Accusations of polygamy were leveled at Joseph Smith while he was living.[1] He consistently denied these claims and declared polygamy an abomination.[2] His brother, Hyrum, and his wife, Emma, also denounced polygamy and declared their and Joseph’s innocence of the practice.[3] After Joseph’s death and over time, the accusations grew. Hyrum had been murdered alongside his brother. Emma was discredited by the Utah branch of the church and effectively silenced.[4] Historians have crafted a tale that appeases both the anti-Mormons and the official narrative of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS).

But what of truth? His teachings were misinterpreted,[5] misunderstood,[6] and even lied about.[7] What was Joseph actually doing?

Sealing Power

No tenet of the LDS church or other branches of Mormonism is dearer to its members than the sealing of relationships beyond the grave. From the beginning of the restoration, the themes of sealing, sealing power, and sealings were prominent in Joseph Smith’s revelations. These concepts were introduced as early as 1823. On the night of September 21^st and morning of September 22^nd of that year, a resurrected messenger[8] visited Joseph Smith, delivering messages critical to the restoration of the gospel.[9]

One message included a variation of Malachi chapter 4:

“For behold, the day cometh that shall burn as an oven, and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly shall burn as stubble; for they that come shall burn them, saith the Lord of Hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch…

“Behold, I will reveal unto you the Priesthood, by the hand of Elijah the prophet, before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.

“And he shall plant in the hearts of the children the promises made to the fathers, and the hearts of the children shall turn to their fathers. If it were not so, the whole earth would be utterly wasted at his coming.”[10]

The exact wording in this passage is important. The promises spoken of were made to the Fathers, that is, the patriarchs. These promises refer to a continuation of the construction of the family of God.[11] This continuation was the primary import of the temple and the focus of Joseph Smith over the last years of his life.

Sealings encompassed various forms, including, but not limited to, marriage sealings and adoption into the familial line. Cultural historian Samuel M. Brown has used the term “sacerdotal genealogy” to describe this continued family line. He defines this as a “pedigree or family tree dependent upon priesthood rather than biology for its connections.”[12]  I am adopting the term sacerdotal order[13] or patriarchal order[14] as an alternative to sacerdotal genealogy. While Mr. Brown’s term is useful, it carries connotations of traditional familial structures and lineages that may not fully capture the broader or more nuanced relationships I aim to address. By using sacerdotal order or patriarchal order, I seek to emphasize nuances in the structure that are not captured in a nuclear family structure. This terminology emphasizes a more flexible understanding of the family of God, as outlined in the present study.

Foundational Establishment of God’s Family

The line of patriarchs from Adam to Melchizedek represents an unbroken genealogical lineage.[15] Beginning with Abraham, adoption into this familial line became necessary. The line then continued through Abraham’s posterity.

Membership in the patriarchal order requires qualifications, designed to preserve humanity within God’s family beyond mortality.[16] The intent of the order is to preserve mankind in the family of God, beyond the grave. While these qualifications are abstract and are not the focus here, they underscore the gravity of this order.[17]

Entrusting the Sealing Power to Man

God entrusted Joseph Smith with the sealing power.[18] Because of his deep familiarity with the scriptures, Joseph understood the significance of this sacred trust and the importance of the role created by holding that power. Only a few select individuals are known to have been given the sacred duty of holding the sealing power.[19] An account in the Book of Mormon illustrates the weight of the bestowal of the sealing power to a man. In Helaman, Nephi, the son of Helaman, receives the sealing power from God:

“And it came to pass as he was thus pondering—being much cast down because of the wickedness of the people of the Nephites, their secret works of darkness, and their murderings, and their plunderings, and all manner of iniquities—and it came to pass as he was thus pondering in his heart, behold, a voice came unto him saying:

“Blessed art thou, Nephi, for those things which thou hast done; for I have beheld how thou hast with unwearyingness declared the word, which I have given unto thee, unto this people. And thou hast not feared them, and hast not sought thine own life, but hast sought my will, and to keep my commandments.

“And now, because thou hast done this with such unwearyingness, behold, I will bless thee forever; and I will make thee mighty in word and in deed, in faith and in works; yea, even that all things shall be done unto thee according to thy word, for thou shalt not ask that which is contrary to my will.

“Behold, thou art Nephi, and I am God. Behold, I declare it unto thee in the presence of mine angels, that ye shall have power over this people, and shall smite the earth with famine, and with pestilence, and destruction, according to the wickedness of this people.

