Oliver and Lorenzo Snow 1836

 Lorenzo Snow and his father, Oliver Snow, were not the first on this line of genealogy to join the church. As I have recorded, Lorenzo Snow's mother joined the church after hearing Joseph Smith preach in 1831, and his sister, Eliza, joined in 1935. I am focusing on Lorenzo Snow here for two reasons.  The most obvious is that he later became the president of the church in 1898. The second is that he joined the church because of the preaching of a man mentioned in this week's reading for Come Follow Me, David W. Patten (Section 114). The rest of this article is a summary of the life sketch about Lorenzo Snow found here in The Life and Ministry of Lorenzo Snow.

In 1835 Lorenzo was riding his horse in his home town of Mantua, Ohio, when he happened upon David W. Patten who was a newly ordained apostle and was on his way to Kirkland after serving a mission.  The two men rode together for about 30 miles.  Lorenzo later wrote, “Our conversation fell upon religion and philosophy, and being young and having enjoyed some scholastic advantages, I was at first disposed to treat his opinions lightly, especially so as they were not always clothed in grammatical language; but as he proceeded in his earnest and humble way to open up before my mind the plan of salvation, I seemed unable to resist the knowledge that he was a man of God and that his testimony was true.”

Lorenzo had been studying religion at Oberlin College, but after meeting Patten, and hearing his sister Eliza's experiences in Kirtland, he decided to leave Oberlin and join his family in Kirtland.  There he studied Hebrew along with some of the church leaders, and eventually was baptized in June 1836.  Soon after his baptism he received a strong witness of the truth of the Gospel and prepared to serve a mission. He served two missions back to back that spanned 1837-1840. By then the saints and his family had moved to Nauvoo, Illinois. He joined his family there  but soon after was called to serve a mission in England. During his mission he delivered copies of the Book of Mormon to Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. 

There are a lot of other good stories about Lorenzo Snow.  He helped on Joseph Smith's campaign to become President. In 1845 Joseph Smith taught him the principle of plural marriage, and in response he married two women Charlotte Squires and Mary Goddard. He crossed the plains when the saints moved to Utah and in 1849 became a member of the Quorum of the Twelve. That same year he left for his mission in Italy. The work there went slowly until he came across the Waldenses in the Piedmont region of Italy, some of whom are our ancestors. He lead a group of Italian converts to Utah.

in 1853 Brigham Young called Lorenzo snow to lead a group of families to settle the northern Utah county of Box Elder. There he helped establish Brigham City.  He lived there when not on assignment from the prophet, until Wilford Woodruff's death in 1898.  On hearing of the prophet's passing, he took a train to Salt Lake City and went to the temple to pray. While there, the Lord appeared to him and told him to reorganize the 1st presidency immediately. He was sustained as prophet on October 10, 1898.  He was already elderly when he was sustained, and he only served for three years, but during that time he received important revelations, including one about using the principle of tithing to help the church get out of debt. Lorenzo Snow died in 1901 of pneumonia and was barried in Brigham City. 

Edward Stevenson, December 1833

 Here are the first converts to the church on the Cardon side of the Family.  Elizabeth and Edward were baptized at the same time, but most of the information here is about Edward. I will do a post for Elizabeth next time.

Edward Stevenson 1833

Stevenson was born on May 1, 1820, in Gibraltar, the fourth son of Joseph Stevenson and Elizabeth Stevens. In 1827, at the tender age of seven, he immigrated with his family to the United States, settling first in New York and then in Michigan. In 1831 his father passed away, leaving him in the care of his mother and siblings. In 1833, three years after The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was organized in upstate New York, missionaries Jared Carter and Joseph Woods evangelized in Michigan. Although still a young man, Stevenson believed their words and embraced their teachings. He was baptized on December 20, 1833, and his mother and several siblings also joined the church. As a family they gathered with the Latter-day Saints in Missouri and endured the trials that followed the church and its members across that state. While living in Far West, Stevenson became more acquainted with Joseph Smith, having first met him while living in Michigan. Stevenson was eventually exiled from Missouri with the body of the church and moved to the temporary safety of Nauvoo, Illinois. There he married his first wife, Nancy A. Porter (the sister of his future missionary companion Nathan T. Porter), in 1845 and was endowed in the Nauvoo Temple in 1846. He crossed the plains in the Charles C. Rich company in 1847, his first of nearly twenty crossings over the plains on behalf of the church as a leader and missionary.

