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19th century (Mormonism)

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1820s

1820

1821

  • Fall: The log cabin on the Farmington land is built and the Smith family moves in.

1823

  • September 21: Joseph Smith, Jr. receives a visit from an angel named Moroni in the upstairs room of the cabin in which he lived. During this visit Joseph receives instructions on where to find the gold plates. The following day he receives another visit after which he goes to the Hill Cumorah to locate the plates. He is not however allowed to remove the plates until September 22, 1827.
  • November 19: Alvin Smith, Joseph Smith, Jr.'s older brother, dies from poor treatment by a doctor after feeling ill.

1825

  • In both 1824 and 1825, major religious revivals continue to take place in the Palmyra region.
  • Spring: Four members of Joseph Smith, Jr.'s family join the Presbyterian Church, including Hyrum Smith and his mother, Lucy Mack.

1827

  • January 18: Joseph Smith, Jr. elopes with his wife, Emma Hale.
  • September 22: Joseph Smith, Jr. acquires the Golden Plates on which The Book of Mormon is inscribed.
  • December: Joseph Smith Jr. and his new wife, Emma, move to Harmony, Pennsylvania.
  • December: Joseph Smith Jr. begins translation of the gold plates.

1828

  • February: Martin Harris visits Dr. Charles Anthon, a professor at Columbia University, to verify the authenticity of the characters Joseph Smith Jr. was translating.
  • July: The first 116 pages of the Book of Mormon manuscript translated by Joseph Smith Jr. and transcribed by Martin Harris are stolen or lost.

1829

  • The translation of the Book of Mormon is completed.
  • The gold plates are retrieved by the angel Moroni.
  • Peter, James, and John, three of the apostles of Jesus Christ during his ministry in Jerusalem, appear to Joseph Smith, Jr. and Oliver Cowdery and confer upon them the Melchizedek Priesthood.
  • May: John the Baptist appears to Joseph Smith, Jr. and Oliver Cowdery and confers upon them the Aaronic Priesthood.
  • July: The translation of the Book of Mormon is completed. Oliver Cowdery copies the manuscript so two versions exist in case the original is lost.
  • August 25: A contract is drawn up with E.B. Grandin to print 5,000 copies of the Book of Mormon for $3,000. Martin Harris agrees to mortgage his farm to pay for the printing.

1830s

1830

  • March – The Book of Mormon goes on sale.
  • March 26 – The Wayne Sentinel announces the Book of Mormon has been published.
  • April – Joseph Smith, Jr. produces section 20 of the Doctrine and Covenants (D&C), which serves as the constitution of the soon to be formed church.
  • April 6 – Joseph Smith Jr. and five others, in front of 56 people in attendance, formally organizes The Church of Jesus Christ in Fayette, New York. minutes Joseph Smith Jr. is ordained an elder, as is Oliver Cowdery. Joseph Smith Jr. is appointed as the Prophet, Seer, and Revelator for the entire church.
  • April – Oliver Cowdery is called to preach for the religion. (D&C 23, 24)
  • April 11 – Oliver Cowdery preaches publicly for the first time as an official representative of the newly formed church. In Seneca Lake he baptizes Hiram Page, Catherine Whitmer Page, Christian Whitmer, Anne Schott Whitmer (Christian's wife), Jacob Whitmer, Elizabeth Ann Schott Whitmer (Jacob's wife), and Mary Page.
  • June – Joseph Smith Jr. begins translating sections the New Testament, claiming to receive information through revelation.
  • June 9 – A church conference is held.[1] Membership is 27. The current church elders are Joseph Smith, Jr., Oliver Cowdery, Peter Whitmer, David Whitmer, John Whitmer and Ziba Peterson. Joseph Smith, Sr., Hyrum Smith, and Martin Harris are ordained priests, and Hiram Page and Christian Whitmer are ordained teachers.
  • August – Joseph Smith Jr. becomes aware of Hiram Page and his use of a seerstone. However, he waits until the scheduled church conference in September to bring up the issue.
  • September – Joseph Smith Jr. reports a revelation concerning Hiram Page, who claims to have a stone that allowed him to receive revelation for the church. Joseph's revelation asserts that only he was allowed to receive revelation for the church, and that Hiram Page was deceived by the devil (D&C 28).
  • September 26 – A church conference is held.[2] Notable events include:
    • The discussion of the Hiram Page seerstone and its refutation by unanimous vote.
    • 35 new members are added, bringing the total number to 62.
    • Peter Whitmer, Jr. is called to preach with Oliver Cowdery to the Native Americans. John Whitmer is also called to preach (D&C 30).
  • September – Immediately following the conference, Thomas B. Marsh is called to preach (D&C 31).
  • October – Parley P. Pratt and Ziba Peterson are called to preach to the Indians (D&C 32). Ezra Thayre and Northrop Sweet are also called (D&C 32, 33).
  • October – Sidney Rigdon's Kirtland congregation is converted to Mormonism.
  • November – Orson Pratt is called to preach (D&C 34).
  • December – Sidney Rigdon is called to be a scribe in Joseph Smith Jr.'s revision of the Bible (D&C 35). Joseph Smith Jr. is commanded to cease revising until the church is gathered in Ohio (D&C 37).

