Joseph E. Arrington manuscripts of the Nauvoo Temple , approximately 1930-1950

Series — Multiple Containers

Identifier: MSS 4194 Series 1

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

Contains materials relating to Joseph Arrington's study of the Nauvoo Temple. Arrington researched the architecture, possible reconstruction, and history of the Nauvoo Temple. He wrote and revised several manuscripts over a period of several years. His final work is titled "Temple-Building in Mormon Philosophy: The Spiritual Significance of the Nauvoo Temple for the Latter-day Saints" and was more than 2,500 pages long. Elder John Widtsoe of the Quorum of the 12 Apostles took interest in the work when he read it in 1946. He wrote in correspondence to Arrington of the manuscript stating that "Your work is the best doumentary history ever prepared by a Church member." Materials include handwritten notes, handwritten and typed manuscripts, scrapbooks, books used in research, correspondence, newspaper clippings, library call slips, and photographs. Dated approximately 1930-1950.

Dates

approximately 1930-1950

Creator

Arrington, Joseph E. (Joseph Earl), 1895-1986 (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 use material from this collection must be obtained from Reference Services at specialcollections@byu.edu.

Biographical History

From the Collection:

Joseph Earl Arrington (1895-1986) was a Latter-day Saint historian.

Joseph Earl Arrington was born on June 21, 1895 to LeRoy Madison and Priscilla Jane Brisendine Arrington in Reed Hill, Tennessee. He received his bachelor's degree from the University of Utah in 1921 and his master's degree from the University of Chicago in 1923. He married Genevieve Thornton on October 11, 1932 in Brooklyn, New York. They had one child, Wendell Snow.

Arrington specialized in Latter-day Saint history and was heavily involved in researching the Nauvoo Temple. His work included collecting papers and images about the temple in Illinois. He was also involved in researching and displaying various playbills and photographs, making use of photostat technology to make and display copies of such images.

He died in September of 1986.

Extent

9 boxes

2 oversize box

29 cartons

52 folders

Language of Materials

English

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

BYU Library - Special Collections