On this day in Mormon History
http://TodayInMormonHistory.com/
-- 180 years ago today - May 23, 1844 --
William Law files a formal complaint with the Hancock County circuit court charging Smith was living "in an open state of adultery" with Maria Lawrence, Smith's foster daughter and polygamous wife. Maria Lawrence was a teenaged orphan who was living in the Smith household. In fact, Smith had secretly married both Maria, age 19 ,and her sister Sarah, age 17 on 11 May 1843 and was serving as executor of their $8,000 estate. William Law apparently hoped that disclosing Smith's relationship with the young girls might lead him to abandon polygamy, but Smith immediately excommunicated Law, had himself appointed the girls' legal guardian, and rejected the charge in front of a church congregation on 26 May 1844, denying that he had more than one wife. Suit filed against Smith for adultery with foster daughter. (1)
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[Heber C. Kimball diary]
" ... Remember me to Helen and Sarah Ann Whitney [both plural wives of Joseph Smith] and tell them to be good girls and cultivate union, and listen to counsel from the proper source—then they will get the victory. [Letter, Heber C. Kimball to family]"
My acquaintance with Sarah Ann Whitney, eldest daughter of Bishop N. K. and Elizabeth Ann Whitney, whose name is mentioned in one of my father's letters, I began to make in the spring of 1842. Though our parents had long been associated, and we had known each other since the schooldays of Kirtland, but as she was some four years older than myself, who had entered my teens but a few months previous, I had never thought of becoming a companion to her. ... This was quite a select party. Among them were the daughters of Elder Rigdon, Bishop Higbee's sons, the Miss Pierces, (Margaret Pierce Young being one of them) and Rachel, Mary and Mary Ann Ivins, the former, now Rachel Grant, were cousins, with some of their brothers and many others too numerous to mention, were among the guests. The Prophet spent a little time with them, but took no part. .... About a year after her birthday party she invited my brother and I to attend another small party which, to me, was very pleasant
and far more enjoyable than the other, there being present only a few select friends. The Prophet was there during the early part of the evening, and some peculiar remarks which he made, I remember, gave food for talk and no little amount of wit which passed from one to the other after he had left; and William and I talked it over after we returned home, of the enjoyable time and the peculiarities of Joseph. ... It was not till the summer after he had gone east that I learned of the existence of the plural order of marriage, and that the spring of 1842 had seen his sister Sarah Ann the wife of Joseph Smith. My father was the first to introduce it to me; which had a similar effect to a sudden shock of a small earthquake. When he found (after the first outburst of displeasure for supposed injury) that I received it meekly, he took the first opportunity to introduce Sarah Ann to me as Joseph's wife. This astonished me beyond measure; but I could then understand a few things which had
previously been to me a puzzle, and among the rest, the meaning of his words at her party. I saw, or could imagine, in some degree, the great trial that she must have passed through, and that it had required a mighty struggle to take a step of that kind, and had called for a sacrifice, such as few can realize but those who first rendered obedience to this law. It was a strange doctrine, and very dangerous too, to be introduced at such a time, when in the midst of the greatest trouble Joseph had ever encountered. The Missourians and Illinoisians were ready and determined to destroy him. They could but take his life, and that he considered a small thing when compared with the eternal punishment which he was doomed to suffer if he did not teach and obey this principle. No earthly inducement could be held forth to the women who entered this order. It was to be a life-sacrifice for the sake of an everlasting glory and exaltation. Sarah Ann took this step of her own free will, but had to
do it unbeknown to her brother, which grieved her most, and also her mother, that they could not open their hearts to him. But Joseph feared to disclose it, believing that the Higbee boys would embitter Horace against him, as they had already caused serious trouble, and for this reason he favored his going east, which Horace was not slow to accept. He had had some slight suspicions that the stories about Joseph were not all without foundation, but had never told them, nor did he know the facts till after his return to Nauvoo, when Sarah hastened to tell him all. It was no small stumbling-block to him when learning of the course which had been taken towards him, which was hard for him to overlook. ... Sarah felt when she took this step that it would be the means of severing her from the happy circle in which she had moved as one of their guiding stars. ...
Bishop Whitney was not a man that readily accepted of every doctrine, and would question the Prophet very closely upon principles if not made clear to his understanding. When Joseph saw that he was doubtful concerning the righteousness of this celestial order he told him to go and enquire of the Lord concerning it, and he should receive a testimony for himself.
The bishop, with his wife, who had for years been called Mother Whitney, retired together and unitedly besought the Lord for a testimony whether or not this principle was from Him; and they ever after bore testimony that they received a manifestation and that it was so powerful they could not mistake it. The bishop never afterwards doubted, and they willingly gave to him their daughter, which was the strongest proof that they could possibly give of their faith and confidence in him as a true Prophet of God. (2)
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With my family reading Hebrew with [Alexander] Neibaur ...
1 P.M. Held council with the Indians Sac and Fox &c. in my back kitchen. They told me (Joseph) "You are a big chief. We are sons of /2 as/ big men /and Priests/ as ever inhabited this land. You preach a great deal so say great Spirit, you be as great and good as our fathers that will do. Our worship is different, but we are good as any other men. .... We are very poor. Whites cheat us. But no difference not long to live. We wanted to let you know we were a Christian people."
