15 years ago today - 2011 June 16

I'm A Mormon media campaign launches large-scale in New York City, after testing in regional markets.

[Wikipedia, 21st Century (Mormonism), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/21st_century_(Mormonism)]

125 years ago today - Sunday, Jun 16, 1901

[Rudger Clawson]

"Read a prophecy of Joseph Smith declaring that the saints would move to the Rocky Mountains and become a mighty people there."

[Stan Larson (editor), A Ministry of Meetings: The Apostolic diaries of Rudger Clawson, Signature Books in association with Smith Research Associates, Salt Lake City, 1993, http://bit.ly/rudgerclawson]

130 years ago today - Jun 16, 1896; Tuesday

[Charles W. Penrose]

"Read to [Salt Lake Stake] High Council Bro[ther] F[rancis]. M Lyman's remarks at first meeting of Stake Conference June 6th. Council adopted a resolution which I wrote dissenting from the doctrine advanced by Bro[ther] Lyman that an Apostle had the right to change a regulation established in a regularly organized Stake of Zion, of his own volition, without instructions from the First Presidency. The Presidency of the Stake were requested to write the views of the Council and present them with the Resolution and the report of the remarks of Bro[ther] Lyman to the First Presidency."

[Charles W. Penrose, Diary]

155 years ago today - Jun 16, 1871

Apostle Joseph F. Smith writes of his divorced first wife "Levira [who] arrived from California in a state of insanity." Daughter of founder's brother Samuel H. Smith and first cousin-wife of Apostle Smith, Levira C. Smith is earliest example of mental illness in a prominent Mormon. In 1886 she is legally committed to the Utah Insane Asylum as its fifty-ninth patient, and remains there for three months.

[The Mormon Hierarchy - Extensions of Power by D. Michael Quinn, [New Mormon History database (http://bit.ly/NMHdatabase)]]

165 years ago today - Jun 16, 1861 (Afternoon)

[Brigham Young]

"Br. Kimball does pretty well in playing on the fiddle I think, so does br. Joseph Young. I will try my hand at my fiddle."

[The Complete Discourses of Brigham Young, Ed. Richard S. Van Wagoner, Smith-Pettit Foundation, Salt Lake City (2009), http://bit.ly/BY-discourses]

170 years ago today - Jun 16, 1856

Brigham Young's office journal records "Had an interview with Bro[ther]s Jesse Little & Robert Burton about Bro[ther] Kamp taking away his Negro." Thomas Bedford, a Beaver Island resident who had been publicly whipped on James J. Strang's direction, fatally shoots Strang. Strang had led a large portion of Mormons away from Brigham Young's rule after the death of Joseph Smith.

[On This Day in Mormon History, http://onthisdayinmormonhistory.blogspot.com]

185 years ago today - 1841 Jun 16

Warsaw Signal on Joseph Smith trial & Danites, points out that Mormons now have the greatest voting power in the county

[https://docs.google.com/document/d/10ttN3vOzf2UcVhruCrvDf9pF27T0o0PP0Xj1X98tKBc/edit?fbclid=IwAR3HXLgL-X-M_c5LT2W-_F7AYqsqqaQ0yIhfNuyeFsX85irSPuEO6_Q993A]

190 years ago today - Jun 16, 1836

[Brigham Young]

"[Went] to Isac Brownnels had som conversation With him he rejected our testmoney and abused ous [ours] and turned me out adore [of doors] and I washed my feet aganst him"

[Brigham Young Journal, 1832 Apr. 9-1836, Sept. 9, typescript]

195 years ago today - Jun 16, 1831

Jared Carter writes in his diary: "there was one of our Sisters healed from blindness by his [Joseph Smith's] instrumentality,"

[On This Day in Mormon History, http://onthisdayinmormonhistory.blogspot.com]

75 years ago today - Jun 15, 1951

Patriarchal Blessing of Taylor Woodruff Turner by George E. Jorgensen ... "You were valiant in the Spirit World where you supported the Savior and fought diligently by His side against Lucifer."

[Patriarchal Blessings]

115 years ago today - Jun 15, 1911

[Joseph F. Smith]

"... I can only say that the charge [regarding new polygamous marriages] about Brother [Anthony W.] Ivins is one of those unproven allegations which, like others, has not been taken up by the church or its authorities, as it comes from a source which is not only entirely unreliable, but which at sight conveys the idea of falsity. It is not required of any accused person or society to prove a negative ..."

[Joseph F. Smith, Letter to Isaac Russell, as quoted in Minutes of the Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1835-1951, Electronic Edition, 2015]

170 years ago today - Jun 15, 1856

Brigham Young preaches: "I have proof ready to show that Bishops have taken in thousands of pounds of tithing which they have never reported to the general tithing office. We have documents to show that Bishops have taken in hundreds of bushels of wheat, and only a small portion of it has come into the general tithing office; they stole it to let their friends speculate upon. If anyone is doubtful about this, will you not call on me to produce my proof before a proper tribunal? I should take pleasure in doing so, but we pass over such things in mercy to the people."

175 years ago today - Jun 15, 1851

[Brigham Young]

"Let the wife rule the Husband & she will keep him tied to the dish cloth & kitchen all the days of his life & it proves A curse upon him...."

"Then let the Father Govern. I can govern my children when they are with me. I would rather one of my sons would stab me to the Heart & kill me dead than to conquer & master me in government."

"When any undertake to govern out of their place they do not prosper. As An ensample P[arley] P Pratt & John Taylor undertook to govern & controll & set right my affairs at winter Quarters while I was on a pioneer Journey to the Mountains & they liked to have destroyed many. But I said peace be still And I saved the people...."

"A Mormon Boy will whip out the priest. We will Advance untill we can stand in the society of the gods. ..."

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

175 years ago today - Jun 15, 1851 (Morning)

[Brigham Young]

"I say to the Saints, kill every white man you see stealing and not kill the Indian for it, for the white men know better."

[The Complete Discourses of Brigham Young, Ed. Richard S. Van Wagoner, Smith-Pettit Foundation, Salt Lake City (2009), http://bit.ly/BY-discourses]

180 years ago today - Jun 15, 1846

[Nauvoo Temple]

A newspaper reported that a man in Fort Madison, Iowa, expressed no hesitation in saying that the Temple must be destroyed, and he had powder ready for that purpose.

[Brown, Lisle (compiler), Chronology of the Construction, Destruction and Reconstruction of the Nauvoo Temple]

185 years ago today - Jun 15, 1841

Letter, Orson Hyde to Joseph Smith Smith, London: "I retired to my bed one night ... the vision of the Lord, like clouds of light burst into my view. The cities of London, Amsterdam, Constantinople, and Jerusalem, all appeared in succession before me; and the spirit said unto me, 'Here are many of the children of Abraham whom I will gather to the land that I gave to their fathers; and here also, is the field of your labors. Take therefore proper credentials from my people, your brethren, ... and go ye forth to the cities which have been shown you, and declare these words unto Judah, and say. 'Blow ye the trumpet in the land: cry, gather together, and say, assemble yourselves and let us go into the defended cities. Set up the standard towards Zion ..."

[Grunder, Rick, Mormon Parallels: A Bibliographic Source]

185 years ago today - Jun 15, 1841

Joseph receives a letter from Orson Hyde recounting his travels on the way to Jerusalem. Hyrum Smith and William Law, on a mission in Pittsburgh, learn that John C. Bennett has an estranged wife and child (he had claimed to be unmarried). This is reported to Joseph. Soon afterward, Joseph confronts Bennett with these facts, and Bennett takes poison in an attempted suicide. However, many assume that because he is a doctor, he knows how much he can consume and stay alive. At any rate, he does survive the suicide attempt. Joseph accepts his dramatic show of repentance and allows him to remain in power in the Church and in the city.

[Conkling, Christopher J., Joseph Smith Chronology]

15 years ago today - Jun 14, 2011

Chief U.S. District Judge James Ware said Tuesday that former Chief Judge Vaughn Walker did not have to divulge whether he wanted to marry his own gay partner before he declared last year that voter-approved Proposition 8 was unconstitutional. The decision struck down a brief filed by those backing Prop 8 who argued Walker should have recused himself.

