Anointed Quorum

The Anointed Quorum, also known as the Quorum of the Anointed, or the Holy Order, was a select body of men and women who Joseph Smith initiated into Mormon temple ordinances at Nauvoo, Illinois, which gave them special standing in the early Latter Day Saint movement. Beginning in May 1842, Smith gave this group, which ultimately numbered over sixty persons, their washings and anointings and endowments in the upper floor of his Red Brick Store on Water Street, as well as in a few private residences in the city. Most couples, but not all, also received their Second Anointing. Members typically referred to their meetings, which were held usually every two weeks, as prayer circles, because prayer played an important role in the group's religious activities.

Nearly all members of the Anointed Quorum were important leaders and their wives in the church or community, including the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. After Smith's death in June 1844, members of the Anointed Quorum continued to meet under the direction of Brigham Young, even admitting additional persons to the group. As the Nauvoo Temple neared completion during 1845, they prepared the building's upper floor for the administration of ordinances. Between December 1845 and February 1846, the Anointed Quorum extended the same rituals they had received from Smith to over 5,000 men and women living in the vicinity of Nauvoo.

After the Mormons left Nauvoo in 1846, the Anointed Quorum ceased to exist as an organized group. The Anointed Quorum dealt essentially with spiritual and sacerdotal matters, but it was never an official administrative body of the church.

Members

The following individuals were members of the Anointed Quorum (spouses are listed together and plural marriage relationships are indicated):

