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Samuel Taylor
Author of "Nightfall at Nauvoo"
Perhaps no better example of problems of Mormonism and the consequences of "getting
involved," is better expressed than to look at glimpses of Samuel Taylor's challenge to "get involved" with the complex "Mormon web."
Fortunately, these personal glimpses were gained by first hand observation of Samuel Taylor by
someone who I will not identify here because of his current involvement with the LDS Church.
The scene is Redwood City, California. Sam Taylor was an active member of the LDS Ward
there. Like many Mormons, Sam's ties to Mormonism was through his family. His father was a
Mormon apostle. Tradition is that family involvement with Mormonism drags one automatically
and involuntarily into the Mormon web.
As Sam Taylor sat in his Church priesthood meetings on Sunday, on the aside he had been
reading original, historical documents on Mormonism. He soon found himself compelled to
write a series of books on Mormonism. This vast treasure of the "untold" had to be told.
For those who had no opportunity to hear "the other side of the story," it would be a crime not to sort out and organize the vast volumes of historic literature.
Sam's books unfold an incredulous but true story. ... a story that modern day Mormonism is
desperately trying to hide, bury and cover up. The crowning gem of Sam's work has to be
"Nightfall at Nauvoo." This book is written and based on countless primary documented sources
yet tells it without the dry, historical dullness that many other books have taken. His book tells
the essential truths. Sam's involvement from his birth into Mormonism and his growing
confusion as he became older has given him a perspective and desire to dig hard and deep for more of the truth.
When Sam Taylor published his first copies of "Nightfall at Nauvoo," the book was placed on the
table for sale as part of a fund raising sale for his local LDS, Mormon ward in Redwood City,
California. Upon seeing the book, the local LDS Relief Society ladies asked him to speak about
his book. When speaking, Sam recounted the part in his book where the founder and prophet,
Joseph Smith, led a Mormon mob to burn a local press. The "Expositor," had giving some "bad
publicity" to the Mormon group and was a particular sore spot with Joseph Smith. Sam told the
unflattering story of Joseph Smith having a fist fight with the press owner, then leading the mob
to destroy the press.
Some of the Relief Society ladies took offense. Such a thing surely couldn't have happened since
Joseph Smith just "wasn't that kind of man." They ran to their bishop and reported the "terrible
impossible stories" that Sam was telling them.
By the following week, open statements from the pulpit in their Redwood City sacrament
meetings put Sam's book on the list of those "not to be read."
An interesting first hand account from my source said:
"I first met him in Priesthood meeting. Then I thought he was a renegade and a trouble maker, but
later learned that he was just standing up for truth.
"I remember an incident where A friend of Sam's was investigating the Church and was getting
really interested. The missionaries made a statement to this man that the Book of Mormon
remained unchanged since its conception. He then asked Sam Taylor if this is true. Sam told
him, "NO!" There were additions and changes to the original text. The missionaries were very
soured that they lost a convert and complained to their mission president. The mission president
then contacted the Stake President, then the Bishop was told to disfellowship Sam from the
Church. And to this day I really don't know if it happened or not. It was a touchy subject with
him. Nobody dared ask.. I sat in on a few Ward Meetings where we were instructed to not ask
Sam to speak in Church functions.
"So, if the truth does damage, the Mormon philosophy seems to be to shoot down the person speaking the truth.
"Sam was an expert on Church history, and he voiced constant concern that the Church's
publications were obscure and they clouded the truth. He used to sit in on our Priesthood
meetings. If there was any question on history, we turned to Sam...He constantly corrected the
instructor.. But after awhile he remained very silent. I don't know if he just gave up, or was
cautioned by Church authority.
"I didn't know that he was born in Provo, He will be buried there this Saturday."
This unusual professor rode a bicycle to school and lived a very modest life in a home with
covered basement windows. No one had ever seen his basement nor knew how he spent his
many off campus hours. All they knew was that he never spoke of what he kept in that
basement.
Years later, long after Sam had left BYU and had moved to California, he came back to Salt Lake
and visited his old professor friend. Anxiously, the BYU professor said he had something to
show Sam. He led him to the mysterious basement which had covered windows. To Sam's awe,
shelf after shelf of old and books and manuscripts relating to Mormon history lie before them. This professor in
his spare time and with almost every dime he had earned, traveled and bought up all the books he
could on Mormonism and its history. He had become one of the best authorities on Mormon
history through his dedicated and focused efforts.
Surely, had Brigham Young University known what he was doing in his off hours, he surely would have been fired. Now that the professor had quit his job at
BYU, he could finally talk openly about his treasure of materials.
It is with this background that Sam Taylor found inspiration to write his Mormon history books.
His primary sources are abundant and sound. What he pieces together gives the true historical
story of Mormonism as it has not been told before.... in a dramatic and colorful writing which
reveals the essential truths.