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Joseph Smith

Who Was Katharine Smith Salisbury?

An 1880 photograph of Joseph Smith's sister, Katharine Smith Salisbury.

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.

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20th Century Latter-day Saint History

How Did President Kimball Receive the 1978 Priesthood Revelation?

The Deseret News issue announcing the 1978 priesthood revelation, overlaid with profiles of Brigham Young, Joseph Fielding Smith, David O. McKay, Hugh B. Brown, and Spencer W. Kimball.

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.

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American History

What Did Buffalo Bill Really Think About Utah Pioneers?

A black-and-white photo of Buffalo Bill.
Buffalo Bill, circa 1877. Buffalo Bill Center of the West, Cody, Wyoming, Buffalo Bill Museum, MS006 William F. Cody Collection, P.6.0870.01.

William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody had an interesting trajectory in his relationship with Latter-day Saints. At first, he was antagonistic to them, commonly using Brigham Young and his coreligionists as villains in his performances. As time went on, he became impressed with their ability to irrigate and settle the American West and worked to settle the arid Big Horn Basin in Wyoming. In this interview, Brent M. Rogers discusses the life of Buffalo Bill and his relationship with Latter-day Saints.

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20th Century Latter-day Saint History

Is D. Michael Quinn a Reliable Scholar?

A photograph of Michael Quinn, the scholar of Mormon history.
Photo credit: Hugh Hamilton

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.

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Founding Fathers Latter-day Saint History

What Was Wilford Woodruff’s Vision of the Founding Fathers?

A painting of the Founding Fathers, many of whom Wilford Woodruff described seeing in vision.

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, 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.

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20th Century Latter-day Saint History Theology

What Was the Latter-day Saint Chicago Experiment?

A painting of Latter-day Saint students part of the Chicago Experiment in the 1930s.

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.

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20th Century Book excerpts Brigham Young

American Moses: The Story of Leonard Arrington’s Brigham Young Biography

A zoomed-in shot from the cover of Leonard Arrington's biography of Brigham Young.

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].

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Joseph Smith Quotes

“The Grand Fundamental Principles of Mormonism”: Joseph Smith Quotes

It can be challenging to find Joseph Smith quotes drawn from reliable historical sources. Our quotes page gives you access to his teachings about topics like love, trials, and the Holy Ghost. What makes them especially unique is that every quote is taken from dependable scholarly research such as the Joseph Smith Papers Project.

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20th Century 21st Century Theology

Is Bruce R. McConkie Treated Unfairly?

A photograph of Bruce R. McConkie speaking with a student at a BYU-Idaho devotation in Idaho.

Perhaps no one has influenced Latter-day Saint scriptural literacy more than Bruce R. McConkie. His writings were both prolific and authoritarian. Consequently, 20th-century intellectuals sought an alternative voice, paving the way for a New Mormon History which may have intentionally downplayed the Apostle’s influence. In this interview, Joseph Spencer examines Elder McConkie’s influence and suggests that it may be time to set aside unfair narratives and reexamine his legacy.

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Book of Mormon

How Does the Book of Mormon Reinterpret the Bible?

The Book of Mormon has a complex relationship with the Christian Bible. It interacts with and, in some cases, reinterprets the stories and texts of the Bible in unique ways. In this interview, Michael Austin describes some of the ways in which the Book of Mormon reinterprets the Bible.

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