Timeline of LDS Church History

Abridged Timeline of Church History

Some important events from 1820 to 1850

1835

1845

1825

The angel Moroni appears to Smith several times and directs him to the Gold Plates buried at the Hill Cumorah in New York.

The exodus out of Nauvoo begins. Many gather to Nebraska before heading west to the Great Salt Lake. Upon arrival in the Valley, Young declares: “This is the right place.”

The Book of Mormon is published in March of 1830. Smith was under 25 years old.

The leadership of the Church moves to Far West, MO.

There is a succession crisis after the death of the brothers. Eventually, the majority of the Church members choose Brigham Young and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles to lead the Church.

Smith, other leaders in the Church, and their families move to Kirtland, OH following revelation from God.

The Kirtland Temple is completed and dedicated. Jesus Christ, heavenly messengers and prophets appear. Several in the congregation testify to have seen and heard angels.

Work on the Kirtland Temple begins. It is to be "a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God"

The surge of 2000 people - mostly Church members in Kirtland, OH lead to the increase of landprices by over 500%. The Church held large amounts of real estate, but not much liquidity. To repay loans, the Church sought to establish the Kirtland Safety Society - a local bank. However, because of objection to this in the Ohio Legistalture, the Church failed to secure a banking charter.

1823

1822

1821

1824

1843

1844

1838

1836

1839

1837

1847

1846

1829

1826

1827

1828

1831

1833

1832

1834

1841

1842

1848

1849

In the Church, there are three leadership bodies. The First Presidency, the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and the Seventy. Law, Second Counselor in the First Presidency, was excommunicated on grounds of apostasy.

During the time between the destruction of the Expositor press and the abandoment of the City of Nauvoo, Illinois wages a war against the Church. During this time, the City Charter is repealed and local milita forces surround Nauvoo. The resulting Church-City is called "the City of Joseph" in honor of the late Joseph Smith, Jr.

Locals in Missouri, scared by the sudden surge of settlers

- nearly all from the Church - begin using violence to drive the members out of Missouri.

Smith announces a revelation from God which commands the building of another Temple. Work begins within three months.

Agents of the Church purchase large amounts of land in and around Commerce, Illinois. This would go on to become the City of Nauvoo. Prior to this time, it had been a Native American settlement as well as two towns named Venus and Commerce.

In August, plural marriage, also called polygamy, is announced to the Nauvoo High Council - a Church body that oversaw the Church within Nauvoo but not outside of it - by Hyrum Smith, Joseph's older brother. Because of the shock of the announcment, many leaders leave the Church.William Law, a member of the First Presidency of the Church, leaves the Church because of issues concerning marriage between Jane Law, William's wife, and Joseph Smith (see note to right).

He and certain other members who had been excommunicated from the Church begin a breakaway sect titled: "the True Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints". The sect accounces their intention to publish a newspaper which would expose Joseph Smith as a fallen prophet. One edition is published. Joseph Smith, as Mayor and Sheriff of Nauvoo, asks the City Council to permit the destruction of the press by declaring it a public nucience - according to Smith, it threatened to print libelous material designed to break the Church apart and "exciting the spirit of mobocracy among the people". The Council agrees and Smith orders the destruction of the press.

The destruction of the press gives Smith's enemies the necessary ammunition to charge Smith with causing a riot. He eventually gives himself into police custody in Carthage and is released. He is then rearrested on charges of treason against Illinois.

Under advice from outside legal counsel, the Church formed the Kirtland Safety Anti-Banking Company as a joint stock company to operate as a quasi-banking institution (which was a fairly common practice in that time).

There are differing accounts of what happened between Smith and Jane Law. From the Wikipedia page:

Rumors circulated that Smith had made several proposals to Jane under the premise that she would enter a polyandrous marriage with Smith. Law and his wife confirmed these rumors were partly true.

