[Joseph F. Smith] Mary Fielding Smith family treks from Nauvoo to Salt Lake City. (1)
-- Oct 19, 1846
[Lucy Mack Smith] A ways and means committee is appointed to move Lucy to Voree. (2)
-- During Fall 1846
[Lucy Mack Smith] Lucy moves with Arthur and Lucy Millikin to Knoxville, Illinois, to avoid the battle of Nauvoo, taking Mary with her. William joins them there for the winter. (2)
-- 1846
Church Membership at end of year: 33,993
New Converts : 3,661
Percent Change from previous year: 12.07% (3)
[Brigham Young] Receives section 136 of the Doctrine and Covenants. Sees Joseph Smith in vision and is given valuable instruction. (4)
-- During 1846-47
[Brigham Young] Leads the exodus to Salt Lake City and returns to Winter Quarters. (4)
-- During 1846
[Deseret] 543 men enlist in the Mormon Battalion, to fight for the United States in the Mexican War, and eventually march the longest military march in history of 2000 miles. (5)
[Deseret] The first permanent settlement in Idaho is established by Mormons (6)
[Deseret] The Bryant-Russell Party became the first to take the newly opened Hastings Cutoff from Fort Bridger to the head of the Humboldt River. (7)
[Deseret] The Donner-Reed party pursued a route from Henefer through Emigration Canyon where they met with extreme hardship both there and in the Salt Lake Desert. This substantial loss in time caused them to become snowbound in the Sierra Nevada Mountains and resulted in only forty-seven of the original eight-seven's arrival at Sutter's Fort. (7)
[Deseret] The Harlan-Young Party, led by Lansford W. Hastings himself, were the first to take wagons over Hastings Cutoff and the last that season to cross the Sierra Nevada ahead of the ill-fated Donner-Reed party. (7)
Under the direction of Brigham Young, the largest numbers of saints begin migrating West to settle; they eventually arrive at the Salt Lake Valley. (8)
[John Taylor] Helps organize the Mormon Battalion at Council Bluffs. Goes to Great Britain on a second mission with Parley P. Pratt and Orson Hyde. (9)
[OREGON TRAIL] A relatively light year, with but 1000 emigrants heading to California and Oregon. Barlow's Mount Hood Toll Road and Applegate's Southern Route extend the Oregon Trail into the Willamette Valley. However, 1846 is best remembered today as the year of the ill-fated Donner party. (10)
-- During 1846-1858
[Periodicals] Prophwyd y Jubili; Dan Jones and Methyr Tydifil, (Changed to Udgorn John Davis Caerfyrddin and Seion 1849) Abertawy, Wales WELSH (Periodical) (11)
-- During 1846
[West] February 4 Samuel Brannan, on assignment, set sail from New York, with 240 LDS, for California expecting that to be the new LDS central location. (12)
Footnotes:
1 - Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph F. Smith, Salt Lake City, Utah
2 - Anderson, Lavina Fielding, Editor, Lucy's Book: A Critical Edition of Lucy Mack Smith's Family Memoir, 2001, Signature Books
3 - Wikipedia, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Membership History, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Church_of_Jesus_Christ_of_Latter-day_Saints_membership_history
4 - Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young, Salt Lake City, Utah
5 - History to Go, Trappers, Traders and Explorers, http://historytogo.utah.gov/timeline/trapperstradersandexplorers.html
6 - Legends of America, Old West Timeline, http://www.legendsofamerica.com/WE-TimeLine2.html
7 - History to Go, Pioneers and Cowboys, http://historytogo.utah.gov/timeline/pioneersandcowboys.html
8 - Wikipedia, 19th Century (Mormonism), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/19th_century_(Mormonism)
9 - Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Teachings of Presidents of the Church: John Taylor, Salt Lake City, Utah
10 - Clackamas Heritage Partners, http://www.historicoregoncity.org/HOC/index.php?option=com_contentview=articleid=107Itemid=75
11 - Ludlow, Daniel H. editor, Encyclopedia of Mormonism, Vol.4, Appendix 3: Church Periodicals
12 - Hale, Van, Mormon Miscellaneous, Rocky Mountain Prophecy, http://www.mormonmiscellaneous.com/radioprogramblog/id8.html
Mormon History Timeline /Chronology
http://lds-church-history.blogspot.com/
