Category: 19th Century

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19th Century Latter-day Saint History

Did John Taylor’s Pocket Watch Save His Life at Carthage Jail?

Carthage Jail at sunset with ghosted overlay of John Taylor’s pocket watch, evoking martyrdom and preservation

We don’t know if John Taylor’s pocket watch helped preserve his life during the martyrdom of Joseph Smith. Taylor remembered falling out of a Carthage Jail window only to feel a force push him back inside, later determining a bullet must have hit his watch. However, modern science has been unable to precisely replicate the damage seen in the watch displayed at the Church History Museum. As part of its commitment to telling the Latter-day Saint story as accurately as possible, the Church History Department commissioned an exhaustive analysis of Taylor’s watch in 2020. In this interview, Brian Warburton shares the research findings, explaining what we do and don’t know about the watch’s role in preserving Taylor’s life.

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19th Century Book excerpts Theology

Who Was the Early Mormon Jesus?

Anthony Sweat painting of the Mormon Jesus.
Anthony Sweat, "Man of Joy"

Christology—literally the “study of Christ”—was not one of the points of contention between early Mormons and their many antagonists. When Joseph Smith and his few followers founded a church in 1830, they drafted a set of Articles and Covenants that explained the church’s organization. In the tradition of creeds, they also listed a few core beliefs.

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19th Century American West Latter-day Saint History

Who Was Responsible for the 1856 Handcart Tragedy?

Broken handcart with shattered wheel in the snow, symbolizing the 1856 Mormon handcart tragedy and pioneer endurance

The tragedy of the Willie and Martin handcart companies can’t be blamed on one person. It resulted from delayed departures, flawed handcart designs, and leadership decisions under pressure. For example, Brigham Young’s instructions, Levi Savage’s warnings, and Franklin D. Richards’s missteps all shaped the outcome. Beyond blame, the story also highlights the faith, resilience, and sacrifice of the emigrants and their rescuers. In this interview, Don H. Smith and Mark C. Austin provide insights that challenge myths while honoring the courage of the 1856 pioneers, drawing from their book, Bring Them to Zion: The 1856 Handcart Emigration Organization, Leadership, and Issues.

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19th Century Latter-day Saint History

B. H. Roberts and Utah Politics in the Early 1900s

B. H. Roberts influenced Latter-day Saints not only through his calling as a general authority, but also in his service in the public arena.

B H. Roberts was a Latter-day Saint intellectual, politician, and historian whose influence stretched from the pulpit to the halls of Congress. Best known for works on theology and Church history, like the Comprehensive History of the Church, he also drew national attention for defending his contested seat in the U.S. House of Representatives and for navigating tensions between his Democratic politics and Church leadership. His missionary service, oratorical brilliance, and controversial stance on plural marriage continue to spark interest nearly a century after his death. In this interview, biographer John Sillito explores Roberts’s remarkable life in the public arena.

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19th Century 20th Century Latter-day Saint History Scriptures

What Did “Shake the Dust Off Your Feet” Mean to Early Latter-day Saints?

Oil painting of early 1830s Latter-day Saint missionaries shaking dust from their feet, symbolizing rejection and divine judgment in the New Testament and Doctrine and Covenants.

Early Latter-day Saints understood “shaking the dust off your feet” as a ritual curse adapted from Jesus’s New Testament command to His disciples. Joseph Smith revealed the practice as a form of priesthood cursing in several revelations, now canonized in the Doctrine and Covenants (sections 24, 60, 75, 84, and 99). Missionaries most often performed the rite after rejection or persecution. While rarely expected to bring immediate consequences, it symbolized divine judgment reserved for Christ’s Second Coming. In this interview, historian Samuel R. Weber explains how the practice largely disappeared by the early 1900s.

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19th Century Latter-day Saint History

Who Was Vienna Jaques?

A black and white photograph of Vienna Jaques in pioneer Utah.

Vienna Jaques was an early Latter-day Saint convert who consecrated her wealth to build Zion. Although largely anonymous today, Jaques witnessed the first baptism for the dead, donated money to purchase the Kirtland Temple site, and received a personal letter from Joseph Smith. She is one of only two women mentioned by name in the Doctrine and Covenants, alongside Emma Smith. Biographer Brent Rogers shares her story in this interview and explains how Jaques received the peace promised her in D&C 90.

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19th Century American West

What Was The Utah War?

Militia members of the Nauvoo Legion fortify Echo Canyon as U.S. troops advance during the Utah War.

The Utah War was an armed confrontation between the United States government and Latter-day Saint settlers in the West—yet almost no one fired a shot. Sparked by rumors of rebellion, political missteps, and religious distrust, the standoff saw President James Buchanan dispatch Johnston’s Army to replace Brigham Young as territorial governor. The conflict was ultimately resolved through diplomacy, with federal troops entering Utah peacefully and a new governor taking office without violence.

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19th Century American West Latter-day Saint History

Was Slavery Practiced in Utah Territory?

A collage of figures associated with slavery in pioneer Utah.

The priesthood and temple ban against individuals with Black African ancestry is often traced to Brigham Young, who announced the policy during an 1852 legislative session in Utah Territory. That announcement happened in the midst of a debate over how to legislate unfree labor, including slavery of Black and indigenous peoples in the territory. In this interview, W. Paul Reeve and Christopher B. Rich discuss the history of unfree labor in Utah Territory.

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19th Century Latter-day Saint History

What Was the Kirtland Endowment?

The Kirtland Temple Endowment took place in this building as painted by Al Rounds.

The Lord promised early Latter-day Saints an endowment of power that began at the Kirtland Temple in 1836. It was a time of great spiritual outpourings and the receipt of power from on high. However, the “Kirtland endowment” didn’t explicitly refer to rituals and ordinances. For example, it wasn’t until 1842 that Joseph Smith introduced “the endowment” that gave rise to the ceremony familiar to modern church members. Scott Woodward explains more about what the Kirtland endowment was in this interview.

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19th Century Book excerpts Theology

How Did Early Latter-day Saints React to D&C 76?

An AI image of early Latter-day Saints in Kirtland, Ohio discussing Section 76, also known as "the Vision."

Joseph Smith recognized that preparation to receive an expansive view of the afterlife as presented in the Vision in the Doctrine and Covenants was still limited. Later, he acknowledged: “I could explain a hundred fold more than I ever have of the glories of the kingdoms manifested to me in the vision, were I permitted, and were the people prepared to receive them.”

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