March 31st

Mar 31, 1834 - Joseph Smith arrives in Chardon, Ohio "to tend the Court against Docter P[hilastus] Hurlbut &c." Joseph preferred charges against Hurlbut, a disgruntled former Mormon, for verbally threatening Joseph's life.

Mar 31, 1844 - William Clayton, Joseph Smith's personal secretary, writes that his two wives "received their anointing for which I feel thankful . . . my greatest desire is to so live that I may secure for myself and mine the highest degree of exaltation and glory which is possible for me to obtain, and to be with my friend Joseph smith in the eternal world." The "anointing" Clayton speaks of is the endowment. They didn't receive their second anointing until January 26, 1846.
Joseph Smith signs his petition to the U.S. Government to allow Joseph "the privilege of raising 100,000 [military] volunteers to protect the Texas, Oregon, &c."

Mar 31, 1858 - Ex-apostle Lyman Wight dies in Texas from alcoholism and opium addiction.

Mar 31, 1870 - A large group of "citizens of Salt Lake City" approve a memorial to Congress: "We … are believers in the principle of plural marriage or polygamy," the petition declared, "not simply as an elevating social relationship and a preventive of many terrible evils which afflict our race, but as a principle revealed by god, underlying our every hope of eternal salvation and happiness in heaven." Encouraging the Senate to reject the Cullom Bill, the petitioners expressed the predicament they would be in should the bill become law. "It gives us no alternative but the cruel one of rejecting God's command and abjuring our religion, or disobeying the authority of a government we desire to honor and respect." The Cullom bill would bar believers in polygamy from serving on juries and would not allow polygamists to hold public office, voting, or becoming naturalized citizens. It passes the house but does not pass the Senate.

Mar 31, 1876 - Wilford Woodruff offers the dedicatory prayer to the new Z.C.M.I. store. The First Presidency and Quorum of Twelve attends. Joseph F. Smith "asked President Youngs Pardon for Contradicting him in the matter which Pardon was granted By Preside[n]t Young."

Mar 31,1882 - John Taylor closes Church Historian's Office to the public.

Mar 31, 1883 - Apostle Brigham Young Jr. tells stake priesthood meeting: "There are many girls in Utah who have never had an offer of marriage from a man of the Church... Girls who marry outsiders are not worthy of the Sacrament."

Mar 31, 1893 - The First Presidency and members of the Twelve Apostles "met and talked over the situation and the question of allegiance. Bro. B. H. Roberts declared himself fully in accord with us."

Mar 31, 1897 - The Twelve Apostles discuss the health of President Wilford Woodruff. They learn that "his heart does not beat regular every sixth beat seems to be omitted shewing weakness in the muscles of the heart."

Mar 31, 1904 - The First Presidency and Twelve meet during the heighth of the Smoot hearings in Washington D.C. "The brethren indulged in a little informal discussion of the present situation as to the investigation under way by the senate committee and agreed that it is pretty serious—especially in view of the fact that some of the brethren are wanted as witnesses and cannot be found. While it was conceded that the church is under no obligation to furnish evidence for the committee, the fact remains, if the witnesses are not produced, the verdict of guilty will be pronounced by our enemies. On the other hand, the brethren looked upon this present movement as a most unholy crusade." Six days later President Joseph F. Smith presents the "second manifesto" during general conference.

Mar 31, 1948 - Central States Mission historical report notes: "It is also the desire of the Mission President [Francis W. Brown] to send each Elder into the country without purse or scrip to take the gospel to the many people in the Mission who have not had the opportunity of hearing the gospel for many years. We feel that much good will be accomplished through this, both for the people contacted and for the Elders."

Mar 31, 1978 - Announcement of end to quarterly stake conferences, which are impractical due to geometric expansion of church population.

Mar 31, 1982 - Announcement of temple to be constructed in Guayaquil, Ecuador. Delays in obtaining government permits postpones groundbreaking ceremony until 1996.

Mar 31, 1990 - Conference sustains first general authority of black African descent, Second Quorum of Seventy’s Helvecio Martins of Brazil (who is released in 1995). Chieko Nishimura Okazaki is sustained as first counselor in general presidency of Relief Society, first non-Caucasian member of auxiliary presidency in Mormon history.

Mar 31, 2005 - The Dead Goat Saloon wins in a lawsuit brought against it by the LDS Church. The Church maintained that, although the Saloon/strip club's door was more than 165 feet from a main "gateway corridor" street, its stage was less than 165 feet "as the mole crawls." KUTV news reports that "In her 29-page ruling, [Judge Denise] Lindberg noted how strange it was for lawyers representing The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the city attorney to sit at the same table during oral arguments since the church was suing the city."

No comments: