Helen Mar Kimball Whitney

Claim of Joseph Smith’s Adam-God Teachings

Quote and Source
Helen Mar Kimball Whitney, Plural Wife of Joseph Smith
Quote: “In Joseph Smith’s Advocate of July 1st, 1881, I read an article in which he asks, ‘By what authority did Brigham Young teach the Saints that Adam is our Father and our God?’… Brigham Young did not happen to be the author of this doctrine, and to prove the truth of my assertion, I will produce some of the Prophet’s teachings, given May 16th 1841. These were written, together with other things, by his clerk, William Clayton, as they were spoken, and as I had the privilege of reading them when quite a young woman, I took the liberty of copying them. The copy I have retained, and this is what the prophet said upon this subject, commencing with the Priesthood:

“The Priesthood was given to Adam—he obtained the first presidency and held the keys of it from generation to generation. He obtained it in the creation before the world was formed… He had dominion given him over every living creature; he is Michael, the archangel spoken of in the scriptures… Daniel, in the seventh chapter of his book, speaks of the Ancient of days—he means the oldest man, our father Adam, Michael. He will call his children together and hold a council of them to prepare them for the coming of the Son of man… Adam delivers up his stewardship to Christ, that which was delivered to him as the keys of the universe, but retains his standing as head of the human family.”

Narrative Analysis

Sister Helen Mar Kimball Whitney’s account introduces a compelling claim: that the Adam-God doctrine, often attributed to President Brigham Young, originated with the Prophet Joseph Smith as early as May 16, 1841. This would predate Elder Young’s public articulation in 1852 (Journal of Discourses, Vol. 1, pp. 50–51, April 9, 1852). She asserts that she copied the teaching from William Clayton’s notes—Clayton being Joseph Smith’s personal clerk—adding weight to her account.

The teaching depicts Adam as Michael, the Archangel, possessing priesthood keys “before the world was formed,” and presiding over all human spirits. This aligns closely with Elder Young’s statement that Adam is “our FATHER and our GOD,” and Elder Wilford Woodruff’s testimony that “Adam was Michael the Archangel and he was the father of Jesus Christ.” While Sister Whitney’s account does not explicitly declare Adam to be God in those exact terms, her framing supports the broader cosmological role Elder Young later taught.

Her testimony affirms Adam’s divine stewardship and pre-mortal identity in language echoing Daniel 7 and D&C 27:11. She identifies Adam as the “Ancient of Days” who will preside in a future council before the return of Christ, mirroring scriptural prophecy and bolstering the claim that Joseph Smith laid theological groundwork for what became the Adam-God doctrine.

While the 1841 teaching is not extant in current official archives such as the Joseph Smith Papers, its absence does not necessarily discredit the account—many Nauvoo-era records are incomplete or have been lost over time. Whether the source was simply lost or set aside amid later doctrinal consolidation efforts, Sister Whitney’s testimony endures as a rare early window into Joseph Smith’s oral teachings.

As a sister with close access to Joseph Smith’s household and teachings, her account reflects both fidelity and memory. Her statement that she copied the original teaching as a young woman from Clayton’s notes—and retained the copy for decades—adds continuity to the oral and documentary tradition claimed by others, including Presidents Young and Woodruff. Her witness, in combination with theirs, strengthens the case for Joseph Smith’s foundational role in this doctrine and contributes meaningfully to the Law of Witnesses.