Juanita Brooks Conference Program and (Free) Registration

Please be sure to fill out the registration form if you plan to attend the Juanita Brooks Conference! It helps us plan the conference more effectively and make the most of our resources.

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LDS Book History–Call For Applicants

Printing for the Youth of Zion: One Approach to the History of Latter-day Saint Print Culture

In 1831, Joseph Smith dictated a revelation on the “printing…selecting and writing books for schools in this church, that little children also may receive instruction.” (D&C 55:4) This instruction to W.W. Phelps and Oliver Cowdery established that the creation of printed material for children and youth was to be a priority for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. While the effort of creating printed material for children lay largely dormant for a few decades, by the late nineteenth century, a robust print culture had developed around this goal, and it continued to gain momentum into the twentieth century.

The Church History Library in Salt Lake City will hold an all-day workshop on the history of Latter-day Saint printing for youth on Friday, May 17, 2024. Led by four scholars—Rebecca de Schweinitz, Amber Taylor, Lisa Olsen Tait, and Robin Scott Jensen—participants will explore the trends, technology, and implications of youth print culture through hands-on analysis of materials including books, magazines, newspapers, lesson manuals, and ephemera spanning the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Participants will explore new ways of approaching and analyzing these sources. 

Participation is limited to approximately fifteen individuals to ensure a quality workshop experience. Those interested in print history, including students (both upper-undergraduate and graduate), collectors, scholars, and other individuals wishing to expand their knowledge of the past are invited to apply. All applicants must submit a CV and a single-page letter of intent. Letters should include how this workshop might help their scholarship or further a project (academic or not) they are working on or planning to pursue. Though the workshop cannot cater to each stated project, some sessions might be shaped based upon letters of intent. Submissions are due January 15, 2024, emailed to either of the co-organizers (email addresses below).

Any questions can be directed to the co-organizers.

Robin Scott Jensen (jensenrob@churchofjesuschrist.org)

Lisa Olsen Tait (lisa.tait@ChurchofJesusChrist.org)

Church History Library

______

The Church History Library is the repository for millions of printed items relating to the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Book History Program of the library seeks to raise awareness of the history of print culture of the Church and educate patrons of the Church History Library about the rich resources available. Do you have a topic you hope to see addressed? Let us know!

“The Names of the Faithful”: Publishing the Book of the Law of the Lord

Naomi Raffensparger is an assistant editor for the Joseph Smith Papers. She has an MA in writing, rhetoric, and media from Clemson University and previously worked as an editor for the South Carolina Review. She also completed an internship with Clemson University Press.

The latest content release on the Joseph Smith Papers website is a treasure trove of Latter-day Saint history. Readers can find multispectral imaging of the original Book of Mormon manuscript and documents related to the trial of the accused assassins of Joseph Smith. My favorite document of them all, though, is the crown jewel of the Financial Records series, the Nauvoo-era record book known as the Book of the Law of the Lord.

The significance of the Book of the Law of the Lord is tied not only to its history as an artifact, but also to the spiritual value it was given in its time. This book stands as a witness of the early Saints’ sacrifice and devotion, and that testimony can speak volumes to Latter-day Saints today.

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Church History Department Research Grants

Call for Applications: Research Grants at the Church History Department

The Church History Department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints invites applications for grants to conduct research in its archival, art, and artifactual collections in Salt Lake City, Utah. The department intends to award three types of grants in 2023:

• Domestic Young Scholar: for graduate students, recent graduates, or young professionals living in the United States and researching in Latter-day Saint history, Latter-day Saint art history, or Latter-day Saint studies. This grant, of up to $5,000, is intended to facilitate approximately one week (or more) of research at the Church History Library and/or Museum. Up to three grants may be awarded.
• International Young Scholar: for advanced students, recent graduates, or young professionals living outside the United States and researching in Latter-day Saint history, Latter-day Saint art history, or Latter-day Saint studies. This grant, of up to $9,500, is intended to facilitate approximately three weeks (or more) of research at the Church History Library and/or Museum. Up to two grants may be awarded.
• Latter-day Saint Project of Significance: for a more experienced scholar, either within or outside the United States, conducting research on a significant project in Latter-day Saint history, Latter-day Saint art history, or Latter-day Saint studies. This grant, of up to $20,000, is intended to facilitate either multiple trips to the Church History Library and/or Museum over an extended period or a single lengthy stay.

To apply for a grant, please submit the following:

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2022 JSP Conference – Program and Registration

From our friends at the Joseph Smith Papers:

The Church Historian’s Press invites you to attend the 2022 Joseph Smith Papers Conference, which will be held at the Conference Center of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City, Utah, on September 9, 2022.

