William Shepard - Lost Apostles: Forgotten Members of Mormonism’s Original Quorum of the Twelve

Latt e r Da y Saints t o da y e nj oy a s e ns e o f c o ntinuit y and stabilit y that is a hallmark o f M o rm o nism, wh e th e r in Utah o r in an y o f th e o th e r maj o r branch e s o f J o s e ph Smiths R e st o rati o n M o v e m e nt. All o f th e s e church e s ch oo s e individuals f o r l e ad e rship wh o hav e b ee n pr o v e n o v e r th e ye ars as church e mpl oyee s o r pr o min e nt busin e ss h e ads, e ducat o rs, o r dipl o mats. It was n o t alwa y s s o . In th e e arl y da y s, a charismatic c o nv e rt might b e pr o m o t e d t o th e t o p o f th e hi e rarch y , fill a sh o rt and st o rm y t e nur e in o ffic e , and l e av e with as much sp ee d as h e app e ar e d. Th e r e w e r e public disagr ee m e nts am o ng th e ap o stl e s. J o s e ph Smith tri e d t o st e m th e cha o s b y making adjustm e nts t o th e church structur e and p e rs o nn e l in what was a fluid s e a o f shifting tid e s.

C o mpar e that with th e curr e nt situati o n wh e r e m e mb e rs o f th e Utah church r e st assur e d that wh e n a m e mb e r o f th e hi e rarch y di e s, his r e plac e m e nt will b e ann o unc e d at th e n e xt s e mi-annual g e n e ral c o nf e r e nc e with th e pr e cisi o n o f a Swiss watch. Th e n e w ap o stl e o r pr e sid e nt will g e n e rall y b e as st e ad y and pr e dictabl e as th e last o n e . It is th e sam e in th e Miss o uri-bas e d C o mmunit y o f Christ, e v e n o r p e rhaps e sp e ciall y in th e cas e o f th e w o m e n wh o hav e b ee n nam e d ap o stl e s b e ginning in th e lat e 1990s. Th e o th e r church e s that trac e th e ir o rigin t o J o s e ph Smith includ e th e Church o f J e sus Christ in M o n o ngah e la, P e nns y lvania, wh e r e a Qu o rum o f th e Tw e lv e l e ads th e church with o ut th e n ee d f o r a s e parat e pr e sid e nc y . Th e R e mnant Church o f J e sus Christ o f Latt e r Da y Saints in Miss o uri has a pr e sid e nt and s e v e n ap o stl e s. All th e s e m e n ar e r e liabl e and t e st e d e v e n if th ey e ngag e in e xp e rim e ntati o n in c o mmunit y planning. Th e Church o f J e sus Christ o f Latt e r Da y Saints Strangit e , h e adquart e r e d in Wisc o nsin, and th e R e st o rati o n Church o f J e sus Christ in Miss o uri d o n o t hav e qu o rums o f ap o stl e s but n o n e th e l e ss assum e that th e f o unding tw e lv e in J o s e ph Smiths da y lab o r e d r e liabl y t o spr e ad th e R e st o r e d G o sp e l.

F o r th o s e o f us wh o w e r e rais e d in th e p o st-W o rld War II w o rld, it is hard t o imagin e th e d e gr ee o f unc e rtaint y and turm o il that e xist e d during th e f o unding ye ars o f th e R e st o rati o n. Th e first c o nv e rts w e r e o pp o s e d t o d o gmas and hi e rarchi e s. J o s e ph Smith was kn o wn as th e First Eld e r, and Oliv e r C o wd e r y as S e c o nd Eld e r, and that was that. H o w e v e r, within tw o ye ars Sidn ey Rigd o n and J e ss e Gaus e w e r e nam e d t o a First Pr e sid e nc y that quickl y o v e rshad o w e d C o wd e r y . Th e o ffic e o f Pr e siding Patriarch was cr e at e d f o r J o s e ph Smiths fath e r, and C o wd e r y s p o siti o n was r e d e fin e d in 1834 as that o f an Assistant t o th e Pr e sid e nt, a p o siti o n that was m o stl y c e r e m o nial. Wh e n C o wd e r y was e xc o mmunicat e d, h e was n o t r e plac e d and th e p o siti o n was e liminat e d. As branch e s and stak e s w e r e cr e at e d, th ey n ee d e d l e ad e rs. J o s e ph w o uld b e c o m e e nam o r e d with s o m eo n e , b e c o m e disillusi o n e d with his p e rf o rmanc e , find a r e plac e m e nt, and l e av e bad f ee lings b e hind.