1831

  • January – Joseph Smith, Jr. moves to Kirtland, Ohio.
  • February 4 – additional revelation is given, naming Edward Partridge the first bishop (D&C 42).
  • February 9 – Section 42 is received, laying out the law of the church, including naming specific sins and the punishments thereof.
  • Spring – Revelation that Zion is located in Independence, Missouri was presented. Many of Smith's followers still living in New York move to Kirtland.
  • April 4 – Edward Partridge is called to be the first bishop in the church. Sidney Rigdon anoints him an elder and sets him apart as a bishop.
  • June 4 – Nineteen men are ordained High Priests, including Joseph Smith, Jr., Lyman Wight, and Edward Partridge. Isaac Morley and John Corrill are ordained assistants to Bishop Partridge.
  • June 7 – The new bishop and several others are called to settle Jackson County, Missouri to build the city of Zion. A small group travels to Independence, Missouri.
  • August 28 – Sidney Rigdon ordains Oliver Cowdery a High Priest.
  • November 11 – Revelation is received directing the church to organize presidencies over each quorum in the priesthood (D&C 107:60-92, 99-100).
  • December 4 – Newel K. Whitney is called as a bishop over Kirtland, Ohio (D&C 72:2).

1832

  • January 25 – At a church conference, Joseph Smith, Jr. is ordained President of the High Priesthood over the entire church.
  • January 26 – Joseph Smith is confirmed president of the High Priesthood by a church-wide sustaining vote.
  • March – In an unpublished revelation, Joseph Smith is confirmed as having the authority to direct all the affairs of the church and also to appoint counselors in his presidency.
  • March 8 – Joseph Smith Jr. organizes his presidency by appointing Jesse Gause and Sidney Rigdon as counselors.
  • March 24 – Joseph Smith Jr. is tarred and feathered by a mob outside the John Johnson farmhouse.
  • March 29 – Joseph Smith Jr. and Emma's adopted son, Joseph Murdock Smith, dies from a cold, thought to have been caught during the night of the mobbing.
  • December – Joseph prophesies about a Civil War (D&C 87). This follows the threat of South Carolina to secede from the United States on November 24 of that same year.

1833

  • Spring – The comments of the Mormons in Missouri about freed slaves are misunderstood by other Missourians, raising hostility in the area and a manifesto against the Mormons.
  • October – As a result of the hostility in Jackson County, Missouri, Mormons who had settled there move to Clay County.
  • Joseph Smith's first 65 revelations are printed in a book titled "Book of Commandments".
  • December 16 – Revelation is received appointing the formation of Stakes of Zion to gather the saints. (D&C 101:21)
  • December 18 – Joseph Smith, Jr. ordains his father, Joseph Smith, Sr. as Presiding Patriarch and assistant to the President of the High Priesthood.

1834

  • February 17 – A High Council in the Kirtland, Ohio area is organized. The Kirtland Stake of Zion is simultaneously organized.
  • April – Zion's Camp is assembled as an effort to help the beleaguered Mormons in Missouri. The "Camp" is really a motley collection of Mormons who followed Joseph Smith to Missouri with the manifest aim of defending the Mormons in Missouri. Shortly after arriving in Missouri, the force is disbanded.
  • May 3 – The name of the church is changed from The Church of Jesus Christ to The Church of the Latter Day Saints upon a proposal by Sidney Rigdon, seconded by Newel K. Whitney and passed by the church.
  • June – Zion's camp is disbanded.
  • July 7 – Twelve High Priests in Clay County, Missouri is organized into a High Council. David Whitmer is ordained president of the council, and John Whitmer and William Wines Phelps are ordained as counselors. Joseph Smith, while ordaining David Whitmer, also appoints him as "Prophet, Seer, Revelator, and Translator" and mentions that he (Whitmer) should succeed him if Joseph "did not live to see God himself."
  • December 5 – Joseph Smith, Jr. ordains Oliver Cowdery as an Assistant President of the Church, with the understanding that Cowdery should act in Smith's absence.
  • December 6 – Joseph ordains Hyrum Smith and Joseph Smith, Sr. as Assistant Presidents of the Church.

