1840s (Mormonism)

Encyclopedia : 1 : 18 : 184 : 1840s (Mormonism)

Centuries: 18th century - 19th century - 20th century
Decades: 1810s 1820s 1830s - 1840s - 1850s 1860s 1870s
Years: 1840 1841 1842 1843 1844 1845 1846 1847 1848 1849

Contents

1 Overview
2 1840
3 1841
4 1842
5 1843
6 1844
7 1845
8 1846
9 1847
10 1848
11 1849
12 See also

Overview

The church is established in Nauvoo during the early part of this decade. The Nauvoo Temple is begun and completed and later destroyed.

The most important event in this decade concerning Mormonism is the martyrdom of Joseph Smith, Jr. After his death, the majority of the Saints leave Nauvoo behind and head west under the direction of Brigham Young. The Succession Crisis fractures Joseph Smith Restorationism into many different denominations, although most of the Saints stay with the original Church.

1840

April 14 - Willard Richards is ordained a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
Autumn - Work on the Nauvoo Temple begins.

1841

January 19 - Revelation is received by Joseph Smith ordering the church to build a temple in Nauvoo. Also, the order of baptism for the dead is laid out. The church is also excused from building the temple in Jackson County due to the persecution at that time. (D&C 124)

April 6 - Cornerstones of the Nauvoo Temple are laid.
April 8 - Lyman Wight is ordained an apostle and member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

1842

May 6 - A gunman shoots into Governor Boggs home, hitting him four times. The gunman is not found, but his revolver was left at the scene. Rumor and speculation points to Porter Rockwell, Joseph Smith's personal bodyguard, as the would-be assassin. Rockwell denies this, remarking that if it was him, Boggs would not have recovered.

May 28 - An anonymous contributor to The Wasp, a Mormon newspaper in Nauvoo, wrote that, "Boggs is undoubtedly killed according to report; but who did the noble deed remains to be found out."
August 20 - Elder Orson Pratt is excommunicated for refusing to accept the doctrine of plural marriage.
September 1 & 6 - Joseph Smith writes two letters to the church regarding baptism for the dead, clarifying the doctrine and practice. (D&C 127, 128)

The Illinois legislature consider revoking Nauvoo's charter, but fail to act. Joseph Smith petitions the federal congress to make Nauvoo a territory. His petition is denied.

1843

July 12 - Joseph Smith receives revelation concerning eternal marriage, or "the new and everlasting covenant". (D&C 132)

1844

February - Joseph Smith announces his candidacy for President of the United States.

June 7 - The first and only issue of the Nauvoo Expositor is published by men angry with Joseph Smith and the Church. It is highly critical of Smith and his doctrines and practices.

June 10 - After being declared a public nuisance by the Nauvoo City Council, the printing press of the Nauvoo Expositor is destroyed.

June 12 - Charles A. Foster, a co-publisher of the Nauvoo Expositor, reports that the destruction of the Expositor printing press two days earlier was carried out by several hundred people and the building the machine was housed in was damaged. The city marshal contradicts him, claiming that the destruction was carried out in an orderly fashion. The building stands for at least ten more years.

June 18 - Amid threats of violence concerning the destruction of the Nauvoo Expositor, Joseph Smith, Jr., as mayor, declares martial law in Nauvoo and activates the Nauvoo Legion, a private militia of about 5,000 men.

June ?? - Joseph Smith, Jr. submits to arrest and agrees to trial in Carthage, Illinois, the county seat. Before he arrives, he prophesies, "I am going like a lamb to the slaughter, but I am calm as a summer's morning. I have a conscience void of offense toward God and toward all men. If they take my life I shall die an innocent man, and my blood shall cry from the ground for vengeance, and it shall be said of me 'He was murdered in cold blood!'"[link] He is held in Carthage Jail.

June 27 - Joseph Smith, Jr. is martyred in Carthage Jail by a mob of about 200 armed men. His brother Hyrum is also killed. John Taylor is wounded, but recovers; the fourth cellmate, Willard Richards, is not harmed. The succession crisis begins when news of the prophet's death spreads.

August 8 - A conference is held in Nauvoo, Illinois to determine Smith's successor. A majority decide to follow Brigham Young.

October - The first general conference of the church under Brigham Young's direction is held.

1845

The population of Nauvoo is estimated to have reached about 12,000 inhabitants, becoming the second-largest city in Illinois. Chicago had about 15,000 inhabitants at the same time.

1846

March 8 - Apostle Orson Hyde rebaptizes Luke S. Johnson, a former member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

May 1 - The Nauvoo Temple is completed and dedicated, despite the majority having already left Nauvoo.

Under the direction of Brigham Young, the largest numbers of saints begin migrating west to settle; they eventually arrive at the Salt Lake Valley.
June 27 - Elder John E. Page is excommunicated from the LDS church for encouraging members to follow Strang.
July - The Mormon Battalion is formed. Brigham Young prophesies that the recruits won't see battle and will perform a great service for their country. Many people join up despite the difficulties of the time. They send as much money to their families and the church as possible.

July 16 - Ezra T. Benson is ordained an apostle and member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

1847

January 14 - Brigham Young receives D&C 136 by way of revelation, which concerns the organization of the westward movement, standards of behavior for the saints, and an explanation on why God allowed Joseph Smith to be killed.

January - The Mormon Battalion completes the longest march in U.S. Army history, arriving in California.

July 24 - The first settlers arrive in the Salt Lake Basin.
July 28 - Travelling with a group of leaders, Brigham Young puts his cane in the ground and marks the location of the future Salt Lake Temple.
August - Arriving settlers form the Mormon Tabernacle.
December 27 - Brigham Young reorganizes the First Presidency, with himself as president, Heber C. Kimball as first counselor, and Willard Richards as second counselor. This is done in the Kanesville Tabernacle in Council Bluffs, Iowa. The tabernacle was constructed in just two weeks and housed over 1,000 people for the ceremony. [link]

1848

February 2 - The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo is signed, which will grant the territory that the Mormons are settling to the United States.
March 10 - The U.S. Senate ratifies that Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, making the treaty official and thus officially making the area part of the United States.
June 9 - The Miracle of the Gulls occurs. It is attributed to saving the crops of the first settlers in Utah.
The Nauvoo Temple is burnt down. The remnants are destroyed by a tornado.
Mormon Battalion members who stay behind in California to raise money discover gold in Sutter's Mill. News of the find spreads, starting the 1849 California gold rush.
December - Apostle Lyman Wight is excommunicated from the church for not following Brigham Young.

1849

February 12 - Charles C. Rich, Lorenzo Snow, Erastus Snow, and Franklin D. Richards are ordained apostles and members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. This is done to replace those serving in the First Presidency and to replace the vacancy caused by the excommunication of Lyman Wight.