Lorenzo Snow
Encyclopedia
Lorenzo Snow was the fifth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1898 to his death. Snow was the last president of the LDS Church in the nineteenth century.
- 17 October 1845 Illinois
) and Rosetta L. Pettibone (22 October 1778 Connecticut
- 12 October 1846 Illinois
), residents of Mantua Township
, Ohio
, who had left New England
to settle on a new and fertile farm
in the Connecticut Western Reserve
. Lorenzo had siblings Leonora Abigail Snow (1801–1872), Eliza R. Snow (1804–1887), Percy Amanda Snow (1808–1848), Melissa Snow (1810–1835), Lucius Augustus Snow (born 1819) and Samuel Pearce Snow (born 1821).
Despite the labor required on the farm, the Snow family valued learning and saw that each child had educational opportunities. Lorenzo received his final year of education at Oberlin College
, which was originally founded by two Presbyterian ministers. Snow later made his living as a school teacher when not engaged in church service.
, took up residence in Hiram, Ohio
, four miles from the Snow farm. The Snow family were Baptists, but soon took a strong interest in the new religious movement. Snow recorded that he heard the Book of Mormon
being read in his home in Mantua and met Smith at Hiram in 1831. By 1835, Lorenzo's mother and his older sister Eliza Roxcy Snow
, had joined the Latter Day Saint church. Eliza soon moved to the church headquarters in Kirtland, Ohio
, and worked as a school teacher. She, in her biography of Lorenzo, claims to have fostered his interest in Mormonism
while he was at Oberlin. She invited Lorenzo to visit her and attend a school of Hebrew
newly established by the church. During his visit there, in June 1836, Lorenzo was baptized
by John F. Boynton
, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
.
in Ohio
, traveling "without purse or scrip." He recorded that relying on the kindness of others for his meals and lodging was difficult for him, as he had always had sufficient means to care for himself. When he returned to Kirtland in 1838, Snow found Smith's followers in turmoil over the failure of the Kirtland Safety Society
. Snow and the members of his extended family chose to move to Missouri
in the summer of 1838 and join the Latter Day Saints settling near Far West
. Snow became seriously ill with a fever, and was nursed for several weeks by his sister Eliza.
On his recovery, Snow left for a second mission to Illinois
and Kentucky
in the fall of 1838. He served there through February 1839, when he learned that the Latter Day Saints had been expelled from their settlements in Missouri. He traveled home by way of his former mission area in Ohio. He was again taken ill and was cared for by members of the church. He remained in Ohio, preaching and working with church members until the fall of 1839. During the school year of 1839–40, Snow taught in Shalersville, Ohio
. He sent money to his family, which had by then settled in Nauvoo, Illinois
. He joined them in May 1840.
Shortly after he arrived in Nauvoo, Snow was again called to serve an active mission, this time to England
. After an unpleasant sea voyage from New York City, Snow met with some of the members of the Twelve Apostles who had opened the British Mission
in 1839, including Brigham Young
, Heber C. Kimball
, and Parley P. Pratt
. He worked briefly in the Manchester
area, and had success in Birmingham
, where he baptized people in Greet's Green and organized a branch in Wolverhampton. Snow was then assigned to preside over church members in London. During his administration, church membership in the city increased from 100 to approximately 400 members. He was released from his mission by Pratt, who by then was president
of an expanding Europe
an Mission. Snow arrived home on April 12, 1843, bringing with him a shipload of 250 British converts.
After visiting with his family, Snow again secured a teaching position for the winter, teaching at Lima, Illinois
, thirty miles from Nauvoo. In late spring 1844, he returned to Ohio, preaching and baptizing new converts and distributing recent church publications to members. He was working in Cincinnati, Ohio
when he learned of the assassination of Joseph Smith
. Snow closed his Ohio mission and promptly returned to Nauvoo.
During the period of disorganization and schism that followed Smith's death, Snow chose to follow the Quorum of the Twelve under Brigham Young. In 1845, Snow was involved in work in the Nauvoo Temple
.
and took four wives. Later, he took 7 more.
into Iowa
in February 1846. On the way west, Snow again became ill and the family stopped at Mt. Pisgah, Iowa
. Three Snow children were born at the Mormon refugee settlement, but one child did not survive. Snow was called to preside over the church organization in Mt. Pisgah and actively raised money to assist the bands of emigrants in their move west. The Snow family moved on to the Salt Lake Valley
in 1848.
(a distant cousin), and Charles C. Rich
. They were called to fill vacancies caused by the re-establishment of the First Presidency
and Lyman Wight
's apostasy.
Shortly after his call to the Twelve, Snow left on a mission to Italy
and French-speaking
Switzerland
. He later sent missionaries under his direction to India
(1849–1852). Snow was directly involved in missionary work in Italy and Switzerland, and also visited Malta
. He had planned to visit India, but various circumstances prevented this journey.