	Name	Notes
	James Adams	Lawyer and close friend of Joseph Smith.
	Harriet Denton Adams	Wife of James Adams
File:Babbitt.jpg	Almon W. Babbitt	First secretary and treasurer of the Territory of Utah, and a member of the Council of Fifty.
File:Louisa Beman.jpg	Louisa Beaman	Plural wife of Joseph Smith
File:John Milton Bernhisel.jpg	John Milton Bernhisel	The original delegate of the Utah Territory in the United States House of Representatives (1851–1859, 1861–1863) and a member of the Council of Fifty.
File:Reynolds Cahoon.jpg	Reynolds Cahoon	Member of the Presiding Bishopric and one of the inaugural members of the Council of Fifty.
File:Thirza Stiles Cahoon.jpg	Thirza Stiles Cahoon	Wife of Reynolds Cahoon
File:William Clayton.jpg	William Clayton	Member and Clerk of the Council of Fifty.
File:Margaret Moon Clayton.jpg	Margaret Moon Clayton	Wife of William Clayton
File:Alpheus Cutler.jpg	Alpheus Cutler	Member of the Council of Fifty. After the succession crisis, he became the 1st President of The Church of Jesus Christ (Cutlerite).
File:Lois Lathrop Cutler.jpg	Lois Lathrop Culter	Wife of Alpheus Cutler
File:Elizabeth Davis Brackenbury Durfee.jpg	Elizabeth Davis Durfee	Plural wife of Joseph Smith
	Harriet Page Wheeler Decker
File:Joseph Fielding.jpg	Joseph Fielding	Member of the Council of Fifty, brother of Mary Fielding, the second wife of Hyrum Smith, and an uncle of Joseph F. Smith, the sixth president of the church.
File:Hannah Greenwood Fielding.jpg	Hannah Greenwood Fielding	Wife of Joseph Fielding
	Olive Grey Frost	Plural wife of Joseph Smith
	John P. Greene	Member of the Council of Fifty and the chief of police in Nauvoo, Illinois in 1844. Greene supervised the destruction of the press of the Nauvoo Expositor which set in motion a chain of events that eventually led to the death of Joseph Smith.
	Charles Hyde
File:Orson Hyde.jpg	Orson Hyde	A member and President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and a member of the Council of Fifty.
File:Marinda Nancy Johnson Hyde.jpg	Marinda Nancy Johnson Hyde	Wife of Orson Hyde and a plural wife of Joseph Smith
File:Zina D. H. Young.JPG	Zina Dianatha Huntington Jacobs	3rd General President of the Relief Society. Zina was a plural wife of Joseph Smith and later Brigham Young
File:Heber Chase Kimball-2.png	Heber C. Kimball	Member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, First Counselor in the First Presidency, and a member of the Council of Fifty.
	Vilate Murray Kimball	Wife of Heber C. Kimball
File:Helen Mar Kimball.jpg	Helen Mar Kimball	Plural wife of Joseph Smith
	Joseph C. Kingsbury
File:Sarah Ann Whitney.jpg	Sarah Ann Whitney Kingsbury	Wife of Joseph C. Kingsbury and a plural wife of Joseph Smith and later Heber C. Kimball
File:Mary-Elizabeth-Lightner.jpg	Mary Elizabeth Rollins Lightner	Plural wife of Joseph Smith
File:William-law-pic.jpg	William Law	Second Counselor in the First Presidency to Joseph Smith. After his excommunication for apostasy, Law published the Nauvoo Expositor, the destruction of which set in motion a chain of events that eventually led to the death of Joseph Smith.
	Jane Silverthorne Law	Wife of William Law
	Cornelius P. Lott	A member of the Council of Fifty and a Danite leader.
	Permelia Darrow Lott	Wife of Cornelius P. Lott
File:Amasamlyman.png	Amasa Lyman	Member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, counselor in the First Presidency, and a member of the Council of Fifty.
	Mary L. Tanner Lyman	Wife of Amasa M. Lyman
File:William Marks (Mormon).jpg	William Marks	First counselor in the First Presidency of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and a member of the Council of Fifty.
	Rosannah Robinson Marks	Wife of William Marks
	George Miller	Second Bishop of the Church and member of the Council of Fifty.
	Mary Catherine Fry Miller	Wife of George Miller
	Ruth Moon	Plural wife of William Clayton
File:Isaac Morley.jpg	Isaac Morley	First Counselor to the Bishop of the Church and member of the Council of Fifty.
	Lucy Gunn Morley	Wife of Isaac Morley
	Fanny Young Murray
	Joseph B. Noble
	Mary A. Beaman Noble	Wife of Joseph B. Noble.
	John E. Page	Member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and a member of the Council of Fifty.
	Mary Judd Page	Wife of John E. Page
File:OrsonPratt.jpg	Orson Pratt	An original member of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles, member of the Council of Fifty and Official church historian.
File:Parley P Pratt.gif	Parley P. Pratt	An original member of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles, member of the Council of Fifty.
File:Mary Ann Frost Stearns Pratt.jpg	Mary A. F. Pratt	Wife of Parley P. Pratt and a plural wife of Joseph Smith
File:William W. Phelps.jpg	W. W. Phelps	A church printer, editor, and songwriter, scribe to Joseph Smith, and a member of the Council of Fifty.
	Sally Waterman Phelps	Wife of W. W. Phelps
File:Levi Richards.JPG	Levi Richards	Served as a physician for Joseph Smith and a member of the Council of Fifty.
File:WillardRichards.jpg	Willard Richards	Second Counselor in the First Presidency, member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Official church historian, and a member of the Council of Fifty.
	Jennetta Richards Richards	Wife of Willard Richards
File:Rigdon.gif	Sidney Rigdon	Counselor in the First Presidency of Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and a member of the Council of Fifty. After the Succession Crisis he became President of the Church of Jesus Christ of the Children of Zion.
File:Lucy A. Decker.jpg	Lucy Decker Seely	Plural wife of Brigham Young
File:Sylvia Porter Sessions Lyon Clark.jpg	Sylvia P. Sessions	Plural wife of Joseph Smith
File:Agnes Moulton Coolbrith.jpg	Agnes Coolbrith Smith	Plural wife of Joseph Smith
File:GeorgeAlbertSmith.jpg	George A. Smith	First Counselor in the First Presidency, member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Official church historian, and a member of the Council of Fifty.
File:Bathsheba W. Smith.JPG	Bathsheba W. Smith	4th General President of the Relief Society and wife of George A. Smith.
File:Hyrum Smith ca 1880-1920.png	Hyrum Smith	Brother of Joseph Smith, Assistant President of the Church, Presiding Patriarch, Apostle, Counselor in the First Presidency, and a member of the Council of Fifty.
File:Mary Fielding Smith.jpg	Mary Fielding Smith	Wife of Hyrum Smith
File:John Smith (uncle of Joseph Smith).jpg	John Smith	Uncle of Joseph Smith, 4th Presiding Patriarch, Assistant Counselor in the First Presidency, and a member of the Council of Fifty.
	Clarissa Lyman Smith	Wife of John Smith
File:Lucy Mack Smith2.jpg	Lucy Mack Smith	Mother of Joseph Smith and author of Biographical Sketches of Joseph Smith, the Prophet, and His Progenitors for Many Generations.
File:Joseph Smith, Jr. portrait owned by Joseph Smith III.jpg	Joseph Smith	Founder of the Latter Day Saint movement.
File:EmmaSmith.jpg	Emma Hale Smith	Wife of Joseph Smith and 1st President of the Female Relief Society of Nauvoo.
File:Samuel H. Smith.jpg	Samuel H. Smith	One of the younger brothers of Joseph Smith, and one of the Eight Witnesses.
File:Williamsmith.gif	William Smith	One of the younger brothers of Joseph Smith, member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, 3rd Presiding Patriarch (LDS Church), and a member of the Council of Fifty. After the Succession Crisis he became Petitioner for Patriarchate (RLDS Church).
File:Eliza R. Snow.jpg	Eliza R. Snow	2nd General President of the Relief Society. Plural wife of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young
File:Orson Spencer.jpg	Orson Spencer	Member of the Council of Fifty and 1st President of the University of Utah
	Catherine Curtis Spencer	Wife of Orson Spencer
File:John Taylor seated in chair.jpg	John Taylor	3rd President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
	Leonora Cannon Taylor	Wife of John Taylor
	Mercy Fielding Thompson
File:Newel K. Whitney.jpg	Newel K. Whitney	First Bishop of the Church and a member of the Council of Fifty.
	Elizabeth Ann Smith Whitney	Wife of Newel K. Whitney.
File:Lymanwight8.gif	Lyman Wight	Member of the Quorum of the Twelve and a member of the Council of Fifty. After the Succession Crisis he became President of the Church of Christ(Wightite)
File:Wilford Woodruff 1889.jpg	Wilford Woodruff	4th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
File:Phoebe Whittemore Carter.jpg	Phoebe Carter Woodruff	First wife of Wilford Woodruff.
	Lucien Woodworth
	Phebe Watrous Woodworth	Wife of Lucien Woodworth
File:Brigham Young by Charles William Carter.jpg	Brigham Young	2nd President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
File:Mary Ann Angell Young2.jpg	Mary Ann Angell Young	Wife of Brigham Young
File:Joseph Young.jpg	Joseph Young	Brother of Brigham Young, one of the First Seven Presidents of the First Quorum of the Seventy, and a member of the Council of Fifty.
	Jane A. Bicknell Young	Wife of Joseph Young

See also

• Council of Fifty
• Council of Friends

References

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External links

• Template:Commons category-inline