Discourses of Eliza R. Snow

Mabel Knell, age five, joined the Primary in her small southern Utah town when it was organized on 6 December 1880. Eliza R. Snow and Zina Young visited nearly all of the southern settlements, including Pinto, near Pine Valley. The minutes record that Eliza asked the children if they wanted to be organized, and she helped them appoint a presidency. Then she showed them a gold watch that Joseph Smith gave her back in Nauvoo in 1842. (1)

Mabel remembered something else significant, not recorded in the minutes: a young boy in Pinto was very sick and had been carried to the meeting. He requested a special prayer for his health. “Sister Snow told the children to arise to their feet, close their eyes, and repeat after her the prayer, one sentence at a time. She prayed for the sick boy. When they got through praying he got up, walked home, and got into a wagon without help. He was well from that time.” (2) Eliza certainly cared for the individual–especially this young boy; she also cared for the community, teaching the Primary association how to unitedly pray for one of their members–to draw upon the powers of heaven even in their young ages.

This was just one of Eliza R. Snow’s nearly 1200 discourses, recorded in minute books and in personal writings. The Church History Department is proud to present “The Discourses of Eliza R. Snow,” a website with the Church Historian’s Press. As second general Relief Society president, Snow became a prolific speaker, traveling to nearly every settlement in the Utah Territory. Her marriages to both Joseph Smith and Brigham Young gave her an intimate perspective of the early events of the Restoration. She enlarged the stakes of the church with her visits to the hinterlands, teaching, organizing, and connecting with women, youth, and children. And she returned to Salt Lake City with a more expansive view of the institution she served.

The Discourses of Eliza R. Snow will be a great resources for both scholars and a general audience. The ability to trace a significant female preacher, to understand current events in local areas with specificity to women, and to follow the circuitous trajectory of her theological teachings is unprecedented. Her explanation on personal ministry is personal and intimate. And her efforts to provide order to the various women’s organizations, to teach them about their temple blessings, and their family relationships are indeed poignant.

President Snow spoke with authority in several ways. She was the secretary of the Nauvoo Relief Society and had a clear understanding of the purpose of the women’s organization as set by Joseph Smith. She was assigned by Brigham Young in 1868 to assist the bishops in organizing ward Relief Societies and to instruct the sisters. Snow taught the proper manner in which to organize and she encouraged women to speak publicly–to have a voice. She was a firm supporter of plural marriage, female empowerment with women responsible for their own salvation, and in encouraging women’s education and civic participation.

While only fifty discourses from 1868-1869 are currently available, batches of 100 discourses will be uploaded quarterly. Snow appeared publicly until a few months before her death in late 1887, often speaking three times a day in different locations even in her 80s. Later batches will include speeches in the form of poetry given to the Polysophical Institute and the Literary and Musical Associations in the 1850s, a speech given to her students in Nauvoo in 1843, and a fiery Pioneer Day diatribe on 24 July 1849. Snow spoke to Relief Societies, Young Ladies and Primary Associations, Cooperative Retrenchment groups, grain committees and silk associations, public meetings, anniversary celebrations, and general ward groups.

An interactive map shows the range of Snow’s travels and links to the discourses. A helpful reference section includes explanation of historical context, Snow’s chronology, and links to her publications. Where available, photographs of the places in which she spoke are available, bringing her discourse alive in a material way.

This new addition to the Church Historian’s Press website joins other endeavors, including the diaries of Emmeline B. Wells, the journals of George Q. Cannon and George F. Richards, and online versions of First Fifty Years of Relief Society and At the Pulpit. Also new is the ability to search across all church history sites.

(1). Pinto Ward Records, Primary Minute Book, 1880-1890, 6 Dec 1880, 3, BYU.

(2). Mabel Knell, “Our Primary,” The Juvenile Instructor 28, no. 9 (1 May 1893): 301.

“A Window into Joseph Smith’s Translation: An Exploration of the Book of Abraham Manuscripts”

Maxwell Institute Lecture

Robin Jensen and Brian Hauglid

Friday, January 11, 2019, 3:00 pm

Gordon B. Hinckley Alumni & Visitors Center, Brigham Young University

Some of the most puzzling documents left in the wake of Joseph Smith’s prophetic career pertain tot he Book of Abraham–from the ancient papyrus to the nineteenth-century notebooks. For over a century these documents were specially housed away from public view. In 2018 the Joseph Smith Papers Project team published the documents in Revelations and Translations, vol. 4.

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Book of Abraham Manuscripts Event

Lecture: “A Window into Joseph Smith’s Translation: An Exploration of the Book of Mormon Manuscripts” presented by Robin Scott Jensen

Date: Thursday, November 15, 2018

Time: 7:00 pm

Location: Assembly Hall (50 West South Temple, Salt Lake City, UT 84150)

The Joseph Smith Papers is pleased to invite you to a special presentation in conjunction with the publication of Revelations and Translations, Volume 4: Book of Abraham and Related Manuscripts. Robin Jensen, co-editor of the volume and project archivist for the Joseph Smith Papers, will present a lecture on 15 November 2018.

Revelations and Translations, Volume 4 tracks the development of the Book of Abraham from the time Joseph Smith and others purchased Egyptian papyri in 1835 through the publication of the Book of Abraham and its accompanying illustrations in the church newspaper Times and Seasons in 1842. Introductions in the volume situate Joseph Smith’s translation process in the broader context of the nineteenth-century fascination with Egyptian history and culture, of his own effort to reveal truths from the ancient past, and of his other translation efforts.