“Behold, I give unto you power, that whatsoever ye shall seal on earth shall be sealed in heaven; and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven; and thus shall ye have power among this people.

“And thus, if ye shall say unto this temple it shall be rent in twain, it shall be done.

“And if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou cast down and become smooth, it shall be done.

“And behold, if ye shall say that God shall smite this people, it shall come to pass.” (Helaman 10:3-10)

The character of such a man is exemplified shortly thereafter when Nephi, the recipient of this magnificent power, implores the Lord on behalf of his people:

“And it came to pass that in this year Nephi did cry unto the Lord, saying:

“O Lord, do not suffer that this people shall be destroyed by the sword; but O Lord, rather let there be a famine in the land, to stir them up in remembrance of the Lord their God, and perhaps they will repent and turn unto thee.” (Helaman 11:3-4)

While he now held the power over his people to smite the earth with famine, pestilence, and destruction, he instead turns to God in prayer to intercede for the sake of his people. Such is the character of one who God trusts with the sealing power.

Bold Use of Sealing Power to Maximize Promises from God

Joseph Smith knew that he could help secure the salvation of his friends and family. He had a promise from God,[20] and he knew with that promise, and the sealing power, he could secure the salvation of his friends and family. He set out to use the sealing power to seal others to him thereby attempting to secure their salvation by virtue of the promises he had from God. These are the actions of a man of high character, whose love for others drove him.

It is with this character in mind that we read Joseph Smith’s discourse touching upon sealing given March 10, 1844, as recorded by Wilford Woodruff. He recites how he views deploying the sealing power:

“…if you have power to seal on earth & in heaven then we should be Crafty, the first thing you do go & seal on earth your sons & daughters unto yourself, & yourself unto your fathers in eternal glory, & go ahead and not go back, but use a little Craftiness & seal all you can; & when you get to heaven tell your father that what you seal on earth should be sealed in heaven I will walk through the gate of heaven and Claim what I seal & those that follow me”[21]

He knew that clever use of the sealing power may result in greater preservation of those whom he taught. He set out to seal individuals to him, in order to secure their salvation, and potentially the salvation of their families.

The Book of Mormon Teaches Us About the Preservation of Relationships

An episode captured in the Book of Mormon is emblematic of the broad preservation of relationships among family and friends. This preservation is a construct different than simple biological connections. In the Book of Ether, a man identified as the ‘brother of Jared’ is urged by his brother, Jared, to “cry unto the Lord, that he will not confound us”[22] at the time the Lord was confounding the people when they were building a tower to get to heaven.[23]

The brother of Jared is one who has the ability[24] to ask and receive an answer from God. The episode begins with him interceding on behalf of his family, his brother, and his brother’s family. After the brother of Jared is successful in this endeavor, Jared persuades his brother to “cry again unto the Lord and it may be that he will turn away his anger from them who are our friends.”[25] The brother of Jared again succeeds with the Lord. His family, his brother and brother’s family, and their friends and their families are preserved.

Their preservation leads them to cross the seas to the “promised land”.[26] Crossing a sea is a common literary symbol for passing from life to death.[27] The richness of the symbolism is made greater as we are told “they were buried in the deep” (emphasis added) but they could not be hurt because their vessels were “tight like unto a dish”, i.e., sealed.     

Sacerdotal Sealings – Not Merely Bio-genealogical Lines

The preservation that Joseph was attempting to undertake may be illuminated by a document added to Joseph Smith’s journal ex post facto. An early convert to the LDS church, Dr. John M. Bernhisel, included a written testimony of individuals he claimed were sealed to him by the Prophet.

“The following named deceased persons were sealed to me (John M. Bernhisel) on Oct. 26^th, 1843, by Pres. Joseph Smith.