I replied "We know you have been wronged, but we bought this land and paid our money for it. Advise you not to sell any more land. Cultivate peace with all men with the different tribes. Great spirit wants you to be united and live in peace. Found a book (presenting the Book of Mormon) which told me about your fathers and Great spirit told me. You must send to all the tribes you can and tell them to live in peace and when any of our people come to see you treat them as we treat you."
3 P.M. Indians commenced a war dance in front of my old house. Our people commencing with music and firing cannon. After the dance which lasted about 2 hours firing of cannon closed the exercise. With our music marched back to office. Before they commenced dancing the Saints collected $9.45 cents for to get them food....
Hyrum was in this evening and cautioned me about speaking so freely about my enemies and in such a manner they could make it actionable. I told him 6 months would not roll over his head before they would swear 12 as palpable lies about him as they had about me. (3)
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William Law files a formal complaint with the Hancock County circuit court charging Smith was living "in an open state of adultery" with Maria Lawrence, Smith's foster daughter and polygamous wife. Maria Lawrence was a teenaged orphan who was living in the Smith household. In fact, Smith had secretly married both Maria, age 19 ,and her sister Sarah, age 17 on 11 May 1843 and was serving as executor of their $8,000 estate. William Law apparently hoped that disclosing Smith's relationship with the young girls might lead him to abandon polygamy, but Smith immediately excommunicated Law, had himself appointed the girls' legal guardian, and rejected the charge in front of a church congregation on 26 May 1844, denying that he had more than one wife. Suit filed against Smith for adultery with foster daughter. (1)
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[William Clayton]
Prest J kept still in his room all day. About 3 P.M. Lathrop came in from Carthage and brought news that the grand jury had found a bill against Prest.. J. for adultery and that an attachment would be here immediately for him and Dr Richards. (4)
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-- 170 years ago today - May 23, 1854 (Tuesday) --
Late in May, (after a "talk" with Pres. Brigham Young), the Indian chief Walker, surrounded by his braves, and Kanosh, chief of the Pauvan Indians, entered into a formal treaty of peace at Chicken Creek, Juab Co. This ended the Ute war, during which 19 white persons and many Indians had been killed, a number of the smaller settlements had been broken up, and their inhabitants moved to the larger towns. (5)
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-- 170 years ago today - May 23, 1854 --
[Hosea Stout Diary]
Tuesday 23 May 1854. Lounging around with nothing to do and so lazy that life is almost a drug (6)
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-- 135 years ago today - May 23, 1889 --
President Wilford Woodruff "went with Bros. Geo Q Cannon F D Richards & H J Grant to the [uncompleted] Salt Lake Temple to decide in regard to the steps at the main entrances East & west. I went up onto the roof of the Temple and examined it. Decided on the Steps. Also examined the opening for an Elevator." (7)
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-- 95 years ago today - May 23, 1929 --
[Joseph Fielding Smith]
Attended a social gathering of the Ensign Club'composed of BYU students graduates. Was disgusted with the manner of dress of some of the women. (8)
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-- 75 years ago today - May 23, 1949 --
[Ezra Taft Benson]
elected a member of the National Executive Board of the Boy Scouts of America. (9)
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-- 35 years ago today - May 23, 1989 --
The First Presidency's office completes documents which give Counselors Gordon B. Hinckley and Thomas S. Monson power of attorney for church president Ezra Taft Benson, which "shall not be affected by [his] disability" or "incompetance." The church president does not sign these legal documents which are instead "signed" by a signature machine in the First Presidency's office. The identical signature of Ezra Taft Benson also appears on a similar document, dated 25 Feb. 1993, and also filed with the state of Utah. Although the Presidency's office uses its AUTO-PEN machine to create the church president's signature on correspondence, missionary calls, and other routine documents, this use of signature machine for legal documents (especially power-of-attorney) is unprecedented. Disclosure of this by the Salt Lake Tribune fuels speculation that Benson is already in mental decline by 1989. (10)
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1 - Joseph Smith Polygamy Timeline, http://www.i4m.com/think/polygamy/JS_Polygamy_Timeline.htm
2 - Whitney, Helen Mar, Jeni Broberg Holzapfel, and Richard Neitzel Holzapfel, A Woman's View: Helen Mar Whitney's Reminiscences of Early Church History, Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 1997
3 - Faulring, Scott (ed.), An American Prophet's Record: The Diaries and Journals of Joseph Smith: Joseph Smith Diary, 1844, http://amzn.to/jsdiaries
4 - The Nauvoo Diaries of William Clayton, 1842-1846, Abridged, Digital Edition, Salt Lake City, Utah, 2015
5 - Jenson, Andrew, Church Chronology
6 - Diaries of Hosea Stout
7 - On This Day in Mormon History, http://onthisdayinmormonhistory.blogspot..com, based on Michael Quinn's Mormon Hierarchy vols 1 & 2
8 - 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
9 - Wikipedia entry: Ezra Taft Benson
10 - The Mormon Hierarchy - Extensions of Power by D. Michael Quinn, [New Mormon History database ( http://bit.ly/NMHdatabase )]
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