Heavenly Christened Warship

The U.S. Navy commissioned and named two World War II Liberty ships after two LDS prophets. Who were the prophets?

A)     Joseph Smith and Joseph F. Smith

B)     Thomas Monson and Gordon B. Hinckley

C)     Joseph Smith and Brigham Young

D)     Brigham Young and Lorenzo Snow

Yesterday’s answer:

(A)   The Assembly Hall and the Solemn Assembly Room in the Salt Lake Temple

On April 5, 1942, the First Presidency closed the Tabernacle for the duration of the war. During that time conference sessions were held in the Assembly Hall on Temple Square and in the solemn assembly room on the fifth floor of the Salt lake Temple.

Sheri L. Dew, Go Forward With Faith (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company, 1996), 126.

A General Conference Relocation

Which buildings were general conference held in from October 1942 to the end of World War II?

A)                 The Assembly Hall and the Solemn Assembly Room in the Salt Lake Temple

B)                 The Salt Palace and the Joseph Smith Memorial Building

C)                 The State Building and the Gardo House

D)                 The Hotel Utah and the Assembly Hall

Yesterday’s answers:

1.      (C) Governor Safford of Arizona

The following is in reference to a mission to Mexico that J.Z. Stewart, Isaac J. Stewart, Helman Pratt, Louis Garff, George Terry, and Meliton G. Trejo took in 1876.

They took the route through Southern Utah, up the Little Colorado, southwest to Prescott, then to Phoenix. Their entire journey was punctuated by frequent stops to preach along the way wherever an opportunity presented itself. Traveling to Tucson they contacted Governor Safford, who welcomed them into Arizona and expressed his desire that the Mormons settle as much as possible in the state, since they were an aggressive, successful class of colonizers and made a wholesome type of citizen.

Peace Like A River, The Historical and Spiritual Journey of The Isaac M. Stewart Family, Compiled and Edited By David H. Epperson (Salt Lake City, 2007), 110-111.

2.      True

If any one state and Governor treated the Saints with fairness, it would be Governor Lucas of Iowa Territory.

Executive Office, Iowa,

Burlington, March, 1839.

Dear Sir:--On my return to this city, after a few weeks absence in the interior of the territory, I received your letter of the 25th ult., in which you give a short account of the sufferings of the people called Mormons, and ask "whether they could be permitted to purchase lands and settle upon them in the territory of Iowa, and there worship Almighty God according to the dictates of their own consciences, secure from oppression," &c.

   In answer to your inquiry, I would say that I know of no authority that can constitutionally deprive them of this right. They are citizens of the United States, and are entitled to all the rights and privileges of other citizens. The 2nd section of the 4th article of the Constitution of the United States (which all are solemnly bound to support,) declare that "the citizens of each state shall be entitled to all the privileges and immunities of citizens in the several states;" this privilege extends in full force to the territories of the United States. The first amendment to this constitution of the U.S. declares that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof."

   The Ordinance of Congress of the 13th July, 1787, for the government of the territory northwest of the river Ohio, secures to the citizens of said territory and the citizens of the states thereafter to be formed therein, certain privileges which were, by the late act of Congress organizing the territory of Iowa, extended to the citizens of this territory. The first fundamental article in that ordinance, which is declared to be forever unalterable, except by common consent, reads as follows, to wit: "No person demeaning himself in a peaceable and orderly manner shall ever be molested on account of his mode of worship or religious sentiments in said territory." These principles I trust will ever be adhered to in the territory of Iowa. They make no distinction between religious sects. They extend equal privileges and protection to all; each must rest upon its own merits and will prosper in proportion to the purity of its principles, and the fruit of holiness and piety produced thereby.

   With regard to the peculiar people mentioned in your letter, I know but little. They had a community in the northern part of Ohio for several years, and I have no recollection of ever having heard in that state of any complaint against them for violating the laws of the country. Their religious opinions I conceive have nothing to do with our political transactions. They are citizens of the United States, and are entitled to the same political rights and legal protection that other citizens are entitled to.

