Blood Atonement And The Origin Of Plural Marriage: A Discussion - free ebook by R. C. (Richard C.) Evans

Read as playlist

Blood Atonement And The Origin Of Plural Marriage: A Discussion

R. C. (Richard C.) Evans

63 chapters

4 hour read

Read as playlist

Selected Chapters

63 chapters

Blood Atonement and the Origin of Plural Marriage A DISCUSSION

Blood Atonement and the Origin of Plural Marriage A DISCUSSION

Correspondence between ELDER JOSEPH F. SMITH, JR. of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints AND MR. RICHARD G. EVANS, Second Counselor in the Presidency of the "Reorganized" Church "To correct misrepresentation, we adopt self representation." —John Taylor. Correspondence between ELDER JOSEPH F. SMITH, (JR.,) of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and MR. RICHARD C. EVANS, second counselor (1905) in the Presidency of the "Reorganized" Church. A conclusive refutation of the f

8 minute read

Read Chapter

BORN NEAR MONTREAL

BORN NEAR MONTREAL

Mr. Evans is forty-three years old, but doesn't look his age. He is rather below medium height, strongly built, wears his black hair short, and his round, slightly olive face is clean shaven. He is animated in manner, and though his English is occasionally at fault, he speaks fluently and well. He was born at St. Andrew's near Montreal, but his ancestry is not confined to any one country, Irish, Welsh and German blood flows in his veins and his somewhat nasal voice is typically American. "I was

58 minute read

Read Chapter

TROUBLES OF THE SECT

TROUBLES OF THE SECT

"My President Joseph Smith," he explained, "is the oldest son of Joseph Smith, who, when a boy of fifteen, was directed to the mound wherein he found the golden plates from which he compiled the Book of Mormon. "He organized his church in 1830, when 25 years old, and between 1830 and 1844 his following numbered 200,000. In 1844 he was shot and killed for his anti-slavery sympathies, [1] and with him died his brother Hyrum. John Taylor, a Toronto convert of 1838, was wounded, but recovered. Josep

1 minute read

Read Chapter

UPHELD DEATH

UPHELD DEATH

"Brigham Young, who had been under suspicion at Joseph Smith's death, introduced polygamy and blood atonement at Salt Lake City. Blood atonement meant death to anyone who left his church. Brigham Young's argument was that the apostate whose throat was cut from ear to ear, the favorite way, saved his soul, but his object was to keep his people under his iron heel. Young was a shrewd, bad man. "I spent a day and a half with Joseph F. Smith at Salt Lake City three years ago, and he gave me a group

7 minute read

Read Chapter

STATEMENT OF AN ENEMY

STATEMENT OF AN ENEMY

But the report says: "This doctrine was introduced by Brigham Young" and that it meant "death to anyone who left the Church * * * that the apostate whose throat was cut from ear to ear * * * saved his soul." Why you made this statement you best know; but were you not aware that it was but the repetition of the ravings of enemies of the Church, without one grain of truth? Did you not know that not a single individual was ever "blood atoned," as you are pleased to call it, for apostasy or any othe

1 minute read

Read Chapter

EFFICACY OF THE BLOOD OF CHRIST

EFFICACY OF THE BLOOD OF CHRIST

The Latter-day Saints believe in the efficacy of the blood of Christ. They believe that through obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel they obtain a remission of sins; but this could not be if Christ had not died for them . If you did believe in blood atonement, I might ask you why the blood of Christ was shed? and in whose stead was it shed ? I might ask you to explain the words of Paul: "Without shedding of blood is no remission."...

26 minute read

Read Chapter

UNPARDONABLE SINS

UNPARDONABLE SINS

Are you aware that there are certain sins that man may commit for which the atoning blood of Christ does not avail? Do you not know, too, that this doctrine is taught in the Book of Mormon? And is not this further reason why you should discard the Book as well as the name? Is it not safe for us to rely upon the scriptures for the solution of problems of this kind? Let me quote: From the Book of Mormon: II Nephi 9:35.—Wo unto the murderer who deliberately killeth, for he shall die. Alma 1:13, 14.