In 1851, Snow published a pamphlet entitled "The Italian Mission" about his and his companions efforts in Italy. It was published in London
.
Snow wrote a pamphlet entitled "The Voice of Joseph" in 1850 to advance missionary work in the Italian mission. He was unable to find anyone in Italy to translate it so sent it to Orson Pratt
, then the president of the British Mission, who eventually found someone in Paris
to translate it.
In January 1851, Snow went to England and found a person there whom he hired to translate the Book of Mormon
into Italian
.
The efforts of missionaries under Snow, especially the ones he sent to Turin
, inspired an article attacking the Mormon missionaries for undermining the Roman Catholic Church
in the Turinese paper, L'Armonia
. Snow and his successors were unsuccessful in the cities also due to opposition to their activities by the government of Camillo Cavour.
In 1853, under the direction of church president Brigham Young
, Snow founded Brigham City, Utah
. Settlement had begun on a limited scale at this site under the name "Box Elder". Snow changed the name and moved the community towards living up to its name. He was also a key backer of the Brigham City Cooperative, which was the inspiration for ZCMI and other cooperatives.
In 1864, Snow was sent on a mission to the Sandwich Islands (Hawaiian Islands)
. He went on this mission with Ezra T. Benson
and Joseph F. Smith
. They were responding to messages from Jonatana Napela
and other Hawaiian church members about the irregular administration of the church by Walter Gibson. While here, Snow was seriously injured but was healed through the ministration of holders of the priesthood
.
Some accused Snow of engineering the election of Thomas Kearns
, his friend and a wealthy Catholic to the United States Senate in 1901. However it may have been a shrewd decision to help ensure statehood for Utah by electing a non-Mormon.
along with Lorin Farr
. At that point, Weber County encompassed all of Utah north of Davis County
. By 1857, Box Elder County
, Cache County and the short-lived Malad County were added to the area Snow and Farr represented. In 1863, Weber and Box Elder Counties were broken off from Cache County (Malad County was by then defunct) and made a single-representative district, with Lorenzo Snow remaining as their lone councilmember. (Ezra T. Benson
had replaced Farr as the other councilor in 1861; he was a resident of Cache County and remained the other councilor after the district was split.) In 1872, Snow became the president of the council. He held this position for through the end of 1881. In 1882, Snow remained a member of the council but he was succeeded as president by Joseph F. Smith
. In 1884, Snow was succeeded as a member of the council by Franklin S. Richards
.
In 1888, Snow went to Rexburg, Idaho
. While here he told the leaders of the stake that Karl G. Maeser
had been appointed Commissioner of Church Education
and recommended that they form a stake academy. The local leaders followed Snow's instructions and the institution they formed eventually evolved into Brigham Young University–Idaho
.
prosecutions under the Edmunds Act
. In late 1885, Snow was indicted by a federal grand jury for three counts of unlawful cohabitation. According to his indictments, Snow had lived with more than one woman for three years. The jury delivered one indictment for each of these years, and Snow was convicted on each count. After conviction he filed a petition for writ of habeas corpus in the federal district court which convicted him. The petition was denied, but federal law guaranteed him an appeal to the United States Supreme Court. In Ex Parte Snow the Supreme Court invalidated Snow's second and third convictions for unlawful cohabitation. It found that unlawful cohabitation was a "continuing offense," and thus that Snow was at most guilty of one such offense for cohabiting continuously with more than one woman for three years.
almost immediately after Wilford Woodruff's death, instead of waiting years as his predecessors had.
As he began his tenure as president, Snow had to deal with the aftermath of legal battles with the United States over the practice of plural marriage
. Men engaging in plural marriage were still being arrested and confined in Utah Territory
. Some members of the LDS Church did not accept the 1890 Manifesto
put forth by Wilford Woodruff
, and there was a strong division of opinion on plural marriage even in the priesthood hierarchy of the church.
The LDS Church was also in severe financial difficulties, some of which were related to the legal problems over plural marriage. Snow approached this problem first by issuing short term bonds with a total value of one million dollar
s. This was followed by emphatic teaching on tithing
. It was during this time that the LDS Church officially adopted the principle of tithing, the payment of 10% of one's income, as a hallmark of membership. Snow gave an address at the St. George Tabernacle
in St. George, Utah
, imploring the Latter-day Saints to pay tithes of corn, money or whatever they had in order to have sufficient rain. After much patience and faith, it rained in southern Utah. In a short period of time, the members' practice of paying a tithe reduced the church's debt and financial difficulties to a manageable level.
Snow died of pneumonia in Salt Lake City, Utah
and was succeeded in the church presidency by Joseph F. Smith
.
in the LDS Church made film The Windows of Heaven.