However, according to Alexander Neibaur, Jane Law had actually asked to be sealed to Smith after he had refused to seal her to William. According to the rumor, Smith had denied the couple because William was guilty of adultery (William had confessed his actions to Smith), though he did not tell Jane his reasons. In committing the sin, Law felt like he had transgressed against his own soul.

Years later, according to Ann Eliza Young (nineteenth wife of Brigham Young and later a critic of polygamy and Mormonism), Jane stated Smith visited her at night. He knew Law would not be home and proposed to her, suggesting it was God's will that she enter into a polyandrous marriage with him. Young's account states that Jane Law stated that Smith had "asked her to give him half her love; she was at liberty to keep the other half for her husband." She refused Smith's request to marry him as a polyandrous plural wife. [It should be noted that Young does not provide a source to back up this account.]

In contrast to her claim, Smith stated Jane had "thrown her arms around his neck" and requested to be sealed to Smith if she could not be sealed to William Law. Smith turned down the request.

Due to a national bank crisis, banks around the northeastern United States failed. Privately funded organizations, like the one in Kirtland also failed. Grandison Newell, an individual greatly opposed to the Church, and Samuel Rounds instigated several lawsuits against the Society and Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon alledging illegal banking and issuing unauthorized bank notes. At a hearing in March, the trial was moved back to autumn. Rounds voluntarily dropped all other charges except those against Smith and Rigdon.

The Lord reveals that Independence, MO is the center-place of Zion, the New Jerusalem. Various members begin heading there.

1830

1840

1850

1835

1820

1825

1845

The Nauvoo City Charter is approved by the General Assembly - which included Abraham Lincoln - and was signed into law by the Governor. The Charter gave the city the power to establish a Municipal Court of Nauvoo, a University of Nauvoo, and an independent militia unit which would become known as the Nauvoo Legion.

John Bennett, serving as a leader in the Church and as Mayor of Nauvoo, is found to be having affairs with multiple women. He accuses Smith of teaching him the practice - which Bennett calls 'spiritual wifery'. During trial, Bennett admits that Smith did not teach him the practice and that he had made it up as an excuse. He is stripped of his religious and civic duties and leaves Nauvoo shortly thereafter.

In 1842, he publishes "History of the Saints: Or, An Exposé of Joe Smith and Mormonism" and accuses both Smith and the Church of being involved in treason and other various crimes. Smith and other leaders of the Chuch denies these crimes - and plural marriage - adamently. his book is thought to be one of the things which led to the martyrdom of

Joseph and Hyrum Smith.

Smith leads a group of members from Kirtland, OH to Missouri. The group - named Zion's Camp - is tasked with protecting the members in Missouri from the mob violence. The group disbands just prior to entering Indepence, MO because the Lord states they have not kept all the commandments.

MO Governor Boggs signs Executive Order 44: Mormons “must be exterminated or driven from the state.”

1821

1822

1836

1839

1826

1827

1828

1831

1832

1833

1837

1838

1846

1847

1834

1842

1824

1823

1829

1841

1844

1849

1843

1848

Smith and other leaders are arrested. They are in jail while Church members escape to the Mississippi River.

The Nauvoo Temple is completed and dedicated by Brigham Young. Thousands of Church members go through rituals ordinances.

Joseph Smith, Jr. and his brother Hyrum Smith are shot and killed by mob while being held in the Carthage Jail. Joseph was 38 and Hyrum was 44.

The Church is organized on April 6, 1830. It is called the Church of Jesus Christ.

Very soon, the Church has over two hundred members.

Smith translates the Gold Plates to English as The Book of Mormon. Though translation begins in 1828, it stops until 1829 due to Martin Harris, one of the scribes, losing the first 116 pages of the manuscript.

In the Spring of 1820, Joseph Smith, Jr. has a vision of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ after inquiring about the truthfulness of various local churches.

Translation resumes and the text of the Book of Mormon is completed within three months.

1830

1840

1850

1820