The conference theme is “Text and Context in Nauvoo.” The event will commemorate the publication of volumes 12, 13, and 14 of the Documents series, which feature Joseph Smith documents produced between March 1, 1843, and May 15, 1844. Presentations will explore themes such as politics, theology, religious practice, gender, race, law, and finance in Nauvoo.

This event is free to attend, but space is limited. The conference program and registration are available on the Joseph Smith Papers website.

MHA Student Social on Saturday, June 12

To replace our MHA Student Reception, all students are invited to participate in a Zoom social hour on Saturday, June 12, at 7 pm MST. This social will give students a chance to meet other students interested in Mormon history and catch up with friends you already know. Feel free to join the social with your drink or dessert of choice, and enjoy the chance to socialize virtually, learn about resources for students in Mormon history, and make new friends. 

Please contact the MHA Student Representative, Charlotte Hansen Terry, to receive the Zoom meeting number and password.

Register for MHA: Best registration rate ends in 6 days!

From friend-of-JI Anne Berryhill:

The registration deadline for “Restoration, Reunion, Resilience,” MHA’s 2021 annual conference is rapidly approaching. Registration closes at the end of the day on May 26, 2021. The face-to-face component will be held at the Utah Olympic Park complex in Park City June 10-12, 2021. Online content will become available at the same time. Conference registration (for MHA members) is $189 (with access to both in-person and online content). However, there are a variety of options to join MHA and to register for the conference. A full list of fees can be found here.

Joseph and I are thrilled by the line-up of presentations, plenaries, posters, roundtables, and book critiques. The preliminary program exhibits an ever expanding state of the field, including contributions from international scholars never before made possible at MHA. The depth and breadth our MHA 2021 preliminary program represents are truly exciting. 

Presenters at the conference must register by the deadline. This will also ensure timely posting of online sessions (since online sessions cannot be posted until all presenters pay membership and registration dues). For other attendees, on-site registration will be available for an additional $40 (not including any meals).   

Whether connecting with the program content in-person or virtually, Joseph and I look forward to the opportunity to once again connect with you. 

Call for Applications: Face-to-Face Mentorship Event at MHA 2021

MHA’s Face-to-Face mentorship event will be online at this year’s conference, through Zoom on Friday, June 11, 5:30 pm-6:30 pm MST. The purpose of this hour-long event is to facilitate conversations between applicants and experienced scholars of Mormon history. We are seeking applications from those interested in participating, whether as mentors or as students, non-traditional students, independent scholars, and so forth. Applicants can propose to talk to people about their research, career trajectories, digital humanities, publishing, public history, and more! This is an amazing opportunity to have a one-on-one conversation and to receive specific advice about your unique place in the field of Mormon history. 

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Joseph Smith Papers, Documents Volume 11

Spencer W. McBride, Jeffrey D. Mahas, Brett D. Dowdle, and Tyson Reeder, eds., The Joseph Smith Papers, Documents Volume 11: September 1842-February 1843 (Salt Lake City: Church Historian’s Press, 2020).

John C. Bennett, con man, and political insider, and former Joseph Smith confidante, left the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in July 1842. His departure catalyzed a series of changes within Joseph Smith’s religious movement, particularly as the Latter-day Saint prophet and his followers scrambled to adjust to the curious media’s attention and their neighbor’s vitriol.

Those changes are transcribed, annotated, and verified in the 105 documents that comprise the eleventh volume of the Documents series of the Joseph Smith Papers, released in October 2020.  These documents fall broadly into three categories. First, the extradition attempts led by Lilburn W. Boggs, related to an assassination attempt that took place on May 6, 1842. The Missouri governor believed that the Latter-day Saints bore responsibility, and, so his logic went, it must have happened on Joseph Smith’s orders. The Latter-day Saint leader won a court case that denied Missouri’s extradition attempt—Smith’s followers celebrated at parties and in song.[1]

Smith was also busy trying to put out the gossipy blaze that was John C. Bennett’s speaking tour. The former Nauvoo mayor and member of the LDS Church’s First Presidency had published several letters that shared scandalous details about Joseph Smith’s practice of plural marriage. As the JSPP editorial team writes, “Smith was, in fact, secretly practicing plural marriage in Nauvoo by this time.” Furthermore, “he had introduced the practice to a small circle of Latter-day Saint, but most church members were not aware of it.”[2] Bennett spun some yarns and “seemingly fabricated” several of his claims, but the truth was irrelevant to a hungry public’s appetite for salacious details about the Mormon prophet.[3]

Lest readers and historians forget, Joseph Smith was also a religious leader. Documents 11 shows how Smith directed his church, oversaw the temple’s construction, wrote editorials for the Church’s newspaper, and elaborated on his teachings regarding the practice of vicarious baptism for the dead. Of utmost importance is also remembering that Joseph Smith felt a deep-seeded duty to protect “his family and his fellow Latter-day Saints from persecution.” (JSPP Press Release).