   The foregoing are briefly my views on the subject of your inquiries.

With sincere respect,

I am your obedient servant, ROBERT LUCAS.

“Facts Relative to the Expulsion of the Mormon’s or Latter-day Saints, From the State of Missouri, Under the ‘Exterminating Order,’” John P. Greene (Cincinnati: R.P. Brooks, 1839).

3.      True

Thursday, March 11, 1875-Another stormy day.  President Young was tried for not paying his fine; and Chief Justice MacKean condemned him to 24 hours imprisonment in the penitentiary and 25 dollars fine. He went accompanied by Mayor [Daniel H.] Wells; and a large company stayed his time.

Kenneth W. Godfrey, Audrey M. Godfrey, and Jill Mulvay Derr, Women’s Voices: An Untold History of The Latter-day Saints, 1830-1900 (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company, 1982), 302.

4.      (D)   He dismissed Judge McKean

Emmeline B. Wells shares this interesting insight in her journal dated March 16^th, 1875:

A telegram reached us today stating Judge McKean’s removal from office, and the appointment of Parker from Missouri.

So, the question is, what were the circumstances leading to Chief Justice McKean’s removal from office:

Five days after Mckean sentenced Brigham Young to one day in jail and a $25 fine, a press dispatched from Washington D.C. announced his [McKean’s] removal from office “caused by what the president deemed fanatical and extreme conduct.”

Kenneth W. Godfrey, Audrey M. Godfrey, and Jill Mulvay Derr, Woman’s Voices-An Untold History of The Latter-day Saints: 1830-1900 (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company, 1982), 303; B.H. Roberts, A Comprehensive History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Century I, 6 vols. (Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1930), 5:446-47.

Additional interesting information:

The following from Emmeline B. Wells journal of March 13, 1875:

Yesterday there was a petition of about nine hundred ladies taken to Gov. Axtell to see what he could do towards releasing President Brigham Young from his confinement in the penitentiary.

Kenneth W. Godfrey, Audrey M. Godfrey, and Jill Mulvay Derr,  Women’s Voices: An Untold History of The Latter-day Saints, 1830-1900 (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company, 1982), 302.

5.      (B)   The case was tried  on the Sabbath

Emmeline B. Wells also wrote the following in her journal on April 1^st, 1875, which just so happens to be a Sunday:

   They are trying George Reynolds for polygamy here in the district courts, today brought in a verdict of guilty, and found a flaw in the indictment being legally served, consequently it will be necessary to try the case again.

The government understood the significance of the Sabbath day to the Saints, so why would they call court to session? Obviously it was a case of unbridled authority with a side platter of immaturity.

Kenneth W. Godfrey, Audrey M. Godfrey, and Jill Mulvay Derr, Woman’s Voices-An Untold History of The Latter-day Saints: 1830-1900 (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company, 1982), 306.

6.      (C)   One cent

Joseph Smith and Governor Dunklin advised the exiled people to continue seeking redress in the courts for the damages they had suffered. Efforts at criminal and civil prosecution in Jackson County, beginning in February 1834, failed because of the hostile climate at Independence, even with the state militia sometimes serving as a guard and with the presence at Independence of the state’s Mormon-friendly attorney general, Robert W. Wells. Receiving a change of venue to nearby Richmond, Ray County, leaders of the United Firm pressed for two test cases from events that had occurred in Independence on July 20, 1833. The charge of “trespass” was leveled against the Jackson County defendants both for assaulting Bishop Partridge and for destroying the house and press of W. W. Phelps. The two men claimed civil damages of $50,000 each. The circuit Court, in its July 1836 term at Richmond, ruled against the mob defendants, but the judge awarded Partridge the frivolous damages of “one cent” and Phelps “seven hundred and fifty Dollars.”

