-- Nov 20, 1881
Pres[ident] Erastus Snow arose and read Par[agraphs] 12, 13, 14, & 15 of Section 128 of the D[octrine] & C[ovenants]. He said the general features of the St. George Temple are in conformity to those of the Kirtland Temple which was dedicated in April 1836. That temple may be said to have been built to show forth the order of the priesthood, Aaronic and Melchizedek * the priesthood there received the ordinance of the washing of feet and the anointing of the head with oil. This was confirmed to those holding the priesthood. There was no baptismal font in the temple at Kirtland for that ordinance had not been revealed to the people. By the time the Nauvoo Temple was being built the doctrine of the baptism for the dead was revealed and one of the first thing[s] attended to there was the preparation of the font for the Baptism of the Dead. It was revealed here in St. George to the prophet Brigham Young that there should be variations made in the temples to be built. This was given unto the Prophet Brigham in answer to his question, "Oh Lord show unto thy servants if we shall build all temples after the same pattern?" The answer came. "Do you all build your houses after the same pattern? Do you[,] after increasing your families[,] build after the same pattern used when your family is small? So shall the growth of the knowledge of the principles of the Gospel among my people cause diversity in the pattern of Temples." [St. George Stake Historical Record, Nov. 20, 1881 , typed excerpt in Buerger Papers] (1)
-- Mon. Nov. 28th, 1881
[Abraham H. Cannon Journal] "In the evening six persons came here to be baptized; they were Peter Vogel, his wife Katharina, and daughter Margaretha, Franz J. Medel, and Johann Bauer, with his wife Babeta. I baptized them all, the first named being also baptized for his health, he having a lame back." (2)
-- Feb 2, 1882
[J.D.T. McAllister Diary] Permission to baptize children in Temple font.
Sent information to Priesthood Meeting, we had liberty to Baptise our children who are eight years old in the temple font. (3)
-- Saturday Feb 4, 1882
[John Nuttle Diary] Prest Taylor arranged to visit the Temple at 11 a m - whilst some of the brethren attended the Conference Meeting - received a letter from Bro John Albiston of Richmond At 11 A. M. Prest Taylor & the brethren visited the Temple and proposed such changes and improvements and gave other directions as to the finishing as appeared Necessary - It was ordered that the Windows of the Font room be cut down even with the floor to give more light Conference convened at. 10 A. M. present. Pres Smith. L. Snow. E Snow F. D. Richards. Lyman. & faith - choir Sang - prayer by J. H. Smith.. Elder E. Snow F. M. Lyman spoke the Statistical report was read also the Relief Society report - Elder Edward Dalton spoke. choir Sang & Geo F. Gibbs dismissed [illegible] p.m. - (4)
-- Wednesday, Dec 13, 1882
[Apostle John Henry Smith Diary] Liverpool
It is snowing and foggy.
I wrote letters to Edwin Eyre, J. A. West, Ben E. Rich and Joseph A. A. Bunot. I also drafted a letter to be sent to all of the Presidents of conferences asking for information in regard to the baptisms for the year 1882, the number of first Baptisms and what proportion are the children of the saints, and what proportion of New Converts and also the number of rebaptisms. (5)
-- Mar 26, 1883
The corner stones were laid on the 10th day of March, 1873, and labor was continued thereon until Jan[.] 1st, 1877, when it was dedicated to God. (See W[ilford] Woodruff 's Journal of Jan[.] 1st, 1877, which contains the dedicatory prayers of W[ilford] Woodruff, Erastus Snow, and B[righam] Young Jr., also the speech of President [Brigham] Young.) I, Wilford Woodruff, bear testimony, that Pres[iden]t B[righam] Young told me to go to work and prepare the Temple for giving Endowments, and I had made the preparations according to his acceptance; and on the 9th of Jan., 1877, we repaired to the Temple and for the first time the ordinance of baptism for the dead was performed in the Temple of St. George[.] Wilford Woodruff went into the font by the direction of Pres[iden]t Brigham Young and administered the ordinance of baptism for the first 140 persons, and confirmed the first person, Pres[iden]t Young laying on hands at the same time. John L. Smith administered the ordinance of baptism for the next 83 persons, making 223 baptisms and confirmations during that day. Wilford Woodruff Confirmed one 1. J[ohn] D. T. McAllister confirmed 64, A[lonzo] H. Raleigh 15, H[enry] W. Bigler 123, and Erastus Snow 20. Susie Amelia Young Dunford was the first baptized and confirmed by W[ilford] Woodruff. Pres[iden]t Brigham Young requested me to take charge of the Temple, which I did. He also requested me to write all the ordinances of the Church from the first baptism and confirmation through every ordinance of the Church. Geo[rge] Q. Cannon assisted some in this writing, and when I had finished it to the satisfaction of the Pres ident, he said to me, "Now you have before you an ensample to carry on the endowments in all the temples until the coming of the Son of Man." On the 8th of April, 1877, W[ilford] Woodruff was appointed in the public assembly to take charge of the Temple and preside over it, and in private conversation with the President, he said he wanted me to take the whole charge of the Temple and attend to all affairs connected with the endowments, sealings &c. I told him I was not able to go to the altar and do all the sealings as I had injured myself at that labor in the Salt Lake Endowment House. Pres[iden]t Young told me to go to work and ordain some men to help me to do the sealing[s]. He told me to set apart J[ohn] D. T. McAllister and David H. Cannon for that purpose and, if I needed more, to set them apart. I set apart Br[other] McAllister to that work April 14th, 1877. I set apart David H. Cannon for the same purpose on the 27th of April. I also set apart James G. Bleak to officiate at the altar some time afterward (I do not recollect the date). (2d March 1881.) Pres[iden]t Young gave me power and authority to give second anointings and seal women to men as I might be led by the Spirit of God. I parted with Pres[iden]t Young for the last time in the flesh at 9:30 A.M. on April 16th, 1877, when he started for Salt Lake City. Brigham Young Jr., was very sick at the time. When I left St. George, I placed the presidency of the Temple in the hands of John David Thompson McAllister, who was to preside over it in my absence. This is the testimony which I Wilford Woodruff bear to all whom it may concern. [Wilford Woodruff, "History of the St. George Temple, Its Cost & Dedication and the Labor Thereon", Mar. 26, 1883] (1)
Footnotes:
1 - Anderson, Devery; The Development of LDS Temple Worship, 1846-2000: A Documentary History, http://amzn.to/TempleWorship
2 - Abraham H. Cannon Journal Excerpts, http://www.amazon.com/Apostles-Record-Journals-Abraham-1889-1896/dp/B000MFD1K4
3 - Diary Excerpts of J.D.T. McAllister, http://amzn.to/newmormonstudies
4 - Diary Excerpts of L. John Nuttall, http://amzn.to/newmormonstudies
5 - Jean Bickmore White (editor), Church, State, and Politics: The Diaries of John Henry Smith, Signature Books in association with Smith Research Associates, Salt Lake City, 1990, http://bit.ly/johnhenrysmith
LDS History Chronology: Unconventional Baptisms
Mormon History Timeline: Forms of Rebaptism in LDS History
http://lds-church-history.blogspot.com/
