Church History Department

Church History Department
Name	Church History Department
Formation	19th century
Type	Religious archives and research office
Headquarters	Salt Lake City, Utah
Leader title	Director
Parent organization	The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Church History Department is the institutional office of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints responsible for preserving, researching, and interpreting the history of that faith tradition. It maintains archives, curates museum exhibits, publishes scholarship, and supports public programming connected to the global story of Joseph Smith Jr., Brigham Young, and subsequent leaders. The office interacts with scholars, members, and cultural institutions across the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Mexico, and the Pacific Islands.

History and Development

The office traces roots to early record-keeping by Joseph Smith Jr. and clerks during the Kirtland period and the Nauvoo period and was formalized during the territorial era under leaders such as Brigham Young and Wilford Woodruff. During the 19th century, efforts by Orson Pratt, Parley P. Pratt, John Taylor, and George Q. Cannon expanded manuscript repositories and periodical publication like the Deseret News. In the 20th century, figures including B. H. Roberts, James E. Talmage, John A. Widtsoe, and J. Reuben Clark influenced historiography, while institutional changes under Heber J. Grant and David O. McKay professionalized archival practice. The establishment of a research library and museum complexes reflected collaboration with curators and historians such as Leonard J. Arrington, Richard L. Bushman, Matthew Bowman, and Jan Shipps, intersecting with academic centers like Brigham Young University, University of Utah, Harvard University, Yale University, and University of Chicago.

Mission and Functions

The office's mission encompasses documentation, preservation, interpretation, and public access to primary sources related to Joseph Smith Jr., Book of Mormon events, the Pioneer migration, and global missionary efforts. It supports scholarly work on topics including Relief Society, Mormonism and race, Temple construction, Polygamy, and missionary campaigns in regions such as England, Scotland, Ireland, Samoa, and Fiji. The office provides services to family history researchers linked to institutions like FamilySearch, to media entities like PBS and BBC, and to governmental archives such as the National Archives and Records Administration and state historical societies.

Organizational Structure

Administration has included archivists, historians, curators, and records managers collaborating with entities such as the Museum of Church History and Art, the Joseph Smith Papers Project, and the Gospel Doctrine Department. Leadership roles interact with departments overseen by Russell M. Nelson and Dallin H. Oaks at the church level, while professional staff have included historians associated with University of Utah, Brigham Young University, Columbia University, Stanford University, and Princeton University. Regional history offices coordinate with missionary departments in areas like Latin America, Africa, and Asia, and with heritage sites such as Temple Square, Winter Quarters, Carthage Illinois, and Palmyra New York.

Collections and Archives

Holdings contain manuscripts, diaries, letters, photographs, and artifacts tied to figures like Emma Hale Smith, Hyrum Smith, Orson Hyde, John D. Lee, Wilford Woodruff, Heber C. Kimball, and Eliza R. Snow. The archive includes business records related to Zion's Cooperative Mercantile Institution, maps of trails like the Mormon Trail, and material on events such as the Utah War, the Black Hawk War (Utah), and the Mountain Meadows Massacre. Collections intersect with items from global missions in Brazil, Chile, Germany, Sweden, France, The Netherlands, India, Philippines, and Japan. Preservation collaborates with conservation labs and institutions including the Library of Congress, Smithsonian Institution, Poole Center for Historical Research, and university special collections.

Publications and Educational Programs

The office supports publication projects like the Joseph Smith Papers Project, scholarly journals, exhibit catalogs, and biographies of leaders such as Brigham Young and George Albert Smith. It produces curriculum and interpretive materials for visitors to sites like Temple Square, Joseph Smith Birthplace Memorial, and the Church History Museum, and partners with publishers and academic presses at Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, Princeton University Press, University of Illinois Press, and University of Utah Press. Educational outreach includes conferences with scholars from American Historical Association, Society of American Archivists, Mormon Studies Program at Claremont Graduate University, and lecture series featuring researchers like Terryl Givens, Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, and Gregory Prince.

Controversies and Criticisms

Scholarly debates have arisen over access to sensitive documents related to polygamy, race and the priesthood, and events such as the Mountain Meadows Massacre, drawing criticism from historians including D. Michael Quinn, Mark Staker, and Linda King Newell. Issues over restricted files, editorial decisions in projects like the Joseph Smith Papers Project, and interpretations involving Book of Mormon historicity prompted public discourse involving media outlets like The New York Times and The Salt Lake Tribune, legal inquiries in state courts, and academic critiques from scholars at University of Michigan, Rutgers University, and Indiana University.

Influence and Legacy

The office has shaped understanding of figures such as Joseph Smith Jr., Brigham Young, Eliza R. Snow, and institutions like Relief Society and Young Men's Mutual Improvement Association while influencing museum practice at sites including Winter Quarters Nebraska State Historical Society and shaping public memory through exhibits referencing the Pioneer Day narrative. Its archival stewardship and publications have been cited in works by historians associated with Harvard Divinity School, Princeton Theological Seminary, Oxford Centre for Mormon Studies, and have affected curricula at Brigham Young University and theater productions in Salt Lake City and Provo.

Category:Archives Category:Religious organizations established in the 19th century