Elijah Abel facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Elijah Abel |
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| Third Quorum of the Seventy | |
| December 20, 1836 – December 25, 1884 | |
| Called by | Joseph Smith |
| Elder | |
| January 25, 1836 – December 20, 1836 | |
| Called by | Joseph Smith |
| Personal details | |
| Born | July 25, 1808 Frederick-Town, Maryland |
| Died | December 25, 1884 (aged 76) Salt Lake City, Utah Territory |
| Resting place | Salt Lake City Cemetery 40°46′37.92″N 111°51′28.8″W / 40.7772000°N 111.858000°W |
Elijah Abel (born July 25, 1808 – died December 25, 1884) was an important early member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was one of the first African-American members and the first black man to become an elder and a Seventy in the church.
Elijah Abel was mostly of Scottish and English background. He was one of the very few black members in the early church to receive the priesthood. He later became the church's first black missionary. Even when the church later stopped black men from receiving the priesthood, Elijah Abel kept his priesthood. However, he was not allowed to receive his temple endowment by the third church president, John Taylor.
Elijah Abel was a skilled carpenter. He often helped build LDS temples and chapels. He passed away in 1884 after serving his third mission for the church in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Contents
Early Life and Family
Elijah Abel was born in Frederick-Town, Maryland, on July 25, 1808. His parents were Delilah Williams and Andrew Abel. Some records show his birth year as 1810, but the 1850 Census and his grave marker confirm 1808.
His mother was of Scottish background, and his father was of English background. One of his grandmothers was part white and part black. This meant Elijah Abel was considered to be of mixed race.
Elijah's mother died when he was 8 years old. Some people thought she might have been a slave from South Carolina, but there is no proof of this. There were also ideas that Elijah might have traveled to Canada using the Underground Railroad, but this also has no strong evidence.
Joining the Church
Elijah Abel later moved to Ohio. In Cincinnati, he was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in September 1832. A local church leader named Ezekiel Roberts baptized him. Soon after, Elijah moved to Kirtland, Ohio, to join other church members.
Receiving the Priesthood
Elijah Abel became an elder in the church on January 25, 1836. This happened after Joseph Smith said that Elijah was "entitled to the Priesthood and all the blessings." Elijah had worked hard helping to build the Kirtland Temple before this.
In December 1836, about a year after becoming an elder, Elijah was made a Seventy. He joined the Third Quorum of the priesthood. In 1841, his priesthood callings were confirmed again in Nauvoo.
Special Blessing
Elijah Abel received a special blessing called a patriarchal blessing from Joseph Smith Sr.. In this blessing, it was said that Elijah would "be made equal to [his] brethren, and [his] soul be white in eternity and [his] robes glittering." This meant he would be blessed like other church members.
Missionary Work
In the late 1830s, Elijah Abel served as a missionary in New York and Upper Canada. He preached to African-American people in those areas. In 1838, he baptized Eunice Ross Kinney, who later remembered him as a "powerful" preacher.
Elijah taught that Jesus would return soon. He also taught that God needed a people ready to receive Him with "all the gifts and blessings" of His ancient church.
His missionary journeys were often dangerous due to civil unrest and persecution. At one point, Elijah was wrongly accused of murder and chased by an angry mob.
Life in Nauvoo
In 1839, Elijah Abel moved to Commerce (later called Nauvoo), Illinois, after his mission in Canada. He owned land near the Mississippi River. In Nauvoo, he continued to be very active in the church. He performed baptisms for the dead for friends and for his mother.
Elijah also worked as an undertaker for a time, making coffins and digging graves. This was during a time when many people were sick with malaria. He continued his carpentry work and was part of a group called the House Carpenters of Nauvoo.
Elijah Abel became friends with Joseph Smith. Joseph Smith wrote that Elijah was a "worthy brother" who was "duly authorized" to share the gospel. In 1841, Elijah and six other men tried to rescue Joseph Smith after he was wrongly arrested.
In 1842, Elijah went back to Cincinnati on an assignment from Joseph Smith. He continued his carpentry work there. Joseph Smith spoke highly of Elijah, saying that he had risen to a respected position through his own efforts.