“Maria Bernhisel, Sister –

“Brother Samuel’s wife, Catherine Kremer

“Mary Shatto (Aunt)

“Madalena Lupferd (distant relative)

“Catherin Bernhisel Aunt

“Hannah Bower Aunt

“Elizabeth Sheively Aunt

“Hannah Bower Cousin

“Maria Lawrence (intimate friend)

“Sarah Crosby intimate friend died May 11 1839

“Mary Ann Bloom Cousin

“John M. Bernhisel

“Recorded by Robt. L. Campbell July 29^th, 1868” [28]

Dr. Bernhisel attests that he was sealed to various family members and a friend. This is not the sealing of endless genealogical lines, but a direct and concerted effort to maintain connections beyond the grave in the sacerdotal order. From a modern perspective, this approach may seem even more enigmatic when it is coupled with the fact that one ordinance Joseph “never administered during his lifetime was the sealing of children to parents, biological or other.”[29]

While the evidence supporting the allegations that Joseph Smith was married to numerous women in his life does not withstand scrutiny,[30] there are pieces of information that suggest he may have been involved in creative uses of the sealing power, that could lead to the preservation of a greater number of those he sought to elevate. Just as Dr. Bernhisel’s document claims that various family members and a friend were sealed to him – none as wives – Joseph may have similarly had individuals sealed to him.  

The ultimate culmination of his work may never be fully understood, given that sealing practices performed by the LDS church changed drastically after his death. Presentism has constrained our understanding of what Joseph Smith was attempting to do with the sacerdotal order,[31] limiting our ability to consider where past practices might have been headed and what their trajectories could reveal about the broader context of these important concepts.

Conclusion

In examining the teachings and practices of Joseph Smith regarding sealing, it becomes clear that his focus was on preserving relationships and securing the eternal salvation of his family and members of the church. The evidence consistently points to a man entrusted with a sacred power, who used it to build an eternal sacerdotal network bound by priesthood authority rather than merely biological ties.

The historical record demonstrates that if ordinances between Joseph and other women were performed, Joseph’s use of the sealing power was aimed at benefiting others by creating enduring spiritual connections that would transcend mortality – not polygamous marriages. Even in instances where sealing ordinances may appear unconventional, they align with his overarching intent to safeguard his family, friends, and church members within the family of God.

At most, we can conclude that Joseph’s involvement in sealing practices was driven by his commitment to using this divine authority for the salvation and unity of others. His actions and teachings reflect a character consistent with the sacred trust bestowed upon him, rather than one entangled in the practice of plural marriage.

The trajectory of sealing practices after Joseph’s death diverged significantly, shaped by the influences of subsequent leadership and cultural shifts. As such, presentist interpretations risk obscuring the broader and more nuanced purposes Joseph intended. By reexamining his character, teachings, and the historical context, it becomes evident that Joseph Smith’s legacy in sealing was one of spiritual preservation, not plural marriage.

Supplemental Information – Documenting Original Sources

John M. Bernhisel document added to Joseph Smith’s journal ex post facto (October 26, 1843).

Retrieved on December 28, 2024 from https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/journal-december-1842-june-1844-book-3-15-july-1843-29-february-1844/152

Endnotes

[1] The primary accuser was John C. Bennett. He authored a work titled The History of the Saints: Or, an Expose of Joe Smith and Mormonism after his excommunication from the church, due to adulterous activities, which accused Joseph Smith of the crime of polygamy. He also authored letters published in the Sangamo Journal accusing Joseph of conspiring to assassinate the former governor of Missouri, Lilburn Boggs.
Additionally, the Nauvoo Expositor was a newspaper which published a single issue with various attacks on Joseph Smith, including accusations of polygamy. This website will explore these topics in detail in separate articles.    

[2] There are numerous accounts of Joseph Smith denying and denouncing polygamy. One helpful example is from his own journal. An entry on October 5, 1843 reads:
“…eve at home walked up and down st. with scribe.— and gave instruction to try those who were preaching teaching or the doctrin of plurality of wives. on this Law. Joseph forbids it. and the practice thereof— No man shall have but one wife”

[3] See, for example: https://restorationbookstore.org/pages/emmas-fight-against-polygamy

[4] Brigham Young taught in the October 1866 general conference of the LDS church that “[Emma] was a child of hell, and literally the most wicked woman on this earth, that there was not one more wicked than she.”
https://truthandgrace.com/1866conference.htm

[5] Joseph Smith Monogamy is setting out to demonstrate that Joseph Smith did not practice polygamy. For those who insist that he did practice polygamy, they must also admit that it certainly could not have been the same as the practice among the Utah LDS church.

[6] Brigham Young stated, ‘This Principle [adoption] I am aware is not clearly understood by many of the Elders in this Church at the present time as it will Hereafter be: And I confess that I have had [only] a smattering of those things[;] but when it is necessary I will attain to more knowledge on the subject & consequently will be enabled to teach & practice more.’ Please see note 31 of the present study for additional details.