3 minute read

Read Chapter

THE LAW OF CAPITAL PUNISHMENT

THE LAW OF CAPITAL PUNISHMENT

In pursuance of, and in harmony with this scriptural doctrine, which has been the righteous law from the days of Adam to the present time, the founders of Utah incorporated in the laws of the Territory provisions for the capital punishment of those who wilfully shed the blood of their fellow man. This law, which is now the law of the State, granted unto the condemned murderer the privilege of choosing for himself whether he die by hanging, or whether he be shot, and thus have his blood shed in h

1 minute read

Read Chapter

PLURAL MARRIAGE

PLURAL MARRIAGE

Since the action taken by the United States government, and also by the Church, in regard to plural marriage, I shall not discuss its virtues nor answer arguments in opposition to that principle as a principle of our faith. As you, however, are reported to have said that "Brigham Young introduced" that doctrine "in Salt Lake City," I would be pleased if you would explain, as a matter of history, why Sidney Rigdon, before "President Young introduced" the doctrine, declared that the principle of p

1 minute read

Read Chapter

THE "SAINTS' HERALD" AS A WITNESS

THE "SAINTS' HERALD" AS A WITNESS

If you believe your statement to be true, will you kindly explain the following paragraph in the Saints Herald , your official organ, volume 1, page 9. It would be well for you to read the entire chapter, which is entitled "polygamy." The quotation is: " The death of the prophet is one fact that has been realized, although he abhorred and repented of this iniquity (meaning 'polygamy,') before his death. This branch of the subject we shall leave to some of our brethren, who are qualified to expla

1 minute read

Read Chapter

THE UTAH VISIT

THE UTAH VISIT

In connection with this, let me call your attention to your visit to Salt Lake City some three years ago. At that time you met President Lorenzo Snow, a man whose veracity cannot justly be questioned; you heard him bear his testimony to the effect that he was taught that principle by the Prophet Joseph Smith, and that the Prophet declared to Lorenzo Snow that he had married his sister, Eliza R. Snow. You met and conversed with Lucy Walker Smith, and she told you that she was married to the Proph

1 minute read

Read Chapter

PRESIDENT SMITH'S DENIAL

PRESIDENT SMITH'S DENIAL

In the interview you are made to say that while on your visit to Salt Lake City, you spent a day and a half with Joseph F. Smith; that you and he "differed on polygamy," and that you "told him it was vile and wicked, always had been, and always would be." I took occasion to ask my father if you and he had discussed polygamy at that time and if you had uttered that above expression or any other of like nature. He replied that he had no discussion with you on that subject; that you did not say one

55 minute read

Read Chapter

PRESIDENT YOUNG THE PROPHET'S FRIEND

PRESIDENT YOUNG THE PROPHET'S FRIEND

Will you please explain on what grounds you charge President Young as being "under suspicion at the time of Joseph Smith's death?" Am I to infer by this that you mean to convey the idea that Brigham Young was in any way responsible for the death of Joseph Smith? The Prophet never had a truer friend. You know that at the time of the martyrdom Brigham Young was on a mission away from home. If this is the inference you wish to convey, it is not only contemptible but viciously false . [3] With refer

3 minute read

Read Chapter

BLOOD ATONEMENT

BLOOD ATONEMENT

There is not an honest thinking person on earth who is acquainted with the faith of the church regarding the atonement of Jesus Christ but that will say your attempt to misrepresent my faith in this regard is diametrically opposite to your stated desire to be "fair, dispassionate and candid." You know that a prominent article in the Epitome of the Faith and Doctrine of the true church reads as follows: "We believe that through the atonement of Christ, all men may be saved by obedience to the law

5 minute read

Read Chapter

POLYGAMY

POLYGAMY

Speaking of "plural marriage," you say, "I shall not discuss its virtues ." Surely that is kind. Let civilization give ear, Mr. Smith calls that a virtue which wrecks the happiness of every woman who is enslaved by it, that doctrine which permits Brighamites to live in what they call marriage with three sisters at one time, with mother and daughter at the same time. Your father, Joseph F. Smith, married and is now living with two sisters as wives . I refer to Julina Lambson and Edna Lambson, bot

11 minute read

Read Chapter

MY VISIT TO UTAH

MY VISIT TO UTAH

If your father denies that he and I discussed the doctrine of polygamy, all I have to say about it is, that what he states is untrue. Here are a few points that may help him to remember what was said and done: When talking with Joseph F. Smith in Salt Lake City two years ago, he brought up a number of witnesses and I examined them—that is, he repeated the testimony of some who had testified. He finally said, "I can produce a living woman who will testify that Joseph Smith was a polygamist, and s

