he led the Mormon raiders to attack and burn supply wagons of the U.S. militia sent to kill the saints. It is alarming to see how intensely and openly the family is under attack in contemporary society. She believed Gods legions would hunt them down in every land & place. With help from Mormon apostles in Missouri, Eleanor arrived in Utah on July 23, 1857, where she allegedly charged that men in the Fancher party had helped her first husband murder Apostle Pratt. With no additional evidence, some historians have pointed to a Native American council held in Salt Lake City on September 1, 1857. Finally, it is also a matter of historical record that none of the Indian leaders at the Salt Lake council were later at Mountain Meadows, except the Southern Ute leader, Ammon, who tried to prevent the massacre. Brigham Young University was named in his honor. How far apart were Wild Bill Hickok and Dave Tutt in their famous 1865 showdown in Springfield, Missouri? The latter is filed in sequential order in Youngs well-preserved and bound letter books. Ron Walker is one of the three Mormon historians writing the upcoming rebuttal to be published by Oxford University Press. He and his men . If the white man who belongs to the chosen seed mixes his blood with the seed of Cain [those of African descent], the penalty, under the law of God, is death on the spot. The Latter-day Saint community [in Las Vegas is] vibrant across every facetpolitically, public service, charitable. Western Pride Enterprise. It turns out that she was actually wife No. An armed mob assassinated Smith in 1844, and Young and the other apostles took charge of leading the Mormon church. They were murdered by a small Mormon militia and its Indian allies in a horrible ploy: after a four-day gun battle with their attackers, the pioneers accepted a truce that turned out to be a deadly lie. The proclamation is very clear: . He was the president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1847 until his death. In 1841, Joseph Smith announced a prophesy that Governor Boggs (pictured above) would, within a year, meet a violent demise. Why did Brigham Young allegedly send a message telling Southern Utahns NOT to kill the emigrants unless he was countermanding previous orders? The Latter-day Saint community [in Las Vegas is] vibrant across every facetpolitically, public service, charitable. Later in 1841, Young served a mission to Cincinnati and its environs with Franklin D. Why did he shield the murderers and allow the churchs newspaper to blame the crime on the Paiutes for a dozen years after Jacob Hamblin told him Mormons were involved? A devoted missionary and supporter of Smith, Young was ordained as one of the original members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, a church governing body, in 1835; he became its president four years later. With Congress repeatedly rejecting proposals for Utah statehood, Young firmly resisted the territorys involvement in the Civil War, especially after passage of the Morrill Anti-Bigamy Act in 1862, which effectively outlawed plural marriage in U.S. territories. On April 15, 1832, Young and his brother John were baptized into the Latter Day Saint Church of Christ. Anti-Mormons have long claimed that Mormon leader Brigham Young ordered the massacre. In early 1846, Young and an advance group began an arduous journey some 1,300 miles across the plains and over the Rocky Mountains. Apparently I succeeded, since critics in the employ of the LDS Church claim I dont prove Brigham Young ordered the murders. That question stumped me for years, and like many other Mormon mysteries the clues have been carefully purged from the records of Utahs past. FactSnippet No. Even on the day of the slaughter, couriers were reportedly hurrying from Cedar City30 miles to the eastto call it off. However, President Snow announced apostolic seniority should be gauged by the entry date into the Quorum of the Twelve, making Joseph Fielding Smith the next prophet. Adding fuel to Mormon rage, they argue, was the killing, a few months before the massacre, of Apostle Parley P. Pratt. Brigham Young. Seventeen children who were too young to remember the attack were spared. A US hospital has rejected a patient for a heart transplant at least in part because he is not vaccinated against Covid-19. In 1857, President James Buchanan declared Utah to be in a state of rebellion, and sent some 2,500 federal troops to help replace Young as territorial governor. The alleged rape came in the context of the bloody Mormon War of 1838, which saw the massacre of eighteen unsuspecting Mormon men and boys during an attack on a settlement by Missouri non-Mormons . He has been a guest