Anointed Quorum

The Anointed Quorum, also known as the Quorum of the Anointed, or the Holy Order, was a select body of men and women who Joseph Smith, Jr. initiated into Mormon temple ordinances at Nauvoo, Illinois, which gave them special standing in the early Latter Day Saint movement. Beginning in May 1842, Smith gave this group, which ultimately numbered over sixty persons, their washings and anointings and endowments in the upper floor of his Red Brick Store on Water Street, as well as in a few private residences in the city. Most couples, but not all, also received their Second Anointing. Members typically referred to their meetings, which were held usually every two weeks, as prayer circles, because prayer played an important role in the group's religious activities.

Nearly all members of the Anointed Quorum were important leaders and their wives in the church or community, including the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. After Smith's death in June 1844, members of the Anointed Quorum continued to meet under the direction of Brigham Young, even admitting additional persons to the group. As the Nauvoo Temple neared completion during 1845, they prepared the building's upper floor for the administration of ordinances. Between December 1845 and February 1846, the Anointed Quorum extended the same rituals they had received from Smith to over 5,000 men and women living in the vicinity of Nauvoo.

After the Mormons left Nauvoo in 1846, the Anointed Quorum ceased to exist as an organized group. Apparently Smith organized the group to prepare the way for the general church membership to receive their temple ordinances in the Nauvoo Temple. Once this was done, the need for the group expired. The Anointed Quorum dealt essentially with spiritual and sacerdotal matters, but it was never an official administrative body of the church.

Members

The following individuals were members of the Anointed Quorum (spouses are listed together and plural marriage relationships are indicated):

