Tag Archives: Journal of Mormon History

Baptisms for health were once more common than baptisms for the dead

(To see Cal Grondahl’s cartoon that goes with this post, click here.) Most of us know about the ubiquity of the LDS Church performing baptisms for the dead in church temples. And every week in many locations there are baptisms … Read More

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Mormon one-size-for-all Sacramental goblet was a casualty of the progressive era

(To see Cal Grondahl’s cartoon that goes with this post, click here.) I was talking to an elderly woman in my LDS ward and I asked her if her father had mentioned partaking of the Sacrament in a large ward … Read More

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Elijah Ables, a black Mormon priesthood holder in the 19th century

(To see Cal Grondahl’s cartoon that goes with this post, click here). Elijah Ables is no stranger to Mormon history, although he’s virtually unknown to anyone who relies exclusively on LDS correlation. Ables was a black man who was ordained … Read More

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Utah’s decision to give women the vote was later rescinded by the feds

(To see Cal Grondahl’s cartoon that goes with this post, click here) In the 19th century, Utah’s polygamy was often described as one of the twin barbarisms of society, slavery being the other. As historian Thomas G. Alexander writes in … Read More

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The first John D. Lee trial was waged in the court of public opinion

(To see Cal Grondahl’s cartoon that goes with this post, click here) In the Winter 2013 “Journal of Mormon History,” there’s an interesting article from Robert H. Briggs, a lawyer and historian from California. “A Seething Cauldron of Controversy: The First … Read More

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The Spaulding Manuscript as Jeffersonian idealism, and not a Book of Mormon template

(To see Cal Grondahl’s cartoon that goes with this post, click here) Solomon  Spaulding’s “Manuscript Found,” an unpublished novel by the 18th and 19th century minister, is a topic of interest to anti-Mormons. In 1834, Eber Howe, author of “Mormonism … Read More

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LDS General Handbook of Instructions has evolved over a century-plus

(To see Cal Grondahl’s cartoon that goes with this post, click here.) The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints General Handbook of Instructions, or at least the section that’s for all inquiring eyes, are eagerly awaited as much by … Read More

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State violence is far more prevalent than religious violence

(To see Cal Grondahl’s cartoon that goes with this post, click here) In the Summer 2012 issue of The Journal of Mormon History, historian Patrick Q. Mason takes issue with this statement from Charles Kimball, in his widely read book, … Read More

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Same-sex relationship sent LDS Church patriarch into exile

In October 1946, Joseph F. Smith II, LDS Church patriarch, was released from his calling in LDS General Conference. He had not served for several months, the official reason being that he was ill, confined to his home in Centerville, … Read More

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Police, no-knock raid caught an LDS apostle in another woman’s bed

(To see Cal Grondahl’s cartoon that goes with this post, click here). On Nov. 11, 1943, LDS apostles Joseph Fielding Smith and Harold B. Lee gathered with Salt Lake City police officers, including Chief Reed Vetterli, outside the small Center … Read More

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