speaker on numerous national radio and television stations and is a five time published author. Church historians revealed over the summer that the 144-year-old Brigham Young Family Cemetery, 140 E. First Avenue, has been bedeviled during the past two years by a spate of trespassing . Richards. In several speeches given to large gatherings of Latter-day Saints, he proclaimed that the only way a person could be absolved of the sin of leaving Mormonism would be for that person to have his or her blood spilled on the ground. When Mormons were living in Daviess County, Missouri, he delivered a fiery oration on Independence Day of 1838 in which he promised that the Missourians who Mormons felt were persecuting them (the sentiments had some justification although Mormons did their fair share of antagonizing as well) would need to stop any disputes with the Mormons or face a war of extermination. His brother Joseph was baptized the next day and Brigham Young was baptized approximately one week later. Fiery yet full of doubt, frequently ill yet strong when it . But in 1517 Luther penned a document attacking the Catholic Churchs corrupt practice read more, Christianity is the most widely practiced religion in the world, with more than 2 billion followers. He was ordained king and priest by the Council of Fifty, and acted accordingly. He went on to become a missionary in England. Even though Young blessed it as a place to begin anew,his fears of continued religious persecution may have caused him to order a massacre. Early in his life, Phineas was a Methodist preacher.[1]. The five sons of John and Nabby Young From left to right: Lorenzo Dow, Brigham, Phineas H., Joseph, and John. That progressed into a host of angels, then it evolved to God appearing to Smith in a pillar of fire. The little boy and his sister were at a friend's house in Wyoming earlier this month when a 1 . Fifty-three years ago Juanita Brooks classic study, The Mountain Meadows Massacre, concluded the crime was the result of one unfortunate circumstance after another. 2023 A&E Television Networks, LLC. Dr. John C. Bennett, one of Smiths former close associates (who was no longer in the Church and deeply hated Smith at this point), wrote a letter to the Sangamo Journal in Carthage, Illinois, informing them that he inquired one day about the whereabouts of Orrin Porter Rockwell (Smiths bodyguard), and Smith replied that Rockwell had gone to fulfill prophecy. She has been placed on indefinite suspension for her actions, which include punching another . "Settlers burned and vandalized at least 200 buildings in four Palestinian villages," according to The New York Times. The evidence has been so corruptedsuppressed, destroyed, and fabricatedits hard to determine the date the murders took place, let alone trace all the ins and outs of the conspiracy behind the crime. Experience in wood framing, excavation, roofing, painting, concrete, etc. That admonition includes charging Brigham Young with crimes that he did not commit. Young read the Bible verse the soldiers had inscribed on a cedar cross atop the monument: Vengeance is mine, saith the Lord., It should read, he said, Vengeance is mine, and I have taken a little. Young then directed the desecration of the grave. Park City, Utah, United States. Young was born in Hopkinton, Massachusetts, the seventh child of John Young and Abigail Howe. But I am determined by the help of God never to bear false witness against My Neighbour. Later, he complained that those who questioned him wanted lies, not truth. They are also among a cadre of doctors across the country who are confronting mounting intimidation on social media, and threats of violence. Critics assume, yes. After the death of Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism, the mantle of leader of the church was up for grabs. Pres. The Mormons: Brigham Young. PBS: American Experience. Most Mormons are aware that Young instituted a ban on black people holding Church leadership positions and entering their temples, but few are aware of how extreme he was. Illustrated with Photographs. Jamie founded Listverse due to an insatiable desire to share fascinating, obscure, and bizarre facts. His views on religious freedom read more, In 1950, L. Ron Hubbardthe founder of Scientologypublished his bestselling book Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health. Though he originally conceived of Dianetics as a science of the mind, Hubbard later adapted his theories into a more religious approach, calling read more, The Inquisition was a powerful office set up within the Catholic Church to root out and punish heresy throughout Europe and the Americas. The Center also supported