[Prop 8 Timeline, NBC San Diego, http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/politics/Proposition-8-Timeline-History-California--138796454.html]

60 years ago today - Jun 14, 1966

[David O. McKay]

... In his letter, Elder Christiansen also states that two Temple Presidents have recently inquired regarding permitting couples to be married civilly before traveling from their home to the Temple within a few days to have the sealing solemnized in the Temple. We decided to send a letter to Presidents of Temples informing them that the First Presidency must be consulted in regard to any proposed civil marriage of couples desiring to go to the Temple to be sealed.

[David O. McKay diary, June 14, 1966, in Anderson, Devery; The Development of LDS Temple Worship, 1846-2000: A Documentary History, http://amzn.to/TempleWorship]

65 years ago today - Jun 14, 1961

President McKay rejects a proposal to merge the Assistants to the Twelve with the First Council of the Seventy, now that the latter are also high priests.

[The Mormon Hierarchy - Extensions of Power by D. Michael Quinn, [New Mormon History database (http://bit.ly/NMHdatabase)]]

120 years ago today - Jun 14, 1906; Thursday

[George F. Richards]

Attended Council meeting in the temple from 10 A.M. until 3 P.M. Question.

Was Moses Thatcher's Priesthood taken from him? Ans[wer]--

Pres[iden]t. Smith Jos[eph]. F. said his understanding is that the only way one's priesthood can be taken from him is by

excommunication from the Church. Parley P. Pratt held that in trying an elder in the Sandwitch [sic] islands who was charged with attempted rape. Pres[iden]t Geo[ge] Q. Cannon was present there and entertained a different view & contended later for same. Pres[iden]t. Smith's understanding is that a man may be silenced and prohibited from the exercise of his Priesthood and such is the Case of Moses Thatcher. Geo[rge] Albert Smith testified that that is the idea Moses has as he Geo[rge]. A[lbert]. had heard Moses express himself.

From the above I deduce the fol[lowing]--A man can be deprived of his priesthood only by excommunication from the Church.

[George F. Richards, Diary]

125 years ago today - Friday, Jun 14, 1901

[John Henry Smith]

Frank Marsh, youngest son of Thomas B. Marsh, called upon us. he claimed to be in the faith. he says that about one month before Emma Hale Smith died he called upon her. he asked her if the Prophet Joseph had more wives than one. She broke into tears and said my son has accepted the Presidency of the Reorganized Church.

He also said he had met with a body of Masons in London. A gentleman present by the name of Hamilton gave a wonderfull testimony of the character and Mission of the Prophet. Said He Joseph Smith Initiated me into the Secrets of Masonry and I esteem him among the great men of the World.

[Jean Bickmore White (editor), Church, State, and Politics: The Diaries of John Henry Smith, Signature Books in association with Smith Research Associates, Salt Lake City, 1990, http://bit.ly/johnhenrysmith]

150 years ago today - Jun 14, 1876

[Wilford Woodruff]

14 I spent the day at the Endowment House. We Baptized 634 for the dead. W Woodruff sealed 144 Couple for the dead the greatest Number I Ever sealed in one day in my life. Joseph F Smith sealed 28 Couple. Total 172 Couple. It made me nearly Sick.

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

170 years ago today - Jun 14, 1856

The ship Thornton arrives in New York City with 764 Saints led by James G. Willie. Most in the company are those who later make up the ill-fated Martin and Willie handcart companies, which become stranded on their way to Utah later that year.

180 years ago today - Jun 14, 1846

On the ship Brooklyn, filled with Latter-day Saints bound for California, a baby girl is born to Phebe and John Robbins and is named Georgiana Pacific Robbins. "Pacific" was used as part of the name because they were in the Pacific ocean, just as "Atlantic" had been used as part of the name of another baby born earlier in the voyage.

180 years ago today - Jun 14, 1846

Several hundred men gathered at the temple with their firearms because a large mob had assembled at nearby Golden Point and were threatened to attack the temple. When the temple bell rang, the defenders met at the green near the temple. Stephen Markham led the troops into the temple and rallied them together. On this occasion the mob dispersed and did not dare approach the city. But these renewed threats prompted many families to quickly leave their homes and start their journey to the west.

[Brown, Lisle (compiler), Chronology of the Construction, Destruction and Reconstruction of the Nauvoo Temple]

120 years ago today - Jun 13, 1906

[Charles Penrose to Reed Smoot]

Excitement over removals, etc. has died out, but would you believe it, there are still efforts put forth to obtain consent to forbidden marriages.

