140 years ago today - Oct 13, 1885

[Salt Lake High Council disciplinary proceedings]

The Fifteenth Ward Bishopric and Bro[ther]. Charles W. Stayner met with the Council this evening by request of [Acting Salt Lake Stake] President Joseph E. Taylor.

President Taylor stated that he had heard that Bishop [Joseph] Pollard and Bro[ther]. Stayner had some misunderstanding, from remarks of the latter, in regard to women laying hands for the healing of the sick, and thought it proper to have the matter presented to the Council for the purpose of hearing what the brethren had to say in relation to it. ...

My subject that evening was in relation to young people getting married. I advised them not to get married except through the sealing covenant. ... I mentioned this and said that a young Sister who was married by the sealing power became a partaker of the priesthood which her husband held but could not if she married him by any other means. As an additional inducement to her to do so, I stated if she had a child after this marriage, and it should become sick and afflicted, she could, in the absence of her husband and the absence of the Elders, herself lay hands upon her child by virtue of he priesthood she held in connection with her husband. Bro[ther]. Pollard seemed to infer from this that I intended to convey the idea that a woman could hold the priesthood separate and apart from her husband; at least I judged so from his remarks at the close of the meeting. I told him that there must be some misunderstanding. ... I had no idea that a Sister held the priesthood separate
and apart from her husband, or could exercise any right whatever'separate and apart from him'except in her own family as I have already stated. Bro[ther] Pollard said that a woman had no right whatever to exercise any such power or privilege and consequently we decided, at the first opportunity which presented itself, to lay the matter before the President of the Stake and get a decision with regard to our positions. ...

Bishop Joseph Pollard said: ... I listened to his remarks with a great deal of attention and interest until he said that '1/2the Sister who was sealed to a Brother would have the priesthood he holds in

connection with him.'| Furthermore, he said that she had a right to exercise the priesthood she held to administer to her own family in the absence of her husband and the Elders. I understood Bro[ther]. Stayner to say that a Sister, when sealed to a husband in the House of God, held the same priesthood he held, let it be what it may; whatever priesthood the husband held the Sister also held it in connection with him. I will say that I never heard this doctrine before. I have been in the Church a great many years, and I have tried to inform myself concerning the principles of the Gospel but that is something entirely new to me.

If it is true that a woman holds the priesthood of God I want to know it; not that I oppose it ...

I felt it my duty to speak about this in public as a great many of our sisters would take advantage of this, and when they once got started it would be a hard job to get them quieted down again. ...

[Minutes of the Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 1835-1951, Electronic Edition, Privately Published, Salt Lake City, Utah, 2015, Appendix 3: Excerpts from the Disciplinary Proceedings of the Salt Lake Stake High Council, 1884-1893]