40 years ago today - Aug 10, 1985.

Speaking at the regional priesthood leadership conference in Winder Stake on 10 August 1985, Elder Packer says: "We are in a time when `magazines' are available which defame and belittle the brethren. Authors are `scratching out' articles which seek these goals--and some young people are following. . . . These people argue, 'i[f] it's true, then say it.' . . . There are those who are crying sin and falsehood about the brethren and the prophets--especially regarding the Manifesto and polygamy. They are `offending little ones.'" Michael Quinn interprets the statement as referring to him.

[Anderson, Lavina Fielding, "The LDS Intellectual Community and Church Leadership: A Contemporary Chronology," Dialogue, Vol.26, No.1]

65 years ago today - Aug 10, 1960

A reporter from the Chicago Daily News asked Eisenhower on August 10, 1960: "Do you regret having kept Ezra Taft Benson on as Secretary of Agriculture in view of the unresolved farm problem that is giving Mr. Nixon such a hard time in his campaign?" "Ezra Benson has, to my mind," replied Eisenhower, who had also deliberately limited his own involvement, "been very honest and forthright and courageous in trying to get enacted into legislation plans and programs that I think are correct. And, therefore, for me to regret that he has been working would be almost a be trayal of my own views in this matter. I think we must find ways to give greater freedom to the farmer and make his whole business more responsive to market, rather than just to political considerations."

[Gary James Bergera, "Weak-Kneed Republicans and Socialist Democrats": Ezra Taft Benson as U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, 1953-61, Part 2, Dialogue : A Journal of Mormon Thought, (Winter 2008, vol 41)]

120 years ago today - Aug 10, 1905 (Thursday)

Elders Heber C. Miller and Joseph H. Walton, jun., who were laboring as missionaries in Tennessee, were brutally assaulted while engaged in tracting and seeking entertainment.

[Jenson, Andrew, Church Chronology]

180 years ago today - August 10, 1845. Sunday.

[William Clayton]

....a letter was read from Pittsburgh from Amos Fielding dated ... that Sidney Rigdon has had a revelation requiring his followers to sell their property and give him the avails of it to purchase land in the East to build up the kingdom. ...

[George D. Smith, An Intimate Chronicle; The Journals of William Clayton, Signature Books in association with Smith Research Associates, Salt Lake City, 1995, http://bit.ly/WilliamClayton]

180 years ago today - Aug 10, 1845

[Brigham Young to William Smith]

.... with regard to "Cowdery's commentations" on your "Rebellious heart," the council knows not what you refer to unless it be the blessings in the "history of Joseph," (Times & Seasons July 1st 1845). If that be the thing, we think you labor under a mistake. Th[e] blessing is inserted in Joseph's private Journal which he called [ ] pocket book. & is Joseph's own language, & the blessing is good and great to yourself and posterity.

... To your question. "when the Brethren call on me to be sealed to their wives, - their dead friends &c also to get patriarchal blessings for their dead— what shall I say to them?" Of what use for sealing when every thing of the kind must be done over again in the Temple to make it valid? And it is not according to the order of the church to confer Patriarchal Blessings on the dead by proxy, until baptism &c has been attended to for them by proxy, which must be done in the Lord's House, therefore, any thing of the kind done at this time would be of no effect .

You refer to "Joseph's teachings up stairs in the brick Store that the Twelve have power to build up the kingdom of God &c." which the Twelve well recollect.= and they also recollect that Joseph said that the sealing power is always vested in one man, and that there never was, nor never would be but one man on the earth at a time to hold the sealing power keys of the sealing power in the church, that all sealings must be performed by the man holding the keys, or by his dictation, and that man is the president of the church. Hyrum held the patriarchal office legitimately, So do you. Hyrum was counseller [counselor], So are you. but the sealing power was not in Hyrum legitimately neither did he act on the sealing principle only as he was dictated by Joseph in every case. This was proven, for Hyrum did in one case undertake to seal without counsel, & Joseph told him if he did not stop it he would go to hell and all those he sealed with him.

with regard to the "brothers not daring to come to you for blessings for fear of offending the Twelve or Uncle John," we know not what it is made out of.= The Twelve have never thrown a [unclear word] in your way, but done every thing they could for you and will continue to do s. ...