1835

1836

  • January 15 – Further organizing the priesthood, presidents of each priesthood quorum are called for the Kirtland Stake of Zion, as is a president of the Kirtland Temple, now nearing completion.
  • January 21 – Joseph Smith states that he had received a vision in which he saw that salvation is possible for those who die without a knowledge of the gospel (D&C 137).
  • March 3 – All the presidencies of the church meet in the Kirtland Temple according to their order.
  • March 27 – The first dedication of the Kirtland Temple is held.
  • March 30 – At a solemn assembly in the Kirtland Temple, Joseph Smith comments that he has completed the organization of the priesthood.
  • April 3 – Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery later state that, on this date, Jesus Christ appeared to them and declared the temple acceptable. Moses, Elijah, and Elias are also reported to have appeared in order to confer the keys of the priesthood upon Joseph Smith (D&C 110).
  • June 29 – Clay County residents resolve to ask that the Mormons leave their county. Up to this time, Mormons in the county had not voted on local affairs nor been accused of any crimes. Residents assert that the differences between themselves and Mormon would not allow them to peaceably reside together. The resolution encourages the Mormons to settle in Wisconsin.
  • Summer – Under the direction of Alexander W. Doniphan, it is agreed that a new county should be formed for the Mormons called Caldwell County, in what is now Clay County, Missouri. Mormons begin leaving Ray and Clay County to settle the proposed area. Plans for and work on the community of Far West, Missouri begin. Far West, Missouri is the proposed county seat for the new county.
  • August 8 – The township of Far West, Missouri in Clay County is entered by the Mormons. It would serve as the county seat of the soon-to-be-formed Caldwell County.
  • November 2 – The Kirtland Safety Society, also known as The Kirtland Bank, is formed for use by church members in financial affairs.
  • December 23 - December 27– To ease tensions among Clay and Jackson County residents and provide a county for Mormon settlers, Caldwell County is created by legislation, passing the House on the 23rd and the Senate on the 27th. Daviess County is also created, although disputations about its purpose arise later. Missouri natives feel that the Mormons agreed not to settle it, although no such agreement existed or was acknowledged by the Mormons.

1837

  • September 3 – Apostle Luke S. Johnson is disfellowshipped from the church in Kirtland, Ohio. Apostle John F. Boynton is excommunicated.
  • Notable problems begin in the Kirtland Safety Society.
  • December – Many people are excommunicated from the church for various reasons.
  • December 10 – Joseph returns to Kirtland from Missouri.
  • December 27 – Brigham Young flees Kirtland, Ohio. His life was threatened for vigorously defending Joseph Smith.

