[Joseph W. Summerhays speaking:] ... I take the stand that you have no right to excommunicate me from the Church for the reasons which I will state further. ... I am at liberty now to say some things which I was not at liberty to say before. In the year 1905, after President [Joseph F.] Smith had issued his statement on plural marriages in 1904, he took a party to Mexico, the occasion being the dedication of the Juarez Academy. Among the party were President Smith and wife, his son Joseph F[ielding]. Jr., and myself. ... President Smith called me to him and took me up into one of the upper rooms in President Ivins' home and he told me this man whom he had met in the garden was married, but had no children and had made all arrangements before the President's declaration to marry a girl and he said I don't know how this can be done, but if you know how it can be done you have it done; you say that it can be done. I spoke to President Ivins about it and he said that he had been told by President Smith on a previous occasion that unless a bigger man than he came along that he was not to marry any one unless so instructed by this bigger man. I asked President Ivins to let me see his ceremony and he did I have had invitations from twenty or more people to go and officiate and in every instance I have told them no as I had no authority. My conscience is free before God and I had the authority and if told to do it tomorrow I would do it. That is one reason why I think you cannot cut me off the Church. ... I went to President Ivins and said President Smith wants Brother Sears married, and then is when he made the remark that he had instructions that unless a great man came he was not to perform any marriages.... President Smith has said further on several occasions that he didn't want to know anything about this. ...
Summerhays: In February of 1898, President Smith who was then counselor to President [Wilford] Woodruff, Brother Spence and others were in New York, and I asked for an interview with him. I told him some of the brethren were getting wives and I asked him if it would be alright if I took one. He said it would under certain conditions. But my marriage did not take place for five years afterwards on the 25th of September 1903. ... [Not excommunicated].
[Source: Excerpt from the Minutes of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles]
Joseph William Summerhays (15 January 1849 – 29 June 1929)
ReplyDeleteSon of Margaret Moore and Caleb Summerhays.
Joseph Married:
(1) 27 June 1870, Mary Melissa Parker, by whom he had 16 children.
Note: have not found Mary Melissa's following children:
Caleb Ephriam 1871-1969, died Los Angeles, Cal;
Mary Elizabeth 1888-1969 (md. Henry Arnold Rich) died possibly Calif.;
Florence 1892-1972 (md. Emil Schaerr) died El Toro, Orange, Cal.
(2) 19 June 1882, Mary Catherine Bishop, by whom he had one son, who died within 20 days; his mother died within a week of his birth.
(3) 5 June 1884, Sarah Jane Berrett, by whom he had 10 children.
(4) 16 November 1888, Hilda Jonsson (Johnson), by whom he had 12 children.
Joseph W. Summerhays Dies at local Hospital:
Joseph W. Summerhays, 80, of 3421 Seventh East street, died early Saturday morning at a local hospital following an operation for appendicitis. Mr. Summerhays, as president of the J. W. Summerhays & Sons company, had long been prominent in the wool business of Salt Lake: he was also active in the affairs of the L.D.S. church. Mr. Summerhays was born January 15, 1849, in Sommersetshsire, England and came to American when 16 years old. He is survived by his widow, Mary M. Summerhays, and nine children.
[Source: The Salt Lake Tribune, Saturday Morning, June 29, 1929 Page 32]