Comments on: Electing the Bishop, 1895

By: Brandon

Brandon — Sun, 03 May 2009 22:38:28 +0000

Ardis-

Great story. Another example of the “past being a foreign country.” How many modern LDS folks would see the “election” as strange?

I checked the USGenWeb site. Truly impressive. Not many academic historians find themselves interested in local history. All the more room for those of us who realize just how facinating local history actually is, I suppose!

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Sun, 03 May 2009 03:17:44 +0000

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By: Maurine

Maurine — Sat, 02 May 2009 05:13:54 +0000

J Stapley, thanks, I’m honored.

By: J. Stapley

J. Stapley — Fri, 01 May 2009 21:14:10 +0000

Fascinating, Maurine. And yes, back when I was concentrating on baptism for health, I tried to cast a fairly wide net (well, still trying to keep the net wide). It just so happens that there were a number of baptisms for health discussed in those minutes around the same time as that branch reorganization. Unfortunately, we had far too many great accounts to single out specifically in the text of our JMH paper (fall 2008); but it made it to the footnotes (as did you).

By: Maurine

Maurine — Fri, 01 May 2009 20:48:44 +0000

J Stapley, #10,
The nominating, seconding, and voting process went on in all of the early Iowa Branches, 1848-52, not just the Union Branch. I have researched all of the branch records that are in Salt Lake. I wasn’t aware that the process was still taking place in Utah in 1895.

I’m curious to your connection to the Union Branch. Is this part of your Mormon healing project?

By: Bruce Crow

Bruce Crow — Fri, 01 May 2009 18:46:50 +0000

I find the demographics interesting. In the first vote there were 13 total votes cast. The second vote excluded the “boys” and only had 9 total votes. Even if we assume the three men nominated did not vote, that is a pretty small number of priesthood holders for a “Ward”.

By: J. Stapley

J. Stapley — Fri, 01 May 2009 18:19:28 +0000

I was thinking that I had a pretty early example of the ballot method, and just found it. In the Union Branch (Iowa), Records 1851-1852, LR 5201 21, LDS Archives, on July 9, 1851 Elder Snow came and combined several Branches. Snow proposed that they choose a Branch President. One was nominated, seconded and then affirmatively voted on. The same process went for the councilors.

By: Ray

Ray — Fri, 01 May 2009 18:05:13 +0000

The comments of the newly-called bishopric are beautiful.

By: Hunter

Hunter — Fri, 01 May 2009 17:32:29 +0000

Fascinating! Thanks for this.

Ardis said: “And can you imagine the humility of Joseph Howes in publicly acknowledging his possible disqualifications, yet still being willing to serve?”

Yeah, that was interesting. (And he apparently went from highest vote-getter, to second place after the revelation of his issue with the Word of Wisdom, so maybe it “cost” him the election.)

And yes, equally remarkable was Bro. Howe’s sentiment that he “would much prefer assisting to leading; but did not like to shirk.” This statement, to me, belies any notion that there was any sort of power-grabbing going on during this election “campaign.”

By: Ardis E. Parshall

Ardis E. Parshall — Fri, 01 May 2009 17:03:48 +0000

And here I had fears that posting this might cause heartburn among some readers because of the election process rather than the call coming as a revelation from on high!

This example fits in very well with the quotation J. provided, doesn’t it? (Thanks, J.) And while there may not be quite such a political-seeming process today, don’t visiting authorities usually still ask local leaders to suggest names for their consideration? Then when it comes to us, like ellen says, it seems so neat and easy, because most of us aren’t aware of all the behind-the-scenes considerations. And can you imagine the humility of Joseph Howes in publicly acknowledging his possible disqualifications, yet still being willing to serve?

Piute County was my first big (and ongoing) research project, outside of direct family history — if anybody comes to this page after Googling family names, please check out my Piute County USGenWeb site, or email me at PiuteCountyQuery at aol dot com . Anything I have relevant to anybody’s Piute ancestors is freely available.

Piute County — anyplace, I suppose, if you immerse yourself in the details — could furnish an endless source of stories for Keepa and my other outlets. Everything that ever went on in the wider world, I think, happened in miniature there. Thanks for inviting more!