Wilford Woodruff (the newest fourth Chairman of one’s Church off Goodness Christ away from Latter-go out New orleans saints) is likely most popular to have his issuing of 1890 Manifesto that expected relief from the technique of polygamy in brand new chapel. Because of it, he could be possibly just about the most controversial prophets on Mormon trust. If you are a good devout person in brand new LDS chapel who battles which have polygamy, you actually are extremely pleased to Woodruff to take the original methods to help you getting and end to your behavior. If you are a beneficial Mormon fundamentalist which nonetheless thinks regarding concept of plural matrimony, you really discover Woodruff’s strategies since the cowardly and possibly also treacherous. Anyway, his heritage is inextricably tied to just how he already been the method you to definitely lead to the conclusion polygamy on the chapel. It could become once the a surprise upcoming to find out that Woodruff is maybe closed to help you way more plural wives than nearly any most other leader regarding chapel. Certainly, he is right up truth be told there near the top of the list. The brand new connect, not, is that the vast majority ones sealings was to deceased women and you will performed from the proxy.

An extremely Patriarchal Birthday, to me!

I discovered this tale from inside the David J. Buerger’s This new Mysteries off Godliness: A track record of Mormon Temple Praise, and that information the development of this new temple ceremonies as well as the indicates that they have already been altered through the years. This is exactly a great publication and that i highly recommend they so you’re able to some body who is interested in this new theological and you will historic background of modern big date Mormon temple worship. Among the advancements so you’re able to forehead worship try the newest introduction of endowments towards the dead, which have been first did to your eleven January 1877 on St. George Temple. Lower than a few months after that, Wilford Woodruff composed in his log that he ended up being demanded from the revelation to execute proxy endowments from the St. George Forehead to your of several dead women he had got closed in order to him:

Help my servant Wilford telephone call upon the brand new virgins, maidens, daughters & parents inside the Zion, and you can permit them to enter into my Holy Temple into the initial day of March, the afternoon you to my personal servant Wilford provides heard of time allocated in order to guy, around three rating age and you can ten, there let them discover its laundry and anointing and you will endowments to have and you can behalf of your spouses who will be lifeless and have now already been close to my slave Wilford, otherwise those who are are shut so you can him, which is going to be acceptable unto me personally saith  the father, in addition to dead out-of my servant will likely be redeemed regarding the spirit world and become willing to see my personal slave on lifetime of his Coming . . . Now head to and you may manage that it work and all of might be completed according to the interest of your own heart. Disclosure filed from the Wilford Woodruff in his journal, step one February 1877 Spelling and you may punctuation corrected, emphasis my own.

The fresh new 267 Undetectable Brides out of Wilford Woodruff

Correctly, into the 1 February 1877-inside the celebration from his 70th birthday celebration-Woodruff is actually with 154 women to visit a special event within St. George Temple to execute proxy endowments having lifeless women who had started or had been are close so you can Woodruff while the plural wives. On the affair, Woodruff information in the journal:

I happened to be around surrounded that have a hundred and fifty-four virgins, Maidens Daughters and you may Parents within the Zion regarding chronilogical age of fourteen on the Old Mom leaning abreast of their Teams. All got make for the true purpose of getting into this new Temple of Lord and come up with me a personal gift when you are wash and anointed and getting the endowments to own along with part of just one hundred and thirty out of my personal spouses who were deceased plus the brand new heart world, the majority of that has been closed for me. . . . When they had all make together about Development Room I displayed myself ahead of them clothed inside my light doe surface forehead dress. We here brought unto them a short target. . . . You’re today inside endowment versus a person along with you, but we'll give one man a keen Adam. . . . We had this new endowments of the day more like becoming into the attention than a real possibility. These types of 154 sisters was contributed to three veils and you may about three regarding all of us . . . most of the wear temple outfits, grabbed them all from the around three veils. . . . Chairman Young is present within temple in witnessing the latest ceremonies. . . . Within intimate of the work from the temple We . . . is listed in the middle of a surprise cluster got right up into the event. The space adorned and a table lay laden with every luxuries out of lives, enclosed by almost a hundred of Panama gelin ajansД± those who have been researching endowments to have my deceased throughout the day. President Young sat from the direct of the desk surrounded by their friends and you can shortly after true blessing was asked, discover showed just before me a gift away from a birthday bridesmaid pie, three stories high, adorned into giants of your own occupation in the elephant off, and you can ornamented that have several satin sheet sets covered with released poetry composed on the affair. Wilford Woodruff Record, step 1 February 1877 Spelling and you can punctuation fixed, importance  personal. Cited verses discovered more six users.