Early Years
William "Oley" Draves was born in Keystone, Nebraska on 12 May 1912, the third of eight children born to Wilhelm August Heinrich Draves (born in a covered wagon April 8, 1877 near Oshkosh, Wisconsin - d. April 9, 1929 Gilcrest, Colorado) and Sylvia Stella Dunwoody (b. February 17, 1884 Valparaiso, Nebraska - d. August 11, 1962 Kingston Township, Caldwell County, Missouri). Draves' paternal grandfather Leopold Friedrich Johann Drews/Draves was born in Coburg, Germany January 10, 1848 and died January 12, 1904 in Dows, Iowa. Raised by what he called "goodly parents," ten-year-old Draves embraced the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (now called the Community of Christ) through baptism in 1922 at an RLDS reunion being held at North Platte, Nebraska. During his subsequent confirmation, Draves testified that the RLDS elder prophesied that he would have "a peculiar work to do among Brethren", and that he "would behold Angels and be considered a prophet in God's Work." Days later, a "prophetess" at this same reunion reemphasized Draves' destiny to him, predicting that his mother would pass away exactly forty years from that date (August 11, 1922). Much later, Draves reported the prophecy came true — to the day — exactly as specified, confirming to him the truth of what he had experienced in 1922.
Three years after his baptism in the RLDS church, Draves moved with his family to Nucla, Colorado, where they were baptized into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints there. Draves later testified that he was uneasy at the thought of taking water (instead of wine or grape juice) for communion, as is the usual practice among the "Utah Mormons", and so he refrained from taking the Sacrament during that time. He reported that he continued to study the Bible and Book of Mormon during these years, preparing himself for an as-yet unknown mission within the Latter Day Saint movement.
In 1929, a seventeen-year-old Draves heard of a series of revelations being given to Otto Fetting, an apostle in the Church of Christ (Temple Lot) who—as with William Draves—had previously been baptized in the RLDS church. Fetting's messages—allegedly coming from John the Baptist-- excited the Draves family, and they wondered whether Fetting were actually receiving such revelations. Although his father was killed in an April, 1929 in a truck-train collision, Draves' mother invited elders from the Temple Lot church to her home, resulting in the family's baptism by Temple Lot apostle Thomas Barton. According to Draves, Barton's words at his confirmation almost exactly echoed those spoken by the RLDS elder who had confirmed him seven years earlier. Stirred at the prospect of assisting in a sacred construction at the Temple Lot in Independence, Missouri, Draves eagerly made plans to move to the "Center Place" and help with the Temple Project which had commenced with a groundbreaking ceremony April 6, 1929. However, a serious crisis brewing within the Temple Lot organization would alter Draves' plans—eventually leading to an alleged prophetic calling and the foundation of his own church organization.
Read more about this topic: W. A. Draves
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