1838

  • January 12 – Joseph Smith Jr. and others flee Kirtland, fearing their safety in wake of assertions dealing with the legality and financial viability of the Kirtland Safety Society.
  • January 26 – The Far West High Council, meeting with apostles Thomas B. Marsh and David W. Patten, reject the presidency of David Whitmer, John Whitmer, and William Wines Phelps, the stake presidency of Far West.
  • March 10 – John Whitmer and William Wines Phelps are excommunicated by the High Council in Far West.
  • April 12 – The High Council and bishopric in Far West vote to excommunicate Lyman E. Johnson, David Whitmer, and Oliver Cowdery.
  • April 13 – Apostle Luke S. Johnson is excommunicated from the church after being disfellowhipped and returning for a short period.
  • April 26 – While in Far West, Missouri, Joseph Smith presents section 115 of the Doctrine of Covenants, naming the church "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints". Also in this revelation, the Lord commands the church to build a temple in Far West. Work begins almost immediately.
  • May 2 – Joseph Smith writes Joseph Smith—History.
  • May 11 – Apostle William E. McLellin is excommunicated. He joins forces with some of the anti-Mormon groups to persecute the Mormons.
  • June 17 – Sidney Rigdon delivers the "Salt Sermon" which generated much excitement in the church and among detractors.
  • June 25 – A Mormon settlement is established in a church conference above Wight's ferry on Spring Hill in Daviess County. The site is named as Adam-ondi-Ahman.
  • June 28 – Adam-ondi-Ahman is formed into a stake and thus a gathering place for members of the church. It is the third stake established in the church. John Smith is named president of the stake, with Reynolds Cahoon and Lyman Wight counselors. Vinson Knight is acting bishop. President John Smith then organizes the High Council: John Lemon, Daniel Stanton, Mayhew Hillman, Daniel Carter, Isaac Perry, Harrison Sagers, Alanson Brown, Thomas Gordon, Lorenzo Barnes, George A. Smith, Harvey Olmstead, Ezra Thayer.
  • July 4 – The cornerstone is laid for the new temple to be constructed at Far West. Sidney Rigdon declares a "war of extermination" on those who intend to remove the saints from their land and deprive them of their liberties.
  • July 6 – The "Kirtland Camp", 515 members under the direction of the Seventy, leave Kirtland, Ohio for Far West, Missouri.
  • July 8 – John Taylor, John E. Page, Wilford Woodruff, and Willard Richards are called to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles to fill vacancies caused by the excommunications of John F. Boynton, Luke S. Johnson, and Lyman E. Johnson, and William E. McLellin (see D&C 118). The twelve are also called to missionary work in England and were to leave on April 26, 1839.
  • Summer – Settlement in Adam-ondi-Ahman surpasses that of the county seat Gallatin, causing the balance of power to shift towards the Mormons settling in Daviess County.
  • Summer-Autumn – The 1838 Mormon War begins in Missouri.
  • September 4 – John N. Sapp, who declared himself a member of a secret Mormon group known as the Danites, swears in an affidavit before the Carroll County clerk concerning the size of the Danite army. He states that they were about 800 – 1,000 well-equipped and ready men.
  • August 6 – The first battle of the Mormon War occurs as Mormons in Daviess County are prevented from voting in the Gallatin Election. The brawl leaves no one dead, but reports are exaggerated.
  • August 7 – Upon hearing the exaggerated reports of the previous day's battle, Joseph Smith rallies 150 men and marches to Adam-ondi-Ahman to protect the settlement there.
  • August 8 – Judge Adam Black of Daviess County pledges support of the constitutional rights of everyone in Daviess County, regardless of religion.
  • October 1-October 11 – Carroll County residents besieges the town of De Witt, which was inhabited by Mormons. Negotiations led to the abandonment of the settlement without violence.
  • October 2 – The "Kirtland Camp" arrives in Far West, after traveling 3 months through difficult conditions.
  • October 14 – Under the direction of the state militia, Mormons organize as an official state militia and march to disband the forming mobs in Daviess County. Allegations of property destruction and theft are made against the Mormons. No lives are lost.
  • October 19 – Apostle Thomas B. Marsh, angry with Joseph Smith, leaves the church.
  • October 23 – Under the pretense that the Mormon militia looted and burned property in Daviess County to disperse the mobs, General Atchison authorizes local groups to patrol the border of Ray County and Caldwell County.
  • October 24 – Apostles Thomas B. Marsh and Orson Hyde, also disaffected from the church, sign an affidavit claiming that Joseph Smith was trying to take over the world and was using the Danites to murder people. They submit the affidavit to authorities in Richmond, Missouri.
  • October 25 – The Battle of Crooked River occurs as a unit of Mormon Militia fight against Missouri State Militia. Sixteen are wounded, and 4 die from their wounds, including Apostle David W. Patten.
  • October 27 – Governor Boggs issues an executive order, also known as the "Extermination Order", revoked in 1976 by then Missouri Governor Christopher S. Bond.
  • October 30 – A renegade militia group from Livingston County attacks a Mormon settlement in the bloodiest conflict of the Mormon War, and 17 are killed. The event is known as Haun's Mill Massacre.
  • November 1 – Mormon leaders are taken into custody and declared responsible for the violence and destruction of the conflict.
  • November 2 – After a short trial, General Lucas orders the leaders of the church to be executed. General Doniphan refuses, recognizing the charges were inaccurate and that little solid information about the events of the conflict was known. Far West is plundered, and several other leaders are captured. After being allowed a brief good-bye, the leaders are led away to Independence for imprisonment and trial.
  • November 3 – Joseph prophesies that none of the prisoners are going to die.
  • November 4 – Fifty-six more prisoners are taken from Far West. The imprisoned leaders arrive in Independence.
  • November 6 – General Lucas addresses the citizens of Far West. Far West prisoners leave for Richmond.
  • November 8 – General Wilson surroundes Adam-ondi-Ahman. Joseph and some of the other prisoners in Independence leave for Richmond. Their guards become drunk, but no escape is attempted.
  • November 10 – All citizens of Adam-ondi-Ahman are acquitted, but they are ordered to move to Caldwell County to prepare to leave Missouri.
  • November 13 – November 25
    • Preliminary hearings on the fate of the leaders of the church begin under Judge King. Witnesses testify at the point of a bayonet. Numerous violations of judicial process are recorded. Twenty-three of the imprisoned men are released, leaving thirty in custody.
    • During the hearings, excommunicated members rob the homes of several members in Far West.
  • November 28 – Joseph and Hyrum Smith, Sidney Rigdon, Lyman Wight, Caleb Baldwin, and Alexander McRae are ordered to the jail in Liberty, Clay County; Parley P. Pratt, Morris Phelps, Luman Gibbs, Darwin Chase, and Norman Shearer are retained in the Richmond jail. The remaining 19 are released or allowed release on bail.
  • December 5 – Governor Boggs defends his Extermination Order in the state legislature.
  • December 10 – A committee of Edward Partridge, Heber C. Kimball, John Taylor, Theodore Turley, Brigham Young, Isaac Morley, George W. Harris, John Murdock, and John M. Burk draft a petition to the state legislature detailing the Mormon side of the conflict.
  • December 17 – The petition is delivered to the state legislature by David H. Redfield, who also meet with General Atchison, Governor Boggs, and others.
  • December 19 – John Taylor and John E. Page are ordained apostles and members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

