April 9th

Apr 9, 1831 - The EVANGELICAL MAGAZINE AND GOSPEL ADVOCATE publishes a letter from "A. W. B. (Abram. W. Benton) concerning the pre-Book-of-Mormon days of Joseph Smith: "For several years preceding the appearance of his book, he was about the country in the character of a glass-looker: pretending, by means of a certain stone, or glass, which he put in a hat, to be able to discover lost goods, hidden treasures, mines of gold and silver, &c. Although he constantly failed in his pretensions, still he had his dupes who put implicit confidence in all his words. In this town, a wealthy farmer, named Josiah Stowell, together with others, spent large sums of money in digging for hidden money, which this Smith pretended he could see, and told them where to dig; but they never found their treasure. At length the public, becoming wearied with the base imposition which he was palming upon the credulity of the ignorant, for the purpose of sponging his living from their earnings, had him arrested as a disorderly person, tried and condemned before a court of Justice. But considering his youth, (he being then a minor,) and thinking he might reform his conduct, he was designedly allowed to escape"

Apr 9, 1842 - the Nauvoo City Council passes an ordinance to license taverns and ordinaries in the town to sell beer but not spirits.

Apr 9, 1844 - A special convention is held in Nauvoo at the end of general conference to launch Joseph Smith's presidential campaign. Brigham Young asks for volunteers to "to preach the Gospel and electioneer" He gets 244 responses and cash and pledges of $200.

Apr 9, 1845 - Lorenzo Snow returns to Nauvoo and brings tithing he has collected consisting of money and in-kind donations including a six-pound cannon.

Apr 9, 1852 - Brigham Young’s first published sermon expounding his Adam-God doctrine: "When our Father Adam came into the garden of Eden, he came into it with a celestial body, and brought Eve, one of his wives, with him. He helped to make and organize this world. He is MICHAEL, the Archangel, the ANCIENT OF DAYS! about whom holy men have written and spoken--He is our Father and our God, and the only God with whom we have to do." For the next twenty-five years, Young speaks about the "Adam-God doctrine" in numerous sermons, most of which he publishes. In this same sermon Young says: "The Holy Ghost is the Spirit of the Lord, and issues forth from Himself….The Lord fills the immensity of space."

Apr 9, 1857 - Wilford Woodruff preaches, "Now, whatever I might have obtained in the shape of learning, by searching and study respecting the arts and sciences of men,—whatever principles I may have imbibed during my scientific researches, yet, if the Prophet of God should tell me that a certain principle or theory which I might have learned was not true, I do not care what my ideas might have been, I should consider it my duty, at the suggestion of my file leader, to abandon that principle or theme."

Apr 9, 1872 - Conference sustains new calling of "home missionaries," which Counselor George A. Smith explains before presenting names of those assigned for each stake (which is entire county at this time). Calling of home missionaries overlaps with visits of "block teachers." In 1912 term "ward teachers" becomes official, by which time "home missionaries" are known as "stake missionaries."

Apr 9, 1882 - John Taylor formally announces to general conference that 1880 U. S. census report shows Utah territory has 120,283 Mormons, with 14,155 "Gentiles" and 6,988 "Apostates." Utah is only place in 1880 that U.S. government includes religion in census.
Apostle John Henry Smith writes in his diary, "President John Taylor spoke 20-30 minutes and made a failure, his talk was not wise nor given by the spirit of the Lord, if I could judge."

Apr 9, 1894 - Of "O My Father," President Wilford Woodruff tells general conference: "That hymn is a revelation, though it was given unto us by a woman--Sister Eliza R. Snow."
Death of Thomas C Sharp, principal conspirator in murder of Joseph and Hyrum Smith. He has had a successful career as mayor, judge, school principal and newspaper editor.

