Learn more about the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, including historical findings about Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, and more.
Bruce R. McConkie planned to release an abbreviated version of the Journal of Discourses in a series named Sound Doctrine. The volumes were to feature selected sermons that Elder McConkie felt best showcased Latter-day Saint doctrine, excluding controversial topics like Brigham Young’s Adam-God theory. However, the First Presidency advised against publishing it. Biographer Devery S. Anderson tells the story of Elder McConkie’s unpublished book in this interview.
Lucy Mack Smith, mother of the Prophet Joseph Smith, was an honored and venerated matriarchal figure among the Latter-day Saint community that affectionately called her “Mother Smith.” Born in Gilsum, New Hampshire in 1776 to Solomon Mack and Lydia Gates, she was the youngest of eight children.
Brigham Young is a towering influence in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and many of his quotes are relevant to this day. This page features quotes from Brigham Young on a variety of topics, including the Fall of Adam and Eve, salvation, self-sufficiency, and more. Please leave a comment if there’s a quote you’d like considered for inclusion.
The year 1837 marked both Parley P. Pratt’s greatest spiritual trial and his greatest theological contribution as a Latter-day Saint. During a few weeks, Pratt emerged as a powerful dissident, spurred by the collapse of the Kirtland Safety Society, a community bank with Joseph Smith as president, which caused Pratt to lose his home.
Katharine Smith Salisbury was the seventh surviving child and second daughter in Joseph Smith’s family. She married Jenkins Salisbury in the year 1831, and they were the parents of eight children. They migrated with the Saints to Ohio, Missouri, and finally to Illinois. After the main body of the Saints migrated to the Salt Lake valley, she remained behind in Illinois, where she raised her family. She always maintained her faith in the Restoration and the prophetic calling of her brother Joseph, and ensured those beliefs were perpetuated to her posterity.
The 1978 priesthood revelation was the culmination of a decades-long process to reverse the priesthood ban. Most scholars today agree that the policy was initiated by Brigham Young and that racism played a role in its beginnings. What is less known is that the 1978 revelation wasn’t a singular event, but rather a laborious process that took a heavy toll on participants like Spencer W. Kimball, Joseph Fielding Smith, David O. McKay, Hugh B. Brown, and Bruce R. McConkie. In this interview, Matthew L. Harris explains more about the history of the revelation on the priesthood.
D. Michael Quinn played a key role in the foundation of “New Mormon History.” He was entrenched in the church archives during the “Camelot” years, taught at BYU, and published many ideas that represent positions held by the church today. Quinn was also part of the September Six, (in association with his 1993 excommunication), wrote about controversial issues, and provoked many love-hate relationships with his voluminous footnotes. In this interview, Patrick Mason explains some of Quinn’s contributions to Latter-day Saint history.
Wilford Woodruff’s vision of the Founding Fathers played a role in the development of temple doctrine. While serving as president of the St. George temple, Wilford Woodruff said that early American figures like George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson asked him for temple ordinances. The Apostle didn’t describe these encounters with as much detail as his daily journal, but there are three key sources where he recounts what happened. In this interview, Jennifer Mackley explains what we know about Wilford Woodruff’s vision.
In the 1930s, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints sent teachers to learn theology at the University of Chicago. In some cases, the Latter-day Saints returned with academic tools to supplement their faith. But, in others, they experienced faith crises and set aside critical components of the Restoration like miracles and angels. In this interview, Casey Griffiths explains more about the Chicago Experiment and why issues of faith and intellect are still relevant.
Brigham Young is arguably the second-most important figure in Mormon history; but until the 1970s, he had not been the subject of a definitive biography [until the publication of Leonard Arrington’s Brigham Young: American Moses].