130 years ago today - Oct 31, 1882

[John Taylor to Lot Smith, Oct. 31, 1882] Regarding the Lamanites [Native Americans] receiving their endowments, we should like to receive further details from you with regard to them before answering definitely. Certainly none but entirely reliable ones should have this privilege, those whom you know to be worthy according to the light they possess.

[Source: Anderson, Devery; The Development of LDS Temple Worship, 1846-2000: A Documentary History, http://amzn.to/TempleWorship]

175 years ago today - About Oct 31, 1837

Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon arrive at Far West, MO [per Joseph Smith].

[Source: Tidd, N. R., "Mormon Chronology"]

120 years ago today - Oct 31, 1892

[President Wilford Woodruff Journal] 31 I went to the office. We are having several Days rain.

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

70 years ago today - Oct 30, 1942

[Heber J. Grant, J. Reuben Clark Jr., and David O. McKay, circular letter, Oct. 30, 1942] ... Primarily the wearing of the garment is an individual responsibility. It is associated with sacred obligations entered into by the wearer with the Lord in the temple; consequently, the conscience of the wearer must guide when circumstances seem to justify a modification of these obligations. The sacredness of the garment should ever be present and uppermost in the wearer's mind. One way to protect this sacredness is not to expose it to the view of scoffers, and where conditions arise making such exposure unavoidable, it would seem best reverently to lay aside the garment and then put it on again when such conditions pass. The First Presidency has felt that this policy might be followed by soldiers during their enlistment.

[Source: Anderson, Devery; The Development of LDS Temple Worship, 1846-2000: A Documentary History, http://amzn.to/TempleWorship]

170 years ago today - Oct 30, 1842

[Nauvoo Temple] The Saints met for the first time in the unfinished temple "and notwithstanding its largeness it was well fill'd." John Taylor was the first to preach in the Temple.

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

120 years ago today - Oct 30, 1892

[President Wilford Woodruff Journal] 30 We returned to Salt Lake to night.

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

20 years ago today - Oct 29, 1992.

David Knowlton meets again with his stake president, Kerry Heinz, to discuss the Channel 4 Utah 1992 interview. Heinz has formed his impressions of David's remarks only from an incomplete transcript, highlighted in yellow, and states, according to David, that "the situation almost obliged him to call a Church court because, in his opinion, I was perilously close to apostasy as a result of what he perceived as a pattern of attacking the Church." Still, the meeting which begins and ends with prayer, is held in Heinz's home, is "more relaxed," and leaves David optimistic that they are working toward a shared understanding. At David's invitation, President Heinz meets the next week with David's department chair for an additional view of issues from an academic perspective.

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

120 years ago today - Oct 29, 1892We met at once with 40 of the brethren including Presidency, High Counselors, Bishops and Counselors and Presidents of quorums. There were 20 Mugwumps, 13 democrats and only 8 republicans. I talked to them plainly asking that every Democrat stand firmly by his party and that the mugwumps assist us to elect the Republican nominee. The key note was to help the weaker party in the coming election. They all voted unanimously that all I had said to them was right. They had no objection to make it. ... I then spoke long and freely upon our political situation. Charging the brethren not to allow bitterness in their hearts against one another. Showed them our dire need of more Republicans. Of 100 men present there were 48 democrats, 38 mugwumps and 11 republicans. It is remarkable how generally our people have gone off democratic.

[Francis M. Lyman]

[Source: Francis M. Lyman, Diary]

120 years ago today - Oct 29, 1892

[Apostle Rudger Clawson] Attends Democratic rally and listens to speech of Apostle Moses Thatcher.

[Source: Larsen, Stan (editor), A Ministry of Meetings:The Apostolic Diaries of Rudger Clawson, Significant Mormon Diaries Series No. 6, A Rudger Clawson Chronology, Signature Books in association with Smith Research Associates, Salt Lake City 1993, http://bit.ly/rudgerclawson]

130 years ago today - Oct 29, 1882

Second counselor Joseph F. Smith's sermon denies there have ever been Danites in Utah but acknowledges that "a few horse thieves and murderers have perchance been sumarily dealt with by officers of the law."

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

35 years ago today - Oct 28, 1977

Bonneville Entertainment Inc. organized to produce films and television features. It is dissolved in 1982.

[Source: Sherry Baker: Mormon Media History Timeline: 1827-2007, http://byustudies.byu.edu/showTitle.aspx?title=7984]

115 years ago today - Oct 28, 1897

[Apostle Brigham Young Jr. Diary] Met at Temple had long conversation with Pres[ident] Snow & Richards ... Presidency came a decision was reached that no children adults of parents of age should be sealed to parents unless they had their endowments also.