student training for life-long temple and family history service. Brigham Young at Home is a valuable addition to the history of the home life of pioneer days. Born into poverty in Vermont in 1801, Young later moved with his family to western New York, where he worked as a carpenter and craftsman. not to spare horseflesh. He didnt. Militia orders to the Mormon army carried Youngs words on the reverse: Shed no blood., When the books are opened in the day of judgment, declared an associate who was at his side in 1857, these things will be proven to heaven and earth.. The great historian Harold Schindler spent 40 years learning everything there was to know about Orrin Porter Rockwell, Man of God/Son of Thunder (the title of his definitive biography). According to Mormon doctrines, prophets speak to God and communicate Gods will to Mormons. While looking at a Tombstone photo, I saw a sign that says mule and ox shoes to order. What is are the functions of diverse organisms? According to Bennett, Rockwell returned the day before news of the assassination attempt arrived at Nauvoo. As Compton explains of Joseph F. Smith's ordination, which would later have a significant impact on Church history: Though John Willard "was publicly sustained as an assistant counselor to Brigham," he focused most of his time on business endeavors and lived most of his life in New York, according to Compton. Why? While the church leaders temper and strong words at the pulpit earned him a reputation for coercion, in truth, those who knew him best often spoke of his caution and his abhorrence of bloodshed. 1940. DJ Ferguson, who . While not on missions, Young lived with the Latter Day Saints in Kirtland, Ohio and Far West, Missouri. Reading the September 2000 True West article by Glenn Shirley, titled, A Tireless Energy & Nerves of Steel, I was fascinated by Caroline Bonneville. Justice for his peoples wrongs was heavens responsibility, not his, he said. He married single women and widows. But we only make the tragedy worse by saying that it was something other than what it wasby trying to fit events into a pre-conceived theory of conspiracy. David Roberts. Young was too cleverand too religiously devoutto have destroyed the emigrants and thus irreparably harm the reputation of his people. It is something that has been partially experienced and thoroughly documented by many individuals around the world. On September 4, Mormon stake president and major in the Nauvoo Legion Isaac Haight ordered Legion member John D. Lee to lead an attack on the company. His son, also named Alma, rebelled against everything he was taught. Why did he threaten honest men who called for justice in the matter? Life After Death: 6 Insights into the Spirit World. The Mormon apostle Parley P. Pratt had recently been murdered in Arkansas after essentially trying to kidnap children. Among other policies, he continued the limitations on African American participation in the church, instituting a ban on Black men receiving the Mormon priesthood. A case in point is Poe's short story of 1843, "The Tell-Tale Heart." Narrated in retrospect, Poe's confessional tale features a "Mad" protagonist who recalls his grisly murder of an old man, his . The footage showed the massive professional athlete throwing the victim around her home with brutal force in front of their then-5-month-old son. Most recently, Will Bagley made this case in his 2002 book, Blood of the Prophets. Smith sold Young a copy of the Book of Mormon and told him that it had been translated from ancient records by his brother Joseph Smith. Though many suspected Young of ordering or at least covering up the attack, John Lee, an adopted son of Youngs, was the only Mormon brought to trial for the Mountain Meadows massacre; he was executed in 1877. There are two ways to interpret the evidence about who ordered the brutal murder of 120 men, women and children at a remote Utah oasis on the road to California on September 11, 1857. He declared that: "I will fight them and I will fight all hell!" The Church had been tense against the federal government ever since the murder of their founder and Mormon prophet, Joseph Smith, at the hands of an Illinois lynch mob in 1844. For motives, they point to the persecution of the Mormon people and to the earlier killing of Mormon leaders Joseph and Hyrum Smith. Particularly telling is the testimony of those who did the killing at the Meadows. Israeli settlers "torched dozens of cars and homes in a Palestinian town" as retaliation on Sunday evening, and one Palestinian was killed during the chaos, The Associated Press reported. The Utah War was resolved in 1858, with Young agreeing to step aside in favor of the new governor (though he remained de facto leader in the territory). 