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Exponent II records

 Collection
Identifier: MSS 1527

Scope and Contents

Contains administrative records of Exponent II, a Latter-day Saint women’s periodical that was first published in 1974 in Boston, Massachusetts. Administrative records include minutes, financial and business records, readership surveys, mailing lists, and materials on social events, the Equal Rights Amendment, and other topics related to Latter-day Saint women. Includes correspondence to various editors and other staff members, and production records such as submissions and annotated drafts. Also includes rejected and unused article submissions. Materials dated 1896-2010 with the bulk dated 1974-1997.

Dates

  • Creation: 1896-2010
  • Creation: 1974-1997

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Open for public research.

Conditions Governing Use

It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain any necessary copyright clearances. Please direct any questions to Reference Services at specialcollections@byu.edu.

Biographical / Historical

Mormon Sisters, Inc. is a group of Latter-day Saint women who incorporated to become a non-profit corporation to obtain bulk mailing rates for Exponent II. It grew out of meetings held by Latter-day Saint women in the greater Boston area starting about 1969 to 1970. These women were inspired by the "Woman's Exponent" which was published from 1872 to 1914. They decided to create a new publication for Latter-day Saint women along similar lines. Contributions were invited, covering a wide range of topics, news articles, short essays, poetry, suggestions, and letters to the editor. The publication started in July of 1974. Soon after, they changed their official incorporated name to Exponent II.

Biographical / Historical

Exponent II was originally established under the name Mormon Sisters Inc, in 1974. It grew out of meetings held by Latter-day Saint women in the greater Boston area starting about 1969-1970. These women were inspired by the "Woman's Exponent" which was published from 1872 to 1914. They decided to create a new publication for Latter-day Saint women along similar lines. Contributions were invited covering a wide range of topics, news articles, short essays, poetry, suggestions, and letters to the editor. The publication started in July of 1974. Official founders included Claudia Bushman, Carrel Hilton Sheldon, Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, Judy Dushku, Sue Booth-Forbes and others. Soon after, the official incorporated name was changed to Exponent II. Exponent II also hosted various special events, including beginning in the 1980s, annual retreats. A related blog was established in 2005. In 2007, Exponent II began publishing online. The organization celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2024. Heather Sundahl and Katie Ludlow Rich co-authored a history of the organization titled "Fifty Years of Exponent II," published in 2024. Editors of Exponent include: Claudia Bushman (1974-1975); Nancy T. Dredge (1975-1981 and 2000-2009); Susan E. Howe (1981–1984) Susan Paxman (1984-1997); Jenny Atkinson (1997-2000); Aimee Evans Hickman and Emily Clyde Curtis (2010-2016); Margaret Olsen Hemming (2016-2021); Rachel Rueckert (2021-).

Extent

41 boxes (20.5 linear ft.)

3 oversize boxes (2.2 linear ft.)

2 folders (0.02 linear ft.)

2 oversize folders (0.4 linear ft.)

Language of Materials

English

Custodial History

The materials comprising the Exponent II collection were a gift from the Exponent II staff in 1977, 2004, 2017. Additional materials donated by Exponent II editor Sue Booth-Forbes in 1990.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Donated; Exponent II editorial staff; 1977.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Donated; Exponent II editorial staff; 2004 August.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Donated; Emily Gray, Exponent II secretary; 2017.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Donated; Sue-Booth Forbes, Exponent II editor; 1990.

Appraisal

Utah and the American West and LDS cultural, social, and religious history (20th century Western & Mormon Manuscripts collection development policy, 5.VII, 2007).

Separated Materials

21 loose issues from Volumes 1 to 5, dating from 1974 to 1979, and an index to Exponent II by Jane Carpenter dated December 1984, were removed from the manuscript collection and transferred to Americana (BX 8605.1 .Ex75).

Processing Information

Processed; Garrett Schroath; March 2011.

Processed; Maddi Landrith; March 2018.

Processing Information

Processed; Karen Glenn, Bethany Budge; 2024-2025. Re-processed, collection combined with MSS 6192, new series added.

  • Draft copy of Master's thesis by Sasha Cluff, 1996, titled "Christian feminist publications and structures of constraint: A comparison of Daughters of Sarah and Exponent II within the contexts of neo-evangelicalism and Mormonism". This was located in Box 6.
  • Duplicates, photocopies, and a thesis.
Title
Register of Exponent II records
Status
Under Revision
Author
Karen Glenn
Date
2025 February 17
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Finding aid written in English in Latin script.

Repository Details

Part of the L. Tom Perry Special Collections Repository

Contact:
1130 HBLL
Brigham Young University
Provo Utah 84602 United States