LDS Church History - Nauvoo Trivia Quiz

Answer: Commerce

The town was a poorly developed land that lay where the Mississippi River bent, so it surrounded the land on three sides. It was swampy and not considered good land. Joseph renamed the place Nauvoo, which is the Hebrew word for beautiful. At the time, the town didn't seem to fit the name, but eventually, it became one of the largest and most beautiful cities in Illinois.

Answer: malaria

The greatest example of healing was of Elijah Fordham. He was so far gone, that many thought him already dead. Joseph knelt by his bed and prayed. Elijah woke from a coma and saw Joseph. "Have you not the faith to be healed?" Joseph asked him. "I am afraid it is too late. If you had come sooner, I think it might have been," was his reply. Suddenly, Joseph stood up and said, "Elijah, I command you, in the name of Jesus of Nazareth, to arise and be made whole." All witnesses say that Elijah rose from his bed, color rushed to his cheeks and he was the embodiment of perfect health. Elijah lived for years after and made the trek across the plains to the Salt Lake Valley. At the time and well into the early 1900's, malaria was referred to by the name fever 'n ague (pronounced egg-you).

Answer: England

They were commanded to go on the mission and take their leave from Far West, Missouri on April 26, 1839. Because the Saints had been expelled from Missouri, they had to sneak back in to make their leave. Then, sickness struck, so it was late summer before they were able to start leaving Nauvoo.

The first group of the Twelve arrived in England early in 1840 and the rest had arrived by April. They served over a year in England, and even opened up the Church in both Scotland and Ireland.

Answer: John C Bennett

While Joseph Smith became the mayor after John C Bennett was forced to resign and kicked out of the Church, originally, Dr. Bennett was an upstanding citizen. He served as Brigadier General in the Nauvoo Militia. Later, it was learned that he had abandoned his wife and children and was using his position in Nauvoo to seduce women and had even used his medical practices to help women end unwanted pregnancies.

Answer: brickyards

Nauvoo had some of the area's best clay deposits. Immigrants from "The Potteries" district in England brought their trade with them and opened brickyards. Nauvoo bricks were considered the finest bricks in the Midwest.

Answer: The Relief Society Organization

Originally, the ladies planned to start a benevolent society like those in many other cities. Joseph Smith, instead, organized the women as part of the Church, similar to the Priesthood Quorums. Emma Smith was elected and set apart as the first president of the Female Relief Society of Nauvoo in March 1842. Though the organization fell away in the last year of living in Nauvoo, it was re-organized when the Saints found their home in the Salt Lake Valley and still exists today as an organization within the Church for women, dedicated to helping others.

Answer: plural marriage

All of these doctrines were put into practice while the Saints lived in Nauvoo, but it was polygamy that outraged many. Even Emma Smith had a hard time with it. John C Bennett, mayor and assistant to the First Presidency, President Marks of the Nauvoo Stake and several members of the Quorum of the Twelve all left the Church because of polygamy, though they tried to use it as an excuse to seduce any and all women.

Answer: Pearl of Great Price

The writings on the scrolls proved to be writings by both Abraham and Moses. Today, these scriptures are found with Joseph Smith's History, a translation of the book of Matthew and the Articles of Faith in the Pearl of Great Price.

Answer: Sacrament Prayers

The Articles of Faith are thirteen statements about what the Church believes in. Joseph summarized the information about the First Vision and the bringing forth of the Book of Mormon. He later re-worded portions of the letter to become the history printed in the Pearl of Great Price.

The Standard of Truth is a wonderful statement that reads, "The Standard of Truth has been erected, no unhallowed hand shall stop the work from progressing. Persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, 'til it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, 'til the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done."

Answer: Joseph Smith ran for president

Actually, Joseph and other Church leaders went to Washington D.C. several times to try and get support in Congress for their plight. Finally, it was decided that Joseph would run for President of the United States. While the Saints were thrilled with this idea, the enemies of the Church were inflamed, and moved even more against Joseph Smith.

Answer: The Nauvoo Expositor

Joseph was acting under the Nauvoo Charter, but the incident inflamed the enemies of the Church. Nauvoo was put under martial law, because it was safer. The governor sent men to arrest Joseph and the city council. Joseph and Hyrum Smith never returned from this arrest.

While being held on charges for putting the city under martial law, the jail was stormed by a mob and both were killed.

Answer: Carthage

John Taylor and Willard Richards of the twelve were also in the jail. John Taylor was shot several times, but survived. Willard Richards was unharmed. A mob of about 100 men, their faces blackened, stormed the jail, guns blazing. Only a false cry that the "Mormons are coming" saved the lives of Willard and John. Hyrum died first, then Joseph was shot and fell to the ground below.
At the time of this, the governor was in Nauvoo, telling the Saints not to seek revenge for wrongs against them. This was after he had promised Joseph he would not go to Nauvoo without taking Joseph with him.

Answer: the Quorum of the Twelve

Sidney Rigdon came forth with a claim that he was to serve as guardian of the Church. After much debate on the subject, a special Church service was held. At this meeting, Brigham Young spoke and said the Church should be led by the ones who have all the keys of the Kingdom, and that the Twelve had all of those keys.

As he spoke, many members of the congregation said that Brigham Young took upon him the visage of Joseph Smith and many others heard Joseph's voice instead of Brigham's. After he was done, a vote was taken by the Church and the Twelve were unanimously chosen to lead the Church.

Answer: City of Joseph

Brigham suggested the name to honor Joseph Smith and all the work he had done to build such an amazing city. In only five years the place had gone from a few houses in a small settlement to one of the largest cities in Illinois, complete with brick homes, hundreds of businesses, a temple in progress, two ferry landings, boardwalk streets and much more. Because they had no charter, they could not have an official police force.

Instead, men stood watch at night to stop criminals and mobs from ransacking houses. During the day, unsavory men were followed by the "whistling and whittling brigade", a group of boys that would follow them around, whistling, but never talking, until the man would leave town.

Answer: yes

Several parts of the temple were dedicated early on - the baptistery in November 1841, the chapel and upstairs rooms in the winter of 1845 - but the whole temple was not dedicated until May 1, 1846, after most of the Saints had already left Nauvoo and were making their way across Iowa.
The temple was burned in 1848, then the remains were destroyed by tornado in 1850. But it was rebuilt in 1999, President Gordon B Hinckley announced it would be re-built. It was dedicated June 27, 2002.