July 30th

July 30, 1837 - Eleven days after Apostles Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, and Orson Hyde arrive at Liverpool, England, they baptize nine converts in the Ribble River near Preston. These are the first convert baptisms outside of North America.
Heber C Kimball records: "about daybreak, Elder Isaac Russell (who had been appointed to preach on the obelisk in Preston Square, that day), who slept with Elder Richards in Wilfred Street, came up to the third story, where Elder Hyde and myself were sleeping, and called out, 'Brother Kimball, I want you should get up and pray for me that I may be delivered from the evil spirits that are tormenting me to such a degree that I feel I cannot live long, unless I obtain relief.' "I had been sleeping on the back of the bed. I immediately arose, slipped off at the foot of the bed, and passed around to where he was. Elder Hyde threw his feet out, and sat up in the bed, and we laid hands on him, I being mouth, and prayed that the Lord would have mercy on him, and rebuked the devil. "While thus engaged, I was struck with great force by some invisible power, and fell senseless on the floor. The first thing I recollected was being supported by Elders Hyde and Richards, who were praying for me; Elder Richards having followed Russell up to my room. Elder Hyde and Richards then assisted me to get on the bed, but my agony was so great I could not endure it, and I arose, bowed my knees and prayed. I then arose and sat up on the bed, when a vision was opened to our minds, and we could distinctly see the evil spirits, who foamed and gnashed their teeth at us. We gazed upon them about an hour and a half (by Willard's watch). We were not looking towards the window, but towards the wall. Space appeared before us, and we saw the devils coming in legions, with their leaders, who came within a few feet of us. They came towards us like armies rushing to battle. They appeared to be men of full stature, possessing every form and feature of men in the flesh, who were angry and desperate; and I shall never forget the vindictive malignity depicted on their countenances as they looked me in the eye; and any attempt to paint the scene which then presented itself, or portray their malice and enmity, would be vain. I perspired exceedingly, my clothes becoming as wet as if I had been taken out of the river. I felt excessive pain, and was in the greatest distress for some time."

July 30, 1844 - Samuel H. Smith dies from what is reported as "bilious fever," but which his daughter and brother later described as poisoning by Hosea Stout, ordered by Willard Richards. Stout had given "white powder" medicine to Samuel daily until his death. Later Council of Fifty member and physician John M. Bernhisel tells William Smith that anti-Mormons had somehow poisoned his brother. On news of his death, bishop George Miller and Alexander Badlam try to persuade Willard Richards, John Taylor, and George A. Smith to allow the Council of Fifty to organize a First Presidency. Before his death Joseph Smith had named his brother Samuel as his successor in case Joseph and Hyrum were suddenly taken. Apostle William Smith is now the only survivor of Joseph Sr. and Lucy Mack Smith's five sons.

July 30, 1879 - Judge Boreman delivers his his opinion in a contempt case involving President John Taylor and the executors of Brigham Young's estate:. "To the effect that the Executors be committed to prison until they shall turn over to the Receiver property to the amount of $142,995.52, and that Prest. Taylor be likewise imprisoned until he turns over all property conveyed to him by the Executors, notwithstanding evidence had been produced in Court to the effect that these properties have already been disposed of." Taylor's secretary, L. John Nuttall, records that two hours later "Prest. Taylor and nine of the Apostles met at the office and talked over the matter of offering bonds instead of turning out more property, and as $200,000 had been demanded from the Trustee in Trust and $150,000 for the Executors. It was decided that the church would indemnify for the Trustee to the full amount, as the property is now on hand, and also to indemnify for the Executors to the amount of $50,000."

July 30, 1888 - Susa Young Gates, daughter of Brigham Young, writes to Leo Tolstoy: "When I read your remarks in relation to the present efforts of the U.S. Gov. to crush out polygamy among the peculiar sect called Mormons. My surprise was unbounded that extensive as your reading and knowledge is, it should still reach so far, and compass so seemingly small a factor in the world's present history. I should like if I were only able, to give you a 'mormon's' view of the Mormon question. . . . You have doubtless heard 'our story' all from the one side. Would you care for the 'other side' to speak also?" Gates sends Tolstoy a copy of The Book of Mormon, and George Q. Cannon's LIFE OF JOSEPH SMITH. On January 23, 1889 Tolstoy records his reaction to them in his diary: "I wrote down a few things. I read both the Mormon Bible and the life of Smith and I was horrified. Yes, religion, religion proper, is the product of deception, lies for a good purpose. An illustration of this is obvious, extreme in the deception: The Life of Smith; but also other religions, religions proper, only in differing degrees."