The JSPP volume editors for D11 were gracious enough to meet with scholars and journalists to share a few personal reflections and highlights.

Spencer McBride began with a quote from Joseph Smith’s journal from a different JSPP volume to introduce what the Latter-day Saint prophet said about his leadership: that he did not expect perfection from his followers and they should not expect perfection from him. Infallibity was never on the table. Which, McBride reminds us, is important to keep in mind for both devotional members of the Church and scholars. I would add a paraphrased line from O Brother Where Art Thou: one’s ideals and one’s actions don’t always align.

Brett Dowdle introduced a letter from September 7, 1842 on baptisms for the dead. Like Dowdle, I was fascinated by the time that Smith took, while in isolation while evading Missouri’s authorities, to dictate such a long letter. Smith included an immense amount of detail, he said that “you may find this very particular,” but it’s because of his commitment to preserving a record that could be used by God at judgment. Historians everywhere may have different concerns, but I think I speak for us all when I say “thank you for insisting on careful recordkeeping!”

Jeffrey Mahas explained that Joseph Smith spent a lot of this time in hiding while negotiating his way out of Missouri’s arrest warrants, related to a murder attempt on Lilburn W. Boggs’ life. Mahas calls this likely the greatest legal victory of Joseph Smith’s life. When returning home from court, several Saints composed a song, including lines by Eliza R. Snow. MAHAS THEN SANG THE FIRST VERSE. Friends, this was a time never to be forgotten.

After a stirring rendition of the jubilee song, Mahas pointed out that the song praised Thomas Ford, who later becomes notorious in Mormon history. Eliza R. Snow’s wrote:

“Protection’s wreath again will bloom
Reviv’d by Thomas Ford;
Which under Carlin had become
Like Jonah’s wither’d gourd…

Like Freedom’s true and genuine son,
Oppression to destroy,
His Excellency has begun
To Govern Illinois…

His ‘Mormon’ subjects fondly trust,
The citizens will share,
A legislation wise and just,
While he retains the Chair,
While foul oppression’s &c.

On to the Q&A:

Dowdle noted that the September 7 letter was special because he doesn’t necessarily produce long letters or discourses like that document, but that he’s still operating with “space” to think. McBride noted that Smith’s life was busy at this time (per usual), but that he was still busy. The types of documents are unique in this period because he’s not preaching, but he’s able to produce a lot of documentation, including on things like currency. Mahas added that he is in hiding, but still near Nauvoo. Smith ends up moving thirty miles upriver from the City of Joseph, where he doesn’t have friends, family, or scribes to record his thoughts at this point (Smith preferred to dictate rather than write). A later account by someone who spent time with Joseph Smith at this time remembered a lot of boredom.

In response to a question about Bennett, McBride said that Joseph Smith was on the defensive, but that it’s essential to remember that many of Smith’s teachings are geared towards assuring converts moving to Nauvoo. Many are coming to Illinois expecting jobs and could be disappointed in what was available. Smith’s concern was with the Saints, though it would be oversimplifying to discount Bennett’s speaking tour against Mormonism.

A question came in about the consistency in annotation, style, etc. comes from frequent review, collaboration, and a consistent effort to have an authorial voice.

So what are you waiting for? Buy the book!

[1] JSPP, D11, 317, 335.

[2] JSPP, D11, xxiv

[3] JSPP, D11, xxiv

JSP Conference 2020: “Joseph Smith’s Connections and Networks”

From our friends at the Joseph Smith Papers:

On Friday, September 18, 2020, the Joseph Smith Papers Project will host the fourth annual Joseph Smith Papers Conference. To ensure the health and safety of all participants, conference organizers have decided that the event will happen online.  This year’s conference theme is “Joseph Smith’s Connections and Networks.” Presentations will explore aspects of Joseph Smith’s interrelated worldviews, including race, politics, finance, and theology. Papers will engage with themes found in volumes 10 and 11 of the Documents series of The Joseph Smith Papers. This event is free to attend, but space is limited. Please register only if you plan to attend; your courtesy will help us keep this conference series free. 

For more information on the conference, go here.