Today In Mormon History

170 years ago today - Feb 1, 1842

2012-02-01T07:01:00.001-07:00

[General] The Federal Bankruptcy Act, passed the preceding Aug, goes into effect. Six and one-half weeks later, on Apr 18, Joseph Smith and his brothers Hyrum and Samuel declare themselves insolvent before the county commissioner's court and file petitions to be certified bankrupt by the United States District Court for Illinois.

[Source: Advent Adam website (defunct) - based on http://amzn.to/originsofpower]

50 years ago today - Feb 01, 1962

2012-02-01T07:00:00.003-07:00

[General] The Southwest British Mission is organized.

[Source: The Woodland Institute 'On This Day Historical Database,' http://www.woodlandinstitute.com]

120 years ago today - Feb 1, 1892

2012-02-01T07:00:00.001-07:00

[President Wilford Woodruff Journal] Feb 1 I spent the day at home reading.

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

140 years ago today - 1872. January 31

2012-01-31T07:01:00.001-07:00

[General] (John A. Widtsoe) : Born John Andreas Widtsoe in Froen, Norway. In 1879 his widowed mother took a pair of his shoes to a Mormon cobbler, who stuffed the toes with Mormon pamphlets when he returned them. Anna Widtsoe read the pamphlets, then attended a Mormon meeting. Two years later the family was baptized, and in 1883 emigrated to Logan, Utah.

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

175 years ago today - 31Jan37

2012-01-31T07:00:00.003-07:00

[Joseph Smith Sermon] Kirtland, Ohio 31st Met in the house of the Lord at 10 oclock AM & herd an address from Presidents J. Smith jr & S Rigdon on the temporal business of the Church & Petitioned for a charter to the Assembly of the State for the Kirtland Safety Society & the presidency of the Church bought the Monroe charter & we all lent a hand in esstablishing it that it might be beneficial to us in forwarding the building of the temporal Kingdom

[Source: The Parallel Joseph, http://www.boap.org/LDS/Parallel/]

170 years ago today - Jan 31, 1842

2012-01-31T07:00:00.001-07:00

[Brigham Young] --31-- In council with the Prophet and the Twelve, in the evening, concerning Brother Snider and the printing office.

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

100 years ago today - Jan 30, 1912

2012-01-30T07:01:00.001-07:00

[General] Apostle George Albert Smith writes concerning the last-minute decision to not print the King Follett discourse in the first edition of the HISTORY OF THE CHURCH: "I have thought that the report of that sermon might not be authentic and I have feared that it contained some thing that might be contrary to the truth. . . . Some of the brethren felt as I did and thought that greater publicity should not be given to that particular sermon." B. H. Roberts, editor, had done considerable work on the discourse, preparing extensive footnotes in which he revealed a great reverence for it. Later editions include the sermon.

[Source: Advent Adam website (defunct) - based on http://amzn.to/originsofpower]

170 years ago today - Jan 30, 1842

2012-01-30T07:00:00.003-07:00

[Brigham Young] --30-- I attended meetings at Joseph's house. He preached in the morning and in the evening, concerning the different spirits, their operations, designs, and etc.

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

175 years ago today - (Tue) Jan 30, 1837

2012-01-30T07:00:00.001-07:00

[General] A meeting was held in the Temple to discuss new attempts to obtain a bank charter for the [Kirtland Saftey Society]. [Dale W. Adams; BYU Studies Vol. 23, No. 4, pg. 477.] It was about this time that the LDS First Presidency decided to purchase a controlling interest in the faltering Bank of Monroe.