1839

1840s

1840

1841

  • January 19 – A revelation is received by Joseph Smith ordering the church to build a temple in Nauvoo. Also, the order of baptism for the dead is laid out. The church is also excused from building the temple in Jackson County due to the persecution at that time. (D&C 124)

1842

  • May 6 – A gunman shoots Governor Boggs in his home, hitting him four times. The gunman is not found, but his revolver was left at the scene. Rumor and speculation points to Porter Rockwell, Joseph Smith's personal bodyguard, as the would-be assassin. Rockwell denies this, remarking that if it was him, Boggs would not have recovered.
  • May 28 – An anonymous contributor to The Wasp, a pro-Mormon newspaper in Nauvoo, writes that, "Boggs is undoubtedly killed according to report; but who did the noble deed remains to be found out."
  • August 20 – Elder Orson Pratt is excommunicated for refusing to accept the doctrine of plural marriage.
  • September 1 & 6 – Joseph Smith writes two letters to the church regarding baptism for the dead, clarifying the doctrine and practice. (D&C 127, 128)
  • The Illinois legislature considers revoking Nauvoo's charter, but fails to act. Joseph Smith petitions the federal congress to make Nauvoo a territory. His petition is denied.

1843

  • July 12 – Joseph Smith dictates the revelation concerning eternal marriage, or "the new and everlasting covenant", including the plurality of wive s(D&C 132). Although written down in 1842, Smith received portions of the revelation as early as 1831.
  • November 3 – Knowleton F. Hanks becomes the first Mormon missionary to be buried at sea.

1844

  • June 7 – The only issue of the Nauvoo Expositor is published by men angry with Joseph Smith and the Church. It is highly critical of Smith and his doctrines and practices.
  • June 10 – After being declared a public nuisance by the Nauvoo City Council, the printing press of the Nauvoo Expositor is destroyed.
  • June 12 – Charles A. Foster, a co-publisher of the Nauvoo Expositor, reports that the destruction of the Expositor printing press two days earlier was carried out by several hundred people and the building the machine was housed in was damaged. The city marshal contradicts him, claiming that the destruction was carried out in an orderly fashion. The building stands for at least ten more years.
  • June 18 – Amid threats of violence concerning the destruction of the Nauvoo Expositor, Joseph Smith, Jr., as mayor, declares martial law in Nauvoo and activates the Nauvoo Legion, a private militia of about 5,000 men.
  • June ?? – Joseph Smith, Jr. submits to arrest and agrees to trial in Carthage, Illinois, the county seat. Before he arrives, he prophesies, "I am going like a lamb to the slaughter, but I am calm as a summer's morning. I have a conscience void of offense toward God and toward all men. If they take my life I shall die an innocent man, and my blood shall cry from the ground for vengeance, and it shall be said of me 'He was murdered in cold blood!'"[5] He is held in Carthage Jail.

