[Brigham Young Jr.] Several brethren talked on interpreting the 'Declaration of Church Discipline' read at and approved by the General Conference. Bro[ther] John [W.] Taylor made remarks which called me to my feet. he resented my reproof but afterwards felt milder. I said that document was issued in self defense not as an aggressive message. we were attack[ed] first, & were obliged to defend ourselves. [Brigham Young Jr., Diary, as quoted in Minutes of the Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1835-1951, Electronic Edition, 2015]
60 years ago today - Apr 30, 1966
Lowell L. Bennion hosts several African-American Mormons at his home in Salt Lake City, including LDS converts Ruffin Bridgeforth Jr. and his Hispanic wife Helen Marie Romero Bridgeforth. She speaks "of the difficulty they have getting their boys to go to church after they get to be deacon age and can't pass the sacrament and do the other things L.D.S. [white] boys do." [The Mormon Hierarchy - Extensions of Power by D. Michael Quinn, [New Mormon History database (http://bit.ly/NMHdatabase)]]
130 years ago today - Apr 30, 1896
President Geo[rge]. Q. Cannon was today elected a Director of the Union Pacific R[ail]. R[oad]. ... Letters having been received by the Presidency in reference to some persons who had suicided during temporary insanity, and were not members of the Church, their descendants desiring to know if Temple work might be performed in their behalf, President Woodruff expressed his mind to the effect that no restrictions should be placed on the friends of those unfortunate people, and that if he erred at all, he would rather it should be on the side of mercy. When reminded that such restrictions had been imposed in the past, President Woodruff said he was aware of this, but did not feel that the liberty of the friends of the deceased should be curtailed. Pres[iden]t. Joseph F. Smith concurred in this decision, and the Presidents of the Temples were authorized and requested to permit work to be done in behalf of the class of people here referred to. ... [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 30, 1896
[Franklin D. Richards] Deliberations turned on presentation of Declarations to the people & the mode of dealing with such as do not most readily accept it. It should first be presented to the presiding authorities of a stake or ward & then accepted by them then presented it to their people. See that it is fairly presented and without too much explanation so as to avoid entanglement & without extreme action & words these who are slow to accept it. [Franklin D. Richards, Diary, as quoted in Minutes of the Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1835-1951, Electronic Edition, 2015]
195 years ago today - Apr 30, 1831
The first time Joseph and family came to Kirtland they lived with Isaac Morley, Lucy's father. Later "Father Morley" built a small house for them on his farm. The twins were born here [on April 30]. Lucy [Morley] and her elder sister kept house for Emma Smith while she was ill. Joseph and Emma's twins, Thadeus and Louisa, are born in the cabin but survive only 3 hours. Julia Clapp Murdock dies in Warrensville after delivering twins. With three other children under seven years old, John felt he could not look after two more newborns. Emma would be able to nurse the twins, so John gave them to Joseph and Emma to raise. They named the twins Joseph and Julia. [Joseph Murdock dies eleven months later.] [Kenney, Scott, Saints Without Halos, "Mormon History 1830-1844," http://web.archive.org/web/20120805163534/saintswithouthalos.com/dirs/d_c.phtml]
180 years ago today - Apr 30, 1846
The Temple at Nauvoo was dedicated this evening. ... Elder Joseph Young [Orson Hyde] offered up the dedicatory prayer... He prayed for the Twelve [Apostles] and all the authorities of the Church, and for the workmen that had wrought upon the Temple in the midst of persecution, want and suffering, for the deliverance of the poor; that the Lord would direct the brethren of the camp of Israel, open the way before them and lead them to a place of His own appointment for the gathering of all the Saints, that God would avenge the blood of His servants, the prophets and of the Saints who had been slain for the testimony of the truth and mete out to our enemies the same measure which they had meted out to us. [Manuscript History of Brigham Young, Apr. 30, 1846, in Anderson, Devery; The Development of LDS Temple Worship, 1846-2000: A Documentary History, http://amzn.to/TempleWorship]
180 years ago today - Apr 30, 1846
.... After some conversation and singing[,] a prayer circle was formed immediately in front of the Melchizedek stand. O[rson] Hyde was President, and Joseph Young, mouth, after which those present were seated in the stands to represent the order of the Priesthood; myself being seated in the Teachers Stand, and a Dedicatory prayer was offered by O[rson] Hyde to which all responded "amen." After the prayer ended all shouted with a loud voice, "Hosannah, Hosannah, Hosannah to God and the Lamb, Amen, Amen, Amen!" which was repeated three times * After the services of the evening were over, by proposition of Bro. Hyde, we all went into the attick storey of the Temple and enjoyed a feast of rasins, cakes, and wine * and there decided that the temple hands should meet [the] next day at 2 oclock to enjoy themselves with cakes and wine. When about 12 we dispersed having enjoyed the blessings [and] privilege of dedicating the second Temple, built upon the Land of Zion in the last days, unto the Lord, and it was accepted by him. [Samuel W. Richards journal, Apr. 30, 1846, in Anderson, Devery; The Development of LDS Temple Worship, 1846-2000: A Documentary History, http://amzn.to/TempleWorship]