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

150 years ago today - Jan 29, 1862

2012-01-29T07:01:00.001-07:00

[General] Brigham Young's office journal records: "Bro[ther] HS. Eldredge, came in, the conversation turned on the love of property. Pres[ident] Young said he did not think there ever was a prophet on the Earth, (Jesus excepted) that cared less for the things of the world than he did. He remarked the Lord is desirious to exalt this people as we are his children, but riches would injure us at present therefore the Lord withholds riches from us till we are prepared to receive them. He knew that the more of the Spirit of the Lord a man had the better prepared he was to do business. Pres[ident] Young said he had been in Whiskey Street - and he had felt the spirit there, and he really thought the street must be burned down before there would be a good spirit there."

[Source: Advent Adam website (defunct) - based on http://amzn.to/originsofpower]

175 years ago today - 29Jan37

2012-01-29T07:00:00.003-07:00

[Joseph Smith Sermon] Kirtland, Ohio 29th Sunday I met at Elder J. P. Greens at 9 AM in company with 7 others to act as bearers to convey the corps of Sister Mary Boyington to the house of the Lord whare a funeral sermon was deliverd by Elder P.P. Pratt the latter part of the day was spent in communion & addresses from Presidents O.

Cowdery & J Smith Jr JOSEPH blessed us in the name of the Lord & said if we would be faithful we should rise above our imbarresments & be delivered from the hands of our enemies

[Source: The Parallel Joseph, http://www.boap.org/LDS/Parallel/]

170 years ago today - Jan 29, 1842

2012-01-29T07:00:00.001-07:00

[Brigham Young] --29-- Spent the day in council with the Prophet Joseph and Elders Kimball and Richards; we received excellent teachings.

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

170 years ago today - Jan 28, 1842

2012-01-28T07:01:00.001-07:00

Elias Higbee: Reproved by Joseph Smith for lack of diligence in raising children and building Nauvoo Temple 28 January 1842.

[Source: Cook, Lyndon W., The Revelations of the Prophet Joseph Smith: A Historical and Biographical Commentary of the Doctrine and Covenants, Seventy's Mission Bookstore, Provo UT, 1985, http://amzn.to/RevelationsofJosephSmith]

120 years ago today - Jan 28, 1892

2012-01-28T07:00:00.003-07:00

[President Wilford Woodruff Journal] 28 I wrote to Mr Sullivan about their Child Louiesa. I am better this morning. G Q Cannon Called upon me.

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

40 years ago today - Jan 28, 1972

2012-01-28T07:00:00.001-07:00

[General] BYU names R. LaVell Edwards as its new head football coach. His twenty-nine-year distinguished career includes a national championship in 1984.

[Source: The Woodland Institute 'On This Day Historical Database,' http://www.woodlandinstitute.com]

10 years ago today - Jan 27, 2002

2012-01-27T07:01:00.001-07:00

[U.S. Religious History] A 20-year-old woman became the first Palestinian female suicide bomber when she blew herself up on a Jerusalem street, killing one person and injuring 100 others.

[Source: Cline, Austin, History of American Religion: Timeline]

170 years ago today - Jan 27, 1842

2012-01-27T07:00:00.003-07:00

Nauvoo, Illinois. On a fairly routine day, Joseph Smith attended to business, put carpet on the floor of his office, and spent the evening in council.

[Source: Joseph Smith Resource Center: Daily Events in the Life of Joseph Smith, http://josephsmith.net/josephsmith/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=e581001cfb340010VgnVCM1000001f5e340aRCRDlocale=0]

120 years ago today - Jan 27, 1892

2012-01-27T07:00:00.001-07:00

[Apostle Heber J. Grant Diary] On the 30th I wrote a letter of 11 pages to Pres[iden]t Geo[rge] Q. Cannon in answer to one of the most sympathetic letters I have ever had in my life. Lucy's sickness, taken in connection with [bank matters] Pres[iden]t Cannon fully appreciates my feelings. I could not refrain from crying while reading his letter and I stopped several times while answering to cry.

[Source: Diary of Heber J. Grant, http://amzn.to/newmormonstudies]

180 years ago today - Jan 26, 1832

2012-01-26T07:01:00.001-07:00

Joseph Smith is confirmed president of the High Priesthood by a church-wide sustaining vote.