[Charles W. Penrose, Letter to Reed Smoot, as quoted in Minutes of the Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1835-1951, Electronic Edition, 2015]

125 years ago today - Thursday, Jun 13, 1901

[Rudger Clawson]

... I referred to the matter of non-tithe-payers and felt that some action should be taken relative to those who bear the priesthood, as by experience I had been led to believe that those who rejected the law of tithing, or failed to honor it, were indifferent, generally, to their duties in the church. The question was pretty fully discussed, and though no formal action was taken, it seemed to be the mind of the brethren that while it would be unwise and injudicious at present to relieve men of their priesthood, who failed to observe the law of tithing, it would certainly be proper to call for the resignation of non-tithe-payers, who were officiating in various prominent positions in the church.

[Stan Larson (editor), A Ministry of Meetings: The Apostolic diaries of Rudger Clawson, Signature Books in association with Smith Research Associates, Salt Lake City, 1993, http://bit.ly/rudgerclawson]

125 years ago today - Jun 13, 1901

[Marriner W. Merrill]

I attended meeting with the First Presidency and seven of the Apostles. It was decided to ordain High Councilmen as High Priests and set them apart as High Councilmen; also decided that it be the rule in the Church for those administering the sacrament, for only one to kneel when asking the blessing on the bread and water, as in our circumstances the whole congregation cannot kneel.

[Notes from the Miscellaneous Record Book, 1886-1906: Selected diary notes from the journal books of Marriner Wood Merrill, http://amzn.to/newmormonstudies]

145 years ago today - Jun 13, 1881

David Whitmer writes to the KANSAS CITY JOURNAL to correct some items in a recently-published interview: "I did not say that Smith used 'two small stones' as stated nor did I call the stone 'interpreters.' I stated that 'he used one stone (not two) and called it a sun stone.' . . .My statement was and is that in translating he put the stone in his hat and putting his face in the hat so as to exclude the light and that the light and characters appeared in the hat together with the interpretation which he uttered and was written by the scribe and which was tested at the time as stated." [On This Day in Mormon History, http://onthisdayinmormonhistory.blogspot.com]

150 years ago today - Jun 13, 1876 (Tuesday)

The case of George Reynolds, convicted and sentenced to the penitentiary under the anti-bigamy law, was argued before the Supreme Court of the Territory, on appeal. [Jenson, Andrew, Church Chronology]

60 years ago today - Jun 11, 1966

Mark E. Littman and Joel Izatt of the Hansen Planetarium assist artists Sydney E. King and V. Russell Capson in their efforts to place the stars in the heavens on a mural on the rotunda ceiling above where the Christus will be placed in the North Visitors' Center on Temple Square. The stars are painted to appear as they would have on April 6, 1830, the day the Church was organized.

130 years ago today - Jun 11, 1896; Thursday

At 11 am attended prayer circle in the temple. ... I brought up the question of our people joining the third or Populist party, and when the brethren who spoke on the matter expressed themselves that it was a mistake for the brethren to join the Populist party, yet they did not feel that it would be wise to make a public declaration to this effect as it might be considered an interference by the church in political matters. [Heber J. Grant, Diary]

145 years ago today - Jun 11, 1881

[Heber J. Grant] Bro [Lysander] Gee told me that he had known Oliver Cowdery personally & that to his knowledge Cowdrey had committed adultry before he lost his faith' It strengthens my faith to learn that even the leading men of the Church cannot commit sin & remain in the Church, unless they repent. [The Diaries of Heber J. Grant, 1880-1945, Abridged, Digital Edition Salt Lake City, Utah, 2015]

150 years ago today - Jun 11, 1876

Br Brigham spoke on a variety of subjects. Said that those who made the greatest howl against Polygamy were whores and whoremongers and those filled with lust and of unclean hearts. Said as to the Mountain Meadow Massacre, if he had not been foiled by Judge Cradlebaugh and other federal officials, He would have hung every guilty person concerned in the bloody deed. Spoke of the building of temples showing that a man would gain riches faster working for the Lord and trusting in him, than all the men could make who were hunting after, and working in mines. Urged the Brethren to labor diligently on the Temple to have it completed by the 15th of next Sept. -- St. George, Utah [Men in congregation are involved in the massaccre, and by arrangement several testify against John D. Lee.] [Diary of Charles Lowell Walker. Andrew Karl Larson, ed. Logan: Utah State University Press, 1980. 427, quoted in The Complete Discourses of Brigham Young, Ed. Richard S. Van Wagoner, Smith-Pettit Foundation, Salt Lake City (2009), http://bit.ly/BY-discourses]

