REORGANIZED CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER DAY SAINTS, The, organized 6 April 1860, at Amboy, Ill. On 27 June 1844 Joseph Smith, President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and his brother Hyrum, the Patriarch, were murdered by a mob at Carthage, Ill. Following this event several aspirants arose claiming the right to the presidency of the Church. The most prominent of these were Sidney Rigdon, Wil liam B. Smith and James J. Strang. Sidney Rigdon, who served as first counselor to the Prophet Joseph Smith 1833-44, was the first to make the claim, stating that the Church should choose him as ((Guardian') to stand for the martyred president. By appointment, a con ference of the Church was held 8 Aug. 1844, in Nauvoo, Ill., at which Mr. Rigdon presented his claims at length and was rejected by the as sembled members when the question was put to vote. At this same conference the Twelve Apostles were sustained by unanimous vote as the presiding quorum of the Church agreeable to the revelation which reads: *The Twelve traveling counselors are called to be the Twelve Apostles, or special witnesses of the name of Christ in all the world; thus differing from other officers in the Church in the duties of their calling. And they form a quorum equal in authority and power to the three Presidents previously mentioned.* (Doctrine and Cove nants 107; 23-24). After the rejection of his claims, Sidney Rigdon became disaffected and withdrew to Pittsburgh, PA., with a small fol lowing, over which he presided for a few years, when the organization, for lack of mem bers, ceased to exist. William B. Smith claimed the right to the presidency by virtue of being the only surviving brother of Joseph Smith. His following was always small and soon dis banded. James J. Strang declared that he had been appointed by the Prophet Joseph Smith to be his successor, in a letter writ? ten but a few days before the tragedy. He was a man of some ability and gathered about him a few prominent men who refused to remain with the Church under the leadership of Brigham Young and the Twelve Apostles. For a time his organization appeared to flourish, but like the organizations of Sidney Rigdon and William B. Smith, soon fell into
decay and was deserted by many members. In the year 1852 Jason W. Briggs, a resident of Beloit, Ill., and Zenas H. Gurley, gathered some of the scattered remnants from these organiza tions and formed branches at Beloit, Waukesha and Yellowstone, in what they called the New Organization of the Church.* Jason W. Briggs, it is said, held the office of Elder in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints previous to the death of Joseph Smith. Until 1846, the year of the exodus to the west, he re mained a member of the Church. Later he joined the organization of James J. Strang, then that of William B. Smith in which he re mained until 1851. Zenas H. Gurley, before the death of the Prophet Joseph Smith, held the office of Seventy. He also accepted the leader ship of Brigham Young and the Twelve Apostles until the exodus in 1846, when he withdrew and became a member of the Church under James J. Strang. In this organization he labored diligently until 1851. After Jason. W. Briggs and Zenas H. Gurley joined their forces in 1852, they commenced to preach the doctrine of the *rejection)) of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints or the *original church* because they said the saints failed to build the temple at Nauvoo within a given time, which expired at, or shortly following, the death of Joseph and Hyrum Smith. Because of this *rejection* they said it became necessary for the church to be newly organized that it might find favor with the Lord. They also promulgated the doctrine of *lineal priesthood* claiming that it was the right of. the oldest son of Joseph Smith to succeed his father in the presidency of the Church. For a number of years they labored to induce Joseph •Smith, son of the Prophet Joseph, to take the presidency of the new organization, but without success. Finally, at a conference held at Amboy, III., 6 April 1860, he consented and was installed as president of the new organization, which was later incorporated as the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.