Family
Snow was the fifth child and first son of Oliver Snow (18 September 1775 MassachusettsMassachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
- 17 October 1845 Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
) and Rosetta L. Pettibone (22 October 1778 Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
- 12 October 1846 Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
), residents of Mantua Township
Mantua Township, Portage County, Ohio
The village of Mantua, which became independent of the township in 1993, is located in southern Mantua Township.Formed from the Connecticut Western Reserve, Mantua Township covers an area of .-Notable people:...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, who had left New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
to settle on a new and fertile farm
Farm
A farm is an area of land, or, for aquaculture, lake, river or sea, including various structures, devoted primarily to the practice of producing and managing food , fibres and, increasingly, fuel. It is the basic production facility in food production. Farms may be owned and operated by a single...
in the Connecticut Western Reserve
Connecticut Western Reserve
The Connecticut Western Reserve was land claimed by Connecticut from 1662 to 1800 in the Northwest Territory in what is now northeastern Ohio.-History:...
. Lorenzo had siblings Leonora Abigail Snow (1801–1872), Eliza R. Snow (1804–1887), Percy Amanda Snow (1808–1848), Melissa Snow (1810–1835), Lucius Augustus Snow (born 1819) and Samuel Pearce Snow (born 1821).
Despite the labor required on the farm, the Snow family valued learning and saw that each child had educational opportunities. Lorenzo received his final year of education at Oberlin College
Oberlin College
Oberlin College is a private liberal arts college in Oberlin, Ohio, noteworthy for having been the first American institution of higher learning to regularly admit female and black students. Connected to the college is the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, the oldest continuously operating...
, which was originally founded by two Presbyterian ministers. Snow later made his living as a school teacher when not engaged in church service.
Introduction to Mormonism
In 1831, Joseph Smith, Jr., the Latter Day Saint prophetProphet
In religion, a prophet, from the Greek word προφήτης profitis meaning "foreteller", is an individual who is claimed to have been contacted by the supernatural or the divine, and serves as an intermediary with humanity, delivering this newfound knowledge from the supernatural entity to other people...
, took up residence in Hiram, Ohio
Hiram Township, Portage County, Ohio
Hiram Township is one of the eighteen townships of Portage County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 2,296 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the northern part of the county, it borders the following other townships:...
, four miles from the Snow farm. The Snow family were Baptists, but soon took a strong interest in the new religious movement. Snow recorded that he heard the Book of Mormon
Book of Mormon
The Book of Mormon is a sacred text of the Latter Day Saint movement that adherents believe contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the American continent from approximately 2600 BC to AD 421. It was first published in March 1830 by Joseph Smith, Jr...
being read in his home in Mantua and met Smith at Hiram in 1831. By 1835, Lorenzo's mother and his older sister Eliza Roxcy Snow
Eliza Roxcy Snow
Eliza Roxcy Snow Young was one of the most celebrated Latter-day Saint women of the nineteenth century. A renowned poet, she chronicled history, celebrated nature and relationships, and expounded scripture and doctrine...
, had joined the Latter Day Saint church. Eliza soon moved to the church headquarters in Kirtland, Ohio
Kirtland, Ohio
Kirtland is a city in Lake County, Ohio, USA. The population was 6,670 at the 2000 census. Kirtland is famous for being the early headquarters of the Latter Day Saint movement.-Origins of Kirtland:...
, and worked as a school teacher. She, in her biography of Lorenzo, claims to have fostered his interest in Mormonism
Mormonism
Mormonism is the religion practiced by Mormons, and is the predominant religious tradition of the Latter Day Saint movement. This movement was founded by Joseph Smith, Jr. beginning in the 1820s as a form of Christian primitivism. During the 1830s and 1840s, Mormonism gradually distinguished itself...
while he was at Oberlin. She invited Lorenzo to visit her and attend a school of Hebrew
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
newly established by the church. During his visit there, in June 1836, Lorenzo was baptized
Baptism
In Christianity, baptism is for the majority the rite of admission , almost invariably with the use of water, into the Christian Church generally and also membership of a particular church tradition...
by John F. Boynton
John F. Boynton
John Farnham Boynton was an early leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and an American geologist and inventor. He was one of the original members of the Latter Day Saint movement's Quorum of the Twelve Apostles....
, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles is one of the governing bodies in the church hierarchy...
.
Early church service
While living in Kirtland in 1837, Snow was called to serve a short missionMormon missionary
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is one of the most active modern practitioners of missionary work, with over 52,000 full-time missionaries worldwide, as of the end of 2010...
in Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, traveling "without purse or scrip." He recorded that relying on the kindness of others for his meals and lodging was difficult for him, as he had always had sufficient means to care for himself. When he returned to Kirtland in 1838, Snow found Smith's followers in turmoil over the failure of the Kirtland Safety Society
Kirtland Safety Society
The Kirtland Safety Society was a quasi-bank organized in 1836 by leaders and followers of the Church of the Latter Day Saints. According to KSS's 1837 "Articles of Agreement", it was intended to serve the banking needs of the growing Mormon community in Kirtland, Ohio...