180 years ago today - Jun 11, 1846

William Smith goes to Voree where his apostolic ordination is accepted and where he is ordained Patriarch of the church. He plans to build a house for Lucy on a contributed lot. He writes again, saying God has confirmed James Strang's position [as Joseph Smith's successor] by revelation. [Anderson, Lavina Fielding, Editor, Lucy's Book: A Critical Edition of Lucy Mack Smith's Family Memoir, 2001, Signature Books, http://bit.ly/lucys-book]

65 years ago today - Jun 10, 1961

[J. Reuben Clark] Dictation'Ideas by J. R. C. I recall a very sage remark made by Dr. Brimhall, formerly President of the Brigham Young University: There are two occasions in a man's lifetime when it becometh a man to say little: One is at the beginning of his service when he is yet to prove himself, and the other is at the end of his service when he has made his record. Memo by J R C on above: At the beginning a man has little but hope and aspiration and what ability and determination as he may bring to his service; the other is that at the end of his service when his record is made, it speaks for itself. [The Diaries of J. Reuben Clark, 1933-1961, Abridged, Digital Edition, Salt Lake City, Utah 2015]

185 years ago today - Jun 10, 1841

Monmouth, Illinois. On a technicality, Judge Stephen A. Douglas ruled that that Joseph Smith's writ was illegal and discharged him from the arrest warrant. [BYU Studies Journal, volume 46, no. 4: A Chronology of the Life of Joseph Smith, http://byustudies.byu.edu]

20 years ago today - Jun 9, 2006

Tegucigalpa Honduras Temple: Ground was broken in a small ceremony on 12 September 2009 after a new site was selected. Previously ground had been broken on 9 June 2007 by Spencer V. Jones, excavation was halted because of opposition from Tegucigalpa city officials and citizens, who felt the temple would overshadow and block the view of the Catholic Our Lady of Suyapa Basilica on adjacent land. After negotioations failed to resolve the issue, the church announced on Wednesday, 28 January 2009, that out of respect for the city officials and citizens, the church would relocate the temple. [Wikipedia, List of Temples of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_temples_of_The_Church_of_Jesus_Christ_of_Latter-day_Saints#List_of_temples]

115 years ago today - Jun 9, 1911

The Hotel Utah was built as a cooperative effort by the business and ecclesiastical leaders of the Salt Lake community to bring everyone together. It succeeded. Shares in the venture were sold and the hotel's prominent location on the corner of South Temple and Main Street, previously the site of the Bishop's Tithing Office and the Deseret News, was donated by the LDS Church. After two years of construction and a $2 million price tag, the Hotel opened 9 June 1911 "in a blaze of splendor" with a grand party for 500 of Utah's notables. [Utah History Encyclopedia: Hotel Utah, http://www.uen.org/utah_history_encyclopedia/]

165 years ago today - Jun 9, 1861

President Brigham Young gave a very interesting historical sketch of his late visit to the extreme southern settlements of the Territory and interspersed his remarks with suitable instructions on the practicability of the brethren producing their own sugar, tobacco, wine, cotton cloth, etc., in the south. -- SLC Bowery [Deseret News, in The Complete Discourses of Brigham Young, Ed. Richard S. Van Wagoner, Smith-Pettit Foundation, Salt Lake City (2009), http://bit.ly/BY-discourses]

185 years ago today - Jun 9, 1841

[A] trial is held to see if Illinois should send Joseph back to Missouri. The actions of the young prosecuting attorney are so outrageous that the judge is forced to silence him. By the time Joseph's attorney, Mr. Browning, finishes his sad tale of the Saints being driven from Missouri and walking on bloody bare feet across the snow to Illinois, Judge Douglas himself is in tears. [Conkling, Christopher J., Joseph Smith Chronology]

190 years ago today - Jun 9, 1836

[After some sermons] Elder Patten arose bound the Law & Scealed the testimony & Prophesied upon the heads of some of the ungodly People who were Present. ... Elder Patten was filled with the Power of God. Numbers were healed of sickeness. [Wilford Woodruff's Journal: 1833-1898 Typescript, Volumes 1-9, Edited by Scott G. Kenney, Signature Books 1993, http://amzn.to/newmormonstudies]

195 years ago today - June 1831 (on or before 19 June)

Section 53, 54, 55 & 56 are received about this time, relating to land, travels to Missouri and missionary work.

