Historian to Discuss ‘Forgotten’ Original Mormon Apostles

March 16, 2015

OGDEN, Utah — The histories of the original Mormon apostles who separated from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will be told at the Weber Historical Society’s upcoming lecture. The event, which is free and open to the public, will be held March 23 at 7 p.m. in the Weber State University Lindquist Alumni Center Garden Room.
 
Michael Marquardt, a local independent historian, recently co-authored the book “Lost Apostles: Forgotten Members of Mormonism’s Original Quorum of Twelve.” The book tells the history of six of the LDS church’s original 12 apostles, from apostleship appointment to excommunication to death.
 
“It is pretty lucky we found so much information,” Marquardt said. “The book is called ‘Lost Apostles,’ but through this research, we have found them, and people can read the book and learn about them.”
 
Marquardt said that the book’s theme came from an experience by his co-author, William Shepard, a member of a Wisconsin-based group known as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Strangite. Shepard learned that one of the original apostles, Lyman Johnson, was buried 200 miles from his home in Wisconsin. Shepard decided to visit the site and found a discrepancy on the death date.
 
“There was a three-year difference on the date of his death as opposed to what most scholarly publications have been using,” Marquardt said. “That got us started. Friends told us we should research all of them, and we decided to take their advice.”
 
The book delves into the early history of the apostles — their appointment and early missionary efforts following the disbandment of Zion’s Camp, which was  an expedition from Kirtland, Ohio, to Clay County, Missouri, during May and June 1834 to protect members living in Missouri. Marquardt and Shepard found several newspaper articles documenting Mormon preaching in several states.
 
“We have accounts from as early as 1831, where we didn’t have to guess what was being preached to the different congregations,” Marquardt said. “Sometimes they went to courthouses and preached on the steps.”
 
Of the six “lost” apostles, two never rejoined any branch of the Mormon church. Two joined several offshoots of the church after the death of Joseph Smith, migrating from one to another. Two eventually rejoined the LDS church in Utah.
 
Although dealing with a religious subject in which Shepard has a stake, Marquardt said the two never disagreed. They were just out to write the history from research they gathered.
 
“We never dealt with any of the issues other people have, such as truth claims,” Marquardt said. “This is purely a historical book. We didn’t have any disagreements; we just did the research, and we put it together.”
 
The event is part of the Weber Historical Society Spring 2015 Lecture Series. It is presented by the WSU Alumni Association, the College of Social & Behavioral Sciences, the Department of History, Stewart Library and the Weber Historical Society.
 
For more information on the Weber Historical Society, visit weber.edu/History/weberhistoricalsociety.html.
 
Visit weber.edu/wsutoday for more news about Weber State University.
 

Author:

Marcus Jensen, Office of Marketing & Communications
801-626-7295 • marcusjensen@weber.edu

Contact:

Eric Swedin, history professor
801-395-3553 • eswedin@weber.edu