APOSTLES -- Names Quizzes

 

QUESTION: The apostle in this dispensation with the shortest last name had only three letters in his last name. The apostle with the longest last name has fourteen  letters in his last name. Can you name these two apostles?

ANSWER: The apostle in this dispensation with the shortest last name was President Harold B. Lee. The apostle with the longest last name is D. Todd Christofferson.  The apostle with the second-longest last name is Albert Carrington (he served for 15 years as an apostle, beginning in 1870).

 

QUESTION: Three of the apostles of this dispensation had the middle name "Quayle". Can you name these three apostles?

ANSWER: The three apostles of this dispensation with the middle name of Quayle are George Quayle Cannon, his son Sylvester Quayle Cannon, and George Quayle Morris.

 

QUESTION: How many of the apostles in our dispensation have had the last name of 'Smith'? With 'Smith' being the most common last name of our apostles, can you name the second most common last name?

ANSWER: We have had 9 modern-day apostles with the last name of 'Smith' (George A., George Albert, Hyrum, Hyrum Mack, Joseph, Joseph F., Joseph Fielding, John Henry, and William). The 2nd-most common last name of our apostles is 'Richards'. We have had 5 apostles with the last name of 'Richards' (Franklin D., George F., LeGrand, Stephen L., and Willard). 'Young' is the 3rd-most common last name.

 

QUESTION: How many of the apostles in this dispensation have not had a middle name? Can you name the two apostles who have served most recently that did not have a middle name?

ANSWER: Twenty modern-day apostles have not had a middle name. Examples are Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, and Moses Thatcher. The two apostles who have served most recently that did not have a middle name are LeGrand Richards and Matthew Cowley. Interestingly, of the 20 apostles without a middle name, 18 of them were born before 1863. Only Elders Cowley and Richards were born after 1863.

 

QUESTION: One of the apostles of this dispensation had the same middle name and last name? Can you name him?

ANSWER: The apostle with the same middle and last name was Hugh Brown Brown (Hugh B. Brown). Elder Brown was born on October 24, 1883 to Homer Manly Brown and Lydia Jane Brown. To honor both sides of the family, Hugh's parents decided to use Lydia's maiden name (Brown) as Hugh's middle name. Thus Hugh's middle and last names were the same.

 

QUESTION: How many of the middle names of our most recent apostles can you name (or the first names of those who go by their middle names)?

ANSWER: The full names of our recent apostles are: Gordon Bitner Hinckley, Thomas Spencer Monson, Boyd Kenneth Packer, Lowell Tom Perry, David Bruce Haight, James Esdras Faust, Neal Ash Maxwell, Russell Marion Nelson, Dallin Harris Oaks, Melvin Russell Ballard Jr., Joseph Bitner Wirthlin, Richard Gordon Scott, Robert Dean Hales, Jeffrey Roy Holland, Henry Bennion Eyring, Dieter Friedrich Uchtdorf, David Allan Bednar, and Quentin LaMar Cook.

 

QUESTION: Not long after the Church was organized, two brethren having the same last name were ordained apostles on the same day. Despite having the same last name, these two brethren were not closely related. Can you name these two apostles?

ANSWER: Lorenzo Snow and Erastus Snow. Lorenzo and Erastus were both ordained apostles on February 12, 1849, Lorenzo being ordained by Heber C. Kimball and Erastus by Brigham Young. Lorenzo was 34 years old and Erastus 30 years old. Coincidentally, these two brethren shared a common ancestor, Richard Snow. Richard, born in Barnstable, England in 1608, was Lorenzo's 5th great-grandfather and Erastus' 4th great-grandfather.

 

QUESTION: What is the most-common first name among our apostles of this dispensation?

ANSWER:  The most-common first name among our apostles is John.  Seven of our apostles (John F. Boynton, John E. Page, John Henry Smith, John Taylor, John W. Taylor, John A. Widtsoe, and John W. Young) have had this first name.  Six of our apostles were named George (George Q. Cannon, George Q. Morris, George Richards, George A. Smith, George Albert Smith, and George Teasdale), and six of our apostles were named Joseph (Joseph F. Merrill, Joseph Smith, Joseph F. Smith, Joseph Fielding Smith, Joseph B. Wirthlin, and Joseph A. Young).  

 

QUESTION: One of the counties in Utah was named after an apostle that served with Brigham Young in the First Presidency.  Can you name the county and the apostle?

ANSWER: The county is Morgan County and the apostle is Elder Jedediah Morgan Grant, the father of President Heber J. Grant.  Elder Grant served as a counselor to Brigham Young for only two years before his untimely death.  Morgan County is 603 square miles in area, and the county seat is Morgan City.  Manufacturing and the raising of livestock are the main economic endeavors of the county.  The main sites of interest in the county are Lost Creek State Park, East Canyon State Park, and the Mountain Green trappers' confrontation site.

 

QUESTION:  A unique relationship exists between the name of Elder Bruce R. McConkie and the name of the brother who filled the vacancy created by Elder McConkie’s passing.  Are you aware of the relationship?  (I readily acknowledge this is the ultimate in church history trivia!)

ANSWER:  When Elder Bruce R. McConkie (BRM) passed away, the vacancy thus created was filled by Elder M. Russell Ballard (MRB).  BRM-MRB: you could say that the initials of these two apostles had a palindromic relationship.

 

 

 

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