Stevenson also made six missionary journeys, for up to five years at a time. These included three missions to Europe, two missions to the southern United States, and one mission to Mexico. 

Stevenson was a polygamist and had four wives, and we are descended from the third, Emily Electa Williams. All together, Edward Stevenson had 28 children according to Family Search (Wikipedia says he had 7 wives, and 24 children). 

In 1870, Edward Stevenson traveled to Ohio to meet Martin Harris.  He helped him move to Utah, and there rebaptized him. 

Stevenson wrote and self-published a biography of Joseph Smith in 1893, entitled Reminiscences of Joseph, the Prophet.  It is available on Project Guttenberg. 

In October 1894, Stevenson was called to serve as one of the first seven presidents of seventies, a position he honorably fulfilled until his passing in Salt Lake City on January 27, 1897.

Wilford Woodruff, December 29, 1833

Between section 101 and 102 we come to the time of the conversion of the next ancestor on our first ancestors to join the church list. It was an interesting time to join the church.  There were extreme persecutions of the saints in Missouri, though the church in Kirkland was still stable and growing. Here is a short introduction to Wilford Woodruff.

Wilford Woodruff was born on March 1, 1807, in Farmington, Connecticut, to Aphek Woodruff and Beulah Thompson Woodruff. When he was 15 months old, his mother died of spotted fever. About three years later, Aphek remarried. Wilford and his two older brothers were raised by their father and by their stepmother, Azubah Hart Woodruff.

“At an early age my mind was exercised upon religious subjects.”

“I could not find any denomination whose doctrines, faith or practice, agreed with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, or the ordinances and gifts which the Apostles taught.”

On December 29, 1833, he heard a sermon preached by Elder Zera Pulsipher, a Latter-day Saint missionary. In his journal he described his response to Elder Pulsipher’s sermon: “He commenced the meeting with some introductory remarks and then prayed. I felt the Spirit of God to bear witness that he was the servant of God. He then commenced preaching, and that too as with authority, and when he had finished his discourse I truly felt that it was the first gospel sermon that I had ever heard.”

Wilford Woodruff invited Elder Pulsipher and his companion, Elijah Cheney, to stay in the Woodruff home. Two days later, having spent some time reading the Book of Mormon and meeting with the missionaries, Brother Woodruff was baptized and confirmed a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

By April 1834 he had moved to Kirkland OH, and that June participated in the “Zion’s Camp” march to Missouri. When he returned to Ohio, he served two different missions before meeting and marrying Phoebe Carter in 1837.  I am descended from this marriage.

(Later when plural marriage became a practice among leaders of the church Wilford Woodruff wed a total of nine more women.  Four of the marriages were short lived and ended in divorce, but six of his wives bore him a total of 34 children.)

In 1839 he was ordained a member of the Council of Twelve Apostles, and then was sent on a mission to England.  His work in England is almost legendary.  When he returned he migrated with the saints to the Great Salt Lake valley. In fact, President Brigham Young was lying sick in Wilford Woodruff’s wagon when he uttered the famous words, “This is the right place, drive on.”  

In Utah he served in many positions until he finally became president of the church in 1889.  While he was president, the Salt Lake Temple was completed and dedicated, and the Manifesto was given, ending the practice of Plural Marriage. 

One of the great contributions Wilford Woodruff made to the church was that he kept a daily thorough diary.  Much of what we know about the early church we know from his journaling.

A good introduction to his life can be found here.

Section 93: Answering Theological Questions

 Last week we studied section 93 in the Doctrine and Covenants. As I listened to the different podcasts  this week, every one of them quoted a passage from one of Truman Madsen's books about this section that shows how this one passage answered some of the most debated questions in Christian Theology.  Rather than summarize what he said, I will quote it,  as found in his book Joseph Smith the Prophet (Bookcraft, 1989).