19. There is room for my brown paper-doll family: 2 gospel truths I learned as a young girl that carry my faith, Bright lights in the desert: How Latter-day Saints have shaped Las Vegas culture, community, and politics, See the stunning winners of the Churchs International Art Competition. On Sept. 11, 1857, a Mormon militia in southern Utah . According to a BYU Scholars article, His speaking talent, organizational and leadership ability, and political sagacity were given untiringly to the service of his church. Brigham Young University. Brigham Young's adopted son. What type of electrical charge does a proton have? . The founder of the religion, Joseph Smith, began claiming he had been commanded by God to take additional wives after his first wife caught him having sex with their teenage maid in the barn. Earlier versions featured only Jesus or angels appearing to Smith. Why did he do nothing to return the stolen property of the 17 surviving orphans? No other group of people [comes] close.. Some of his brides were as young as 14, and he even married women who already had living husbands. Finally, why has so much evidence been destroyed or purged from Mormon archives, and why has so much evidence been suppressed? https://www.history.com/topics/religion/brigham-young. Justice John F. Kinney was appointed in 1854, and quickly fought with Young over statutes designed to protect polygamists. Young settled in Salt Lake City. By the summer of 1877, Youngs health was in decline, but he continued to play an active role in the Mormon church up until the end. A wagon train of around 120 emigrants, mostly families from Arkansas, was bound for California. for construction and . After spending the winter of 1846-47 in a camp along the Missouri River between Iowa and Nebraska, Young headed further west with 142 men, including six apostles, three women and two children, in April 1847. Brent L. Top,professor of Church History and Doctrine at BYU, in an interview explained a little more about how these experiences influenced Brigham Young: In an article written by Top, he elaborates more on what Brigham Young taught about the life that awaits us after death: For more incredible insights into what prophets and apostles have taught about the spirit world, check out Life After Death: 6 Insights into the Spirit World. In this inspiring look at near-death experiences, authors Brent and Wendy Top illustrate how numerous recorded accounts of near-death experiences relate to Latter-day Saint teachings. March 28, 1884: Or was it March 8? Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints spoke Monday to staff at Brigham Young University (BYU) during the first day of the institution's 2021 University Conference.. Weeks after Young's proclamation, in the high desert of the Utah territory, LDS Mormons murdered more than 100 Arkansas migrants. After guiding an exodus of thousands of Mormons westward to the Great Salt Lake Valley, Young founded Salt Lake City and served as the first governor of the Utah Territory. But its not a formula for good history. [Young] is not only the president here but he is the president of the states and kingdoms of this world no matter if they have not elected him. In a very real sense, Brigham Young was the law. What are the Physical devices used to construct memories? Haight then turned the gun on himself. Read a news summary of this talk. Women in Utah were treated like a commodity, with Church apostle Heber C. Kimball once observing, I would think nothing more of taking a wife than of buying a cow. Men married additional women to show their status as righteous men who were devoted to their faith and would often marry more women than they could afford to support, keeping the less-liked wives in other towns and forcing them to earn their own living. Brigham Young Tyrone Power (Actor), Linda Darnell (Actor), Henry Hathaway (Director) Rated: Unrated Format: DVD 153 ratings IMDb 6.3/10.0 Amazon's Choice for "brigham young" $1297 Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns DVD $12.97 VHS Tape $9.48 DVD July 15, 2003 1 $12.97 $8.75 $2.07 While several reasons for this statement may be suggested, most persuasive is the ebb and flow of the local decision-making during the weeklong event. According to Todd Compton, a Mormon historian and author ofJohn Willard Young, Brigham Young, and the Development of Presidential Succession in the LDS Church, John Willard Young was the youngest person ever ordained an apostle, which happened during a private event in 1855. James Haslam, who rode the 500-mile circuit in six days, recalled, Young told me [when riding back south] . Ann