In the early church members were re-baptized for several reasons. Doing genealogy, one thing I often see is that Mormon pioneers were re-baptized when they arrived in Salt Lake. For example, Stephen Luce and his mother Ruth Luce were re-baptized and confirmed 29 September 1850 by William Hicklenlooper in Salt Lake City, according to the Early Church History card file.

I’ve always thought it probably had to do with confirming that they really had been baptized, perhaps in cases where the original record had been lost. But it seems to have become a custom.

According to the Church, “When the Latter-day Saint pioneers entered the Salt Lake Valley, they felt they were finally free from their enemies and they desired to express their gratitude to God by renewing their covenants and promising to obey his commandments from that time forward.“

As I think about it now, the church in the 1840s and 1850s had been through so much turmoil, record keeping probably wasn’t the foremost reason for anything. However, the Church does say, “Throughout the history of the Church rebaptism has also been used when membership records have been lost and for repentant excommunicated members who were returning to the Church. It is still used today in such instances.”

The practice has changed over the years so that re-baptism is rare. “Because the Lord has given us the ordinance of sacrament for renewing our covenants, and because the purpose of baptism began to be somewhat confused in the minds of some members of the Church, the Lord directed Church leaders to discourage the use of baptism for other than the sacred purpose of the remission of sins and for gaining membership in the Church.“

So now I understand the question is more nuanced than I thought, but for research purposes I can take it that pioneers arriving in Great Salt Lake City were re-baptized as a matter of custom. And that opens a new research question — if Stephen Luce was granted a Salt Lake City lot in 1848, why was he not re-baptized until 1850? My working theory is the custom became established over time. It was not yet a rule in 1848 but by 1850 had become pervasive enough it felt to the Luces as though it was a necessary remedial step.

Quotes

“About the time the doctrine of rebaptism for members in the Church was first revealed in Nauvoo, Joseph, the great seer and revelator to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, made some remarks on the subject: On one occasion he read, among other scriptures, Hebrews, 6th chapter, 1st and 2nd verses, as follow: Therefore, leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, of faith toward God, Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. The Prophet said the first verse should read: ‘Therefore, not leaving the first principles of the doctrine of Christ, etc.’ This explanation not only made the entire subject of the two verses clear but reconciled them with other scriptures. Notwithstanding Paul is made to say ‘leaving,’ etc., the inference is clear that if the foundation of repentance, baptism and the laying on of hands should be relaid they would have to perform those works over again, as every careful reader of the text must see. This also corroborates a revelation to the Church of Ephesus: Remember, therefore, from whence thou art fallen, and repent and do the first works. All latter-day Saints know that the first works after repentance are baptism and the laying on of hands for the reception of the Holy Ghost. Here we find a presiding elder of a branch or ward of the Church commanded to perform these works over again, under pain of removal if he failed to obey the divine behest. (Dan Tyler)

“After we had arrived on the ground of Great Salt Lake City we pitched our tents by the side of a spring of water; and, after resting a little, I devoted my time chiefly to building temporary houses, putting in crops, and obtaining fuel from the mountains. …Having repented of our sins and renewed our covenants, President John Taylor and myself administered the ordinances of baptism, etc., to each other and to our families, according to the example set by the President and pioneers who had done the same on entering the valley. These solemnities took place with us and most of our families, November 28, 1847.” (Autobiography of Parley P. Pratt)

“We were counseled to be rebaptized as we had been a long time traveling and all that wished to be Saints they should make it manifest. Consequently, there was a number baptized on the first of July, 1849 by John Harris … (Autobiography of Joseph Lee Robinson)

“I will here state that Martin Harris, when he came to this [Utah] Territory a few years ago, was rebaptized, the same as every member of the Church from distant parts is on arriving here. That seems to be a kind of standing ordinance for all Latter-day Saints who emigrate here, from the First Presidency down; all are rebaptized and set out anew by renewing their covenants.” (Orson Pratt, in Journal of Discourses 18:156-61)

More Information

• Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, I understand that after the Saints arrived in Utah many of them underwent rebaptism. Is this true, and if it is, can you tell me why this was done?, visited Oct. 1, 2019.
• Zions Return, Rebaptism among Early Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, visited Oct. 1, 2019.