[Brigham Young to William Smith, August 10, 1845, Brigham Young Collection, LDS Church Archives]

185 years ago today - Aug 10, 1840

Seymour Brunson: Died 10 August 1840 in Nauvoo, Hancock County, Illinois. At funeral Joseph Smith first publicly announced doctrine of baptism for dead.

[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]

190 years ago today - Aug 10, 1835

Minutes of "The High Council of Kirtland" note that they assembled "to hear complaint of President Joseph Smith, Jun., against Elder Reynolds Cahoon, in that the latter had failed to do his duty in correcting his children, and instructing them in the way of truth and righteousness; which was proved and decision given accordingly. Elder Cahoon confessed the correctness of the decision and promised to make public acknowledgment before the Church."

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

125 years ago today - Thursday, Aug 9, 1900

[Rudger Clawson]

....A letter from Pres. J. F. Smith was read. Said that they (namely, Elders S. B. Young, presidency of the Juarez Stake, and himself) had met in council with [BYU President] B[enjamin] Cluff, Jr., pres. of the B. Y. College Scientific Expedition to South America and that Elder Cluff could not give up his cherished project to continue the expedition, although they had so advised it, and in consequence he would select 7 or 8 of his best men to continue the journey, the remainder to be released to take a mission to the S.W. States or return home. Some considerable discussion was indulged in regarding the unwillingness, apparently, of Elder Cluff to take the advice of Pres. J. F. Smith. ... Finally, it was moved and carried by unanimous vote that Pres. J. F. Smith be telegraphed to release and return the members of the expedition to their homes....

Apostle Reed Smoot called attention to the fact that the presidency and high council of the Utah Stake had made a distribution of the 10% tithing set apart as compensation to the bishops, and bishops' clerks, and stake tithing clerks, and that out of the distribution a small margin was reserved to meet some of the stake expenses, such as janitor hire and electric lighting for the stake tabernacle, and sundry other church items. The distribution, he said, was entirely satisfactory to the bishops and all others concerned. Bishop W. B. Preston, the presiding bishop, he remarked, objected to this arrangement, taking the position that the entire 10% should go to the bishops. While no formal vote was taken, it seemed to be the mind of the Presidency and brethren, that the presidency of a stake and high council had ample authority to make the distribution of the said 10%, and that if their action was accepted by the general authorities of the stake, it should stand.

[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 - Aug 9, 1900; Thursday

A letter from President Joseph F. Smith was read. It was dated Juarez [Mexico] 2nd, and conveyed the information that it had been decided to allow Brother [BYU President] Benjamin Cluff to select six or seven of his best men to accompany him, and the others were to be honorably released from the expedition with the privilege of going into the mission field or returning home. President Smith, in closing his letter says: "Bro[ther]. Cluff could not give up his cherished scheme of exploring the south, although I told him we thought it would be well for him to do so."

...Elder Cluff's marital relations were now freely discussed. It seemed that some time ago, but long since the issuance of the Manifesto, he, although already a married man, won the affections of one of his students, and diplomatically endeavored in a quiet way to convey the idea that he had married her, and this he did in hopes of having the marriage ceremony performed secretly in the future. At least this is the supposition. This matter was brought to the attention of President Snow in the presence of Brother Cluff, when it was held by Professor Cluff that there was nothing wrong whatever in the relations between himself and the young lady, but he expressed the desire that the marriage ceremony could be performed...

President Snow then said that from what he had heard, he felt that he should feel perfectly safe in sending word to President Smith that it was the mind of the Twelve--and it was certainly his mind--that the expedition return.