1845

  • The population of Nauvoo is estimated to have reached about 12,000 inhabitants, becoming the second-largest city in Illinois. Chicago had about 15,000 inhabitants at the same time.
  • Planning for the Mormon Exodus to the west begins.

1846

  • May 1 – The Nauvoo Temple is completed and dedicated, despite the majority having already left Nauvoo.
  • Under the direction of Brigham Young, the largest numbers of saints begin migrating West to settle; they eventually arrive at the Salt Lake Valley.
  • June 27 – Elder John E. Page is excommunicated from the LDS church for encouraging members to follow James Strang.
  • July – The Mormon Battalion is formed. Brigham Young prophesies that the recruits won't see battle and will perform a great service for their country. Many people join up despite the difficulties of the time. They send as much money to their families and the church as possible.

1847

  • January 14 – Brigham Young receives D&C 136 by way of revelation, which concerns the organization of the westward movement, standards of behavior for the saints, and an explanation on why God allowed Joseph Smith to be killed.
  • January – The Mormon Battalion completes the longest march in U.S. Army history, arriving in California.

1848

  • February 2 – The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo is signed, which will grant the territory that the Mormons are settling to the United States.
  • March 10 – The U.S. Senate ratifies the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, making the treaty official and thus officially making the area part of the United States.
  • June 9 – The Miracle of the Gulls occurs. It is attributed to saving the crops of the first settlers in Utah.
  • The Nauvoo Temple is burnt down. The remnants are destroyed by a tornado.
  • Mormon Battalion members who stay behind in California to raise money discover gold in Sutter's Mill. News of the find spreads, starting the 1849 California gold rush.
  • December – Apostle Lyman Wight is excommunicated from the church for not following Brigham Young.

1849

1850s

1850

  • The Compromise of 1850 creates the Utah territory, designating Fillmore, Utah, as its capitol. The Utah Territory is to be neutral towards slavery, deciding its own fate once it achieves statehood.

1853

1854

1856

1857

  • The federal government sends troops to Utah known as the "Utah Expedition" to replace Brigham Young as governor. This results in the Utah War.
  • May 13 – Apostle Parley P. Pratt is murdered by Hector McLean and two others near Van Buren, Arkansas. Pratt had married McLean's former wife in plural marriage. Pratt was acquitted on charges of interfering in McLean's marriage a few days earlier.
  • September 11 – The Mountain Meadows massacre occurs as travellers passing through Utah from Missouri are murdered near Mountain Meadows, Utah.

1860s

1860

1861

1862

  • July 8 – President Abraham Lincoln signs the Morrill Anti-Bigamy Act which not only bans plural marriage but limits church and non-profit ownership in the territories to $50,000. The measure has no funds allocated for enforcement, and President Lincoln's opinion is to leave the Mormons alone if they leave him alone.
  • Patrick E. Connor arrives in Utah with California recruits to represent the federal government as they had been pulled out of Utah due to the American Civil War. He establishes Fort Douglas and encourages his men to find valuable ores so that miners are enticed to settle in Utah to offset the Mormon population.

1864

1865

  • Utah's Black Hawk War, the deadliest conflict in the territory's history, occurs as the three armies- LDS, Indian, and Federal - fight among one another.

1866

1868

1869

1870s

1870

  • The Liberal Party organizes to oppose The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The People's Party organizes to support the church and oppose the Liberal Party shortly afterwards. Until this point, politics was run by the church almost exclusively, since the vast majority of citizens were members in the church.
  • Women's Suffrage is rewarded with another victory, as the Utah Territory follows the Wyoming Territory's lead in giving the right to vote to women. It remains in effect until 1887, when it is banned by federal legislation. This was pushed by the People's Party because there were only a few non-Mormon women in the state. This gave the People's Party an overwhelming advantage at the polls.

1871

1874

  • June – Non-Mormon Liberal Party members in Tooele County, Utah gain control of the county government, beginning the first government run by non-Mormons in Utah. They whimsically rename the county "The Republic of Tooele". The federally appointed governor and courts uphold the election, refusing to examine charges by the Mormon People's Party that many voters had voted illegally without satisfying voter requirements.