According to Wikipedia, the Mormon Reformation was a period of renewed emphasis on spirituality within the LDS Church. It took place in 1856 and 1857 under the direction of Church President Brigham Young. This period of history has an indirect relevance to the Luces, who lived through it.

“All pioneers who gathered to Utah Territory under the direction of Young, whether members of the LDS Church or sympathetic non-members, were welcome as long as they helped in efforts to build up Zion. The undeveloped area required labor for the cutting of timber, road development, the creation of farms and pastures for cattle and other livestock; and the construction of homes, meetinghouses, mills, businesses, and irrigation systems. Church members who were willing to physically strengthen the Mormon settlements were so valued that ‘problems they might have with smoking, drinking, profaning, Sabbath breaking, and even immoral living did not normally cost them their standing in the community and the Church.‘ Consequently, by the early 1850s, communities within the Mormon settlement region were prospering and secure but contained a segment whose personal practices were not within the exacting standards of the LDS Church.”

Knowing there was a reform movement in the late 1850s gives us an insight into the Luces. They were a rough bunch, particularly Jason Luce, who was related through his marriage to another rough bunch, the “Bad Seed Grahams”. The documentation we find about their outlawry is all in the period 1859 to 1864.

What strikes me here is that all these events came after the Mormon Reformation. I wonder whether we can confirm that any of the Luces were re-baptized during this period. If they were or were not, it would indicate something more about the way they saw themselves and their relationship to the Church.

In the meantime, perhaps we might think the Luces didn’t quite accommodate themselves to the newer ideas of personal holiness.

More Information

• Mormon Reformation, at Wikipedia, visited Oct. 1, 2019.

Over the years the only cause of death I’ve ever seen for Stephen Luce is “apoplexy”. That is, he died of what we would now call a stroke. I’ve been to his grave in City Cemetery (Plot F12), seen his red sandstone headstone (now mostly sunken), and looked at the sexton’s index cards for the burial.

“Old guy dies of stroke.” I can’t think of anything less newsworthy.

Imagine my surprise this morning when I was googling around for background on Malatiah Luce, and came across this.

“Found Dead.—About five o’clock yesterday morning, Stephen Luce, over sixty years of age, and who resided in the Tenth Ward, was found dead in the water sect near the residence of Mr. David Candland, in the Ninth Ward. When discovered, Luce was lying on his back, his face, however, was not covered by water, showing that death had not ensued from drowning. A basket containing provisions, &c., was found a few feet from where he lay. It is supposed that he was either seized with some kind of a fit, from which he did not recover, or that he died from physical exhaustion, superinduced by heavy drinking. The remains were removed to the house of one of his relatives in the Eighth Ward, and were, we understand to be interred today.” (Deseret News, Salt Lake City, Utah, Wed., May 1, 1872, page 9.)

The early Luces were a rough crowd. We already know that.

Malatiah Luce was an early Mormon convert. He died 6 February 1849, but where? Did he die in Nauvoo? Or in Salt Lake City? According to a family tradition recorded by several of Malatiah’s descendants, he died in Nauvoo.

Based on that information, Malatiah’s name appears on a memorial plaque in Nauvoo. And because he died in Nauvoo, it has been widely believed the Luces came to Utah in 1850. That is, they came after Malatiah died. This was the date given by Kate Carter in Heart Throbs of the West, an old Daughters of Utah Pioneers publication. It appears to be confirmed by the fact Ruth Luce appears on the 1850 (1851) Census in Great Salt Lake without Malatiah. Carter probably also used the Early Church History card file, which shows Malatiah’s wife Ruth Grant Luce and son Stephen Luce were re-baptized in Salt Lake in 1850. Because Malatiah is known to have died in 1849 it was assumed he died in Nauvoo.