. Snow and the members of his extended family chose to move to Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
in the summer of 1838 and join the Latter Day Saints settling near Far West
Far West, Missouri
Far West, Missouri, was a Latter Day Saint settlement in Caldwell County, Missouri.-Foundation and early history:The town was founded by Missouri Mormon leaders, W. W. Phelps and John Whitmer in August 1836 shortly before the county's creation. The town was platted originally as a square area,...
. Snow became seriously ill with a fever, and was nursed for several weeks by his sister Eliza.
On his recovery, Snow left for a second mission to Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
and Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
in the fall of 1838. He served there through February 1839, when he learned that the Latter Day Saints had been expelled from their settlements in Missouri. He traveled home by way of his former mission area in Ohio. He was again taken ill and was cared for by members of the church. He remained in Ohio, preaching and working with church members until the fall of 1839. During the school year of 1839–40, Snow taught in Shalersville, Ohio
Shalersville Township, Portage County, Ohio
Shalersville Township is one of the eighteen townships of Portage County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 5,976 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the northwestern part of the county, it borders the following other townships and cities:...
. He sent money to his family, which had by then settled in Nauvoo, Illinois
Nauvoo, Illinois
Nauvoo is a small city in Hancock County, Illinois, United States. Although the population was just 1,063 at the 2000 census, and despite being difficult to reach due to its location in a remote corner of Illinois, Nauvoo attracts large numbers of visitors for its historic importance and its...
. He joined them in May 1840.
Shortly after he arrived in Nauvoo, Snow was again called to serve an active mission, this time to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. After an unpleasant sea voyage from New York City, Snow met with some of the members of the Twelve Apostles who had opened the British Mission
Mission (LDS Church)
A mission of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a geographical administrative area to which church missionaries are assigned. Almost all areas of the world are within the boundaries of an LDS Church mission, whether or not Mormon missionaries live or proselytize in the area...
in 1839, including Brigham Young
Brigham Young
Brigham Young was an American leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and a settler of the Western United States. He was the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1847 until his death in 1877, he founded Salt Lake City, and he served as the first governor of the Utah...
, Heber C. Kimball
Heber C. Kimball
Heber Chase Kimball was a leader in the early Latter Day Saint movement. He served as one of the original twelve apostles in the early Latter Day Saint church, and as first counselor to Brigham Young in the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1847 until his...
, and Parley P. Pratt
Parley P. Pratt
Parley Parker Pratt, Sr. was a leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and an original member of Quorum of the Twelve Apostles from 1835 until his murder in 1857. He served in the Quorum with his younger brother, Orson Pratt...
. He worked briefly in the Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
area, and had success in Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, where he baptized people in Greet's Green and organized a branch in Wolverhampton. Snow was then assigned to preside over church members in London. During his administration, church membership in the city increased from 100 to approximately 400 members. He was released from his mission by Pratt, who by then was president
Mission president
Mission president is a priesthood leadership position in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . A mission president presides over a mission and the missionaries serving in the mission...
of an expanding Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an Mission. Snow arrived home on April 12, 1843, bringing with him a shipload of 250 British converts.
After visiting with his family, Snow again secured a teaching position for the winter, teaching at Lima, Illinois
Lima, Illinois
Lima is a village in Adams County, Illinois, United States. The population was 159 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Quincy, IL–MO Micropolitan Statistical Area...
, thirty miles from Nauvoo. In late spring 1844, he returned to Ohio, preaching and baptizing new converts and distributing recent church publications to members. He was working in Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
when he learned of the assassination of Joseph Smith
Death of Joseph Smith, Jr.
The death of Joseph Smith, Jr. on June 27, 1844 marked a turning point for the Latter Day Saint movement, of which Smith was the founder and leader. When he was attacked and killed by a mob, Smith was the mayor of Nauvoo, Illinois, and running for President of the United States...
. Snow closed his Ohio mission and promptly returned to Nauvoo.
During the period of disorganization and schism that followed Smith's death, Snow chose to follow the Quorum of the Twelve under Brigham Young. In 1845, Snow was involved in work in the Nauvoo Temple
Nauvoo Temple
The Nauvoo Temple was the second temple constructed by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, commonly known as the Mormons. The church's first temple was completed in Kirtland, Ohio, United States in 1836. When the main body of the church was forced out of Nauvoo, Illinois in the...
.
Wives and children
Before leaving Nauvoo, Snow accepted the principle of plural marriagePlural marriage
Polygamy was taught by leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for more than half of the 19th century, and practiced publicly from 1852 to 1890.The Church's practice of polygamy has been highly controversial, both within...
and took four wives. Later, he took 7 more.
