Historical Summary

The following chronology provides a brief historical framework for the teachings of President Lorenzo Snow in this book.

April 3, 1814	Born in Mantua, Ohio, to Rosetta Leonora Pettibone Snow and Oliver Snow.
1832	Hears the Prophet Joseph Smith preach in Hiram, Ohio.
1835	Leaves home to study at Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio. Meets Elder David W. Patten of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on the way.
1836	Leaves Oberlin College and moves to Kirtland, Ohio, to study Hebrew. Embraces the restored gospel and is baptized and confirmed in June. Later is ordained an elder. Receives a patriarchal blessing from Joseph Smith Sr. in December.
1837	Preaches the gospel in Ohio.
October 1838 to May 1840	Serves another mission, preaching the gospel in Ohio, Missouri, Kentucky, and Illinois and working as a schoolteacher during the winter of 1839–40.
May 1840	Leaves Nauvoo, Illinois, to serve a mission in England. Under the direction of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, presides over the Church in London, England, and the surrounding area. Publishes a pamphlet titled The Only Way to Be Saved.
April 12, 1843	Arrives in Nauvoo, Illinois, with 250 Latter-day Saint converts from England.
Late 1843 and early 1844	Teaches school in Lima, Illinois.
1844	Supervises a campaign in Ohio to elect Joseph Smith as president of the United States. Returns to Nauvoo after learning of the martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum Smith, which occurred on June 27.
January 1845	Appointed by President Brigham Young to travel through Ohio and collect donations for the construction of the Nauvoo Temple.
1845	Enters into plural marriage, as then practiced in the Church, by marrying Charlotte Squires and Mary Adaline Goddard.
February 1846	Leaves Nauvoo with family members and other Latter-day Saints after receiving endowments and sealings in the Nauvoo Temple.
1846 to 1848	Lives with his family at a settlement called Mount Pisgah in the state of Iowa. Presides over the settlement for a time. In the spring of 1848, leads a group of Saints to Salt Lake City.
February 12, 1849	Ordained an Apostle in Salt Lake City.
1849	Gathers donations for the Perpetual Emigrating Fund.
1849 to 1852	Serves a mission in Italy. Also serves in England, where he supervises the publication of the Book of Mormon in Italian, and in Switzerland and Malta. Publishes a pamphlet titled The Voice of Joseph.
1852	Elected to the Utah State Legislature.
1853	Called by President Brigham Young to preside over a settlement of Latter-day Saints in Box Elder County, located in northern Utah. Names the principal city Brigham City. Serves for many years as a leader in the Church and the community.
March 1864 to May 1864	With a group led by Elder Ezra T. Benson of the Quorum of the Twelve, serves a short mission in the Hawaiian Islands.
October 1872 to July 1873	With a group led by President George A. Smith, First Counselor in the First Presidency, tours parts of Europe and the Middle East, including the Holy Land. The trip is taken at the request of President Brigham Young.
1882	The United States Congress passes the Edmunds Act, making plural marriage a felony and prohibiting polygamists from voting, holding public office, or performing jury duty.
August 1885 to October 1885	Serves missions among American Indians in the northwestern United States and the state of Wyoming.
March 12, 1886, to February 8, 1887	Imprisoned for practicing plural marriage.
1887	The United States Congress passes the Edmunds-Tucker Act, another antipolygamy law, allowing the federal government to confiscate much of the Church’s real estate. The act becomes law on March 3, 1887.
May 21–23, 1888	Reads the dedicatory prayer at sessions of the dedication of the Manti Utah Temple. President Wilford Woodruff had dedicated the temple on May 17.
April 7, 1889	Sustained as President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
May 19, 1893, to September 1898	Serves as the first president of the Salt Lake Temple.
September 2, 1898	Becomes the senior Apostle and presiding leader of the Church at the death of President Wilford Woodruff. Receives a divine manifestation in the Salt Lake Temple, in which the Lord instructs him to move forward with the reorganization of the First Presidency.
September 13, 1898	Sustained by the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles as President of the Church. Begins serving as President.
October 9, 1898	Sustained as President of the Church during general conference.
October 10, 1898	Set apart as President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
May 1899	Travels to St. George, Utah, where he receives a revelation to preach the law of tithing to the Saints. Begins sharing this message in St. George and leads an effort to share it throughout the Church.
January 1, 1901	Publishes a declaration titled “Greeting to the World” to welcome the 20th century.
October 10, 1901	Dies in Salt Lake City, Utah, at age 87.