Category: Latter-day Saint History

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.

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Latter-day Saint History Polygamy

Imperial Zions: An Interview with Amanda Hendrix-Komoto

Joseph F. Smith with a group of Latter-day Saint leaders in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Nineteenth century Latter-day Saint missionaries preached to many different cultures, including Europeans, Native Americans, and Pacific Islanders. At the same time, their home lives were complicated by the practice of polygamy and the long absences of the men as they served missions abroad. In this interview, Imperial Zions author Amanda Hendrix-Komoto discusses the complicated intersections of race, family, respectability, and settlement that Latter-day Saints experienced in Utah and abroad in service of their religion.

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19th Century Brigham Young Joseph Smith Latter-day Saint History Polygamy

Laurel Thatcher Ulrich and ‘A House Full of Females’

The cover art for A House Full of Females by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich depicture a family living plural marriage

After attending a Relief Society meeting in 1857, Wilford Woodruff recorded in his journal that “the house was full of females.” As someone who practiced plural marriage instituted by the Prophet Joseph Smith, the comment could have applied to Woodruff’s home life. In this interview, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Laurel Thatcher Ulrich discusses how early Latter-day Saint sources shed light on female authority and plural marriage.

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19th Century Come Follow Me Doctrine and Covenants Latter-day Saint History

Susa Young Gates and the Vision of the Redemption of the Dead

An aerial black-and-white photo of a 1900s crowd at Temple Square where the vision of the redemption of the dead recounted to Susa Young Gates was shared with the general church membership.

Susa Young Gates was one of the first members of the church to learn about the vision of the redemption of the dead. Joseph F. Smith told her about his revelatory experience before it was publicly known. In this interview, historian Lisa Olsen Tait tralks about the relationship between Susa Young Gates and the prophet—and what happened the night she learned about the vision.

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20th Century Latter-day Saint History

Who Was Clare Middlemiss?

Clare Middlemiss was President David O. McKay's secretary for more than 30 years.
Clare Middlemiss was President David O. McKay's secretary for more than 30 years. Courtesy Utah State Historical Society.

Clare Middlemiss was one of only two women to serve as secretary to a president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She sometimes went to extremes in her role as a gatekeeper to President O. McKay, but also had an active influence on the First Presidency—and Church bureaucracy as we know it today. In this interview, Greg Prince explains how Clare Middlemiss left her mark.

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19th Century Brigham Young Latter-day Saint History

How Important Was ZCMI to Utah Pioneers?

A 1920 glass plate negative of Zion's Cooperative Mercantile Institution (ZCMI) on South Main Street in Salt Lake City
A 1920 glass plate negative of Zion's Cooperative Mercantile Institution (ZCMI) on South Main Street in Salt Lake City. Courtesy Utah State Historical Society.

Zion’s Cooperative Mercantile Institution (ZCMI) is known as America’s first department store. Founded by Brigham Young in 1869, the store played a central role in the early Utah economy. Nineteenth pioneers saw ZCMI as a tool to eliminate poverty—and it was a requirement for Latter-day Saints to shop there. In this interview, Jeffrey Paul Thompson explains the fascinating history of the ZCMI department store in Salt Lake City.

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Come Follow Me Devotional Latter-day Saint History

Who Was Truman Madsen’s Wife?

A family photo with Truman Madsen, his wife Ann, and their three children

Most Latter-day Saints know about Truman G. Madsen. His Joseph Smith tapes continue to influence the rising generation—and it’s hard to talk about Latter-day Saint theology without mentioning his influence. But his wife, Ann Madsen, is every bit the disciple-scholar that he was. In this interview, she describes the bookend years of their lives—including the three things Truman told her just before he passed away.

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Intellectualism Theology

Can Faith and Science Coexist in the Search for Truth?

An aerial photo of the BYU Life Sciences Center where Jamie Jensen teaches about the intersection of faith and science.

Faith and science are often seen as conflicting approaches in the search for truth—including within the Latter-day Saint community. For example, Joseph Fielding Smith and B. H. Roberts disagreed about whether science or scripture should take priority in the debate over evolution (see the story in Saints 3). In this interview. Dr. Jamie L. Jensen explains that faith and science are symbiotic pathways to truth.

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Intellectualism Theology

Nathaniel and Terryl Givens: Why Is Belief Hard?

Side-by-side headshots of Latter-day Saint intellectual Terryl Givens and his co-author son, Nathaniel Givens

The Prophet Joseph Smith taught that faith is the first principle of the gospel of Jesus Christ. And yet many people struggle to understand their own beliefs. Furthermore, the importance of belief seems to be on the decline, as evidenced by the rise of those leaving organized religion. In this interview, Terryl Givens, and his son, Nathaniel, explain that admitting “belief is hard” could be a step toward accessing the power of faith—and balancing faith and intellect.

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International Latter-day Saint History

Who Were Mexico’s Latter-day Saint Pioneers?

The Mexico City Temple is the culmination of decades of faithful service by Latter-day Saint pioneers in South America

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has had a presence in Mexico for 145 years. Mexico is also the country with the largest Church membership outside of the United States, with almost 1.5 million members, 222 stakes, and 13 temples. Its history is filled with rich stories of faith over the last century and a half. In this interview, F. LaMond Tullis discusses some of those stories from the history of the Church in Mexico as part of the story of Mormonism around the world.

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Brigham Young Joseph Smith Latter-day Saint History

Chad Orton Looks at Brigham Young in 40 Different Ways

Chad Orton's biography of Brigham Young looks at the prophet's life from 40 different vantage points.

Brigham Young was known by many different names. To some, he was the Lion of the Lord or an American Moses. To others, he was simply “Brother Brigham.” In this interview, Chad Orton discusses the many ways he finds inspiration in the prophet’s life—and reveals what he’d include in a second edition of his biography of the second president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

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