Joseph Smith Jr., History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1971), 1:476-78; “The Outrage in Jackson County, Missouri,” Evening and Morning Star 2, March 1834, 3; Ray County Circuit Court Record, A 245-248; Edward Partridge’s handwritten statement of damages. Edward Partridge, “In the Year of Our Lord,” 1-3, Church Archives; Ray County Circuit Court Record, July Term 1836, 249-50; see Max H. Parkin, “A History of the Latter-day Saints in Clay County” (PhD diss., Brigham Young University, 1976), 97-108.

7.      (A)   The Trail of Tears

It may seem somewhat ironic, but the Trail of Tears (the governments forced relocation of the Cherokees), beginning in May 1838, was just months prior to Lilburn W. Boggs extermination order to have the Saints displaced from the state of Missouri.

Introduction, BYU Studies 46, no. 4, (2007), 4.

Sunday Tidbits- Church and Government

1.                  Which State Governor welcomed the Church and was true to that request?

A)                 Governor Ford of Illinois

B)                 Governor Dunklin of Missouri

C)                 Governor Safford of Arizona

D)                 Governor Burnett of California

2.                  True or False; The Governor of Iowa, Robert Lucas, understood the Saints constitutional rights and allowed them those rights?

3.                  True or False; Did Brigham Young serve jail time while the prophet of the Church?

4.                   What was President Ulysses S. Grant’s reaction to the imprisonment of Brigham Young? (Realize of course, you have already answered question #3, no changing your answer)

A)                 He was complimentary of Judge McKean’s action

B)                 He asked for stricter sanctions on the Mormon Church

C)                 He was afraid how the press would interpret this action and worried for his political career

D)                 He dismissed Judge McKean

5.                  In the case of trying George Reynolds for polygamy, what did the government do to rub salt into the wounds of the Church?

A)                 Force George’s wives to testify against him

B)                 Try the case on the Sabbath

C)                 Force Brigham Young to testify against Brother Reynolds

D)                 Forced the Church to cancel Sunday services the day of the trial

6.                  On July 20, 1833, W. W. Phelps and Edward Partridge entered into court with hopes of being awarded $50,000 each in a civil suit against the state of Missouri for damages and assault at the hands of the mob. W. W. Phelps received $750, what was Bishop Edward Partridge awarded?

A)                 $50,000

B)                 $749.50

C)                 One cent

D)                 Nothing

7.                  What other extermination was taking place in the United States just months prior to the extermination order issued by Governor Lilburn W. Boggs of Missouri?

A)                 The Trail of Tears (the governments relocation of the Cherokee Nation)

B)                 The removal of all British nationals in the New England area to Canada

C)                 The push to remove all citizens loyal to Mexico from Texas to the south side of the Rio Grande

D)                 The government’s placement of the Blackfeet and Sioux onto reservations; the beginning of Wounded Knee.

Yesterday’s answer:

Green Flake, later one of three African-Americans to enter the Salt Lake Valley with the first company of Saints, is born on the Jordan Flake plantation in Anson County, North Carolina. There are no known birth records for Hark Lay and Oscar Crosby, the two other African-Americans in the party.

   Green Flake was born in Anson County, North Carolina, ca. 1828. In 1841 he traveled with his owners, James Madison and Agnes Love Flake, to Kemper County, Mississippi, where the family cleared land for a farm. During the winter of 1843-44 Madison and Agnes were baptized as members of the Mormon Church and so was their servant Green. When the Flakes decided to join the main body of the church in Nauvoo, Green accompanied them. For a time he served as a bodyguard for Joseph Smith.

Leonard J. Arrington, "Black Pioneer Was Union Fort Settler," The Pioneer (SUP), September-October 1981; Ronald G. Coleman, "A History of Blacks in Utah, 1825-1910" (Ph.D. diss., University of Utah, 1980).

Salt Lake City’s first African American

How many African Americans entered the Salt Lake Valley with Brigham Young in 1847?

A)     1

B)     9

C)     7

D)     3

Yesterday’s answer:

On April 6^th, 1830, one of the thirty people in attendance (it has been said that this number could be as high as 60 people) at the Whitmer cabin in Fayette, New York, to witness the organization of the Church, happened to be the eleven-year old David Lewis. He so badly wanted to join the Church, although Joseph told him that if he could obtain consent from his parents then he would perform that ordinance.    

