In his 1979 article, Esplin proposes that the restriction probably arose in Joseph Smith’s private Nauvoo teachings and was applied by 1843, drawing on early statements by apostles and Brigham Young’s role as Smith’s successor. He identifies this as a circumstantial argument needing additional documentation, and interprets Young’s teaching on continuing revelation as compatible with the 1978 change.
- Ronald K. Esplin, “Brigham Young and Priesthood Denial to the Blacks: An Alternate View,” BYU Studies 19, no. 3 (1979): 394–402.
it is my feeling that the doctrine was introduced in Nauvoo and consistently applied in practice at least by 1843