Eliza Webb, after she decided to divorce Young in 1873, published an expos entitled Wife No. No evidence exists that the Indians at the council agreed to attack. But lets back up a little farther to see why. S. Dilworth Young. Seventeen children who were too young to remember the attack were spared. The only ones spared were 17 children under the age of eight, who were taken in by local Mormon families, and would later testify they saw their parents clothes and jewels being worn by locals. Not historical conspiracies created by authors speculating about the past. Young declared the site would be the groups new home, and they began building an adobe and log settlement where Salt Lake City now stands. TUCKER CARLSON: You always imagine in your mind's eye that it's evil men who destroy society: wild-eyed, spit-flecked dictators pounding the podium to demand the annihilation of their enemies. Throughout the revolution, Brigham Young later privately set apart three other sons and Joseph F. Smith as apostles who served as "assistant Counselors to the First Presidency.". Join the celebration! George A. Smith died in 1875 at age 58. Brigham Young was probably the most oft-married man in 19th-century America. Brigham Young had no tolerance for Mormons who began to doubt the faith. Brigham Young https://www.mormonnewsroom.org Thousands of exhausted, freezing pioneers marching across dozens of inches of snow in the dead of night, their end goal hundreds of miles away, all led by one man: Brigham Young. When it was over, men quarreled over responsibility, and many vowed that no one should ever know of their deadly work, including, presumably, Brigham Young. Then rumors began to arise that the pioneers had been destroying fences, burning fields, and making threats against the Mormons, although none of the rumors were ever substantiated. In return for surrendering their weapons, the emigrants would be allowed safe passage to Cedar City. Or did his belief in heavenly justice prove him an unlikely culprit? Traditions abound for alums returning to campus and for students during Homecoming week, October 15-19, 2019. In August 1857, Young reactivated the Nauvoo Legion, a militia first created in pre-exodus Illinois. Rather than provide them with what they wanted, Lee chose to die like a man then [than] to live a villain.. He died of appendicitis in August of 1877. According to this story, they told him that all religions existing at the time were abominations. Some testimony came in private interviews when there was no motive to lie. Then, his relationship with Joseph Smith (depicted above in a statue at the Temple Squares North Visitors Center) suffered due to a number of factors that strained the friendship including when Smith tried to marry Rigdons daughter (while Smith was already married) and his refusal to support polygamy. There is a logic to this. However, he was not the youngest apostle ever ordained. Speaking of lineage, I should like to explain to you that whatever your great-grandparents or forebears did cannot be grafted into your own life. Sept. 11 was a tragic date in American history long before the terrorist attacks of 2001. Even in households where the men could afford their wives and offered them full financial support, sometimes jealousy and spite divided wives to the point that some would kill themselves to avoid having to live in heaven with their husbands and their sister wives. After a 500 mile round trip journey, militiamen received this response on Sept 13, two days too late to prevent the massacre. Enter your email to receive updates on our LDS Living content, 2022 LDS Living A Division of Deseret Book Company. Likewise, John D. Lee, the only man convicted of the murders, was repeatedly offered leniency in exchange for incriminating Youngthe last offer was made just moments before his execution. These men later insisted that no orders had come from Salt Lake City, and this testimony included that given by those who in later life left Utah and Mormonism. Johnson earned his freedom and owned a 250-acre farm, and his son . One of his wives alleged he ordered the deaths of people who tried to leave the faith. Matthew Bowman, The Mormon People: The Making of an American Faith (Random House, 2012). One wife of Apostle Orson Pratt actually died of neglect after getting sick while living in poverty because he wouldnt allocate enough money for her care. Those allegations have never been proven, but Young did indicate that he supported the sentiment even if he never ordered a murder. Because the historical past will always be opaque, historians must seek the weight of evidence, and in this case, the preponderance suggests Youngs innocence.