Marriage and Family
On February 16, 1847, Elijah Abel, who was 39, married Mary Ann Adams, who was 17. Mary Ann was from Tennessee and also of mixed African-American heritage.
Elijah and Mary Ann had eight children: Moroni, Enoch, Anna Rebecca, Delilah, Mary, Elijah Jr., Maggie, and Flora. They also adopted a young woman named Rola.
Moving to Utah
In May 1853, Elijah Abel and his family traveled with a pioneer company to Utah Territory. This was where the new headquarters of the church were located. They arrived in the Salt Lake Valley on October 17. The family then moved to Millcreek, near Salt Lake City.
Elijah continued his carpentry work, helping to build the Salt Lake Temple. By 1860, the Abel family lived in Salt Lake City, close to Temple Square.
Elijah remained a Seventy and stayed active in the church in Utah. He, his wife, and oldest son were rebaptized in 1857 as part of a church renewal effort. In 1858, during the Utah War, Elijah stayed behind in Salt Lake City to protect the city.
Elijah and his wife also managed the Farnham House hotel. In 1870, they moved to Ogden, Utah, for a short time before returning to Salt Lake City.
In 1871, Elijah's son Moroni passed away. His wife, Mary Ann, died in 1877 from pneumonia. Elijah Abel remained a faithful church member. He served his last mission to Ohio and Canada in 1883–84. He became ill during this mission and returned to Utah in December 1884. Elijah died on Christmas Day, two weeks after returning home. He was buried in the Salt Lake City Cemetery next to his wife. His grave marker says: "Elijah Able—At Rest."
Questions About Priesthood
Meeting in Cincinnati, 1843
In June 1843, church leaders met in Cincinnati. They talked about Elijah Abel's public preaching. They decided that it would be wiser to limit his public activities. They asked him to teach mainly the "colored population" in the area. This decision was made because of the difficult racial and political times, not because of a new church rule from God.
The Priesthood Policy of 1849
In 1849, Brigham Young announced a church policy that stopped black men from being ordained to the priesthood. This policy also meant they could not receive temple blessings. This decision may have been influenced by the actions of a black convert named William McCary, who caused some problems in the church.
Even with this new policy, Elijah Abel, who already held the priesthood, continued to serve. He remained a Seventy in Cincinnati and served another mission there shortly before he died.
Denied Temple Blessings
After moving to Utah, Elijah Abel asked to be sealed to his wife and children in the temple. This sealing is a special blessing that connects families forever. However, his request was denied by Brigham Young. Later, he asked President John Taylor to be sealed to his deceased wife and children, but this request was also refused. He was not allowed to enter the temple for this special blessing.
Discussions in 1879
In 1879, meetings were held to discuss Elijah Abel's priesthood. Some people questioned if Joseph Smith had truly given him the priesthood. However, it was confirmed that Elijah had certificates proving his priesthood ordinations from 1836 and 1841.
Elijah Abel himself spoke at these meetings. He talked about his nearly 45 years as a priesthood holder. He reminded them that Joseph Smith had told him he was "entitled to the priesthood." Elijah hoped that his priesthood would help unite all of God's people.
After these discussions, President John Taylor decided that Joseph Smith had made an "exception" for Elijah Abel. This might have been because Elijah was mostly of European descent or because he had helped build the early church. Taylor ruled that Elijah's priesthood would be "allowed to remain."
Legacy
Even after Elijah Abel's death in 1884, his life and priesthood ordination were discussed for many years. His story often came up when people wondered about black men receiving the priesthood or temple blessings.
In 1978, all eligible men in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were allowed to receive the priesthood. This happened after a revelation was received by then-prophet Spencer W. Kimball. Long before this, Elijah Abel's son, Enoch, and grandson, Elijah, had both received the Melchizedek priesthood.
In 2002, a monument was placed over Elijah Abel's grave in Salt Lake City. It honors him, his wife, and his family. M. Russell Ballard, a church leader, dedicated the monument.
Images for kids
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Front of Grave Marker
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Back of Grave Marker
See also
In Spanish: Elijah Abel para niños
- Black people and early Mormonism
- Black people and Mormonism
- Black people and Mormon priesthood
- Walker Lewis
- William McCary