Joseph Smith Papers Conference

The Joseph Smith Papers will release volume 4 of the Revelations and Translations series this year (2018), including the Book of Abraham and other related documents. In conjunction with the new publication, JSP will be holding a conference on 26 October 2018 at the Church History Museum in Salt Lake City. Presentations include methods of translation, reception of translation, insights into Smith’s Egyptian-language project, and insights into the Book of Abraham.

The day-long conference is free and includes lunch, but space is limited. For a full schedule and registration, go to the website. 

Update: Registration for the conference is full and has closed.

Job Post: Women’s History Research Assistant, LDS Church History Department

Announcing a really great temporary, part-time research assistant position at the LDS Church History Department:

PURPOSES

The Church History Department is seeking an individual with a background in historical research and interest in working on an exciting project relating to Mormon women’s history. The person in this position will work closely with nineteenth century LDS records and be a member of a collaborative team. This is a contract position, anticipated to last up to 12 months. The position is a part-time (approximately 28 hours per week) hourly, nonexempt position.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Duties will include collecting, scanning, and transcribing women’s writings, and contributing to a database. The majority of the time will involve research in nineteenth-century minute books and newspapers. May require transcription verification and general research assistance to Historians/Writers. The work will include preparing texts for both online and print publication.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree in history, family history, religious studies, or related discipline. Possess excellent research and writing skills
• Ability to read nineteenth century handwriting
• Requires both personal initiative and collaborative competence

Position closes 30 July 2018.

To learn more or apply, click here.  

I will go forward. I will smile at the rage of the tempest, and ride fearlessly and triumphantly across the boisterous ocean of circumstance… and the ‘testimony of Jesus’ will light up a lamp that will guide my vision through the portals of immortality. Eliza R. Snow

MWHIT Women’s History Scholarships

The Mormon Women’s History Initiative Team is proud to announce two scholarships dedicated to the study of Mormon women’s history, one for independent scholars, and one for students at an accredited institution. Applications are due 30 June 2018

MWHIT promotes research and networking in the field of Mormon Women’s History. They hold public events to promote new publications and projects and host a women’s history breakfast at the annual Mormon History Association Conference. Check out their website and join their Facebook groups: Mormon Women’s History Initiative and I Love Mormon Women’s History.

Black, White, and Mormon II Conference

Black, White, and Mormon II:

A Conference on Race in the LDS Church Since the 1978 Revelation

• June 29-30, 2018
• Salt Lake City Library, Nancy Tessman Auditorium

On 8 June 1978, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced Spencer W. Kimball’s revelation extending the lay priesthood to “all worthy male members… without regard for race or color.” To mark this event and analyze the Mormon Church’s ongoing efforts to achieve racial equality, the Tanner Humanities Center will host a multidisciplinary conference in collaboration with the College of Humanities’ Simmons Mormon Studies Professor Paul Reeve. This follows their 2015 conference on Mormonism and race that received national and international press coverage.

This conference will include scholarly and community panels to examine themes and issues about how the LDS Church sustains an ever-increasing multiracial and multicultural membership and the impact of doctrinal change at the grassroots.

Speakers include Darius Gray, Alice Burch, Ahmad Corbitt, Wain Myers, and LeShawn Williams, among many others, with a cultural celebration with Marj Desuis.

This conference is sponsored by the Charles Redd Center, BYU; LDS Church History Department; Gregory Prince; Smith-Petit Foundation; W. Paul Reeve, Simmons Professor of Mormon Studies, University of Utah; Tanner Humanities Center, University of Utah, and Jon and Philip Lear.

More information and a complete schedule can be found here.https://thc.utah.edu/lectures-programs/mormon-studies-initiative/black-white-mormon.php

Job Post: Research Intern, Women’s History, LDS Church History Department

The Church History Department announces an opening for a research internship with the Women?s History Team. This will be a part-time, temporary position beginning in September 2015.

Qualifications

?    Bachelor?s degree in history, religious studies, or related discipline, with preference given to those with master?s degrees and/or in doctoral programs.
?    Possess excellent research and writing skills.
?    Ability to work in a scholarly and professional environment.
?    Requires both personal initiative and collaborative competence.
Please attach a vita to your application, and email a writing sample to: jreeder@ldschurch.org

Responsibilities

Duties will include research related to contextual annotation of documents (identifications and explanations, genealogical inquiries, and biographical information), as well as detailed source checking. Research will involve work in primary and secondary sources for nineteenth- and twentieth-century America and Mormonism. Work will include general assistance to authors.

Worthiness Qualification

Must be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and currently temple worthy.

Women’s History

Elizabeth Ann Whitney, Emmeline B. Wells, and Eliza R. Snow

The Beginning of Better Days

First I must say this: Hooray! The publication of the Nauvoo Relief Society Minutes has been a long time coming?one hundred and seventy one years, to be exact. The Beginning of Better Days: Divine Instruction to Women from the Prophet Joseph Smith, ed. by Sheri Dew and Virginia H. Pearce, presents powerful words and meaningful experiences, both with the Nauvoo Relief Society and with its interpretation.

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Hair Wreaths: A Nineteenth-Century Mormon Treasure, Part One

DUP: Cornelia Harriet Hales Horne Clayton

Your initial reaction may be one of disgust (one naturally thinks of hairballs!) or disdain (how often did they wash their hair anyway?). Intricate designs of human hair, fastidiously fashioned into flowers, trees, and abstract designs, came to represent a Victorian ideal of nostalgia, elaborate texture, and ostentatious ornamentation in the memory of ancient human relics of the Saints.

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