Lost Apostles

Lost Apostles: Forgotten Members of Mormonism’s
Original Quorum of Twelve

William Shepard and H. Michael Marquardt

Before the LDS Church was organized, Joseph Smith received a revelation telling him that twelve men would be called as latter-day apostles. Their assignment would be to warn men and women that the end was near. Although the determination of who would fill these positions was delayed for five years, when it finally happened, God reiterated that these men were to “prune the vineyard for the last time” because the Second Coming was nigh. Of the twelve men selected, nine would eventually be pruned from the vineyard themselves, to varying degrees. Seven were excommunicated, one of who was reinstated to his position in the Twelve. Of the other six, the subjects of this book, none returned to the apostleship and four never came back to the Utah-based church at all. Those who left faded into obscurity except for when they are occasionally still mentioned in sermons as cautionary tales.

Luke Johnson and John Boynton would make their way outside of Mormonism, becoming successful businessmen and prominent members of their respective communities. Thomas B. Marsh and Luke Johnson would wander for a time, only to rejoin the largest branch of Mormonism and make their way to Utah, though they were not always treated well. William McClellin and William Smith would flit from one offshoot of Joseph’s church to another, struggling to find their place and occasionally leaving a trail of destruction in their wake. Their lives illuminate as many similarities between themselves as they do differences, and they tell of just how harrowing the journey to remain a part of Joseph’s church could be.

ebook: $9.99

Buy on Amazon