July 2nd

July 2, 1788 - THE COLUMBIAN MAGAZINE in Philadelphia Reprints John Smith's letter about Hebrew among the Indians and Charlevoix's Journal of Travels in North America (1761), which states Indians are similar to Jews

July 2, 1822 - Zachariah Seymour, the land agent from whom Joseph Smith Sr. and Alvin Smith articled the 100 acres and to whom they made payments, dies. The Smiths almost lose their newly acquired farm until it is purchased by Lemuel Durfee who becomes their landlord.

July 2, 1833 - Joseph Smith finishes his "translation" of the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible. Making changes in an 1828 edition, Smith alters more than 3,400 verses and introduces new passages.

July 2, 1839 - Joseph Smith tells the Apostles and Seventies, "I will give you one of the Keys of the mysteries of the Kingdom. It is an eternal principle, that has existed with God from all eternity: That man who rises up to condemn others, finding fault with the Church, saying that they are out of the way, while he himself is righteous, then know assuredly, that that man is in the high road to apostasy; and if he does not repent, will apostatize, as God lives." This is often quoted to members who are critical of church leaders without mentioning that it was originally given to church leaders--to apostles and seventies--who were critical of church members.

July 2, 1842 - The church newspaper THE WASP publishes a phrenology chart of Joseph Smith's head and personality. The first trait is "Amativeness--11, L[arge]. Extreme susceptibility; passionatley fond of the company of the other sex." The official HISTORY OF THE CHURCH still publishes this chart, along with the caution that such a high score indicates "extreme liability to perversion" in the trait.

July 2, 1871 - The "Liberal Institute" is dedicated in Salt Lake City at the corner of Second South and Second East. This architectural landmark seats over 1000 and is constructed mostly by Godbeites and disaffected Mormons. Susan B. Anthony, who attended the dedication, writes that the reformers "sang their songs of freedom, poured out their rejoicings over the emancipation from the thrall of the Theocracy of Brigham, and told of the beatitudes of soul-to-soul communion with the All-Father." The Institute became a home for Methodists, Presbyterians, Jews, Swedish Lutherans and "Reorganite Mormons" as well as suffragettes, spiritualists (including mediums and their debunkers), and free thinkers.

July 2, 1879 - Apostle Wilford Woodruff receives a letter from his nephew Henry Woodruff "who asked me for my Daughter Nellie [Emma Minella Woodruff] in Marriage." The marriage between the first cousins is performed six months later on Jan. 15. They have seven children.

July 2, 1881 - DESERET NEWS reports Apostle Erastus Snow's sermon of Aug. 3, 1880: "Our people are already settling in Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Arizona, Nevada, and are stretching into Old Mexico . . . He [God] wishes us to occupy the land, because the time is coming when He proposes to give it to us, and give us the rule over it. I suppose you voted at the general election yesterday; it is a part of your duty, because by voting at the polls we establish our rule and government in the land."

July 2, 1885 - Apostle John Henry Smith is arrested in front of his house for "Illegal Cohabitation." After a court hearing in which his son George Albert Smith (later Church President) testifies he is discharged and sent home.

July 2, 1887 - First Presidency Secretary L. John Nuttall writes of President John Taylor: "The President is much the same as he has been the past two or three days. He takes no food, he is entirely sustained by stimulants [wine and beer]." Taylor dies three weeks later on July 25.

July 2, 1899 - At nine-and-one-half-hour solemn assembly in Salt Lake temple attended by "about six hundred of the presiding officers of the Church [including] "The First Presidency and all the Twelve Apostles . . . Nearly all the Presidents of the Stakes with their Counselors, and nearly all the Bishops of the Church . . . about 700 in all," President Lorenzo Snow says "Just as sure as we live, if we do not honor the law of tithing, we will never possess the land of Jackson County, except it be by the shedding of blood, but it will not be by the shedding of blood because you will listen to my voice and the voice of my brethren. We are the sons of the prophets and the sons of God. The Lord will not send hornets to drive the people out of Jackson County, as he promised to drive the people out of the land of promise before the children of Israel, but he will send cyclones, earthquakes, and pestilences." Snow says "Within ten, fifteen or twenty years perhaps sooner, we are going to Jackson County." First counselor George Q. Cannon tells men, "there are those in this audience who are descendants of the old 12 Apostles and, shall I say it, yes, descendants of the Savior himself. His seed is represented in this body of men."

July 2, 1903 - First Presidency and Apostles meet in the Salt Lake Temple: "We are to build a Hospital to cost about one hundred thousand dollars. We are trying to get the control of the Street Railway system. We will run Saltair even if it loses money and maintain the Temperance rule."

July 2, 1945 - Seventy-five-year-old Herbert S. Salisbury, grandson of Joseph Smith's sister Catherine Smith Salisbury, states: "Catherine Smith Salisbury, told me she was present at home when her brother, Joseph Smith, came in nearly exhausted, carrying the package of gold plates from which the Book of Mormon was translated. He was carrying the package clasped to his side with his left hand and arm, and his right hand was badly bruised from knocking down at least three men who had leaped at him from behind bushes or fences as he ran until out of breath. She said he entered the house running and threw himself on a couch panting from his extraordinary exertion. She told me Joseph allowed her to "heft" the package but not to see the gold plates, as the angel had forbidden him to show them at that period. She said they were very heavy."

July 2, 1962 - Counselor Hugh B. Brown rededicates portions of Alberta (Canada) temple. Extensive remodeling of temple interiors (sometimes involving structural replacement of EVERYTHING except exterior walls and roof) is necessary to accommodate filmed endowment ceremony and to allow larger number of temple patrons. Rededication ceremonies occur for Arizona temple (Apr. 15, 1975), St. George temple (Nov. 11, 1975), Hawaii temple (June 13, 1978), Logan temple (Mar. 13, 1979), Manti temple (June 14, 1985), Alberta temple (again June 22, 1991), London temple, (Oct. 18, 1992), Swiss temple (Oct 23, 1992). These temples, sometimes for first time in nearly 100 years, are open to general public for tours prior to rededication ceremonies occurring from 1975 onward.

July 2, 1970 - Appointment of Rafael E. Castillo Valdes, BYU graduate and Mormon, as Guatemala's ambassador to United Nations (serving to 1975). Daviid M. Kennedy is appointed United States ambassador to NATO (1972), and newly independent nation of Croatia appoints Kresimir Cosic as its deputy ambassador to United Nations (1992).

July 2, 1972 - Joseph Fielding Smith dies.

July 2, 1985 - Second counselor Gordon B. Hinckley dedicated temple near Stockholm, Sweden. On this date Swedish government issues postage stamp commemorating temple's dedication, and later this year Brazil's government issues stamp commemorating fifty years of Mormon proselytizing among Brazilians.

July 2, 1990 - Church sends emergency supplies for earthquake relief in Iran.

July 2, 1996 - "Security leader and de facto second in command" of Russian Republic publicly apologizes week after calling Russia's Mormons "filth and scum." LDS church has no more than 5,000 converts and 200 missionaries there. Apology occurs because LDS members (Republicans) of Republican-controlled U.S. Senate ask Democratic "Clinton administration to reconsider aid to Russia because of [Aleksandr] Lebed's stand."

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