2 minute read

Read Chapter

YOUR FATHER'S FIRST WIFE

YOUR FATHER'S FIRST WIFE

You seem to feel sore over the statement that your father's "first wife died broken hearted and insane"; and you add, "If you mean to insinuate that this condition, if true, was the result of any act whatever on the part of my father, it is also slanderously false." I insinuate nothing; let the public judge the facts. Your father's first wife was his cousin; she refused to consent to additional wives, and when he persisted in marrying the Lambson sisters, she obtained a divorce in California. Ju

11 minute read

Read Chapter

BLOOD ATONEMENT

BLOOD ATONEMENT

I will now consider your "labored effort to cover up the true facts regarding blood atonement." In my letter I candidly placed the true belief and teachings of the Latter-day Saints in relation to this doctrine before you. This fact appears to be displeasing to you, as it overturns your conclusions and accusations against our people. If you desire to know the correct position of the Church on this doctrine, I would recommend a careful study of John Taylor's Meditation and Atonement and Charles W

1 minute read

Read Chapter

THE CHURCH JUDGED FROM ITS ACCEPTED STANDARDS

THE CHURCH JUDGED FROM ITS ACCEPTED STANDARDS

Writing on this subject Elder B. H. Roberts, in his criticism on Harry Leon Wilson's plagarisms in his Lions of the Lord , declares the position taken by members of the Church and all fair-minded men in these words: "The justice of Burke's assertion has never been questioned, and without any wresting whatever it may be applied to "Mormon" leaders who sometimes spoke and acted under the recollection of rank injustice perpetrated against themselves and their people; or to rebuke rising evils again

4 minute read

Read Chapter

MR. EVANS' FALSE QUOTATIONS

MR. EVANS' FALSE QUOTATIONS

"What shall be done with the sheep that stink the flock so? We will take them, I was going to say, and cut off their tails two inches behind their ears; however I will use a milder term, and say cut off their ears." Your conclusion is most certainly far fetched. Had you continued the quotation your attempt would have appeared even more ridiculous. The next sentence is: "But instead of doing this, we will try to cleanse them; and will wash them with soap; that will come nigh taking off the skin;

7 minute read

Read Chapter

UTAH NOT A FIELD OF BLOOD

UTAH NOT A FIELD OF BLOOD

You say, "I have read that which leads me to believe that under Brighamism"—as you slurringly remark—"Utah was for years a land of assassination and a field of blood," and then you ask me, "what of the Mountain Meadows massacre,—the destruction of the Aiken party; the dying confession of Bishop J. D. Lee; the Hickman butcheries; the Danties?" Well, that which you have read counts for but little when the source is considered. Your case is most certainly desperate when you are forced to accept the

2 minute read

Read Chapter

CHARACTER OF THE "MORMONS"

CHARACTER OF THE "MORMONS"

In answer to your many charges about Utah and the "Mormons," I desire to refer to credible references from witnesses who understood the truth and were bold enough to express it. Last winter there was a census taken of the Utah Penitentiary and the Salt Lake City and county prisons with the following result:—In Salt Lake City there are about 75 Mormons to 25 non-Mormons; in Salt Lake County there are about 80 Mormons to 20 non-Mormons; yet in the city prison there were 29 convicts, all non-Mormon

6 minute read

Read Chapter

GAGGING AT A KNAT

GAGGING AT A KNAT

I am glad you profess to believe the Bible. There is one other thing which appears strange to me, that is, why you are continually denouncing Brigham Young and "Utah Mormonism," and calling Utah a "land of assassination and a field of blood," because vile men without conscientious scruples have accused the people of many false and lurid tales of blood, and at the same time with sanctimonious countenance and upturned eyes you swallow the following without a gulp: "Thus saith the Lord of hosts. *

43 minute read

Read Chapter

THE DOCTRINE OF BLOOD ATONEMENT

THE DOCTRINE OF BLOOD ATONEMENT

Just a word or two now, on the subject of blood atonement. What is that doctrine ? Unadulterated if you please, laying aside the pernicious insinuations and lying charges that have so often been made. It is simply this: Through the atonement of Christ all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel. This salvation is two-fold; General,—that which comes to all men irrespective of a belief in Christ—and Individual,—that which man merits through his own acts through