[7] While multiple examples exist of Joseph’s teachings in this regard being misunderstood or even lied about, one of the most egregious is the October 5, 1843 journal entry that was edited after Joseph’s death to implicate him in the crime of polygamy. See pages 15-17 of Leo Ebbert’s Joseph Smith’s Monogamy, https://josephsmithmonogamy.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Joseph-Smiths-Monogamy-Exploring-a-Counter_narrative-Regarding-Plural-Marriage-2015.pdf 

[8]Traditional accounts identify this messenger as Moroni. However, there are several accounts that identify this messenger as Nephi. FAIR makes a tenuous argument that there is only one underlying source referencing Nephi and that this was erroneous. There are strong arguments to suggest the messenger was in fact Nephi, but the identity of the messenger is not critical to the present discussion. 

[9] Joseph Smith – History 1:27 – 49

[10] Ibid. 1:37 – 39, the changes made to the language of Malachi as it was given to Joseph is significant:
“For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be [burn as] stubble: and the day that cometh [for they that come] shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.

“Behold, I will send you [reveal unto you the Priesthood, by the hand of] Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord:

“And he shall turn [plant in] the heart[s] of the [children the promises made to the] fathers to the children, and the heart[s] of the children [shall turn] to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse. [If it were not so, the whole earth would be utterly wasted at his coming.]”

[11] Moses 7:50-52, 8:2; Genesis 6:18, 9:9; Joseph Smith Translation Genesis 9:15; Genesis 17:3-7; Abraham 1:2-4, 2:10-11; 2 Nephi 3:4-5, 12;

[12] (Brown, 2011), p. 5

[13] Merriam Webster’s definition of sacerdotal is “of or relating to priests or priesthood: priestly”

[14] See Abraham chapter 1

[15] I believe Shem and Melchizedek are the same individual. If the reader believes otherwise, then the diagram still illustrates the structure, but other individuals should be placed in the line between Shem and Melchizedek.

[16] Romans 8:12-23; John 1:12; Galatians 3:26-28; Mosiah 27:25, 5:7-8; Moroni 7:26, 48

[17] To illustrate the point in a more concrete type of a sacerdotal order, consider the Nephite recordkeepers, where the qualifications are simply having an association with the current recordkeeper such that the current recordkeeper can trust that the recipient will pass the record along.

[18] See Doctrine and Covenants 68:12, cross reference Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 181. “All the prophets had the Melchizedek Priesthood and were ordained by God himself.” The only other potential recipient of this power in Joseph Smith’s time was his brother Hyrum, see Doctrine and Covenants 124:124.   

[19] Two explicit examples of the bestowal of this power exist – Nephi, the son of Helaman (Helaman 10:7) and Peter (Matthew 16:19). One reading of Matthew 18:18 could suggest the sealing power was also given to the rest of the original twelve apostles, but care should be taken with this interpretation. Others certainly held the sealing power (for instance, this power would have been used for Abraham to be adopted into the sacerdotal order), but there are not explicit scriptural records for all who have been given this power from God.   

[20] Doctrine and Covenants 131:5 demonstrates how one is sealed up to eternal life. We can infer Joseph is speaking from personal experience. Joseph having such a promise from God is critical to understanding the effectiveness of securing others’ salvation by having them sealed to him.  

[21]  (Ehat & Cook, 1980) p. 331 Additional excerpts from pp. 329-331: Now was this merely confined to the living to settle difficulties with families on earth, by no means, it was a far greater work Elijah what would you do if you was here would you confine confine your work to the living alone. No I would confine refer you to the scriptures whare the subject is manifest, i.e, without us they could not be made perfect, nor we without them, the fathers without the children nor the children without the fathers. I wish you to understand this subject for it is important & if you will receive it this is the spirit of Elijah that we redeam our dead & connect ourselves with our fathers which are in heaven & seal up our dead to come forth in the first resurrection & here we want the power of Elijah to seal those who dwell on earth to those which dwell in heaven this is the power of Elijah & the keys of the Kingdom of Jehovah. Let us suppose a case; suppose the great God who dwells in heaven should reveal himself to Father Cutler here by the opening heavens and tell him I offer up a decree that whatsoever you seal on earth with your decree I will seal it in heaven, you have power then, can it be taken of[f] No, Then what you seal on earth by the Keys of Elijah is sealed in heaven, & this is the power of Elijah,…

if a man has receive the good word of God & tasted of the powers of the world to come if they shall fall away it is impossible to renew them again, seeing they have Crucified the son of God afresh & put him to an open frame shame, so their is a possibility of falling away you could not be renewed again, & the power of Elijah Cannot seal against this sin, for this is a reserve made in the seals & power of the priesthood,…

A murderer; for instance one that sheds innocent Blood Cannot have forgiveness,… Acts iii, 19 this is the case with murderers they could not be baptized for the remission of sins for they had shed innocent Blood.

