Milton V. Backman Jr. mission papers, approximately 1990-2013

Series — Multiple Containers

Identifier: MSS 8785 Series 2

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

Contains mission journals, tapes, photographs, and other mission materials from Milton Backman's various missions for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Topics included in these are photographs of Nauvoo or pertaining to the city; documentation on the Kirtland, Ohio region including records of famous members such as Sidney Rigdon and Philo Dibble; and VHS/DVDs of talks made by Backman and Elder Russel M. Nelson for the Carthage Martyrdom program held in Carthage, Illinois on June 27, 2001. Dated approximately 1990-2013.

Dates

Creation: approximately 1990-2013

Creator

Backman, Milton V., Jr., 1927-2016 (creator, Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Open for public research.

Conditions Governing Use

It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain any necessary copyright clearances. Permission to publish material from Milton V. Backman Jr. papers must be obtained from the Supervisor of Reference Services and/or the L. Tom Perry Special Collections Coordinating Committee.

Biographical History

From the Collection:

Milton V. Backman Jr. (1927-2016) is a historian of American religions with particular emphasis on the early history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Milton Vaughn Backman Jr. was born on June 11, 1927 in Salt Lake City, Utah. He enlisted in the Maritime Service near the end of World War II. After his Maritime Service, he served a mission in South Africa for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He then served in the Korean War. On his birthday in 1953 he married Kathleen McLatchy. He graduated with a degree in history from the University of Utah in 1954. He then went on to receive his PhD in history from the University of Pennsylvania in 1959. He was a professor of church history at Brigham Young University from 1960 to 1991.

He published many books including American Religions and the Rise of Mormonism, Christian Churches of America: Origins and Beliefs, Eyewitness Accounts of the Restoration, and many more. After retiring he served several short-term LDS missions in Nauvoo, Illinois and two additional LDS missions with his second wife Sharon Richey, in Nauvoo and Kirtland, Ohio. Backman died on February 6, 2016 in Herriman, Utah.