Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Organization
Dates
- Existence: 1830-
Administrative History
The Church of Jesus Christ of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (est. 1830) is a restorationist Christian church with a world-wide membership. Originally established in Upstate New York by Joseph Smith, Jr., the church is headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is commonly abbreviated as the LDS Church and colloquially referred to as the Mormon Church.
During the 1820s, the church's founder, Joseph Smith, experienced visions and was led to the golden plates from which the Book of Mormon was translated. The Church was officially founded by Joseph Smith on April 6, 1830, in Palmyra, New York. The members of the religion faced a series of persecutions, and eventually fled to Utah for refuge beginning in 1847. The Church continued to grow and expand beyond Utah, and today it has a membership numbering over 16 million. It is headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Presidents of the Church have included Joseph Smith Jr. (1832-1844), Brigham Young (1847-1877), John Taylor (1880-1887), Wilford Woodruff (1889-1898), Lorenzo Snow (1898-1901), Joseph F. Smith (1901-1918), Heber J. Grant (1918-1945), George Albert Smith (1945-1951), David O. McKay (1951-1970), Joseph Fielding Smith (1970-1972), Harold B. Lee (1972-1973), Spencer W. Kimball (1973-1985), Ezra Taft Benson (1985-1994), Howard W. Hunter (1994-1995), Gordon B. Hinckley (1995-2008), Thomas S. Monson (2008-2018), and Russell M. Nelson (2018- ).
During the 1820s, the church's founder, Joseph Smith, experienced visions and was led to the golden plates from which the Book of Mormon was translated. The Church was officially founded by Joseph Smith on April 6, 1830, in Palmyra, New York. The members of the religion faced a series of persecutions, and eventually fled to Utah for refuge beginning in 1847. The Church continued to grow and expand beyond Utah, and today it has a membership numbering over 16 million. It is headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Presidents of the Church have included Joseph Smith Jr. (1832-1844), Brigham Young (1847-1877), John Taylor (1880-1887), Wilford Woodruff (1889-1898), Lorenzo Snow (1898-1901), Joseph F. Smith (1901-1918), Heber J. Grant (1918-1945), George Albert Smith (1945-1951), David O. McKay (1951-1970), Joseph Fielding Smith (1970-1972), Harold B. Lee (1972-1973), Spencer W. Kimball (1973-1985), Ezra Taft Benson (1985-1994), Howard W. Hunter (1994-1995), Gordon B. Hinckley (1995-2008), Thomas S. Monson (2008-2018), and Russell M. Nelson (2018- ).
Found in 58 Collections and/or Records:
George Reynolds papers
Collection — Folder: 34
Identifier: Vault MSS 10
Scope and Contents
Papers contain correspondence to and from George Reynolds from various church, civic, and business leaders, a number of certificates relating to Reynolds ecclesiastical and civic duties and positions, and some family correspondence, as well as a history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints written by Reynolds. Many of these items relate to Reynolds' conviction and imprisonment for practicing polygamy in the 1870s and 1880s, though some items date from as early as 1863 to as late...
Dates:
approximately 1863-1920
Levi Savage diaries
Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: MSS 417
Scope and Contents
Handwritten diaries. The original items are housed in two boxes while the photocopies of these materials are housed in three. There are many gaps in the entries including a sixteen-year gap from 1861 to 1877. Savage writes about his mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to "Siam" (Thailand) from 1852 to 1856. He travelled to Rangoon from Salt Lake City, Utah, by way of San Francisco and Calcutta. He returned by way of Calcutta, England, and New York City. He was one...
Dates:
1852-1903
Found in:
L. Tom Perry Special Collections
/
Levi Savage diaries
A short sketch of the life of Levi Jackman
File — Folder: 1
Identifier: MSS SC 605
Scope and Contents
Typescript copy of a life sketch originally written by Jackman in 1851 which describes his early family life in Vermont and New York. The sketch also includes journal excerpts from 1835-1847 which detail his Latter-day Saint Church missions to Ohio, the 1847 trek across the Plains and early Utah life. Also includes a typescript of notes from a sketch by S.C. Richardson about Jackman.
Dates:
Unknown
Sketch of the life of Thomas Durham
File — Folder: 1
Identifier: MSS SC 3077
Scope and Contents
Photocopy of a microfilm reproduction of a typed manuscript. The item is a biography of Thomas Durham. He lived in England, joined the Mormon Church in 1850, married Mary Morton in 1852, and migrated to Utah in 1856 with the Martin handcart company. He soon went to Parowan, Utah, where he led the local choir for 62 years. He married a second wife, Mary Mitchell, in 1860 and took a third wife, Carole Mortensen, in 1867. Durham made a living as a furniture maker. Alfred M. Durham describes...
Dates:
1936
Amanda Barnes Smith autobiographical sketch and statement
File — Folder: 1
Identifier: MSS SC 528
Scope and Contents
Typewritten autobiography which includes genealogical data of Smith's family and an account of the Haun's Mill massacre where her son and husband were murdered. The statement by Hulda C.T. Smith, a daughter-in-law, concerns Smith's marital status and sealing to Joseph Smith, Jr.
Dates:
1866-1921
Bathsheba W. Bigler Smith autobiography
File — Folder: 1
Identifier: MSS 920
Scope and Contents
Photocopy of a 260-page handwritten autobiography. Smith includes copies of correspondence and patriarchal blessings in her account. She joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1837, lived with the Mormons in Missouri and Illinois, married George Albert Smith in 1841, allowed him to take additional wives, came to Utah in 1849, and served as president of the Relief Society.
Dates:
1844-1906
Warren Stone Snow papers
Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: MSS SC 376
Scope and Contents
Typewritten biographical sketches (photocopies) of Snow and his wife, Mary Ann V. Snow; ALS's (with typed transcripts) to his fourth polygamous wife, Sarah E.W. Snow, with a few to their children; a certificate of election, a deed, and a family group sheet (photocopies). Letters contain information pertaining to relations with his plural family, his missionary experiences in England, and the building of the Manti, Utah Temple. Includes cover letter by donor.
Dates:
Undated
William Henry Solomon's diary of the Arizona mission
File — Folder: 1
Identifier: MSS SC 790
Scope and Contents
Photocopy of typescript. Discusses in detail the daily life of Mormon missionaries among the Indians on the Arizona frontier and the problems with the Indians that eventually forced the missionaries to withdraw to Kanab, Utah, in 1874. Some personal and family matters are also covered, including divorce from one of the author's plural wives. Excerpts from other records of Solomon's are included at the end of the record to cover gaps in the main diary. Notes by the compiler, P. T. Reilly, are...
Dates:
1873-1874
Statement of Lloyd Ririe
Collection — Folder: 1
Identifier: MSS 442
Scope and Contents
Typewritten statement dated April 13, 1945. Ririe writes that he was on a train in Canada with the Mormon apostle, John A. Widtsoe, in 1945. Widtsoe told Ririe that he was present when John Wickersham Woolley, a temple worker for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, admitted that he had not been given authority to perform polygamous marriages after that practice was discontinued by the Church. Also included is a typewritten letter from Widtsoe to Ririe dated November 19, 1945 in...
Dates:
1945-1964
John Taylor letters
File — Folder: 1
Identifier: MSS 677
Scope and Contents
Photocopies of typed copies of letters sent by John Taylor to his wives and to such LDS Church leaders as Brigham Young and Wilford Woodruff. The materials deal largely with family and Church matters. Also included are photocopies of handwritten notes on Taylor's various wives.
Dates:
1839-1887
Found in:
L. Tom Perry Special Collections
/
John Taylor letters