- Charlotte Squires (19 November 1825 OhioOhioOhio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
-25 September 1850). Married October 1844.- Leonora Charlotte Snow (23 January 1847-June 1847)
- Roxcy Armatha Snow (14 December 1848-9 July 1931)
- Mary Adaline Goddard (8 March 1812 ConnecticutConnecticutConnecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
- 28 December 1898). Married 1845.- Rosetta Adaline Snow (born 7 November 1846)
- Oliver Goddard Snow (born 20 February 1849)
- Isadon Percy Snow (born 24 February 1855)
- Sarah Ann Prichard (29 November 1826 OhioOhioOhio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
- 30 November 1900). Married 21 April 1845.- Eliza Sarah Snow (30 November 1847-October 1900)
- Sylvia Snow (16 January 1850-2 January 1934)
- Lorenzo Snow (born 7 July 1853)
- Parthina Snow (born 5 October 1855)
- Laurin Alvirus Snow (2 December 1863)
- Alvirua Erastus Snow (2 December 1863-22 April 1947)
- Harriet Amelia Squires (13 September 1819 OhioOhioOhio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
-12 May 1890). Married 17 January 1846.- Abigail Harriet Snow (16 July 1847-9 May 1914)
- Lucius Aaron Snow (11 December 1849-3 October 1921)
- Amelia Herrietta Snow (15 February 1854-30 October 1854)
- Alonzo Henry Snow (15 February 1854-1 November 1854)
- Celestia Armeda Snow (2 December 1856-13 March 1938)
- Eleanor Houtz (14 August 1831 PennsylvaniaPennsylvaniaThe Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
- 13 September 1896). Married 1848.- Amanda Eleanor Snow (19 April 1850-21 October 1850)
- Ida Snow (2 January 1854-15 January 1923)
- Eugenia Snow (5 July 1856-13 January 1946)
- Alphonzo Houtz Snow (13 October 1858-22 February 1933)
- Susan Imogene Snow (4 May 1861-16 October 1864)
- Roxey Lana Snow (born 22 October 1863)
- Hortensia Snow (17 July 1867-1 February 1940)
- Chauncey Edgar Snow (born 8 July 1870)
- Caroline Horton (25 December 1828 EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
- 21 February 1857). Married 9 October 1853.- Clarissa Caroline Snow (19 July 1854-15 October 1917)
- Franklin Horton Snow (3 February 1857-2 January 1939)
- Sarah Augusta Snow (3 February 1857-17 February 1857)
- Mary Elizabeth Houtz (19 May 1840 PennsylvaniaPennsylvaniaThe Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
- 31 May 1906. Married 1857.- Lydia May Snow (21 Jan 1860-22 December 1898)
- Jacob E. Fitzroy Snow (31 October 1862-2 December 1862)
- Virginia M. Snow (born 30 January 1864)
- Mansfield Lorenzo Snow (born 8 September 1866)
- Mortimer Joseph Snow (born 19 November 1868)
- Flora Bell Birdie Snow (19 July 1871-23 February 1950)
- Phoebe Amelia Woodruff (4 March 1842 Nauvoo, IllinoisNauvoo, IllinoisNauvoo is a small city in Hancock County, Illinois, United States. Although the population was just 1,063 at the 2000 census, and despite being difficult to reach due to its location in a remote corner of Illinois, Nauvoo attracts large numbers of visitors for its historic importance and its...
- 15 February 1919). Married 4 April 1859. Phoebe was the daughter of Wilford WoodruffWilford WoodruffWilford Woodruff, Sr. was the fourth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1889 until his death...
.- Mary Amanda Snow (4 September 1860-6 September 1860)
- Leslie Woodruff Snow (6 February 1862-28 November 1935)
- Orion Woodruff Snow (6 September 1866-7 March 1939)
- Milton Woodruff Snow (7 February 1868-24 January 1943)
- Phoebe Augusta Florence Snow (7 August 1870-6 February 1964)
- Sarah Minnie Ephramina Jensen (10 October 1856-2 January 1908). Married on 12 June 1871.
- Le Roi Clarence Snow (28 August 1876-31 December 1962)
- Minnie Mabelle Snow (23 May 1879-3 December 1962)
- Cora Jean Snow (16 February 1883-11 August 1883)
- Lorenzo Lamont Snow (26 August 1885-7 May 1954)
- Rhea Lucile Snow (5 November 1896-9 July 1976)
Migration to Utah
Snow and his family, with wagons and livestock, joined a group of emigrants and moved across the Mississippi RiverMississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
into Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
in February 1846. On the way west, Snow again became ill and the family stopped at Mt. Pisgah, Iowa
Mount Pisgah (Iowa)
Mount Pisgah was a semi-permanent settlement or way station from 1846 to 1852 along the Mormon Trail between Garden Grove and Council Bluffs. It is located near the small community of Thayer in Jones Township, Union County, Iowa. This site is now part-of the Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trail....
. Three Snow children were born at the Mormon refugee settlement, but one child did not survive. Snow was called to preside over the church organization in Mt. Pisgah and actively raised money to assist the bands of emigrants in their move west. The Snow family moved on to the Salt Lake Valley
Salt Lake Valley
Salt Lake Valley is a valley in Salt Lake County in the north-central portion of the U.S. state of Utah. It contains Salt Lake City and many of its suburbs, notably West Valley City, Murray, Sandy, and West Jordan; its total population is 1,029,655 as of 2010...
in 1848.