175 years ago today - Jun 8, 1851

While he was alive, Joseph Smith married the wife of Simeon Dagget Carter in Nauvoo. Lydia Kenyon Carter was listed as "Lydia Smith [--] wd of Joseph Smith (Prophet)," when she was sealed to James Goff on 8 June 1851. Born in 1799, she was 44-years-old (menopausal) when she became one of the Prophet's polygamous widows, after which Reynolds Cahoon sealed her as a polygamous wife to Heber C. Kimball on the same day the apostle sealed Cahoon to his first polygamous wife. The latter two had also married before the Prophet's death. Legally married to Simeon D. Carter since 1818, Lydia (mother of their three children) resided with him in Nauvoo and Utah --despite her marriages to Smith, Kimball, and Goff. [Endowment House Record Book (1851-1854), Entry 65, for marriage of "Lydia Smith" (born on 11 December 1800) to James Goff on 8 June 1851 (Film 183,393--not available to the general public), LDS Family History Library, but with typescript available to the public in Quinn’s Research Files, Beinecke Library; Lyndon W. Cook, The Revelations of the Prophet Joseph Smith: A Historical and Biographical Commentary of the Doctrine and Covenants (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1985), 74; Kenney, Wilford Woodruff's Journal: 1833-1898 Typescript, 6: 305 (12 December 1866), referenced in "Evidence For The Sexual Side of Joseph Smith's Polygamy," Comments by D. Michael Quinn on Session #2A "Reconsidering Joseph Smith's Marital Practices," Mormon History Association's Annual Conference, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, 29 June 2012 (unabbreviated version, revised during July)]

170 years ago today - Jun 7, 1856

The LATTER DAY SAINTS MILLENIAL STAR published in London, says Mormon missionaries in South Africa avoid contact with the Kaffir and Fingoe populations because they had "too much of the blood of Cain in them, for the Gospel to have much effect on their dark spirits." [On This Day in Mormon History, http://onthisdayinmormonhistory.blogspot.com]

180 years ago today - Jun 7, 1846

[Brigham Young] "I can safely prophesy that we will not cross the mountains this season, and that is what many of the brethren wish, they would rather go to hell than be left behind. I instructed the sisters to keep themselves and tents clean, and not to dictate those over them, it was their duty to raise all the children they could lawfully, and rear them up in the name of the Lord, watching over them and keeping them from playing with ungodly children, or from falling into danger, or exposing themselves to sickness; and when they have raised them up to deliver them over to their father's charge. Instead of meddling with their husband's business, they should be careful of his feelings, and seek his interest, and men should be kind and affectionate to their wives, not abusing or exposing them to hardships." [Manuscript History of Brigham Young, 1846- 1847. Elden J. Watson, ed. Salt Lake City: Smith Secretarial Service, 1971.:179-180]

185 years ago today - Jun 7, 1841

Nauvoo, Illinois. Joseph Smith started very early for his court hearing in Monmouth, Illinois, a 75-mile journey, accompanied by Sheriff Thomas King, the arresting officer from Adams County, [BYU Studies Journal, volume 46, no. 4: A Chronology of the Life of Joseph Smith, http://byustudies.byu.edu]

195 years ago today - Jun 7, 1831

Doctrine and Covenants 52: Revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet, to the elders of the Church, at Kirtland, Ohio, June 7, 1831. HC 1: 175-179. A conference had been held at Kirtland, beginning on the 3rd, and closing on the 6th of June. At this conference the first distinctive ordinations to the office of high priest were made, and certain manifestations of false and deceiving spirits were discerned and rebuked. [Doctrine and Covenants, http://amzn.to/DoctrineandCovenants]