Again the doctrin or sealing power of Elijah is as follows if you have power to seal on earth & in heaven then we should be Crafty, the first thing you do go & seal on earth your sons & daughters unto yourself, & yourself unto your fathers in eternal glory, & go ahead and not go back, but use a little Craftiness & seal all you can; & when you get to heaven tell your father that what you seal on earth should be sealed in heaven I will walk through the gate of heaven and Claim what I seal & those that follow me
The entire Woodruff account of the discourse can be found online at:
https://rsc.byu.edu/words-joseph-smith/10-march-1844-sunday-temple

[22] Ether 1:34

[23] Book of Mormon Title Page

[24] The scriptures teach that all can ask of God and will receive (Matthew 7:7-8), but while the account of the brother of Jared does not explicitly state that he held the sealing power, his ability and familiarly with how to ask and receive answers from God echoes the promises given to Nephi when the sealing power was bestowed upon him.

[25] Ether 1:36

[26] Ether 6:4-12

[27] Numerous examples of this symbolism can be found, e.g., The Lord of the Rings, where the elves cross the sea from Middle-earth to the “undying lands”; “[Walt] Whitman frequently compares death and the soul’s journey into the afterlife to a ship’s voyage into the open sea.” https://whitmanarchive.org/item/encyclopedia_entry649; the book of Exodus when the Israelites pass through the Red Sea to their new life unharmed (also heading toward a promised land), but the Egyptians are swallowed up (Hebrews 11:29 utilizes this episode to epitomize faith).   

[28]  (Hedges, Smith, & Rogers, 2015), p. 121. Since the document was added to Joseph Smith’s journal ex post facto, the authenticity of the claims in the document are uncertain. However, I believe that Dr. Bernhisel is conveying information in a way consistent with what he understood Joseph Smith was doing with the sealing power.   

[29]  (Stapley, 2011), p. 59.

[30] This website sets out to demonstrate how these claims do not withstand scrutiny.

[31] (Jensen, Goodman, & Gardner, 2019).
Todd Compton notes, “Marriage, sealing, and adoption, in fact, were nearly interchangeable concepts.” For example, on October 16, 1843, the Prophet sealed Dr. John M. Bernhisel to his sisters, aunts, cousins, and friends. After the death of Joseph Smith, Dr. Bernhisel also chose to be sealed to Joseph in a patrilineal way through a practice called adoption that Brigham Young initiated. On February 16, 1847, Brigham Young taught members to be sealed in a chain of priesthood authority extending back to the Father. Or, as Jonathan Stapley asserts, “The first generation of Saints were to be the nucleus from which the network of heaven—the links in the chain of the priesthood—was to extend.” At the time, Brigham Young taught that members should be sealed only to believers and not to family members who had not yet accepted the gospel, saying, “Were we to wait to redeem our dead relatives before we Could link the Chain of the Priesthood we would never accomplish it.” Many members chose to be sealed to Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, or other leaders in the hopes that “this action would secure the salvation of their families in a worthy priesthood lineage if their own progenitors did not accept the gospel in the next life.”

Though these practices would seem foreign in our day, Joseph and the rest of the Church leadership were learning how exactly to implement the revelations Joseph had received… But one question centered on whether everyone needed to be sealed to someone who was already in the covenant. Many leaders believed so. This led to the practice of sealing hundreds of early members to leaders such as Joseph or Brigham or Wilford, similar to what John Bernhisel did. In fact, it was Church policy for the first several decades after Joseph’s death that a person could not be sealed to his or her parents unless they were in the covenant. As historian Gordon Irving wrote:

Church policy directed that children of faithful members of the Church not “born in the covenant” be sealed to their natural parents, whether any or all of those involved were living or not. If natural parents had not been baptized Mormons during life or had apostatized from the Church, their children were to be adopted to someone else. The sealing of a person to a dead non-Mormon was seen as being risky since the departed parent might not accept the gospel in the spirit world. Such uncertainty about one’s position in the next life was unacceptable, especially to converts whose parents had been strongly opposed to Mormonism during life.