[Source: Diary of Apostle Brigham Young Jr., http://amzn.to/newmormonstudies]

155 years ago today - Oct 28, 1857

George Albert Smith: Married Susan Elizabeth West 28 October 1857. Five children: Clarissa West, Margaret, Elizabeth, Priscilla, and Emma Pearl.

[Source: 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]

185 years ago today - Sunday, Oct 28, 1827

[Book of Mormon Translation] Manchester, The plates and breastplate are buried under the hearth.

[Source: Watson, Elden, Approximate Book of Mormon Translation Timeline, http://www.eldenwatson.net/BoM.htm]

20 years ago today - Oct 27, 1992.

Scott Abbott, a member of BYU's German faculty and a Sunstone participant, is called in by his stake president, a BYU religion professor, for a "very cordial" meeting. Scott earlier circulated his Sunstone paper, "One Lord, One Faith, Two Universities: Tensions between `Religion' and `Thought' at BYU," to individual religion professors, several of whom were upset by its analysis of religious-education hiring practices. The discussion centers on what the stake president sees as the potential for apostasy in Scott's position. Scott "felt no threats. My job didn't come into it. He's seen me twice since then and has come over and put his arm around me, genuinely showing his love after the rebuke."

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

50 years ago today - Oct 27,1962

In midst of Cuban Missile Crisis, Apostle Ezra Taft Benson publicly endorses John Birch Society as "the most effective non-church organization in our fight against creeping socialism and godless communism," and his son Reed A. Benson announces that he is Utah coordinator of the society.

[Source: Quinn, D. Michael, The Mormon Hierarchy: Extensions of Power, Appendix 5, Selected Chronology of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1848-1996, http://amzn.to/extensions-power]

60 years ago today - Mon Oct 27, 1952

[David O. McKay Office Journal] 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.--Met by appointment at his request Mr. Clinton Vernon, Attorney General, State of Utah. Mr. Vernon said that word has gone out--evidently from two General Authorities (whose names he would not repeat) to Presidents of Stakes to defeat him in his attempt to be re- elected as Attorney General of the State of Utah. He has specific instances where one of the General Authorities--Alma Sonne--allegedly stated to Presidencies and High Councilmen, that he (Clinton D. Vernon), is an apostate; secondly, that he is in favor of taxing Church property, and, thirdly, that he is in sympathy with the "cultists" at Short Creek. "These accusations," declared Mr. Vernon, "are absolute falsehoods." Clinton Vernon did make a ruling that sustained the action of the Box Elder County Attorney that the Welfare Property in Box Elder County should be taxed, but he is not in favor of taxing Church property as a whole; and, furthermore, he is not an apostate. He was never baptized into the Church--his parents, however, were married in the Temple and were buried in their temple clothes. His children are baptized--I think he said he has two--his wife is in the Church, and no matter what the outcome of this election, Mr. Vernon says he is not going to have any bitterness in his heart, but he would like to set himself right on the proposition. He was going to send a letter to all the Presidents of the Stakes, but decided against that because all Presidents have not been instructed. He has met one or two groups and explained the situation to them, and I told him to continue to meet the groups and explain his stand--and that is but fair! I called up President William Critchlow of the South Ogden Stake, and suggested that he git in touch with Clinton Vernon and hear the latter's side of the question. Mr. Vernon opened his heart to me regarding not only his relation to the Church, but to his family, and his reasons for ruling on this Box Elder question. He also said that he heard that in the Cummings Ward on October 19, 1952, it was reputedly said that a letter was read in Sacrament Meeting stating that a "high State official running for re-election is using the Church," and "if you wish to know who he is" said Bishop Parkinson, "I'll tell you if you will come to me after the meeting." Mrs. Louis L. Sorenson went up and was given Mr. Vernon's name. I think my interview with Brother Vernon was very profitable, and I hope only good will come from it.

[Source: McKay, David O., Office Journal]

70 years ago today - Oct 27, 1942

Helmuth Huebner, age seventeen, is first Mormon the Gestapo executes (by beheading). He leads anti-Nazi resistance group involving two other German LDS teenagers who are sent to concentration camps. To protect other Mormons from Nazi reprisals, Hamburg branch president excommunicates Heubner shortly after his arrest. On Jan. 24, 1948 First Presidency orders following notation to appear on Huebner's membership records: "Excommunication done by mistake."

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

120 years ago today - Oct 27, 1892

First Counselor George Q. Cannon tells apostles that Utah's newly appointed U.S. marshal has instructions from the Republican administration in Washington, D.C., to "do as he was directed by the heads of the Mormon Church. . . .He had expressed his willingness to do so, and had sent such word to the Presidency.

[Source: Advent Adam website (defunct) - based on http://amzn.to/extensionsofpower]

130 years ago today - Thursday, Oct 26, 1882

[Apostle John Henry Smith Diary] Salt Lake City

My wives made me a present of a pair of sleeve buttons and a stud.

[Source: 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]