Despite the number of skilled workers who crossed the plains seeking spiritual refuge in the valley of the Great Salt Lake in the late 1840s, the Church had no trained architects.
As a result, a stalwart convert and skilled carpenter, Truman O. Angell, was called on May 26, 1850, as Church architect. He was immediately put in charge of constructing every Church building in the territory, including the Salt Lake Temple.Angell, who helped build the Nauvoo Temple, was first called by Joseph Smith to work on the Kirtland Temple.
Later, Angell was among those who went to Missouri where he and his family suffered a great deal at the hand of mobs. He was targeted and driven from his family by persecutors. Seven weeks later, he found his family on the muddy banks of the East Fabus River in northeastern Missouri. "There lay my poor sick wife her bed upon the melting snow, very ill. My two little ones . . . were by her side, their clothes almost burned off from standing by log campfires. No one to care for them. . . ."
He later left his ailing family behind and crossed the plains with Brigham Young's company in 1847. Three of their children died before the family was reunited.
In 1856, Angell made a difficult trip to England to study architecture and construction. This and his frequent journeys to St. George, Utah, in inclement weather to supervise construction of the St. George Temple were so difficult that his health never recovered.
Based on a rough sketch made by Brigham Young, Angell created preliminary drawings of the Salt Lake Temple. The drawings, completed on Jan. 22, 1853, paved the way for the temple's groundbreaking, which was held Feb. 14.
William Ward Jr., a young English convert with drafting skills superior to Angell's and who was experienced in stonework, served as as Angell's assistant for several years. He helped with much of the detailed design work.
But it was Truman O. Angell who carried the work forward from 1853 until his death in 1887. Living in cramped quarters on Temple Square, he arose early each day to supervise the work. He agonized that in his absence, a stone might be wrongly placed. His eyes were often sore from poring over detailed drawings.
It was said at his death that he knew every stone in the temple's then-completed walls. - John L. Hart
(Another in a series series leading to the centennial of the Salt Lake Temple on April 6, 1993. Source: "Truman O. Angell - Master Builder, Our Pioneer Heritage 10:194. Illustration by Deseret News artist Reed McGregor.)