The same ruling applied in part to sealings of husbands and wives. If both were dead, the sealing could be performed whether the two had been members of the Church in life or not. But if the widow of a non-Mormon came to Utah, as so many didC she was to be sealed to some good brother in the church rather than to her late husband.

This policy led to complex hierarchies depending on the order in which one was sealed to a Church leader, sometimes leading to tension between members as they claimed seniority and privileges based on the sequence of sealing and seniority of the leader. “Within a year of finishing the temple work in Nauvoo, Brigham Young told his fellow travelers, ‘This Principle [adoption] I am aware is not clearly understood by many of the Elders in this Church at the present time as it will Hereafter be: And I confess that I have had [only] a smattering of those things[;] but when it is necessary I will attain to more knowledge on the subject & consequently will be enabled to teach & practice more.’”

In 1845, while clarifying that baptism for the dead should be performed by proxies of the same gender, President Young said, “The Lord has led this people all the while in this way, by giving them here a little and there a little, thus he increases their wisdom, and he that receives a little and is thankful for that shall receive more.” He concluded, “Joseph in his lifetime did not receive every thing connected with the doctrine of redemption, but he has left the key with those who understand how to obtain and teach to this great people all that is necessary for their salvation and exaltation in the celestial kingdom of our God.”

President Young continued to see the importance of adoptions and sealings even as he grappled to understand how to implement them. His manuscript history reports a dream involving Joseph Smith in mid-February 1847. Of all the things Brigham Young wanted clarified, he asked about “the doctrine of adoption and sealing doctrine.” He said, “The Brethren have a great anxiety to understand the law of adoption, or sealing principles; and if you have a word of council for me, I should be glad to receive it.” In the dream, Joseph Smith said: “Tell the Brethren if they will follow the Spirit of the Lord they will go right. Be sure to tell the people to keep the Spirit of the Lord; and if they will, they will find themselves just as they were organized by our Father in Heaven before they came into the world. Our Father in Heaven organized the human family, but they are all disorganized in great confusion.” President Young then saw “how it must be joined together [into a] perfect chain from Father Adam to his latest posterity.”[83]

Changes under President Woodruff

Church leaders taught that marriage and posterity were the highest blessings of eternity; to provide those blessings to deceased family members, President Brigham Young instructed Wilford Woodruff to seal “unmarried female ancestors as wives to living descendants.”[84] Consequently, President Woodruff was sealed to about three hundred single women from his father’s and mother’s households. This practice continued alongside plural marriage for the living, which grew increasingly difficult because of federal prosecution such as the Morrill Anti-Bigamy Act (1862), the Edmunds Act (1882), and the Edmunds–Tucker Act (1887) that disincorporated the Church and imposed fines on members practicing plural marriage.

After years of federal pressure and prayers for divine guidance, President Woodruff’s “manifesto” announced a revelation in 1890 discontinuing the practice of plural marriage (see Official Declaration 1). Many members struggled to accept the transition from a cherished doctrine; in the process, excommunications, additional manifestos, and apostate offshoot churches resulted.

In the April 1894 general conference, President Woodruff announced a revelation discontinuing adoption to prominent Church leaders. Instead, family members were to be sealed:

You have acted up to all the light and knowledge that you have had; but you have now something more to do than what you have done. We have not fully carried out those principles in fulfillment of the revelations of God to us, in sealing the hearts of the fathers to the children and the children to the fathers. I have not felt satisfied, neither did President Taylor, neither has any man since the Prophet Joseph who has attended to the ordinance of adoption in the temples of our God. We have felt that there was more to be revealed upon this subject than we had received. . . . Let every man be adopted to his father. . . . That is the will of God; and then you will do exactly what God said when He declared He would send Elijah the prophet in the last days. . . . We want the Latter-day Saints from this time to trace their genealogies as far as they can, and to be sealed to their fathers and mothers. Have children sealed to their parents, and run this chain through as far as you can get it.

Thus, he established the current practice of sealing children to parents, running the chain back through the generations. The Genealogical Society was organized that same year to help the Saints do this. A recent Gospel Topics essay summarizes our current understanding of this doctrine: “Today such eternal bonds are achieved through the temple marriages of individuals who are also sealed to their own birth families, in this way linking families together.”
 I recommend this entire paper to those trying to better understand where changes to Joseph’s trajectory took place. I advise any reader to refer to the sources cited in the paper to determine whether they agree with the conclusions made by the authors.