| Show I I I JUST HISTORY j 1 i I 1 By fly ALBERT F. F PHILIPS I 11 4 I fr 0 Brigham Young president of the Mormon church died at his home In Salt Lake August 27 27 1877 Then the he affairs of the church were presIded presided presided pre pre- sided over by the twelve apostles who administered the affairs for tor three years Daniel Daniel H. vH WellS Veils and John JohnW W. W Young who had acted as counselors to Brigham Young were sustained by trie church as counSelors counselors counselors coun coun- to the twelve so that a re reorganization t re-t organization o of the first pr presidency did not occur until October 10 a athe at atthe the general conference of the I I church held in Salt Lake At that date three of the apostles John Y 1 1 Ta Taylor lor George Q Q Cannon and Jo Joseph Jo- Jo I seph F. F Smith were chosen to constitute constitute constitute con con- JO-I JO 1 the first presidency of the I church with John Taylor as as' as president I dent of the church The elevation 1 of the three apostle apostles left lert a vacancy J lin in the council of twelve and two of I I I the vacancies Were filled by the or or- o of Francis M Ms Lyman and I John Henry Smith to the apostle- apostle I I ship I About Brigham Young second 1 president of the church He was wasa a 1 native of Vermont born at Witting I I ham In the Green Mountain state i June 7 7 1 01 His parents were I Methodists and with that church he allied himself By trade he was a I carpenter Joiner painter glazier I He married Miss lIss Miriam 1 Works I I and in 1829 1829 moved to I Monroe county New York Here in inthe inthe the spring of 1830 he ne first saw the I Book of Mormon Being shown the I book ook by Samuel Smith brother o of the prophet Joseph SmiTh and his biographer says that his reading convinced him that the Book o of Mormon 1 was was was' a a. divine record and that Joseph Smith was a prophet o of the living God and with this belief belief be be- lie lief he he- he left the Methodists ana unit cI with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Latter Saints and andon andon andon on April 14 14 1832 he was baptised a member of the church His wife died Septem September er 8 1832 leaving leavin him I two little girls and Brigham Young then went to Kirtland where he met the prophet who prophesied that the time would come when Brig Brig- Brigham Brigham ham Young would preside over th the church In February 1834 he married married mar mar- ried ned Mary Ann Angel who cared for his motherless children Severa Several Several Sev Sev- era eral children were born to them He was chosen a member of the apostles apostles apos apos- ties on February 14 1835 COUNCIL SUSTAINED ED I In September 1 1839 39 he w went nt te to tG England sailing salling from New lork rk on March 9 9 1840 and returning to Nauvoo on July 1 1 1841 While in England the first council of th the twelve held in a a he was sustained d as as president J r of or th that t. t q quorum orum by unanimous Us vote He had I printed d copies of the Book of 1 and Oo hymn him n boo books s. s On Cit Jan January a. a y 19 10 1841 the prophet Jose Joseph Joseth h Smith rec received ived a revelation ri In which according to the biographer pher r of ot President the he said said- saidI I give unto y you U my servant Young to be boa a president I over the twelve traveling council twelve hold the keys to open up the authority of of- my kingdom upon the four corn corners r of the earth and after that to send my word to every creature The biographer adds The o of the twelve stands next in authority to the the presidency of the church and In case of the he decease of the prophet the twelve preside over the church with their theli pr president at the head and thus was brought to the front Young Brigham the man whom God d designed should succeed the prophet Joseph Smith LED THE SAINTS He built the temple at Nauvoo I and he led the Saints from thereto there thereto to Salt Lake Pre President ident Young was possessed of unusual executive ability and his control over his people was marvelous The Lat Lat- ter-day ter Saints Encyclopedia in speaking of him said No m man n Inthe in inthe inthe the church before or since was better better bet bet- ter adapted to lead In colonizing and building up a great commonwealth commonwealth common common- wealth He served as the first governor of Utah from 1851 to 1857 to the satisfaction of the people Inthe in inthe the t territory He was 1150 also the first governor of the state o of Deseret I In April 1853 he laid the and the cornerstones of ot the beautiful Temple In Salt Lake It was completed forty years later in 1893 and before its completion he laid the foundations for three other temples in itt St. St George Mantl Manti antl and Logan During his lifetime the theone theone theone one In St St. George was completed and he IC dedicated I It It He e wu was was' n a 8 p prime hn mover in thel the building ui of th ih the Utah Central railroad and the Utah Southern railroad He was one o of the large Jarge contractors in the building buildIng build buld- ing o of the Union Pacific railroad as also the tel telegraph graph line Une across the continent and In the building of The he e D Deseret s ret Telegraph srn since e ab absorbed absorbed absorbed ab- ab b by b the Western Union He was one of the founders of the Deseret Deseret Deseret Des Des- r eret university now the University l I sity of Utah He had several wives wives wives' and was was' the father of fifty six chi chil- I hH j dren He died as stated on August 29 29 1877 His fm funeral ral was as attended by about 30 00 people LAST SURVIVOR Orson Pratt who w. w was ws s' s the last surviving member o of the first council coun coun- cil Il of the twelve apostles passed away In Salt Lake October 3 3 1881 Then the two vacancies one o of which had existed from October I I 1880 1880 and the one occasioned by the I Ideath Ideath death of Apostle Pratt was filled i by the calling of George Teasdell and anti Heber J J. J Grant present head of the church to the apostleship I Ithe the two latter being called it is declared by the church hurch through direct direct direct di- di r rEVelatiOn relation elation to John Tayl Taylor r. r preSident president pres preS- ident and they were ordained in Salt SaltS Lake on October 16 1882 pres-I pres It was two thirty-two years ago yesterday yesterday yester- yester day that President Heber J J. J Grant Grant was ordained an apostle and entered en entered en- en I the quorum of the twelve Apostle Charles C C. Rich Joined I the great majority In November 4 1883 the end coming at hi his homer horae homerin in Paris Idaho and John W W. Tay- Tay j lor br succeeded him in the quorum of the twelve John Taylor president president president dent of the church died July 25 1887 and the twelve twel apostles acted as the head of the church for tor one ye year r and nine months during all all all' of which time George Q Cannon and Joseph F. F Smith occupied their former positions as as' as members o of the council of twelve veve apostles j Wilford Woodruff became president i dent of the church when at nt the general conference of ot the church held In April 1889 th the first presidency presidency presidency dency w wits s reorganized I There were three vacancies in the council coun COun- cil cn of the twelve then one occasioned occasioned occa occa- by the choosing of oC Apostle Woodruff to be he the head o of t the c church another due to the t of Albert CarrIngton in November 1885 and the other by the death of Erastus Snow on May 27 7 1888 The co conference fer nce of October October October Oc Oc- Oc- Oc tober chose to the va vacancies an les Marriner Marriner Marriner Mar- Mar riner W W. Merrill 1 Anthon H. H Lund ii 1 Abraham H H. Cannon |
