Letter of Anthony W. Ivins

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Office of the First Presidency

Salt Lake City, Utah

February 10, 1934.

(Name and Address Omitted)

The following is my answer to your letter received some time ago, which had no date.

I am writing this to your husband as well as to you, and pray that it may result in good to both of you on the question involved.

I will answer your questions in the order in which you ask them.

. . .

The latter purported revelation of John Taylor (of 1886) has no standing in the church. I have searched carefully, and all that can be found is a piece of paper found among President Taylor’s effects after his death. It was written in pencil and only a few paragraphs which had no signature at all. It was unknown to the Church until members of his own family claimed to have found it among his papers. It was never presented or discussed as a revelation by the presiding authorities of the Church.

The fact is that neither of these pretended revelations (1880 and 1886) has any purport whatsoever so far as the Church is concerned. They were never published or presented to the body of the Church for approval, and consequently if such statements were made they have never been in force.