| Elijah Abel | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 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 |
| Black people and the Latter Day Saint movement |
|---|
 |
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]
- ^ Smith, Joseph F. (1810–1884). "Elijah Able". The Joseph Smith Papers Project. Salt Lake City, Utah. Retrieved February 15, 2019.
- ^ Grave Marker of Elijah Abel. (Inscribed front). File:ElijahAbelGraveFront.jpg
- ^ a b c Jackson 2013.
- ^ Smith c. 1879.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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
- ^ Stevenson 2013.
- ^ Reeve 2015.
