William E. McLellin (1806–1883) (also spelled M'Lellin) was an early leader in the Latter Day Saint movement. One of the original members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, McLellin later broke with church founder, Joseph Smith Jr.

McLellin was born in Smith County, Tennessee in 1806, a son of Charles McLellin. He married for the first time on July 30, 1829, but his wife, Cynthia Ann McLellin, died young and he was a widower by 1832.

Church service

McLellin first had contact with the missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Paris, Tennessee during 1831. He traveled to Missouri to further investigate the church, and was baptized and ordained an elder in 1831. During 1831, he traveled with Hyrum Smith, and preached in Tennessee. He then relocated to Kirtland, Ohio.

In 1832-33, he served a mission for the church, traveling with Parley P. Pratt. However, in a revelation to Joseph Smith, Jr. on March 8, 1833, it was said that the Lord was "...not pleased with my servant William E. M'Lellin." An experienced teacher, and self proclaimed physician, McLellin taught penmanship in the Kirtland School for temporal education in 1834. He served as a member of the Church's high council in Clay County, Missouri, also in 1834, and was chosen and ordained to be one of the original Twelve Apostles on February 15, 1835, at age 29.

When the Doctrine and Covenants was about to be published, some church members criticized the wording of some of the revelations. According to Joseph Smith, the Lord issued a challenge to see if the wisest member of the church could invent a revelation comparable to the least of the revelations. If they could, then the members of the church would be justified in claiming that the revelations did not come from God. (D&C 67:6–7) William McLellin was thought to be the smartest member of the church at that time. He was chosen for this task, and he failed. (History of the Church, 1:226)

Disassociation with the church

McLellin's LDS church association came to an abrupt halt in 1838, when he declared that he had no confidence in the presidency of the Church. This may have been due to the mismanagement of Kirtland's financial institution, the Kirtland Safety Society in 1837. He was excommunicated on May 11, 1838 and subsequently actively worked against the LDS Church and its leaders, joining violent mobs, and, according to contemporaries, ransacking and robbing Joseph Smith's home and stable while Smith was being held in jail, pending charges on the Safety Society's financial problems. No charges were ever filed.

A contemporary account revealed the following incident:

"While Joseph was in prison at Richmond, Mo., Mr. McLellin, who was a large and active man, went to the sheriff and asked for the privilege of flogging the Prophet; permission was granted, on condition that Joseph would fight. The sheriff made McLellin's earnest request known to Joseph, who consented to fight, if his irons were taken off. McLellin then refused to fight, unless he could have a club, to which Joseph was perfectly willing; but the sheriff would not allow them to fight on such unequal terms."(Jenson, Vol.1:83)

After Smith's assassination, McLellin accepted the succession claims of many Latter Day Saint leaders, including Sidney Rigdon, James J. Strang and David Whitmer. He died on April 24th, 1883, at Independence, Jackson County, Missouri.

References

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• Allen, James B. and Leonard, Glen M. The Story of the Latter-day Saints. Deseret Book Co., Salt Lake City, UT, 1976. ISBN 0-87747-594-6.
• Jenson, Andrew. editor. LDS Biographical Encyclopedia.
• Ludlow, Daniel H., A Companion to Your Study of the Doctrine and Covenants, Deseret Book Co., Salt Lake City, UT, 1978. ISBN 1-57345-224-6.
• Shipps, Jan and Welch, John W. eds.). The Journals of William E. McLellin, 1831-1836. University of Illinois Press: 1994.

External link

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• Grampa Bill's General Authority Pages

1806 births | 1883 deaths | Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints | Latter Day Saints | Latter Day Saint leaders