Call to the Twelve and missions abroad
In 1849 Snow was called to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. He was called the same day as Franklin D. Richards, Erastus SnowErastus Snow
Erastus Fairbanks Snow , born in St. Johnsbury, Vermont, was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1849 to 1888. Snow was also a leading figure in Mormon colonization of Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico.Snow Canyon State Park Erastus...
(a distant cousin), and Charles C. Rich
Charles C. Rich
Charles Coulson Rich was an early leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and served as an apostle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ....
. They were called to fill vacancies caused by the re-establishment of the First Presidency
First Presidency (LDS Church)
The First Presidency is the presiding or governing body of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . It is composed of the President of the Church and his counselors. The First Presidency currently consists of President Thomas S. Monson and his two counselors, Henry B...
and Lyman Wight
Lyman Wight
Lyman Wight was an early leader in the Latter Day Saint movement. He was the leader of the Latter Day Saints in Daviess County, Missouri in 1838. In 1841, he was ordained a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. After the death of Joseph Smith, Jr...
's apostasy.
Shortly after his call to the Twelve, Snow left on a mission to Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and French-speaking
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. He later sent missionaries under his direction to India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
(1849–1852). Snow was directly involved in missionary work in Italy and Switzerland, and also visited Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
. He had planned to visit India, but various circumstances prevented this journey.
In 1851, Snow published a pamphlet entitled "The Italian Mission" about his and his companions efforts in Italy. It was published in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
Snow wrote a pamphlet entitled "The Voice of Joseph" in 1850 to advance missionary work in the Italian mission. He was unable to find anyone in Italy to translate it so sent it to Orson Pratt
Orson Pratt
Orson Pratt, Sr. was a leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and an original member of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles...
, then the president of the British Mission, who eventually found someone in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
to translate it.
In January 1851, Snow went to England and found a person there whom he hired to translate the Book of Mormon
Book of Mormon
The Book of Mormon is a sacred text of the Latter Day Saint movement that adherents believe contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the American continent from approximately 2600 BC to AD 421. It was first published in March 1830 by Joseph Smith, Jr...
into Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
.
The efforts of missionaries under Snow, especially the ones he sent to Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
, inspired an article attacking the Mormon missionaries for undermining the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
in the Turinese paper, L'Armonia
L'Armonia
L'Armonia was newspaper founded in Turin in 1848. It was ultra-conservative and Catholic in orientation. It holds the distinction of being the first publication in Italian to publish an account of the Book of Mormon....
. Snow and his successors were unsuccessful in the cities also due to opposition to their activities by the government of Camillo Cavour.
Activities in Utah
On his return to Utah, Snow founded a society called the polysophical society to conduct study into the various aspects of human knowledge. He encouraged church members of all ages to join and some view this organization as a predecessor of the Young Men's Mutual Improvement Association.In 1853, under the direction of church president Brigham Young
Brigham Young
Brigham Young was an American leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and a settler of the Western United States. He was the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1847 until his death in 1877, he founded Salt Lake City, and he served as the first governor of the Utah...
, Snow founded Brigham City, Utah
Brigham City, Utah
Brigham City is a city in Box Elder County, Utah, United States. The population was 17,899 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Box Elder County. It lies on the western slope of the Wellsville Mountains, a branch of the Wasatch Range at the western terminus of Box Elder Canyon...
. Settlement had begun on a limited scale at this site under the name "Box Elder". Snow changed the name and moved the community towards living up to its name. He was also a key backer of the Brigham City Cooperative, which was the inspiration for ZCMI and other cooperatives.
In 1864, Snow was sent on a mission to the Sandwich Islands (Hawaiian Islands)
Hawaiian Islands
The Hawaiian Islands are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, numerous smaller islets, and undersea seamounts in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some 1,500 miles from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kure Atoll...
. He went on this mission with Ezra T. Benson
Ezra T. Benson
Ezra Taft Benson was as an apostle and a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints .-Early life:Benson was born in Mendon, Massachusetts, the son of John Benson and...
and Joseph F. Smith
Joseph F. Smith
Joseph Fielding Smith, Sr. was the sixth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
. They were responding to messages from Jonatana Napela
Jonatana Napela
Jonatana Napela or Jonathan Hawaii Napela was one of the earliest Latter-day Saint converts in Hawai'i. He helped translate the Book of Mormon into Hawaiian with George Q...
and other Hawaiian church members about the irregular administration of the church by Walter Gibson. While here, Snow was seriously injured but was healed through the ministration of holders of the priesthood
Priesthood (LDS Church)
In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , the priesthood is the power and authority to act in the name of God for the salvation of humankind...
.