2 minute read

Read Chapter

POLYGAMY

POLYGAMY

In using the term "polygamy" in reference to the principle that was taught and practiced by the Saints, I desire it distinctly understood that I use it in the sense of a man having more than one wife. Polygamy, in the sense of plurality of husbands and of wives never was practiced in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Utah or elsewhere; but Celestial marriage—including a plurality of wives—was introduced by the Prophet Joseph Smith and was practiced more generally by the saints u

51 minute read

Read Chapter

POLYGAMY IN THE "FACTIONS"

POLYGAMY IN THE "FACTIONS"

In a letter written by the President of the Reorganized church by Mr. Joseph Davis of Wales, dated Lamonia, Oct. 13, 1899, I read: "Nearly all the factions into which the church broke had plural marriage in some form. None in the form instituted by President Young. Sidney Rigdon had one form practiced by but a few, and that spasmodically, as an outburst of religious fervor rather than as a settled practice. William Smith had a sort of Priestess Lodge, in which it was alleged there was a manifest

2 minute read

Read Chapter

THE TESTIMONY OF A BOGUS WIFE

THE TESTIMONY OF A BOGUS WIFE

The "testimony" you submit from President Young's "legal wife" is spurious. It matters not if you did receive the "information" from your uncle. The poor man was tricked and deceived. Bogus "wives" and "daughters" of President Young have "worked" the public before. Mary Ann Angel Young, President Young's legal wife, was not in Colorado in 1860 and 1861. She never was divorced and died in this city true to her husband, his family and the faith, on the 27th day of June, 1882. ( News , July 5, 1882

28 minute read

Read Chapter

TESTIMONY IMPEACHED

TESTIMONY IMPEACHED

The testimony of T. B. H. and Fanny Stenhouse is sufficiently impeached in the Saints' Herald , vol. 52, p. 2; 20, p. 602, and Sinners and Saints , p. 245. The woman's bitterness would condemn her writings. However I will mention one statement—you make Mrs. Stenhouse say: "It is reported by Fanny Stenhouse and many others, that Joseph Smith said, 'If ever the Church had the misfortune to be led by Bro. Brigham, he would lead it to hell.'" She gives this as a rumor that is "reported," so do the "

1 minute read

Read Chapter

MARVELOUS GROWTH OF THE CHURCH

MARVELOUS GROWTH OF THE CHURCH

I decline to accept the statements of such a character; besides, President Young did not lead the Church to hell, but preserved it, and under his direction it grew, expanded, and accomplished a wonderful, even a miraculous work. In the reclamation of the arid west, the permanent establishment of prosperous communities in the desert wilds, and for their unity, strength, and industrial and temporal independence, the "Mormon" people are today the marvel, if not the admiration of the thinking world.

45 minute read

Read Chapter

TESTIMONY OF MR. SMYTHE

TESTIMONY OF MR. SMYTHE

Nowhere else has the common prosperity been reared upon firmer foundations. Nowhere else are institutions more firmly buttressed or better capable of resisting violent economic revolutions. The thunder cloud that passed over the land in 1893, leaving a path of commercial ruin from the Atlantic to the Pacific, was powerless to close the door of a single Mormon store, factory or bank. Strong in prosperity, the co-operative industrial and commercial system stood immovable in the hour of widespread

1 minute read

Read Chapter

THE GUIDANCE OF JEHOVAH

THE GUIDANCE OF JEHOVAH

Without the divine guidance and the constant watchcare of Jehovah over the destinies of the "Mormon" pioneers, with Brigham Young at their head, the West today would be but a barren wilderness. Under the leadership of Brigham Young the "Mormon" people prospered, and he left them in a better condition temporally and physically, and spiritually more united and more firmly established in the faith than they ever were before. Where among the so-called "factions" can you point to one that has accompl

36 minute read

Read Chapter

WILLIAM MARKS

WILLIAM MARKS

The testimony of William Marks—a man who was out of harmony with the Prophet before the latter's death! This testimony of William Marks sounds too suspicious, given as it was, when it was, and describing an alleged conversation which never could have taken place. "The reader will please notice," said David Whitmer in his Address (p. 41), "this fact in regard to William Marks' statement; and that is, the time when Brother Joseph told him that polygamy must be put down in the Church." That time wa

1 minute read

Read Chapter

THE "SAINTS' HERALD" A WITNESS OF "POLYGAMY"

THE "SAINTS' HERALD" A WITNESS OF "POLYGAMY"