Name Notes
James Adams Lawyer and close friend of Joseph Smith.
Harriet Denton Adams Wife of James Adams
 Almon W. Babbitt First secretary and treasurer of the Territory of Utah, and a member of the Council of Fifty.
 Louisa Beaman Plural wife of Joseph Smith
 John Milton Bernhisel The original delegate of the Utah Territory in the United States House of Representatives (1851–1859, 1861–1863) and a member of the Council of Fifty.
 Reynolds Cahoon One of the inaugural members of the Council of Fifty.
 Thirza Stiles Cahoon Wife of Reynolds Cahoon
 William Clayton Member and Clerk of the Council of Fifty.
 Margaret Moon Clayton Wife of William Clayton
 Alpheus Cutler Member of the Council of Fifty. After the Succession Crisis, he became the 1st President of The Church of Jesus Christ (Cutlerite).
Lois Thethrop Culter Wife of Alpheus Cutler
 Elizabeth Davis Durfee Plural wife of Joseph Smith
Harriet Page Wheeler Decker
Joseph Fielding Member of the Council of Fifty, brother of Mary Fielding, the second wife of Hyrum Smith, and an uncle of Joseph F. Smith, the sixth president of the church.
Hannah Greenwood Fielding Wife of Joseph Fielding
Olive Grey Frost Plural wife of Joseph Smith
John P. Greene Member of the Council of Fifty and the chief of police in Nauvoo, Illinois in 1844. Greene supervised the destruction of the press of the Nauvoo Expositor which set in motion a chain of events that eventually led to the death of Joseph Smith, Jr..
Charles Hyde
Orson Hyde A member and President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and a member of the Council of Fifty.
Nancy Marinda Johnson Hyde Wife of Orson Hyde and a plural wife of Joseph Smith
 Zina Dianatha Huntington Jacobs 3rd General President of the Relief Society. Zina was a plural wife of Joseph Smith and later Brigham Young
 Heber C. Kimball Member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, First Counselor in the First Presidency, and a member of the Council of Fifty.
Vilate Murray Kimball Wife of Heber C. Kimball
Helen Mar Kimball Plural wife of Joseph Smith
Joseph C. Kingsbury
Sarah Ann Whitney Kingsbury Wife of Joseph C. Kingsbury and a plural wife of Joseph Smith and later Heber C. Kimball
Mary Elizabeth Rollins Lightner Plural wife of Joseph Smith
 William Law Second Counselor in the First Presidency to Joseph Smith. After his excommunication for apostasy, Law published the Nauvoo Expositor, the destruction of which set in motion a chain of events that eventually led to the death of Joseph Smith, Jr..
Jane Silverthorne Law Wife of William Law
Cornelius P. Lott A member of the Council of Fifty and a Danite leader.[1]
Permelia Darrow Lott Wife of Cornelius P. Lott
 Amasa Lyman Member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, counselor in the First Presidency, and a member of the Council of Fifty.
Mary L. Tanner Lyman Wife of Amasa M. Lyman
 William Marks First counselor in the First Presidency of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and a member of the Council of Fifty.
Rosannah Robinson Marks Wife of William Marks
George Miller Second Bishop of the Church and member of the Council of Fifty.
Mary Catherine Fry Miller Wife of George Miller
Ruth Moon Plural wife of William Clayton
 Isaac Morley First Counselor to the Bishop of the Church and member of the Council of Fifty.
Lucy Gunn Morley Wife of Isaac Morley
Fanny Young Murray
Joseph B. Noble
Mary A. Beaman Noble Wife of Joseph B. Noble.
John E. Page Member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and a member of the Council of Fifty.
Mary Judd Page Wife of John E. Page
 Orson Pratt An original member of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles, member of the Council of Fifty and Official church historian.
 Parley P. Pratt An original member of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles, member of the Council of Fifty.
Mary Ann Frost Pratt Wife of Parley P. Pratt and a plural wife of Joseph Smith
 W. W. Phelps A church printer, editor, and song-writer, scribe to Joseph Smith, and a member of the Council of Fifty.
Sally Waterman Phelps Wife of W. W. Phelps
 Levi Richards Served as a physician for Joseph Smith, Jr and a member of the Council of Fifty.
 Willard Richards Second Counselor in the First Presidency, member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Official church historian, and a member of the Council of Fifty.
Jennetta Richards Richards Wife of Willard Richards
 Sidney Rigdon Counselor in the First Presidency of Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and a member of the Council of Fifty. After the Succession Crisis he became President of the Church of Jesus Christ of the Children of Zion.
 Lucy Decker Seely Plural wife of Brigham Young
 Sylvia P. Sessions Plural wife of Joseph Smith
 Agnes Coolbrith Smith Plural wife of Joseph Smith
 George A. Smith First Counselor in the First Presidency, member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Official church historian, and a member of the Council of Fifty.
 Bathsheba W. Smith 4th General President of the Relief Society and wife of George A. Smith.
 Hyrum Smith Brother of Joseph Smith, Assistant President of the Church, Presiding Patriarch, Apostle, Counselor in the First Presidency, and a member of the Council of Fifty.
Mary Fielding Smith Wife of Hyrum Smith
 John Smith Uncle of Joseph Smith, 4th Presiding Patriarch, Assistant Counselor in the First Presidency, and a member of the Council of Fifty.
Clarissa Lyman Smith Wife of John Smith
 Lucy Mack Smith Mother of Joseph Smith and author of Biographical Sketches of Joseph Smith, the Prophet, and His Progenitors for Many Generations.
 Joseph Smith Founder of the Latter Day Saint movement.
 Emma Hale Smith Wife of Joseph Smith and 1st President of the Female Relief Society of Nauvoo.
 Samuel H. Smith One of the younger brothers of Joseph Smith, and one of the Eight Witnesses.
 William Smith One of the younger brothers of Joseph Smith, member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, 3rd Presiding Patriarch (LDS Church), and a member of the Council of Fifty. After the Succession Crisis he became Petitioner for Patriarchate (RLDS Church).
 Eliza R. Snow 2nd General President of the Relief Society. Plural wife of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young
 Orson Spencer Member of the Council of Fifty and 1st President of the University of Utah
Catherine Curtis Spencer Wife of Orson Spencer
 John Taylor 3rd President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Leonora Cannon Taylor Wife of John Taylor
Mercy Fielding Thompson
Newel K. Whitney First Bishop of the Church and a member of the Council of Fifty.
Elizabeth Ann Smith Whitney Wife of Newel K. Whitney.
 Lyman Wight Member of the Quorum of the Twelve and a member of the Council of Fifty. After the Succession Crisis he became President of the Church of Christ(Wightite)[2]
Wilford Woodruff 4th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
 Phoebe Carter Woodruff First wife of Wilford Woodruff.
Lucien Woodworth
Phebe Watrous Woodworth Wife of Lucien Woodworth
 Brigham Young 2nd President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
 Mary Ann Angell Young Wife of Brigham Young
 Joseph Young Brother of First Seven Presidents of the Seventy, one of the seven presidents of the First Quorum of the Seventy, and a member of the Council of Fifty.
Jane A. Bicknell Young Wife of Joseph Young

See also

References

  1. ↑ Quinn, D. Michael. Mormon Hierarchy: Origins of Power Salt Lake City: Signature Books in association with Smith Research Associates, 1994, p. 482.
  2. ↑ The Historical magazine, and notes and queries concerning the antiquities, history, and biography of America 3, London: C. Benjamin Richardson: Trübner & co., 1959, p. 12, retrieved July 26, 2010

External links