Some accused Snow of engineering the election of Thomas Kearns
Thomas Kearns
Thomas Kearns was a mining, banking, railroad and newspaper magnate. He was elected United States Senator from Utah from 1901 to 1905.- Immigration and mining :...
, his friend and a wealthy Catholic to the United States Senate in 1901. However it may have been a shrewd decision to help ensure statehood for Utah by electing a non-Mormon.
Political offices
Snow was first elected to the Utah Territorial Council, the upper house of the territorial legislature, in 1855. He started out serving for Weber CountyWeber County, Utah
Weber County is a county located in the U.S. state of Utah, occupying a stretch of the Wasatch Front, part of the eastern shores of Great Salt Lake, and much of the rugged Wasatch Mountains. As of the 2000 census, the population was 196,533, an increase of 24.1% over its population in 1990. By...
along with Lorin Farr
Lorin Farr
Lorin Farr was a Mormon pioneer and the first mayor of Ogden, Utah.Farr was born in Waterford, Vermont. He was a son of Winslow Farr. When he was eleven, Farr joined the Latter Day Saint church after having been taught of it by Orson Pratt and Lyman E. Johnson...
. At that point, Weber County encompassed all of Utah north of Davis County
Davis County, Utah
Davis County is a county located in the U.S. state of Utah. As of 2010 the population was 306,479, a 28.2% increase over the 2000 figure of 238,994. It was named for Daniel C. Davis, captain in the Mormon Battalion. The county is part of the Ogden–Clearfield Metropolitan Statistical Area as...
. By 1857, Box Elder County
Box Elder County, Utah
Box Elder County is a county located in the U.S. state of Utah. It lies on the north end of the Great Salt Lake, covering a large area north to the Idaho border and west to the Nevada border. Included in this area are large tracts of barren desert, contrasted by high, forested mountains. The...
, Cache County and the short-lived Malad County were added to the area Snow and Farr represented. In 1863, Weber and Box Elder Counties were broken off from Cache County (Malad County was by then defunct) and made a single-representative district, with Lorenzo Snow remaining as their lone councilmember. (Ezra T. Benson
Ezra T. Benson
Ezra Taft Benson was as an apostle and a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints .-Early life:Benson was born in Mendon, Massachusetts, the son of John Benson and...
had replaced Farr as the other councilor in 1861; he was a resident of Cache County and remained the other councilor after the district was split.) In 1872, Snow became the president of the council. He held this position for through the end of 1881. In 1882, Snow remained a member of the council but he was succeeded as president by Joseph F. Smith
Joseph F. Smith
Joseph Fielding Smith, Sr. was the sixth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
. In 1884, Snow was succeeded as a member of the council by Franklin S. Richards
Franklin S. Richards
Franklin Snyder Richards was the general counsel for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the late 19th century and early 20th century. He was closely connected with the defense against charges of polygamy of many leading LDS Church figures.- Biography :Richards was born in Salt...
.
Other activities
- Arrested and confined for unlawful cohabitationCohabitationCohabitation usually refers to an arrangement whereby two people decide to live together on a long-term or permanent basis in an emotionally and/or sexually intimate relationship. The term is most frequently applied to couples who are not married...
(1885–1886) - President of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles (1889–1898)
- PresidentTemple PresidentTemple president is a priesthood leadership position in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. A temple president's primary responsibility is to supervise the affairs of an LDS temple in both an administrative and spiritual capacity....
of the Salt Lake TempleSalt Lake TempleThe Salt Lake Temple is the largest and best-known of more than 130 temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is the sixth temple built by the church, requiring 40 years to complete, and the fourth operating temple built since the Mormon exodus from Nauvoo,...
(1893). Snow remained in this position until he became president of the Church in 1898, when he was succeeded by Joseph F. SmithJoseph F. SmithJoseph Fielding Smith, Sr. was the sixth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
. - Between April 1901 and his death, Snow served as the general superintendent of the church's Sunday SchoolSunday School (LDS Church)Sunday School is an official auxiliary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . All members of the church and any interested nonmembers, age 12 and older, are encouraged to participate in Sunday School.-Purpose:...
program.
Activities in Idaho
As the church expanded into the surrounding states, members of the Quorum of the Twelve would be sent to other states of assignment.In 1888, Snow went to Rexburg, Idaho
Rexburg, Idaho
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 17,257 people, 4,274 households, and 2,393 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,534.4 people per square mile . There were 4,533 housing units at an average density of 928.4 per square mile...
. While here he told the leaders of the stake that Karl G. Maeser
Karl G. Maeser
-Brigham Young Academy:When Maeser arrived at Brigham Young Academy in 1876 it was dying. Enrollment had declined since Warren N. Dusenberry had started the school a few months before. There were only 29 students at the time of Maeser's arrival....
had been appointed Commissioner of Church Education
Church Educational System
The Church Educational System of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints consists of several institutions that provide religious and secular education for both Latter-day Saint and non-Latter-day Saint elementary, secondary, and post-secondary students and adult learners...
and recommended that they form a stake academy. The local leaders followed Snow's instructions and the institution they formed eventually evolved into Brigham Young University–Idaho
Brigham Young University–Idaho
Brigham Young University–Idaho is a private university located in Rexburg, Idaho. Founded in 1888, the university is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and transitioned from a junior college to a four-year institution in 2001, known for the greater part of its...