195 years ago today - Jun 7, 1831 (6 June)

[D&C 52] The revelation directed fourteen pairs of elders, including Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon, to travel to Independence, Missouri. The missionaries were to "preach by the way" and to hold a conference upon their arrival. There was great interest in the Missouri mission since the New Jerusalem was to be identified. Joseph Smith and those traveling with him left Kirtland on 19 June 1831 and arrived in Independence in mid-July. ... The mission calls in verses 22 and 32 were later revoked. [Cook, Lyndon, Revelations of the Prophet Joseph Smith: A Historical and Biographical Commentary of the Doctrine and Covenants, http://amzn.to/RevelationsofJosephSmith]

185 years ago today - Jun 4, 1841

Joseph calls at the home of Governor Carlin in Quincy, Ill. The governor shows him great courtesy, and doesn't mention that Missouri has asked him to turn Joseph over to them. Within a few hours of Joseph's leaving the governor's mansion, Carlin sends a posse of law officers to capture him and turn him over to the Missouri authorities. [Conkling, Christopher J., Joseph Smith Chronology]

195 years ago today - Jun 4, 1831

[General Coming] "When he [Joseph Smith] arose in our midst he said that before the conference closed there were those present who should see the heavens open and bear record of the coming of the Son of Man, and that the man of sin should be revealed... Lyman Wight, while being ordained to the priesthood by Joseph Smith, prophesied (while Smith's hands were still upon his head) "that there were some in this congregation that should live until the Savior should descend from heaven, with a Shout, with all the holy angels with him." Harvey Whitlock stepped into the middle of the room with his arms crossed, bound by the power of Satan, and his mouth twisted unshapely. Hyrum Smith arose and declared that there was an evil spirit in the room. Joseph said, "Don't be too hasty," and Hyrum sat down. Shortly Hyrum rose the second time, saying, "I know my duty and will do it," and stepping to Harvey, commanded the evil spirits to leave him, but the spirits did not obey. Joseph then approached Harvey and asked him if he believed in God. Then we saw a change in Harvey. He also bore record of the opening of the heavens and of the coming of the Son of Man, precisely as Lyman Wight had done. [Book of John Whitmer, Church Historian p.69-71; 4th Conference Events also josephsmithpapers.or, as quoted in The Last Days and December 1890 2nd Coming of Jesus Christ, y George D. Speer Sr., privately circulated]

195 years ago today - Jun 04, 1831

The Prophet Joseph Smith, during a four-day Church conference held at a schoolhouse on the hill above the Isaac Morley farmhouse in Kirtland, sees the Father and the Son and declares, "I now see God, and Jesus Christ at his right hand, let them kill me, I should not feel death as I am now" [Levi W. Hancock, "The Life of Levi Ward Hancock," 33)]

195 years ago today - June 4, 1831

Joseph looked at Lyman Wight and said, "You shall see the Lord and meet him near the corner of the house." (Levi Hancock Autobiography, typescript, BYU-S, p. 33) Of this prediction, Zebedee Coltrin recalls, "When Lyman Wight was ordained a high priest, Joseph told him he should see the heavens opened, and after he was ordained he stood on his feet and testified that he could see the heavens open and could see Jesus standing at the right hand of God." [A Timeline of Joseph Smith's Prophecies: His Prophecies Fulfilled (https://amzn.to/42s0h3I)]

140 years ago today - Mar 6, 1886

Two thousand Mormon women assembled in Salt Lake City to protest the recently enacted Edmunds Act, a federal law designed to bring an end to the Mormons' practice of polygamy. [Matthew J. Grow, Kate Holbrook, Carol Cornwall Madsen, Jill Mulvay Derr, The First Fifty Years of Relief Society: Key Documents in Latter-day Saint Women's History, Chronology. https://churchhistorianspress.org/the-first-fifty-years-of-relief-society/events]