1876

  • The Mormon-controlled legislature of the Utah Territory passes laws requiring voter registration and women's suffrage in all local election. This will lead to the Liberal Party losing its majority in Tooele County.

1877

  • January 1 – Erastus Snow holds the private dedication of the St. George Utah Temple, making it the first operating temple in Utah and the third completed temple.
  • April 6 – April 8 – Daniel H. Wells holds the public dedication of the St. George Utah Temple.
  • August 29: President Brigham Young passes away, after leading the church for 33 years. John Taylor assumes control of the church as President of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles.

1878

  • The Liberal Party majority disappears in Tooele County. They lose the next election, although the new winners are not seated until next year.

1879

"Our crime has been: We married women instead of seducing them; we reared children instead of destroying them; we desired to exclude from the land prostitution, bastardy and infanticide. If George Reynolds [the man who was convicted of committing bigamy] is to be punished, let the world know the facts . . . . Let it be published to the four corners of the earth that in this land of liberty, the most blessed and glorious upon which the sun shines, the law is swiftly invoked to punish religion, but justice goes limping and blindfolded in pursuit of crime."
  • After six months of delay tactics and formalities, the Mormon-run People's Party regains control of Tooele County, after 5 years of rule by the non-Mormon Liberal Party. The county is left with $16,000 in debt."

1880s

1880

  • The First Presidency is reorganized three years after President Brigham Young's passing. John Taylor is named president.

1882

  • February 25 – After a bitter dispute between George Q. Cannon (who won a decisive victory) and Liberal Party candidate Allen G. Campbell over who was allowed to represent Utah territory in the House of Representatives, both are denied the position. George Q. Cannon's practice of polygamy was the deciding issue and re-sparks national controversy on the topic.
  • March 23 – The Edmunds Act declares polygamy a felony. The act not only reinforces the 1862 Morrill Anti-Bigamy Act but also revokes the right of polygamists to vote, disallows them from holding political office, and also makes them ineligible to serve on the jury, regardless of whether they are practicing or merely believe in it. All elected offices in the Utah Territory were vacated, an election board was formed to issue certificates to those who denied polygamy and did not practice it, and new elections were held territory-wide. Practicing polygamists would have their civil rights taken away without a trial or due process. Adulterers and fornicators had no such penalties applied and did not lose their rights.
  • August 23 – Rudger Clawson is tried for polygamy by a jury composed of 12 non-Mormons. Even though the polygamous marriage was performed before the 1862 Morrill act, he is tried ex-post facto, in clear violation of the Constitution of the United States. He is imprisoned and fined for his marriage.
  • October 16 – George Teasdale and Heber J. Grant are ordained apostles and members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

1884

1885

  • February 1 – President John Taylor goes underground to avoid being arrested and tried for plural marriage.

1887

  • The Edmunds-Tucker Act abolishes women's suffrage, and seizes control of the church and its assets.
  • July 30 – The attorney general of the United State files suit and seizes all assets of the church and the Perpetual Emigration Fund.

1889

1890s

1890

1891

  • June – The People's Party disbands and members of the church join one of the two national parties as the effort continues to achieve statehood. With three effective parties in the territory, the Deseret News calls the Liberal Party the "bastard party" even though it is able to take a third of the seats in the state legislature.

1893

  • April 6 – The Salt Lake Temple is dedicated, exactly 40 years after construction began.
  • All polygamists are given executive pardon in preparation for statehood. This restores their right to vote.
  • The Liberal Party (Utah) disbands as members join the national parties in anticipation of statehood.

1896

  • January 4 – Utah is recognized by the federal government and achieves statehood as the 45th state. Polygamy is explicitly banned in the state constitution. Women's suffrage is continued.

1898

  • September 2: Wilford Woodruff passes away. Lorenzo Snow assumes leadership of the church.

See also

References

  1. ^ http://www.saintswithouthalos.com/m/300609.phtml minutes
  2. ^ Minutes of September 26, 1830
  3. ^ Brown, Lisle (1995; 1997 rev.); Organizational Chronology of The Church of Christ, and The Church of the Latter-day Saints, 1829 – 1836.
  4. ^ Kenney, Scott G.; Saints Without Halos: 1830 Chronology
  5. ^ Was Joseph Smith Really a Martyr?
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