How can something come from nothing? Answer: The universe was not created from nothing. “The elements are eternal.” (v 33)

How can Christ have been both absolutely human and absolutely divine at the same time? Answer: He was not both at the same time. Christ “received not of the fulness at the first, but continued . . . until he received a fulness.” (v. 14)

If man is totally the creation of God, how can he be anything or do anything that he was not divinely pre-caused to do? Answer: Man is not totally the creation of God. “Intelligence was not created or made, neither indeed can be. Behold, here is the agency of man.” (v 29-31)

How can man be a divine creation and yet be “totally depraved”? Answer: Man is not totally depraved. “Every spirit of man was innocent in the beginning; and God having redeemed man from the fall, men became again, in their infant state, innocent before God.” (v. 38)

What is the relationship of being and beings, the one and the many? Answer: “Being” is only the collective name of beings, of whom God is one. Truth is knowledge of things (plural), and not, as Plato would have it, of Thinghood. “Truth is knowledge of things as they are, and as they were, and as they are to come.” (v. 24)

How can spirit relate to gross matter? Answer: “The elements are the tabernacle of God.” (v. 35)

Why should man be embodied? Answer: “Spirit and element, inseparably connected, receive a fulness of joy.” (v. 33)

If we begin susceptible to light and truth, how is it that people err and abuse the light? Answer: People are free; they can be persuaded only if they choose to be. They cannot be compelled. 

The Socratic thesis that knowledge is virtue (that if you really know the good you will seek it and do it) is mistaken. It is through disobedience and because of the traditions of the fathers that light is taken away from mankind( v. 38-39)

I have studied early Christian theology on several occasions, and these theological questions have been a big deal. Contests on these questions have caused schisms that lead to the creations of all the different creeds and sects.  It is amazing that the Lord through Joseph Smith could answer these questions in a single, succinct chapter.

John Madison Chidester

It is time to introduce a new ancestor who joined the church.  I am afraid I am a little late.  John Madison Chidester joined the Church in June 1932 so I should have posted when we were studying section 84.  John Chidester is a pretty awesome ancestor.  He was part of all the major church events from the time he joined the church until he dies in Utah. He is an ancestor of my grandma, Letty Dewey Snow.

John Madisen Chidester was born in Pompey, NY in 1809, which made him four years younger than Joseph Smith. His father died when he was only six months old, so John spent his infancy in the home of his grandparents.  His mother remarried, and he and his mother moved to Michigan to join a blended family. John was apprenticed to a wheelwright and carpenter.  When he was twenty, he married Mary Josephine Parker  and they bought property in Summerfield Michigan where they had their first son (our ancestor). 

In the summer of 1832, David Patten, who had just been made an elder, returned to his home in Michigan and preached to his friends and family. John heard his message and accepted baptism. In 1834 John heard that Joseph Smith was organizing a group to go to Missouri to help the saints, and he, his wife, their two year old son and three month old daughter joined Zion’s Camp. One night after they had traveled 25 miles, they were about to set up camp but the Prophet announced he felt impressed to continue onward.  There was some dissension in the camp, but in the end they followed the prophet.  It was later reported that a large group of men had organized to attack them in their original campsite. 

After Zion’s camp, the young family settled in Liberty Missouri where they suffered persecution.  Two children were born to them in Missouri but both died of exposure and malnutrition. John was captured and accused of stealing a horse, a capital offence.  John scoffed at the charges and said he would “lay out” the first person who touched him. The mob decided to let him go. 

John was ordained a Seventy in 1837 and also served as a bodyguard to the Prophet Joseph Smith. John was with the Prophet when he was imprisoned and rebuked the guards for their foul language. 

When the Saints were driven from Missouri, John and his family moved to Quincy Illinois and then to Commerce (later Nauvoo). They lived happily there for a few years.  John served a mission to Michigan, and served as a lieutenant in the Nauvoo Legion. John and Mary were one of the couples who received their endowments in the Nauvoo Temple.

When the Saints moved west in 1847, John was asked to loan his wagon to Ezra Taft Benson and remain behind.  He did and built a ferry in Montrose to help the saints cross the Mississippi.  He later moved to Council Bluffs and built a grist mill, wagons, carts and living quarters for the Saints. 

Finally in 1850 he crossed the plains. Upon reaching Utah, his family moved to Bountiful, but were later reassigned to Palmyra, Spanish Fork, a ranch in Parley’s Canyon and a Cotton Mission in Southern Utah. Later he was asked to help build the St George Temple. He did hand carving on the balustrades, interior work, and doors.

He married at least two other women. Leah Jane Thompson was an unwed pregnant teen John married in 1857.  She died soon after the child was born and Mary raised the child. Ten years later he married a divorced women(?), Anna Charlotte Eldridge. Another woman, Mary Ann Pratt, is listed as a spouse on Family Search but there isn’t much other information about her. 

John died in Washington County, UT in 1893 at the age of 84.

The Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood

This week I taught a Sunday School class on Section 84 of the Doctrine and Covenants.  It contains the Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood.  I must admit I have never really understood the Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood.  Actually, from the passage in D&C 84: 33-39 it is pretty clear what the covenant of the priesthood is. This passage clearly outlines what each part of the covenant agrees to do: 

Priesthood Holder: 

v. 33: is faithful in obtaining the two priesthoods, and magnifies their calling
v. 35: receive the Lord, his servants, and the Father

The Lord
v. 33: sanctifies them to the renewing of their bodies
v. 34: they become the sons of Moses and Aaron, and the elect of God
v. 38: They receive the Father's Kingdom and all he has. 

So this is the covenant, and it is a wonderful one with close ties to the temple ordinances (which won't be revealed for several years after this revelation). My question is, what is the "Oath" part of the Oath and the Covenant. 

In the 1828 Dictionary of the English Language, an Oath is "A solemn affirmation , made with an appeal to God for the truth of what is affirmed. It implies a call for God's vengeance if the declaration is false, or the promise broken." The word calls to mind the Oath of Office taken by the president at the inauguration or a new doctor making the Hippocratic Oath. 

 When does this oath happen and who is the one that makes it? There are two parties in the covenant, and either one could make the oath.  The people can swear to follow Jesus and Jesus can swear to bless them. I think most people assume that it is the priesthood holder that makes the oath. This makes sense since one part of an oath is that there is divine retribution if the oath is broken and verse 42 does outline consequences of breaking the covenant. However, in in the same verse, the Lord seems to be making a kind of oath of blessing, "which I now confirm upon you who are present this day." It is the most ceremonial sounding sentence. If an oath is happening on that day, this is the most likely candidate for the record of the oath. If it is the Lord who swears an oath to bless us if we are obedient to the covenant, that is a comforting thought indeed. 

If it is the priesthood holder who is making the oath, when does that happen?  It is not very satisfying to say it is merely implied (as does the church's Guide to Scriptures "Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood", but satisfying or not, that might be the case).  If it is an actual oath, sworn at a specific time in a specific place, the only time I can think where that happens is in the endowment ceremony in the temple.  At the time of this revelation, the endowment ceremony hasn't yet been revealed, but perhaps this is a foreshadowing.  It is possible that the endowment is synonymous to the Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood.  If so, then both women and men take part in that Oath and Covenant.  There are a few more things that suggest this might be the case. The ceremony mentions of both the Aaronic and Melchizedek priesthood, and there used to be consequences mentioned. Even though this is a very satisfying thought, especially for the women in the church, I did not find any church resource that explicitly supports that idea. 

In some ways the Oath and Covenant of the priesthood is straightforward. There are required actions and promised blessing to those who live up the the covenant and curses associated with breaking it. Still, I don't feel like I yet totally understand it. I feel there is more insight to be gained by further study.

Section 77: Three Priests of the Temple

Last week we studied Doctrine and Covenants section 77.  It is a question and answer session with the Lord about the meaning of certain symbols in the book of Revelations. Most of it is pretty difficult to understand. 

There was one thing I heard in one of my podcasts that I wanted to record because I thought it was interesting.  It was in Talking Scripture and it was made by Bryce Dunford (Episode 329, I am quoting from the transcript).  Bryce's big thing is that he sees temple symbolism in everything.  In this context he was talking about the identity of Elias (v. 9)  He pointed out that Elias is the Greek form of Elijah (because in Greek if you end a name with an "A" sound it sounds like a girl's name).  I wanted to record it here so I could have it for future reference. He said, 

"I think Elias is a priestly figure.  Now I'm going to take you liturgically to the temple, and there's three priests.  There's the one who's standing outside, calling everybody to leave Egypt."

"And that typically is personified as Moses.  Then once they leave and they enter into the call or the holy place, there's a priest there that is inviting them to live a higher law.  And that is the Elias figure/"

"And so that's John.  John in the wilderness is an Elias. He is actually called that because he's speaking to people with ears to hear, and he's asking them to live a higher law."

... "And then finally, the third priestly figure is Melchizedek or Jesus.  And that figure is the one that invites us to cross the veil into the father's presence.  And so if you read it that way, John is standing as Elias, and he writing this work, and no one's going to get it except those who have ears to hear." 

I don't know where Bryce got the information about the three priests representing Moses, Elias, and Melchizedek, but I thought it was very interesting.  It helps explain all the different people who are called Elias in the scriptures.