July 30, 1889 - L. John Nuttall writes in his diary: "We have information that the U.S. Dist. Arty., Marshall, and Courts purpose arresting the Presidency, Twelve, Presidents of Stakes, Bishops, and leading men generally, and if they do not acknowledge to having put away their plural wives, they will be considered as living in unlawful cohabitation and be punished accordingly."

July 30, 1892 - Apostle Francis M. Lyman writes: "Pres Jos F. Smith called bro Moses Thatcher to task for some things he considered wrong in him. Pres Geo Q. Cannon and I were asked to listen. We did for two hours or more. Some of the charges made by Pres Smith against Moses, he seemed to clean up all right. In fact his explanations were generally plausible. There was finally some feeling shown by bro M[oses] when he declared that Pres Jos F. had been stuffed with lies about him for 14 years. Pres Smith told him that the day would come when he would regret the stand he had taken upon the question of church and state, which tends to prevent the Presidency from counseling the people in political matters."

July 30, 1895 - Apostle Heber J. Grant records in his dairy that the First Presidency, Apostles and political leaders met for six hours: " The matter under discussion was the activity taken by our sisters in the political matters. Nearly all of us who were present expressed regrets that the sisters should have taken such an active part in political matters and gone out and made so many speeches, and while we regretted this the general feeling was that for the Presidency to now ask these sisters to stop their work would bring ill feelings about among those not of us, and the cry would go out that the Church was not allowing its members perfect freedom. It was decided to let the matter go along as it had started, but the feeling generally was that leading officials in the Relief Societies should have kept out of active work in political matters."

July 30, 1897 - A committee of Apostles writes to Apostle Moses Thatcher charging him with "apostacy and unchristian like conduct, exhibited in public speeches" private and newspaper interviews, exhibiting a departure from the gospel and church "such as prohibit his right to fellowship and standing." The letter is signed by Brigham Young Jr., Francis M. Lyman, and Heber J. Grant.

July 30, 1903 - At weekly meeting of First Presidency and Apostles " There was some informal talk in regard to card playing. Pres.[Joseph F.] Smith remarked that at the meeting of the general board of the Y.M.M.I.A. held last evening the question of card playing was discussed and upon motion of Brother Clawson it became the sense of the board that card playing be discouraged among our young people. Brother [B. H.] Roberts, he said, made a strong plea for cards, saying that he had always looked upon it as an innocent amusement, but nevertheless felt to accept the view expressed by Pres. Smith and would abide by the action of the board."

July 30, 1933 - Legal transfer of Gila Junior College from LDS-church ownership to Graham County, Arizona, and E. Edgar Fuller begins service as first LDS president of secular college outside intermountain states.

July 30, 1976 - Randall Ellsworth, missionary temporarily paralized by collapse of LDS chapel during Guatemala's February earthquake, returns to minister among native Indians there. After months of physical therapy in Utah, the twenty-year-old now "walks with short-legged braces and a cane."

July 30, 1977 - CHURCH NEWS headlines: "Church Educational System Now In 55 Countries" and "Entire Andes Village Joins: They All Wanted Baptism." The latter article tells of the Bolivian village of Huacuyo where the people wrote a letter to the Mission President saying, Please send missionaries to us; our children have learned to read Spanish in school. At our village, they read the Book of Mormon to us. We know it is true, and we want to be baptized." Later research shows much of the story, including this quote, to be exaggerated and/or fabricated.

July 30, 1980 - CALGARY HERALD reports: "Blood Indians camped, on the northern edge of Cardston, Alberta, Canada, pledging to pull all their money out of banks in the town of 3200 and refusing to purchase anything from Cardston businesses. . . . Anger was directed at Cardston residents and specifically at the Mormon Church. The town was founded by Mormon pioneers and is the site of a temple. This is the latest turn in the dispute over the Bloods' claim to land they say is rightfully theirs-land that takes in the town. Blood Indians claimed they have heard racist statements from town residents, been refused service in local businesses, and been refused treatment in the local hospital. They now plan to take their economic revenge."

July 30, 1988 - Newspaper reports that Brigham Young University has fired Hebrew professor David P. Wright due to his private disbelief in Book of Mormon as ancient history. Wright joins faculty of Brandeis University and is excommunicated in 1994 for publishing article which applies biblical textual criticism to BOOK OF MORMON. This is reported in national CHRONICLE OF HIGHER EDUCATION.

July 30, 1993 - Commemorative service at California's Mt. Coray, recently named for Melissa Coray who accompanied Mormon Battalion to California in 1846.

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