Now, if it is true—and I claim it is—that the leaders of the Reorganized church acknowledged that the Prophet received the revelation and practiced that principle, there must be some proof. Turn to the first volume of the True L.D.S. Herald and read the editorial on pages 6 to 11. It is on polygamy. After trying to explain the reason why the Prophet taught and practiced this doctrine, the editor said: And if the prophet be deceived when he hath spoken a thing, I, the Lord, have deceived the prop

1 minute read

Read Chapter

TESTIMONY OF JASON BRIGGS

TESTIMONY OF JASON BRIGGS

Jason W. Briggs, one of the founders of your church, in the Temple Lot suit, said: I heard something about a revelation on polygamy, or plural marriage, when I was in Nauvoo, in 1842. I heard there was one: there was talk going on about it at that time, and continued to be; but it was not called plural marriage; it was called sealing. You ask me what I understood this sealing to be, at the time the talk was going on. What I understood it to be was sealing a woman to a man to be his wife, to be h

1 minute read

Read Chapter

TESTIMONY OF JAMES WHITEHEAD

TESTIMONY OF JAMES WHITEHEAD

James Whitehead said: There was an ordinance in the Church for sealing, as early as 1842 or 1843. They would be married according to the law of God, not only for time but for eternity as well. These men were among the founders of your church....

18 minute read

Read Chapter

SIDNEY RIGDON'S TESTIMONY

SIDNEY RIGDON'S TESTIMONY

Sidney Rigdon, in a lengthy letter to his official paper, The Messenger and Advocate , in 1845 declared that the Prophet was responsible for the plural marriage doctrine, and said: This system was introduced by the Smiths some time before their death, and was the thing which put them in the power of their enemies, and was the immediate cause of their death. P. 475, vol. 2. He says he "warned Joseph Smith and his family," and told them that destruction would come upon them if they continued in th

30 minute read

Read Chapter

ORIGINAL RECORDS OF PLURALITY OF WIVES

ORIGINAL RECORDS OF PLURALITY OF WIVES

You "confidently affirm that there is not a single word in a single sermon, lecture, statement, newspaper or Church publication printed during the life of Joseph Smith, wherein he by word has endorsed the doctrine of plurality of wives, not a single statement." Whether any such statement was ever printed in his lifetime or not I am not prepared to say. But I do know of such evidence being recorded during his lifetime, for I have seen it. I have copied the following from the Prophet's manuscript

1 minute read

Read Chapter

MORE EVIDENCE CONSIDERED

MORE EVIDENCE CONSIDERED

Right here we will consider the "evidence" you produce to show that "Joseph Smith and the Church during his lifetime condemned polygamy in the strongest terms." The testimony of the thirty-one witnesses you "produce" was against the "secret wife system" of the vile John C. Bennett who was excommunicated for betraying female virtue. This Bennett system had nothing to do with the system of celestial marriage introduced by the Prophet Joseph Smith, and was no more like the Prophet's doctrine than d

4 minute read

Read Chapter

THAT UTAH VISIT

THAT UTAH VISIT

After receiving your letter, I requested of my father that he give me a written statement in answer to your charge that he "discussed" the doctrine of "polygamy" with you, and received the following: Joseph F. Smith, Jr . Dear Son:—You have submitted to me some statements made by Mr. R. C. Evans of the Reorganized church, and desire to know what I have to say about them. He says: "If your father denies that he and I discussed the doctrine of polygamy, all I have to say about it is, that what he

9 minute read

Read Chapter

TESTIMONY OF LUCY W. SMITH

TESTIMONY OF LUCY W. SMITH

The day I received a copy of the Ensign containing your discourse from which you give extracts in your "reply," in relation to your "conversation" with Aunt Lucy W. Smith, I sent her a copy of your remarks with the request that she tell me if you had correctly reported her testimony. In the course of a few days I received this: My Dear Boy: I very much regret not feeling able to answer your request at an earlier date. I am, however, much improved in health since coming to Logan, and take pleasur

6 minute read

Read Chapter

BRIGHAM YOUNG UPHELD BY THE LORD

BRIGHAM YOUNG UPHELD BY THE LORD

In reference to the wicked charge you make in your discourse mentioned in Aunt Lucy's letter, against President Young of practicing gross immorality while on his mission in England in 1840 and winter of 1841, a sufficient answer will be found in the revelation of January 19, 1841, wherein the Lord, by revelation through the Prophet Joseph Smith declares: I give to you my servant Brigham Young, to be a President over the Twelve traveling Council, Which Twelve hold the keys to open up the authorit