Apr 9, 1900 - Lorenzo Snow tells priesthood leadership meeting that second anointing "is not only intended for the aged, but also for younger men. We are afraid, however, that Presidents of Stakes do not exercise sufficient care in regard to this matter. The privilege should only be given to those who have been tried and tested, being full of integrity and not likely to fall away.-

Apr 9, 1901 - Louisa Richards writes to President Lorenzo Snow, "Sister Eliza R. Snow [sister of President Snow] Smith, who received the instructions from the Prophet Joseph Smith, her husband, taught the sisters in her day, that a very important part of the sacred ordinance of administration to the sick was the sealing of the anointing and blessings, and should never be omitted. And we follow the pattern she gave us continually. We do not seal in the authority of the Priesthood, but in the name of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ."

Apr 9, 1906 - Francis M. Lyman announces resignations of apostles John W. Taylor and Matthias F. Cowley for being "out of harmony." In priesthood meeting, Lyman is emotional as he says some stake presidents feel he has been out of harmony for his opposition to post-1890 plural marriages
Charles H. Hart, new Seventy's president, is first general authority with law degree (LL.B. from University of Michigan). LL.B. (later J.D.) degree of law eventually is most common graduate degree among general authorities of modern LDS church including, Stephen L. Richards (appointed in 1917). J. Reuben Clark (1933), Albert E. Bowen (1937), Marion G. Romney (1941), Matthew Cowley (1945), Bruce R. McConkie (1946), Henry D. Moyle (1947), Marion D. Hanks (1953), Franklin D. Richards (1958), Howard W. Hunter (1959), James E. Faust (1972), W. Grant Bangerter (1975), Ronald E. Poelman (1978), Derek A. Cuthbert (1978), Robert L. Backman (1978), F. Burton Howard (1978), Dallin H. Oaks (1984), John K Carmack (1984), H. Verlan Andersen (1986), Francis M. Gibbons (1986), W. Eugene Hansen (1989), Marlin K. Jensen (1989), Merlin R Lybbert (1989), Earl C. Tingey (1991), Cre-L. Kofford (1991), Augusto A. Lim (1992), D. Todd Christofferson (1993), Lance B Wickman (1994), Bruce C. Hafen (1996), Quentin L. Cook (1996), Dennis E. Simmons (1996).

Apr 9, 1932 - Elder Stephen L. Richards' Conference address asserts that the Church's emphatic intolerance of people who do not live up to the standards of the Word of Wisdom may be "out of proportion with the real seriousness of the offense." "I believe," Richards continues, "there are some good people in the church to whom the use of tobacco is so repugnant and who are so offended by those who use it that they may actually develop a feeling akin to hatred toward the smoker. This state of mind, to my thinking, is regrettable and dangerous." President Heber J. Grant disallows the speech to be published in Conference Reports.

Apr 9, 1951 - Conference sustains David O. McKay as church president with Stephen L. Richards and J. Reuben Clark as counselors. This demotion of Clark from first counselor stuns many Mormons, including Quorum of Twelve Apostles. For first time in its history, Twelve "ordains" church president and then sets apart McKay and his counselors. McKay is also first church president who graduated from college (University of Utah).

Apr 9, 1953 - Through the influence of J. Willard Marriott, Thomas Stuart Ferguson meets with the First Presidency and other invited General Authorities. He appeales to them for Church funds to continue the work of New World Archaeological Foundation, $15,000 to finish out the current year and $120,000 to cover the next four years Near the end of the presentation, Ferguson told the assembled Church leaders that he "had prayed to [the] Lord & asked him to stop me if it weren't his will that we go forward." At this point President David O. McKay replied with a smile, "Brother Ferguson, you're a hard man to stop" The next day Ferguson writes a letter to the First Presidency reminding them that "the priceless artifacts of Book of Mormon people" would assist in the missionary program and would publicize the Book of Mormon to the world. A week later, President Ruben J. Clark replies with a partially favorable decision: the Church would con' tribute $15,000 to Ferguson for the present year only, with the condition that "no publicity whatever in any way or at any time" be given to this private donation.

Apr 9, 1977 - Death at age eighty-one of Mildred T. Pettit, composer of "I Am A Child Of God," most popular twentieth-century hymn of Mormonism.

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