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Newel Kimball Whitney collection of revelations, 1829-1847

 Sub-Series
Identifier: Vault MSS 76 Series 1 Sub-Series 1

Scope and Contents

Contains early manuscript copies of more than twenty revelations, all but two of which have since been published in the Doctrine and Covenants. Seven of these these are addressed to Whitney, either mentioning him in a priesthood role or giving him instructions. Materials date from between 1829 and 1847.

Dates

  • 1829-1847

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Condition restricted; permission to use original materials must be obtained from the Supervisor of Reference Services. Patrons should use microfilm copies.

Conditions Governing Use

It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain any necessary copyright clearances. Permission to use material from this collection must be obtained from Reference Services at specialcollections@byu.edu.

Biographical History

From the Collection:

Newel Kimball Whitney (1795-1850) was a American merchant, pioneer, and ecclesiastical leader. He served as the second general bishop of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (1831-1850).

Newel Kimball Whitney was born on February 5, 1795 at Marlborough, Windham County, Vermont to Samuel and Susanna Kimball Whitney. Whitney joined the Church in Ohio in 1830, and was a personal friend of Joseph Smith (1805-1844) who founded that faith. He also served as associate justice and treasurer of the provincial state of Deseret (later Utah) in 1849. He married seven times; his wives included Elizabeth Ann Smith (1800-1882, m. 1822), Ann Houston (1821-1848, m. 1846), Elizabeth Almira Pond (1827-1899, m. 1846), Abigail Augusta Pond (m. 1846), Olive M. Bishop (1807-1852, m. 1846), Elizabeth Moore (1826-1858, m. 1846), Henrietta Keyes (1821-1901, m. 1846), and Emmeline Blanche Woodward (1828-1921, m. 1849). Whitney died on September 3, 1850 in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Extent

19 folders

Language of Materials

English

Other Finding Aids

File-level inventory available online. http://files.lib.byu.edu/ead/XML/VMSS76.xml

Appraisal

The revelations collected by Whitney are important for multiple reasons. Several of these manuscripts are the earliest known copies of the given revelations, predating their publication in the Book of Commandments (1833) or the Doctrine and Covenants (1835), thus enabling the researcher to determine more accurately what refinements, alterations, or additions were made in publishing the formal revelations. They also provide an enlarged basis for studying the process of revelation as expressed through Joseph Smith.

Existence and Location of Copies

Available on microfilm in repository.

Repository Details

Part of the L. Tom Perry Special Collections Repository

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