5 minute read

Read Chapter

STATEMENT OF ISAAC SHEEN

STATEMENT OF ISAAC SHEEN

We might call your attention to many prophecies in the Bible which these backsliders [1] have fulfilled by their abominations. Ezekiel appears to have had a very clear manifestation of the wickedness of these men and the plan pursued by them, by which they embark into polygamy. In Ezekiel 14 c. 1, 5, v, the prophet says, "Then came certain elders of Israel unto me, saying, Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their heart and put the stumblingblock of their iniquity before their face:

11 minute read

Read Chapter

AFFIDAVIT OF PRESIDENT LORENZO SNOW

AFFIDAVIT OF PRESIDENT LORENZO SNOW

In the month of April, 1843, I returned from my European mission. A few days after my arrival at Nauvoo, when at President Joseph Smith's house, he said he wished to have some private talk with me, and requested me to walk out with him. It was toward evening. We walked a little distance and sat down on a large log that lay near the bank of the river. He there and then explained to me the doctrine of plurality of wives; he said that the Lord had revealed it unto him, and commanded him to have wom

1 minute read

Read Chapter

AFFIDAVIT OF LUCY WALKER

AFFIDAVIT OF LUCY WALKER

United States of America, State of Utah. County of Salt Lake. Lucy Walker Smith Kimball, being first duly sworn, says: I was a plural wife of the Prophet Joseph Smith, and was married for time and eternity in Nauvoo, State of Illinois, on the first day of May, 1843, by Elder William Clayton. The Prophet was then living with his first wife, Emma Smith, and I know that she gave her consent to the marriage of at least four women to her husband as plural wives, and she was well aware that he associa

1 minute read

Read Chapter

AFFIDAVIT OF CATHERINE PHILLIPS SMITH

AFFIDAVIT OF CATHERINE PHILLIPS SMITH

United States of America, State of Utah. County of Salt Lake. Catherine Phillips Smith, [2] being first sworn, says: I am the daughter of Thomas Denner and Sarah Godshall Phillips, and was born in Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, on the first day of August, 1819. My present residence is East Jordan, Salt Lake County, Utah. I was married to Hyrum Smith, brother of the Prophet Joseph Smith, as his plural wife, and lived with him as his wife. The sealing was performed by the Prophet Joseph Smit

1 minute read

Read Chapter

AFFIDAVIT OF ALMIRA W. JOHNSON SMITH BARTON

AFFIDAVIT OF ALMIRA W. JOHNSON SMITH BARTON

Territory of Utah, County of Iron. ss. Be it remembered on this first day of August A.D. 1883, personally appeared before me John W. Brown a notary public in and for said county, Almira W. Johnson Smith Barton, who was by me sworn in due form of law, and upon her oath says: I am a citizen in the Territory of Utah, over the age of twenty-one years, and I am the daughter of Ezekiel Johnson and Julia Hills Johnson his wife; that I was born at Westford, in the State of Vermont on the 22nd day of Oct

2 minute read

Read Chapter

AFFIDAVIT OF MARTHA McBRIDE KIMBALL

AFFIDAVIT OF MARTHA McBRIDE KIMBALL

Territory of Utah, County of Millard. ss. Be it remembered that on this eighth day of July, A.D. 1869, personally appeared before me Edward Partridge, Probate Judge in and for said county, Martha McBride Kimball, who was by me sworn in due form of law, and upon her oath saith that sometime in the summer of the year 1842, at the city of Nauvoo, county of Hancock, state of Illinois, she was married or sealed to Joseph Smith, President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, by Heber C.

38 minute read

Read Chapter

AFFIDAVIT OF MELISSA LOTT WILLES

AFFIDAVIT OF MELISSA LOTT WILLES

Territory of Utah, County of Salt Lake. ss. Be it remembered that on this twentieth day of May, A.D. 1869, personally appeared before me, James Jack a notary public in and for said county, Melissa Lott Willes, who was by me sworn in due form of law, and upon her oath saith that on the twentieth day of September, A.D. 1843, at the city of Nauvoo, county of Hancock, state of Illinois, she was married or sealed to Joseph Smith, President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, by Hyrum

