Wilford Woodruff (1807-1898) was born in Connecticut and joined the LDS Church as a young man. He went through the trials of the early members of the LDS Church and came to Utah with the body of the Saints. In 1887 he became the fourth president of the LDS Church. His administration is best remembered for publishing the Manifesto which announced the ending of plural marriage which had previously been openly practiced by members of the Church.
Sagwitch, "the Speaker," was a leader of the Shoshone people. Following the Bear River Massacre he lead the survivors. He and his band later were baptized as members of the Mormon church and settled the Washakie Indian colony in northern Utah.
For the first time in a single volume, Jennifer Mackley chronicles the development of temple doctrine and ceremonies over the course of the nineteenth century: from washings and anointings to proxy baptisms, the endowment to plural marriage sealings, the first rebaptism to the last priesthood adoption. After Wilford Woodruff's conversion in 1833, he enthusiastically participated in the ordinances the Prophet Joseph Smith introduced in Kirtland and Nauvoo. However, Joseph was murdered before the implications of the "higher ordinances" could be fully understood, and before their administration in the temple could begin. Learn why Wilford believed that if revelation had ceased with Joseph Smith's death, the mission of Elijah would have failed. Through Wilford's own words--as preserved in his letters, discourses, and journals--find out what led him to seek additional revelation, make changes to some ordinances, and suspend or discontinue others. What did Wilford announce in 1894 that rewrote the nature of temple work? The temple ordinances were central to Wilford Woodruff's faith in the restored Church. Are they still important today?
These letters among two women and their husband offer a rare look into the personal dynamics of an LDS polygamous relationship during the years when polygamy and its more prominent advocates came under federal judicial assault and made Utah statehood possible. Abraham "Owen" Woodruff was a young Mormon apostle, the son of President Wilford Woodruff, remembered for the Woodruff Manifesto, which called for the divinely inspired termination of plural marriage.
In the last several years a wealth of information has been published on Joseph Smith's practice of polygamy. For some who were already well aware of this aspect of early Mormon history, the availability of new research and discovered documents has been a wellspring of further insight and knowledge into this topic. For others who are learning of Joseph's marriages to other women for the first time, these books and online publications can be both an information overload and a challenge to one's faith. In this short volume, Brian C. Hales (author of the 3-volume Joseph Smith's Polygamy: History and Theology) and Laura H. Hales wade through the murky waters of history to help bring some clarity to this episode of Mormonism's past. As Joseph Smith's participation in plural marriage involved more than just the Prophet and his first wife Emma, this volume also includes short biographical sketches of the 35 other women who were sealed to Joseph but whose stories of faith, struggle, and courage have been largely forgotten and ignored over time. While we may never fully understand the details and reasons surrounding this practice, Brian and Laura Hales provide readers with an accessible, forthright, and faithful look into this challenging topic so that we can at least come toward a better understanding. Praise for Joseph Smith's Polygamy: Toward a Better Understanding "Few matters of LDS history have proven to be as faith-sensitive as Joseph Smith's plural marriages. While a number of efforts have been made in recent years to shed light on this challenging phenomenon, nothing has brought greater clarity, enlightenment, and, particularly for believing Saints, spiritual reassurance, than has the work of researcher Brian Hales. He and his wife Laura have now rendered a monumental service to Mormons and interested observers by bringing clarity and better understanding to this topic. I for one am grateful for the context, perspective, and both straightforward and faithful answers provided for so many of the questions surrounding Nauvoo polygamy. It is a book that will be read and discussed for years to come." - Robert L. Millet, Professor Emeritus of Religious Education, Brigham Young University
