Andre Begivenheder og Egenskaber:

• Religion: 3 jun. 1838, Richmond, Berkshire, Massachusetts, USA; baptized member of LDS church by his father

Notater:

Franklin Dewey Richards was born at Richmond, Berkshire County, Massachusetts, April 2, 1821, the fourth child of Phineas and Wealthy Dewey Richards. In his youth Franklin was a studious boy and was particularly fond of reading the scriptures. To earn a living he learned the trade of a carpenter.

At the age of 17 he was baptized, having been converted through the missionary labors of Brigham Young and his brother Joseph--cousins of his father Phineas. A few months later he left his home in Massachusetts and joined the body of the saints in Missouri, arriving there just as they were being driven out of the state. His first meeting with the Prophet Joseph Smith was at a conference held at Quincy, Illinois, in May, 1839.

From July, 1830, to April, 1841, Franklin served as a missionary in Indiana, and was again on a mission in the Eastern States when he received word of the tragic death of the Prophet Joseph and his brother Hyrum. He returned to Nauvoo and in June, 1846, crossed the Mississippi River with his family and departed for the West. While at Sugar Creek, Iowa, he was called on a mission to England and left his family to make their way alone while he traveled eastward toward New York. After filling a two year's mission with honor and distinction he returned to America and joined his family at Winter Quarters and with them journeyed to the Salt Lake Valley.

In February, 1849, at the age of 27 he was chosen a member of the Council of the Twelve Apostles; and the following October he again departed for England to preside over the British Mission, and after performing an outstanding mission he returned to Salt Lake City in August, 1852. He was only allowed to remain at home two years when he was again called to England to preside over the European Mission. It was during this mission that he baptized Dr. Karl G. Maeser at Dresden, Germany, the first baptism in Saxony in this dispensation. After this baptism the gift of tongues was manifest so that Dr. Maeser and Apostle Richards were able to converse and understand each other perfectly, although Brother Maeser could not speak English and Brother Richards could not speak German.

Elder Richards returned from this mission in 1856 and was permitted to remain at home for the next ten years, during which time he was extremely active in civic, military and church affairs; and in July, 1866, he was again appointed to preside over the European Mission and crossed the ocean for the seventh time. He returned from this mission in October, 1868.

On January 10, 1869, he was appointed by the First Presidency to preside over the Weber Stake, which then comprised all of Weber County, and the following month the Utah Legislature elected him Probate Judge of Weber County, which position he held with honor and dignity until the fall of 1883. These two appointments necessitated his moving to Ogden, where he resided until his death, 30 years later.

In 1877 he was released as President of Weber Stake and appointed Church historian. On November 13, 1894, the Utah Genealogical Society was organized by him; and he was the first President of the Utah State Historical Society, comprising both Mormons and non-Mormons, which position he held until his death.

With the death of President Wilford Woodruff, Franklin D. Richards was appointed President of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles, September 13, 1898, a position he held until his death, December 9, 1899.

By way of summary, Franklin D. Richards was an Apostle for over 50 years. He filled five missions in the Eastern States and four in Europe. He crossed the plains seven times before the advent of the railroad. He was Brigadier-General in the Utah Militia, Probate Judge, member of the Utah Legislature, Regent of the University of Deseret, founder and first President of the Utah Genealogical Society, first President of the State Historical Society,editor of the Millennial Star, founder and first editor of the Ogden Junction, Church Historian, and author of A Compendium of the Doctrines of the Gospel.

Franklin blev gift med Susan Sanford Peirson den 26 jun. 1853 i Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, USA. Susan blev født den 13 dec. 1831 i Richmond, Berkshire, Massachusetts, USA; døde den 2 mar. 1878 i Wanship, Summit, Utah, USA. [Gruppeskema] [Familietavle]

Phineas blev gift med Wealthy Dewey den 24 feb. 1818 i Richmond, Berkshire, Massachusetts, USA. Wealthy blev født den 6 sep. 1786 i Pittsfield, Berkshire, Massachusetts, USA; døde den 18 okt. 1853 i Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, USA. [Gruppeskema] [Familietavle]

Joseph blev gift med Rhoda Howe den 20 dec. 1781 i Framingham, Middlesex, Massachusetts, USA. Rhoda (datter af Phineas Howe og Susannah Goddard) blev født den 8 jul. 1762 i Hopkinton, Middlesex, Massachusetts, USA; blev døbt den 8 jul. 1762 i Hopkinton, Middlesex, Massachusetts, USA; døde den 14 feb. 1838 i Richmond, Berkshire, Massachusetts, USA; blev begravet den 16 feb. 1838 i Richmond, Berkshire, Massachusetts, USA. [Gruppeskema] [Familietavle]

Andre Begivenheder og Egenskaber:

• Fødsel: 8 jul. 1762, Hopkinton, Middlesex, Massachusetts, USA
• Død: 14 feb. 1838, Richmond, Berkshire, Massachusetts, USA