A BRIEF CHRONOLOGICAL HISTORY OF MORMONISM.

1805 Joseph Smith, Jr., the founder of the organization now called The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormon Church), is born on December 23rd in Sharon, Vermont, the fourth child of Lucy Mack and Joseph Smith.

1816 The Smith's move to the Palmyra,NY area (about 40 miles east of Rochester)

1820 In the spring Joseph Smith, Jr. at the age of 14 allegedly receives a visit from God the Father and Jesus Christ who tells him all churches are wrong, their creeds are an abomination and the professors of those creeds are corrupt.

1823 September; the Angel Moroni allegedly visits Joseph in his bedroom three times one September night, as the start of a series of lessons that results in Joseph's getting gold plates that were allegedly buried in Hill Cumorah, just a few miles south of Palmyra, in Manchester, NY.

1826 Court records of Chenango County, State of New York, People vs Joseph Smith The Glass Looker, March 20, 1826 reveal that he was brought to trial on charges of money digging, using a "peep stone" to locate buried hidden treasures.

1827 Joseph allegedly receives from Angel Moroni the gold plates that were buried in Hill Cumorah. Written on them in "Reformed Egyptian" is the history of a previously unknown New World people. With the help of God Joseph translates the writing into what is now the Book of Mormon.

1829 May 15th, John the Baptist allegedly gives the Aaronic Priesthood to Joseph Smith and his scribe Oliver Cowdery as part of the restoration of God's Church on Earth - authority that had been lost shortly after Jesus died.

1829 Probably in the summer, as a continuation of the restoration of God's Church, the apostles Peter, James and John allegedly give Joseph and Oliver the Melchizedek Priesthood.

1830 Book of Mormon is printed by the Grandin Print Shop in Palmyra, NY.

1830 April 6th, the Mormon Church is organized with a handful of people as God's one true Church on earth. At this time it is named The Church of Christ.

1831 Mormon Church moves to Kirtland, Ohio. At its peak in the 1830's Kirtland reaches a population of about 3,200 - about equal to nearby Cleveland.

1832 Mormons start settlements in Missouri.

1833 A collection of 65 alleged revelations from God to Joseph Smith are published as the Book of Commandments. Only 65 are included as the printing press and facilities at Zion (Independence, Missouri) are destroyed before it can be completed. (Seventy one had been given up to this date.)

1834 The name of the Church is changed to The Church of the Latter Day Saints.

1835 About this time the practice of polygamy starts in private, but is publicly denied.

1835 The 1833 Book of Commandments is updated with new revelations, and old ones are modified (with no indication they are changed), the resulting work published under the new title Doctrine and Covenants. This book has two parts. The first part is called "Theology On The Doctrine Of The Church Of The Latter Day Saints" (better known as the "Lectures on Faith" [These were removed from the Doctrine and Covenants starting with the 1921 edition.]). The second part is named "Covenants and Commandments." Section 101:4 forbids the practice of polygamy.

1838 Joseph leaves Kirtland and goes to Far West, Missouri, fleeing the wrath of the law and disgruntled members.

1838 The name of the Church is changed to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

1838 About nineteen Mormon men, women and children are massacred by non-Mormons at Hauns Mill, Missouri.

1838-39 Mormons are driven out of Missouri due to conflicts between them and the non- Mormons.

1839 Settlement of what is to become Nauvoo, Illinois starts.

1840 Mormon Church has about 17,000 members.

1842-44 Joseph Smith, John Taylor and other members of the community, in the Mormon Church newspaper deny that polygamy is practiced, even though it was.

1843 The alleged revelation from God that allows the practice of polygamy is received, but is not formally announced until 1852, is not included in Mormon scripture until 1876, and is not voted on until 1880. (This is the present day D&C 132 which says in its heading that Joseph had known the doctrine and principles since 1831.)

1844 The city of Nauvoo, Illinois has a population of about 12,000, the second largest in the state after Chicago. Joseph Smith is the Mayor and lieutenant-general of the Nauvoo legion.

1844 June 7th, William Law, Joseph Smith's second counselor, publishes The Nauvoo Expositor, which exposes the practice of polygamy in Nauvoo and the teaching by Joseph Smith that there is more than one God.

1844 June 10th, under the authority of Mayor Smith and the Nauvoo City Council, police led by Smith destroy the press, office and papers of The Nauvoo Expositor.

1844 June 25-27th Joseph Smith (and Hyrum Smith) is arrested for his part in the illegal destruction of The Nauvoo Expositor press and office and for calling out the Nauvoo Legion. Along with John Taylor and Dr. Willard Richards they are held in the Carthage Jail in Carthage, IL. On June 27th a mob attacks the jail killing Joseph and Hyrum in spite of Joseph's efforts at self-defence with a six-shooter. Two men in the mob are reported killed.

1846 Brigham Young, the second president of the Mormon Church, leads the Mormon trek to what is then a portion of Mexico and will become Salt Lake City, Utah. They arrive there in 1847.

1850 Mormon Church membership numbers about 52,000.

1851 The first edition of the Pearl of Great Price is published. It is added to the Mormon scriptures in 1880.

1852 In August polygamy is announced publicly for the first time at a public Mormon meeting.

1857 September 11th, a combined force of Indians and Mormon militia led by Mormon Bishop John D. Lee attack and annihilate a wagon train of 120 non-Mormon men, women, and children in the infamous Mountain Meadows Massacre.

1860 Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints officially established at Amboy, Illinois, with Joseph Smith III as President and Prophet.

1860 Mormon Church membership reaches about 61,000.

1862 The Morill Act prohibiting polygamy is passed by U.S. Congress.

1876 D&C 132, which allows polygamy, is first printed in a volume of Mormon scripture.

1880 In October, D&C 132 on polygamy is first voted on by the Mormon membership.

1882 Congress passes the Edmunds Act providing heavy penalties for practicing polygamy. The practice continues by many in hiding.

1887-90 The Edmunds-Tucker Act dissolves the Mormon Church corporation and seizes its property. A short time later the Supreme Court finds it constitutional. Legislation is drafted to disenfranchise all Mormons.

1890 September 25th, Mormon Church President Wilford Woodruff issues his Manifesto asking Mormons to stop the practice of polygamy. At a Mormon Church general conference on October 6th this Manifesto, now called Official Declaration - 1, is accepted by the general membership as "authoritative and binding". This does not reject the revelation allowing polygamy, D&C 132; it just puts the practice aside.

1890 Mormon Church membership is about 188,000.

1921 The first part of the Doctrine and Covenants, the Lectures on Faith, are removed quietly without such removal ever being presented to the general membership for a vote.

1950 Mormon Church membership is about 1,111,000.

1967 The original papyri, allegedly written by the hand of the Old Testament Prophet Abraham, and used by Joseph Smith to translate the Mormon scripture Book of Abraham is rediscovered. (It has since been shown to be an Egyptian funeral text, called a "Book of Breathings" written some 1500 years after Abraham's day).

1970 Mormon Church membership is about 2,931,000.

1978 September 30th, what is now Official Declaration - 2 allowing all worthy males in the Mormon Church to hold the priesthood, is accepted by unanimous vote of the members. (Prior to this a man with any amount of African blood could not hold the priesthood.)

1980 Mormon Church has about 4,640,000 members.

1995 Mormon Church starts the year with a little over 9,000,000 members and 47,311 missionaries.

John Farkas and David Reed

Berean Christian Ministries; P.O. Box 1091; Webster, NY 14580

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