Elijah Abel

Elijah Abel
Photo of Elijah Abel
Third Quorum of the Seventy
December 20, 1836 (1836-12-20) – December 25, 1884 (1884-12-25)
Called byJoseph Smith
Elder
January 25, 1836 (1836-01-25) – December 20, 1836 (1836-12-20)
Called byJoseph Smith
Personal details
Born(1808-07-25)July 25, 1808
Frederick-Town, Maryland
DiedDecember 25, 1884(1884-12-25) (aged 76)
Salt Lake City, Utah Territory
Resting placeSalt Lake City Cemetery
40°46′37.92″N 111°51′28.8″W / 40.7772000°N 111.858000°W / 40.7772000; -111.858000

Elijah Abel, or Able or Ables[1] (July 25, 1808– December 25, 1884)[2] was one of the earliest African-American members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), and was the church's first African-American elder and Seventy.[3] Abel was predominantly of Scottish and English descent[4] and appears to have been the first, and one of the few, black members in the early history of the church to have received Priesthood ordination,[3][5] later becoming the faith's first black missionary.[3] Abel did not have his ordination revoked when the LDS Church officially announced its now-obsolete restrictions on Priesthood ordination, but was denied a chance to receive his temple endowment by third church president John Taylor.[6] As a skilled carpenter, Abel often committed his services to the building of LDS temples and chapels. He died in 1884 after serving a mission to Cincinnati, Ohio, his last of three total missions for the church.[7][8]

  1. ^ Smith, Joseph F. (1810–1884). "Elijah Able". The Joseph Smith Papers Project. Salt Lake City, Utah. Retrieved February 15, 2019.
  2. ^ Grave Marker of Elijah Abel. (Inscribed front). File:ElijahAbelGraveFront.jpg
  3. ^ a b c Jackson 2013.
  4. ^ Smith c. 1879.
  5. ^ Bowman, Matthew (2012). "Chapter 2: Little Zions: 1831-1839". The Mormon People: The Making of an American Faith. New York: Random House. p. 46. ISBN 978-0679644903.
  6. ^ 125: Elijah Ables' Attempt for Temple Blessings (Part 5 of 6 Russell Stevenson), archived from the original on December 12, 2021, retrieved May 21, 2021
  7. ^ Stevenson 2013.
  8. ^ Reeve 2015.