William Marks (Latter Day Saints) - RLDS Involvement

RLDS Involvement

After the exodus of Young's followers to Utah, Marks became convinced that Sidney Rigdon’s claims of leadership were unfounded and he joined the Strangite movement, later becoming a counselor to James Strang in the Strangite First Presidency.

Marks left the Strangites between 1853 and 1855, loosely affiliating himself with other Latter Day Saint denominations. During this time he associated with Zenas H. Gurley, Jason W. Briggs and William W. Blair. The four were convinced that succession in the presidency of the church must be lineal, descending from father to son, and promoted the idea of a Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

Between 1853 and 1859 they approached Joseph Smith III dozens of times to convince him to take leadership of the RLDS movement, which Smith III eventually did.

In 1859 Marks was formally admitted as a member of the RLDS movement without re-baptism. With Gurley he presided over the conference in April 1860 where he aided Gurley in ordaining Joseph Smith III as president of the high priesthood in the newly-incorporated Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

Marks was ordained a counselor to Joseph Smith III in April 1863, serving with Briggs and Smith in the First Presidency.

In 1866, Marks was appointed to the committee to receive manuscripts from the Joseph Smith’s widow—Emma Smith Bidamon—and print the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible.

Marks was first counselor in the First Presidency of the Reorganized Church when he died in Plano, Illinois on May 22, 1872. A marked grave bearing his name is located in the Shabbona Grove Cemetery at Shabbona Grove, DeKalb, Illinois, adjacent to that of his wife Rosannah Robinson Marks, who died on October 18, 1862. Marks had married a second time in 1866 to Julia Ann Durfee, who survived him.