But there are problems with this dating. Other sources say the Luces came in 1848. For example, William Hickman’s 2nd wife was Sarah Luce. In his book Brigham’s Destroying Angel (1872, 1904), Hickman wrote that his new wife’s father was going to Utah in 1848 and she went with him. Also, the obituary of Malatiah’s grandson Wilford Luce (1906) says he came to Utah in 1848.

Both Sarah and Wilford were children of Malatiah’s son Stephen. So, we’ve all been thinking maybe Stephen came in 1848, but Malatiah’s widow Ruth came in 1850. Other children came at other times, so they don’t factor in. John Luce was part of the Brigham Young Company in 1847. Ephraim Luce is known to have come in 1851.

A few years ago, Elder David Wood at the BYU Family History Center pointed out to me that Malatiah must have died in Salt Lake, not Nauvoo:

“Malatiah Luce made application with the Salt Lake City Recorder’s Office in 1848 for a lot of land right next to that of Stephen Luce (plat B, block 13, lots 7 & 8–lot 7 for Stephen, lot 8 for Malatiah.) Malatiah had to be in Salt Lake in order to make this filing and, given his age (76), it seems highly unlikely that he would return to Nauvoo to die the next year, especially since the Saints had been driven from Nauvoo in 1846.“

Now we know Malatiah died in Salt Lake in 1849. That means he was probably buried at the Old Fort, near what is now Pioneer Park. Unless he was buried on his own lot, and his remains haven’t yet been discovered.

He would not have been buried at City Cemetery. The first steps to organizing City Cemetery were only taken two weeks after Malatiah died: “Feb. 17, 1849…. The Council met in Phelp’s schoolroom at 10:30 a.m…. Daniel H. Wells, Joseph Heywood and George B. Wallace were appointed a committee to select a suitable place for a burying ground” (Journal History of the Church, 1849).

The Old Fort graveyard was re-discovered in 1986. The remains that could be recovered were moved to the Pioneer Cemetery at This Is The Place Heritage Park, 32 bodies in all. Malatiah is probably among among them, although we have no direct evidence. There are rumors the contractor who uncovered the graveyard destroyed some of the graves in an attempt to avoid being required to stop work.

I plan to do more work on this topic in the future. The family traditions that say Malatiah died in Nauvoo are, I believe, available at FamilySearch.org. Then too, I see an interesting question waiting to be explored — if Malatiah Luce was really in Salt Lake in 1848, why was his wife Ruth also granted a lot? [The answer turned out to be No. See the answer here.]

More Information

• [List of those filing for lots, 1848], in Salt Lake County Recorder’s Office, Land records [ca. 1847-1860], citing Church History Library, MS. 952, at Pioneer Overland Travel database, visited Oct. 1, 2019.
• Kate B. Carter, “Companies of 1850”, in Heart Throbs of the West, Volume 5(1945):394-450.
• William Adams Hickman, Brigham’s Destroying Angel (1904), 48.
• Malatiah Luce, at Pioneer Overland Travel, visited Oct. 1, 2019.
• Ruth Luce, United States Census, 1850, at FamilySearch.org, visited Oct. 1, 2019.
• Wilford Luce (death notice), Improvement Era, Volume IX(Sept. 1906), No. 11, 909. “In Salt Lake City, 30th, Wilford W. Luce, born Fox Island, November 7, 1837, came to Utah in 1848”
• Mormon Trail Association, Pioneer Cemetery – Block 49, at MormonTrails.org, visited Oct. 1, 2019.
• Mormon Trail Association, Salt Lake City Cemetery, at Mormon Trails.org, visited Oct. 1, 2019.
• Justin Swanstrom, Pioneer Park (Sept. 30, 2019), at SwanKnight.com.

Revised Oct. 20, 2019 to add link to Ruth Luce article.