[Source: Wikipedia, Joseph Smith Chronology, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronology_of_Joseph_Smith,_Jr.]

70 years ago today - Jan 26, 1942

2012-01-26T07:00:00.003-07:00

[General] First Counselor J. Reuben Clark tells reporter for Look Magazine: "Our divorces are piling up." Church Historian's Office in 1968 compiles divorce statistics since 1910 for temple marriages, "church civil" marriages, and "other civil" marriages. Although temple marriages have lowest divorce rate of the three categories, in 1910 there was one "temple divorce" for every 66 temple marriages performed that year., 1:41 in 1915, 1:34 in 1920, 1:27 in 1925, 1:30 in 1930, 1:23 in 1935, 1:27 in 1939, 1:17 in 1945, 1:31 in 1950, 1:30 in 1955, 1:19 in 1960 and 1965. Last rate for temple divorce is almost ten times higher than Utah's civil divorce rate century earlier.

[Source: Advent Adam website (defunct) - based on http://amzn.to/originsofpower]

170 years ago today - Jan 26, 1842

2012-01-26T07:00:00.001-07:00

[Brigham Young] --26-- Accompanied by Elders Geo. [George] A. Smith and James Ivins, I went to Keokuk and visited Dr. Galland, and officially notified him that his power of attorney as agent for the Church was revoked, and asked him to return his papers, which he did.

We returned to Nauvoo on the 27th.

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

30 years ago today - Jan 25, 1982

2012-01-25T07:01:00.001-07:00

First Presidency formally releases Leonard J. Arrington as Church Historian. Position has been in administrative limbo since 1980, when he and his staff are released form LDS Historical Department and transferred administratively to BYU. Day after this letter Presidency sets apart G. Homer Durham as church historian. There is no mention in either General Conference or in the CHURCH NEWS about Arrington's release.

[Source: Advent Adam website (defunct) - based on http://amzn.to/originsofpower]

100 years ago today - Jan 25, 1912; Thursday

2012-01-25T07:00:00.003-07:00

[General] Elder Seymour B. Young reports that he presented to President

[Joseph F.] Smith that the First Council desired Presidents of Quorums to alternate with members of the First Council in being mouth in ordaining Elders, Seventies. President Smith in answer to this question called attention to the case of Moses, whose father-in-law advised him to call in some of the Elders of Israel to assist him in his duties.

[Source: Excerpt from the Minutes of the First Council of the Seventy]

180 years ago today - Jan 25, 1832

2012-01-25T07:00:00.001-07:00

[D and C] Doctrine and Covenants 75: Revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet, at Amherst, Ohio, January 25, 1832. HC 1: 242-245. The occasion was that of a conference previously appointed. At this conference Joseph Smith was sustained and ordained President of the High Priesthood. Certain elders, who had encountered difficulty in bringing men to an understanding of their message, desired to learn more in detail as to their immediate duties. This revelation followed.

1-5, Faithful elders who preach the gospel will gain eternal life; 6-12, Pray to receive the Comforter, which teaches all things; 13-22, Elders shall sit in judgment on those who reject their message; 23-36, Families of missionaries are to receive help from the Church.

[Source: Doctrine and Covenants, http://amzn.to/DoctrineandCovenants]

150 years ago today - Jan 24, 1862

2012-01-24T07:01:00.001-07:00

[General] Brigham Young's office journal records: "The first Presidency and their families attended a Ball at the Social Hall, only a few invitations were issued to others; after the recess The President made a few remarks about dancing[;] he wished some attention to be paid to doing well, he said he liked all things done well; mentioned that some of the brethren rested too much on the ladies, which would sometimes give them pain. The President went on to describe the general rules of dancing, mentioned that many of the brethren who had attended dancing schools, were yet unacquainted with their positions on the floor."

[Source: Advent Adam website (defunct) - based on http://amzn.to/originsofpower]