May 11th

May 11, 1842 - Church leaders announce that John C. Bennett will be disfellowshipped. Orson Pratt refuses to sign the announcement. Pratt's wife Sarah had accused Joseph Smith of trying to seduce her. Joseph had accused John C. Bennett of being the one involved with Sarah Pratt.

May 11, 1843 - Joseph Smith marries Emily and Eliza Partridge, youthful daughters of deceased church bishop Edward Partridge. They have been living in Joseph's house as housekeepers and nannies. This is a second ceremony done with Emma's permission. Emma had given Joseph permission to take plural wives and chose Emily and Eliza without knowing that Joseph had previously married them in secret. It is unclear that Emma knew exactly what was implied by the ceremony since Joseph later had to forcibly and secretly hold the door to Eliza's room shut to keep Emma from finding them together. Emily later remembered that "Emma was present. She gave her free and full consent. She had always up to this time, been very kind to me and my sister . . .but ever after [the ceremony] she was our enemy."

May 11, 1844 - Sidney Rigdon receives the endowment and admission to the "Anointed Quorum."

May 11, 1847 - Appleton Milo Harmon constructs the Mormon pioneer "Roadometer" (odometer) according to Orson Pratt’s design and William Clayton's original suggestion. The next day it is attached to Clayton's wagon and relieves Clayton of the task of counting individual rotations of a wagon wheel which he has been doing until now.

May 11, 1854 - Brigham Young makes a gift of tobacco and beef cattle to Ute Indian Chief Walker ("Wakara"). Walker didn't want to talk and lay down in the dirt "but President Young manifested great patience with him even after the patience of most men was exhausted. He went to him & lifted him out of the dirt & finally got him to talk some."

May 11, 1886 - First Seventy President Abraham H. Cannon writes: "There have been two windows left out of west end of the Salt Lake Temple through an error of the architect which will most likely necessitate the taking down of the wall for 20 ft. Order was given yesterday to stop laying stone now until a decision was reached about this matter. It is a most egregious error. "

May 11, 1911 - Twelve vote as compromise to deprive Matthias F. Cowley of right to exercise priesthood but not disfellowship him. This resolves two-day deadlock in which seven apostles want to give him no punishment, whereas quorum president Francis M. Lyman and two others want to disfellowship Cowley for performing plural marriage up to 1905 resignation. Cowley regards this as second punishment (double jeopardy) he has received for same acts., which he insists he did by authorization of First Presidency.

May 11, 1984 -- At the Mormon History Association's annual meeting in Provo, Utah, Melvin T. Smith presents a paper titled "The Believing Mormon Historian's Dilemmas."

May 11, 1995 - Representatives of LDS church in Denver to withdraw their application for institutional "observer status" in Colorado Council of Churches, first step to membership in World Council of Churches. Announcement of application caused firestorm of complaints and letters demanding rejection due to Mormon theology of sexually cohabiting Heavenly Father who progresses by allowing mortals to become gods. The application is withdrawn to avoid bruising confirmation process.

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