   Not long after the organization of the Church, and on the boys twelfth birthday, David was able to obtain the necessary permission from his parents, and in early May of 1830 was baptized by Joseph Smith, in a small stream, into the Church.

     After the baptism a violent storm unleashed her fury. Joseph was concerned about David’s safety and was somewhat reluctant to have him pursue his way home.  David insisted that he go as he had promised his mother that he would be home after the baptism.  Joseph relented and left him with a blessing that he would be protected throughout the storm and that he would arrive home to the safety of his parents. David headed out, but in the storms fury had lost his way. Remembering the prophet’s promise, David knelt in prayer.  After he arose from his prayer he saw what appeared to be a lantern, which he followed to his home. 

David Lewis, Reminiscence dictated to Andrew Jensen, 10 Sept. 1908, Church Archives

A Prophetic Promise

What did the Prophet Joseph Smith promise young 12-year old David Lewis at the time of his baptism in May of 1830?

A)     He would become the Church’s second missionary (Samuel Smith was first)

B)     His parents would eventually join the Church

C)     He would be protected on his way home

D)     He would become the body guard to Porter Rockwell

Yesterday’s answer:

D    A Presbyterian meetinghouse

In 1843 it was decided to build a Seventies Hall in Nauvoo. During construction a tornado leveled the walls. Brigham Young convinced the Seventies to re-build, but this time make the walls one brick thicker. At the completion of the Hall, it housed a library on the upper floor along with a museum of “curiosities” brought to Nauvoo by returning missionaries. After the Saints left Nauvoo for the west the Seventies Hall was used as a Presbyterian meetinghouse and latter a school.

Richard Neitzel Holzapfel and T. Jeffrey Cottle. Old Mormon Nauvoo and Southeastern Iowa: Historic Photographs and Guide. 2d ed. (Santa Anna, Calif: Fieldbrook Productions, 1991), 131-32.

Seventies Hall Evacuation

The Church has worked hard to reconstruct various Nauvoo buildings and dwellings to as close to the original building as possible. One such building is the Seventies Hall. What was this building used for after the Saints evacuated Nauvoo?

A)     A horse barn

B)     Governor Ford’s summer residence

C)     A post office

D)     A Presbyterian Meetinghouse

Yesterday’s answer:

(A)     Adam-ondi-Ahman

The following is a listing of the top five hymns sung in meetings from 1830-1838:

Adam-ondi-Ahman (By far the most popular hymn during those years)

The Spirit of God

Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken

Now Let Us Rejoice

How Firm a Foundation

Michael Hicks, “What Hymns Early Mormons Sang and How They Sang Them,” BYU Studies 47, no. 1 (2008), 98.

An Early Favorite

What was the most popular hymn sung in meetings between the years 1830-1838?

A)     All Creatures of our God and King

B)     Adam-ondi-Ahman

C)     The Spirit of God

D)     Amazing Grace

Yesterday’s answer:

 (A)     His money

The following as shared by Jacob Hamblin:

“I travelled westward about 100 miles to the Mississippi River, where I took passage on a steamer to Nauvoo. I landed in the night. In the morning, I asked a young man where the Prophet lived. He pointed out the way to the residence of Joseph Smith, Jr., and said, ‘If you are going to see the Prophet, do not take any money with you. If you do, he will get it.’

   “I asked the youth if he was a ‘Mormon.’ He replied that he was, and that his father was a High Priest. I thought it strange that he should talk as he did.

   “As I passed along one of the streets of the town, I saw a tall, noble-looking man talking with another. An impression came over me that he was the person I was looking for. Inquiring of a bystander, I learned that my impression was correct.

   “One of the company asked the Prophet for some money he had loaned him. He replied that he would try and get it during the day. I offered him the money, but he said: ‘Keep your money. I will not borrow until I try to get what is owing me. If you have just come in and wish to pay your tithing, you can pay it to Brother Hyrum; he sees to that.’