[First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve minutes]

175 years ago today - Aug 9, 1850

The United States Attorney in Illinois files a complaint to recover a debt Joseph Smith owed from the 1840 purchase of the steamship NAUVOO. The judge upholds the Illinois law that no church can legally hold more than ten acres of property, but he also rules that all the property which exceeded the allotted ten acres that Joseph held either personally or as trustee-in-trust after 1842 must be sold to pay the creditors. This includes all the other property Joseph had conveyed to Emma or the children after that time.

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

85 years ago today - Aug 8, 1940

[Heber J. Grant]

I approved a long letter prepared by President Clark to a sister who wants to live according to the law of Moses ...

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

125 years ago today - Aug 8, 1900

The first of two plural marriages in Mexico that second counselor Joseph F. Smith secretly authorizes without the knowledge of President Lorenzo Snow, who prohibits polygamous ordinances. Counselor Smith instructs senior Seventy's president Seymour B. Young to perform the polygamous marriages.

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

130 years ago today - Aug 8, 1895

First Presidency met with us at 11 a. m. After Circle prayers we partook of the sacrament of bread and wine. ... It was decided by the First Presidency and Twelve that it was not a good thing for women to register and vote at the coming fall election; they thought it would endanger Statehood.

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

130 years ago today - Aug 8, 1895

Much talk over letter from Mr. Blackwell of Boston of Aug 6 to sister Zina D Young writing strongly against the women of voting on the Constitution as they have not the suffrage until the Constitution gives it to them

[Diary Excerpts of Franklin D. Richards, 1887-1897, http://amzn.to/newmormonstudies]

180 years ago today - Aug 8 [1845]

[Brigham Young]

.... In the evening went to Wm [William] Smith [age 34] and sealed [him] to Miss Rice [age 14] --

[Brigham Young Journal # 4 in the handwriting of: William Clayton, Evan Greene, John D. Lee, Willard Richards. First person account kept by others. 'Lieut. Genl Brigham Young's Journal 1844']

185 years ago today - 1840 Aug 8

Joseph answers John C. Bennett's letters, stating, "My general invitation is, Let all that will, come, and partake of the poverty of Nauvoo freely.-

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

80 years ago today - Aug 7, 1945

[Joseph Fielding Smith]

The papers reported the dropping of an 'atom' bomb on Hiroshima, Japan which was more powerful than 200,000 tons of TNT. It practically destroyed the entire city. The terror of such warfare is appalling and the lengths that human beings can go to in bitter and deadly conflict is horrorfying. What can happen to the world if this report is true?

[Joseph Fielding Smith Diary, as quoted in Minutes of the Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1910-1951, Privately Published, Salt Lake City, Utah 2010]

85 years ago today - Aug 7, 1940

[President Heber J. Grant]

I did not go to sleep last night until after midnight. I was thinking of the political situation, and Franklin D. Roosevelt's running for a third term. I am unalterably opposed, and I doubt whether I am justified in keeping quiet. I feel that it is an outrage that any man should aspire to a third term in view of the history of all our Presidents up to the present time and the feeling of the people generally. I realize that it would create a good deal of ill will on the part of the people, but I think the way he secured the nomination was an outrage. As a gambler would say, 'the deck was packed to a fare-thee-well.' I just couldn't sleep.

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

90 years ago today - Aug 7, 1935

[Joseph Anderson]

President Grant, to whom your letter of August 6 is addressed, is in the East at the present time.

I suggest that it would be better for you to confide in the Bishop of your Ward, who understands the nature of your husband better than does President Grant. We will say this, however, that it is a good thing for a man to realize that woman is mistress of her own body.

[Joseph Anderson, Letter to Mrs. W. E. Cozzens, as quoted in Minutes of the Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1910-1951, Privately Published, Salt Lake City, Utah 2010]

110 years ago today - Aug 7, 1915; Saturday

[James E. Talmage]

Practically every spare moment of my time since my return from San Francisco has been given up to the revision of copy and reading of proofs for the book "Jesus the Christ" the printing of which is now well advanced.

[James E. Talmage, Diary]