sake of the kingdom.
Sadly, much of the rest of Wilford Woodruff’s time as prophet dealt with the persecution... Read the rest of this article »
In 1880, the Saints held a celebration to commemorate the thirty-third anniversary of the first Saints’ arrival in the Salt Lake Valley. President John Taylor said at this event:
“There are events in the future, and not very far ahead, that will require all our faith, all our energy, all our confidence, all our trust in God, to enable us to withstand the influences that will be brought to bear against us. . . . We cannot trust in our intelligence; we cannot trust in our wealth; we cannot trust to any surrounding circumstances with which we are enveloped; we must trust alone in the living God to guide us, to direct us, to lead us, to teach us and to instruct us. And there never was a time when we needed to be more humble and more prayerful; there never was a time when we needed more fidelity, self-denial, and adherence to the principles of truth, than we do this day” (Quoted in Essential in Church History, Joseph Fielding Smith, 479).
Soon... Read the rest of this article »