   “I soon learned to discriminate between the different kinds of people who had gathered to Nauvoo. Some were living the lives of Saints; others were full of deceit and were stumbling-blocks in the way of those who were striving to do right.”

James A. Little, Jacob Hamblin in Three Mormon Classics, Preston Nibley, comp. (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1988), 207-208.

You better hold on to it or Joseph will get it

Just prior to meeting the Prophet for the first time in Nauvoo, Jacob Hamblin was told to hang onto what or Joseph Smith would get it?

A)     His money

B)      His hat

C)      His time

D)     His horse

Yesterday’s answer:

(B)   Chairs

My friend told me these were the original chairs that were first placed in the endowment rooms of the Salt Lake Temple at the time of the temple dedication. He stated that the chairs had iron sides, but the seats of the chairs were wood that folded up. He noticed, during the tour, that some of the chairs were wider than others. He asked the tour guide why all the chairs were not the standard width, but rather there were two different sizes. It was explained that women wore the big dresses that poofed out. These wider chairs were for the women to accommodate the dress style at the time.

My friend also noted that as he exited the top of the spiral staircase that led to the balcony that he had to descend three or four stairs to access the seats on the balcony. It didn’t make sense why, when he exited the spiral staircase that the top stair would be at the same level as the first row of chairs. The tour guide explained to him that when the balcony was constructed, the contractor realized, due to the size of the chandeliers, that those sitting on the back balcony could not see the pulpit. The contractor explained the problem to Brigham Young and asked him if he had a solution. The chandeliers were already installed and couldn’t be raised any higher because of their size. Brigham gave it some thought for a few days then met with the contractor again. He said to get two hundred men under the back balcony, unattach the balcony from the back wall and then lowered the balcony to the desired position and then tie the balcony back into place. If only President Young had access to scissor lifts.

A Touch of the Salt Lake Temple in the Balcony of the St. George Tabernacle

I have a good friend at work who understands my fetish with facts and figures from Church history. He recently visited the St. George Tabernacle, took the tour, and then passed along to me his findings. For starters, every President of the Church other than Joseph Smith preached from its pulpit (he was quick to point out that even though Howard W. Hunter and Thomas S. Monson did speak in the building, that they were not Presidents of the Church at the time). He also told me the amazing story of how Brigham Young and the contractor put their heads together to resolve the issue of the balcony being too high, the chandeliers too large, and as a result, no one in the back balcony could see the pulpit ( I will share this story along with the answer tomorrow). There was something else interesting about the balcony. At a time when the Salt Lake Temple was renovated, some items were taken out and replaced with new. This item was not thrown away, but rather placed in the balcony of the St. George Tabernacle. What was the item?

A)     Handrails

B)     Chairs

C)     Lighting

D)     Stairs

Yesterday’s answer:

1.                  (B)   30 years

 The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Church History In The Fulness Of Times (Salt Lake City: Published by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1993), 468.

2.                  (A)

 In 1964, during a meeting with President David O. McKay, U.S. president Lyndon B. Johnson asks the Church President for advice and indicates that he has felt inspired during previous visits with President McKay.

Richard Neitzel Holzpfel et al., On This Day In The Church (Salt Lake City: Eagle Gate, 2000), 23.

3.                   (A)   100 years

Elder Russell M. Nelson attends the Parliament of the World’s Religions in Chicago, Illinois, on August 28, 1993; exactly 100 years after the body rejected a Latter-day Saint delegation headed by Elder B.H. Roberts.

Richard Neitzel Holzpfel et al., On This Day In The Church (Salt Lake City: Eagle Gate, 2000), 167.

4.                   (D)   80 years of age

 George Q. Morris is ordained a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles at eighty years of age (April of 1954) making him the oldest man ordained an Apostle in this dispensation, replacing Matthew Cowley, who had died.

Richard Neitzel Holzpfel et al., On This Day In The Church (Salt Lake City: Eagle Gate, 2000), 70.