[Lucy Mack Smith] Lucy, in Nauvoo with Emma, enjoys a visit from Perrigrine Sessions. (1)
-- During Nov. 1852
[Lucy Mack Smith] Orson Pratt is sent on a mission to Washington, D.C. Here he issues the first number of The Seer on 1 January 1853. (1)
-- Dec 13, 1852
The Legislative Assembly of Utah Territory met, for the first time. (2)
-- 1852
Church Membership at end of year: 52,640
New Converts : 475
Percent Change from previous year: 0.91% (3)
[Deseret] The Mormon Church in Utah officially acknowledges that the practice of polygamy is part of its religion. (4)
[Deseret] On August 29 the revelation on celestial marriage (polygamy) was first made public. It was read in the conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. (5)
[OREGON TRAIL] The cholera epidemic has nearly burned itself out and the gold rush is back on: 70,000 people head west in these years, about 50,000 in '52 and 20,000 in '53. Half leave from St. Joe and half from Omaha, and half head to California and half to Oregon. (6)
[Periodicals] Western Bugle; Almon W. Babbitt Kanesville, Iowa (News Paper) (7)
[Utah Statehood] LDS church authorities publicly acknowledged that the doctrine of plural marriage had been accepted as a divinely instituted obligation among some of the most faithful adherents of the Latter-day Saint religion. During the next 38 years, polygamy would prove to be the major stumbling block in attempts to gain statehood. (8)
-- Jan 25, 1853
Elders O. Spencer and J. Houtz, missionaries, arrived in Berlin, Prussia, and were banished from there on the second of February following. (2)
-- Feb 4, 1853
The temple site for the Salt Lake Temple is dedicated. (9)
-- Feb 11, 1853
[Lucy Mack Smith] Almon W. Babbitt tells Horace S. Eldredge, president of the St. Louis branch, that he had just acquired Lucy's fair copy and is on his way to Washington, D.C. (1)
-- Feb 14, 1853
Temple Block consecrated and ground broken, Salt Lake City. [See Temple Square.] (10)
The Temple Block in Salt Lake City was consecrated. (2)
Ground for the Salt Lake Temple is broken by President Brigham Young. (11)
-- Mar 7, 1853
The first missionaries to Gibraltar arrived there. (2)
Footnotes:
1 - Anderson, Lavina Fielding, Editor, Lucy's Book: A Critical Edition of Lucy Mack Smith's Family Memoir, 2001, Signature Books
2 - Richards, Franklin Dewey and Little, James A., Compendium of the Doctrines of the Gospel, Church Chronology, Ch.66, p.306
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 - Legends of America, Old West Timeline, http://www.legendsofamerica.com/WE-TimeLine2.html
5 - History to Go, Pioneers and Cowboys, http://historytogo.utah.gov/timeline/pioneersandcowboys.html
6 - Clackamas Heritage Partners, http://www.historicoregoncity.org/HOC/index.php?option=com_contentview=articleid=107Itemid=75
7 - Ludlow, Daniel H. editor, Encyclopedia of Mormonism, Vol.4, Appendix 3: Church Periodicals
8 - Thatcher, Linda, History to Go, Statehood Chronology, http://www.onlineutah.com/statehoodchronology.shtml
9 - Wikipedia, 19th Century (Mormonism), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/19th_century_(Mormonism)
10 - Ludlow, Daniel H. editor, Encyclopedia of Mormonism, Macmillan Publishing, Encyclopedia of Mormonism, Vol. 4, Appendix 2: A Chronology of Church History
11 - Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, United Kingdom, "On This Day," https://www.lds.org.uk/show_oda.php
Mormon History Timeline /Chronology
http://lds-church-history.blogspot.com/