40 minute read

Read Chapter

LOVINA SMITH WALKER'S TESTIMONY

LOVINA SMITH WALKER'S TESTIMONY

I, Lovina Walker, hereby certify that while I was living with Aunt Emma Smith, in Fulton City, Fulton Co., Illinois, in the year 1846, that she told me that she, Emma Smith, was present and witnessed the marrying or sealing of Eliza Partridge, Emily Partridge, Maria Lawrence and Sarah Lawrence to her husband, Joseph Smith, and that she gave her consent thereto. Lovina Walker. We hereby witness that Lovina Walker made and signed the above statement on this 16th day of June, A.D. 1869, at Salt Lak

31 minute read

Read Chapter

AFFIDAVIT OF SARAH A. KIMBALL

AFFIDAVIT OF SARAH A. KIMBALL

Territory of Utah, County of Salt Lake. ss. Be it remembered that on this nineteenth day of June, A.D. 1869, personally appeared before me Elias Smith, Probate Judge for said county, Sarah Ann Kimball, who was by me sworn in due form of law, and upon her oath saith that on the twenty-seventh day of July, A.D. 1842, at the city of Nauvoo, county of Hancock, state of Illinois, she was married or sealed to Joseph Smith, President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, by Newell K. Whit

40 minute read

Read Chapter

AFFIDAVIT OF ELIZABETH A. WHITNEY

AFFIDAVIT OF ELIZABETH A. WHITNEY

Be it remembered that on this thirtieth day of August, A.D. 1869, personally appeared before me, James Jack, a notary public in and for said county, Elizabeth Ann Whitney, who was by me sworn in due form of law, and upon her oath saith that on the twenty-seventh day of July, A.D. 1842, at the city of Nauvoo, county of Hancock, state of Illinois, she was present and witnessed the marrying or sealing of her daughter Sarah Ann Whitney to the Prophet Joseph Smith, for time and all eternity, by her h

36 minute read

Read Chapter

AFFIDAVIT OF ORSON HYDE

AFFIDAVIT OF ORSON HYDE

Springtown, Sept. 15, 1869. I, Orson Hyde, do hereby certify and declare according to my best recollection that on the fourth day of September I was married to Miss Marinda N. Johnson, in Kirtland, Ohio, in the year of our Lord 1834, and in the month of February or March, 1843, I was married to Miss Martha R. Browitt, by Joseph Smith, the martyred prophet, and by him she was sealed to me for time and for all eternity in Nauvoo, Ill., and in the month of April of the same year, 1843, I was marrie

1 minute read

Read Chapter

AFFIDAVIT OF JOSEPH BATES NOBLE

AFFIDAVIT OF JOSEPH BATES NOBLE

Territory of Utah, County of Salt Lake. ss. Be it remembered that on the 26th day of June, A.D. 1869, personally appeared before me, James Jack, a notary public in and for said county, Joseph Bates Noble, who was by me sworn in due form of law, and upon his oath saith, that on the fifth day of April, A.D. 1841, at the city of Nauvoo, County of Hancock, State of Illinois, he married or sealed Louisa Beaman to Joseph Smith, President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, according to

37 minute read

Read Chapter

AFFIDAVIT OF RHODA RICHARDS SMITH

AFFIDAVIT OF RHODA RICHARDS SMITH

Be it remembered that on this first day of May, A.D. 1869, personally appeared before me, Elias Smith, Probate Judge for said county, Rhoda Richards, who was by me sworn in due form of law and upon her oath saith that on the twelfth day of June A.D. 1843, at the city of Nauvoo, County of Hancock, State of Illinois, she was married or sealed to Joseph Smith, President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, by Willard Richards, one of the Twelve Apostles of said Church, according to t

34 minute read

Read Chapter

TESTIMONY OF BENJAMIN F. JOHNSON

TESTIMONY OF BENJAMIN F. JOHNSON

Mesa City, Arizona, 9th March, 1904. President Joseph F. Smith , Washington, D. C . My Dear Brother:— In reading reports from the Senate Committee on the Reed Smoot case, I see that witnesses are subpoenaed to prove that the Prophet Joseph Smith did not authorize or practice polygamy; and I do know that he did teach plural marriage, and that he did give to me a plural wife who is still living with me, and that I saw one of my sisters married to him. * * * And I do know that at his Mansion House