.
Snow in the U.S. Supreme Court
Snow was the subject of a United States Supreme Court case regarding polygamyPolygamy
Polygamy is a marriage which includes more than two partners...
prosecutions under the Edmunds Act
Edmunds Act
The Edmunds Act, also known as the Edmunds Anti-Polygamy Act of 1882, is a United States federal statute, signed into law on March 23, 1882, declaring polygamy a felony. The act is named for U.S. Senator George F. Edmunds of Vermont...
. In late 1885, Snow was indicted by a federal grand jury for three counts of unlawful cohabitation. According to his indictments, Snow had lived with more than one woman for three years. The jury delivered one indictment for each of these years, and Snow was convicted on each count. After conviction he filed a petition for writ of habeas corpus in the federal district court which convicted him. The petition was denied, but federal law guaranteed him an appeal to the United States Supreme Court. In Ex Parte Snow the Supreme Court invalidated Snow's second and third convictions for unlawful cohabitation. It found that unlawful cohabitation was a "continuing offense," and thus that Snow was at most guilty of one such offense for cohabiting continuously with more than one woman for three years.
Actions as church president
The first notable action of Lorenzo Snow as president of the church was that he organized the First PresidencyFirst Presidency (LDS Church)
The First Presidency is the presiding or governing body of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . It is composed of the President of the Church and his counselors. The First Presidency currently consists of President Thomas S. Monson and his two counselors, Henry B...
almost immediately after Wilford Woodruff's death, instead of waiting years as his predecessors had.
As he began his tenure as president, Snow had to deal with the aftermath of legal battles with the United States over the practice of plural marriage
Plural marriage
Polygamy was taught by leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for more than half of the 19th century, and practiced publicly from 1852 to 1890.The Church's practice of polygamy has been highly controversial, both within...
. Men engaging in plural marriage were still being arrested and confined in Utah Territory
Utah Territory
The Territory of Utah was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from September 9, 1850, until January 4, 1896, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Utah....
. Some members of the LDS Church did not accept the 1890 Manifesto
1890 Manifesto
The "1890 Manifesto", sometimes simply called "The Manifesto", is a statement which officially disavowed the continuing practice of plural marriage in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
put forth by Wilford Woodruff
Wilford Woodruff
Wilford Woodruff, Sr. was the fourth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1889 until his death...
, and there was a strong division of opinion on plural marriage even in the priesthood hierarchy of the church.
The LDS Church was also in severe financial difficulties, some of which were related to the legal problems over plural marriage. Snow approached this problem first by issuing short term bonds with a total value of one million dollar
Dollar
The dollar is the name of the official currency of many countries, including Australia, Belize, Canada, Ecuador, El Salvador, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Singapore, Taiwan, and the United States.-Etymology:...
s. This was followed by emphatic teaching on tithing
Tithe
A tithe is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a contribution to a religious organization or compulsory tax to government. Today, tithes are normally voluntary and paid in cash, cheques, or stocks, whereas historically tithes were required and paid in kind, such as agricultural products...
. It was during this time that the LDS Church officially adopted the principle of tithing, the payment of 10% of one's income, as a hallmark of membership. Snow gave an address at the St. George Tabernacle
St. George Tabernacle
The St. George Tabernacle is a historic building in St. George, Utah. It opened in 1876 to serve as a public works building, originally hosting church services and court hearings. Today, it is open to the public and hosts many public events, such as concerts....
in St. George, Utah
St. George, Utah
St. George is a city located in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Utah, and the county seat of Washington County, Utah. It is the principal city of and is included in the St. George, Utah, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city is 119 miles northeast of Las Vegas, Nevada, and 303 miles ...
, imploring the Latter-day Saints to pay tithes of corn, money or whatever they had in order to have sufficient rain. After much patience and faith, it rained in southern Utah. In a short period of time, the members' practice of paying a tithe reduced the church's debt and financial difficulties to a manageable level.
Snow died of pneumonia in Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC. With a population of 186,440 as of the 2010 Census, the city lies in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1,124,197...
and was succeeded in the church presidency by Joseph F. Smith
Joseph F. Smith
Joseph Fielding Smith, Sr. was the sixth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
.
Portray in film
The role of Lorenzo Snow was played by Francis L. UrryFrancis L. Urry
Francis L. Urry was a Utah-based actor. He is best known for his work in the films Johnny Lingo, Uncle Ben, and The Windows of Heaven. He can also still be heard as the male narrator of the Mormon Miracle Pageant....
in the LDS Church made film The Windows of Heaven.