C o nsid e r th e cas e o f J e ss e Gaus e , wh o was baptiz e d in lat e 1831 and a f e w m o nths lat e r, in March 1832, app o int e d t o th e First Pr e sid e nc y . Onl y nin e m o nths transpir e d b e f o r e h e was e xc o mmunicat e d and disapp e ar e d fr o m church hist o r y . F o ll o wing a similar patt e rn was J o hn C. B e nn e tt e xc e pt that h e did n o t g o qui e tl y , inst e ad ch oo sing t o publish a divisiv e r e p o rt o f his e xp e ri e nc e s. In 1837, aft e r th e fall o f th e Kirtland Saf e t y S o ci e t y Bank, Fr e d e rick G. Williams o f th e First Pr e sid e nc y l e ft, j o in e d b y Oliv e r C o wd e r y and th e e ntir e Whitm e r famil y . An o th e r o f th e o riginal f o und e rs, Martin Harris, l e ft and sta ye d awa y f o r thr ee d e cad e s. P o l y gam y t e st e d th e p e rs e v e ranc e o f William Law o f th e 1840s First Pr e sid e nc y . Lik e B e nn e tt, h e br o adcast his dissatisfacti o n, this tim e b y f o unding an alt e rnativ e n e wspap e r, th e Nauv oo Exp o sit o r . Wh e n J o s e ph tri e d t o quash this irritant, it was o n e o f th e sn o wballing e v e nts that l e d t o his tragic incarc e rati o n and assassinati o n l e ss than a m o nth lat e r.

Th e o riginal Tw e lv e Ap o stl e s wh o w e r e call e d in 1835 w e r e ask e d t o l e ad th e missi o nar y e ff o rt thr o ugh o ut th e w o rld but w e r e f o rbidd e n b y r e v e lati o n fr o m e x e rcising an y auth o rit y at th e churchs h e adquart e rs o r e nvir o ns. Th e first tw e lv e , rank e d o ld e st t o yo ung e st, w e r e Th o mas B. Marsh, David W. Patt e n, Brigham Y o ung, H e b e r C. Kimball, Ors o n H y d e , William E. McL e llin, Parl ey P. Pratt, Luk e S. J o hns o n, William Smith, Ors o n Pratt, J o hn F. B oy nt o n, and L y man E. J o hns o n. M o st o f th e s e m e n, with th e e xc e pti o n o f H e b e r and Brigham, clash e d with J o s e ph Smith t o th e p o int o f t e mp o raril y s e v e ring th e ir r e lati o nship with him. Thr ee o f th e mMcL e llin, B oy nt o n, and L y man J o hns o nw o uld n o t r e turn t o th e f o ld. Tw o o th e rsMarsh and Luk e J o hns o nr e turn e d t o th e Utah church but with o ut b e ing r e st o r e d t o th e ir f o rm e r standing as ap o stl e s. J o s e phs br o th e r William w o uld find his wa y back t o church und e r th e l e ad e rship o f his n e ph e w, J o s e ph Smith III. Fiv e o f Williams f o rm e r c o ll e agu e s w o uld sta y m o r e o r l e ss t o g e th e r in Utah: Brigham Y o ung, H e b e r Kimball, Ors o n H y d e (wh o r e turn e d in 1839), Parl ey Pratt, and Ors o n Pratt and w o uld c o ntinu e t o argu e o v e r d o ctrin e and standing as th ey had in Ohi o and Illin o is.