150 years ago today - Jun 3, 1876

The Deseret News publishes the grand jury's audit of Salt Lake City Corporation's financial records, which show extensive transactions involving liquor. Municipal funds purchase liquor for Pioneer Day on 24 July and also for a party of Mormon Battalion veterans. The city rents Brigham Young's distillery for $2,000 annually from 1861 to 1867, after which the city government purchases its liquor directly from the Howard Distillery which is owned jointly by Brigham Young and his first counselor Daniel H. Wells. Young is also a member of the Salt Lake City Council (1872-77), and Wells is mayor from 1866 to 1876. The report observes: "After completion of the railroad, the city continued to buy liquor from Brigham Young at $4.00 per gallon, although they could have gotten better 'States' liquor at $1.25 per gallon." [The Mormon Hierarchy - Extensions of Power by D. Michael Quinn, [New Mormon History database (http://bit.ly/NMHdatabase)]]

155 years ago today - Jun 3, 1871

Salt Lake Tabernacle service: "Pres D.H. Wells spoke 25 minutes following President Young's remarks. Not very good attention. Considerable moving about, passing out, and drowsiness." Salt Lake Stake Deacons Quorum Minute Book records: "Bro [Samuel D.] Chambers said It was a source of happiness to him to be here, feels to be the least of all the saints of God, but blest to be one of the number. It is joy to him to fill all calls made upon him. Asks an interest in our faith and prayers, that he may receive an exaltation in the kingdom of God." Chambers, a former slave, had been a Mormon for 29 years at this time. [On This Day in Mormon History, http://onthisdayinmormonhistory.blogspot.com]

180 years ago today - Jun 03, 1846

Jesse Little, a representative of the Church, meets with U.S. President James K. Polk in Washington, D.C., to discuss plans for establishing the Mormon Battalion.

195 years ago today - June 3-6, 1831

The fourth general conference of the Church is held in Kirtland, Ohio. Two thousand persons attend. The previous day Joseph prophesied that "the man of sin" would be revealed. After many evil manifestations of the spirit of Satan descending upon one member after another, Joseph rebukes Satan and many wonderful spiritual manifestations are experienced (including Joseph prophesying that John the Revelator is among the ten tribes and Lyman Wight seeing a vision of the Son sitting on the right hand of the Father). Elders are ordained as high priests for the first time in this dispensation. [Conkling, Christopher J., Joseph Smith Chronology; History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (7 volumes) 1:175-77.]

145 years ago today - Jun 2, 1881

Patriarchal Blessing of Susan E. Martineau given by Joel Hills Johnson ... Thy friends from behind the vail, some of them, shall visit thee in thy vision in the night time, and instruct thee in all things that appertain to thy exaltation and glory. ... Thine offspring shall become a great and a mighty people in the midst of the earth, clothed with the power of the holy priesthood, and mighty men of God with honor and renown shall spring from thee. ... I seal thee up unto eternal lives with thy companion and thy children, to come forth in the morning of the first ressurrection [resurrection] ... [Patriarchal Blessings]

145 years ago today - Jun 2, 1881

Patriarchal Blessing of Jesse N. Martineau given by Joel Hills Johnson ... many of the great men of the earth shall come to thee for counsel and for wisdom in the calamities that shall fall upon the earth. Thou shalt have power to escape the power of the Destroyer, and to cast Satan's yoke upon his own neck, and be free from the power of sin and death; and heavenly messengers shall visit thee and instruct thee in all thy duties of life and shall touch thee even as Jesus Christ touched the three Nephites, that thou mayest live long upon the earth and not taste death. ... I seal thee up unto eternal lives, for thy offspring shall become great and mighty upon the earth ... [Patriarchal Blessings]

165 years ago today - Jun 2, 1861 (Morning)

Prest. B. Y. preached one of the most interesting and exalted discourses that I ever heard, to a large and interesting audience. Reproved Bishop Warren of this [place] for selling gentile goods on commission to the brethren for wheat at a reduced price. Showed that their policy impoverished the people and bring them to wretchedness and misery. -- Parowan, Utah [A Mormon Chronicle: The Diaries of John D. Lee. 1848-1876. Robert Glass Cleland and Juanita Brooks, eds. San Marino, California: Huntington Library Press, 2003 ed. 314, quoted in The Complete Discourses of Brigham Young, Ed. Richard S. Van Wagoner, Smith-Pettit Foundation, Salt Lake City (2009), http://bit.ly/BY-discourses]

180 years ago today - Jun 02, 1846

U.S. President James K. Polk's cabinet authorizes him to ask the Latter-day Saints to provide several hundred men in the war against Mexico.