1 minute read

Read Chapter

THE CELESTIAL AND PLURAL MARRIAGE REVELATION

THE CELESTIAL AND PLURAL MARRIAGE REVELATION

The following letter was written by Elder William Clayton who wrote the revelation known as section 132 in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, at the direction of the Prophet Joseph Smith, July 12, 1843. [3] Salt Lake City, Nov, 11, 1871. Madison M. Scott, Esq . Dear Sir: Your letter of 23rd of June last, was received by due course of mail, but owing to my being so very closely confined with public duties, which has almost destroyed my health, I have not answered your letter so promptly as is my

4 minute read

Read Chapter

AFFIDAVIT OF HOWARD CORAY

AFFIDAVIT OF HOWARD CORAY

Territory of Utah, County of Salt Lake. ss. As many false statements have been made in relation to the authorship of the revelation on celestial marriage, I deem it but justice to all lovers of truth for me to express what I know concerning this very important matter. On the 22nd day of July, A.D. 1843, Hyrum Smith, the martyred Patriarch, came in a carriage to my house in Nauvoo; he invited me and my wife to take a ride with him; accordingly, as soon as we could make ourselves ready, we got int

1 minute read

Read Chapter

AFFIDAVIT OF DAVID FULLMER[5]

AFFIDAVIT OF DAVID FULLMER[5]

Be it remembered that on this fifteenth day of June, A.D. 1869, personally appeared before me, James Jack, a notary public in and for said county, David Fullmer, who was by me sworn in due form of law, and upon his oath saith, that on or about the 12th day of August, A.D. 1843, while in meeting with the High Council [he being a member thereof] in Hyrum Smith's brick office, in the City of Nauvoo, County of Hancock, State of Illinois, Dunbar Wilson made inquiry in relation to the subject of plura

1 minute read

Read Chapter

AFFIDAVIT OF LEONARD SOBY[6]

AFFIDAVIT OF LEONARD SOBY[6]

Be it remembered that on the 23rd day of March, in the year 1886, before, Joshua W. Roberts, notary public for the City of Beverly, County of Burlington, State of New Jersey, Leonard Soby, of said city, county and state, was by me duly sworn, and upon his oath saith: That on or about the 12th day of August, 1843, I was a resident of Nauvoo, Hancock County, State of Illinois, and being a member of the High Council of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was present at a meeting of sai

1 minute read

Read Chapter

AFFIDAVIT OF JOHN W. RIGDON

AFFIDAVIT OF JOHN W. RIGDON

State of Utah, County of Salt Lake. ss. John W. Rigdon, being duly sworn, says: I am the son of Sidney Rigdon, deceased. Was born at Mentor, in the State of Ohio, in the year 1830, and am now over seventy-five years of age. My father, Sidney Rigdon, joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that year, and was in 1833 ordained to be Joseph Smith's first counselor which position he held up to the time Joseph the Prophet was killed, at Carthage jail, in 1844. That Joseph Smith and Sidn

6 minute read

Read Chapter

AFFIDAVITS

AFFIDAVITS

I hereby certify that Hyrum Smith did (in his office) read to me a certain written document which he said was a revelation from God. He said that he was with Joseph when it was received. He afterwards gave me the document to read and I took it to my house and read it and showed it to my wife and returned it the next day. The revelation (so called) authorized certain men to have more wives than one at a time in this world and in the world to come. It said this was the law, and commanded Joseph to

5 minute read

Read Chapter

STATEMENT OF ORANGE L. WIGHT

STATEMENT OF ORANGE L. WIGHT

The following confirmation of John W. Rigdon's affidavit is copied from the Deseret News of Saturday, August 12, 1905: Bunkerville, Lincoln County, Nev., August 4, 1905:—Seeing the testimony of J. W. Rigdon in the semi-weekly News of July 31, and being much interested in the subject, and knowing that there lived in this place a man that was quite familiar with the early scenes of church history, especially those in and about Far West, Missouri, and having heard him say that he had many times vis

3 minute read

Read Chapter

AFFIDAVIT OF BATHSHEBA W. SMITH

AFFIDAVIT OF BATHSHEBA W. SMITH

State of Utah, County of Salt Lake. ss. Bathsheba W. Smith, being first duly sworn on oath, deposes and says: I was a resident of Nauvoo, State of Illinois, from 1840 to 1846. I was married to George A. Smith July 25, 1841, Elder Don Carlos Smith performing the ceremony. Near the close of the year 1843, or in the beginning of the year 1844, I received the ordinance of anointing in a room in Sister Emma Smith's house in Nauvoo, and the same day, in company with my husband, I received my endowment

15 minute read

Read Chapter